SPORTS DIGEST: CyclingIreland's top-ranked professional Dan Martin will today meet fans at a special evening connected to his backing of the Cycle4life charity.
The Girona-based rider will be at the Crowne Plaza, Blanchardstown between 7pm and 9pm.
After a screening of some footage from the Cycling4life event which was held in May, Martin will be interviewed and will take questions from the audience.
The evening will conclude with a meet-and-greet between the audience and Martin. There is no cost to attend, although places are limited to 350.
On Friday he will visit Temple Street children’s hospital. At the May event, €127,000 was raised to purchase equipment for the hospital.
Hulkenberg to move to Sauber
Motor SportSauber have unsurprisingly swooped to sign Nico Hulkenberg who has long been linked with a race seat since Sergio Perez announced his forthcoming switch to McLaren.
Hulkenberg returned to drive in Formula One at the start of the year with Force India after a season as reserve for the Silverstone-based marque.
Prior to that, Hulkenberg had spent a year with Williams, only to be dropped at the end of his debut campaign in 2010 as the team opted to recruit a pay-driver in Pastor Maldonado.
That was despite Hulkenberg taking a superb pole position in trying conditions in the penultimate race of the season in Brazil.
The 25-year-old German has continued to impress this season, and with Sauber eager to fill the gap to be left void when Perez departs, they see Hulkenberg as the ideal replacement.
Team principal Monisha Kaltenborn said: “We’ve been observing Nico for some time now, and his performances have been very persuasive.”
New York marathon to go ahead despite storm damage
AthleticsThe New York City Marathon will take place as planned on Sunday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday, as the city struggles to recover from heavy flooding caused by massive storm Sandy.
Proponents of allowing the race to occur argued that it would mark another step in the city’s return to normalcy, while critics said it would divert vital resources, such as police, from assisting those still suffering from the storms impact.
“There’s tens of thousands of people who come from around the world here to run. We’ve decided the marathon will go on. We expect by Sunday most of the power will be back if not all of it,” Bloomberg said.
Bloomberg, who announced the decision at an afternoon press conference to update the status of recovery efforts, said many of New York’s small businesses rely on the boost from the thousands of out-of-town visitors who come for the race.
The marathon starts in Staten Island and winds its way through all five of the city’s boroughs over the 26.2-mile course.
In 2011, more than 47,000 runners finished the race, according to the event’s website .
“The marathon has a huge positive impact for the city, it’s greatly valued,” Mary Wittenburg, president and chief executive of the race organizer, New York Road Runners, said earlier at a separate press conference.
Bloomberg said the Brooklyn Nets regular season opener in Brooklyn on Thursday night would be postponed. The National Basketball Association franchise, formerly the New Jersey Nets, were slated to play the New York Knicks.
Redpath remaining a part of Sale Sharks coaching team
RugbySale Sharks have confirmed their former rugby director Bryan Redpath will remain at the club as part of a revamped coaching staff.
Redpath’s new role was announced by Sale owner Brian Kennedy as head coach, barely 24 hours after confirmation of his removal from the rugby director’s position.
Redpath will additionally be part of a newly-formed rugby strategy management board that also comprises Kennedy, Sale chief executive Steve Diamond, ex-Sale boss and former New Zealand coach John Mitchell, plus businessman Ian Blackhurst.
Diamond confirmed that he will be in charge of the team for the remainder of this season.
Sale are currently bottom of the Aviva Premiership following seven successive league defeats. They have collected just two losing bonus points and are eight points adrift of London Irish, their next opponents at Salford City Stadium on Friday night.
Former England assistant coach Mitchell has been linked with a return to Sale for some time.
Trump brushes Mehta aside
SnookerJudd Trump was at his unstoppable best as he beat India's Aditya Mehta 6-0 to reach the International Championship quarter-finals in Chengdu.
The 2011 UK champion started as he meant to continue, taking the first frame and pulling two clear with a break of 98.
Mehta continued to make errors and two scoring visits in frame four – the second a 62 kick-started by an outrageous long red with the white in the jaws of the green pocket – put the Englishman 4-0 up.
Trump will face Mark Allen, who avenged his first-round defeat at this year’s World Championship against China’s Cao Yupeng.
He led 3-1 at yesterday’s mid-session interval, after a half-century to come from 46-9 behind in the fourth frame, and repeated that scoreline after the interval to seal a 6-2 win. Shaun Murphy held off a fightback from home favourite Ding Junhui to win 6-4.
Earlier, Neil Robertson showed glimpses of his best snooker in a 6-2 win over Matthew Stevens. He will face 14-year-old home sensation Lu Haotian who defeated world number 23 Dominic Dale.
