The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 15

WEEKEND SPORT THREE I 15 Saturday August 1 1987 Liz Kahn at St Mellion David Henderson at, Vf. Laura wakes SOCCER Martin Thorpe on today's Charity Shield Speedie A up from a nightmare The noticeably high scoring for two days from most of the field at St Mellion is due to a golf course that will not really be ready for a major championship for another two years. Spanish professional, Marta Figueras Dotti, now an LTTA tour player, who had a 72 yesterday for a four-over 150 total, said It will be a good golf course one day, but at the moment it is a nightmare. I think that Nicklaus didn't sleep the night before he built it. I consider I'm in good physical shape, but the fairways and greens are so hard that my legs are killing me.

It can be lethal in a bunker or over the green, and you can end up in rough on a mountain, so that a double or triple bogey is always a possibility." Spencer-Devlin, who has the most unusual putting style of keeping her arms well extended CARD OF THE COURSE mm- i Hole Yards Par Hole Yards Par 1 376 4 10 410 4 2 487 5 10 140 3 3 330 4 12 SIS 5 4 143 3 13 324 4 5 315 4 14 125 3 6 360 4 15 403 4 7 466 5 16 485 5 8 126 3 17 346 4 9 363 4 18 415 5 Out 2966 36 In 3163 37 Total 73 Defending champion Laura Davies took the lead in the Weetabix Women's British Open at St Mellion yesterday after a second round of 72 left her with a one under par aggregate of 145. Two shots behind came the American professional Muffin Spencer-Devlin who leapt up the field with a six-birdie record round of five under par 68 after an opening 79. The overnight leader, Sally Little, had a disappointing 80 leaving her with a three over par total of 149. Laura Davies was four shots behind Sally Little at the first tee. Seven horrifying shots later, Davies' triple bogey left her seven shots adrift of the American, who began with a regulation par four.

Having played so many rounds of pressured golf in the past week, I was expecting something to go wrong," said Davies. It was almost a relief to have a nightmare on the first hole and I was ready to walk in." But she gathered herself together after her tremendous tussle at the first and sank a key tee eight-foot par putt at the second, where she had found a bunker and was seeing more numbers flashing before her eyes. With six straight pars and two birdies, Davies was out in 37, and was one behind Little, who was cracking up with double bogeys at the fifth and seventh, and a front nine 40, which made her level par for the tournament. Little suffered further horrors on the second nine with two bogeys, a double bogey and just one birdie at the 18th. Davies meanwhile flourished with four birdies and one double bogey lapse at the 15th, where she was plugged in a bunker.

Her birdie putt at the 18th horse-shoed the hole. Later she said the hole was misshapen. The sponsor, who walked the full 18 holes with her, and who found Davies's golf ball when it was lost for four min 45 sec on the first, said I thought it was a bit insulting to send the defending champion out at that time in the morning, and the crowds didn't really arrive until she had played 12 holes." Laura Davies and caddy Tim Clarke sizing up what proved to be a CHESS Leonard Bardejr THE BATTLE among international opens thisyear has been who couldattract the most grandmasters for prize money which sometimes topped 10,000. Opens really began to take offjrdecade ago when the splendid Lone Pine series was staeea in California, while LUwds Bank pioneered in sritain. Even for also-rans, the events were strong enough to give the possibility of achieving grandmaster or master norms.

Lugano, with help from the city's tourist office, wants to host the strongest open in Europe, and its 1987 version attracted 23 grandmasters. Then the New York Open, in spite of a schedule clash with the Swift international in Brussels, drew 45 GMs from all over the world to compete for a first prize of $20,000. US champion Yasser Seirawan topped the lists in both Lugano and New York. In such gargantuan events, individual heroics which would make headlines in all-play-alls may be underplayed. After three rounds in New York, the leaders included WIM Anna Akshamurova who beat two male grandmasters and drew with a third to go far ahead of her husband, GM Boris Gulko.

