The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 10

THE GUARDIAN Wednesday December 28 1988 Soccer Rugby League Norwich City 2, West Ham United 1 Operation looms for Bishop, the blighted Rover Konogjlhril makes Otoirwitelto's dla 10 SPORTS NEWS to make several sharp saves, David Lacey Edward Kennedy II I 25,000 and Blacker is expected to make his first appearance in the side on Monday. John Pendlebury, Halifax's 28-year-old loose forward, has been fined 250 for missing training on Saturday and 500 for not appearing for the Boxing Day match against Leeds. "He let the side down badly." David Brook, the Halifax president, said yesterday. "When a guy does that in a business environment he would be lining up for a sacking. Unless he has a very good reason can't see any alternative but to let him go." These are fraught days for Halifax, who are anchored at the bottom of the First Division with 10 defeats in 13 matches, including the Boxing Day loss at Headingley.

Among the other Boxing Day casualties were the Widnes captain Kurt Sorensen and the Wigan hooker Nicky Kiss, who have both suffered shoulder in IB Ltm -( 1 1 -swift im 3ffiy m. mm DAVID BISHOP, whose first season as a professional with Hull Kingston Rovers is being disrupted by injury, may face an operation in the new year. Rovers fear that Bishop, who has missed three of their last five games including the Boxing Day fixture with Castleford, has a hernia problem. He will seek further medical advice this week. When he has been able to play, Bishop, who joined Rovers from Pontypool in July, has been an inspirational figure, but the club are nevertheless second from bottom in the First Division and facing a fight to avoid relegation.

The problems are compounded by the fact that Bishop's half-back partner, Wayne Parker, has played only three games since September and may also face an operation, again to cure a hernia problem. Meanwhile Rovers have been forced to play the Australian loose forward Gavin Miller as a stand-in scrum half, and he may be called on for Monday's derby match against Hull. Hull, who have pulled away from the lower reaches of the table to reach a respectable middle place, yesterday signed Brian Blacker, the 25-year-old Barrow centre. The fee was Sailing Jf IV mmm Kill I I ORWICH CITY returned to the top of the First Division yes Iterday after a clay's absence, but their erratic home form nearly caught up with them before they defeated West Ham United, the bottom team, 2-latCarrowRoad. It was Norwich's first home League victory since October 22 and West Ham, sensing their unease, spent the last 19 nun utes of the match on the attack after Stewart's penalty had given them the glimpse of a point.

Ultimately, however, the goals scored by Gordon and Townsend in seven minutes early in the second half, with McKnight at fault each time, were enough to push Arsenal back into second place. One gets the feeling that Norwich, who have won six times away from home in the League this season, are natural visitors but awkward hosts. Theirs is a game of studied containment and quick counter-attacks. Their ability to play the ball accurately to feet and make space with intelligent running means that they can transform defence into attack with an economy of movement which is good to watch and difficult to overcome. In matters of style West Ham are probably Norwich's most natural soul-mates and for the best part of an hour yesterday there was little to choose between the sides as the football flowed evenly between the penalty areas.

At times the match had the tempo and temper of a gentlemen's excuse-me but the fact that the teams were prepared to let each other play and allowed the ball to do much of the work made it attractive for the television audience. If anything West Ham created more scoring chances before Norwich went ahead. Gunn had Blow for Windward Passage THE leader in the Sydney-Ho-bart race, Windward Pas sage II, was one of 19 boats forced to retire after being buffeted by a gale and heavy seas. The Australian maxi-rater had Ham's George Parris gives Andy Linighan his closest attention at Carrow Road yesterday Guardian Ski Service First Fashanu set the best from Rosenior after an exchange of passes with Dick ens had made the opemng. For much of the time McKnight, in the West Ham goal, looked equally alert and agile.

He began the match by turning Gordon's shot wide after Bowen, Crook and Rosa- rio, with a neat back-heel, had swept through the defence; and just before half-time he did even better in dealing with a deflected header Irom Putney. But McKnight's heroics did not survive the interval. After 53 minutes Gordon gathered a return pass from Rosario and raced down the right wing. McKnight, a little premature in deeming to come out to meet the danger, was left stranded and Gordon scored from well out and the narrow est of angles. Seven minutes later Rosario, off target with many of his headers, met a long clearance trom uunn witn a smart nod down to Fleck who sent in Townsend for Norwich's second goal.

