D Wednesday, October 14, 2009 METROSPORT 21 SPORTDigest Unconfirmed reports: Investigators refuse to say if the Astana team of Contador and Armstrong are involved in case Prosecutors investigate samples from 09 Tour CYCLING: A preliminary investigation into several teams who took part in the 2009 Tour de France has been launched after suspicious medical material was seized during the race, Paris prosecutors said yesterday. Syringes and transfusion equipment believed to belong to teams were found in containers provided to dump medical waste and are currently being analysed, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors said. However, the office said it was not targeting a specific team, refuting a report by LEquipe that said Astana was being investigated. Astana Cycling Team is surprised to read in the French press that the team is involved in an investigation by French prosecutors into doping, Astana said in a statement. Tour winner Alberto Contador and third- place Lance Armstrong rode with Astana in this years race. The Spaniard is still under contract with the Kazakh-funded team while the Texan left to launch his own squad, RadioShack. Wallaby rift is denied RUGBY: Former captain Stirling Mortlock has played down talk of a rift within the Wallabies camp over coach Robbie Deans leadership appointments for the season-ending Europe tour. Deans dumped Mortlock as captain for the tour and named Rocky Elsom as his successor. Mortlock said that while he was disappointed at missing out on the armband, he understood the decisions and their places in the team. I was really keen to try to lead this tour, I mean I have stated that, 80-test veteran Mortlock said. The reality is I totally understand the logic and the reasoning behind selecting a new captain. Retiring Maier slopes off SKIING: Austrian Alpine skiing champion and former Olympic gold medallist Hermann Maier has announced his retirement from the sport. Maier, nicknamed the Herminator, won 54 World Cup races and four overall World Cup titles, his last in 2004. The 36-year-old also won Olympic gold in the Super-G and Giant Slalom at the 1998 Games in Nagano, as well as three world championship golds. I gave it a lot of thought but decided now is the best time for retirement, he explained. Knee problem forces A-Rod out in Shanghai TENNIS: Fourth seed Andy Roddick was yesterday forced out of the Shanghai Masters with an injury to his left knee. Wimbledon finalist Roddick (pictured) was 4-3 up on Switzerlands Stanislas Wawrinka in the first set when he was unable to continue. Elsewhere in the second round, sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko defeated fellow Russian Igor Kunitsyn 6-4, 6-2 and tenth seed Fernando Gonzalez saw off Brazilian qualifier Thomaz Bellucci 6-3, 6-3. There were also straight sets wins for Radek Stepanek, Lleyton Hewitt, Robin Soderling, Gael Monfils and Tommy Haas. All over as Sea the Stars is retired to stud SEA The Stars, the first horse to win the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and Prix de lArc de Triomphe in the same season, has been retired to stud. There had been a possibility that John Oxxs colt would run in next months Breeders Cup Classic in America but the decision has been taken to call time on his brilliant career. Oxx said: Hes had a long season. Hes been in intensive training for seven months with only a three-week break after the Eclipse Stakes at the beginning of July. We feel it is unfair to keep him going any further given his unprecedented record of achievement in the last six months. The three-year-old was beaten just once in nine starts over his two-year career, winning nearly 5million in prize money. He won six Group One races under jockey Mick Kinane and is certain to be highly coveted in breeding circles. Race is run: Mick Kinane rides Sea The Stars to victory in the Prix de lArc de Triomphe earlier this month Picture: AFP racing gaa Orchard damaged by managerial messBY PAUL KEANE ArmAgh legend Oisin mcCon- ville claims the bungled efforts to appoint a new manager have caused irreparable damage. The 2002 All-Ireland final goal scorer admitted he was left aghast by the county boards farcical at- tempts to find a successor to Peter mcDonnell. Former selector Paul grimley was the obvious choice but took a role with monaghan instead, claiming Armagh officials had taken too long. A second subcommittee began the process all over again and eventually plumped for Paddy Orourke as manager. mcConville, who quit in 2008 after a glittering county career, said he has huge respect for former Down manager Orourke. But he admitted the new boss is walking into a lot of negativity around Armagh after a difficult few months. To be honest, whats gone on this past six months has done ir- reparable damage, claimed mc- Conville. Whats gone on has been seriously disappointing for everybody. All realArmagh supporters want to see is the team being successful and things being run correctly. There is a lot of negativity around Armagh football at the minute and that really needs to go. Supporters, players, manage- ment, county board officials, eve- rybody, we all need to start sing- ing off the same hymn sheet. If we can do that then maybe we can get back to where we were five or six years ago. mcConville hopes that big les- sons have been learned from the past few months when, it ap- peared, the players were the last ones to know what was going on. One thing with players, manage- ment, county boards, if they were little bit more open with each oth- er, if it wasnt so much cloak and dagger, then that can work in your favour, added mcConville. There are no back doors then, nobody is wondering whats going on, everybody has a clear picture. If its their business let them know it and lets carry on. BoSS John oMahony has hit out at the GAA for handing Mayo another long-haul Allianz league fixture schedule. For the third time in four seasons the Connacht outfit must play four of their seven games away from home, this year against All- Ireland finalists Kerry and Cork, Ulster champions Tyrone and league finalists Derry. I dont know what type of a computer they have in Croke Park but it doesnt seem to take fairness into account, said oMahony. More planning should go into the National League fixtures. Theres no reason why, every second year, the fixtures cant rotate. CoNAL KEANEY kicked seven points in another extra-time epic at Parnell Park last night as Ballyboden St Endas booked their Dublin SFC final place with a 0-19 to 1-12 victory over All-Ireland champions Kilmacud Crokes. Crokes led this second replay by two points with as many minutes remaining in normal time, but Kenny Naughton and Dara Nelson brought Boden level again. They then finished the job by outscoring Crokes 0-7 to 0-3 in extra-time to earn the right to face St Judes in this Sundays county final. Boden edge it at last Picture:Sportsfile Extra special: Ballybodens Stephen owens and Cormac Smith index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html