Today's other stories in brief
Horak calls time on his career
RUGBY:Saracens fullback Michael Horak has announced his retirement from professional rugby with immediate effect. The 32-year-old won a solitary England cap in 2002 while a London Irish player, featuring in the victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires. His first-team opportunities with Saracens this season have been limited.
“This has not been an easy decision,” he said. “But I feel it is the best option for myself and my family.”
Sainz takes lead in Dakar Rally
RALLYING: Carlos Sainz took over the lead of the Dakar Rally from Stephane Peterhansel after the Frenchman was forced to stop twice during yesterday's stage five, won by Mark Miller.
The BMW of nine-times Dakar winner Peterhansel had mechanical problems on the 483km Copiapo to Antofagasta stage, in the Atacama desert. He lost around two hours while Sainz, second in a trio of Volkswagens which occupied the top positions on the stage, now holds a four minute, 37-second lead over Qatars Nasser al-Attiyah, who came in third. Sainz was 2:10 adrift of Miller at the end after a flat tyre ruined his hopes of making up the gap between them. Miller remains third overall, with Robby Gordon’s Hummer now fourth behind the three VWs after he finished fourth.
Cyril Despres retained the lead of the motorcycle race after Chilean Francisco Lopez won the stage.
Federer breezes through in chilly conditions
TENNIS: World number one Roger Federer made light of the chilly conditions to ease into the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open with a 6-2 6-4 win over Russian Evgeny Korolev yesterday.
The Swiss broke his opponent four times in the match, winning 84 per cent of points on his first serve.
“I was hitting the ball hard because the weather was quite chilly. Evgeny is a promising player, so I didn’t want to take chances,” said Federer.
World number two Rafael Nadal also breezed into the last eight with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Italian Potito Starace.
“I’ve been playing well lately. Today’s victory underlines that I’m in very good form,” said the Spaniard. “Potito has always been a tough opponent for me.”
Federer next faces Latvian Ernests Gulbis, while Nadal will face Belgian Steve Darcis.
Third seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko moved past Switzerland’s Marco Chiudinelli 6-3 6-4 and will now take on big-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic, the seventh seed.
Viktor Troicki, the fifth-seeded Serbian, also advanced to the last eight thanks to a 6-2 6-2 win over Olivier Rochus.
Troicki’s next opponent will be Poland’s Lukasz Kubot, who was a 6-2 7-6 (7/5) victor over Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine.
Karlovic came from a set down to beat Benjamin Becker of Germany in their second-round match.
The big-serving Croatian prevailed 4-6 6-3 6-2 to set up a meeting with Davydenko in the quarter-finals.
Gulbis beat Italian Andreas Seppi 6-4 7-5 .
Simmons looks to Kidd and Dockrell
CRICKET:Ireland coach Phil Simmons will look to the left-arm duo of Gary Kidd and uncapped teenager George Dockrell to solve his immediate problems in the slow-bowling department, writes Emmet Riordan. The retirement of record cap-holder Kyle McCallan was followed by news Regan West will require operations on both shoulders that are set to keep him out for most of the season.
Simmons has included 24-year-old Kidd for this month’s Intercontinental Cup clash against Afghanistan and the T20 quadrangular series in Sri Lanka ahead of the World T20 Qualifier in the United Arab Emirates at the start of February.
Dockrell, 17, will join up with the panel for the two T20 events after his participation in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand. He will be joined in the senior squad by Paul Stirling to bring the numbers up to 15.
O'Driscoll named world player of the decade
RUGBY: Brian O'Driscoll has been named the world's player of the decade by Rugby World Magazine in its new issue this month, beating off challenges from the likes of Richie McCaw and Martin Johnson, writes Gerry Thornley.
The decade began with O’Driscoll scoring a hat-trick of tries in Ireland’s win over France in Stade de France and concluded with him captaining Ireland to a Grand Slam and an unbeaten 2009, as well as helping to inspire Leinster to the Heineken Cup.
In between times, his standards rarely dipped and he was a three-time Lions tourist.
He is the only Irish player in a team of the decade, with Johnson named as captain.
TEAM: Mils Muliaina (New Zealand); Jason Robinson (England), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), Matt Giteau (Australia), Shane Williams (Wales); Dan Carter (New Zealand), Agustin Pichot (Argentina); Gethin Jenkins (Wales), John Smit (South Africa), Carl Hayman (New Zealand), Martin Johnson (capt, England), Victor Matfield (South Africa), Richard Hill (England), Richie McCaw (New Zealand), Sergio Parisse (Italy). Replacements: Rodrigo Roncero, Mario Ledesma, Sylvian Marconnet, Juan-Martín Fernández Lobbe, Fourie Du Preez, Jonny Wilkinson, Yannick Jauzion, Juan Martín Hernández
