Cricket

DEREK PRINGLE
reports from Port ElizabethS Africa 428 and 162-9 dec England 263 and 20-0After four days, this match still refuses to throw up a clear-cut front- runner, leaving the series similarly open. Cricket

The West Indies captain, Richie Richardson, steered his side to the first win of their Australian tour with a seven-wicket defeat of a Queensland XI in a one-day match in Toowoomba yesterday.
Richardson’s unbeaten 75 came from 84 deliveries after the young Queenslanders set a target of 238. Richardson was was helped in the chase by Phil Simmons’ innings of 91.TOUR MATCH (Toowoomba): Queensland XI 237 for 8 (T J Dixon 51); West Indies 241 for 3 (P V Simmons 91, R B Richardson 75no) West Indies win by seven wickets.. With Hannah and Blanks taking intelligent advantage of the experimental no-offside rule, it was nearly one-way traffic and Midlands never looked back, following Hannah’s first-minute goal.The only disappointment for Midlands was the loss of Newcombe in the second half with a facial injury, but she is expected to be fit for today’s Midlands v East decider..

Goals from Gail Mitchell followed good work down the right wing by Kirsten Bowden and a penalty corner strike from Clewlow.Midlands’ progress had been the more spectacular with the fast-moving Sarah Blanks, Hannah and Louisa Turney, who scored three times against the South, posing all the problems – ably supported by the all-action performance from the captain, Lucy Newcombe.Newcombe and Jennie Bimson completed the scoring in the 5-1 rout of South, for whom Charlotte Manchester claimed a consolation.In the last game of the day the performance of Hannah must have warmed the heart of the Great Britain coach, Sue Slocombe, in the appreciative crowd. East were the first to show their paces with a classy 5-0 win against the North, Canterbury’s Melanie Clewlow collecting a hat-trick and Purdey Miller scoring twice.East, in their second game, met a resolute West and had to be satisfied with a 2-0 win. Their encounter this afternoon is certain to decide the destiny of this year’s title.Incredibly, play started on time as the Aurora groundstaff created a green oasis in the midst of arctic, snow-clad Rotherham. Hockey

Natalie Hannah, Sutton Canada Life’s 17-year-old striker, scored four times as Midlands overran North 6-1 on the second day of the Under-21 Territorial Championship at the Aurora Sports Club, Rotherham, yesterday.
As the high scoring of the first day’s play continued, Midlands and the defending champions, East, the only two Territories to have won this championship in its 10-year history, remained dominant. If it is obvious that the final needs a Welsh presence, this is not to poke fun but merely to state a fact.Besides, there has, by one means or another, been far too much disparagement of a worthy, even noble attempt to get pan-European rugby off the ground despite the English – the administrators that is, certainly not the clubs or players.As it has turned out, they were only biding their time before entering next season, although the way the RFU rubbished the prototype organisation – playing in midweek, inadequate floodlighting and the rest of it – while suggesting they would go in on their own terms or not at all was a perfect example of what in Toulouse they might call folie de grandeur.The loss is theirs, or at any rate Leicester’s and Bath’s. The Commonwealth 5,000m champion hates mudbaths; he will not get one today.

“I’m not recognised as a cross-country runner,” he said yesterday, “but I think I might surprise a few people.”Paula Radcliffe’s recent training has been compromised by the increasing demands of the European Studies degree which she will complete next year.She has not raced competitively since a road relay event in October, but this outing in Durham – over 5.2km – should not end as her last did, when she staggered in a tearful 18th, having faded in the final stages of what was her first major test after a longstanding foot injury.Her main rivals then – multiple world silver medallist Catherina McKiernan and Olympic 10,000m champion Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia – are not present, but Radcliffe will have her work cut out to match Tulu’s compatriot Gete Wami, who was fifth in the last World Championships, Zahra Oaziz of Morocco, a bronze medallist in the 5,000m at the championships, and the eastern European pair Lyudmila Borisova of Russia and Elena Fidatov of Romania.Alison Wyeth, who limped out of the championships, also returns to international action, and Liz Talbot, Radcliffe’s Bedford and County club-mate, will be seeking to consolidate her 10th place in the European Championships earlier this month.. Andrew Pearson, bronze medallist from the European Championships in nearby Alnwick earlier this month, has the consistency to make a major impact.Paul Evans, second in the New York marathon, has dropped out with flu, but the conditions – reported as “rock solid” – may favour Rob Denmark. Ngugi, who was due to fly to Newcastle from London last night, will face more than adverse weather conditions over 9.3km on the Aykley Heads course this afternoon, assuming the weather does not worsen.Among his challengers are Assefa Mezgebu, Ethiopia’s world junior champion, Vincent Rousseau, Belgium’s European 10,000m silver medallist, and the best of British. It is, however, likely to be cold comfort for the 33-year-old Kenyan who has returned to action this year after serving the best part of a controversial four-year ban for refusing to take a drug test.He has been training hard, and is back to his racing weight of just over 10 stone.

The 22-year-old second row chose the Derwent Park club ahead of Oldham, Warrington and Salford.. Athletics

MIKE ROWBOTTOM
The icy conditions at Durham for today’s Bupa International Cross-Country Challenge may remind John Ngugi of the snowy day in Boston three years ago when he collected a record fifth world title. The game between Sheffield Eagles and Bradford Bulls will now be the televised Friday night match.There will be at least one match on New Year’s Day, whatever happens to the weather in the meantime. Bradford and Halifax have switched their game postponed on Boxing Day from Odsal to the Alfred McAlpine Stadium in Huddersfield, which has undersoil heating.Workington have signed the amateur international Ian Devlin from the Barrow-based non-league club Walney Central. Although Sheffield have the relatively short hop to Doncaster, Newcastle Comets are due to travel to Hemel Royals and Worthing Bears face a trip to Derby Storm.ENGLAND (v Denmark): N Austin, S Bucknall, A Gardiner (all London Towers), R Baker, K Brown, I Whyte (all London Leopards), S Baker, T Gordon, M Payne (all Birmingham Bullets), P Grainger (Manchester Giants), R Huggins (Sheffield Sharks), P Scantlebury (Thames Valley Tigers)..