This time McKnight appeared slow leav ing his line. "We lost the game on two basic errors," John Lyall, the West Ham manager, said later. Stewart had replaced Martin, a flu-sufferer, in the West Ham defence at half-time and his penalty, awarded in the 71st minute for Phelan's push on Kelly, renewed their interest in the proceedings. But after a rousing timsh West Ham were left to face the uncomfortable statistic of having won only six League matches in 1988, along with the six-point gap which now lies between them and a position of relative safety. Norwich Cltyi Gunn; Culverhouse, Bowen.

Crook, Linighan, Townsend (Butterworth. 67 min), Gordon, Fleck, Rosario, Phelan, Putney. Watt Ham Unttadi McKnight; Potts. Parrls, Gale, Martin (Stewart. 45), Devonshire.

Brady, Kelly, Rosenior, Dickens (Keen, 75), Ince. ReferMt Bailey (Cambridge). be his registration, which is still held by Brighton. After training Fashanu said: "My knee is OK now. Initially the damage was caused by the stud of a player when I was with Notts County.

There was some infection which was not properly cleared. I went to Los Angeles to see a specialist there about the problem and it has now cleared up." Fashanu, who resurrected his career in Canada as player-coach of Edmonton Brickmen, had talks with Machin after City's Boxing Day match at Stoke. Machin said: "He is quick and good in the air and this is something we desperately need. only a German cable firm could afford to transmit the Davis Cup final live from Gothenburg to an estimated audience of about 35 per cent of those who would have watched had it been on the national network. Many believe and perhaps with good reason that Becker and Graf will do even better next year.

If they do, their impact through television will again be limited. Already it looks as if the main channels will be priced out of the Wimbledon market. West Germans, it seems, are still not convinced that Becker and Graf are the sort of catalyst Bjorn Borg was to a generation of Swedes. "Here in Sweden," they observed, "tennis is available for all. In Germany people are still priced out." They also say and the evidence tends to support them I Dreaming of a white New Year Russell Thomas JUSTIN, FASHANU, who gave up League football with a serious knee injury three years ago, may return to the English game as the striker sought by Manchester City to strengthen their promotion challenge.

The 31-year-old brother of Wimbledon's striker, John, trained with City yesterday and hopes to be taken on by the club managed by Mel Ma-chin, who coached him as a teenager at Norwich. Fashanu cost Nottingham Forest 1 million in 1981 but could now be acquired free by City; the only barrier may Tennis A superpower waking to a new juries, and Warrington's loose forward Mike Gregory, who has twisted a knee. All are doubtful for New Year's Day when Wigan play Warrington and Widnes meet St Helens. Sheffield Eagles have transfer-listed Mark Fleming, their 23-year-old loose forward, at a price of 42,500, just 12 months after signing him from Brad ford Northern for a club record fee of 5,000. been on target to break the 13-year-old race record.

Ragamuffin took over the lead in the 630-mile race as the gale moderated, with Illusion first on handicap. off-piste is becoming limited. In Switzerland, pistes are in good condition in the Valais. Verbier has 120cm of hard to powdery snow on upper slopes. Saas Fee has 130cm on upper slopes.

Zermatt has 60cm, some powder. In the canton of Vaud, Rougemont and Chateau D'Oex have 40cm, with fair to good skiing. Villars has 60cm. The Diablerets glacier is closed. Grindelwald, Murren and Wen-gen in the Bernese Oberland have 120cm on upper slopes with good skiing.

The mild conditions over the last few days have consolidated and made safer the snow cover below over most of the Alps. But there is still moderate avalanche danger for off-piste skiers above on north and north-east-facing slopes. Elsewhere danger has been described by the Swiss Avalanche Institute in Davos as minimal, but it will increase if the thaw continues or there is new snow. Old mountain guides say that "the snow which falls before the middle of January is the snow which lasts." But a lasting base is being eroded by warm weather and lack of new snow. Without this new snow, it is not only the old guides who will be unhappy.