Spectacular games which would be widely publicised in an all-play-all may be buried by the sheer volume of activity. This week's was reckoned the most brilliant played at New York. GM Andras Adorjan (Hungaryl-GM Sergey Kudrin (US) New York Open 1987 (Queen's Indian Defence) 1P-Q4N-KB3 2N-KB3P-K3 3 P-B4 P-QN3 4 P-KN3 B-R3 The logic of this enlarged fian-chetto is to divert White's pieces from support of the dangerous advance P-Q5. Thus if 5 Q-B2 or 5Q-R4, the WQ is misplaced; if 5P-QN3 Black has B-N5 ch. while White's move in the game also diminishes his central pressure.

5QN-Q2B-N2 The old idea of Nimzowitsch was B-N5 6 Q-B2 B-N2 7 B-N2 B-K5, and this may still be best. 6B-N2P-B4 7 P-K4! PxP With P-Q5 stopped, White tries another energetic central break. Here 7. loses materia! to 8 N-K5 N-B6 9 Q-R5 P-N3 10 Q-R3. 8P-K5N-N5 10R-K1 B-B4? 90-0 Q-B2 Theory gives 10 P-KK4 11 P-KR3 N-KR3 12 NxP BxB 13 KXB N-B3 14 Q-B3 R-QN1 15 N-N5 Q-N2 16 N-K4 N-B4 (Timman-Ljubojevic.

Amsterdam. 1981) when White's queen sacrifice 17 QxKN proved only enough for a draw. This doesn't look definitive, e.g.. 15 NxN QxN 16 N-K4 gives a strong attack, but is better for Black than the present game where he is almost lost by force. 11N-K4 Q6 13 B-B4P-Q3 12 NI3I-N5! NxKP 14Q-R5 K-BI? Black guards against NxKP but still allows decisive threats.

His best practical chance is 14 P-N3 15 Q-R6 QN-Q2 16 Q-N7 0-0-0 17 NxBP when White regains both gambited pawns with a clear advantage. ISNxBNPxN 16RxN! PxR If BxB 17 RxBP! ISBxBQxB 19 NxKP ch! KM Or PxN 20 B-Q6 ch K-Nl 21 Q-K8 mate. 20 NxNP N-B3 21 NxB 22 Q-N5 ch N-N3 23 Q-B6 Resigns For if K-Bl 24 R-Kl It-KNl 25 Q-Q6 ch. Will next month's London "Chess for Peace" open break New York's record of 45 GMs in an individual event? Its remarkable 100,000 prize fund seems sure to attract most of the top players from western Europe together with contingents from the US and the East. The 11-round tournament at Holloway, N7, from 1-11 September, is open to anyone, while entry fees are modest by Lugano and New York standards.

For details write to Chequers at 18 Chalk Farm Road, London NW1. aiao coach a hit too Nick Faldo's victory in the Open championship has had a major impact on the 1987 European Tour but his coach David Leadbetter is also making a big impression. Rick Hartmann, a bespectacled 28 year old from Florida, is another pupil of the British-born guru and he strolled into contention for the Scandinavian Open at Ullna yesterday with a 66 for a 10-under-par 134. Faldo summoned Leadbetter from Florida to Gleneagles for a final lesson a week before his Open triumph and Hartmann took advantage with a visit to tne practice ground. David told me my swi: was in good shape and there was no need to change a thing, said Hartmann, who had been concerned at a lack of consistency.

But he has a wonderful way of instilling cofidence. He said it was about time I won in Europe and to go out and do it. I am playing better now than at any time since I first came here in 1984. Now let's see if 1 can back his judgment by winning this week." If fate is a yardstick, Hartmann could be on his way to a maiden success, having made a round trip of 8,000 miles for a lesson from Leadbetter and returning to finish runner up in the 1985 Lawrence Batley International. But first he must overhaul two Irishmen, with Des Smyth scoring a 66 for 131 and a two shot lead over compatriot Ronan Rafferty.

Smyth, who had six birdies, is gearing himself against the pressure after one of the worst runs of his professional career. Rafferty gleaned seven birdies in a flawless display which enriched his hopes of a Ryder Cup debut when the team is named at the end of this month. The 23-year-old Ulsterman has won 40,000 and is halfway to the target of 80,000 with five events remaining. SCANDINAVIAN OPEN scores: 131, D. Smyth (Ire) 65.

