A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Corcoran to step down as CEO of Rowing Ireland
ROWING:Martin Corcoran, the chief executive of Rowing Ireland, is to step down in February, writes Liam Gorman. He took up the post in 2004 and said yesterday that he had come into the job with the intention of working through two Olympic cycles to 2012.
“There is a whole new strategy being created for the new Olympic cycle and it is a good time to make way for something new,” he said.
The Dubliner, who made the major upheaval of moving to Cork and the National Rowing Centre earlier this year, was involved in overseeing the sport through some radical changes, and yesterday he spoke of the growth in the number of registered competitors and the new computerised registration system which tracks them. There are also more accredited coaches, and the sport is building links with schools and has built an adaptive rowing programme.
Corcoran said that while the High Performance programme in rowing was well funded and the National Rowing Centre has drawn down capital grants the next big challenge was to support clubs and identify where they could be running into problems. “That’s going to be the real measure of the sport in the future.”
The honorary secretary of Rowing Ireland, Frank Coghlan will step into the role of chief executive until a new one is chosen.
Hafeez helps Pakistan to victory
CRICKET:Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman broke through Bangladesh's resistance before Pakistan raced against fading light to complete a seven-wicket win on the final day of the second Test in Dhaka yesterday. .
Set a winning score of 103, Pakistan had no choice but to try to score quickly to claim a 2-0 series win, playing most of the final two sessions on the fifth day under floodlights.
Opener Mohammad Hafeez led Pakistan’s victory charge with 47 off 52 balls before his attempted slog off Shakib Al Hasan ended at long-on fielder Shahadat Hossain.
He added 63 runs with Azhar Ali for the second wicket after first innings centurion Taufiq Umar was dismissed for three.
Azhar was last man out when left-arm Elias Sunny bowled him for 34 off 43 balls with Pakistan two runs away from a win. Misbah-ul-Haq sealed the win with a six as Pakistan raced to 107 runs in 20.5 overs amid fears the umpire might stop play due to the bad light.
Ireland facing busy schedule
CRICKET:Ireland will face a hectic schedule in March of next year as they attempt to qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 tournament, writes Emmet Riordan.
Sixteen teams will take part in the qualification tournament in the United Arab Emirates, with just two places on offer for the finals in Sri Lanka next September.
The tournament sees the sides split into two groups of eight, with Ireland joined by Kenya, Scotland, Namibia, Uganda, Oman, Italy and the USA in Group B.
Group A comprises defending qualifier champions Afghanistan, the Netherlands, Canada, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Bermuda, Denmark and Nepal.
The 72-match format has been designed to give the best sides every chance of making the finals through a play-off system that grants the group winners two chances to earn one of the two qualification places.
RFU part ways with Ford and Wells
RUGBY:Former England assistant coaches Mike Ford and John Wells are to leave the English Rugby Football Union with immediate effect.
The pair have reached an agreement with the RFU after losing their roles with the national team in the wake of England’s quarter-final exit at the World Cup.
Earlier this month, Stuart Lancaster was selected to head up a new-look interim England coaching team for the Six Nations campaign which also includes Graham Rowntree and Andy Farrell.
Ford and Wells had respectively taken charge of England’s defence and forward play since 2006 and served in two World Cup campaigns.
Paterson ends Scotland career
RUGBY: Chris Paterson has announced his retirement from international rugby following a distinguished 12-year career with Scotland.
The 33-year-old won 109 caps, scoring 809 points – both records – and is the only Scot to have appeared in four World Cup tournaments. Paterson has been hampered by a groin injury of late, impacting on his world renowned place-kicking.
