A round-up of other sports news in brief
Dementieva and Stepanek miss Wimbledon
TENNIS: Radek Stepanek and Elena Dementieva have all pulled out of Wimbledon due to injury.
Big-serving Croatian Karlovic’s withdrawal with a foot injury was announced by tournament organisers yesterday, with Czech world number 25 Stepanek later revealing he could play no part due to a knee problem.
Meanwhile, Russian Dementieva, the women’s world number five who has reached the semi-finals at SW19 for the past two years, has not recovered from the calf injury which forced her to retire from her last-four clash with Francesca Schiavone at the French Open.
Elsewhere, Ireland’s Colin O’Brien yesterday powered his way to the singles semi-final and the doubles final in the ITF Men’s Futures event in Kelibia, Tunisia.
His Davis Cup team-mate, Barry King, progressed to the quarter-finals in the corresponding tournament in La Palma, Canary Islands. King, seeded seven, edged Switzerland’s Riccardo Maiga 6-4, 6-3.
O’Brien, the fifth seed in Tunisia, first coasted to a 6-0. 6-3 win over Norway’s unseeded Soma Kesthely, and he followed up with a 6-3, 6-2 victory against France’s number four seed Rudy Coco.
In today’s semi-final, the Malahide left-hander faces a stiff challenge, being paired against the top seed, France’s Laurent Rochette.
Revington names 18 for Celtic Cup
HOCKEY: Paul Revington yesterday announced his squad of 18 to compete in the Celtic Cup, which takes place from the June 25th-27th in Le Touquet, France, which sees Ireland face Scotland, Wales and France in this annual event.
The Celtic Cup affords Ireland’s men the chance to play in their first tournament since their World Cup qualifier in Quilmes, Argentina last November.
Ireland play Scotland in their first match on the Friday, before facing Wales and finally, hosts Franc.
Commenting on his selection Revington said: “The Ireland team are excited to be back together again and in international action.”
IRELAND: I Walker (YMCA); D Fitzgerald (Monkstown); R Gormley (Pembroke W); J Jackson (Loughborough); J Brennan (Glenanne); C Harte (Pembroke W); P Gleghorne (Loughborough); G McCabe (Dragons); D Ames (Cookstown); A McConnell (Pembroke W); A Giles (Pembroke W); C Cargo (Reading); E Magee (Dragons); T Cockram (Lisnagarvey); M Darling (Leuven); A Sothern (Pembroke W); P Caruth (Annadale); P Maguire (Leuven; 77).
Injured Death of bookmaker Pat Doyle
GAELIC GAMES: One of Ireland’s best known bookmakers, Pat Doyle, has died after a brief illness.
Doyle captained the Limerick minor hurling team who won the All-Ireland in 1958.
As a bookmaker, he stood at all the major meetings in this country and in England.
He is survived by wife Margaret, daughters Barbara and Davina, sisters Maura and Carmel, and brother Mick, an outstanding soccer player with Limerick, who played in the 1965 FAI Cup final during which he broke his leg in a team managed by the late Ewan Fenton.
Doyle, who lived in Rosmadda, Parteen, Co Clare, will be buried at Ballycannon Cemetery following 11am Requiem Mass at St John’s Cathedral today.
Rossi injury has hurt title race
MOTOR: Jorge Lorenzo has conceded this year’s MotoGP world championship “has lost value” with the injury to reigning champion Valentino Rossi ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix.
Rossi is a major draw for thousands of British fans but will be missing on Sunday after breaking his leg in a crash at Mugello two weeks ago.
The nine-time champion is expected to be out for several months to leave his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Lorenzo in pole position to claim his first title.
Lorenzo holds a 25-point lead over Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa. Lorenzo admitted the sport will miss their star attraction. He said: “Winning a world title is always great, but without Valentino maybe the world championship has lost a little bit of its value.”