66. 133, R. Rafferty (GB) 6B. 65. 134, R.

Hartmann (US) 68.66. 135, D. Llewellyn (GB) 68. 67; R. Lee (GB) 68.

67; G. Brand Jr (GB) 64. 71. 137, E. Rodriguez (Spa) 71.

66; G. Marsh (Aus) 68. 69. 138, I. OXeary (Ire) 70.

68; M. Mackenzie (GB) 69. 69. Sladler (US) 68. 70: M.

Sunesson (Swe) 70. 68. 139, M. Calero (Spa) 68. 71.

M. Davis (GB) 71. 68: Moody (GB) 67. 72. Hallberg (Swe) 69.

70. M. Moreno (Spa) 69. 70. 140.

N. Crosby (US) 69. 71; M. Persson (Swe) 72. 68; I.

Baker-Finch (Aus) 72. 68. K. Clair (US) 68. 72; Mouland (GB) 69.

71: I. Woosnam (GB) 66, 74; A. Chandler (GB) 70. 70; U. Nilsson (Swe) 67.

73. D. Pruitt (US) 68. 72. C.

Mason (GB) 72. 68. P. A. Brostedt (Swe) 69.

71: I. Hall (GB) 71. 69. 141, P. Baker (GB) 71.

70. B. Marchbank (GB) 71. 70. E.

Darcy (Ire) 71. 70: D. J. Russell (GB) 70. 71.

D. Durnian (GB) 71. 70. 142. W.

Longmuir (GB) 73. 69. 143, O'Connor Jr (Ire) 68. 75. D.

Ray (GB) 74. 69. R. BoxaU (GB) 74. 69.

148, make the attacking lead of a diamond at trick one, for this would enable South to estab lish dummy's ten of diamonds tor a crucial discard of the losing heart. On this second hand, Mr Karani was defending with the East seat. Dealer West; game all. NORTH A 6 9KQJ 10 876 A5 A6 WEST EAST 9 2 10 8 7 2 4 A954 Q7 K93 10 8 7 4 9 2 SOUTH Q543 93 10 8 6 4 2 53 SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST Hoffman Karani 3C 4DU) NB 4H NBC NB NB (1) North-South were playing a specialised convention whereby 4D was a transfer bid, requesting partner to convert to4H. Martin Hoffman led the king of clubs, and declarer made the understandable mistake of winning with dummy's ace.

He then led the king of hearts, and Karani did well to duck. East won the second round of hearts with the ace and, now that West knew that he could safely play on clubs, returned the nine of clubs to his partner's ten. Hoffman continued with winning clubs and, although declarer discarded the spade loser and the diamond loser from dummy, he could not avoid suffering a trump promotion to East's nine of hearts. South effectively lost one spade, one diamond, one club and two trump tricks, and 200 was a very good result for the Hoffman-Karani combination: they beat those East-West pairs who had made 130 in clubs or had only managed to defeat 4H by one trick. I AM CONVINCED that the record performance of the legendary Blue Team of Italy led by Carlo Albert Perroux to so many triumphs will never be broken.

I therefore welcome the English edition of Bridge With The Blue Team, by Pietro Forquet in Gollancz's Master Bridge Series (8.95). Pietro Forquet is one of my favourite players and I have also had the pleasure of playing with him. In this book he pays tribute to all the famous members of the Blue Team and explains their skill in a way that any average player can understand and learn from. A great deal of material has been added to the original Italian edition. A special treat for any bridge player.

Rixi Markus arrival for the season THAT THE first match produces some 200,000 for charity may only go some way to appeasing those people who are bemoaning the season's early return. But today, on the first day of August jhe Charity Shield between uovehtry City and Tiverton having been Drougnt jorward a week to accommodate next Saturday's Football League Centenary match the new ideas, the new faces and the new strips will be on view at Wembley. The close season may have been too short for some, but there has been plenty of time for change. Both Coventry and Everton have promoted their chief coaches to managers. At Coventry the change in job definition which had moved George Curtis up-stah's and left team matters in the experienced hands of John Sillett (formerly manager of Hereford) should provide seamless continuity.

