The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 28

28 SPORTS GUARDIAN Monday June 15 1987 Robert Armstrong David Irvine at Queen's Club Bank left Becker into with delayed final second service was often hit with to much depth for Becker to mount a counter-attack. Resuming with a small advantage, Mayotte denied Becker a chance early on before taking the opening set. The pattern, with the server dominating, was maintained to the tiebreak. Becker then took a brief lead, lost it when he fell going for a lob, but went ahead, crucially, on the seventh point. All he then had to do was to hold his serve.

Mayotte missed an opportunity to take a 3-1 lead fii the third, faltered to give Becker a chance with a double fault and was unable therafter to get AT THE END OF THE DAY The Porsche of Derek Bell (right) wins the Le Mans 24-hour race, his fifth victory in the event and Porsche's 12th Alan Henry at the Le Mans 24-hour sports car race Bell wrings out Jaguars' hopes Jaguar really humming he re-took the lead before 7 o'clock on Saturday evening. For a while the massive crowd was treated to a wheel-to-wheel battle more like a grand prix as Bell, the old hand, stepped up the pressure on Brudle, the novice. As day turned to night Bell and Stuck established an advantage and the Jaguars settled to run a strategic race in second, third and fourth We're running fast enough to keep in touch with the leading Porsche," said Tom Walkinshaw, Jaguar's racing manager. "Our cars have the capacity to run five seconds a lap quicker if need be when daylight comes." Sadly, the opportunity never arose. By breakfast on Sunday only the Jaguar of Cheever accidently touched reverse during a fumbled gear change if damaged the gear box and necessitated a long stop for repairs.

Another casualty of the night was the Porsche 962 of Jonathan Palmer and Jones Weaver caught fire out on the circuit and was burnt out. Weaver escaped unscathed. Then Boesel stopped out on the circuit when the ignition trigger to the fly wheel became detached. Boesel got the car going again but failed to secure the engine cover, which blew off he had to make a long stop for it to be replaced. Later the lone Jaguar lost even more time having a rear suspension upright changed, as well as fuel pumps and filter, but is continued thereafter blasting round to the end.

It had been a gallant effort Porsch's grip on the race extends now to an unprecedented 12th victory. In terms of cars the sole consolation for the English was Gordon Spice's victory in the C2 category. Indeed his Spice-pon-tiac finished in sixth place overall. LE MANS 24-HOUR SPORTS CAR RACE: 1. H-I Stuck (W.

Ger), D. Bell (GB) and A. Holbert (US) Porsche (354 laps, 4.791.777 km); 2. J. Laessig (W.

Ger). P. Yver (Fra) and B. de Dryver (Bel) Porsche (334). 3.

H. Raphanel (Fra). Y. Courage (Fra) and H. Regout (Bel) Cougar Porsche (331).

4, G. Fouche (Zlm). F. Konrad (Aus) and W. Taylor ISA) Porsche (3Z6).

5. E. Cheever JS) and R. Boesel (Braz) Jaguar (324). 6.

G. pice (GB). F. Velez (sp) and P. de Henning (Fra) Spice Ponu'ac Fiero (320).

had led impressively for almost three hours on Saturday evening, relinquished second place with water leaking out on a cylinder head gasket on Sunday morning. Jaguar had also provided the most spectacular departure from the race shortly after their driver. Win Percy, took over the car of John Watson and Jan Lammers for his first stint of the race just before 3 o'clock on Sunday morning. After a handful of laps a rear tyre deflated and he crashed at over 200 mps going into the notorious Mulsanne kink. The Jaguar was launched into a series of somersaults, the gear box and rear wheels were ripped from the back of the engine and it skidded along on its roof before coming to a halt.

The doors were ripped off and Percy's crash nelmet was partly worn away by frictin against the track; but he escaped with little more than cuts and bruises. I must have skidded upside down for 400 yards," he said, "but it seemed like about four miles." Jaguar came into the race with an unblemished record of four straight victories this season. On a track surface still glistening after a heavy shower Stuck took full advantage of the hand-grooved dry-weather slick tyres on his Porsche to romp into an early lead, pursued by his team-mate, Jochen Mass, Brundle's Jaguar and the Kouros-Mercedes of Johnny Dumfries. For the first few laps the pit lane was a hive of activity, car after car coming in to change tyres as the circuit dried out. Brundle was pressing hard, moving up to second place before making his first routine pit stop, but it began to look as though Porsche might have difficulties as three of their leading private entries, from the German Joest and Kremer teams, succumbed to engine problems.

