A round-up of today's other sports news in brief
Good start for Irish women at Henley
ROWING: Irish crews had a good first outing at Henley Women’s regatta yesterday. Marie O’Neill of Cork Boat Club negotiated through the time-trial qualifiers in the morning and then came from behind to win her heat of the senior single scull last evening.
The Commercial coxed four also progressed through yesterday’s time trial, giving 10-year-old cox Rory Keogh a good start to the regatta.
Henley Women’s Regatta, Day One (Irish interest): Qualifiers – Senior Four, coxed: Commercial. Senior Single Scull: O’Neill (Cork BC). First Round, Senior Single: Cork (O’Neill) bt Glasgow (Alex) distance
Dilshan steers Sri Lanka home
CRICKET: Tillakaratne Dilshan sparkled with bat and ball to steer Sri Lanka to an emphatic 126-run victory over Bangladesh at the four-nation Asia Cup in Dambulla yesterday.
Sri Lankas batsmen went on the rampage, hitting 312 for four after captain Kumar Sangakkara had won the toss. Bangladesh were then bundled out for 186 in 40.2 overs.
Dilshan took the man of the match award after smashing 71 in 51 balls and claiming three for 37 with his part-time off-breaks.
He and opening partner Upul Tharanga got Sri Lanka off to a perfect start, putting on 111 for the first wicket on an easy paced pitch.
Dilshan struck 11 fours and one six in his innings, while Tharanga scored 54 in 73 balls. Sangakkara chipped in with 52 off 69 deliveries.
Mahela Jayawardene (43), Angelo Mathews (42 not out) and Chamara Kapugedera (37 not out) also joined the run spree as Bangladeshs bowling fell apart.
Mathews and Kapugedera shared an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 73.
Tamim Iqbal top-scored in Bangladeshs reply, with 51 in 53 balls, but their second defeat in the tournament means they have little chance of qualifying for the final.
India meet Pakistan today
Lorenzo sets the pace at Silverstone
MOTOGP: Leader Jorge Lorenzo, the sole works Yamaha rider in the absence of injured world champion Valentino Rossi, was quickest in first practice for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone yesterday.
Lorenzo, 25 points clear of fellow-Spaniard Dani Pedrosa after four races, completed 23 laps of the new layout with a best time of two minutes 5.991 seconds some 10 minutes from the end of a session cut short by rain.
Australian Casey Stoner , was second quickest for Ducati in 2:06.133, with Honda’s Italian Andrea Dovizioso third.
Pedrosa, winner of the previous race in Italy, could manage only the sixth best time on his factory Honda in a session that ended with a rain shower a couple of minutes from the scheduled finish.
Burghardt claims another stage win in Switzerland
CYCLING: Germany’s Markus Burghardt rode solo for 60km yesterday to claim his second triumph in three days on the Tour of Switzerland. One minute and one second behind in stage seven was Spains Oscar Freire, while Belgian Greg van Avermaet finished third.
Dutchman Robert Gesink of Rabobank retained the overall lead.
For more than an hour of arduous cycling, BMC Racing’s Burghardt fended off chasers from a 15-man break on the hilly 204.1km trek from Savognin to Wetzikon.
His first stage win earlier this week also came after another lone break and ended a two-year drought.
“It’s incredible, after no wins since 2008 Ive finally made it back, Burghardt said.
I had a bad spring too and I only came to the Tour of Switzerland to get some training and race kilometres in my legs before the Tour de France.
This time was very different to the first victory. I attacked from a long way out.
American Lance Armstrong stayed seventh overall, 55 seconds off the pace.
My legs were fine today but it was a cold, stressful day, he said. I felt like I’d recovered fine from yesterdays stage but it rained and got very cold at one point.
When youre wet 10 degrees in June you feel it.”
Gesink again named Armstrong as his main rival for overall victory.
The race ends with an individual time trial tomorrow.
It's thumbs up from Johnston
CRICKET: Ireland all-rounder Trent Johnston expects to play a part in next week’s two one-day clashes against West Indies A in Belfast after reporting good progress on the thumb injury he picked up in Ireland’s defeat to Australia at Castle Avenue on Thursday, writes Emmet Riordan.
Results of an X-Ray showed no break, just heavy bruising, and he hopes to be back for at least one of the games at Stormont, where he is due to captain the side in the absence of William Porterfield.
“There’s a lot more movement in the hand today so I’m hopeful of at least making Friday’s game, if not the first one on Wednesday,” said Johnston.
Johnston will miss Railway Union’s double-header over the weekend. After beating YMCA by six wickets last night they travel to Milverton today to take on The Hills’ seconds in the quarter-finals of the Leinster Senior Cup, before a top of the table showdown at home to North County in Division One of the league tomorrow.
Makarova stuns third seed Stosur
TENNIS: Russian qualifier Ekaterina Makarova upset third seed and French Open finalist Sam Stosur to advance to the final of the AEGON International at Eastbourne.
The 22-year-old world number 100 out-served the powerful Australian as she battled back from a break down in the first set to triumph 7-6 (7/5) 7-5.
She will meet fellow Russian Victoria Azarenka who saw off Marion Bartoli 6-3 7-5.
