Curling

THE Bank of Scotland Scottish junior men's team skipped by James Dryburgh overcame the challenge of USA's Travis Way from Seattle by 6-4 in the third draw of the Karcher World Junior Championships yesterday.

On very keen but tricky ice the decisive stone was played by Dryburgh in the eighth end. Faced with a US stone in the centre of the house nearly frozen to a Scottish stone, he played a perfect ``pick'' to lie two and a 6-3 advantage. The Scots later today will play Italy.

Results: Men's draw three - Germany 4, Sweden 3; Japan 10, Italy 8; Scotland 6 USA 4; Canada 7, Norway 5; Switzerland 9, Denmark 6. Rankings - Germany, Switzerland 3-0; Norway, Scotland, Japan, USA 2-1; Canada 1-2; Denmark, Italy, Sweden 0-3.

Meanwhile, the junior women's team skipped by Julia Ewart lost their second game, to Germany's Gerrit Muller, yesterday afternoon.

Earlier, the Scots played Camilla Clausen's Norway - and ran out winners 11-1 after six ends. Ewart now plays the undefeated Swedes and a win is essential.

Women's draw three - Sweden 8, Norway 5; Switzerland 8, Japan 4; Germany 6, Scotland 5; Denmark 8, France 6; Canada 8, USA 1. Draw four - Canada 8, Denmark 3; Scotland 11, Norway 1; Sweden 11, Japan 3; Switzerland 9, Germany 2; France 11, USA 8.

Rankings: Canada, Sweden 4-0; Switzerland 3-1; Germany, Scotland, Japan, Denmark 2-2; France 1-3; Norway, USA 0-4.

Golf

NICK Faldo will make his first European appearance of the season at the #700,000 Benson and Hedges International Open at The Oxfordshire on May 16 to 19.

GLASGOW University lost their annual challenge match against a strong East Renfrewshire team which included internationalist Craig Watson, former Walker Cup man Paul McKellar and youth cap David Orr. The match, played at East Renfrewshire, was won 7!s-1!s by the host club.

Squash

SCOTLAND'S Peter Nicol was yesterday named No.4 seed and drawn to meet England's world No.27, Paul Johnson, in the first round of the Leekes British Open Squash Championships in Cardiff from April 1 to 7. Scottish women's champion Senga Macfie will open against South African No.11 seed, Claire Nitch.

Rowing

A CREW from St Andrews University won the women's novice fours event at the Clydesdale Fours Head of the River Race at the weekend, and not the similarly named St Andrew BC of Edinburgh, as published in the results. The St Andrews students pulled off a double, with victory in both men's and women's novice categories.

Rugby

PETER Wheeler, the leading figure in English club rugby, yesterday resigned as chairman of English First Division Rugby Ltd. The Leicester president and former England hooker denied that his decision had been caused by any rift within the organisation, saying that EFDR's constitution insisted upon an independent chairman. But he did admit to concern over the slow pace of change within the English game.

TWO island clubs, Arran and Mull, have been drawn at home for the first round of the Glasgow and District League's new cup competition on Saturday. Glasgow University visit Arran whereas Strathclyde Police go to Mull.

Bute, the other island club in the league, earned a bye into the second round by finishing third in the first division, behind Helensburgh, the district champions, and Newton Stewart. Oban Lorne and Birkmyre, the top two in the second division, also have byes.

Ties will be played on five successive Saturdays apart from April 6, with the final on April 20. First-round draw:

Strathclyde University v ROSSC Bishopton, Strathaven v Strathendrick, Arran v Glasgow University, Bearsden v Cowal, McLaren FP v Vale of Leven, Dumbarton v Mid-Argyll, Clydesdale v Craigielea, Mull v Strathclyde Police, Shawlands v Carrick, Uddingston v Linwood, St Mungo Turnbull v Kintyre.

THE South Edinburgh Rugby Initiative, a programme run by Lismore RFC and Lothian Regional Council rugby development officer Richie Dixon to promote the game in the state education sector, was given a boost yesterday with the presentation of two sets of kit by Canterbury of New Zealand and their Scottish team-wear distributors, Sports Warehouse, Edinburgh.

Cricket

WEST of Scotland have snapped up Australian Jason Arnberger for the new season, and captain Colin Mair is banking on the 23-year-old batsman to repeat the form which helped the Hamilton Crescent side to their last Western Union title five years ago.

Snooker

ALAN McManus beat Neil Foulds 5-2 yesterday on the opening day of the #230,000 Singha Thailand Open in Bangkok. However, Jamie Burnett and Billy Snaddon travelled 6000 miles only to return home after losses respectively 5-1 to Jimmy White and 5-0 to David Roe.

Billiards

FORMER world snooker champion Alex Higgins failed to appear for his world matchplay championship first-round match with fellow Irishman John McIntyre in Ballymena yesterday.

McIntyre received a walkover into round two after Higgins' manager Doug Perry faxed the organisers to say his player was ``unfit to take part'' because he was suffering from ``complete exhaustion''.

Mike Russell opened his defence of the title with a 4-0 victory over Russia's only professional, Ashot Potikyan.

Greyhounds

SHAWFIELD results: First race - Derryveagh Rose (5) 3-1; Bogus Doctor (3) 2-1; #8.90. Second - Outland Rocket (5) 3-1; Myross Minella (2) 6-4; #7.44. NR: Road Runner. Third - Durless Dart (3) 7-4 fav; Persian Glory (1) 9-4; #5.58. Fourth - Flagfield Corn (2) 3-1; Ginger Slim (3) 3-1; #11.78. Fifth - Leslies Supreme (1) 5-2; Forgotten Lass (5) 9-4; #8.09. Sixth - Buckfast Annie (4) 5-2 jt fav; Nigella Flash (2) 3-1; #9.92. Seventh - Courtlough Queen (3) 5-2; Tilehurst Bog (1) 2-1; #7.45. Eighth - I'll Be Famous (3) 7-4 fav; Cottesloe Again (1) 9-4; #5.58. Ninth - Boley Luck (2) 3-1; Ever So Bonnie (5) 3-1; #11.78.