A round-up of other sports news in brief
Promising Bowtell selected for Federation Cup event
TENNIS: Fifteen-year-old Amy Bowtell has been selected for the Irish Federation Cup team ahead of their Europe/Africa Zone Group 3 event on the 22nd April 2009 in the Marsa Sports Club in Malta, writes Johnny Watterson.
The promising teenager from Greystones was given her first taste of international tennis last year, when she was included in the Irish side but comes in this year as the number two player to Berkley University scholarship student Rachael Dillon.
The team is very much developmental with an emphasis on youth and was selected following a recommendation from the Federation Cup captain, Garry Cahill. Bowtell joins Dubliner Jenny Claffey and Lyndsey McCullough from Belfast. The groups for the competition have not yet been finalised but Ireland are in the competition with Algeria, Greece, Malta, Armenia, Iceland, Norway, Egypt, Moldova, Tunisia, Finland, Lichtenstein, Montenegro, Zimbabwe and Azerbaijan. Remaining in the group would be this year’s ambition for the team.
The men’s Irish Davis Cup team will find themselves playing on a Plexipave hard court surface in the second round of their Davis Cup Euro/Africa Zone Group 2 against Cyprus on July 10th-1th. The Cypriot Tennis Association have decided to opt for the outdoor hard court surface at the National Tennis Centre in the state capital of Nicosia, after a hard fought 3-2 victory over Portugal.
Leipheimer secures overall victory
CYCLING: Astana rider Levi Leipheimer secured overall victory in Spain's Vuelta Castilla y Leon yesterday, finishing in the peloton on the fifth and final stage won by Alejandro Valverde of Caisse dEpargne.
American Leipheimer had led the overall standings since winning Tuesday's time trial and finished ahead of Spanish team-mate Alberto Contador in second and compatriot David Zabriskie of the Garmin team in third. Spaniard Valverde won yesterday's 152.5km stage after a sprint to the line in Valladolid ahead of Euskaltel's Pablo Urtasun in second and Caisse team-mate Jose Joaquin Rojas in third. Philip Deignan finished an seventh overall.
There was a crash involving several riders. Benat Intxusti of the Servetto team and Gustavo Dominguez and Alberto Fernandez, both of Xacobeo-Galicia, were taken by ambulance to a hospital in Valladolid.
Applications pass one-million mark
SOCCER: Applications for World Cup tickets passed the one-million mark five days before the first phase of sales closes, Fifa revealed yesterday.
The figure excludes applications made by South African residents through bank branches across the country, world football's governing body added in a statement.
Online applications had been received from more than 160 countries, led by South Africa, Britain and the US.
The first sales phase, during which some 743,000 tickets are available to the general public, closes next Tuesday and a lottery in mid-April will determine the successful applicants.
Fifa said the number of applications had far exceeded their expectations A second phase runs from May 4th to November 16th when tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Safin, Safina safely through
TENNIS: Russian Marat Safin and his sister, Dinara Safina, recorded second-round victories at the Sony Ericsson Open at Key Biscayne yesterday. Safin put out Spain’s Oscar Hernandez 6-4 2-6 6-1 and world number two Safina swept aside Mathilde Johansson of France 6-1 6-3.
Elsewhere, fourth seed Elena Dementieva had to fight hard for a 6-0 3-6 6-3 win over fellow Russian Anastasia Pivovarova. Italy’s Flavia Pennetta beat Russian Maria Kirilenko 6-4 7-5.
Great day for Roscommon
GAELIC GAMES: IT’S a day that will live forever in the memories of the students, parents and teachers of the Convent of Mercy, Roscommon after they defeated a brave Loreto, Fermoy (4-10 to 2-7) in the final of the Women’s Post Primary Schools’ Senior A final in Banagher yesterday.
In what was an exciting game from the very first whistle, it will be remembered for great scoring, outstanding goalkeeping and the individual performance of Cliona McHugh. Convent of Mercy completed the first leg of a unique double as they face Ashbourne in the ladies FAIS senior cup final next Friday in Tullamore.
CONVENT OF MERCY, ROSCOMMON:L Doolin; E Menton, S Ormsby, A McHugh: R Mullaney, A Lannon, A McLoone: C Regan, S Kenny (1-1): A McCormack (1-4, 3 frees), S Tully, E Morris (0-1): A McNeill (1-1), C McHugh (1-3, one free), C Scally.
LORETO, FERMOY: E Feerick: A Mansell, M Rice, J Barry: M Hartnett, C Gleeson, M O'Sullivan: F Cotter, J O'Brien: E Ahern, E O'Hagan (1-2), G Kearney (0-1): J Sheehan (0-2), K Hannon (1-1), S Walsh (0-1). Sub: F Neville for Sheehan.
Referee: Keith Tigue (Dublin)
