The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 19

SPORTS NEWS 19 Soccer Golf Blackburn Rovers 0, Chelsea 2 James a lesson for Ballesteros EtfOaiDfl dleDoweirs a DiffeDniffle THE GUARDIAN Monday May 16 1988 David Davles at Pedrena Cynthia Bateman Scott Sellars and although Garner, chasing one of them, was tripped in the box by Pates, the ARKS AND SPENCER do a nifty line in sick-as-a-parrot I socks. They should sell well in Blackburn next week. Rovers' manager, Don Mackay, wore the expression to match after Chelsea's two goals in the first leg of the play-offs at Ewood Park ruined the Lancashire side's chances of promotion. But it gave the Londoners a sheet-anchor to slow down the drift into the Second Division, and it will take an upset of Wimbledon proportions to reverse the result when Rovers go to Stamford Bridge for the second leg on Wednesday. Chelsea ran out to an untra-ditional Lancashire welcome, a hail of boos from the home contingent in the 16,500 shoe-horned into the three sides of the ground still standing.

Half of the rest of the town was scattered like a crop of wild daisies in the sun along Freebie Hill, the grassy bank at the back of the fourth side. But Chelsea put an end to any carnival atmosphere nonsense with a midfield fracas that must have had referee John Key wishing he had stayed at home to put in his tomato plants. Before 10 minutes had gone by John Bumstead had come off with a gashed forehead, requiring nine stitches and making him doubtful for the next encounter. Chelsea should have been down to 10 men but Mr Key restarted the game with Chelsea's manager Bobby Campbell still in the middle of the pitch. Blackburn, with no changes from the side that beat Millwall 4-1, were without Steve Archibald and started with Ossie Ar-diles on the bench.

They were missing a striker to put away some superb long balls from Play-off round-up recorded 61 in the third round, Jose Avelino Cabo 63 in the second, and probably worst of all from the Ballesteros point of view was a 64 from Jose Maria Carriles, another former caddie from Pedrena. Seve's own rounds of 72, 67, 67 and 68 were made to look what they were, commonplace, and it hurt. When wounded, Ballesteros lashes out in all directions, and the objects of his ire this week were the PGA officials. "Everything I recommended they have done the opposite," he said. "The PGA have set the course up for British players.

I do not recognise my own course. Players are doing 61 who cannot break par. The PGA should have more respect for what I have done in the game." Ballesteros claimed that the fairways had not been watered, and they should have been; that the greens had been watered, and they should not have been. Mike Stewart, the tournament director, replied succinctly to these allegations. The fairways had indeed been watered and so, to the smallest possible extent to keep them alive, had the greens.

He was fully supported by his executive director, Ken Scho-field: "The greens would have died had they not been watered. We have a very experienced team of administrators who look after courses for tournaments in 12 countries for a total of over 70 events per year. The players should let them admin-istecand get off our backs." He added: "There are ways of complaining about these things, and Ballesteros is on the committee. Or he could come quietly to me. We are not above criticism, but Ballesteros knows that on the European tour these days someone will shoot 18-under unless there is snow, or terrible course conditions." Reasoned replies to wild allegations by a man who thought something he held dear was being mocked.

But Pedrena has eight par-fours of 400 yards or less, all three of its par-fives are reachable with an iron second shot, and at 6,350 yards it is simply not big enough. Nor, unfortunately, was Ballesteros this week. His performances both on and off the course have been deeply disappointing. Domestic tiouble Arton Motor Racing Senna's McLnic-n. loading the Monaco Grand Prix, hits a barrier only yards from his home Senna prod brings Prost late Valley of worry he knew to out-manoeuvre the Ferrari, but Berger displayed cool nerve under pressure from one of the sport's most relentless competitors.

Eventually Prost found the gap and, once ahead, pulled clear to consolidate a strong second place, although by this stage he was almost 50 seconds behind Senna. Confident that his second consecutive Monaco victory was in the bag, Senna had just slackened his pace when the oily track surface on a tight corner leading out on to the waterfront caught him out, his car sliding gently into the barrier. The accident occurred virtually on the doorstep of his Monaco flat, so he was able to pop home for a shower before returning to the paddock to examine the damage. Nigel Mansell's efforts to keep his naturally aspirated Canon Williams FW12 on terms with the turbos produced the expected display of superb precision driving. Holding down fourth place from the start, he gradually clawed closer to Prost's McLaren only for his engine's water temperature to soar as he got into the EM: ARK JAMES, at 34 the epitome of the seasoned old pro, won the Peugeot Spanish Open at Royal Pedrena yesterday.