The delay allowed the Jaguars to enjoy a spell in the top three places, out Bell got the Porsche back to the front of the field after a couple of hours. Then Brundle on his first visit to Le Mans, got his MOTOR WRACING JAGUAR'S lavish assault on the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race collapsed in the early hours of Sunday morning, allowing the reigning world sports car champion, Derek Bell, to canter home to his fifth victory in the event. The 45-year-old Englishman shared his Rothmans Porsche 962C with Hans Stuck, of West Germany, and the American, Al Holbert. They won by over 20 laps, still averaging 199.6 kph, from the private Porsche of Jurgen Lassie, Pierre Yver and Bernard de Dryver. For the Silk Cut Jaguar squad the gruelling race was a bitter disappointment after a fine showing for the first 12 hours.

At the end the sole surviving Big Cat was fifth, limping 28 laps behind the winning Porsche, its two stablemates long retired. The Jaguar shared by Martin Brundle, the Zakspeed Fl driver, and John Nielsen, of Denmark, in which Brundle TENNIS Last June, at London's Queen's Club, Tim Mayotte relieved Boris Becker of his Stella Artois title. Yesterday the 19-year-old West German avenged the defeat. A protracted but absorbing semifinal, suspended overnight and again interrupted by rain, finished with the Wimbledon champion edging through gratefully by 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. At the end it was apparent that the seventh point of the tie-break had been the key.

A superb return by Becker off a smash surprised Mayotte into a rare volleying error. At 11 o'clock this morning Becker will face the 34-year-old Jimmy Connors, his fifth US opponent in a row, in the final. If the match is anything like yesterday's, even the sponsors will have no complaints at going into an eighth day for the first time since 1979. Though Becker holds a 3-0 advantage on Connors, including a straight-sets win in Paris 10 days ago, they have never met on grass and the American, in his 7-6, 64 victory over Pat Cash on Saturday, showed he was seeing and timing the ball almost as well as ever. Becker is never one to assume success and he dismissed any suggestion that he would have little difficulty against an old man.

Connors, he said with proper respect, was moving better than many of the younger players. He predicted a great battle." He also said his series of matches with Mayotte had helped him significantly to progress to the top. All the evidence is that the feel and smell of English grass has the same effect on Mayotte as it has on Becker. The American volleyed crisply and with instinct, particularly on the forehand, and his SERVICE WITH A SMILE victory over Mayotte Our correspondent reports from Bristol Williams wins after finishing in involved in a thrilling battle for the lead, which ended only when Seebold developed engine trouble. Johnson crossed the line first with Jones second.

Jones' appeal against the one-lap penalty was dismissed. The Bristol course, 1.7 miles per lap, is one of the world's most dangerous with its rough waters and hard dock walls. Five people, including three POWER BOATING TONY WILLIAMS, the British champion, was declared winner of the grand Srix final at Bristol City ocks yesterday after the two race leaders were penalised for course infringements. World Champion Jonathan Jones and the blank IVAN LENDL brought a disastrous catalogue of setbacks to a dismal conclusion by pulling out of the ill-fated Bank of Scotland Championships at Craiglockhart with influenza yesterday. It was another cruel blow for this tournament, which was badly damaged in midweek by the withdrawal of John McEnroe and then hit by heavy rain which caused the cancellation of yesterday's singles finals.

The chief beneficiaries of the tournament were Andrez Gomez, of Equador, and the Swede Anders Jarryd, who shared the 30,000 winner's prize after only 18 minutes on court. Gabriella Sabatini, of Aregentina, and the American Lisa bonder a late replacement for her compatriot Zina Garrison split the prize money for the women finalists, each receiving 3,750 without striking a ball. Lendl, who was ercuperating in bed at his hotel in Edinburgh alst night, will not be fit to resume bis preparations for Wimbledon until Wednesday at the earliest. The world No 1 believes he may have picked up a virus from his caoch. Tonv Roche, in Paris, where the Australian was ill for several days.

Roche was back on court early yesterday for a play-off final which he lost 6-4, 6-2 to the American, Jonathan Canter If we had sat down and thought out the worst things that could happen we could not have come up with anything so bad' said Gerry Solomon, a senior executive for ProServ, who put the event together for Lendl, one of their major clients. Ivan had no alternative other than to withdraw, and he has been in bed since Saturday afternoon," he said. Lendl managed to play 14 minutes of his semifinal against Jarryd on Saturday before rain washed out play with the score at 2-2. Jarryd received a walkover into the final. Lendl must question the wisdom of coming to Edinburgh for grass court practice a decision prompted partly by the heavy demand for grass courts in London at this time of year.

