Today`s other sports stories in brief
Hickey is guaranteed a bronze
BOXING:Irish lightweight Ross Hickey maintained Ireland's remarkable sequence of claiming medals at international tournaments when securing at least a bronze following a 6-1 quarter-final victory over Famil Suleymanov of Azerbaijan at the European Championships at the Greenbank Academy in Liverpool yesterday.
But there was agony for Belfast bantamweight Ryan Lindberg after he was edged out 5-4 by Germany's Denis Makarov last night. Both boxers were locked at 4-4 in the fourth and final round, but Makarov edged ahead in the final three seconds.
Reigning Irish featherweight champion David Oliver Joyce will meet Ukrainian 2008 Olympic champion Vasyl Lomachenko in another quarter-final this afternoon.
Relieved Djokovic survives second-set hiccup
TENNIS:Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic survived a second-set implosion to beat Russian Nikolay Davydenko 7-6 0-6 7-5 and become the first player into the semi-finals of the Masters Cup in Shanghai yesterday.
The world number three lost all three of his matches without winning a set on his Masters Cup debut last season but is now guaranteed to top the Gold Group this time.
"It's a great achievement for me, going through to the semi-finals," said the 21-year-old Serbian, who won his opener against Juan Martin Del Potro on Sunday.
Argentine Del Potro beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 7-6 in the other group match to keep alive his hopes of reaching the knockout stage and end those of the Frenchman.
Davydenko, who beat Tsonga in his Sunday opener, will now take on Del Potro in a winner-takes-all match tomorrow with a place in the semi-finals of the €3.55 million season finale on the line.
Farrell calls for more urgency
GAELIC GAMES:On the day that the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) formed a significant new partnership with the sports marketing company Platinum One, their chief executive Dessie Farrell reiterated the urgency with which he believes the issue of formal recognition from the GAA needs to be addressed. "That is our key issue at the minute," said Farrell. "The amateur ethos is so sacred to the GAA, yet there's this relentless pursuit of professionalism, as in the standards around that. For that to balance there needs to be a hugely comprehensive welfare programme.
"Whether this recognition can happen before Congress next year, I don't know. But I don't see the will there. I was at the briefing to Central Council and county board officials a few weeks back, about the GAA's strategy for the future, and I was bowled over when there was no reference to the player. Unless something changes, there will continue to be more disputes, more eruptions of bad blood, bad feeling, between county boards and officials."
Fenlon claims monthly award
SPORTS AWARD: Pat Fenlon, in his first year with Bohemians, has been named Philips manager of the month for October.
Bohemians won their 10th League of Ireland Premier Division title when they beat Drogheda United 2-1 on Friday, October 10th. Bohemians were 22 points clear of their nearest rivals with four games to play.
Bohemians beat St Patrick's Athletic 3-1 on Friday, October 24th to qualify for the FAI Cup final with Derry City.