Despite, as he said, "playing poorly all he fashioned a two-under-par 68 for an 18-under-par total of 262 which beat Nick Faldo by three shots and Richard Boxall by four. He did it, furthermore, with a deliberate near-top of the ball off the 18th tee after Faldo, his only remaining rival, had driven into the woods. "I wanted to keep the ball low," he said afterwards, "so that if it started bending it would hit the ground quickly and stop." The plan worked perfectly and with Faldo forced to gamble and failing with his shot from the trees, the way was clear for James to win his first tournament in Europe since the Benson and Hedges in 1986. "I just didn't feel my swing was functioning," said James afterwards. "It was a day for digging deep, to keep fighting." He did just that at the long 16th hole and at the par-four 17th.

After both he and Faldo had been in a greenside bunker at the former, and had come out to seven feet, both had birdie chances. Faldo is the first, and James probably the last person you would nominate to hole such a putt for your life, but James did so, and after Faldo had made the hole look minuscule by holing his putt. At the next the pressures were reversed, with James holing from six feet before Faldo followed him in from five, and it was not until Faldo drove badly off the final tee that the issue was resolved. On Saturday the air was loud with the sound of shattered illusions. Throughout boy and manhood Severiano Ballesteros had cherished the belief that the Royal Pedrena course on which he was returning scores in the low 60s was, in his own words this week, "one of the great ones in Over the past four days the playing members of the Volvo European Tour have shown this to be a fallacy.

All manner of men have scored supremely well on it: Wayne Riley Tennis No more David Irvine at the Italian Open THE Roman crowd hurled coins and insults at Bjorn Borg ten years ago as he beat their idol, Adriano Panatta, in the final of the Italian Open. He never returned to 'the Foro Italico. Yesterday it was the crowd, jthe court, the balls, and a dozen (other distractions that infuri-ated Ivan Lendl as he won back the title. It will be no surprise if he too stays away in the future, Argentina's hopes that jGuillermo Perez-Roldan would imatch Gabriela Sabatini's success the previous week by becoming Italian champion as a teenager burned bright at the start and throughout the last two sets but the world No. 1 had the extra power and experience when it was needed and eventually won 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 after 4hr 39min.

Sometimes it is impossible to get out of bed the right side: and that is how it has been for Lendl all this week. Nothing has suited him. At times his listless play suggested he was not even interested in winning. Or maybe he just felt the crowd did not deserve a show not from him, anyway. But because of the circumstances and the assorted distractions chanting Roma fans from a nearby match, howling ambulance sirens, a snarling aircraft circling the arena with an advert in tow it became one: an Simpson production for the Theatre of the Absurd.

Lendl's match-winning service game, after he broke for 5-4 Paris doubt over AT BEST, John McEnroe At will have iust throe Have on European clay in which to prepare his challenge for the French Open, which begins next Monday. At worst he mav he forced to withdraw as he did on Saturday from tnis weens tournament in Florence, writes David Irvine. The American is now suffering from a strained ligament in the neck, but says he intends to fly to Paris on But to go into a major championship having played (and lost) only one clay-court match in a year would seem to be inviting even bigger trouble, both in terms of his ranking and his confidence. It would now seem more likely that the American will concentrate on getting himself right for Wimbledon. He referee refused appeals for a penalty.

Chelsea, without defender Steve Wicks and striker Colin West, were down to a squad of 13 and had won only one of their last 26 games. But 60 seconds into the second half Kevin Wilson found Gordon Durie clear on the right-hand side of the penalty area and his curling shot skewered round the out stretched fingers of the diving Blackburn goalkeeper to nnisn in the net. Rovers hustled and bustled in an attempt to rectify the dam age before things got worse and if Hitchcock bit his nails he would never have tipped Sel lars shot over the bar. But the longer the match went on the clearer these two sides looked exactly what they are: Chelsea a not very Rood First Division team, and Rovers a reasonably good one trom the second. Kevin McAllister, brought back from Falkirk, where he has been on loan, came on for Dongo, who twisted a knee and is also doubtful for midweek, and Rovers decided to play their ace Ardiles.

