A round-up of today’s other stories in brief
Irish crews are both fourth in heats
ROWING: Ireland’s representatives at the World Rowing Championships at Lake Karapiro in New Zealand both finished fourth in their heats yesterday. The two crews, both made up of adaptive athletes, moved into repechages in a championships which has been disrupted by high winds.
The Ireland Legs, Trunk and Arms mixed coxed four needed to finish in the top two of their heat to go directly into the A Final, but Britain were convincing winners and Ukraine took the other qualification spot.
In heat two of the Arms and Shoulders single scull Daniel McBride of New Zealand took the one qualification spot for the A Final, with Ireland’s Karol Doherty 11.9 seconds behind.
Coleraine men Richard and Peter Chambers and Alan Campbell, who are representing Britain, all qualified directly from their heats. Ireland did not send a team of able-bodied athletes to the Championships.
Defender Fanning calls time on Tipperary career
HURLING: Tipperary have lost the services of experienced defender Declan Fanning, writes Ian O’Riordan. Fanning announced his retirement from intercounty hurling yesterday, at the age of 31.
“Having had the great honour of winning an All-Ireland senior hurling medal with Tipperary this year, I have decided to call time on my intercounty hurling career,” said agricultural mechanic Fanning, who plays club hurling with Killenaule.
An All Star full back in 2007, he lined out at right half back for Tipperary this summer.
“It was a huge privilege for me to be a member of this great Tipperary hurling panel. I have never worked with a more committed management team or group of players.
“I am very grateful to Liam Sheedy and his management and backroom team for all the encouragement and support they gave me. And I want to thank all the players. We worked hard together but we also had great fun and I shall miss training and hurling with them.”
Giants on brink of World Series
BASEBALL: The San Francisco Giants beat the Texas Rangers 4-0 late on Sunday behind a superb performance by rookie pitcher Madison Bumgarner to move within one win of their first World Series title in 56 years.
The 21-year-old left-hander shut down the Rangers for eight innings on three hits before closer Brian Wilson registered the last three outs in order to give the Giants a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Fall Classic.
Home runs by Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey provided the firepower for the Giants, now one step away from their first Major League Baseball championship since 1954 when they played in New York.
The youngest pitcher to start a World Series game since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981, Bumgarner dazzled the Rangers with his precision and variety.
An infield single in the fourth, and singles in the sixth and seventh innings were the only hits off the impressive rookie, who went 7-6 during the regular season.
Barry qualifies for main draw
TENNIS: Ireland’s Sam Barry yesterday qualified for the main draw of a world ranking tournament for the fifth week on the trot.
The Limerick teenager, seeded six, booked his place in the last 32 of the ITF Men’s Futures event in Heraklion, Crete, thanks to a 7-5 6-2 qualifying second round win over Switzerland’s Joss Espasandin.
Barr faces an all-Irish clash against Dubliner Colin O’Brien, who is seeded eight.
Gold Cup may be Kauto Star’s target
RACING: Kauto Star could be aimed at the Hennessy Gold Cup should all go well with his reappearance in the JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal on Saturday.
Clive Smith’s chaser, trained by Paul Nicholls, is among eight acceptors at the five-day stage for the Ulster feature, which he won in 2008.
Connections are, however, also keen to run the dual Cheltenham Gold Cup hero in a major handicap chase before he retires.
The Newbury showpiece on November 27th fits the bill before the 10-year-old goes for a fifth successive win in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
“There is a little proviso (in heading straight to Kempton after Down Royal) in that we would like to have a crack maybe at the Hennessy, as it might be his last season, and see how he goes,” said Smith.
