The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Page 45

SPORT 9 THE AGE MONDAY 24 AUGUST 1 998 Doohan crashes out of title lead Storm takes third spot for strong tilt at title second-chance opportunity. Storm has only to win against the Roosters and then Newcastle to earn a semifinal berth. Winning that will give it a place in the final against a team from the other finals group of five Brisbane, Parramatta, North Sydney, St George and Canterbury. The Storm's chances will be enhanced with the return of captain Glenn Lazarus, whom coach Chris Anderson described after Friday night's 16-12 triumph against Canberra, as "a Lazarus had been out for four weeks with a groin and hamstring injury but was back running on a treadmill yesterday without trouble. Also returning to action will be suspended full-back Robbie Ross, although Ross' replacement Matt Geyer took full advantage of the chance given him on Friday, ing a superb game that included a tackle and strong runs from high kicks.

"Every time he took the ball up, he' got us out of trouble. He played better than I thought he could," Anderson said of Geyer. "I won't make the decision (about full-back) until we get things going on Monday and start thinking about the finals. That's our second season now but it's a good problem to have." The only player in doubt is five-eighth Scott Hill, who has spent long sessions over the past two days in a hyperbaric chamber to help heal his right shoulder. Last night, there were moves to switch the Melbourne game to Saturday night because of scheduling problems at Parramatta Stadium, where two finals games will be held on Saturday afternoon and Saturday night.

But officials decided to retain the original program, meaning that, for the first time this season, the Storm game will be televised live in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne from 3 to 5 pm on Sunday. Canterbury and Manly scraped into top 10 finals berths with last-gasp wins yesterday, but Western Suburbs succumbed to Penrith to pick up the wooden spoon. "It's probably the worst year of my life, but it's over now," Wests' coach Tommy Raudonikis said. Rugby League Melbourne Storm is just three games away from a grand final appearance in its first season. By JACQUELIN MAGNAY Melbourne Storm made itself a strong contender for the National Rugby League premiership in its first season after finishing third on the ladder following completion of the hotne-ahd-away series.

The Storm will confront sixth-placed Sydney City in the first finals maitch on Sunday afternoon at Olympic; Park, where an anticipated crowd of imore than 20,000 will give the home side all the encouragement it ''We've exceeded our expectations for! the first season enormously," executive Chris Johns said yesterday. 'lit just vindicates our decision to brifig rugby league to Melbourne. We've had great support and now that we are well-placed in the finals, it rheans we have a great shot at the grand final." With the completion of the home-and-away series, Melbourne, which lost only six matches this season, has been put into a group of five, including second-placed Newcastle, Sydney City, seventh-placed Canberra and lOth-placed Manly. An encouraging statistic for Storm is (hat it has beaten all four other teams in the group during the year. Super League premier Brisbane claimed the minor premiership with a heart-stopping 16-10 win over Souths yesterday and will have a week's rest.

Newcastle, the Australian Rugby League premier last year, will also enjoy a break next weekend, but will play the winner of the Storm-Roosters match the following week. If Melbourne loses on Sunday, it will confront the winner of the clash bciween Canberra and Manly in a Storm's Tawera Nikau (rear) and Paul Marquet show the determination in this tackle against Canberra on Friday night that has the fledgling club third on the ladder on the eve of the finals. It plays Sydney City in its first final on Sunday at Olympic Park, picture: joe armao Birdies to Elkington's rescue I Motor Sport BRNO. CZECH REPUBLIC. SUNDAY Italian motorcycle ace Max Biaggi, riding a Honda, dominated from start to finish to win today's 500cc Czech Grand Prix and grab the lead from Australian Michael Doohan in the world championship standings.

Biaggi won a thrilling four-man duel to finish in front of fast-finish- ing Spaniard Alex Criville on a Honda. Alex Barros of Brazil was third, with Tadayuki Okada of Japan fourth, both also on Hondas. Biaggi clocked 45 minutes 12.043 seconds for the 118.87-kilometre race, but was lucky to escape unharmed when he did the almost obligatory wheelie across the finish line and almost lost control of the bike. Four-time world champion Doohan, who previously led the world title standings, crashed out of the race during the first lap on his Honda. Doohan slid into the gravel and lost 42 seconds.

He recovered but later pulled out of the race after 14 of the 22 laps with a mechanical problem. "It was a very emotional win because I won the 250cc race here for the last four years and to win here five times in a row is fantastic," Biaggi said. "With some luck from here on, I can maybe win the championship." Former world 250cc champion Biaggi now leads the world title race by 1 1 points from Criville, with Doohan a further two points back. Criville said Doohan's exit had completely opened up the championship race. "The championship is still wide open and that's fantastic," said the Spaniard.

Barros said he had a gearbox problem over the final two laps, which allowed Criville to pass him. Barros still recorded his first podium finish for over 12 months. Earlier, Doohan had established himself as favorite for the race when he claimed his 56th career pole position at the Brno circuit. The 33-year-old Australian won pole position for the 10th round of this year's championship by emerging fastest in the second and final qualifying session with a lap time of two minutes 1.85 seconds on his Honda. Doohan's time, set in the closing stages of qualifying in fine conditions yesterday, was 0.925 seconds quicker than his best lap around the 5.4-kilometre track in Friday's opening session.