The move backfired through no fault of Lendl's, leaving him with a maximum of five days to get in proper shape for Wimbledon. It has been a frustrating week for me," said Lendl in a prepared statement. "First with the weather and now with my illness I have not been able to play as much as I hoped. I apologise to the fans here that I am sick, because they have been very appreciative of the tennis and supportive of the tournament. I was impressed that so many people came to watch our matches.

The setting here is very good. Unfortunately the weather has been baa everywhere in tne uk. wis weeK. i win definitely be back next year to continue to work on my grass court game and to win the 100th anniversary of this tournament." The real losers of the tournament are the Scottish fans who paid between 7.50 and 10 for tickets which in normal circumstances would have allowed them to see both Lendl and Sabatini play in their finals. Instead more than 3,000 people saw virtually no play on Saturday and precious little yesterday.

STELLA ARTOIS GRASS COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS (Queen's Club, London) Men's Singles, Seml-Flnals; J. Connors (US) bt P. Cash (Aust) 7-6. 64; B. Becker (W.

Germany) bt T. Mayotte (US) 4-6. 7-6. 64. Men's Doubles, SenU-Final; a.

Forget, and Y. Noah (Fra) bt G. Donnely and P. Fleming (US) 6-3. 7-6.

ROYAL BANK OP SCOTLAND GRASS COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS (Craiglockhart. Edinburgh) Men'a Singles, Semi-Fin als; A. Jarryd (Swe) wo. I. Lendl (Cz); A.

Gomez (Ecu) bt J. Kriek (US) 6-3, 6-1. FA told to SOCCER Football Association officials have been told to fall in line with the rest of the world and reintroduce red and yellow disciplinary cards next season. England is the only major soccer power not using the system and the international board, which deals with the game's laws, meeting in Llandudno, decided that they must conform. We are very much out on our own on this and apparently it has caused a lot of confusion when other countries have seen our matches on television," said FASecre-tary Ted Croker, who hopes to restrict the use of the cards to major FA and League matches.

The FA dropped the red (sending off) ana yellow (caution) cards because, among other things, it was felt that they could make referees a little too demonstrative. The Board comprising the four home associations plus mm IF lrn MhtohL PAUL Alderson, an umpire at Wimbledon, admitted yesterday that he had been foolish to accept 3,500 for Centre Court tickets. Alderson, a dentist, said he would not be officiating at this year's championships. He had acted on the spur of the moment in deciding to sell tickets when he saw an advertisement in the Times. back on terms.

A number of net cord decisions went Becker's way but, as Mayotte said, that's tennis." Suggesting that it would be a different scenario should they meet again at Wimbledon, Mayotte admitted the only way he could beat Becker was to get at his serve. There has to be some way of opening that door more often" and off he went to think about it. Becker, meanwhile, clearly relished the thought of facing one of his great heroes on grass. Connors has not won in 38 tournaments since beating Ivan Lendl in Tokyo in October 1984 but, if he could beat Becker today, his Wimbledon chances would improve immeasurably. Becker on his way to semi-final Picture by Frank Baron then temper her flamboyant style with discretion and better shot-selection.

She delighted a capacity crowd with rousing volleys and demonstrative squeals. She also picked up balls with her feet. It helped to produce the best final the event has seen in its six years. Her best chance came when she had two break points at two-all in the second set, a game which Shriver eventually saved with the aid of a net cord and a lucky line decision. That was the key," said Shriver later.

Shriver, hoping to mount a serious singles challenge at Wimbledon, is playing at the Pilkington Glass event at Eastbourne this week for the first time in nine years. Richard Jago red cards ing the Italian Cup for the third time beating Atalanta 1-0 in the second leg of the final, on Saturday. Thousands of Neapolitans poured into the streets singing, dancing and letting off fireworks in celebration. The team's victory was almost certain after their 3-0 win in the first leg last Sunday. For Atalanta, it was another disappointment following their relegation to the Second Division next season.

The Argentine captain Diego Maradona set up the 85th-minute goal for Bruno Giordano with a curling free-kick from the edge of the penalty area. Mark Hateley has officially signed for French first division club Monaco from AC Milan in a three-year deal for an undisclosed sum. Monaco finished fifth last season. Meanwhile, Roma have signed an option to sign Barcelona's Bernd Schuster when his contract expires at the end of next season. American driver Don Johnson were docked a lap for hitting or cutting inside marker buoys.

