DAVIS CUP

LUKE Milligan came through his Davis Cup debut in brilliant style and Tim Henman was again outstanding as Britain gained a 2-0 lead over Ghana yesterday in the Euro/Africa Group 2 tie in Accra.

Henman, the British No.1, beat Isaac Donkor 6-2, 6-0, 6-2 in 90 minutes to give Britain a flying start. Then Londoner Milligan, still only 19, opposed Ghana's top player, Frank Ofori, and, despite a hostile crowd and intense heat, won 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Now Britain need only to win the doubles today to clinch the tie and this should prove an easy task for Mark Petchey and Neil Broad, who clash with two little known Ghana players in Daniel Omaboe and Tetteh Quaye.

Ghana's tennis president, J Stanley Owusu, had upset Britain's non-playing captain David Lloyd when he said at the draw ceremony: ``It is D-Day for our motherland Ghana against Great Britain and we can assure you we're going to beat you.''

Owusu said this with tongue in cheek, but Lloyd did not like it. Not that it made any difference, for the British players were clearly in a different class.

Henman, who had the Wimbledon spectators in raptures by becoming the first home player to reach the quarter-finals since Roger Taylor in 1973, was so superior to Donkor in the opening match it was almost laughable.

The British player is now ranked No.39 in the world and Donkor is not ranked at all. This divide in skill was clearly evident as Donkor could make nothing of Henman's powerful service and ground strokes.

Donkor, no better than an average county player, was probably delighted to get off court even though the crowd banging bongo drums, ringing bells, and yelling non-stop, had given him tremendous support.

Milligan's task was a little more difficult, for Ofori has a world ranking of 509 and has been as high as in the 200s. The Ghanaian also has a huge serve and the big question was could Milligan come through this test of nerve.

The London teenager made a superb start to take the opening set, but when he lost the second, it looked as if Ofori had a chance for he was beginning to hold his serve easily.

But in the third set, with Milligan leading 5-4, Ofori's serve let him down and the British player finished off the set with a brilliant top spin lob.

Then, from 2-2 in the fourth set, Milligan romped through the next four games for the loss of only seven points, during which Ofori was docked a penalty point for time-wasting when it appeared he had cramp.

Later Milligan said: ``The crowd was very volatile, but they were not bad as I had thought they might be. Mind you, they were hostile to one of their own line judges. They didn't like some of his calls.''

Ian Peacock, the LTA chief executive, was diplomatic about the crowd. As he said: ``They were very African, very noisy.''

If Britain win, as expected, they will qualify for a promotion match with either Egypt or the Ivory Coast at home in September. Another victory then would put them through to the Euro/Africa Group One.