Football
Terry Fenwick, the manager of Portsmouth, has returned to his old club, Swindon, to sign the 21-year-old defender, Andy Thomson, for pounds 75,000. Adelaide: South Australia 331 (P Nobes 56) and 252 for 9 (D Lehmann 71); Queensland 200 (A Border 79, T May 5-86). Elliot carried his bat for 104 in the first innings and when Victoria followed on 198 behind he compiled a superb 135, lifting his side to 257 for 4 at the close on the third day of the four-day game.
SHEFFIELD SHIELD (Third day of four) Perth: Western Australia 413 for 7 dec (J Langer 161, A Gilchrist 82); Victoria 215 (M Elliot 104no and 257 for 4 (Elliot 135, D Jones 70). Hostile Witness Windsor 1.20 (Exeter 2.50); Most Equal Windsor 1.20 (Exeter 2.50).. Cricket
The opener Matthew Elliot completed two centuries yesterday to raise Victoria’s hopes of saving their Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia in Perth. If the people holding saddles look considerably more corpulent when they emerge from the weighing room it is because the minimum riding weight on the Flat goes up today from 7st 7lb to 7st 10lb.n The following horses are doubly declared today. They will run at their second preference meeting only if the first is abandoned: Challenger Du Luc First preference Exeter 1.45 (Second Preference Windsor 12.50); Sorrel Hill Exeter 1.45 (Windsor 12.50); Teen Jay Windsor 1.20 (Exeter 2.50).
The Berkshire track is expected to pass a morning inspection (so they say) and will display a novice chase of merit with Simple Arithmetic in combat with Challenger Du Luc.Southwell’s offering is far less pleasurable but it will at least exhibit some grateful jockeys. As evidence, the jockey plonked down frozen chunks of sand the size of tennis balls on his return.The sun is expected to have replaced his hat today, however, and although Cheltenham’s feature card is already off there will be horses earning their keep at Exeter, Southwell and probably Windsor. Dunstall Park’s cancellation made it nine days without racing in Britain and was another collective suicide in the publicity war as the stewards had given the go-ahead after two inspections. The chaps who actually had to compete over the terrain did not consider this the soundest decision. “It’s just like concrete just underneath the surface and the jockeys are worried about the horses losing their legs going round the bends,” Jimmy Quinn reported. When is an all-weather track not an all-weather track? When it is cold, it appears. “This filly handles any ground.”Akhiyar had earlier registered for O’Brien, while his namesake Aidan also scored with Urubande, a Sun Alliance Hurdle candidate, and Double Symphony, who became a consideration for the Arkle Trophy after humbling the highly rated Ventana Canyon.The people in Britain feeling humble over the weekend were the officials at Wolverhampton, where two cards were abandoned on Saturday.
Elas Image was promoted to 14-1 second favourite behind Our Kris for the Triumph Hurdle following her victory for Michael O’Brien. The trainer suggested his filly was not without a chance at the Festival and his opinion should not be taken out in a bin-liner. “She will be probably be better in time than Shawiya, who won the Triumph Hurdle a couple of years ago,” O’Brien said. Both horses had been bought out of the Aga Khan’s great herd of thoroughbreds.Hotel Minella, the even-money favourite, dropped out quickly in the bad ground, while Richard Dunwoody had an excuse prepared for Balawhar, who was returning after a long absence.
“He stayed on well at his own pace and has to be better for the run,” Britain’s champion jockey said.The surname to the fore outside the big race was O’Brien. RICHARD EDMONDSON
As expected, the December Hurdle at Leopardstown yesterday provided valuable pointers. However, the compass was directing in a different zone than most had anticipated.
Both Hotel Minella and Balawhar, an emerging force in a war-torn Champion Hurdle ante-post market, were badly beaten behind Kharasar, who was promoted to 10-1 second favourite by the sponsors for the Ladbroke Hurdle at the same course a week on Saturday.This was a Mullins family benefit with the winner trained by Tony and the runner-up, Sambara, by brother Willie. Yesterday it was Jamie Harvey’s turn to bow to the accuracy of Priestley, the Scot losing 5-1.. He beat both Cliff Lazarenko and Shayne Burgess 3-0 in his group and Keith Deller 4-0 in the quarter- finals.Priestley, however, will be no pushover, as his form has matched Taylor’s and the Yorkshireman beat his great rival in the final when this event was first held two years ago. Taylor, Stoke-born but now running a pub in Newcastle under Lyme, has been in superlative form since the competition began on Wednesday.
The Dutchman Raymond Barneveld, who was runner- up to Burnett, had 29 maximum 180s during the Embassy event, another outstanding record.Taylor and Priestley are still considered the two best players in the world and they went a long way in proving this with some breathtaking darts in yesterday’s semi-finals.Taylor, the defending champion, lost a set for the first time in the tournament on his way to beating John Lowe 5-1. But the WDC claim, with some justification, that there tournament features the finest players.However, at the Embassy 12 months ago every previous event record was broken and eight of the top 10 averages from the two world championships were set at Frimley Green. It features Phil Taylor against Dennis Priestley.The debate over which is the bigger event has raged since the split took place over two years ago. More than 100 tournaments in 40 countries were staged to bring the Embassy field down to 32 players for the final stages, while the WDC have fewer than 50 regular players in their ranks. Darts
After a dream debut last year Richie Burnett, the pride of the Rhondda valleys, is favourite to land the Embassy World Professional Championship and bank the richest prize in the sport when he starts the defence of his title at the Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green, Surrey today.
This year’s winner will receive pounds 36,000 from a total prize fund of pounds 150,000, making the championship the most lucrative since the event began in 1978.The tournament begins on the same day as the final of the Vernons Pools World Championship at Purfleet, run by the World Council.