Athletics

FIELD events athletes recorded the top performances at the City of Glasgow indoor open-graded meeting at Glasgow's Kelvin Hall.

Former Scottish pole vault champion Ian Black (City of Edinburgh) returned from an absence from competition, winning his event with a clearance of 4.00m, with Glasgow University's Ian McKenzie finishing second at 3.80m. Clydesdale Harrier Gary Hagan, who twice bettered the Scottish Under-17 indoor shot-put record in the past two weeks, won the shot with a throw of 13.85m.

Overall league results. Individual: 1, A Flett (London) 519 pt. Strathclyde positions: 5, G Love 480; 7, S Eaglesham 443 (second veteran); 9, G McDermid 434; 12, P Ogden 410 (third veteran). Teams: 1, Manchester 1879; 2, Strathclyde 1790; 3, London 1772.

Nottingham six-mile cross country race. Strathclyde positions: 9, S Eaglesham (first veteran); 11, G Love; 12, G McDermid; 22, O McIntyre. Teams: 1, Manchester; 2, Strathclyde; 3, London.

Scottish Services Winter Cross Country League, Dalkeith. Men (five and a half mile): 1, D Adam (RAF Leuchars) 29m 53sec; 2, C Lafferty (RAF Kinloss) 32.14; 3, C Wood (Lothian and Borders police) 32.14; veteran T Main (RAF Buchan) 33.30. Teams: 1, Army Glencourse 590; 2, RAF Leuchars 571; 3, Lothian and Borders police 562. Women (three and a half miles): 1, Davies (HMS Neptune) 18.59; 2, A Gardner (Lothian and Borders police) 20.21; 3, A Nuttal (RAF Leuchars 24.29.

High School of Glasgow McDonald's Cross Country Championships, Glasgow. Boys: A Coggins (Clyde); 2, R MacNeill (Clyde); 3, H Westwood (Moore). Team: Law 365 pts. Girls: 1, C Forrest (Clyde); 2, L Rowbory (Moore); 3, M McPherson (Law). Team: Moore 66 pts.

Badminton

Kenny Middlemiss (Edinburgh) achieved a remarkable milestone when he won his 150th cap for Scotland against the Netherlands in the Thomas Cup but, sadly, he failed to celebrate with a win in Sofia, Bulgaria, last night.

The Dutch won 4-1, with Middlemiss and Russell Hogg going down 15-7, 15-10 to Dennis Lens and Quinten Van Dalm in the top men's doubles. In fact, it was Scotland's second men's doubles pair, national champions Craig Robertson and Alastair Gatt, who pulled off the only win, beating Chris Bruil and Tijs Creemers 11-15, 15-13, 15-10.

Scottish champion Bruce Flockhart (Dunfermline) managed only three points against Dicky Palyama in the top singles. Results (Scots names first):

B Flockhart lost to D Palyama 15-3, 15-0; G Simpson lost to T Weistra 15-10, 15-1; G Smith lost to G Bruijstens 15-3, 15-2. K Middlemiss and R Hogg lost to D Lens and Q Van Dalm 15-7, 15-10; C Robertson and A Gatt bt C Bruil and T Creemers 11-15, 15-13, 15-10.

There was also bad news in the women's event as the Scots lost 5-0 to European champions Denmark. The best performance came in the third singles game when Kathryn Graham (Fauldhouse) took Christina Sorrenson to three games, winning the first 11-9, before going down 11-8, 11-1. All four other matches were over in straight games. Results (Scots names first):

F Sneddon lost to M Sorensen 11-2, 11-5; S Hughes lost to M Pedersen 11-3, 11-3; K Graham lost to C Sorensen 11-9, 8-11, 1-11; S Watt and K McEwan lost to A-L Jorgensen and M Scholdager 15-7, 15-9; C Tedman and A Blanchflower lost to C Martin and R Olsen 15-5, 15-2.