There is still not enough snow for skiing in Scotland. Gales are forecast, with some snow over 2,500 feet. The information for this report was supplied by local tourist offices in the Alps. Cricket TOUR MATCH (Newcastle. Aus).

SO oversi NSW Invitation XI 286 (M Taylor 99. Waugh 58: Oadir 4-66). Pakistanis 290-4 (R Raa 74, E. Ahmed 69, Anwar 65, Miandad 54no). Pakistanis won by 4 runs.

SHELL CUP. Ono-day matches! Auckland! Auckland 123-4 (R Reid 59). Otago 122-9 (Sneddon 3-25). Auckland won by one run. Levmi Central Districts 213-7 (S Briasco 57no) Northern Districts 147 (Robertson 3-16).

Central Districts won by 66 runs. Christchurctii Wellington 158 (Nuttal 2-8). Canterbury 145. Wellington won by 13 runs. Bowls INTERNATIONAL MASTERS (Teesside.

Thornaby). Section A (Teeside unless stated): Taylor bt Richardson 15-10: A Mcintosh bt Young 15-6. Section Bi Bouslield (Darlington) bt Garside 15-12: 0 Sklpp bt Scott 15-8. Seotlon Ci McQueen (Larkhall) bt Souter 15-3: Ramsdala (Darlington) bt Smith 15-5. Section Di Earl bt Sutherland (Livingston) 15-5; Oraham bt Johnson 15-9.

Section Bt Cornwell (Ely) bt Palmer (Ely) 15-6; Ciilllnflworth bt Blacken 15-12. Section Fi Holt (Manchester) bt A Cordukes 15-11: WlntersfllM bt Sharp 15-5. Section Oi Ramsdala (Darlington) bt Webb (Tyne and Wear) 15-14: Wen-nlnaton bt Gartry 15-12. Section Hi A Jones bt Rednall (Ipswich) 15-11: Archer bt Hare 15-5. Fixtures (7.30 unless stated) Soccer BARCLAYS LEAOUE.

Fourth Division! Lincoln Doncaster. CENTRAL LEAOUE. First Division) Barnsley Liverpool (7.0). Sesond Division: Stoke Mansfield (7.0). OVBHDEN PAPERS COMBINATION.

Oxford Utd Ipswich. Rugby Union CLUB MATCHES. Jed Forest Glasgow Acads (2.0); Leicester Barbarians (2.45). TOUR MATCH. Ireland U-25 Italy (Ravenhlll).

Stephen Lee Mi OST Alpine resorts had a successful Christmas. The snowfalls of early last week formed a reasonable base and have held the snow cover well. The holiday period, with heavy traffic on the pistes, has sorted out the resorts which are in really good condition from those with cosmetic cover and a suspect base. In many resorts the dreaded thaw, anticipated in last Friday's five-day forecast, has reared its ugly head. Some resorts have even had rain.

Almost no snow has fallen since last week, and some is badly needed. The Austrian resort of Brand has 40cm at village level, a metre on the slopes. All lifts are open. Gargellen has a metre in the village, 120cm on the slopes. Lech reports good conditions with 70cm in the village and 150cm on upper slopes, with a midday temperature yesterday of zero, and -5C at night.

In France, 53 out of 83 lifts are open at Les Arcs, with 40cm in the village, 150cm on upper slopes. Serre Chevalier has reasonable skiing above only. In the Chamonix valley 46 of 55 lifts are open, with light winds and a night-time freezing level down to 600m. Pistes are good, but south-facing slopes are becoming thin. With 20 of the 42 lifts in Flaine open yesterday, skiing is fair, but Results Soccer BARCLAYS LEAOUE FIril Division Norwich (0)2 Gordon Townsend Wut Ham (0) 1 Stewart (pen) 17.491 The year ends with West Germany dominating the world of tennis.

