The Daily Telegraph from London, Greater London, England • 41

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH MONDAY JUNE 14 1993 41 SPORT 9 SWIMMING Olympic bronze medallist captures two national sprint titles at Sheffield with the fastest times in the world this year Gillingham back to form with a flurry of speed THE DETAILS faster than his time at the Olympic trials 13 months ago What happened in Spain is now history and that is why he is cautious just want a bit of lady luck I had he said He is now looking forward to the 21st European Championships which open in Sheffield on July 30 when he hopes that the home crowd will lift him to his third gold in the 200 metres Birmingham team-mate Marie Hardiman missed the English record for the 200m breast-stroke when winning the title in 2min 3318sec just two hundredths of a second outside the mark established eight years ago Martin Harris hoped to lower his British record but never expected to dip under the 56 second barrier so his time of 5592 seconds when retaining his 100 metres back-stroke title was a bonus By Anita Lonsbrough NICK GILLINGHAM might not have fulfilled his aspirations last year but this weekend he issued a warning not to count him down and out He recorded the fastest times in the world this year for both the 100 and 200 metres breast-stroke at the Mycil National Championships which ended in Sheffield last night But the 26-year-old from Birmingham had his feet firmly on the ground when he said: may have produced the two fastest tijnes this year but it does not mean I will win gold medals in both events at the European He produced what he considered was easiest of all my 200m in 2min 1156sec just 027sec slower than his bronze medal winning swim in Barcelona but MYCIL NATIONAL CH'SHIPS (Sheffield) Final results: MEN'S 200m Freestyle: 1 Palmer (Lincoln Pentaqua) Imin 5084sec 2 A Clayton (Leeds) 1 -51 65 3 Carl (Redbridge) 1 -5250 100m Backstroke: 1 Harris (Waltham Forest) 5592 (British record) 2 A Ruckwood (Birmingham) 55 93 3 Willey (Barnet Copthall) 5826 200m Breast-stroke: 1 (Birmingham) 2-11 56 2 ham Metro) 2-17 82 3 2-18 08 100m Butterfly: 1 Fibbens (Barnet Copthall) 56 37 2 Crosby (Warrington Warriors) 5637 3 Warren (Leeds) 56 49 41 00m Freestyle Relay: 1 Sheffield 3-2881 2 Leeds 3-3202 3 Birmingham 3-331 3 WOMEN 100m Freestyle: 1 Pickering (Ipswich) 5654 2 Rolph (Newcastle) 5772 3 Huddart (Leeds) 58 20 100m Backstroke: 1 Osher (Barnet Copthall) 1 -0390 2 Slatter (Warrington Warriors) 1-0393 3 Deakins (Coventry) 1-05 34 200m Breast-stroke: 1 Hardiman (Birmingham) 2-3318 2 King (Tiger-sharks) 2-3669 3 Gorman (Nova Centurion) 2-3769 100m Butterfly: 1 Madine (Ireland) 1-0327 2 Goodwin (Nova Centurion) 1-0337 3 Waller (Barnet Copthall) 1-0374 4x1 00m Medley: 1 Nova Centurion 4-2458 2 Leeds 4-2710 3 Kirklees 4-2944 Saturday P42 On the crest of a wave Nick Gillingham shows his power on the way to victory in the 100m breast-stroke final Picture: tony henshaw GOLF ATHLETICS Torrance holes from 30ft to claim victory GOLF disciplined approach successful BASKETBALL Bett accepts challenge to lift England into Europe Christie points way to readiness for Europa Cup DETAILS HONDA OPEN (Hamburg) Final leaders (GB Ire unless stated): 278 Torrance 68 69 68 73 (won play-off at 1 st extra hole) I Woosnam 67 72 68 71 Broadhurst 71 68 71 68 Rystrom (Sweden) 69 66 71 72 279 Haegg-man (Sweden) 71 71 71 66 Langer (Germany) 69 68 72 70 280 I Palmer (S Africa) 67 72 72 69 Lanner (Sweden) 71 72 68 69 Spence 70 66 73 71 281 M-A Jimenez (Spain) 69 69 74 69 Els (S Africa) 66 73 70 72 282 Payne 74 65 73 70 Williams 71 72 69 70 McLean 72 71 70 69 Rafferty 71 67 7272 BUICK OPEN (Harrison New York) Final leaders (US unless stated): Singh (Fiji) 72 68 74 66 Wiebe 72 75 67 66 Singh won play-off at third extra hole 281 Frost (South Africa) 70 72 73 66: Janzen 69 72 68 72 Smith 72 73 69 68 Lehman 74 69 70 69 Other scores include: 284 Kite 68 71 75 70 285 I Baker-Finch (Australia) 71 72 69 73 Montgomerie (GB) 767172 73 NORTHERN ELECTRIC SNRS MENT (Northumberland) Final leaders: 107 Huggett (Wales) 73 34 108 Waites (England) 74 34 Horton (England) 73 35 109 Jimenez (US) 72 37 110 Botts (US) 74 36 Muscroft (England) 72 38 111 Murphy (Ireland) 74 37 make Royal St next month via the top 50 in the Sony World Rankings three-putted three times but squeezed into the play-off when Broadhurst despite a