Sport in brief

Press, 25 May 1989, Page 32

Sport in brief

Gymnasts chosen Eighteen gymnasts have been chosen to represent New Zealand in the Australasian and inter-state tournament in Perth from June 23 to July 2. The team members are.— J. Isherwood, K. Taylor, A. Summerton, N. McKenzie, R. Head (Canterbury), J. Tasker, J. Young, R. Vickery, J. McLean, K. Hunter, J. Clarke (Auckland), S. Parkhill, D. Cornish, Z. Murton (Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay), C. Hubbard (WanganuiManawatu), C. Mosey, A. Scott (Top of the South, Nelson), M. Dawson (Wellington). Non-travelling reserves: K. Fricker, C. Wilton (Auckland), K. Bowring (Canterbury), M. Donnelly (Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay). Manager, Mr D. Cornes (Canterbury); judges, A. Quirke (Nelson), L. Howat (Bay of Plenty); coaches, J. Lightfoot (Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay), R. Thompson (Nelson), L. Koster (Canterbury). Higgins in trouble NZPA-AFP London The controversial Irish snooker star, Alex Higgins, has been fined £5OO (5NZ1363.51) by the sport’s governing body following a row over an unpaid restaurant bill. The twice former world champion was found guilty by the World Professional Snooker and Billiards Association’s disciplinary hearing of being “rude and abusive” to the tournament director at the 1989 Irish Masters. Meanwhile, the world champion, Steve Davis, has been fined £2OO (5NZ545.40). He was one of four players disciplined for not competing in specified tournaments. The others were Dean Reynolds, Tony Jones and Gerry Watson. Hughes off to S.A. NZPA-AP Durban, South Africa Kim Hughes, the Australian cricketer who has led two rebel tours to South Africa, said yesterday that he would play in Durban for the next two seasons as captain of the Natal provincial team. Hughes said at a news conference that he would return to Australia to wrap up personal affairs and then move to South Africa with his family in September. Hughes was captain of Australian squads that toured South Africa in 1985-86 and in 1986-87 without the authorisation of Australian cricket officials. Chile earns draw NZPA-Reuter London Veteran goalkeeper, Roberto Rojas, turned the clock back five years as he earned Chile a goalless draw against England in the opening match of the Rous Cup soccer tournament yesterday. In 1984 Rojas’ goalkeeping was the main reason for a similar scoreline when the two teams met in Santiago. On Chile’s first appearance at Wembley Stadium, he showed the passage of time had done little to diminish the agility and anticipation that makes him one of the world’s outstanding goalkeepers. There was little else to distinguish a match watched by a crowd of only 15,628, the smallest ever to view an international at Wembley. Nepal defeated NZPA-Reuter Seoul Malaysia defeated Nepal with two goals in the second half and South Korea beat Singapore, 3-0, in World Cup Asian Group Four qualifying matches on Tuesday. Playing before a crowd of about 10,000 at Seoul’s Tongdaemun Stadium, Malaysia dominated the first half but could not convert at least five good chances into goals. It stepped up the pace in the second half and its efforts paid off in the sixty-seventh minute when Lee Kin Hong headed home a left-cross by Azizol Abu Haniffa. Just one minute before the final whistle, the Malaysian team earned a penalty on a handling by a Nepalese defender and striker Dollah Salleh’s kick found the net. Yacht catches breeze p A . Auckland Greg Elliott’s 17m maxi yacht Future Shock has finally found breeze and on Tuesday covered 243 miles in 24 hours in the second leg of the Auckland to Fukuoka yacht race. The pocket maxi, held up four days in Fiji with mast problems, has caught the Auckland to Fukuoka race fleet and passed eight boats. However, the new yacht still has 817 miles sailing to the second stage finish line in Guam. Three yachts in the 2600 mile leg from Suva to Guam have now finished. A Japanese entry Tobiume (Tadatoshi Saita) took second place while the Lidgard designed 15m Black Sheep (Alistair Shanks) was third. An Australian entry Technovator (Peter Neale) took stage two line honours finishing last Saturday, more that three days in front of the rest of the fleet. Policeman unbeatable PA Wellington Senior Constable Dan O’Connell, of Wellington airport police, successfully defended his title in the seventeenth police crosscountry championships in Auckland. The win brought him a step closer to reaching his ambition of winning 20 times. O’Connell, aged 37, who faced his first challenge in 1972, remains unbeaten. Results:— Open Men: Senior Constable Dan O’Connell (Wellington) 30min.29s, 1; Constable Steve Farrell (Royal New Zealand Police College) 30min.48s, 2; Constable Mark Lenihan (Masterton) 31min.l0s, 3. Veterans: Detective Inspector John Hughes (Auckland) 33min.48s, 1; Sergeant Mike Holmes (Christchurch) 35min.30s, 2; Senior Sergeant Ray Hall (Auckland) 35min.595, 3. Women: Recruit Nadine Richmond (Police College) 41min.32s, 1; Constable Vicki Marler (Auckland) 42min.l7s, 2; Constable Fiona Brown (Hamilton) 55min.08s, 3.