Rugby

Australian rugby union chief executive John O'Neill insisted yesterday that under-fire Louis Luyt would resign as president of the South African Rugby Football Union and revealed that the Tri-Nations series would not be affected.

Luyt refused to resign as president of SARFU on Thursday after its executive demanded his resignation in a meeting ahead of the series between Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. O'Neill said Luyt only survived on a technicality and he expected that to be overcome when South African officials reconvene and vote again in a fortnight.

South Africa's National Sports Council has accused SARFU of failing to draw blacks into the game and is likely to call on other nations to boycott South Africa following Luyt's refusal to quit.

O'Neill said some positives did come out of the SARFU meeting, including a resolution to support an independent inquiry into South African rugby and to appoint an independent chairman to oversee it.

Speedway

BERWICK Bandits who meet reigning champions Reading Racers in their opening Premier League meeting at Shielfield Park tonight have signed Richard Emson from Hull.

He last rode for Berwick two years ago in the Conference League and his comeback will depend on his current grasstrack racing commitments.

Athletics

PROMS 3km road race, Aberdeen. Men - 1, R Arbuckle (Keith & District) 8mins 47secs; 2, C O'Brien (Aberdeen AAC) 8-50; 3, F Barton (Keith & District) 8-55; veteran - R Taylor (Metro) 9-10.

Women - 1, C Miller (Aberdeen University) 11-01; 2, B Comerford (Fleet Feet) 11-03; 3, K Miles (Ellon) 11-22; veteran - C Mouat (Aberdeen AAC) 11-39.

Dingwall's Dave Barnetson (Inverness Harriers) hopes to be fit to defend his North of Scotland high jump title at Inverness tomorrow having recovered from a knee injury picked up during recent warm weather training in South Africa.

Barnetson, who cleared a Scottish native record of 2.20 metres last season, is out to clinch his place in the Scottish Commonwealth Games team.

Athletes Jennifer Ward (Dunfermline) and Gillian Black (Paisley) have both been awarded #1000 Robertson Bursaries from the Scottish Sports Aid Foundation.

Other Robertson Trust bursaries have gone to cyclist Elliot Campbell (Lockerbie), judo player Steven Vidler (Whitburn) and water-skier Jakalyn Hunter (Lasswade).

Judo

Scottish judo are celebrating coming up in the Lottery.

They were chosen yesterday to be the first sport to appoint a full-time national coach funded by the National Lottery, thanks to an offer to the Scottish Judo Federation of #165,300 from the Scottish Sports Council's Lottery Sport Fund. Other sports hope to announce similar appointments soon including athletics and badminton.

The judo coach will work daily with top Scottish players to ensure that Scots continue to perform well at international level.

Scottish judo has been extremely successful in recent years, picking up 11 medals including four gold at the recent Commonwealth Championships in Edinburgh.

Three Scots, Joyce Heron, David Somerville and Graeme Randall are in the British team for next week's European Championships in Madrid.

Basketball

Dunfermline's Barry Pringle has been called in to replace former Inverness star Alastair Rae (St Mirren) in the Scottish team for the Four Countries Men's Under-23 Championship in Ware, Herts from May 15 to 17.

Another St Mirren player Ike Attah, who was born in England, was not considered as his international status had not been clarified. But two more English-born players, James Steele (Dunfermline Reign) and Nick Compton (Falkirk Fury), have been cleared to play. The big surprise is the absence of any Glasgow Sports Division players.

The team is: K Bunyan, N Compton, M Pawlak (all Falkirk Fury); C Flockhart, P Gilzean, R Szifris) (all Edinburgh Burger Kings); B Cosgrove, N Dickson, (both Midlothian Bulls); B Pringle, J Steele (both Dunfermline Reign); coach: T Szifris (Edinburgh Burg er Kings); assistant: J Bunyan (Falkirk Fury).

Motorsport

Indycar driver Dario Franchitti, in Brazil for the latest round of the CART FedEx Championship, tackles his first race since he walked away from the 170mph crash which ended his challenge at Nazareth 10 days ago.

''It's time I won a race,'' said the 24-year-old Scot, whose current career best is a second-place, ''and there would be no better place to do it than in the homeland of my hero, Ayrton Senna.''

Franchitti's memories of the Rio circuit are limited: he qualified a distant nineteenth then got caught in an incident on the race start and never actually got past the start/finish line.

Brian Lyall aims to extend his unbeaten run when he tackles today's Steyr-Puch Manx National Rally on the Isle of Man.

However, the Aberdonian faces a severe test from Glasgow's John Bennie who, along with driver Marcus Dodd, will give Ford's Puma 4x4 Evolution its world debut.

Any plans World Rally Championship leader Colin McRae, fresh from his win in Corsica earlier this week, may have had for a short summer break disappeared yesterday when his Subaru team named him in their drivers to contest the 555 China Rally.

The Asian event takes place on June 19-22 and while the rest of McRae's contenders for the world title combine rest with testing, the Scot will be defending the event he won 12 months ago.

Tennis

Jo Ward's run at the women's Challenger tournament in Cardiff came to an end at the quarter-finals when she was beaten by Anna Smashnova of Israel yesterday.

Ward, the British No.5 and the last home survivor, succumbed 7-5 6-0.

Speedway

Premier League - Edinburgh Monarchs 45, Reading Racers 44.

Greyhounds

SHAWFIELD results. First race - Ball of Wind (3) 5-2; Frightful Lady (2) 3-1; #9.92. Second - Hunter Valley (2) 3-1; Hawkeye Lad (4) 6-4; #7.44. Third - Mini Shant Girl (3) 4-1; Cronody Aine (4) 9-4; #12.67. Fourth - Ace Performer (2) 3-1; Bulgaden Jill (1) 7-2; #13.20. Fifth - Marys Supreme (1) 7-4 jt fav; Thats Suzy (5) 4-1; #8.51. Sixth - Storm Hail Girl (5) 5-1; Rainy Day Sally (3) 9-4; #15.68. Seventh - Beyond Our Ken (5) 4-1; Thistle Do (1) 6-4; #9.82. Eighth - Brains One (5) 4-1; Trump Card (1) 5-4; #8.86. Ninth - Rainy Day Sail (5) 3-1; Jackos Toll (3) 3-1; #11.78.