A round-up of other sports news in brief...
Irish women add Euro twenty20 title
CRICKET: The Ireland women's team won their second European title in 24 hours at Rathmines yesterday as they added the Twenty20 title to the 50-over crown they secured on Wednesday, writes Emmet Riordan.
Paul Delany’s side have been in top form all week and handed out two emphatic defeats to Scotland and the Netherlands in the round-robin format to ease their way to the title.
Scotland had lost to the Dutch in the early game and Ireland didn’t spare them in the second clash as they posted 148 for two from their 20 overs.
Cecelia Joyce continued her fine form with the bat as she top-scored with 46, while twin sister Isobel made an unbeaten 34.
The bowlers then suffocated the Scottish reply as they limped to 62 for seven as Ireland won by 86 runs.
The Netherlands looked to posted a reasonable score of 115 for six in the decider, only for the Ireland top-order to race home in the 14th over. Clare Shillington was dropped off the first ball and went on to make 58 not out, with Isobel Joyce making 35.
Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council has announced that men’s World Twenty20 Qualifier will now take place in Dubai between February 9th to 13th next year after attempts to run the competition in October were scuppered because of availability issues with the venues.
Ireland have been drawn in Group A alongside Scotland, Afghanistan and the USA in the eight-team tournament. The top two teams will qualify for next April’s World Twenty20 in the West Indies.
WOMEN'S EUROPEAN TWENTY20 CHAMPIONSHIP:At Rathmines: Netherlands 138-7 (20 ovs) (C Odoulf 33, M Nijman 22; F Urquhart 2-22, A Aitken 2-23), Scotland 100-9 (20 ovs) (K Anderson 34no; M Braat 3-13). Netherlands won by 38 runs.
Ireland 148-2 (20 ovs) (C Joyce 46, I Joyce 34no, E Richardson 32no, C Shillington 26; L Dixon 2-20) Scotland 62-7 (20 overs) (A Kenealy 3-15, C Metcalfe 2-16). Ireland won by 86 runs.
Netherlands 115-6 (20 ovs) (M Nijman 29no, M Veringmeier 27; A Kenealy 2-19; E Richardson 2-20) Ireland 116-1 (13.3 ovs) C Shillington 58no, I Joyce 35). Ireland won by 9 wkts and won tournament STAFFORDSHIRE UNDER-15 TOURNAMENT: At Wolverhampton CC: Leinster 196-6 (45 ovs) (D Cole 44, T Kane 36, C McLoughlin 32, M Ingram 28), Staffordshire 199-6 (44.3 ovs) (S Moores 51; C McLoughlin 3-33, T Kane 2-29). Staffordshire won by 4 wkts.
Australians choose same starting XV for Springboks
RUGBY: Australia have resisted the temptation to wield the axe after last months loss to New Zealand by choosing an unchanged starting team for tomorrows Tri-Nations match with South Africa in Cape Town.
Australia’s selectors kept faith with the starting side that lost 22-16 to the All Blacks in Auckland but did make one unforced change to the replacements.
Reserve flanker Phil Waugh was left out of the 22-man squad and replaced by utility back Peter Hynes to give the Wallabies a more conventional bench of four forwards and three backs.
“The boys are in a good frame of mind, they’re showing good heart. There’s a good clarity around what we are doing and a high level of enthusiasm,” coach Robbie Deans said.
Deans said he expected the Springboks to use the same game plan against his team as they used in defeating New Zealand twice in succession – pinning the opposition in their own half with a strong kicking game.
“Theyre unlikely to veer from what they used against the All Blacks, but they are capable of playing in many ways. They may pull an element of surprise out, but I doubt it very much,” Deans said.
AUSTRALIA: Adam Ashley-Cooper; Lachie Turner, Stirling Mortlock (capt), Berrick Barnes, Drew Mitchell; Matt Giteau, Luke Burgess; Benn Robinson, Stephen Moore, Al Baxter, James Horwill, Nathan Sharpe, Richard Brown, George Smith, Wycliff Palu, , Replacements: Tatafu Polota-Nau, Ben Alexander, Dean Mumm, David Pocock, Will Genia, Peter Hynes, James OConnor.
Banned skater blames testers
SKATING: Banned Olympic speed skating champion Claudia Pechstein blamed testing mistakes and sample mix-ups yesterday for her abnormal blood values that could bar her from competing at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Flanked by her manager and her lawyer, the five-times Olympic gold medallist spoke only briefly during an elaborate press conference that included video projections of documents and minute details of test results and procedures.
The International Skating Union (ISU) last month said the German’s blood profile had included abnormal values in a series of tests, in particular during February’s world all-round championships and the sport’s governing body imposed a two-year ban, back-dated to February 9th this year. She has since appealed against it.
Grengel said barcode numbers on samples were suspect, results in laboratories showed different measurements of the same sample and other testing procedures were not conducted correctly.
Eight newcomers in Scottish squad
RUGBY: Andy Robinson yesterday named eight uncapped players in his first Scotland squad since being appointed head coach.
The former England boss will run the rule over a 44-man party at a three-day training camp at St Andrews later this month.
Robinson took seven of the eight rookies with him as part of Scotland A’s victorious IRB Nations Cup squad in Bucharest in June, shortly after his appointment.
They were Edinburgh quartet John Houston, Alan MacDonald, Jim Thompson and Kyle Traynor, Glasgow duo Ruaridh Jackson and Richie Vernon, and Worcester centre Alex Grove.
The final uncapped call-up went to 19-year-old Glasgow lock Richie Gray, who played in all 10 of Scotland Under-20s’ international matches last season.
The squad also includes the four Scots who toured South Africa with the Lions: Mike Blair, Ross Ford, Nathan Hines and Euan Murray.
ITF appeals Gasquet return
TENNIS: The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has appealed against a decision allowing French tennis player Richard Gasquet to return to the international circuit after testing positive for cocaine.
“The ITF can confirm that, jointly with WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency), it has appealed to CAS (the Court of Arbitration for Sport) the decision of the independent tribunal in the case of Richard Gasquet,” an ITF statement said.
