The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 69

E7 OLYMPIC SKIPPER ON TRIAL AGAINST CZECHS BRITISH football authorities must be smiling from ear to ear. According to just released police figures, Britain's notorious hooligan problem is down by half. Czech tour chaos 1 I chance FRANK Arok's Socceroos take their first preparatory step towards the 1988 Olympic Games and 1990 World Cup when they meet Czechoslovakia in the first of a three-match series in Melbourne today. Hooligan problem arrested UNESCO All Stars charity match was a thriller to the finish, champagne football flowed freely and the world's greatest player scored the winning goal. In the match at Los Angeles between the Americas and the Rest of the World, it was the Rest who went to a 2-0 lead with goals from Terry Butcher and Paolo Rossi.

Then Roberto Cabanas scored from a Maradona lead-up and, in the nick of time, it was the great Diego who equalised. And in the shootout, the Latins won with a winning penalty from Maradona. A full hour of the match can be seen on SBS-TV World Soccer program next Saturday at six. FOLLOWING Australia's planned Gold Cup tournament at the beginning of 1988, Brazil wants to hold one as well the following year. West Germany, England, Italy, Uruguay and Argentina will be invited to join Brazil in The attack on the sickness, which caused the loss of 39 lives in the 1984 European Cup Final tragedy in Brussels and subsequently had all English clubs banned from Europe, appears to be succeeding.

British Home Secretary Douglas Hurd said last week that the figures for the 1985-86 season showed 5 1 per cent fewer arrests at matches and a drop of one third in the number of people ejected from grounds. HOW the wrath of of a middle-aged French father, angry with his teenage daughter, can rob a Scotsman of a promising Soccer career on the Continent. The player is Dundee striker Ray Stephen who was poised to move to French second division club Mulhouse. Mulhouse is entirely financed by the local municipality whose mayor didn't take too kindly to his daughter's romance with the Soccer club's president. So, in a fit of pique, he ordered that there were to be no transfer deals for Mulhouse.

C'est I'amour. IT all went according to the script. Last Sunday's ay JH ES MURRAY'S acompetition to mark the Brazilian Federation's 75th anniversary. It will be for the Joao Havelange Cup, and knowing Uncle Joao's vanity and penchant for honours, there is little doubt it will be approved. BRIEFLY: Tottenham Hotspur are about to make a swoop for Terry Butcher, of Ipswich, and Mark Lawren-son of Liverpool.

The snag will be Glasgow Rangers whose offer for Butcher has already been accepted by Ipswich Hungary's World Cup coach, Gyorgy Mezey, has become national coach of Kuwait Brazil's giant centre back Julio Cesar will join Argentine sweeper Jose Luis Brown at French club Brest By the way, did you know that both Julio Cesar and that brilliant Brazilian right back, Jos-imar, were here for the 1981 World Youth Cup finals? Mexico's Manuel Negrete has joined Sporting Lisbon. vakia international in Melbourne. In the other match, Sydney City meet Canter-bury-Marrickville at Sydney Athletic Field and the Slickers' big midfielder Murray Barnes could be missing again. Barnes has a thigh injury. Canterbury have striker Petar Zrilic back after suspension.

ssy By RAY GATT AUSTRALIAN Soccer Federation officials will be on tenterhooks today following the non-ar-riva! of the Czechoslova-kian national team. The Czechs, who are due to play the Socceroos in the first of a three-match series at Olympic Park today, had been expected to arrive yesterday morning. However, because of delays and visa problems, they were only scheduled to fly in at 6am today only nine hours before the first match. "They have had a number of problems which have thrown things into confusion," Brian Emery, executive director of the ASF, said yesterday. "They'll be here, but don't ask me what happens if they are further delayed," he added.

If the Czechs fail to turn up on time, the ASF could consider switching today's match to tomorrow night. To further compound the situation, two members of the Czech squad are not expected to arrive in Australia until Tuesday one day before the second match in Adelaide and another two are stranded in Holland. Meanwhile Socceroo coach Frank Arok has been in constant touch with Ivan Toplak, coach of the Yugoslavian national team, who has been watching the Czechs train in Belgrade. "He told me that the team has the typical Czech touch and style," Arok said. "They have beautiful silky skills, with a superb short passing game." The Socceroo team for today's game is: Jeff Olvcr: Angle Posteccglu.