Although the little man daz zled in the summer sun his tricks collapsed like a house of cards lor want ot sutler support. And Chelsea pulled the rabbit out of the hat when Blackburn defender David Mail, with all the time in the world to clear, played the ball straight to the teet ot Fat Nevm who cracked the ball over the goalkeeper and under the cross bar to give Chelsea the security of a two-goal lead at what Campbell calls half-time in the competition. Blackburn Rover! Gennoe; Price, Millar, Barker, Hendry, Mail, Raid, Ainscow, Gayle, Garner, sellars. CtwlMa: Hitchcock; Clarke, Oorigo, Pates, McLaughlin. Hall, Nevin, Bumstead, Dixon, Dune, Wilson.

Refer: Key (Rotherham). The place for qualms was Torquay, where the home side's 2-1 win over Scunthorpe in the fourth -Division promotion area had additional statistics: one sent off, one carried off, six booked and home manager Cyril Knowles ordered to the dressing rooms. The dismissal of Scunthorpe defender Paul Nichol in the 41st minute for a foul on Dave Cald well, and goals from Caldwell and Dobson, left the home side laughing at half-time. Smiles faded when the refer ee, Tony Ward, ushered Knowles to the dressing rooms after he had protested at the loui wmcn saw caiaweii carried off with a windpipe iniurv. Then Scunthorpe's Flounders scored live minutes irom time.

Swansea's chances of reach ing the Third Division were im proved by Sean McCarthy's goal five minutes from time which gave them a 1-0 win over Kotherham. The return leg will not bother them unduly they have set a club record of 11 away wins this season. David Kelly, for whom Spurs are believed to have offered 375,000, upped his market value with two goals in Wal sail's 3-1 win at Notts County, a result which virtually secures their place in the Third Division promotion final. County had the consolation of their biggest crowd of the season 11,522 but even that figure paled in comparison to the 25,335 souls who saw Joe Jordan's Bristol City side beat Sheffield United 1-0, the most Ashton Gate has seen since the heady days of the First Division. speedy forwards and Walker and Miller, of course, come straight from their final success on Saturday, while Gallacher was the scorer of a brilliant goal for the beaten United.

None of the trio has appeared in a full international pool before and there have certainly been doubts about Miller's form, but Roxburgh said: "Miller and Gallacher are two of my favourite young players, and Walker has scored 32 goals in his first season with Celtic, a phenomenal performance." Celtic's Paul McStay last night added the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award to his Scottish Football Writers' trophy. Hamilton's Alex Taylor is the First Division winner with Ayr's Henry Templeton collecting the Second Division vote. Chelsea's full-back Tony Dor-igo twisted a knee. But Gary Lineker kept his scoring habit with two goals, albeit penalties, in Barcelona's 4-2 win over Zaragoza. AC Milan made sure of the Italian title yesterday with a 1- 1 draw at Como as Napoli, the reigning champions, lost 2- 1 at home to Sampdoria.

Alan Henry in Monte Carlo ALAIN PROST, proving that stealth and consistency offer every bit as effective a path to the winner's rostrum as out-and-out speed, yesterday scored his fourth Monaco Grand Prix victory in five years, swelling his remarkable career record to 30 wins. Guiding his Marlboro McLaren-Honda through the tortuous streets of the Medi terranean principality with the metronomic consistency that has long been his hallmark, Prost inherited first place when his Brazilian teammate Ayrton Senna slid into a barrier with only 12 of the race's 78 laps left. rom the start senna set a blistering pace, breaking his rivals' challenge as he disappeared from their view within the first few miles. He left Prost bottled up behind Gerhard Berger's Ferrari, the Austrian having burst through from the second row to split the McLarens as they jostled into the first uphill right-hand corner. For the next 55 laps a frus trated Prost tried every trick Hulme outstanding Hockey Mike Rowbottom CHELSEA'S manager, Bobby Campbell, may be breathing a little easier after yesterday's result at Ewood Park, but for the supremos charged with steering their teams through the other First Division play-off is still ashen-face time.

Bradford City's manager, Terry Dolan, was not inclined to celebrate his side's 2-1 win over Middlesbrough at Valley Parade, even though it was achieved in front of a crowd of 16,017 that produced club record receipts of 49,113. "Middlesbrough are favourites now," he said. "We've got it all to do on Wednesday because if they win 1-0 after extra-time, they go through on the away goals rule." "This is basically European-type football," said Middlesbrough's manager, Bruce Rioch. "And if you come away with a goal it is helpful." Cautious optimism; and given the way his side blew their chance to go straight up by losing their last home game, caution will be uppermost in Rioch's mind. Karl Goddard put the home side ahead after 67 minutes, but Middlesbrough's 200,000 fugitive from Watford, Trevor Senior, headed an equaliser almost immediately.

