Sport Digest

McCusker's final selection followed a series of tryouts held at Forthbank Stadium, Stirling, where around 100 hopefuls were whittled down to the 30 players chosen. Squad:

A Goodfellow, J McCansh, M McCusker, K Pullen, R Templeton, S Summers, A McDermott, D Robertson, J Goodfellow, P Clements, A Mackintosh, A Dempster (all Glasgow Lions); S Cook, S Malcolm, O Rowel l, J Sutherland, D Mooney (all Stirling Broncos); B Patterson, G Hare, S Hare, J Keogh (all EK Pirates); C Bolton, C Campbell, I Moody, B Thomson (all Dundee Storm); J Rickett, M Squire, S Ahmad (all Lothian Raiders); C Duncan (Glasgow Tigers); C Smith (Unattached).

Curling

Scotland's reigning world champion Hammy McMillan from Stranraer formally marked a major milestone for Scottish curling when he threw the first stone in the new curling facilities at the Braehead Centre on the south bank of the Clyde on the boundary between Glasgow and Renfrew yesterday.

Golf

John McTear of Cowglen cantered to a four- shot win with a score of 134 in the Belleisle House Hotel Scottish Seniors Championship yesterday at Ayr.

Leading by a single shot after the first round, McTear, 50, grabbed a further five birdies in his two-under-par round of 69 to widen his lead over Bill Lockie and Jack Steven in second place and take home the first prize of #1250. Leading scores:

134 - J McTear (Cowglen) 65, 69. 138 - W Lockie (Unattached) 66, 72; J Steven (Glasgow) 69, 69. 140 - G Gray (Unattached) 69, 71. 144 - G Goldie (Chingford Golf Range) 72, 72. 145 - I Wright (West Linton) 73,72; F Rennie (Prestwick) 69, 76.

DEESIDE Golf Club pair Catriona Hyland and Lou Nisbet, representing Aberdeenshire, won the Scottish Ladies Golfing Association Commonwealth Spoons Final at King James VI Golf Club, Perth yesterday.

The duo had a net score of 69 off a handicap off 91 and won in a photo-finish with Jennifer Alexander and Jennifer Gough (Dumbartonshire & Argyll). The latter partnership also had a net 69 off 18 and lost out on a countback ovr the last six holes. Leading scores:

C Hyland and L Nisbet (Aberdeenshire) (22) (better last six), J Alexander and J Gough (Dumbartonshire & Argyll) (18) 69; L Lowrie and J Reid (East Lothian) (211/2) (better inward half), S Arbuckle and A Hay (Angus) (71/2) 711/2; A Butterworth and K Home (East Lothian) (17) (better inward half), G Kelly and M Shamash (Galloway Ladies) (18) 72.

Greyhound results

SHAWFIELD: First race - Dimples Emerald (1) 5-4 fav, Braveheart Misty (5) 7-2, #5.49; Second - Sparta Shadow (1) 2-1 fav, Isla Bracken (2) 5-2, #7.00; Third - Gander Lane (5) 7-1, Blue Suede Shoes (4) 5-4, #16.24; Fourth - Knocktosh Miser (4) 4-1, (dead heat) Shades of Fame (2) 5-1 and Harsu Davey (3) 3-1, #11.49 and #7.83; Fifth - Sallagh Bluey (2) 9-4, Carriglea Oak (1) 4-1, #11.18; Sixth -Binkys Dream (3) 7-4 fav, Slave Gale (1) 5-2, #6.06; Seventh - Longvalley Rocky (4) 3-1, Ideal Peace (1) 9-4, #9.73; Eighth - Muirpark Mario (4) 5-1; Kilpatrick Alert (1) 2-1 #14.84; Ninth - Tally Ho Robin (4) 5-2 jnt fav; Fortis Comet (1) 5-2 #8.80.

Hockey

MIM Edinburgh RHG will this weekend shuffle their side that won well at Watsonians last week after the Scottish Hockey Union gave Anthony Farry the all-clear to make his debut.

The Australian player-coach will make his long-awaited first appearance at the heart of the side's midfield in Saturday's clash against Dundee-based Menzieshill.

Motorsport

Ford are poised to confirm that Carlos Sainz will partner Lanark's Colin McRae in a dual assault on next year's World Rally Championship in matching Ford Focus World Rally Cars.

Ford will match the #6m deal the 31-year-old Scot currently enjoys to lure the double world champion for 2000. Sainz, title holder in 1990 and 1992, is looking for a new drive after current employer Toyota announced it will not contest the series next year, choosing instead to concentrate on Formula One.

Sports Awards

Six sportsmen and women, including under- 23 Great Britain 800m international Alastair Donaldson, from Inverkeithing, have received the top amount of #1000 in the latest 25 awards from the Scottish Sports Aid Foundation announced yesterday.

Young 400m prospect Craig Erskine (Lochgelly), high jumper Tony Gilhooley (Erskine), 800m runner Jennifer Ward, who has just had a heel operation, British junior judo champion Lindsay Sorrell (Alexandria), and orienteer Andy Kitchin (Edinburgh) also receive awards.

The first-ever award of #500 for women's football goes to Michelle Barr (Shotts), the same as two members of the Scottish team at present at the World netball championships in New Zealand, schoolgirl Lorna Paisley (Airdrie), and Gail Higgins (Paisley).

Tennis

Home favourite Tommy Haas knocked world No.1 Andre Agassi out of the Grand Slam Cup yesterday with a 6-0, 6-7 (7-2), 6-4 win in Munich. The 21-year-old German, now the world No.11, cruised through the first set before the American pulled level after winning a second set tie-break.

Each failed to hold serve in the first two games of the final set, but Haas broke the French and US Open champion in the seventh game before rolling to victory. Haas, now guaranteed #200,000 in prize money, faces either Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador or Sweden's Thomas Enqvist in the semi-finals.

Venus Williams comfortably passed the threat of Austrian Barbara Schett to reach the semi-finals of the women's event. The 19-year-old American, ranked three in the world, triumphed 6-3, 6-4 in 71 minutes.

Williams now faces No.1 Martina Hingis in a repeat of last year's final.

A fiery-tempered Nicola Payne lost out in yesterday's quarter finals of the LTA Satellite Tournament in Glasgow.

The Tayport 22-year-old lost her temper at vital points and was beaten 6-1, 6-7 (7-4), 2-6 by Indian second seed Manisha Malhotra, who defeated Payne in last week's final in Sunderland.

Glasgow's Elena Baltacha was bundled out by 15-year-old British junior team-mate Alice Barnes 6-2, 6-1.

However, there was good news for the Scots as Paisley's Alan Mackin won through to the men's quarter-finals, beating British World Junior Cup-winning team-mate Simon Dickson for the first time 6-4, 6-2.

Athletics

Sri Chinmoy two mile road race, The Meadows, Edinburgh. 1, T Ellacott (City of Edinburgh) 9mins 37sec; 2, K Rankine (Falkirk Victoria Harriers, veteran) 9-45; 3, G Brown (Hunters Bog Trotters) 10-03. Women - 1, H Parkinson-Ovens (Edinburgh Woollen Mill) 11-20; 2, D Murray (City of Edinburgh, under-20) 12-23; 3, A Wood (City of Edinburgh, veteran) 14-11.

King's Building four-mile handicap, Edinburgh. 1, G Ackland (Livingston & District) 21mins 54sec; 2, K Weston (Ferranti, veteran) 24-30. Handicap winner, M Pritchard (Carnethy) 25-19.