David Irvine assesses the historic achievement Heartfelt challenge West to return He's been out of the game for a while but I know he has class." Juergen Klinsmann, West Germany's pJayer of the year, is considering a 1.2? million move to Inter Milan, where he would join his fellow countrymen Andreas Brehme and Lothar Matth-aus. But the VfB Stuttgart striker denied he would definitely be going to Italy: "A final decision about a transfer will not come before March." Milan's president, Silvio Berlusconi, has rejected an approach by Barcelona for Ruud Gullit, who has not played since November 10 because of a spate of injuries. that even someone as talented as Carl-Uwe Steeb, who made the cup triumph possible by beating Mats Wilander in the first match, prefers the comfort of the Bundesliga (where sponsorship can bring lucrative rewards) to the competitive demands of the circuit. League tennis, which extends the clay-court season, has been the bane of a succession of West German national coaches. A decade ago Rolf Gehring and Uli Pinner were among Europe's best but they never sought to prove it on a worldwide stage.

In Becker and Graf, though, their nation has been blessed with two superstars possessing an insatiable appetite for success. And, at 21 and 19 respectively, they could dominate the world scene for years. Becker says he is ready to lift his game to a new level. He ad Power of the Thirties symbol it in in to Walsall years' absence "a tribute to tne calibre or tne man Coakley, who succeeded Alan Buckley August 1986, said: I go out as a loser, and I have never been a loser oetore. go out with total respect for the people have worked witn the players and I still think they will stay in the Second Division." The former Arsenal and Motherwell player arrived at Fellows Park after managing non-League Bishop's Stortford.

His success in taking Walsall up, via the play-ofts, was fol lowed by the loss of his out standing striker, David Kelly, to West Ham in the summer and a stnng of injuries this season. Hockey East look strong for quick-fire defence of title Janet Ruff TIMES are changing in the women's game. No sooner had the county tournaments vacated the period between Christmas and the New Year than the territorial championship in its new guise moved in to fill the gap. Gone are the days when these matches were played separately over several weeks, entailing an unacceptable burden of travelling but each accorded almost reverential importance. In an increasingly crowded programme they could obviously not go on like that.

Now, with matches on a conveyor belt, the series is polished off in three frantic days at a single venue. Even its prestige as a sequence of England trials has been lost. The Centres of Excellence will in future be the chief provider for the selectors. This leaves players free for the first time to opt out of hockey over the Christmas period without jeopardising their chances. Karen Brown (South), Vicky Dixon (East) and Jane Sixsmith (Midlands), of Britain's Olympians, will take part in the programme, which starts today at Coventry School, and only three of last year's England squad are missing.

The East, who defend their title, again look strong. Led by the England captain, Sandy Lister, they have four current England players, apart from Dixon, and a balance that will be hard to beat. An addition this year is an under-21 event which replaces the team series, a means in the past of easing players into and out of the higher grade. Notwithstanding the new system, the five England selectors have resisted the temptation to put their feet up and will he keeping watch over the next three days. CoaEtley OMMY COAKLEY, reprieved last week, was dismissed by Walsall yesterday, writes Russell Thomas.

Though he led them to promotion from the Third Division last season, the manager has had to pay the price for the-club's 11 successive defeats; Ray Train, the youth-team coach who started his career at Fellows Park, has been installed as caretaker manager and takes charge for Saturday's home match with Bradford City. But the post is to be advertised, and is likely to interest other men dismissed this season, among them John Barnwell and Billy Bremner. After the 2-1 defeat against Bournemouth last week, Coak- mits that when he won Wimbledon it was largely because of his serve. "Now I have a pretty good backhand and a better volley. But it's more that my approach has changed.

I'm taking more seriously than before." Since losing to Stefan Edberg this year's Wimbledon final his greatest disappointment 1988 Becker has been beaten only twice. From April December Graf lost just once. "But we both like winning," Becker grins, as if in explanation. Though Becker made his mark first, it is Grafs influence which is perhaps more apparent. A survey snowed that German girls are as eager to play like her as Americans are to follow Chris Evert's example.