painful tendon strain missed from 10ft at the 18th Woosnam had to scramble coming home after going out in 34 but flies to the US Open today in confident mood videos I noticed I was crunched up at address instead of standing tall to the he said swinging freely again and looking forward to US Masters champion Bernhard Langer also goes to the United States in optimistic mood after getting within a stroke of the play-off in defence of his title with a closing 70 European Tour player Vi-jay Singh won the Buick Westchester Classic yesterday when he holed a five-foot birdie putt at the third extra hole of a sudden-death playoff against Mark Wiebe The victory was not only significant in that it qualifies him for the 1994 US Masters and the 1993 World Series of Golf but it was also his first win in the United States Colin Montgomerie of Scotland had another frustrating day on the greens missing at least five birdie chances from inside eight feet to hand in a 73 for a 292 total Brian Huggett repeated his 1992 victory in the Northern Electric Seniors Tournament at Slaley Hall Northumberland yesterday with a 27-hole total of 107 one under par No play was possible on the first two scheduled days because of fog By Richard James In Hamburg SAM TORRANCE scored his third PGA European Tour victory in 12 weeks with a birdie at the first extra hole after a tie with Ian Woos-nam Paul Broadhurst and Johan Rystrom in the Honda Open at Gut Kaden yesterday The 39-year-old Scot who went into the event suffering from a sore wrist 'flu and hay fever ended it looking the picture of health after holing from all of 30ft for the first three of the day at the 411 -yard 18th in the play-off to collect £83330 His prize lifted him to the top of the Order of Merit with £217928 and into sixth place in the Ryder Cup Table with £248135 to enhance his chances of a seventh successive outing against the Americans at The Belfry in September His final round of 73 was the worst of the four with Broadhurst winner of last Benson and Hedges International shooting 68 Woosnam 71 and Rystrom 72 to end level on 278 10 under par The Swede led all the way after birdies at the short sixth and seventh and was 13 under after another birdie at the 11th but he dropped a shot at the 12th and then three-putted the 14th and drove in the rough at the last for more bogeys Broadhurst who had missed a 10ft chance of outright victory after snapping up four birdies following a tip from Woosnam to stand a little further from the ball at address bunkered his approach to the play-off hole but hit his recovery within 6ft and Rystrom after driv- risk his inexperience in an event where points are crucial? The answer seemed to be a resounding yes though doubts persisted last night technique is patchy but despite hitting two hurdles he still won in what was easily a personal best of 4980sec and should now have done enough to justify his trip to Rome Cadogan was disappointed not to break 49 seconds and added: I hit two hurdles I knew it on got two weeks to train before the Europa Cup and got to work on my concentration for the first eight Paul Evans convincingly won the AAA 10000m championship title which doubled up as a world championship qualifier but is still likely to run the marathon in Stuttgart for which he has already been selected rather than join Eamonn Martin who has been guaranteed selection in return for agreeing to wear the national colours in Rome over 25 laps In the field Jonathan Edwards failed to win the British triple jump title which went to Tosi Fa-simo He set a personal best of 1730m greater international experience should prevail for Rome Mick Hill in winning the javelin improved his best to 8694m Michelle Griffith set a Commonwealth record of 1372m in the triple jump and Fiona May won the long jump in a best by a Briton of 667m The high jump was won by Dalton Grant His great rival Steve Smith expressed that he did not surpass 205m Details P43 Merlene Ottey of Jamaica ran the fastest 100m by a woman this year winning at the Zeiss-Gala track meeting in Germany yesterday in 1 1 09sec POINTS are everything in the Europa Cup and given that a calamity or two in favoured events can unhinge two work it was reassuring during the British Championships last weekend to see the doubts apparently lifted over the state of readiness of the Olympic sprint champion Linford Christie Doubts do persist