SPORT IN BRIEF
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
GREEN BAY PACKERS quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken right collarbone during last night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Packers said in a tweet that there was a chance Rodgers could miss the rest of the season.
Rodgers suffered the injury in the first quarter after taking a hard hit from Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr. Rodgers, rolling out to the right on a second-and-nine play from the Green Bay 39, was hit by Barr after releasing a pass that fell incomplete.
The quarterback appeared to land on his throwing arm and laid on the turf for several seconds before trainers attended to him. He left the field under his own power and exchanged words with members of the Minnesota defence on his way to the sideline. There was no penalty called on the play.
After a brief examination on the sideline, Rodgers was taken away on a cart. He was replaced by third-year pro Brett Hundley.
Rodgers was 2-for-4 passing for 18 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. In his absence, the Packers were defeated 23-10.
SOCCER
A GOALKEEPER in Indonesia’s top division has died after colliding with a team-mate during a league match.
Choirul Huda, 38, was rushed to hospital on Sunday but pronounced dead shortly after arriving, doctors said.
In a statement released on the website of his club – Persela FC – Dr Yudistiro Andri Nugroho said Huda suffered “impacts on the chest and lower jaws”.
He added the “initial analysis” suggested a “possibility of head trauma and neck trauma”.
Dr Nugroho, from Dr Soegiri Lamongan hospital in Lamongan, East Java, said the collision resulted in Huda “stopping breathing and [caused a] cardiac arrest”.
He said a medical team attempted to revive him but after an hour there were “no reflexes or signs of normal life”.
The match continued, with Persela beating Semen Padang 2-0.
Persela said thousands of fans later attended a candlelit vigil to honour the goalkeeper, who made more than 500 league appearances for his only club.
EQUESTRIAN
SHOWJUMPERS Bertram Allen and Mark McAuley were in the line-up at the first qualifier in the Longines FEI World Cup Western European League yesterday in Oslo, Norway where 2014 series champion, Germany’s Daniel Deusser, came out on top.
The move to the confines of an indoor arena after the long outdoor season saw some star partnerships make unusual errors, but 30-year-old McAuley and 22-year-old Allen both stayed clear to make the cut into the seven-horse second-round jump-off against the clock.
Britain’s Olympic course designer Bob Ellis didn’t make it easy, however, and a bad line on the turn to the penultimate oxer put paid to McAuley’s chances with the 13-year-old grey gelding Miebello, who was impressive in Rome earlier in the year.
Allen faulted when Izzy by Picobello, a winner at Falsterbo in Sweden and at Dublin Horse Show over the summer, slipped on the way to the same fence, but his quicker time left the 22-year-old just ahead of McAuley in sixth place.
The 13-leg qualifying series, which culminates at the Longines Final in Paris next April, moves on to Helsinki, Finland next Sunday. MOTORSPORT
LOCAL pair Owen Murphy and Daire Hayes scored a narrow win in the opening round of the National Navigation Trial Championship at Whitechurch, Co Cork.
They finished a single mark ahead of fellow Corkmen Donal Healy and Denis O’Donovan in the Cork MC Startrek event.
Limerick brothers Joe and Greg Shinnors took third place, another five marks behind.
Among the retirements were former champions Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston, who had exhaust problems early on the 80-mile route.
Siobhan McCann beat all her male opposition to take top place in the MEC Noonan Cup Sporting Trial at Greenan, in Co Wicklow.
Driving the car she shares with her father, Siobhan was one mark in front of Richard Meeke after the 12 sections, with Brian Conlon in third position.
SQUASH
US OPEN champions Ali Farag and Nour El Tayeb are the first husband and wife in sporting history to win the same major singles title on the same day.
El Tayeb, 24, beat Raneem El Welily 3-2 in the women’s final on Saturday. A few hours later, Farag, 25, beat Mohamed El Shorbagy 3-0 in the men’s final.
They were the first major World Series titles for the Egyptian couple, who got married last year.
“When I finished my match, I just wanted to watch him and I was so nervous,” said El Tayeb.
“It’s a dream – I see him every day working hard so it feels really special that both of our first World Series titles happen to be together.”
Farag added: “We couldn’t have asked for a better week and I hope it’s the first of many to come together.”