Digest: The Bay Hill Invitational is set to go ahead tomorrow despite the prospect of war with Iraq and the world's top two players, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, are both scheduled to compete.
"Our plan is to play our events as scheduled," Bob Combs, PGA Tour director of communications said. The 48-hour deadline imposed by US President George Bush on Monday for Iraq's President Saddam Hussein and his sons to leave their country ends at 8 p.m. local time today. The first tee time at Bay Hill is at 7.30 a.m. tomorrow, less than 12 hours later.
HOCKEY: Two more uncapped players, Joe Brennan (Glenanne) and Ronan Gormley (Pembroke Wanderers), have been added to the Ireland men's training panel as coach John Clarke gets down to the serious preparation for the European Championship in Barcelona in September. For the first spring gettogether in Dublin on March 29th and 30th, there is also a recall for Ivan Steen of Newry, now playing with Surbiton.
TRAINING PANEL (with number of caps): N Henderson (Pembroke W) capt, 36, W Bateman (Cork Harlequins) 9, C Henderson (Corinthians) 0,
I Clarke (Glenanne) 0; A Barbour (Cookstown) 1, J Black (Harlequins) 39, J Brennan (Glenanne) 0, P Brown (Instonians) 41, K Burns (Cork C of I) 7, S Butler (Glenanne/Antwerp Dragons) 36, N Buttimer (Cork C of I) 31, D Eakins (Harlequins) 4, G Elliott (Pembroke) 22, R Gormley (Pembroke) 0, D Hobbs (Cork C of I) 13, M Irwin (Instonians) 27, C Jackson (Annadale) 46, J Jermyn (Cork C of I) 6, E Lutton (Lisnagarvey) 71, S Nicholson (Harlequins) 0, W Powderly (Dublin YMCA) 0, M Raphael (Lisnagarvey) 40, G Shaw (Glenanne) 15, J Sherriff (Pembroke/Antwerp Dragons.) 28, D Smyth (Annadale) 28, I Steen (Surbiton) 26, J Stevenson (Lisnagarvey) 76, B Waring (Lisnagarvey) 3. Coach: J Clarke; Manager: S Hiles.
ATHLETICS: Germany's European 400 metres relay runner Florence Ekpo-Umoh was suspended yesterday by the German athletics federation (DLV) after testing positive for banned steroids.
A urine sample provided by the Nigerian-born athlete during a meet at Germiston, South Africa on January 24th showed the presence of the anabolic steroid Stanozolol, a result confirmed by the second B sample.
Ekpo-Umoh (25), who was also a member of the German squad that won 400 metres relay silver at the 2001 World Championships, faces a two-year ban.
Ekpo-Umoh clocked the second fastest time in Germany over the distance last year with 51.79 seconds just behind Grit Breuer.
SNOOKER: Steve Davis, an ever present at the Crucible from 1979 to 2000, will appear at snooker's most famous venue for the first time in three years after winning a thrilling qualifying match in Torquay last night.
Davis, six-times a winner of Embassy World Championship, beat Welshman Ryan Day 10-8.
The 45-year-old was cruising when he built an 8-5 lead with two centuries, 110 and 136. But Day, the world number 140 who is 23 years younger than Davis, responded with a run of 129 and turned the screw by drawing level at 8-8.
Davis won the next and appeared certain to wrap up a 10-8 victory when he left Day needing a snooker on the pink. But Davis only went through by knocking in a respotted black after Day had duly got the snooker, potted a long pink and added the black.
Shaun Murphy, beaten 10-4 at the Crucible by Stephen Hendry last year after winning five matches to qualify, thrashed Dubliner Michael Judge 10-4 to clinch a return to Sheffield.