however over the strength of the team though when athletics selectors met last night to choose the and teams to contest the Europa Cup in Rome on June 26 and 27 to be announced today there were still some encouraging performances for them to digest Christie who ended a bad week on a high note by winning the domestic 100 metres title has not announced whether he will retract his earlier decision not to run the sprint relay but John Regis after a majestic win in the 200m in a wind-assisted 2021 sec indicated Christie would anchor the squad far as I know in the relay said Regis who was in stunning form and believes he can now actually challenge Christie in the 100m never been in this situation he said never been this great this Christie following his poor run in the 200m in Rome last Wednesday returned to his favoured distance on Saturday and though beaten by the relatively unknown Toby Box in the semi-final his first defeat by a Briton since 1986 the Olympic sprint champion won the final with ease in 1026sec Six weeks of winter training lost because of a back injury had raised doubts in Rome and whatever else his sharpness can only improve Christie who goes to Lanzar-ote for 10 days with his training partner Colin Jackson By lain Macleod stressed he was a little and added: not just sharp yet The more runs I have the better I Christie who finished strongly to beat Jackson now spearheads the British challenge in Rome by which time he should have the little more polish he feels he needs as Britain seek to regain a trophy lost controversially in 1989 No less impressive than Christie was Katherine Merry who gave a fine display of 200m running the best race of my to hold off a late challenge from Sally Gunnell Merry took the British title in a time of 2320sec a personal best Gunnell who clocked 2330sec also ran a life-time best at the distance Curtis Robb in winning the 1500m in 3min 3958sec probably sealed his place in what is an unfamiliar event for him while in the 800m Martin Steele despite a clear success over David Sharpe in 1-4634 is likely to discover this morning that the greater experience of Tom McKean a four-times Europa Cup winner recently laid low by a virus but now fit has swayed the selectors Kriss Akabusi still on the fringe of competition but with no desire to renew his international career offered no solace to the selectors over his availability to compete in Rome in the one-lap hurdles having on Saturday run the fastest qualifying time in the 400m heats Gary Cadogan yesterday answered the call though his hurdling does not quite match his speed yet He has just moved up from the 400m flat to the hurdles and emerged as a serious challenger at the Inter-Counties championships in Corby recently But his status as a novice in the event raised the question: would the selectors ing into the rough again hit a fine third shot to 4ft Woosnam on in two charged his long putt 5ft past Whether he would have holed the return after having had a frustrating time on the greens recently was academic when Torrance spectacularly snatched victory It follows his successes in Kronenbourg Open and Catalan Open and an off-tour win in the Scottish Open Astonishingly he is not in the Open Championship nor indeed this US Open Woosnam who insists the Scot must be picked for the Ryder Cup if he fails to win one of the nine automatic spots said: ridiculous that the Americans get 20 players into our Open off their money list and only a couple of our guys get into their Open off our Order of Torrance who hopes to By Michael Williams CATRIONA discipline of making herself regularly hole 100 consecutive two-foot putts on the practice green and then another 50 from four feet was she felt the main reason behind her victory in the centenary British amateur championship at Royal Lytham on Saturday If she misses she starts all over again and it was this confidence with her putter that carried Miss Lambert 23 from North Berwick to the prize on which she has had her eyes all season Her three and two defeat of Kirsty Speak the new England international from Clitheroe completes an impressive set of honours Already this year Lambert has won the Scottish and Spanish championships as well as the St Rule trophy at St Andrews and the Hermitage in Ireland Next week she defends the Welsh open strokeplay at Newport As a member of winning Curtis Cup team last year Lambert