Biaggi was relegated to second position on the grid when he was unable to better his best lap of 2:2.087, set in the first qualifying session. Biaggi crashed his Honda in the second session but was not injured. Doohan's qualifying time was 0.975 seconds inside the race lap record he set when winning last year. It was the sixth pole position he had won in this year's championship. IN JYVASKYLA, FINLAND, world champion Tommi Makinen wrote himself into the record books today by becoming the first driver to win a rallying event five consecutive times.

Makinen, who had led his home Finland Rally since the third stage on Friday, finished 35.6 seconds clear. The last four of those successes were in a Mitsubishi, making it the first manufacturer to achieve the feat in the event's 47-year history. Carlos Sainz of Spain in a Toyota, one of only two non-Scandinavians to have won the event, took second place after holding off a concerted challenge from Ford's Juha Kank-kunen to beat the Finn by 9.6 seconds. The next round of the championship is not until 12-14 October in San Remo, Italy, after the original 11th round in Indonesia was cancelled for political reasons. requirement in such cases was for the duty vet to have a horse trot up and back for about 50 metres, which did not happen with Danlnso, but he would expect it to be strictly adhered to in future.

It has long been a bone of contention In racing about horses being allowed to start after barrier mishaps and, while there will always be exceptions to the rule, there Is a world of difference between a horse being fit to start and fit to win. In the case of Dansino, the Lee Freedman-tralned filly was the 94 favorite and allowing her to run In such circumstances was Inviting criticism about the decision that the horse was fit to do so. Dansino may not have had any outward signs of trauma but, at the very least, she had to be unsettled by her mishap and there Is a lot to be said for the old catchphrasei 'When In doubt, take them out TONY BOURKE received when he caught it in his pants pocket while walking on the final day of last month's British Open. I le says he has torn ligaments, but fortunately he can still swing a club. Woods, meanwhile, sent the gallery into raptures with his hole-in-one at the seventh, where he flew an eight iron into the cup from 169 metres.

"I was trying to hit It (three-to-five metres) right of the hole. 1 hit it a tad thin and because of that it had a nice trajectory and went in the hole on the fly," Woods said of his third ace on the US tour. The field was trimmed to 41 players for the final round and Australian Craig Parry did not advance. He finished equal 59th on 13 points. SWEDISH outsider Mathias Gron-berg capped a stylish round with a last-hole eagle at the European Open in Straffan, Ireland, to take a three-stroke lead into the final day.

Gronberg, 54th on the European money list, finished on 10-under-par 206 after a 67 to follow scores of 68 and 71 on the first two days of the tournament at the Club, south of Dublin. The Swede saved" his best for last as he holed a nine-metre eagle putt on the lath to the cheers of several thousand Irish supporters. "I've got to try to stay calm. This course can be very punishing," said Gronberg, whose only tour victory was in the European Masters in 1995 and who was ranked l()7th last year. He attributes his recent improvement in form to getting engaged to an American.

The 28-year-old from Stockholm has finished in the top 10 four times this' season, including a seventh place at the Scandinavian Masters earlier this month. With the best-known names either failing to make the cut or performing poorly, little-known American Craig Hainline, who is playing in Europe because he has been unable to qualify for the US PGA Tour, was second, seven undcr-par after a round of 69. German veteran Bernhard Langer, joint leader overnight, fell away to finish three under after a round of 75, saved from total disaster by birdies at the last two holes. Stephen I.eaney was the best-placed Australian, 13 strokes behind the leader after a 72. The tournament format awards eight points for an albatross, five for eagle, two for birdie, zero for par, and deducts one point for a bogey and three for a double bogey or worse.

Elkington, who played with Woods, did not mind the experience: "The crowds were pretty well behaved today," he said. This wasn't the case at last year's British Open at Royal Troon, where Elkington played with Woods for the first two rounds. "The Pommies went crazy," Elkington recalled. "That was the first time Woods had been (to Britain as a pro)." Of his chances of winning here, Elkington said: "I definitely have a good round in me. I putted really well today and if I can hit it a bit better tomorrow, I feel I've got a good chance." Australians Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby were also placed, tied for 16th on 22 points.

Allenby had two birdies and two bogeys to the turn, but stormed home with four birdies on the back nine. He did so despite playing with a sore right little finger, an injury he I 'r Tiger Woods waits for a birdie putt to drop during a spectacular round in Colorado that left him just off the pace. Picture: reuters -If- 4 i -i, "He's looking good. He's done a lot more work this year because they have a dirt track there now, which means he's been able to do a lot more in preparation," Freedman said. If Doriemus was to make it to his fourth Melbourne Cup this November, it would be a remarkable feat, but Hall is hoping for even more.

