Why rely on close-combat skill when you can win with firepower?
The first modifications have been made to the “old” boat during four days in the shed, transferring the results of continuous development by the design team and experience of the newer boat on the water. The man who won the America’s Cup for Australia in 1983, saw it return Stateside in 1987, and wants to repeat his singular feat in 1995, would not normally want to lose to anyone. But, for the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup – the eventual winner of the series will meet the United States defender – there is an element of damage limitation and of buying time. For once, John Bertrand may be content to come second.

Wiranata appeared to be suffering with a calf injury and Susanto went on to win 15-12, 15-7.Results, Sporting Digest, page 47. Wright and Bradbury, who have reached No 3 in the world rankings after only six months of playing women’s doubles, trailed 6-12 in the final game against Lotte Olsen and Ann Jorgensen, a pair who beat them two months ago, and came back to win a startling match 15-0, 7-1, 5-12.
English chances looked to be disappearing when Olsen and Jorgensen took nine points in a row to take a six-point lead, but an improbable net shot from Wright, which rolled down the Danish side, earned the service back. This helped set up a six-point run on Bradbury’s serve included a remarkable retrieve from near the foot of the net by Bradbury that crept over at the tightest of angles and created a winner for Wright.That got English adrenalin pumping, and although the Danes twice won serve back at 12-all it was Wright’s perceptive interceptions and Bradbury’s mobility and smashing that secured a thrilling victory.Earlier, Mia Audina Tjiptawan became, at 15, the youngest All-England semi-finalist in history after saving two match points in the second game against China’s Wang Chen to win 10-12, 12-11, 12-11 in a 72-minute contest.A surprise later saw the second-seeded World Grand Prix title holder, Ardy Wiranata, beaten by his fellow Indonesian Hermawan Susanto in the quarter-finals. Joanne Wright and Julie Bradbury, England’s best hopes of an Olympic medal in Atlanta next year, produced a startling recovery to reach the semi-finals of the Yonex All-England championships at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham yesterday.

We think it’s sheer hypocrisy.”If the International Rugby Union Board, at its meeting in August, concedes some form of professionalism, it will find it harder to defend the ban on those allegedly tainted by “pay for play”.. It is at best a term of art and at worst simply bogus.”
The officials – who are investigating payments in rugby union – told the committee that players’ claims to be amateurs were “irrelevant” when it came to assessing whether they gained taxable earnings from the game. An official of the Personal Tax Division of the Inland Revenue refused to give specific instances, but mentioned the kinds of payment that would be assessed as taxable profits: money for loss of earnings, fixed expenses payments in excess of actual expenses, signing-on fees, and the provision of cars or housing. Mr Kaufman commented: “I take it that those examples all must exist somewhere for you to think of them so easily.”The committee heard “a plea for fair play” from Maurice Lindsay, chief executive of the Rugby Football League, who claimed that the rugby union ban on players who have played professional rugby league was “discrimination”.He described the recent concession – to allow rugby league professionals to play union after a “stand-down” period of three years, but only below national level – as “total balderdash”.All the members of the National Heritage Select Committee who spoke yesterday appeared to support his plea. John Maxton (Lab, Glasgow Cathcart) said: “Someone who has played American football at the very top can play rugby union, while someone who has played rugby league for money cannot.

Gerald Kaufman, the Labour chairman of the select committee examining the issue, told Inland Revenue officials: “What you have revealed in answer to my questions is that the word `amateur’ is simply not accurate when applied to people who play rugby union. The noose appeared to be tightening around the neck of rugby union’s amateur status yesterday as MPs gave a sympathetic hearing to rugby league’s complaints against its rivals, and questioned tax officials on the nature of payments to rugby union players. The best of enemies.HILTON’S FIVE-STAR YEAR19944 Mar Bath v Rugby (H) L 11-2112 Mar Bath v Wasps (H) W 24-826 Mar Bath v N’cstle Gos (A) W 29-52 April Bath v Harlequins (A) W 26-259 April Bath v Leicester (H) W 14-623 April Bath v Harlequins (H) W 32-137 May Bath v Leicester (Twick) W 21-928 May Barbarians v Goshawks (Mutare)W 53-92 June Barbarians v Matabeleland (Bulawayo)W 35-233 Sept Bath v Barbarians (H) W 23-1810 Sept Bath v Bristol (H) W 18-917 Sept Bath v Northampton (A) W 32-1624 Sept Bath v Orrell (H) W 32-138 Oct Bath v Wasps (H) W 12-915 Oct Bath v West H’pool (A) W 20-1822 Oct Bath v Leicester (H) D 20-209 Nov Scot A v S Africa (Melrose) W 17-1519 Nov Bath v Coventry (A) W 45-1026 Nov Bath v Loughboro’ S (H) W 65-73 Dec Scot Ex v S of Scot (M’field) W 25-910 Dec Scot Ex v Glasgow (M’field) W 34-1317 Dec Bath v L Scot (A) W 31-621 Dec Scot Ex v Scot N (M’field) W 41-1324 Dec Scot Ex v E’burgh (M’field) W 19-1619957 Jan Scotland A v Italy (Perth) W 18-1614 Jan Bath v Northampton (H) W 26-621 Jan Scotland v Canada (M’field) W 22-64 Feb Scotland v Ireland (M’field) W 26-1311 Feb Bath v Orrell (A) D 6-618 Feb Scotland v France (Paris) W 23-2125 Feb Bath v Northampton (H) W 26-64 Mar Scotland v Wales (M’field) W 26-13. These days he packs down in a front row also occupied by Victor Ubogu – and it is Ubogu, his own week-by-week comrade-in-arms who will pack down against him tomorrow.