Snooker

Rex Williams has won his battle against a players' revolution to keep his place as head of the sport's world governing body.

Eight leading players, including Stephen Hendry and John Higgins, had tried to overthrow Williams, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), and fellow directors. However, at an extra-ordinary general meeting in Preston yesterday, a resolution to remove the directors was defeated by 38 votes to 34.

Boxing

Willie ''Mighty'' Quinn will take a step-up in class when he meets South African Giovanni Pretorius in Johannesburg on June 30. Announcing his decision to let Quinn meet Pretorius - who fought the then WBC super-middleweight champion Robin Reid last year - Quinn's manager, Alex Morrison, said: ''Willie has stopped his last five opponents and now I feel he is ready for this step-up in class.''

Rowing

George Heriot's School from Edinburgh have overtaken Aber-deen BC at the top of the Scottish Amateur Rowing Association's Development League rankings. Placings:

1, George Heriot's School, 640 points; 2, Aberdeen, 634; 3, Aberdeen University, 453; 4, Strathclyde University, 434; 5, Glasgow University, 420; 6, Edinburgh University, 368; 7, Clydesdale, 342; 8, George Watson's College, 333; 9, Aberdeen Schools, 280; 10, Glasgow, 249.

Bowls

Alex Kelly, who lost out at the district final stage last year, became the first player to qualify for the final stages of the Scottish singles championship at Ayr Northfield on Saturday when he won the district 29 finals at Dalserf, beating Raploch's Scott Bishop 21-7. District 29 results:

Singles - A Kelly (Udston) 21, S Bishop (Raploch) 7. Juniors - J Meikle (Lesmahagow) 21, D Gardiner (Blantyre) 8. Pairs - Eddlewood (G Walker and F Forrest) 17, Uddingston (A and D Mungall) 16. Triples - Whitemoss (J S McCallum, J Jackson and T Watson) 13, Lesmhagow (A Samuel, J Morris and H Meikle) 12. Fours - Eddlewood: (G Thomson, J Docherty, S Allerdyce, S Forrest) 15, Hamilton Caledonian (C Allan, C Fisher, R Thompson, E Feeney) 14 (after extra end.

Cycling

Italy's Marco Pantini won the nineteenth stage of the Giro d'Italia yesterday to increase his overall lead over Russian Pavel Tonkov, who finished second in the 239km race from Cavalese. Italian Giueseppe Guerini finished third.

Golf

STEPHEN McAllister (Charing Cross Tower Hotel) won the Paterson Trading Agency PGA Scottish Region Patrons Club pro-am at Paisley yesterday, when he led the team of Sandy Provan (handicap 10), Douglas Fraser (11) and Stan Kissen (15) to a net 13-under-par 58.

Stephen Gallacher shot a course record eight-under-par 63 in the first round of the KB Challenge at Karlstein, near Prague, in the Czech Republic.

He leads by three strokes from Swedes Andreas Lindberg and Pehr Magnebrant and by four from a group that includes Irishman Francis Howley and former England cap Matthew Blackey.

Gordon Sherry returned 70, while other Scots in the field, Steven Young and John Carnegie, are among a group on level-par 71. Stuart McGregor slipped to a 74.

Athletics

IAN Mackie has been forced to withdraw from the 100 metres in Dortmund on Sunday, but he dismissed Commonwealth Games fears as groundless after a scan yesterday revealed fluid, but no tear, around a knee tendon.

Mackie also confirmed he will chase a #6000 first prize for the three-race Nivea for Men British Sprint Challenge (Bedford, July 5; Gateshead, July 19; and Sheffield, August 2), announced yesterday.

AILEEN McGillivary replaces Alison Curbishley in the 200m for Scotland at Leeds on Sunday, and Hayley Parkinson comes in for Vikki Lawrence.

Swimming

Susan Rolph twice lowered the nine-year-old British record for the 50 metres free-style at the Monaco International meet last night.

Her time of 25.89sec in her semi-final shaved 0.12 off the old mark but an improved time of 25.78 was not enough for victory in the final when American Olympic and world gold medallist Jenny Thompson pipped her to the post.

Rolph was forced to settle for another runners-up spot in the 200m medley behind Canadian Marianne Limpert.

James Hickman and Mark Foster also had to settle for second best, Hickman's 100m butterfly placing adding to the second he gained in Wednesday's 200m event.

Foster, the former holder of the world's fastest time for the 50m butterfly, was narrowly beaten by Australian Geoff Huegill, who took the honours by just 0.18.