Williams, a 44-year-old company director, was third for most of the 24-lap race with an average speed of about 90 mph. His ultimate victory gives him the overall lead in the 10-race international series. This is the second one. Johnson and the American Bill Seebold, had been. if Capellini of Italy escaped serious Ukrainian bashes warning I'M" HOCKEY Pat Rowley GB labour to victory over Kenya In an unofficial interna tional at Bisham yesterday, Great Britain, clearly in need of sharpening upon the eve of the ChamDions' TroDhv in Am sterdam, eked out an unim- Sressive 2,0 victory over a ienyan side over here to prepare for the African Games.

The match bore similarities to Britain's first outing at Los Angeles on their way to their Olympic bronze medals. They had to work very hard against Kenya then for a 2-1 victory and they did so again yesterday. Kenya, now with fewer Asians in their side, not sur prisingly played a counter-attacking game against their more vauntea opponents, dui lit was 13 minutes before their first attack and in the whole game they forced only one genuine chance and one penalty corner. Britain, who had snatched a last-minute 2-1 victory over London Indians on Saturday, were strangely at odds with themselves. Poor stopping became a disease and whenever they tried a pass from any distance it was invariably intercepted.

Richard Dodds. at centre half, kept prompting his forwards, however, and Britain graudally settled. Keriy and Shaw had chances, and after half an hour Bhaura, on the right wing, took on the defence for the first time and Britain scored. Martyn Grimlev. who had not looked at his liveliest the day after his brother's wedding, was the scorer, thus maintaining his fine international record as a marksman.

Britain achieved more penetration in the second half, but at least five chances were wasted before Paul Barner, in the 53rd minute, was very quickly into his shot at Britain's second penalty corner and the ball went in off a Kenyan stick. After the match David Whitaker, the Great Britain coach, admitted that Britain had not had the best of preparation for the Champion's Tro phy and soil had a lot to ao before the match against West Germany, the bronze medal winners at the World Cup, on Friday. Neither Britain nor England were particularly impressive immediately before the Olympic Games and World Cup, yet still came through to win medals. They should be a different proposition next Friday. Onat Britain (2-3-5): Taylor D.

Faulkner. P. Barber; S. Martin. R.

Dodds (capt), W. McCarmell; KJShaura (I Sherwanl), J. Shaw (J. Kirkwood). S.

Kerry. R. out, M. Grimley foBatchelori. Hnn r.

umaiu; i. mbuiiiu, r. ami; 3. Ngoyo, M. mondl, E.

Dkoth: S. Mwange, c. otamDo, a. Jalongo. B.

Daved, P. Akatsa (capt). r. Lamoen ana n. weoo.

RUGBY LEAGUE Mansfield Marksman, who yesterday fifvnoH tlio T.anppchlro nniintv amateur winger Cameron aeaiey, win uuie part tne John Smith's Yorkshire Cup tournament next season. They nrA nairpri with Vnrlt in thp first round draw. third place drivers, have died in the race's lo-year nistory. Recent safety measures in troduced by Bristol City Council seemed justified tuts year, as no drivers were seriously nun. The worst incidents in volved Italian Guido Cappellini, who struck a dock wall at 80 mph, and British driver Marc Rolls, who was taken to hospital after his boat flipped over during tne ormula sport nnai.

1 rV.j&' fourths and a fifth to keep her in tne selectors minas. Mike Mansfield's Turkish Delight is a Certainty for the Irish team and Richard Burrows' Jameson Whiskey will grobably join her. The fight etween Tom Powers's Irish Independent and Geoff Howison's Local Hero for the third place was one of the features of these races, and Local Hero is the more likely towintavour. The French team will be I chosen today and it is likely tnat uorum wiu oe joinea Dy Xeryus and Centurion in a fully commerically sponsored team. UlOfl CAPO.

RMTHH AMflRALU CUP RAM TRIALS (Ctatstcnurch Bay) Ram om 1. laanraBa (A. Grsv 2hra 42mln Olsec; 2. Diamond Blue (J. Jaflrezlc) 3.

Pocket Battleship fM. Gibson) uuw uiarnono id. rouoyj tmaa; S. Full Pelt (S. Fein) 6.

Jameson's Whiskey (R. buitows) naea two. 1. Mukjtnce (O. Walker) Jamarella 3.

