SPORTS DIGEST:EQUESTRIAN: The Tattersalls Ireland international horse trials, which take place over the May Bank Holiday weekend, were launched yesterday in the apt surroundings of McKee Barracks, base of later year's winner of the event's World Cup qualifier, Captain Geoff Curran, reports Margie McLoone.
Curran and the Minister for Defence’s Kilkishen won the three-star competition from a top-class field and went on to represent Ireland at the Olympics in Hong Kong. The 13-year-old Cavalier Royale gelding is due to make his seasonal reappearance in a fortnight at Belton Park in England.
In addition to the HSBC FEI eventing World Cup qualifier, the Co Meath venue will stage international classes at two-star and one-star level, a new two-star international for riders under 25, a one-star international for junior riders and a two-star competition for ponies.
Contador grabs Basque overall lead
CYCLING:Spain's Alberto Contador took the overall lead at the Tour of the Basque Country yesterday after winning the toughest stage of the six-day race.
The 2007 Tour de France winner, team-mate of Lance Armstrong in the Astana team, attacked alone on the final steep climb of the 172.5km third stage from Villatuerta to Eibar.
He managed to open a gap and finished nine seconds ahead of Australia’s Cadel Evans and Spain’s Samuel Sanchez.
Contador leads Sanchez by nine seconds in the overall standings, with Evans third, also nine seconds adrift. Sanchez is second overall thanks to better placings on stage one and two.
The Tour of the Basque Country is Contador’s final race of the spring before he takes a break and begins preparing for the Tour de France.
The Astana team were not invited to last year’s Tour but will have Contador and Lance Armstrong as joint team leaders this year.
Frampton out of squad for Turkey
BOXING: Carl Frampton is out of the Irish senior squad for next week's Ahmet Cup in Istanbul, Turkey. The Irish featherweight champion from Belfast injured his left ear in sparring.
Billy Walsh, the head coach with the Irish squad, said the 57kg berth on the squad would remain vacant.
An eight-strong squad, which includes world champion Katie Taylor and Beijing bronze medallist Paddy Barnes, will travel to Turkey next Tuesday for the tournament which begins on April 14th.
Meantime, a six-man senior squad jet out to Albania on Friday for an international tournament in Tirana.
IRELAND SQUAD(for Ahmet Cup, Istanbul): 48kg: P Barnes (Holy Family). 54kg: JJ Nevin (Cavan). 60kg: E Donovan (St Michael's Athy); K Taylor (Bray BC). 64kg: JJ Joyce (St Michael's Athy). 69kg: W McLoughlin (Illies GG). 75kg: D O'Neill (Paulstown). 91kg: C Sheehan (Clonmel).
FOR INTERNATIONAL BOX-OFF(Tirana Albania, April 11th/14th): 51kg: D Geraghty (Dublin Docklands). 54kg: R Lindberg (Immaculata). 57kg: DO Joyce (St Michael's Athy). 64kg: R Hickey (Grangecon). 75kg: E O'Kane (Immaculata). 81kg: T McCarthy (Oliver Plunkett).
McLaren sack Ryan in effort to appease FIA
MOTOR SPORT:McLaren have moved to appease world motor sport's governing body by sacking long-serving employee Dave Ryan over his role in Lewis Hamilton's exclusion from the Australian Grand Prix.
The Woking-based team were yesterday ordered to appear before an extraordinary meeting of the FIA’s council in Paris on April 29th.
It is the third time McLaren have been hauled before the council in less than two years, with the last hearing resulting in the team being handed a sporting record €60 million fine following the “spy-gate” furore.
“This afternoon McLaren and former sporting director, Dave Ryan, have formally parted company,” the team said in a statement.
Ryan was the team member who attended a stewards’ hearing – along with Hamilton – following the Melbourne race, and was subsequently found to have lied in a bid to see the reigning world champion claim third.
