A roundup of today's other sports news in brief
Fallon’s future in BHA hands
RACING:Kieren Fallon will find out today if the British Horseracing Authority will approve his riding licence which will enable him to return to the saddle on Friday.
Fallon has been absent from British racecourses since July 2006 due to the Old Bailey trial into alleged race-fixing and an 18-month drugs suspension.
The 44-year-old is due to have his first rides in England for three years at Lingfield and Kempton on Friday. It is understood there are no barriers to his licence being approved.
BHA public relations manager Paul Struthers said: “Kieren will see the licensing committee and they will consider his application.
“They will remind him of the rules of racing and I am sure he will find out there and then if he is going to licensed.”
Fallon will head to Mick Channon’s West Ilsley yard today to put Youmzain through his paces. The pair are due to team up in the Grosser Preis von Baden-Baden in Germany on Sunday. “The idea is for Kieren to go down to West Ilsley this week to sit on him.”
Ill-wind does Hession few favours in British Grand Prix
ATHLETICS:It's been a frustrating season for Ireland's fastest man, Paul Hession, and he got little respite at the British Grand Prix meeting at the Gateshead International Stadium yesterday, writes Ian O'Riordan.
With a strong wind blowing into the faces of the runners, fast times were always out of the question and so it proved when Hession took fourth in the 200 metres in 21.14 seconds, his slowest time of the season.
Again, the Galway athlete was competitive in a good class field of eight, with Shawn Crawford of the US taking the win in 20.80 seconds, from fellow American, Wallace Spearmon, the world championship bronze medallist, with Britain’s Malcolm Devonish third in 21.07, with yet another American, Mark Jenks, behind Hession in 21.22.
David Campbell was looking for some compensation for his failure to get selected for Berlin but didn’t quite have the speed when it counted at the end of the 1,500 metres and had to be content with sixth place in 3:42.67. Victory there went to the American Lionel Manzano in a tactical 3:41.10.
Michelle Carey was never a factor in the women’s 400 metres hurdles and finished fifth in 57.81, while Deirdre Byrne faded in the last lap of the women’s 1,500 metres, finishing eighth in 4:17.90, with victory going to Britain’s World Championship silver medallist Lisa Dobriskey in 4:13.60.
Australia move to fast-track athletes
ATHLETICS:Australias government is seeking amendments to its citizenship law that would fast-track foreign-born athletes into becoming eligible to represent Australia. The amendments would halve residency requirements from four years to two.
“Elite athletes who have the potential to represent Australia at an international level but need to be citizens to do so have been disadvantaged,” Immigration and Citizenship Minister Chris Evans said in a statement yesterday.
“These changes will create a smoother path to citizenship for elite athletes and people in specialist professions and enable Australia to benefit from the talents and skills they bring to our country.”
The changes, due to be introduced in parliament next month, would open the door for Australia to naturalise Russian speed skater Tatiana Borodulina.
Ireland under-19s start as favourites
CRICKET:IRELAND'S Under-19 side get their World Cup qualifying campaign underway in Toronto today, writes Emmet Riordan . They face the USA in the first of an eight-game schedule that will determine if they will make it to next year's finals in New Zealand.
Ireland are competition favourites, having won the European regional qualifier in Jersey in July and with a strong squad that includes senior international Paul Stirling and a number of players who have played for Ireland ‘A’ this summer. Their chances were further boosted yesterday after the International Cricket Council confirmed that Afghanistan had been withdrawn from the tournament after failing to gain visas to travel to Canada.
Sierra Leone have also had problems obtaining visas, but competition organisers are confident they can be overcome. Nine teams will take part, with the top six making it to the World Cup. Ireland senior coach Phil Simmons has travelled to Canada for the event and will be looking to earmark players for the coming years.
IRELAND (Squad):A Balbirnie (Pembroke, capt), B Ackland (Merrion), A D'Arcy (Clontarf), G Dockrell (Leinster), S Getkate (Malahide), G McCarter (Killyclooney), G McDonnell (Pembroke), L Nelson (Waringstown), S Poynter (Middlesex), E Richardson (North County), J Shannon (Instonians), P Stirling (Carrickfergus), S Thompson (Eglinton), C Young (Bready).
FIXTURES;Today v USA; Sep 4th v Netherlands; Sep 5th v Papua New Guinea; Sep 7th v Canada; Sep 8th v Hong Kong; Sep 10th v Uganda; Sep 11th v Sierra Leone; Sep 13th v Vanuatu.