The stitching may show a bit more at Goodison, however. Most of the on-field nous which has brought two League championships in three seasons came from Colin Harvey Howard Kendall left for Bilbao saying he wanted to do more coaching but the manager's job requires different skills. John Moore recently resigned as manager of Luton because he missed coaching and did not relish tackling all the administra tive and public relations extras. Harvey, who has never been a manager, will be faced with the same problems and how he copes will dictate whether Everton can continue their ascendancy. On the pitch today, Everton still have the Kendall-Harvey look.

Neville Southali, recovering from a knee operation, will be replaced by Bobby Mimms. Adrian Heath is struggling with an ankle injury. Paul Bracewell is still not ready to resume his interrupted career. Pat van den Hauwe and Ian Snodin are out injured. The only close-season signing on view at the kick-off today will be Coventry's 750,000 Scottish international forward, David Speedie, who has swapped strife in the fast lane at Chelsea for the chance to help City make further progress down the road to more lasting success.

COVENTRY: Ogrizovjk; Phillips. Downs, McGrath, Kilcline. Pc-ata, Bennett. Gynn, Speedie, Houchen, Picketing. Subs: Find-lay.

Sedgeley. Rodger. Borrows, Lane. EVERTON: Minims: Stevens, Power, Ratclille, Watson, Reid, Steven, Clarke, Sharp, Harper, Sheedy. Subs: Chamberlain.

Heath. Mounttiold, Pointon, Marshall. Referee: R. Lewis (Great Bookham, Surrey). is coming Diego Maradona will play at Wembley next week, according to the Football League.

Napoli apparently gave their permission yesterday for the brilliant Argentinian to appear in the game that marks the start of the League's centenary celebrations on Saturday. The League are laying on a private executive jet to fly Maradona (above) into London next Friday in preparation for the match between a Football League XI and the Rest of the World. They are also believed to be paying him a fee of around 100.000. Terry Butcher has been withdrawn from the Rest of the World team folowing a change of mind at Rangers. Although the England centra defender is suspended from playing in the opening Scottish League match against Dundee United, the club expect him to fulfil his duties as captain when they parade the championship flag.

Mirandinha returned home yesterday after a flying visit to England to discuss a possible move to Newcastle. The Brazilian striker who scored against England at Wembley last May, is valued at over 1 million but needs permission from his home association to move to Europe. Derek Statham has signed a weekly contract with West Bromwich Albion after failing to, agree terms with Southampton. Peter Nichols visits Aberdeen today before making up his mind whether to accept a 350,000 transfer from Luton. Manchester City will be sponsored by Brother, the electric goods manufacturers, in a deal announced yesterday worth 500,000.

Of John Rodda on today's Kodak AAA championships Ovett's bicycle crash puts spoke in Rome Selections NMBli Henry 7 horrendous as that, and I don't want to again." To his credit he won the eighth and 10th but at the short 11th Eggo took another six-iron straight at the flag, and holed-his eight-foot birdie putt to be back to six-up. Victory came when he played a wedge to 15ft at the 13th, sinking that as well. Wayne Henry will captain the Great Britain and Ireland boys team to meet the continent of Europe at Kilmarnock on August 8. The home side will be out to avenge last year's 8'A -3'2 defeat at Seaton Carew Europe's first victory for eight years in the annual fixture. GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND TEAM: W.

Henry (Porters Park. Eng. Capt). S. Bannerman(Murcar.

Sco). D. Bathgate (Sandiway. Eng). A.

Coltari (Thornhill. Sco). S. Docherty (Cruden Bay. Sco).

D. Errity (Hermitage. Ire). G. McNeill (Warrenpoint.

Ire). I. Payne (Sandilands. Eng). Reserve.

M. Sheppard (Conway. Wal). BRIDGE Rixi Markus MANY bridge players who are ambitious to improve their performance engage experts as partners. Just as in other sports and pastimes, the best way to improve your own standard is to play with better players.

Mr P. Karani has recognised this, and he has found a congenial guide to better bridge in Martin Hoffman. Their record together is impressive: they were third in the Guardian pairs championship la it year, seventh in the same event in a very strong field this year, and won the two-session Swiss pairs competition oil Easter Monday. Here are two examples of how well Messrs. Karani and Hoffman play together.

