Boxing: Former Olympic silver medallist Wayne McCullough has been cleared to resume fighting by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) despite having a cyst on his brain, reports Johnny Watterson.
McCullough, who was due to fight in Belfast last month in the first of a string of comeback fights, was halted at the last moment when a scan taken in the Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast revealed a lump on his brain.
McCullough then sought a second opinion in Dublin before the scheduled fight, but doctors could find nothing to cause alarm. Amid considerable confusion, however, the fight was cancelled.
Neurosurgeons have now given McCullough the go-ahead to resume his boxing career after confirming that the cyst had been there for at least five years. They now believe that the cyst is not life threatening and that a return to the ring will not exacerbate the problem.
The Belfast fighter had earlier threatened legal action against the BBBC if they did not allow him enter the ring following advice from US doctors that it would be safe for him to return to the sport. The decision means that the former WBC bantamweight title holder will be allowed stage his next fight at home.
Swimming: Nottingham's Heidi Earp, who shattered the British 200-metres breaststroke record last weekend, bowed out in the semi-finals of the 50 metres in the European short-course championships in Valencia yesterday. The 19-year-old finished fifth in her race in 32.21 seconds for 10th place overall. Ireland's Emma Robinson was disqualified from the first semi-final because of a false start.
Cricket: Ireland's captain Miriam Grealey won the toss for the sixth successive time, and had the satisfaction of leading the team to its first victory in the Women's World Cricket Cup, when they defeated the Netherlands by 41 runs at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand yesterday.
As the Irish batted first, Caitriona Beggs was top scorer, with an undefeated 66 hit off 116 deliveries and including three fours. Next highest was Anne Linehan, whose whirlwind 54 came off only 68 balls and included nine boundaries, while Grealey played a captain's part with a fine 32 off 37 deliveries with five fours thrown in.