is now right at the top of the golfing tree unwavering composure and self-belief being not the least of her many strengths In only one of her five matches at Lytham did she not trail at some stage or other She was three down in both the quarter-final against Iben Tinning of Denmark and then in her semi-final against Sandy Lambert Speak a bright new talent now that she is fully recovered from glandular fever twice came back from one down in the final and then led after seven holes But once Lambert herself had drawn level again with a two at the ninth she quickly drew two holes clear and dictated the rest of the match The Scottish composure was especially necessary in a painfully slow semi-final as Sandy Lambert who is no relation was again and again caught in two minds just when she seemed about to hit the ball Catriona never lost her patience absorbing a glorious birdie three by her opponent at the 18th and winning it with a birdie two at the 19th After a short interval the final even then having to be put back by 30 minutes Lambert took a little time to get back into her stride But her surprising strength for one so slight of build with a one iron from the tee served her admirably down the narrower fairways Indeed there is a crispness about all iron play and although Speak had the occasional chance to close the gap she could not take any of them It was a match and indeed a championship from which she will have learned a great deal BRITISH WOMEN'S AMATEUR CH'SHIP (Royal Lytham St Annes) Semi-finals: Speak (Clitheroe) bt Hall (Felixstowe Ferry) Lambert (North Berwick) bt Lambert (Coombe Hill) at 1 9th Final: Lambert bt Speak 3 2 By Richard Taylor MICK BETT had no hesitation in accepting the offer to coach England in the European Championship qualifying round beginning in Hungary next Monday but appreciates the size of the task ahead after a weekend spent trying to assemble a squad Kevin Cadle resigned as coach last Thursday a week after his depleted team failed to qualify for this finals which begin a week on Wednesday in Germany Instead England will now be in Zalaegerszeg in a first-round qualifying tournament for the 1995 finals The English Basket Ball Association originally approached Dan Lloyd to take over but then turned to Bett another former international The Thames Valley Tigers coach said: getting an idea why Dan said no but I needed no pushing Whatever happens in Hungary know I did all I could to get us Cadle had only five experienced players for last-ditch attempt for qualify for Germany Karl Brown Trevor Gordon Colin Irish Ronnie Baker and Alan Cunningham Bett is unsure whether even they will be available for next tournament England will play Albania Romania Belorussiya Hungary Luxembourg and Finland with the top two progressing to the semi-final round in November Bosnia are taking part in the European Championship finals in Germany after smuggling seven of their 10 players through Sarajevo airport writes Rob Dugdale The Bosnian team who qualified from the Additional Nations tournament in Poland two weeks ago contain eight Muslims and two Croats with manager Jovan Knezevic the only Serb in the party Bosnia could be drawn to face Croatia next week but coach Mirza Delibasic insists there will be no political problem if that happens Sabahudin Bilalovic 6ft llin forward was one of the stars of the Poland tournament and has signed for the Italian club Rimini Team-mates could follow a similar route from Germany Charles Barkley matched Michael Jordan point for point in the second game of the NBA final but his Phoenix Suns could not match the poise of the Chicago Bulls who edged closer to a third successive title with an 111-108 (59-53 half-time) victory Barkley scored 42 points and 13 rebounds for the Suns while Jordan led the Bulls who became the first team to start the championship series with two away victories with 42 points 12 rebounds and nine assists Jordan had help from Horace Grant with 24 points and Scottie Pippen with 15 points 12 rebounds and 12 assists Kodak WEMBLEY STADIUM SUNDAY 8TH AUGUST RUGBY LEAGUE HOCKEY French suffer two defeats Yorkshire derby launches season Catch the action AMERICAN FOOTBALL By Michael Fisher YORKSHIRE rivals Castleford and Leeds will kick off next new-look Stones Bitter championship on Friday Aug 27 the match at Wheldon Road being broadcast live on satellite television Champions Wigan