Sports Digest: Cian O'Connor and Harry Marshall were both in winning form yesterday, recording an Irish double at the Italian fixture in Arezzo, reports Grania Willis.

O'Connor's triumph in the seven-year-olds' class brought his tally on the Italian tour to three after his double last weekend. The Co Kildare jockey brought out Conany Clover for yesterday's win, stopping the clock on 27.91 seconds to head a starting line-up of 104.

There was an even bigger field of six-year-olds, 112 going to post. But Marshall dominated proceedings totally when steering Kan Kan into the winners enclosure with a time of 32.37 seconds and, just for emphasis, brought Mandarin Smoke into the runner-up spot just over a second off the pace.

Greenwood repeats claim

Former England centre Will Greenwood has repeated his claims that the English RFU have been speaking to Clive Woodward about a possible return to the England set-up, despite denials coming from the RFU.

Speaking to Sky Sports, World Cup winner Greenwood said he stood by the sources that have told him meetings have taken place between senior officials at the RFU and Woodward about a role for him as an "overlord" in England's World Cup defence next year in France.

The chief executive of the RFU, Francis Baron, released a statement this week denying there was any truth in Greenwood's claims but the World Cup winner remains adamant.

"I stand by my sources," he said. "People are very wary of using the word lying in these circumstances but I wouldn't have advanced the debate on this issue unless I was sure of the credibility of the people I was speaking to.

"In my professional and in my sporting opinion I remain steadfast in my view, in terms of the credibility and reliability of the people I have spoken to.

"I think one of the issues there that is interesting, and has been picked up in the week, is in terms of my phraseology, 'leading England's defence of the World Cup'.

"To read on, at no stage did I ever mention the words of Sir Clive Woodward returning as a coach or a manager of the England team."

Warning by Magee

Eamonn Magee has warned Margate's Takaloo that he is "putting his life in danger" by challenging for the WBU welterweight title.

Magee, who calls himself "The Terminator", is joint top of the bill at the King's Hall in his native Belfast on May 20th, when he will be returning to the ring after a year out due to what he described as "personal issues", including a court case surrounding the beating he suffered in 2004, which left him hospitalised.

"Takaloo is in trouble. I saw him in his last fight and he looked like death warmed up," said Magee. "He's coming down a weight to fight me and that means he's in danger. His eyes seemed to be sunk in his head.

"He must be murdered to make the weight and I really feel he's putting his life in danger."

 Graphite bat to go

The graphite bat favoured by Australian captain Ricky Ponting will be withdrawn from first-class cricket by October, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday.

Six weeks after the product was scrapped from test cricket, the Australian manufacturer Kookaburra has agreed voluntarily to withdraw its graphite-reinforced bat from all first-class cricket.

The decision was reached after the ICC received advice from the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) that the bat contravened Law 6 of the game's rules and was illegal.

The bat was launched in December 2004 and had been regularly used by Australia's Justin Langer and Damien Martyn, and Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya.