PAULA RADCLIFFE has been a world champion for six seconds. She hopes to discover in Marrakesh this weekend what it feels like to hold that distinction for a longer period of time. You don’t give away four points unless you have a crystal ball and know you’re going to get them back I hope David doesn’t regret it. What happened is not good for the sport.”I would say David and Mika have an equal chance of winning the championship The person who is more consistent will win it. Burks injured a knee during Leopards’ 85-70 defeat at London Towers last weekend and has been replaced by Thames Valley Tigers’ Jason Siemon in the South team, coached by Mims.
Leopards, league leaders and defending champions, play Watford on Wednesday, then face three testing final games against Derby Storm, Tigers and away to Sheffield Sharks.Burks played for 37 minutes in Thursday’s 81-72 win over Crystal Palace, but will be at tomorrow’s game only to sign autographs. McLaren have done an outstanding job.”The other thing about Formula One now is that there are too many driver aids.
Going to the races is about so much more than what happens on the track – the bookies, the nobs, the Irish, the florid stink of booze and the grime of cash. Compared to the grand social panorama it offers, for a non-gambler like me, the issue of which horse comes first is a minor matter, and I found myself musing on the beauty of the aerial shots and the splendour of the hills. Until the Cheltenham Three took off on their mad dash for freedom.. NIGEL MANSELL ran down the steps on the BBC set of “Noel’s House Party” and waved to the audience, but there was no gunge or Mr Blobby in sight. It was for real – the former world champion was back in motor racing.
Mansell will drive a Ford Mondeo at three meetings in this season’s British Touring Car Championship, which will earn him around pounds 500,000 and doubtless boost the attendances at Donington in June, Brands Hatch in August, and Silverstone in September.
He maintains his role will be to back up Ford’s regular drivers, Will Hoy and Craig Baird, but relishes the opportunity to complete a mission he started and was unable to finish five years ago. Mims said: “Although Eric is disappointed he knows the importance of the league games in our bid to keep the title. The break will give him plenty of time to rest before we play Watford.”Birmingham Bullets must win all six of their remaining games, beginning with tomorrow’s All-Star curtain-raiser against Sheffield, to keep the pressure on Leopards.Defeat last weekend cost Bullets and Sharks the chance to close the gap. Bullets coach Mike Finger said: “I’m sure Sharks aren’t very happy right now and neither are we. We’re two angry teams both wanting to prove a point.”l Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s career leading scorer, was arrested by US Customs officials on Sunday for possession of six grams of marijuana at Pearson International Airport. The Toronto Star said Abdul-Jabbar, 50, the former Los Angeles Lakers centre was fined $500 (pounds 330) before being allowed to board a flight to Los Angeles He was released without conditions.. THE Fife Flyers forward John Haig has warned their opposition in the British National League play-off semi-finals that they will not be written off.
The Kirkcaldy team meet the hosts Kingston Hawks in the second semi-final at Hull Arena today, face-off 4.30pm, with Guildford Flames facing Telford Tigers at noon The winners advance to tomorrow’s final at 4pm. Many see the Scots as the underdogs as they have lost six of the eight meetings with the Hawks this season – including all four at the Arena. Fife, however, with 16 wins from their last 17 games, are the form team and Haig, who had an unsuccessful second spell at Hull, said: “We’re not scared of anyone. We have beaten everybody this season and don’t fear Kingston, Guildford or Telford At this stage it is down to how you play on the day Nerves and many other factors come into it. In fact, we play better when people write us off.”
Kingston’s general manager, Keith Milhench, who received a boost when his defenceman Lee Brathwaite declared himself fit, is remaining level- headed, acknowledging Fife will be tougher than some imagine He said: “We will not be taking Fife lightly We won’t be over-confident. I just hope we don’t freeze on the big occasion because that has happened before.”Guildford Flames, the British National League and Southern Conference champions, meanwhile, are praying their forward Barclay Pearce will be fit to face Telford after hurting his knee.