As not one Evert clone has succeeded since Tracy Austin and Andrea Jaeger "retired hurt" this could mean that if Evert and Martina Navratilova choose to quit which may well happen during the next two years European domina of Germany's last great era, a fired by ley went on to the field to bid his players goodbye. The Walsall board, however, offered him two more games in which to reverse the decline and said they would review his position in the new year "if But the 5-1 defeat at home to Oxford on Boxing Day, which dumped Walsall at the foot of the Second Division, persuaded the directors to go back on their stated intention. They changed their minds at a board meeting yesterday, at which they also decided to release Coakley's assistant, Gerry Sweeney. Barrie Blower, describing the Oxford beating as praised Coakley's achievement in restoring the club to the Second Division after 25 era tion of the women's game will be almost complete. Graf, who hits her ground strokes with such ferocity, has little to fear from the game's baseliners and has shown, increasingly, that the forecourt holds no terrors for her.

Becker, who raised some eyebrows in New York recently by declaring that clay was his favourite surface, has emerged as a genuine all-court competitor over the past 12 months and seems more determined than ever to match Gottfried von Cramm, the only German ever to win the French title. In his golden period von Cramm won the French twice, was runner-up three times at Wimbledon and once at Forest Hills and was twice US doubles champion with Henner Henkel. Few doubt that Becker can improve on that. In Grafs case unique second successive Grand Slam in 1989 is the immediate goal. After that her only problem would be in finding fresh targets at which to aim.

Gottfried von Cramm NEVER before have the Germans, a nation with no great tradition in tennis, known such success as in 1988. Apart from leading West Germany to the Davis Cup for the first time, Boris Becker was a worthy winner of the Masters while, on the women's front, Steffi Graf recorded only the third Grand Slam of all time then burnished it with Olympic gold. Since Becker's first Wimbledon triumph at 17 the number of players throughout West Germany is said to have doubled to over two million. Yet still the feeling persists that, though the personalities are projected, the game itself remains a lesser relation of soccer and even handball. It certainly cannot help that, in TV terms, tennis is now so big in the rest of Europe that 2 3 4 4 4 5 4 4 A Pt S8 19 38' 37 20 34 22 13 38 28 21 27 22 16 27 21 17 27 20 13 28 31 27 26' 22 16 24 Norwloh- Aisonal Liverpool MllhxiU Evert ort- Coventry Derby Cnty Southmptn Man (ltd Aston Villa Tottenham Nottm For SheH Wed Mlddlesbro 5 28 27 23 6 28 28 22 4 20 23 22 6 15 18 21 9 23 31 21 QPR Wimbledon Newcastle Charlton West Ham 18 18 20 6 17 18 20 8 17 26 10 9 16 32 17 8 19 31 18 II IS 33 13 BAQ SCOTTISH LEAQUR First Division Clyde (0) Alrdrto (0) 1.500 VAUXHALL OPEL LEAOUE.

Premier Divi Barking 1, I.eyton-W 8 Stortford 3. Hayes Croydon 0, Bromley 3: Dulwich 1, Carshalton 2: Grays 0, Hendon 0: Kinnston-ian 1 Windsor Leytonstone1 3, Tooting 8 Marlow 0. Bognor 1: Slough 0, Farn-borough 3: Wokingham 0. St Albans 2. CENTRAL LEAOUE.

Second Division! Bradlord 4. Grimsby 1. IHISH LEAOUE. Crusaders 0. Glentoran 3.

BASS NW COUNTIES LBAQUE-Boolle 1. Ellesmere PI Noston 0: Burscough 1. Ley-land Mlrs 1: Prescot Cables 4, Knowsley 3. Rugby Union CLUB MATCHES-Plymouth A 0. Chairman's XV 20: Richmond 7, Harlequins 21: Wigan 4, Orrell 21.

Rugby Levguo STONES BITTER CHAMPIONSHIP Second Division Bramley (12) 18, Hunslet (8) 18. Bramleyi Trlesi Race, Lister, Dyl. Goalsi llllngworth 3. Hunslett Trlesi Coates, Moore, Raw. Ooalsi Lay 3.

18 10 6 17 10 4 18 7 7 17 7 6 17 7 6 18 7 6 17 7 5 18 6 8 18 5 9 18 5 8 18 5 7 18 4 10 17 5 6 18 6 3 18 5 5 18 4 8 17 4 18 4 5 18 3 7 18 3 4 Power of the German spearhead Boris Becker.