Daid Ratcliffe. Charlie Yankos. Robbie Dunn. Graham Jennings; Ken Murphy, Zarko Odzakc, Peter Raskopoulos; Marshall Soper, John Kosmina (captain). the finals in Mexico.

miLO so And while the series is in a sense there's no Australian player ith more riding on him than Sydney Olym-pic's talented skipper Peter Raskopoulos. Rasko has deservedly earned a reprieve from the national coach and it is not an understatement to say that he, more than any other player, has the most at stake in this series. It is perhaps his final chance to consolidate a place in the national team. Since he burst into Sydney Olympic's National League team as a 15-year-old a decade ago, Rasko has always promised great things. A natural leader, all the creative and goal-scoring skills one would seek in a midfielder, and a first-class competitive temperament are some of the unique qualities he possesses.

But like all players. Raskopoulos has had his ups and downs and it is fair to say we have yet to see the real Rasko in the senior Socceroo team. Not the most serious of trainers, prone to overweight and injuries, his mind not totally on the game they are among a host of reasons given as to why Rasko has not realised his undoubted potential. But like natural talents, Rasko needs special handling. He thrives on responsibility, such as the time he led by example as skipper of the young Socceroos who performed so splendidly in the World Youth Championships in Australia in 1981.

Or, as Sydney Olympic's coach Manfred Schaefer will relate, Ras-ko's leadership qualities have been one of the main reasons for Sdney Olympic becoming one of our lop clubs in recent years. But now Rasko has to do it at national team level. He has the necessary qualities and many will be hoping that in this series ETER RHEUBEH'S 3 FORMER ABC president and newly-elected IBB president, Garnet Putland, has at last bought some sanity into the game over the status of amateur and professional bowlers. It is a pity it hadn't been done before the Commonwealth Games as it would have precluded the ridiculous situation whereby many of the world's top bowling countries were forced to send under-strength teams because of the prevailing rules. It is ludicrous when you see competitors in many of the other sports, some of whom are in the millionaire trust fund class because of endorsements and prizemo-ney, still able to compete as amateurs when bowlers have been declared professionals for accepting peanuts in comparison.

The new ruling now allows bowlers whose main income is not derived from lawn bowls to compete in future Commonwealth Games competition and if Mr Putland does nothing else during his term as IBB president at least he has achieved something worth its weight in gold. AUSTRALIAN representative bowler. Ken Williams, who is now the bowls instructor at South Tweed Club, turned the recent Gold Coast Winter Carnival into a personal benefit. Williams, who has won the last two Mazda Jack High Championships, took out the singles and pairs and reached the final 16 cf the fours, winning 35 of his 36 matches at the tournament. In addition, he won the Mayoral Trophy for the best performed player in the carnival by the proverbial street.

Fours' winners were the team skipped by Australian representative Keith Poole, of Queensland. IIARBORD Club want it known that their annual Surf Club day will go on as scheduled on Sunday, September 14. There have been rumours of cancellation due to a lack of sponsorship, but organisers have made it clear that the day will go ahead. In its 21th year, this popular dav has already passed the of equipment given to surf clubs and clubs should enter early because in the last two years more than 100 teams have missed out. Any surf club which does not have bowlers or a bowling club to help them can be accommodated by contacting Harry King at the Harbord club.

THE bolters took out the money in the Max Delmege Mona Vale's Premier Champion Fours when Ken Byrne, Nev Staines, Ron Cox and Jim Cole, of Ryde, beat former Papua-New Guinea international, Gary Forbes, by two shots in the final. They came through a very strong field including last year's winner. Rex Johnston, and runner-up, Alan Baker, to grab the $4,000 prize. BLACKTOWN CITY midfielder Paul Kay is aiming to show his full worth against Inter Monaro in today's National Soccer League clash at Gabbie Stadium. GHHNY WARREN'S against the Czechs he will finally consolidate his rightful place in the heart and soul of the Australian midfield.

