A round-up of today's other stories in brief

Patriots and Giants lock horns again

NFL:Nearly four years since their epic clash in Super Bowl XLII, the New England Patriots and New York Giants are finally getting ready to lock horns again. Their match-up, at Foxboro's Gillette Stadium on Sunday, will be their first, outside of pre-season games, since the 2008 Super Bowl, when the Giants triumphed 17-14 to ruin New England's bid for an unbeaten season.

Their long-overdue rematch has rekindled memories of their last meeting but for players and coaches on both sides, the dramatic events have already been consigned to the past. “That was a long time ago. Right now our focus is on this week. I don’t think that game will have too much bearing on this one,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick yesterday. We’re playing against a good football team that’s 5-2, and that’s where we’re at. We know we’re going to have to play well.”

Murray pulls out of Swiss event

TENNIS:Andy Murray has pulled out of this week's Swiss Indoors tournament in Basle.

Murray was due to take on Holland’s Robin Haase this afternoon but withdrew from the event with a minor gluteal sprain.

The second seed, who was replaced by local favourite Marco Chiudinelli, should be fit to play in next week’s Paris Masters.

Things are looking up for McCann

HANDBALL:Mayo's Joe McCann put the disappointment of losing out in the M Donnelly GAA Handball softball doubles final in September – alongside Dessie Keegan – behind him with an impressive win last weekend in Belfast.

The former 40x20 doubles champion began the new 40x20 season with a victory at the St Paul’s Club where he played his most consistent handball to get his campaign off to a winning start.

“I’m very happy that I played consistent throughout the competition. It’s early in the season but it’s a big confidence boost.”

Twelve months ago, his preparations suffered a blow after picking up an injury which hampered his title chase in 2011 but a rejuvenated McCann is hoping for better results in 2012. “I’m glad to be back playing. Things have fallen into place for me and now I’m playing the way I know I can play.”

Court hears agent paid Asif to stop him switching

CRICKET: A corrupt cricket agent paid a Pakistan bowler €75,000 to stop him switching to a rival match-fixing ring, a court heard yesterday. Mohammad Asif (28) received the money at the request of other players in his national side who feared he might be tempted to start working for another crooked gambling syndicate, London's Southwark Crown Court was told.

It was also alleged in court that Pakistan’s former Test captain Salman Butt (27) teamed up with another mystery player to organise rigging of parts of games during last summer’s tour of England.

The sensational claims were made by lawyers for agent Mazhar Majeed (36), who was convicted along with Asif, Butt and bowler Mohammad Amir (19) of plotting to bowl deliberate no-balls in the Lord’s Test between Pakistan and England in August last year.

Majeed received €174,000 in cash from an undercover reporter from the News of the World as part of an arrangement to rig games, including a promise that Amir and Asif would deliver three no-balls at pre-arranged points in the Lord’s match. He paid €2,900 of the money to Amir, €11,600 to Butt and €75,500 to Asif, and planned to give them more in the future, the court heard.

Asif’s lawyer Alexander Milne QC denied that the player received any money for bowling the no-ball at Lord’s. Sentencing is fixed for 10am today.

Cooney closes in on the Offaly job

GAA:Gerry Cooney could be proposed as Offaly football manager at a meeting of the county board this evening.

Former Clare All-Ireland double winner Ollie Baker will be ratified as Offaly hurling boss for the next three years and it is possible the saga over the football position could also be resolved at the meeting.

Cooney was interviewed by the seven-man interview committee last week and was expected to meet with Offaly officials last night to confirm his backroom team.

It is now three months since Tom Cribben stepped down as Offaly boss. Cooney had joined the likes of Stephen Darby, Jack Sheedy an Tom Coffey in withdrawing from the race, but recent progress has been made.

“We want to get a manager in place and get started in our preparations for the year ahead,” said an Offaly County Board spokesperson.

Johnson wants IOC to work with Wada

ATHLETICS:Doping authorities should bring their rules into line with the International Olympic Committee to prevent convicted cheats competing at the Olympics, former sprint champion Michael Johnson said yesterday.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) cleared the way in October for dozens of convicted dopers to compete at the Games when they rejected an IOC eligibility rule as invalid.

The rule, which was introduced in 2008, banned athletes from competing at the next Olympics if they had served a suspension for doping of six months or longer.

Cas said the Olympic ban was not in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s code. “I think the IOC is going to have to go back and work with Wada to get that eligibility rule as part of the Wada code,” said four-time Olympic gold medal winner Johnson.

Lorenzo to miss Valencia finale

MOTOR SPORT: Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo will miss the last race of the MotoGP season in Valencia this weekend, having failed to recover from plastic surgery on a finger on his left hand.

“The injuries require a longer period of recovery for him to be able to participate to a competitive level,” his Yamaha team said in a statement yesterday.

Thornton makes a bright start

GOLF: Simon Thornton remains on course for a card on the European Tour next year after a four under par opening round of 67 at the Apulia San Domenico Grand Final left the Irishman just a single shot off the lead.

Thornton sits in 15th place in the Challenge Tour Rankings and not only did his steady opening round at San Domenico Golf in Puglia, Italy, leave him in perfect position to consolidate his place in the top 20 and gain a European Tour card, but it also means he is in the hunt to steal into the top 10 and claim an even better category for the highest tier in European golf next year.

Thornton started solidly with a par on the extremely difficult first hole, before birdies on the third and fifth holes helped him to a two under par front nine of 32.

He added birdies on the 11th, 13th and 15th holes before dropping the only shot of the day with a bogey at the 16th, to leave him in tied second place and just a single shot off the five-under-par lead.