A roundup of today's other sports news in brief
Ireland ready for trip to Santiago
HOCKEY:Hosts Chile and Australia will have to wait a little longer in Santiago for the commencement of the World Cup qualifying tournament after their opponents in the five-nation event, Ireland, Scotland and Malaysia, announced their new travel plans yesterday.
Half the Irish squad will fly out on Saturday, the other half leaving on Sunday, but Scotland are not expected to arrive in Chile until Tuesday, four days after the tournament was scheduled to start. The Malaysian squad will arrive on Saturday.
The Irish players and management were due to leave for Chile last Sunday but the current travel disruptions led to the cancellation of their flights.
The International Hockey Federation must now revise the match schedule for the tournament, allowing time for the latecomers to recover from their long-haul journeys.
Dressage test for Ireland duo
EQUESTRIAN:Ireland's two representatives in this weekend's four-star Rolex Kentucky three-day event ride their dressage tests tomorrow which gives Captain Geoff Curran an extra 24-hours to recover from his arduous journey from Dublin, writes Margie McLoone.
With his travel plans disrupted like so many others, Waterford-born Curran rushed to Rosslare on Sunday, boarded a ferry to Cherbourg, and then, with Commandant Tom Freyne, hired a car for an 11-hour overnight drive to Madrid.
They arrived in the Spanish capital on Tuesday, caught a flight for Atlanta and then a connecting flight on to Kentucky where the Minister for Defence’s gelding The Jump Jet had been in quarantine.
Ireland’s other competitor at the Kentucky Horse Park is the US-based Hilda Hick Donahue riding Extravagance.
Jennings seals win for Newbridge
RUGBY: Newbridge College 16 St Gerard's School 14:Replacement outhalf John Jennings held his nerve two minutes from time to seal Newbridge's win with a penalty in the Leinster Schools Foster Cup final at Naas RFC.
The game went one way and then the other as St Gerard’s hooker Rufus O’Brien crossed for an early try. Newbridge came back with a try from prop Cameron Dempsey and the kicking of fullback Cathal Maguire.
St Gerard’s number eight Kevin Hegarty came to the fore in the second half and centre Stephen Toal-Lennon’s penalties in the 45th minute and 55th minute edged them in front before Jennings stepped up to nail the late winning kick.
Scorers: Newbridge College:C Dempsey try; C Maguire 2 pens, con; J Jennings pen.
St Gerard's School(R O'Brien try; S Toal-Lennon 3 pens).
Schumacher gets backing
MOTOR SPORT:Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has defended Michael Schumacher following his woeful return to the sport. After over three years in retirement, Schumacher has been a shadow of his former self in the four races so far on his comeback with Mercedes GP.
Ecclestone said: “Anybody who criticises Michael is wrong. He deserves better. I would say don’t underestimate Michael. Give him time to adapt to the new car and the new tyres.
“At the moment he’s something of a newbie who has to get accustomed to the trade again.
“Michael would have never returned had he not been convinced that he can do the job.
“He is not a tourist in the paddock, he’s here to win. And he will win again.”
Schumacher has amassed 10 points to to Nico Rosberg’s 50, with a best finish of sixth, in the season opener in Bahrain.
Robertson has to work but O’Brien fails to stick around
SNOOKER:Neil Robertson avoided a sticky end to his World Championship campaign but admitted knocking out Fergal O'Brien was as tough as extracting chewing gum from a carpet.
The 28-year-old Australian made a maximum 147 break inside 15 minutes at the recent China Open, but a Crucible record for the slowest frame almost fell as he and O’Brien became entrenched in a tense battle for the crunch 13th frame in their Crucible opener.
Robertson finally took it after an hour and nine minutes — six minutes short of the record set by Stephen Maguire and Mark King last year — to gain an 8-5 lead.
And that effectively finished off 38-year-old O’Brien, who was not flattered by the final scoreline of 10-5.
“I said to someone after the match that it felt like trying to get a piece of chewing gum out of a carpet,” Robertson explained. “It was a really, really tough match and I’m relieved to get through.”
Trinidad far too hot for Ireland
CRICKET:Coach Phil Simmons got no favours on returning to his homeland on Tuesday as Ireland suffered a comprehensive nine-wicket defeat to a Trinidad XI at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, writes Emmet Riordan.
The game marked a return to action for Boyd Rankin from a foot injury, although it will be one the 6ft 8in opening bowler will be keen to forget after his two overs went for 40 runs, including 29 off his second.
It hastened the inevitable result after Ireland were bowled out for just 90, with 17 balls unused in their innings. Gary Wilson was the only batsman to make any real impact, hitting 37 runs off 42 balls before being last out.
Trinidad XI knocked off the runs in just 43 balls. Lendl Simmons, a nephew of the Ireland coach, hit four sixes as he finished on 46 not out from 20 balls. He shared in an 88-run first-wicket partnership with William Perkins, who bashed 42 off 23 deliveries. The two sides meet again tomorrow.
