A round-up of the other sports stories in brief
Ireland share the points with France
HOCKEY:Ireland played their second match in as many days in Paris last night against hosts France in the Five Nations tournament. Despite Ireland securing six penalty corners and open play chances the win evaded them.
Ireland took the lead after 10 minutes when captain Ronan Gormley slotted home. France equalised just five minutes later. The home side went ahead before half-time when they secured and converted a penalty stroke.
In the second half Ireland equalised with a great move from Phelie Maguire who after beating his defender on the left fired home a shot past the keeper’s pads. France once again went ahead through a set play penalty corner scoring on the low left-hand side. Ireland made it 3-3 on the 57th minute when Phelie Maguire was again on hand to first time the ball into the net. Ireland face Malaysia tomorrow.
Burnett donates vest to sports museum after win
YOUTH OLYMPICS:The Irish Youth Olympic squad are due to arrive at Dublin Airport at 8.30pm this evening. Twenty six athletes represented Ireland in Singapore in athletics, boxing, hockey, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, tennis and triathlon competition.
Ryan Burnett, from the Holy Family BC in Belfast, claimed gold for Ireland at the inaugural Games following his 13-6 defeat of Salman Alizida of Azerbaijan in Singapore on Wednesday.
Irish coach Jim Moore said that the president of the Singapore Amateur Boxing Association, Syed Abdul Kadir, asked Burnett to donate his vest to the Sports Museum after his win.
“Ryan signed his vest in the dressingroom after the final and presented it to the president of the Singapore Amateur Boxing Association for the Sports Museum, said Moore. “It’s a unique piece of sporting memorabilia as an Irish athlete is the first boxer to ever win a gold medal at the Youth Olympics Games,” Moore said.
Close call as McGee struggle
TENNIS:Ireland's James McGee yesterday experienced an unexpected close call against Italian teenager Matthieu Vierin in the first round of the ITF Men's Futures event in Ueberlingen, Germany.
McGee is the number three seed in the clay court tournament, and has a world ranking of 511th, in contrast to Vierin who was unseeded and has a lowly ranking of 1,418th.
But after the 23-year-old Dubliner had won the opening set, his 19-year-old opponent threw the contest open by battling back to level at one set all.
And in the decider McGee eventually came through on a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7/4) scoreline.
In today’s second round, McGee faces unranked German 18-year-old Florian Fallert.
Meanwhile, because of a lengthy rain delay, Conor Niland’s second round match against Brazilian Ricardo Hocevar in the US Open qualifying at Flushing Meadows, New York, will be played today.
Kilkenny waiting on news of Hogan
GAELIC GAMES:Kilkenny centre back Brian Hogan will visit a specialist surgeon this morning for a final diagnosis on the finger injury sustained in training on Wednesday night, and which, at least now, looks set to rule him out of the All-Ireland final against Tipperary on Sunday week, writes Ian O'Riordan.
Hogan went down in obvious pain late on in the training match, and while X-rays carried out yesterday suggest the finger is broken, the surgeon will decide whether or not there is any chance of him playing on with the finger in a light cast. If he does miss out it will be a real disappointment for Hogan, who overcame a shoulder injury sustained in the semi-final win over Cork to put himself back in contention for a starting place.
Wing back Tommy Walsh showed no ill effects of the shoulder injury he sustained earlier last week, and the ankle injury which cast some doubt over Richie Hogan’s participation also appears less serious than originally feared.
