A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
Garcia forced to withdraw
GOLF:A painful finger injury forced Spain's Sergio Garcia to withdraw from the US qualifying tournament for this year's British Open yesterday.
Garcia, who finished second in the Open in 2007, was due to play in the one-day 36-hole qualifying event at the Gleneagles Country Club in Texas, where the top eight finishers get automatic entry to the British Open, but pulled out, saying he was unable to properly grip his clubs due to the injury.
Leicester duo escape censure
RUGBY:Leicester rugby director Richard Cockerill and head coach Matt O'Connor will be fully involved in Tigers' bid to complete a hat-trick of Premiership titles on Saturday.
Cockerill and O’Connor have escaped censure after allegations that they abused match officials or acted in a way that was prejudicial to the game’s interests during Tigers’ Premiership play-off victory over Northampton nine days ago.
Rugby Football Union disciplinary officer Judge Jeff Blackett said he had decided to take no action against them.
Former England hooker Cockerill and Australian O’Connor could have faced match-day coaching bans and a prospect of being kept away from Twickenham when Leicester tackle Saracens in five days’ time.
Saracens’ former rugby director Brendan Venter received a lengthy match-day suspension last year and was banned by the RFU from attending the Premiership final, also against Leicester, for incidents during a league game against Leicester in a league game.
O’Brien out of series with Pakistan through injury
CRICKET:Niall O'Brien's unlucky run with injury has robbed the Northamptonshire player of the chance of putting Pakistan to the sword again as the wicket-keeper was ruled out of the upcoming RSA series against the World Cup semi-finalists, writes Emmet Riordan.
The 29-year-old from Sandymount was the hero of Ireland’s victory over Pakistan at the 2007 World Cup, with his innings of 72 helping secure a momentous three-wicket victory in Kingston.
The left-hander had started the English county season in exceptional fashion, scoring over 700 runs at an average of over 80, including a first one-day century last Friday against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.
It was early in that innings that he was struck on the left hand by a delivery from former England seamer Simon Jones and an X-ray yesterday confirmed a fracture that is expected to keep him out for three weeks.
Ireland coach Phil Simmons has called up Clontarf batsman Andrew Poynter for the games on Saturday and Monday at Stormont, with Surrey’s Gary Wilson set to take over behind the stumps.
O’Brien missed six weeks last summer after surgery to the same hand and is frustrated that he won’t get the opportunity to transfer his good form onto the international stage.
“It’s annoying to have to miss these games, especially as I’m playing so well and hitting the ball so well,” said O’Brien.
Spanish rider killed in accident
CYCLING:Spanish Movistar Team rider Xavier Tondo was killed yesterday when he was involved in an incident with a garage door on his way to training near Granada, his team said.
“The 32-year-old Catalan rider was in his car on the way to training when he suffered the incident with the door of the garage,” the team said in a statement.
Tondo had an impressive 2010 season, winning a stage on the Paris-Nice race and finishing sixth in the Tour of Spain. He won the 2011 Tour of Castilla and Leon.
Earlier this year, he blew the whistle on a doping ring when he alerted authorities after receiving emails in which he was offered banned substances.
Movistar said they would not withdraw their team from the Giro d’Italia, which resumes today after a rest day. “We decided the best thing to do would be to honour Xavi on the bike,” team manager Eusebio Unzue said in a media release.
“The rest of the team will be with his relatives at the funeral but we’re convinced Xavi would have liked us to keep on racing.”
Rokocoko signs for Bayonne
RUGBY:French club Bayonne have announced the signing of New Zealand star Joe Rokocoko.
The Fiji-born wing, who has scored 46 tries in 66 Tests for the All Blacks, will link up with Bayonne following this year’s World Cup in New Zealand.
Rokocoko (27) has agreed a two-year deal with the option of a third year, moving to Europe from Auckland Blues.
And he becomes Bayonne’s latest big-name signing for next season following their recruitment of All Blacks forwards Neemia Tialata and Sione Lauaki, plus Toulouse’s France international wing Cedric Heymans.
“He is a passionate guy who is not coming here on holiday,” Bayonne sporting director Christian Gajan told the club’s official website.
