A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Ethiopia's Negewo sets a new record in Belfast Marathon
ATHLETICS:Records tumbled for the second successive year in yesterday's 31st Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon.
Ethiopia’s Urga Negewo returned to the event he won two years ago, to repeat his 2010 feat – and this time knocked more than a minute off the record, striding home on a wet and windy morning in 2:13:41.
Defending champion Joseph Chesire, who set a new Belfast record only last year, could only manage third place, in 2:18:09, behind fellow Kenyan David Kipserem Kisang (2:15:57).
The first local runner home, in 2:29:43 and eighth place, was Tommy Hughes, who was the last Northern Ireland athlete to win in Belfast, back in 1998.
The women’s race was won by another Kenyan, Alice Chelangat, who also set a new record of 2:39:02 – shaving 20 seconds off that set by Marashet Jimma in 2008. Russia’s Yelena Kozevnikova was the second woman home, in2:42:10, followed by Wioletta Kryza of Poland, in 2:43:57.
Cavendish and Phinney among the victims of a mass pile-up
CYCLING:World champion Mark Cavendish and Giro d'Italia race leader Taylor Phinney were involved in a mass pile-up near the end of the third stage yesterday won by Australian Matt Goss.
Briton Cavendish sustained a bad cut on his left shoulder and American Phinney hurt his ankle. Phinney received medical assistance from an ambulance before hobbling towards the race podium with a huge bandage around his ankle to receive his leader’s jersey.
The crash occurred when Italian rider Roberto Ferrari cut abruptly across Cavendish’s line within 100 metres of the finish. Cavendish tumbled violently to the ground, lying prostrate on the tarmac as another rider rode over him.
Cavendish then walked towards the line, his shoulder visibly cut and his red jersey of points leader in tatters.
“He lost a lot of skin but he is okay. It looks like there’s nothing broken,” said Team Sky sports director Steve De Jongh.
McCarter impresses on debut at Lord's
CRICKET:Ireland international bowler Graeme McCarter made an impressive debut for Gloucestershire at Lord's yesterday, taking three wickets in his side's five-wicket victory over Middlesex in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition, writes Emmet Riordan.
The 19-year-old from Derry, who made his Irish senior debut in an Intercontinental Cup clash against Namibia in Belfast last summer, took the wickets of former England opener Joe Denly with the final ball of his second over and came back to claim John Simpson and Steven Crook as Middlesex made 157 for eight off 26 overs in a rain-reduced match.
McCarter finished with figures of three for 41 from his five overs, while left-arm spinner Ed Young took three for 26, including Middlesex’s Irish international Paul Stirling for 25.
Middlesex seamer Tim Murtagh was the third Irish player in action, and he accounted for Gloucestershire opener Chris Dent for eight before Benny Howell’s unbeaten 45 got the vistors home with 22 balls to spare.
Espey qualifies for Olympics
SAILING:After four days of racing at the Laser World Championships in Germany, Irish sailor James Espey from Ballyholme Yacht Club in Belfast Lough achieved Olympic qualification when he made the Gold fleet.
Light winds were again prevailing yesterday at the Laser Standard Worlds at the Baltic Sea. In abating winds, two races were sailed and Australian Tom Slingsby extended his lead with another race win to nine points.
Espey now lies in 30th position overall and is second from nations who have not already qualified. By virtue of the fact there are only six unqualified nations in Gold fleet and there are 12 places on offer at this event Espey can be satisfied with a job well done.
Espey is the fourth Irish sailing campaign to qualify for Ireland. The other three teams Annalise Murphy (Laser Radial), Peter O’Leary David Burrows (Star) and Ryan Seaton Matt McGovern (49er) qualified at the World Championships in Perth, Australia in December.