On the first. Mr Karani was in six spades' and West led a trump. NORTH QJ 1042 9 10 6 4 10 6 4 6 EAST 3 K852 Q853 J854 SOUTH AK986 A7 A A 10 3 Having won the trump lead in I and and drawn a second nund of trumps, declarer ecognised that his best chance developing a twelfth trick lay i i the heart suit. If he could nd West with K-x-x, Q-x-x, K-x Q-x or K-Q, which was quite 1 kely in view of the fact that I ast was known to have started 1 fe with a singleton spade, Siuth could create a second trick by force. He cashed tl ace of hearts and led a si cond heart towards dummy's J-10.

West had to go in with the queen, or it would be ruffed out on the next round, but to do sol exposed East's king to a finesse. South entered dummy with a club ruff and ran the jack of hearts, discarding the diamond loser from the closed hand, when East declined to coven with the king of hearts. Notice that it would not have helped, the defence for West to west VQJ9 3 K972 K972 in front of her body, and then peering at the ball with her left eye, was highly successful with 11 single putts in a total of 25 for the round. Her sand wedge was a magic wand as she used it nine times to a achieve par saves and birdies. Spencer-Devlin described the course as interesting." It may be picturesque land, but I don't particularly like his design with all the hollows," she said.

Scottish professional, Dale Reid, surged forward with a two under-par outward nine of 34, to be within one shot of Davies. But she slipped back on her inward half and she had three consecutive bogeys from the 15th where she was bunkered. She finished in 74 for a three over-par 149 total. BRITISH WOMEN'S OPEN (St Mellion). (British and Irish unless stated): 145 L.

Davies 73. 72. 147 M. Spencer-Devlin (US) 79. 68.

149 S. Little (US) 69. 80: Hurton (Aus) 76. 73: P. Conley (US) 74.

75; C. Waite 73. 71; G. Stewart 75. 74: D.

Reid 75. 74. 150 P. Grice-Whittaker 73. 77; M.

Figueras-Dotli (Sp) 78. 72; A. Nicholas 74. 76. 151 M.

Marshall (US) 79. 72. P. Smillie 74. 77: S.

Moon (US) 75. 76; J. Connachan 77. 74: K. Douglas 76.

75: A. Jones (Aus) 74. 77: C. Dibnah (Aus) 77. 74.

152-L. Wilson (Aus) 75. 77: K. Davies 81. 71; N.

McCormack 74. 78: 1. Blalock (US) 74. 7B. cated if he were to qualify for the final of the 1,500 metres and scratch.

The referee could then rule Ovett out of the 5,000 metres. There was a round of discussions going on yesterday to make his path smooth to ensure he runs the 5,000 metres, because only 5,000 of the 17,000 tickets for the second day have been sold. This eventuality does give the wrong impression that the championships are a trial for the World Championship. This is laregly because the selectors meet tomorrow night to complete the team. In 1984, the 1,500 metres was hyped into a ticket-selling confrontation between Sebastian Coe and Peter Elliott for a place in the Olympic Games.

Coe lost but sensibly was selected. What ought not to be happening is for pressure to be put on Ovett to compete. The selectors have until August 16 to decide and have allowed Nick Rose until then to obtain the necessary qualifying time in the 10,000 metres. The selectors ought to be regarding the present state of 5,000 metres running and particularly the contenders for the championship tomorrow. Only one man apart from Ovett has achieved the required qualifying standard Geoff Turnbull track championship series got under way at Leicester yester day, writes Graham snowdol Sally Hodge (Cardiff Ajax), twice the women's 500 metres spring champion but competing for the first time in the pursuit, was easily fastest of fine 16 qualifiers.

