A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Tickets available for England one-day match in Malahide
CRICKET:It may be eight months away but Ireland's cricketers are already plotting England's downfall when they travel to the new-look Malahide ground for the RSA Challenge One-Day International on September 3rd. Ireland have lost the previous three ODIs against England here, but all have been close-run affairs, and they will be drawing on the spirit that saw them beat England at the last World Cup in India.
John Mooney hit the winning boundary in that game and believes a capacity crowd of about 10,000 can give Ireland an edge. “It’s going to be a great occasion to play England again and it’ll be a superb boost to the team to have a capacity crowd behind us. There’s always . . . a great atmosphere when Ireland play England at any sport and it brings out the best in us all.”
Tickets are priced at €40 for adults, with a special family ticket for €99, and are available from Ticketmaster.
EMMET RIORDAN
First-half tries enough for CBC Monkstown
SCHOOLS RUGBY:Tries by scrumhalf Robert Jordan and left wing Cillian Barry gave CBC Monkstown a 16-8 victory over Gonzaga in the Leinster Schools' Junior League final at Donnybrook.
Darren Casey's 15th-minute penalty and Jordan's raid down the left gave CBC an 8-0 lead in the 22nd minute. Before the break, Gonzaga struck for a well-worked try by number eight Harry O'Grady.
Gonzaga lost control of the ball inside their own half and Barry blasted around the outside for the crucial try on half-time. After the break defences ruled with just a penalty apiece, from Casey and Gonzaga's Oran James.
Attack proves best defence for under-fire UCI chief McQuaid
CYCLING:International Cycling Union president Pat McQuaid has vowed to continue to improve the sport, despite continued calls for his resignation.
A day after a meeting of pressure group Change Cycling Now called for a change of leadership and three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond offered his services as an interim president of the UCI, McQuaid launched the first phase of the union's response.
All of those involved in the sport, from riders to industry representatives and anti-doping organisations, have until next Monday to respond to a letter from the UCI.
There are four main topics of conversation: globalisation, anti-doping, riders and sports calendar.
The UCI consultation is separate from the external independent commission which is charged with looking into the issues and allegations contained in the United States Anti-Doping Agency decision relating to the Lance Armstrong affair.
O'Leary escapes with IOC warning after betting probe
SAILING:Irish sailor Peter O'Leary has escaped with a warning from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after betting on a direct competitor to win at the 2008 Beijing Games.
O'Leary did not qualify for the medal race on which he gambled, but placed two bets totalling €300 on the British boat to capture gold in the Star class at odds of 12 to 1, and won €3,600.
"There was no proof of any match-fixing," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said last night. "The athlete was unaware he could not bet on Olympic events. It is not something we agree with and we condemn it but we will not take any more action."
The IOC bars athletes from betting on Olympic events but their ethics commission said competitors in 2008 may not have been as familiar with the regulations as they are now.
The IOC has been eager to tackle illegal gambling and corruption by monitoring betting patterns during the Games and informing athletes of what they can and cannot do.
News of O'Leary's indiscretion broke just before he competed at the London Games last summer and prompted an IOC investigation. O'Leary and team-mate David Burrows finished 10th in the Star competition in London.
Ulster's Walker guaranteed a bronze medal
BOXING:Kurt Walker is guaranteed a bronze medal at the World Youth Championships in Yerevan, Armenia.
Walker, who boxes out of the Canal BC in Lisburn, Co Antrim, beat Ian Clarke Bautista of the Philippines 19-12 in yesterday's flyweight quarter-final.
The Ulster teenager, the last Irish boxer left in the tournament, will meet England's Oliver Reece Simpson in tomorrow's 52kg semi-final.
Dubliner John Joe McDonagh bowed out at the last-eight stage yesterday. The Crumlin fighter lost 15-7 to Russian Idris Shakhamanov.