Stuart McCall, Bradford's captain and Scottish Under-21 player, restored their lead in the 70th minute from close range. "Nobody can have any qualms about the play-offs with matches like that," Rioch added. Rugby League Premiership Trophy: St Helens 14, Widnes 38 Hulme inspires a record relief emerged unscathed and went on to finish third, sought out Mansell immediately after the race and offered profuse apologies for what was a plain error of judgment. Behind the two Ferraris, British fans cheered Derek Warwick and Jonathan Palmer home to fourth and fifth places in their Arrows-Megatron and Tyrrell-Ford respectively. Warwick had a lonely race to take his second fourth-place finish this year, while Palmer repeated the fifth place he scored at Monaco last year.

"It was a damn sight harder this time, though," grinned the driver of the first non-turbo car to cross the line. The troubled world champion, Nelson Piquet, whose lone Camel Lotus-Honda was submerged in the middle of the grid, went out on the opening lap, a first-corner collision damaging the car's nose cone beyond quick repair. The remarkable McLaren-Hondas have now won all three races so far this season, and Prost, with two wins and a second place, is already 10 points clear of Berger. Trophy victory when Sorensen burst through from close range in the seventh minute, and by the interval Wright, cleverly using Ofiiah as a decoy, and David Hulme collected additional touchdowns. David Hulme scored his second try soon after the interval before Widnes bought an outrageous dummy by Haggerty, one of the few inspired moments by the Great Britain forward.

Tait, the former Scotland Rugby Union international, was then last man in another sweeping Widnes move. Ledger interrupted the flow of traffic with a try in the right corner, but then Wright and McKenzie took advantage of a tiring St Helens defence to score further tries. St Hlms Loughlin: Ledger. Tanner (Fieldhouse, 64min). Ella, Quirk; Bailey, Holding; Burke, Groves.

Evans (Owyer. 44), Forber, Fieldhouse (Allen, 55), Haggerty. Widnes: Piatt; Thackray (Tait, 9). Currier, Wright. Olfiah; Oowd, Hulme: Sorensen, McKenzie, Grima (S O'Neill, 58), O'Neill.

Hulme, Eyres. Refereo: Holdsworth (Kippax). Olympic case that Smith must beat Charles in Holland by more than the 13 points that separated them on Saturday. Smith, a relative newcomer to the three-man keelboat, is struggling for consistency but has shown flashes of brilliance in some races. David Geaves's Fiona was the overall winner of the RORC's 200-mile North Sea race.

The British designed and built Fiona won by three-quarters of an hour in a largely windward-going race. David Bedford, the J24 champion, won that class's Crebbin Cup and the right to a place in the Royal Lymington Cup match-racing championship at the weekend. He beat "Titch" Blachford, the women's champion, by half a point. Senna Frenchman's slipstream. "I dropped away and eased off slightly to try and cool the engine," he said, "and that allowed Michele Alboreto's Ferrari to move on to my tail." On lap 33, the over-exuberant Italian locked a brake and rammed Mansell's car, spinning it firmly into a barrier on the tight section skirting the Monaco swimming pool.

Alboreto, who peared that Rovers would complete one of the more remarkable comebacks of the season. So Widnes and St Helens were left with a hard act to follow, and they never quite captured the same intensity of excitement. But even on a pitch that looked like a carpet in the final stages of decay, there was much fine rugby to admire, most of it from Widnes. St Helens followed a barren first half with tries from Haggerty and Ledger in the second, but they never seriously threatened the authority or matched the crisp handling and pace of their opponents. David Hulme, on the eve of his departure to Papua, Australia and New Zealand, won the Harry Sunderland Trophy as the game's outstanding player.

But five of his colleagues also received votes an indication of the various sources of danger with which St Helens had to contend. Widnes were on their way to a record fourth Premiership Sailing Charles states Bob Fisher THE Soling European Championship at Alassio, which formed the first part of the British Olympic selection trials, saw Glyn Charles emerge as leading contender for a Seoul berth by finishing eighteenth, with Lawrie Smith five places back. Smith had been fancied to come out better in the competition in the absence of Chris Law, who finally pulled out in favour of the Blue Arrow America's Cup challenge. The Alassio result is combined with that in the forthcoming regatta at Medemblik to provide the basis for the British Olympic selection. It means Roxburgh bloods youngsters to Rome on a double fault that his gamesmanship did much to procure, was more absurd than any of the 45 which had preceded it.

