It was not the world No 1, however, but Karen Davies from Wales, who completed a fine 68 after coming home in 32.”I have been in the doldrums for a while since losing my LPGA card three years ago, but it is coming back and I am beginning to enjoy my golf again,” said Davies, who twice played in undefeated Curtis Cup sides during the 1980s.Back-to-back birdies at the 10th and 11th gave Davies an encouraging start home. Wendy Doolan, of Australia, who was out early in the day, set a target the remainder of the field were unable to catch when she equalled the course record with a career-best 65, seven under par, in the opening round of the Hennessy Cup here yesterday. Bob Lee, the IBF president, said the vacant title would be given to the winner between Schulz, the No2 contender, and the top-ranked Frans Botha, of South Africa.
Foreman had already been stripped of the WBA crown for fighting Schulz instead of the WBA’s mandatory challenger, Tony Tucker Foreman plans to have only one more fight.. George Foreman has surrendered the last of the world heavyweight titles he came out of retirement to win after refusing Germany’s Axel Schulz a mandatory rematch. “Hugh is the man Dean wanted and they should work very well together,” said the Leeds chief executive, Alf Davies.Clubs have voted to keep the overseas quota at three, instead of reducing it to two this year as planned. More significant could be the fact that, for the first time, rugby union players, as well as players from developing league nations, are specifically excluded from the quota.That can only make it easier for English clubs such as Leeds and Wigan to make room for Jonah Lomu.. Unlike Bell, who must first complete his commitments with the Auckland Warriors, McGahan, who is on the board of the Sydney City Roosters, will be able to start work before the new season begins in August.Bell had been earmarked to work alongside Doug Laughton, who resigned suddenly on Monday.

Rugby League

Leeds have appointed another former New Zealand Test captain, Hugh McGahan, to work alongside their new coach, Dean Bell, writes Dave Hadfield.
McGahan will be designated as Bell’s assistant, but will take charge of many matters off the field. “I simply wasn’t prepared to commit myself for seven days a week, which is what’s required to manage a club,” he said “In any walk of life people want more leisure time.”. Garry Pendrey has also joined the Sky Blues as coach.Meanwhile, Kenny Dalglish has denied that pressure of the kind which forced him to leave Liverpool had prompted him to “move upstairs” at Blackburn. Stoke’s Icelandic midfielder, Toddy Orlygsson, unhappy with the terms offered, has spoken to several clubs, including neighbouring Port Vale.Peter Shilton, who played in Bolton’s successful play-off campaign at the age of 45, yesterday made Coventry his ninth club. David Kemp, Smith’s assistant at Selhurst Park, also joins the Second Division club, whose chairman Ivor Beeks said: “I think they can take us all the way to the Premiership.”Sheffield Wednesday have rejected Nottingham Forest’s pounds 2m offer for the out-of-contract midfielder Chris Bart-Williams, with the deal one of several likely to go to a tribunal. In another, Birmingham have offered pounds 200,000 for Jason Bowen, the Swansea winger, for whom the Welsh club want pounds 750,000.Birmingham have also offered Andy Saville and Paul Harding in part-exchange for the Plymouth midfielder, Steve Castle.

Souness will land Saunders for around pounds 1.5m, the 31-year-old Welsh international striker having cost Villa pounds 2.3m three years ago.
Another managerial vacancy was filled yesterday when Alan Smith, sacked by Crystal Palace last month, succeeded Martin O’Neill at Wycombe Wanderers. Galatasaray and their Istanbul rivals, Fenerbahce, were both alerted to the fact that the three-year contract Saunders signed last season contains a release clause if an offer comes in from the Continent. Dean Saunders, Aston Villa’s leading scorer last season, is today expected to join Galatasaray, the Turkish club for whom Graeme Souness has already signed Saunders’ former Liverpool team-mates, Barry Venison and Mike Marsh. At the end of the day, Oxford Brookes University dismissed the fast Americans, Williams College, by a one and threequarter lengths.. And Kingston Grammar School upset the selected Imperial College with a blistering start to win by one and a quarter lengths in 6min 50sec. The lightweight Japanese steering veered alarmingly all the way, costing them at least a length. Syracuse, MIT and Harvard all qualified well and in slowing wind conditions the unselected Washington Junior Varsity Eight won a memorable battle with selected Brown University’s Freshmen, losing and then regaining the lead as Brown faltered approaching the finish.Kingston, too, produced a storming finish to snatch a 3ft victory from Cambridge ‘99 and London University put out the selected Australians from Melbourne.In the Temple Cup for Colleges, Japan’s Nihon University upset predictions when they rode right past America’s Riverview and Sarasota High School after trailing all the way to the last signal.

But the Dutch students from Nereus nonchalantly disposed of Durham University, going three seconds faster, and Nottingham Boat Club were only a second slower.But the Americans are well represented as well. The Cambridge reserve crew, Goldie, showed great pace against Quintin and cruised home at 31 strokes a minute in 6min 25sec. They dealt kindly with the youngsters, dropping to a majestic nine strokes a minute by the end.Redgrave is seeking to surpass Gully Nichall’s six-win total in the Silver Goblets and Nichall’s Challenge Cup, and there is no one in the world, let alone at Henley this week, who can stop him.”They’ll have to add Steve’s name to the Cup if we win on Sunday,” said Pinsent.The leading crews in the Thames Cup began to show their form in the second round of what is turning out to be a very tough competition. It is Redgrave’s last Henley – he will be training in America for the Olympic Games during next year’s Regatta – and he is determined to push his career total here to 15 by entering two events.
Yesterday they were opposed in the Pairs by two eager schoolboys from Newcastle Royal Grammar School, 16-year-old Robert Sanders and 17-year- old Richard McElroy. It was business as usual for the reigning Olympic and world champions, Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent, as they paddled home to a comfortable victory in their first race at Henley Royal Regatta here yesterday.

“They still use wicker balls, which we gave up many years ago,” Murkin, London’s secretary, concurs. “It may be a game they are playing, but it’s certainly not cricket.”More information on visually impaired cricket from Tony Hegarty on 0171 793 1827.. “I don’t want to sound elitist, but our kind of cricket is superior to theirs,” Hegarty says. This weekend they play Hebden Bridge away in the semi-finals. But there will be no Test places in prospect for those who play well.