Apart from Rasko's special case, and more important than the outcome of this series, will be those fringe players who can consolidate positions in Arok's new-look team. In this respect, only two positions are really up for grabs Alan Davidson's right fullback position, and the partner for skipper John Kosmina up front. South Melbourne's Angie Postecoglou, one of Australia's finest performers in the World Youth Championship in the Sov iet Union last year, has the rails run for Davidson's position. So does Sydney Olympic's Marshall Soper for the spot alongside Kosmina. Of the three other positions made available by the retirement of goalkeeper Terry Greedy, defender Steve O'Connor and midfielder Joe Watson, Arok seems to have already made up his mind.

Jeff Olver, No 2 to Greedy in the last World Cup campaign, takes over the lop goalkeeping position. Adelaide's Robbie Dunn is a natural replacement for O'Connor, as is Zarko Odzarkov for Watson. TODAY'S Socceroo match can be seen on SBS at 10.30 tonight. Next Wednesday's Adelaide match and the following Sunday's Sydney match will both be shown on SBS at 10.30 pm. current Socceroo squad boasts some of the most exciting, local talents ever produced in Australian Soccer.

young lions are on the fringe of selection' in the Socceroo play Czechoslovakia shortly China and New Zealand later and in the Olympic Games qualification matches later next to national coach Frank Arok the youngster destined to Joe Watson's midfield general's role is Marconi's 22 year Newcastle product David Lowe. was a key player in the Young Socceroos World Youth Championship team which played in coach at Monaro, is looking for a big game from striker Tony Bren-nan. Brennan signed for Blacktown this season but he reverted to his former club Monaro when his family decided to stay in Canberra. Only two Northern Division games will be played today due to the first Australia-Czechoslo and forwards over the same place. As the groove deepens, friction can destroy the line where it rubs against the sides of the groove.

The inserts of the others often are jarred out of their bedding when accidentally knocked against a rock or a tree. Into the confusion stepped the Fuji factory of Shizuoka-shi, Japan. Today, under the chairmanship of Ryuichi Ohmura, Fuji line guides are famous for their integrity of workmanship and durability. The young, These team to this year season. According take over old Lowe Kay joined Blacktown 10 weeks ago in a $9,000 transfer deal from Sydney City, and has given the team an extra dimension.

Kay, a Wollongong product, is very happy. "The change of clubs has done wonders for me," he said. "Last year, I wasn't shaping well after being injured in a car accident. "I only had one game with Sydney City earlier this season and was condemned on one performance. "But going to Black-town has given me a fresh outlook." Blacktown coach Casey de Bruin has had good and bad news for today.

"Robbie Slater took a knock on his head at work and can't play," he said. "Fortunately, Joe Carroll and John Bradley have proved their fitness." Harry Williams, joint optimum minimum) in order to keep manufacturing and retail costs low. Years ago, line guides were usually made from chrome-plated bronze or stainless steel, with some of them having agate, glass, or ceramic inserts mounted in a circlet of metal. Some were even made from the ring of a safety pin. Even today some are not much better.

The all-metal kind have the bad habit of grooving, especially the tip guide, this being formed by the line as it passes backwards SPONSORED The rSglit lame guides can be a Jewel 1st tftat big tussle Built with frames of stainless steel and titanium (exceptionally light and strong), Fuji guides feature ring inserts of ceramic, industrial sterite, aluminium oxide, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, industrial sapphire, and industrial ruby (in ascending order of hardness and cost). If you are buying a rod for the first time, look for the Fuji name stamped at the base of the line guide frame. It will be hard to see but, if you find it, rest assured that the rod is fitted with top quality line guides for that particular rod. The quality and number of guides fitted to a rod will usually be commensurate with the cost. Low-priced rods will be fitted with four, maybe five, ceramic guides; the more expensive will sport up to seven or eight of the popular silicon carbide kind.

Sapphire and ruby guides are rarely found on mass produced rods. More next week IT'S pretty safe to say that the majority of recreational fishermen ho fish without a thought to competitions or the breaking of records pay little attention to the quality, quantity, or positioning of the line guides on their fishing rods. Yet these little round rings bound to the rod shaft can make or break the outcome of a fight with a fish. Too few of them and both the rod blank and nylon line can suffer unnecessary stresses that can cause either one to break, usually at a critical ICK LEVJERS stage in the tussle. Too many of them are rarely a problem; rod manufacturers keep their numbers to a minimum (and not necessarily an 74 THE SUN-HERALD, August 3, 1986 74 1 I I i -MM 1.