A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Fitzpatrick rejects home advantage
GAA: Louth manager Peter Fitzpatrick has called on the GAA not to give his side home advantage for their NFL tie against Monaghan on March 11th – as agreed as punishment for Monaghan's involvement in some player confrontation against Kildare, writes Ian O'Riordan.
Monaghan were originally fined €5,000, but after a hearing, they were instead forced to forfeit home advantage for the Louth game.
However, Fitzpatrick says the game should be played at a neutral venue, as they don’t want to be seen to be gaining an advantage from the hearing. Monaghan have also appealed to the CAC, suggesting the matter may drag on.
England complete series whitewash
CRICKET: Alastair Cook confirmed he would be staying on for the Twenty20 series after captaining England to a one-day series whitewash over Pakistan.
Kevin Pietersen’s second successive century, a career-best 130 off 153 balls, led England to a four-wicket win in the fourth and final one-day international in Dubai yesterday.
It came after Cook’s first failure of the series – he was out for four on his second ball – but, having registered two centuries and an 80 in the first three matches, Cook will now stay on as cover for a couple of minor injury worries in the squad. “I’ve been asked to stay on,” Cook said. “It’s not often you get to hit the ball as well as I have in the last week and a half so it’s important to keep playing.”
Vettel setting the pace already
MOTOR SPORT: Reigning Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel set the ball rolling on the second pre-season test in Barcelona.
Vettel posted the fastest time on the first eight days of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya – split into two blocks of four – before the curtain rises on the new season in Australia on March 16th-18th.
Completing 79 laps, the 24-year-old German was quickest in one minute 23.265 seconds, finishing 0.175 seconds up on Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg and 0.325 seconds better than Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren, while Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was down in fifth with a time of 1:24.100.
Klitschko hints at Chisora rematch
BOXING: Vitali Klitschko has opened the door for a rematch with Dereck Chisora by claiming the Briton “still needs real punishment from me”.
The Ukrainian retained his WBC heavyweight title with a unanimous points decision win in Munich on Saturday night, although the result was overshadowed by a brawl between Chisora and David Haye at the post-fight press conference.
It had been thought the incident would deter Klitschko from fighting either man, but he believes he still has unfinished business with Chisora. “My brain tells me that I do not need a rematch, but my ego, deep inside me, is telling me in no uncertain terms that this guy still needs real punishment from me,” he said.
Dobbs eyes up Cheltenham
HORSE RACING: A year after Our Girl Salley was forced to miss out on the Cheltenham Festival, trainer Prunella Dobbs is keeping her fingers crossed that nothing prevents the star mare from travelling to the Cotswolds this time, writes Brian O'Connor.
Quevega is odds-on to score a four-in-a-row in the David Nicholson Hurdle but with Voler La Vedette set to tackle the World Hurdle, Our Girl Salley looks like being the main Irish support in the big mares’ event.
For Dobbs, however, just making it to Cheltenham will be a result after some late disappointment in 2011. “I can still remember it vividly. We had just about got her there until she did her last gallop and I knew something wasn’t right. She scoped wrong afterwards. It was very disappointing and frustrating,” the trainer said yesterday.
Our Girl Salley is rated as low as 8 to 1 for the Nicholson despite finishing only third on her last start in a Grade Two at Ascot over three miles which was the furthest the mare has tackled in her career.
No jockey plans have been made for Our Girl Salley, whose regular partner Barry Geraghty is likely to be claimed by Nicky Henderson.
