Basketball: Auld Enemy net a double

SCOTLAND lost both of their two basketball challenge games against England in Worcester at the weekend.

Teesside Mohawks clubmates Ike Attah and Steve Leven both scored 14 points for the Scots in their 67-57 defeat to a much bigger English side on Saturday. Scotland lost point guard Laurie Costello (Edinburgh Kings) to a knee injury in the second quarter and Costello was unable to play at all in yesterday's game which England won 72-59.

But clubmate Garreth Lodge did well to shoulder the main burden of ball-handling against an aggressive England outfit.

In the second game Leven added another 19 and Daniel Donnelly (Troon) had 12 for the Scots who open their Euro C Championship against Denmark in Malta a week today.

"It's been a terrific weekend's preparation for us as England came out really fired up for the second game after we gave them a real fright in the first game by getting it back to four points," said Scotland assistant coach Bob Taft.

Edinburgh Kool Kat Rose Anderson took six rebounds for Great Britain who went down narrowly 64-61 to Bulgaria in Pravets.

Without Anderson, Scotland women were opening their Euro C Campaign in Yerevan, Armenia today against Malta after a 22-hour journey.

Scotland's Australian coach Trudi Hopgood is going with only ten players and no coaching support after assistant coach Graham Gunn resigned last week.