In blustery condi tions she covered ninelaps of the sanron Lane veloarome in 4 min 3.783 sec. HOCKEY: If England are to win a European gold medal at Moscow later this month and Britain find goldin Seoul, one area both teams need to improve is in breaking down the sort of massed defence they are likely to encounter in two in ternationals against Belgium in Brussels this weekend writes Pat Rowley. Although England beat Bel gium 3 0 atBisham before the World Cup last year, they have failed to. score in three of their last five matches against them. ONE UNDER AT THE EIGHTH birdie putt Eggo's hole Bobby Eggo holed in one and took the first seven holes for a seven and five victory over Wayne Henry in the semi-finals of the English amateur championship yesterday.

The 26-year-old Walker Cup player put Henry, the 17-year-old England boys captain, from Hertfordshire, through the mill to earn the right to meet Kevin Weeks, a self-confessed weekend golfer, in today's 36-hole final at Fairford Heath. It was the worst golfing experience of my life Henry said. Weeks, a 29-year-old horticultural engineer from Brokenhusrt Manor, maintained his carefree approach in knocking out 20-year-old Geordie John Metcalfe five and three in the other semi-final. Eggo's ace came with a six-iron at the 190-yard fourth but he and nearly everybody ran the distance in 13min 21.7sec in finishing fifth in Brussels last September. No one else has gone under 3min 25sec last summer or this.

Since selection is finding the besc person to compete at a future meeting and has nothing whatsoever to do with reward, the best course would be for the selectors to invite Ovett to run the 500 metres this weekend and ask him to race 5,000 metres before the closing date for entries. They could then weigh that evidence against the outcome of the championship race tomorrow. Linford Christie will not make up his mind whether he races until today, sensibly watching the weather. Like 17 other men he has been preselected for the World Championships, thus being free of qualifying stress. With or without Ovett, the 1,500 metres looks like being one of the livelier events of the weekend, with Steve Crabb, John Gladwin, Adrian Passey, Neil Horsfield and Paul Larkins bidding to join Steve Cram in Rome.

Jose Luis Gonzalez of Spain will attempt to break said Aouita's world 1500 metres record at a meeting at Santry, Dublin, on Monday. Gonzalez, unbeaten this season, will be trying to beat the Moroccan's 3min 29.46, set in 1985. FIXTURES Soccer CHARITY SHIELD. Coventry v. Everton (3.00.

Wembley). UNDER-17 YOUTH INTERNATIONAL. England v. Netherlands (1.00. Wembley).

INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT (Ibrox Park). Aax v. Porte Alegre (br) 2.00); Rangers v. Real Sociedad (4.00). ATHLETICS.

Kodak AAA Championships (Crystal Palace). EQUESTRIANISM. Silk Cut Jumping Derby (Hlckstead. Sussex). GLIDING.

15m Class Nationals (Husbands Bosworth, Leicester). MOTOR Grand Prix Meeting (Donlngton). SWIMMING National Long Course Cham-, pjpnshlps (NSC. Crystal Palace). VW Rankings Trust (Middlesbrough.

Sheffield, Wlgan, Preston, 2.0). TOMORROW Soccer INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT (lbrox Park). Third place play-olf (2.00); final (4.00). ATHLETICS. GRE Cup semi-finals (Gateshead.

Enfield. Cwumbran. west London, 12.30). EQUESTRIANISM. Silk Cut lumping Derby (Hlckstead.

Sussex). GLIDING. 15m Class Nationals (Husbands Bosworth, Leicester). MOTOR Grand Prix (Donington Park). SWIMMING.

National Long Course Championships (NSC. Crystal Palace). SAILING. Cowes Week (Isle ol Wight). TENNIS.

LTA VW Rankings Tournament (Middlesbrough, Sheffield. Wlgan. Preston, 2.0). HOCKEY. Under-21 International: England v.

West German (Blsham, 4.30). in one halts watching, did not know it was in until well over a minute later. I was told that somebody waved, but I only heard it was in when I was walking to the green," said Eggo, whose Walker Cup debut in May was marked by an albatross-two at Sunningdale's par-five first hole, when he sank a seven-iron. All season Eggo has been trying to justify his Cup selection with little success. Henry made a mess of the opening two holes, three-putted the third after Eggo had chipped dead, and then, after the hole in one, virtually fell to pieces over the next three holes.

