Today's other sports stories in brief
England leave India due to attacks
CRICKET: England are to return home from India after the militant attacks in Mumbai on Wednesday but plan to come back for next months two-Test series.
We feel that even if it were for a few days the home environment is the place where the players should be, England and Wales Cricket Board managing director Hugh Morris said yesterday. The Test matches are in place and unless we get security advice to the contrary we will playing those Tests.
Earlier Indian board secretary N. Srinivasan said the last two one-day internationals in a seven-match series had been called off because of the attacks.
England are still scheduled to play two Tests from December 11th with the second match scheduled in Mumbai from December 19th.
Indian cricket board vice-president Lalit Modi said the Test matches would definitely go ahead but the Mumbai match would be moved.
Russian stands between Taylor and final place
BOXING:Ireland's Katie Taylor will face Ayzznat Gadzhieva of Russia in the semi-finals of the fifth Women's World Championships in Ningbo City, China, between 9am and 10am this morning at the Ningbo Youngor Gymnasium.
The winner of the last-four clash will meet Dong Cheng of China or Cindy Orain of France - an opponent Taylor has beaten four times already - in tomorrow's lightweight final.
Taylor, the reigning World, European and European Union champion, had a light training session yesterday, and following her first-round stoppage of Argentine Celeste Peralta on Wednesday, is in a confident mood according to her father and coach, Peter Taylor.
He said: "Katie was very happy with her performance against the Argentinian girl. Her rhythm and timing were very good and that has given her a lot of her confidence."
Meanwhile, the National Intermediate Championships resume with 12 quarter-finals at the National Stadium in Dublin tonight.
Muckross and Alexandra in final
HOCKEY:Muckross Park are through to the Leinster Premier League final and will defend their title against Alexandra College after the teams came through yesterday's semi-finals at Grange Road.
Muckross were taken to extra time by Mount Sackville before winning 3-1. The vital goals came either side of the extra-time break, from Rachel O'Reilly and Gillian Coleman, who also scored their first.
In the other semi-final Nocola Gray's goal gave Alex a 1-0 win over Wesley. The final takes place at Grange Road next Friday (2.30).
MUCKROSS PARK: K Tynan, R O'Reilly, J Murray, M Morgan, A Lawless, E Ward, E McErlean, E Woods, G Coleman, S Nolan, C Conway. Subs: N Shiels, M Reidy, E Conway.
MOUNT SACKVILLE: S Rodgers, E Sweeney, O Fox, J Tighe, H Ring, R Hinkson, S O'Connell, D Shiell, N Farrell, F McLoughlin, M Shields. Subs: D Garrihy, L O'Reilly.
ALEXANDRA COLLEGE: H Rochford, H O'Donnell, A Ward, D Duke, K Macken, N Gray, H de Burgh Whyte, J Graham, L Lenehan, S Mulkerin, K Hinkson. Subs: C Gormley, S McDermott, E Menzies, A Burke, E Beatty.
WESLEY COLLEGE: S Lett, A Stewart, K Walsh, C Godden, H Clarke, H Honner, C Fitzpatrick, A Walker, K Willis, C Sweeney, J Simon. Subs: M Roe-O'Leary, N Bailey, S Robinson, A Whelan.
Greek hurdler banned for two years
ATHLETICS:Greek hurdler Fani Halkia has been suspended for two years, according to the Greek Athletics Federation.
Halkia, who won the gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, was barred from competing in the Beijing Games this year after testing positive for the banned steroid methyltrienolone.
The IAAF yesterday appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the backdating of doping bans handed out by Russia's athletics federation (ARAF) last month to seven of its athletes.
The seven women, including twice world 1,500 metres champion Tatyana Tomashova, were suspended shortly before Augusts Beijing Olympics after being found guilty of manipulating drug samples.
The IAAF have called on CAS to implement the bans in accordance with IAAF rules from the point at which the athletes were first suspended from competition.