Turkish Delight (M. Mansfield) 4. Xpanda CP. Shells) 2:17.12: S. Juno (M.

Peacock) 6. Jameson's Whiskey 2:17.43. Rasa Three. 1. Mutoenea 201.56: 2.

Turkish Delight 20STl: 3. Juno Z03.4S: 4. Xpanda 8. Pull Pelt 2M.49; Jamarella 204.59. Race Pour.

1. luno 2. Turkish Delight 1:47.40: 3. Indulgence 4. Jamarella B.

Xpanda 6. Pocket Battleship 1:8036. injury when his boat hit part of Bristol Docks during the grand prix Bob Fisher at the British Admiral's Cup team trials Indulgence best of big boats Although Pam Shriver won the Edgbaston Cup for the fourth successive time, taking her total earnings in the Birmingham event to more than 60,000, it was a young, extrovert, football-playing Ukrainian who caught the eye in the Dow Chemical Classic yesterday. Larissa Savchenko, a burly teenager, pinched the first set off the world No. 6 and stood within a point of going a break up in the second before losing 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, a score which hardly did her justice.

The Soviet Union's renewed interest in tennis, now that the sport is in the Olympic Games in Seoul next year, is becoming increasingly apparent. Savchenko now needs to cut down her double faults and a few kilos of weight bring back four FIFA representatives also decided that from next season players worldwide must take throw-ins from exactly the right place or concede the advantage. Referees will be asked by FIFA to indicate the spot where a throw-in should be taken. The board agreed to the FA's no offside at free-kicks experiment in the GM-Vauxhall Conference next season and Croker will present a detailed report when the board meets next summer in London. One resolution thrown out was a FIFA proposal that would have allowed up to 11 players on each team's bench in major tournaments.

The choice of substitutes will remain at two from five, against the wishes of. international team managers. Ian Baird, the Leeds striker who refused a new contract with the club, has decided to join Portsmouth despite advances from Celtic and Aberdeen. In Italy, Napoli added to their first League title by tak 1 DRIVEN UP THE WALI Guido SPORT IN BRIEF SHOOTING Denise Eyre, of stocKport, regained tne women's clay pigeon world championship in Portugal yesterday, beating more than 30 opponents. At 27, sne nas neid the European, British and English women's titles and was previously world champion in 1984.

FENCING: Robin Davenport yesterday crowned a 20-year career when he won his first major title, the Miller-Hallet epee tournament at the De Beaumont centre, London, yesterday. In the final he boat Howard West 10-7. Dominic Mahoney, a member of Britain's international modern penathlon team, was third. CYCLING: Malcolm Elliott's lucky bicycle won the Professional Spring Classic at Norwich yesterday. Eliott finished down in 15th place, but his ANC-Halfords teammate, the Czech Kvetoslav Palov, won on the machine Elliott rode in his record-breaking Milk Race triumph.

Lawrie' Smith and Rodney Pattisson always keeping her in contention, and yesterday was second the morning, when the wind was around 10 knots, and sixth and fourth in the other races when the wind increased to 12 to 16 knots. Jamarella, Bruce Farr-de-signed one-tonner, was second in the previous weekend's stormy long offshore race won by Indulgence and her all-round performance seems likely to assure her of a place in the team. The third place is now contested seriously by Stephen Fein's Full Pelt, Pul Sheils's Xpanda and Mike Peacock's Juno. Juno scored her first-ever win in the final race, having finished fifth and third with an 11th on Saturday and third in the long offshore race. The continued improvement of this Rob Humphreys design, which is skippered by Andrew Hurst, cannot be ignored although Full Pelt has suffered a run of slightly indifferent performances, since she lost her mast in the offshore race.

Yetserday Xpanda scored two SAILING After four inshore races in Christchurch Bay this weekend, two boats seem to have earned selection for the James Capel British Admiral's Cup teamThe third place is still wide onen. although there was a hardening of one claim as tnese trials progressed. Graham Walker's Indul gence was the outstanding boat yesterday, with two first places and a third in a 27-boat fleet which included 10 French yachts and five Irish also involved in their countries' Cup trials. TvifiiilnAvtAA a AA TlnniAl Andrieu design, skippered by Harold Cudmore and steered by Eddie Warden Owen, is certain to fill the big boat berth in the team. Neither Yeoman XXVII nor Blizzard, the other two who could have filled this slot, showed well in any of the four races.

The most consistent boat of the weekend was Alan Grav's Jamarella. She finished first in the light airs of Saturday,.