On the eighth tee there was only one place I wanted to be," said Henry, a losing semi-finalist last year as well, and that was back on the first tee. I've never gone through anything as SAILING Bob Fisher de Savi launches challenge PETER dSavaFy--trie million who contested the 1983 America's Cup yesterday an nounced a 10 million syndicate to challenge in three years. The syndicate with the Blue Arrow group will be based at Falmouth. We have joined forces with Peter de Savary because his bid in 1983 to recover the cup is credited as being the most successful Brit ish attempt for many years," Blue Arrow managing direc tor, Tony Berry, said yesterday. Meanwhile a host of the sail ors de Savary is likely to be up against in 1990 set off from Cowes in the second race in the Champagne Mum Admiral's Cup series the 220-mile Channel Race yesterday.

The fleet of 42 cup yachts headed west to Poole Fairway before passing south of the Iole of Wight to a double shuttle from the Owers Light to a mid-channel buoy. More than 160 other boats are taking part in the race and for the 40 teams there is a 50 per cent points loading, compared to Thursday's inshore race which ended in a welter of protests. The Australian Swan Premium II, which hit New Zealand's Propaganda at the start, dropped one place to fifth. It would have been worse but the Australians admitted their error and suffered a lighter place to fifth yesterday. The Germans, who are defending the Cup, were last, but moved up a place because of penalties imposed on two Spanish boats, Anquins Two and Mayurca.

There was, however, a penalty for one of the German boats, Diva, which was recalled at the start. The race committee protested that she failed to re-round the inner distance marks of the starting line. Joachim Griese, Diva's skipper thought that in rounding the committee boat he had fully exonerated himself. Diva, previously placed 41st, lost only four points. The British boats Indulgence, Juno, and Jamarella were sixth after the first race Cowes Week starts today and the annual festival of yachting opened with the Royal Southampton Yacht Club regatta.

Highlight of the day is the Queen's Cup for the larger cruisers which have eschewed the Channel Race. It seems highly likely that Tim and Cathy Herring's Everitt designed Backlash will add this to her already impressive collection of silverware. 9 ATHLETICS A cycling accident has thrown Steve Ovett's World Championship plans into confusion just before he is due to race in this weekends' Kodak AAA championships. Tomorrow afternoon at Crystal Palace he is due to confirm for the selectors that he should take the third place, alongside Jack Buckner and Tim Hutchings for the 5,000 metres in Rome. In the week of a major race Ovett normally trains on a bicycle.

When I want to cercise the heart and lungs, without tiring the lees I so out on the bike, riding round forest paths near home," he said. A pair of stabilisers fitted to the back wheel might in future keep him in the saddle, but the more demanding problem at the moment is whether he should race this weekend and in what event. He has had two sessions of physiotherapy treatment but has yet to put his feet on the ground to see how the two brusied toes on his right foot respond to running. His intention yesterday was to run a heat of the 1,500 metres tonight and if all is well to run the 5,000 metres on Sunday. That would be compli Turi's two on the trot No.

1,971 BLACK (6 men) 3 SPORT IN BRIEF EQUESTRIANISM: Jofe Turi, the Hungarian-born rifler who has thrust his way to the forefront of British show jumping in less than two seasons, and Kruger, won the Silk Cut Derby Trial yesterday to capture Hickstead's bigprize for the second day cunning, writes John Kerr. As on Thursday, they pro duced the faster jump-off clear, this time winning by the unusually wide margin of seven seconds from Paul Schockemtihle, and Deister, the only other to go faultless among seven finalists CYCLING: Lisa Brambani, who hopes to add the 3,000 metres pursuit title to her road crown, found some unexpected oDDOsition whenthe British Cy cling Federation's national WHITE (7 men) White mates in two moves, against any defence (by G. C. Alvey), a mixture of pins and geometric angles. No.

1,970: WK at KN4, at K4, at K2, Ps at QR4, KB4, and KR4. BK at KB2, at Q6, at KB4, Ps at QN3, KN3 and KR2. Black plays and wins. 1 P-R4 ch 2 K-N5 N-Q3 3 R-Q4 K-N2! 4 P-B5 (4 RxR N-B2 mate or 4 RxN RxR) R-KB6! with the winning double mate threat N-B2 and RxP.