At 15-30 the net was measured and raised. At 30-40 Lendl served a rare ace. At vantage Perez-Roldan a policeman decided to remove four interlopers from the stand. And on his second match point Lendl was given the title and the 50,000 first prize by the worst forehand his 18-year-old opponent hit all day. Because Lendl was so inconsistent, it was a match that plumbed the depths and hit the heights.

Perez-Roldan produced a beguiling mixture of subtlety and power and, when he unleashed his forehand to put the world champion on the back foot, the youngster showed marvellous touch at the net. A painful shoulder handicapped Lendl to a degree. At the end he reckoned his second serve saw him through. But his ground game was often erratic. The Czech admitted he had not quite worked out how to deal with Perez-Roldan.

"It would have been nice if all this hadn't happened. It would have been better for Paris if I'd had a couple of more days' rest. I just hope it doesn't hurt me." Yet like Borg and Panatta, Lendl has won Rome and Paris in the same year 1986. And his win yesterday was a landmark: his 72nd, it puts him ahead of John McEnroe. Asked if he had anything, to say about the crowd he bit his tongue.

"No. Nothing." That question may never be here again. injured McEnroe could play either the Becken-hain or Manchester tournament during the second'week of the French, and may yet apply for a wild card at the Stella Artois Championship at Queen's Club. Even then the former champion could not be sure of acceptance. Three cards are said to be available, and two may have been earmarked for Tim Mayotte, playing in Paris for the first time, and Henri Leconte.

Ivan Lendl, too, has hinted he may play doubles there with Leconte. There may also be opposition among Queen's members on the Stella's committee to granting a wild card to a man they stripped of his honorary membership for verbally abusing the wife of a former Queen's chairman. Paul Fitzpatrlck atCidTrafford FTER the depressing nTi scenes of violence at lrNaughton Park only seven days earlier, Old Trafford yesterday provided the perfect antidote. On a day plucked from high summer and in front of a crowd of 35,252, Widnes, with complete conviction, collected the Premiership Trophy to go with their Stones Bitter Championship when they defeated St Helens 38-14. But the supporting feature, the Second Division final between Oldham and Featherstone, provided the more compelling exhibition.

Oldham won 28-26 after surrendering a lead of 22 points. Tries from Steadman either side of the interval prompted Featherstone to stirring retaliation, and when Quinn, kicking unerringly, scored a penalty five minutes from time to put his side ahead at 26-22 it ap chester League champions Hey-wood by a goal from Gilding. Chelmsford had little more than an hour to recover from their semi-final efforts before meeting Winchester, but their greater experience proved decisive. It took them 20 minutes to open the scoring, but once they were in front the game was never in doubt. Good midfield work by Chelmsford's captain, Tracy Goodchild, kept the strikers busy, and two goals from open play and two from penalty strokes came from Bollington, with Brenda Howe completing the scoring.

Chelmsford could have reached double figures but for the superb goalminding of the Winchester keeper, Margaret Hunnaball. Patrick Glenn ANDY ROXBURGH, the Scotland coach, yesterday took the extraordinary step of calling three uncapped, inexperienced players into his squad for the Rous Cup matches against Colombia at Hampden Park tomorrow and England at Wembley on Saturday. The Celtic forwards Andy Walker (23) and Joe Miller (20) are joined by Dundee United's exciting prospect, the 21-year-old Kevin Gallacher. Roxburgh, for various reasons, had lost four from the original party in Graeme Sharp, Brian McClair, Gordon Strachan and Dundee United's David Narey, who injured an ankle and knee during the Scottish Cup final. All of the replacements are Bollington hits four in final win Robson awaits French connection Janet Ruff FOUR goals from the England international Lynn Bolling ton helped Chelmsford to a runaway 5-0 victory over Winches ter in the Hockey Field Knockout rhallenee final at Bristol University.

Thp tniirnnmpnt will return next year, and the All England women HocKey Association is showing interest in taking it over. In the one quarter-final outstanding, the Royal Navy sank Roi-thamctoari anrl Hemel ri UliUUlU hlwMU Hempstead 3-1, the score by which the winners iosi 10 Chelmsford in the semi-final. WinoViPctpr wnn through the other semi-final against Man BORDEAUX'S 1-0 win on Saturday means Monaco must wait at least one more week for the French title, and England manager Bobby Robson must wait in turn before monsieurs Hoddle and Hateley can begin European Championship preparation. There was more bad news for Robson yesterday as.