"If he was a five-year-old instead of an eight-year-old, then he would be a pretty warm favorite already for the cup, Hall said. "He's such a great stayer, such a great horse." But Doriemus has history against him. Melbourne and Caulfield Cups winner in 1995, Doriemus then ran sixth in the Melbourne Cup In 1996 before being nosed out by Might And Power last year. But, as an eight-year-old, he must overcome a 60-year hoodoo, Not since 1938, when Catalogue took the cup, has an eight-yeap-old won the race and you have to go. back to 1865 to find the only other eight-year-old winner, Toryboy.

Only Shadow King, who was placed in four consecutive cups Golf DENVER. SUNDAY Steve Elkington stumbled with three consecutive mid-round bogeys but still did enough to head the Australian contingent after the third round of the Sprint International golf tournament here yesterday. "I didn't play that well, but I made six birdies, which is the name of the game," Elkington said after compiling a two-under-par 70 worth eight points in the modified stableford format at Castle Pines. He was equal ninth with one round left, eight points behind leader Vijay Singh. Despite accruing only six points today, the Fijian.vvinner of last week's United States PGA Championship, moved a step closer to another victory.

He had 33 points with one round left, one point more than American Willie Wood, while the hard-charging Tiger Woods was only two points back after a spectacular round that included an ace at the par-three seventh on his way to 14 points for the day. from 1930-33, has a better cups record than Doriemus. Doriemus ran third behind Tarn-pir Lane when first-up in the Memsie last season but although he has done even more work in his lead-up, Hall said is not getting carried away with the horse's chances on Saturday against Dane Ripper, Brave Prince and Willoughby. "He'll get a long way back and if they can run on, then I'd be very happy if he ran in the first six. He's still got a way to go (to the cup)," Hall said.

Doriemus' first-up tilt in the Memsie has been made easier with Northern Drake's trainer Kenny Man deciding to keep the four-year-old in Sydney for the Epsom Handicap before coming to Melbourne. His aim now Is the Cox Plate. After both horses proved hand-fuls for their trainers in the first two seasons of racing, Rancho Spark and El Mirada are now set to tackle a group one this spring as four-year-olds after the pair cleared away to quinella yesterday's Foundation Handicap at Caulfield. Doriemus back on Dansino's start after mishap puts stewards on wrong foot lib track Rancho Spark's trainer Jim Marconi said yesterday that Rancho Spark had always been a difficult horse to ride, but had greatly improved in recent times to register three wins on end in Melbourne following successes at Caulfield and Sandown last month. "I have won the VicHealth Cup with Rancho Ruler and ran third with Delsole last year and I think it would be a good race for this horse," Marconi said.

"He will get a light weight and he likes 1400 metres." El Mirada is also set for the group-one VicHealth Cup next month at Caulfield after running on yesterday, VRC chief steward Des Gleeson yesterday warned El Mirada's rider Kerrin McEvoy to attempt to improve his position earlier after El Mirada gave Rancho Spark six lengths on the turn and was beaten by just over a length. Meanwhile, top jockey Mick Ditt-man has been confirmed as the spring rider in Melbourne for super NZ mare Tycoon Lil. Racing by ANDREW EDDY 'If confirmation were needed that the spring carnival and the Melbourne Cup are looming quickly, then the news yesterday that Cups legend Doriemus is set for a return racing in the Memsie Stakes this weekend provides final proof. The eight-year-old, who has bravely contested the Melbourne Cup over the last three seasons, returned to Melbourne from his winter home in New Zealand only days ago, but already his fans are singing his praises. His rider Greg Hall said he was thrilled to see the horse back at the 'reedmans' Caulfield stables.

"He looks fantastic. Forget he's an eight-year-old, he just looks so good," 'Hall said at Caulfield yesterday. Anthony Freedman was also taken by the veteran's appearance after having more than eight weeks' pre-tralnlng at part-owner Jim iGibbs' Matamata property in NZ. Chief steward Des Gleeson was as surprised as punters all around Australia who were watching Sky Channel or listening on radio when favorite Dansino took her place in the Quezette Stakes field at Sandown on Saturday after a sensational re-race mishap. Gleeson, who was watching from the stewards' tower near the winning post, admitted later he had his hand on the telephone to ring the starter to find out the official scratching time for Dansino when the filly was placed In the stalls, remounted by Damlen Oliver, and the race was under way.

To the dismay of all those who had backed Danlnso, she was never travelling like a winner, finishing 10th In the field of 13. The vet on duty at the start, Richard Cust, had passed Danlnso fit to run after she had reared over backwards as the field was lining up and crashed through the running rail, dislodging one of the sol- Id wooden upright posts along the way. Tuning the TV replay of the incident showed there was only 25 seconds between Danlnsob mishap and the filly being placed In the stalls, hardly sufficient time for even the most cursory of veterinary examinations. Although, In this Instance, Gleeson had no alternative but to accept Custb professional opinion that Danlnso was fit to start, It Is highly likely he would have overruled the vet had he been able to contact the starter In time, Gleeson said the minimum.