Greyhound Results

SHAWFIELD: First race - 1, Claddens Gift (1) 7-4 fav; 2, Caledonian Star (4) 2-1 #5.21. Second - 1, Trick Me Quick (4) 3-1; 2, Tantalons Flash (2) 4-1 #14.77. Third - 1, Southern Storm (1) 2-1fav; 2, Shades of Fame (3) 3-1 #7.98. Fourth - 1, Patch The Thatch (2) 2-1fav; 2, Dawn Run (1) 4-1 #9.92. Fifth - 1, Schiehallion (2) 7-2; 2, Carriglea Oak (1) 5-4 #7.88. Sixth - 1, Code Manor (4) 3-1; 2, Gold Louise (1) 9-4 #9.73. Seventh - 1, Aglish Anthony (5) 5-2; 2, Itsonthecards (1) 7-4 #6.94. Eighth - Just Again (1) 6-4 fav, Santa's Phantom (2) 4-1; #7.33. Ninth - Bray Minstrel (4) 5-1, Bubbie (2) 5-2; #17.20.

Ice Hockey

AYR Eagles slipped to sixth place in Superleague after going down 3-2 at home to second-bottom Nottingham Panthers. It was Eagles' second defeat in five league games and will undoubtedly sap confidence on the eve of tomorrow's trip to league pace-setters Bracknell Bees.

Jim Lynch's men were elbowed out of fifth spot by Cardiff Devils, coached by Glasgow-born Paul Heavey, after the Welshmen stormed back from 4-0 down to edge second-top London Knights 6-5.

Elsewhere, reigning Superleague champions Manchester Storm closed to within a point of third-placed Sheffield Steelers thanks to a 3-2 victory in the north-west of England. Results:

Superleague - Cardiff 6, London 5; Ayr 2, Nottingham 3; Manchester 3, Sheffield 2.

SUPERLEAGUE officials yesterday confirmed they were taking no action against Ayr Eagles forward Dino Bauba over an alleged racial abuse towards London Knights recently released player Darren Banks. The gross misconduct has been expunged and the appeal fee returned in full, but the disciplinary committee believe the official who reported the incident acted in good faith.

Meanwhile, Eagles duo Shawn Byram and Cam Bristow suffered mixed fortunes yesterday at the investigation into incidents during last month's match against the Knights. Byram had his gross misconduct penalty cut to a one-game misconduct, but Bristow's five-match misconduct, following an altercation with Banks, still stands.

Motorsport

A 15-year-old Staffordshire convent schoolgirl yesterday made motorsport history by becoming the youngest female ever to hold a full racing licence. Lydia Austen, from Maer Heath, Newcastle-under-Lyme, passed the Association of Racing Drivers Schools test. Two boys, 15-year-old Adam Sharpe, of Bridgewater, Somerset, and Phil Rose, 14 and from Pinner, Middlesex, also passed.

All three took the test as part of the BRSCC T-Cars race programme and are now licensed to drive 100mph T-Cars saloons in the forthcoming 20-race series at circuits such as Brands Hatch, Snetterton, and Donington Park.

Scotland's fastest woman on four wheels, Barbara Armstrong, is planning to launch an assault on the 2001 World Cup Rally. The 34-year-old double British Ladies Champion from Castle Douglas, is lining up either a Peugeot 106 or Nissan Micra.

Swimming

James Hickman last night completed another butterfly double when he added the 100m gold medal to the 200m title he won 24 hours earlier in the final World Cup meet in Malmo.

The 24-year-old from City of Leeds turned fifth at the 50m mark before accelerating past his rivals to win by more than a second in 51.67 seconds, just 0.65sec outside his own European short course record. Canada's Mike Mintenko was second in 52.92sec and Ukrainian Denys Sylantyev third in 53.09sec.

Tennis

Greg Rusedski booked his place in the quarter-finals of the ABN/AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam by beating Belgian Filip Dewulf in a tight second round encounter yesterday.

The Briton took the first set on a tie-break and the second set looked to be going the same way as both players struggled to break serve. However, seventh seed Rusedski's power eventually proved the difference and he finished a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 winner.

Rusedski now faces a quarter-final against either defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov or Frenchman Nicolas Escude. Should he overcome the challenge - and fifth seed Tim Henman see off Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty - the prospect of an all-British semi-final will become reality.