who just missed the first Grand Slam when they lost in the premiership final to St Helens a month ago begin their title defence at home to Hull on Sunday Aug 29 Hull were one of only two teams to beat Wigan in the League at Central Park last season when they sprang a shock 14-13 win last September Wigan have a new man at the helm in John Dorahy following the departure of fellow Australian John Monie who led the club to four consecutive League and Challenge Cup doubles Runners-up St Helens unbeaten in their last 10 games travel to Hull KR in their first match while Bradford and Wembley finalists Widnes who finished third and fourth respectively meet at Odsal Second division champions Featherstone Rovers go to Leigh while the other promoted side Oldham visit Mai Halifax Sixteen teams two more than in recent years will form the first division and a similar number make up the second division the third tier having been scrapped There will be no pre-season Charity Shield showpiece while the county cup competitions have also been discarded under the restructuring Widnes prop Harvey Howard has asked for a transfer after being refused permission by the first division club to join Australian side Eastern Suburbs for the summer STONES BITTER Opening fixtures (3pm kick-off unless stated) Friday Aug 27: Castleford Leeds (7 30pm) Sunday Aug 29: Bradford Widnes Halifax Oldham Hull KR St Helens (315pm) Leigh Featherstone Salford Sheffield Eagles Warrington Wakefield Trinity Wigan Hull By Cathy Harris ENGLAND continued to impress in their international build up to next World Cup when they recorded two wins over France in Amiens at the weekend After two victories against the Olympic champions Spain a month ago they mastered the defensive tactics employed by the French and followed up their 1-0 win on Saturday with a 2-1 triumph yesterday Jenny Cardwell the England manager admitted the performance on Saturday had been particularly but said it was difficult to look sharp after a five-week lay-off She added: was a much more ing display yesterday and just shows that sometimes you have to go backwards to move Sally Gibson scored the only goal on Saturday when she swept in a cross with 10 minutes left In match goalkeeper Hilary Rose made her senior debut but Fiona Lee the Hightown midfield player was still sidelined with a throat infection Jane Sixsmith shot England into the lead after receiving a free hit from Tammy Miller in the eighth minute and could have made it 2-0 a minute later but sent her effort wide Mandy Nicholls set up second goal in the 46th minute when she combined with Lisa Bayliss and Sandie Lister in a sweeping move upfield and although drive was parried by the goalkeeper Tina Cullen netted the rebound However the French fought back doggedly and with five minutes left Sophie Llobet scored ENGLAND: Thompson Lister (capt) Rose (Ipswich) Cook Cullen Lee (Hightown) Smith (Chelmsford) Nicholls (Ealing) Davies Bayliss Sixsmith (Sutton Coldfield) Wright (Slough) Miller (Clifton) Johnson (Leicester) Gibson (Trojans) Atkins (Bradford) Smith wants £2 6m -WITH BEST DALLAS COWBOYS DETROIT LIONS KICK OFF: 530pm TURNSTILES OPEN: 300pm SEATS: £15 £25 and £30 Olympic Gallery £35 Special Family Package: Adults £15 with Children (14 or under) half price (up to 3 children per adult) j23233SEE23E55H3i3EEIi3 plus service charge: Major credit cards accepted 1234 By Christopher Davies EMMITT SMITH the National Football leading running back last season is demanding £26 million a year from Superbowi champions the Dallas Cowboys Smith who helped the Cowboys win Superbowl XXVII last January against the Buffalo Bills is at the end of his current contract and as the top rusher is in a strong negotiating position The Cowboys who meet Detroit Lions at Wembley in the American Bowl on Aug 8 are anxious to keep Smith and the management are confident the two parties can come to an agreement Smith is likely to find Dallas one of the youngest clubs to win the Superbowl will meet most of his demands and hopefully negotiations will be completed for him to come to London in August to Wembley Arena: Counter sales only (no service charge) Virgin Megastore (opposite Tottenham Court Road Tube): Sc Counter sales only (plus service charge) Also available from First Call Keith Prowse shops and outlets (plus service charge) KCK A DFITA (BBSS' The OfficxalA triine Of The SFL i 4 I.