Sporting Digest

PETER Stanley, who coached world record holder Jonathan Edwards to Olympic triple jump glory, has been tasked with boosting the standard of jumping in Scotland.

Stanley, who also coaches British long jump record holder Chris Tomlinson, has been confirmed as the lead coach for horizontal jumps within the new Bank of Scotland National Development Programme structure. He is the latest appointment announced after Terry Lomax, the UK performance high jump coach, was confirmed as the technical lead for the programme. Darren Ritchie, event manager for jumps and combined events said: "It is great to have two of the leading jumps coaches in Britain working with Scotland's athletes and coaches, improving the strength and depth of developing performances in the respective events."

KELLY Sotherton has accepted an invitation to compete in the pentathlon at next year's European Indoor Championships in Turin. Sotherton, beaten to the gold medal on the last two occasions by Carolina Kluft, has the opportunity to lift the title in March with the Swede now competing as a long jumper. However given the extremely high European standards – the continent produced seven of the top 10 finishers in the Olympic heptathlon – it will still be a tough task. The biggest headache for Sotherton will be if Natalya Dobrynska, who was the surprise winner in Beijing, also decides to compete as the Ukrainian is currently undecided. UK Athletics have also accepted invitations on behalf of the Norwich Union GB men and women's 4x400m teams to take part at the championships.BASKETBALL

SCOTTISH Rocks forward Marc Pratt has a point to prove to Cheshire Jets tomorrow but he insists there will be nothing personal if he helps pile pressure on the Northgate outfit. The Londoner failed to make an impact with Cheshire last term but has flourished since arriving in Glasgow in the summer. And with the Rocks desperate to keep up with BBL title rivals Everton, Pratt has no plans to show any seasonal cheer to the third from bottom Jets. He said: "I am a little bit surprised they've struggled because they have great players, veteran players, so they should be a strong team. Then again, I know how they play and there are certain things this year that are different to last year. So maybe it's not quite gone their way so far." Rocks guard Blake Shelton is expected to shake off an ankle injury to take his place in the line-up.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: Orlando Magic 90 San Antonio Spurs 78, Portland Trail Blazers 124 Phoenix Suns 119.BADMINTON

GLASGOW's Imogen Bankier and Edinburgh-born Robert Blair lost all three matches in a disappointing end to the year at the World Super Series Masters Finals in Malaysia. Seeded fourth, the British couple lost all hope of a semi-final place when they lost 17-21 15-21 in the final group A match to Indonesia's No 7 seeds, Flandy Limpele and Vita Marissa. But it has still been a great first full year for the British pair. They are currently ranked No 8 in the world and it won't be long before they are back in action. The first two Super Series events of 2009 take place in South Korea and Malaysia next month. CRICKET

First Test (Perth): Australia 375 (S M Katich 83, M J Clarke 62, A Symonds 57, M Ntini 4-72) & 228-7 v South Africa 281 (A B de Villiers 63, J H Kallis 63, M G Johnson 8-61).

Second Test (Mohali): India 179-1 (G Gambhir 106 no, R Dravid 65 no) v England.

Second Test (Napier): West Indies 258-6 (S Chanderpaul 100 no, B P Nash 74) v New Zealand.CYCLING

SCOTLAND'S Evan Oliphant finished second in the latest round of the Victoria Park Criterium Series in Ballarat, Australia. The 26-year-old, who will again ride for the Plowman Craven team next season, flew out after the recent World Cup in Manchester for several months of warm weather training. He made his mark in the series, finishing runner-up on his first outing then winning next time out. He looked set to repeat that success in this week's race before being edged out by local rider Pat Shaw.GOLF

EUROPEAN TOUR SA OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP Pearl Valley Golf Estates, Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa (Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72): 132 M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 67 65, 134 D McGrane 70 64, C Schwartzel (Rsa) 69 65, E Els (Rsa) 67 67, L Westwood 66 68, 135 T Aiken (Rsa) 71 64, G Maybin 66 69, D Horsey 70 65, 136 L Mattiace (USA) 70 66, F Zanotti (Par) 64 72, K Horne (Rsa) 66 70, B Grace (Rsa) 69 67, R Goosen (Rsa) 70 66, M Hoey 70 66, R McGowan 66 70, 137 M Wiegele (Aut) 69 68, R Sabbatini (Rsa) 66 71, C Wood 68 69, J Van Zyl (Rsa) 66 71, C Del Moral (Spa) 69 68, G Coetzee (Rsa) 69 68, 138 R McIlroy 70 68, J Mellor 70 68, R Ramsay 66 72, A Nilsson (Rsa) 66 72, A Da Silva (Bra) 70 68, 139 R Finch 69 70, O Henningsson (Swe) 65 74, T Fisher Jnr (Rsa) 72 67, 140 M Bremner (Rsa) 71 69, H Otto (Rsa) 68 72, J Huldahl (Den) 69 71, J Roos (Rsa) 70 70, S Dyson 67 73, D Frost (Rsa) 68 72, M A Carlsson (Swe) 70 70, L Slattery 68 72, T Immelman (Rsa) 69 71, A Ahokas (Fin) 71 69, C Mccaulay 71 69, M Jonzon (Swe) 70 70, P Karmis (Rsa) 69 71, T Clark (Rsa) 67 73, 141 P Sjoland (Swe) 72 69, G Mulroy (Rsa) 70 71, D Clarke 74 67, D Fichardt (Rsa) 67 74, G Lockerbie 72 69, A Ford (Rsa) 70 71, D Fourie (Rsa) 70 71, B Wiesberger (Aut) 72 69, R Sterne (Rsa) 72 69, H Stenson (Swe) 70 71, 142 J Sandelin (Swe) 72 70, E Goya (Arg) 70 72, L Oosthuizen (Rsa) 69 73, P Edberg (Swe) 71 71, J Edfors (Swe) 72 70, P Hanson (Swe) 74 68, M Ruiz (Par) 69 73, D Drysdale 74 68, C Basson (Rsa) 73 69, A Tadini (Ita) 68 74, 143 S Basson (Rsa) 72 71, M Erlandsson (Swe) 74 69, A McLean 71 72, A Coltart 71 72, B Hafthorsson (Ice) 71 72, A Pistorius (Rsa) 68 75, W Besseling (Ned) 75 68, J Rose 69 74, T Ferreira (Rsa) 74 69, G Murphy 72 71, T Van Aswegen (Rsa) 72 71, A Canete (Arg) 73 70, R Cabrera Bello (Spa) 69 74. Selected missed cut: 144 U Van Den Berg (Rsa) 74 70, A Haig (Rsa) 70 74, R Dinwiddie 73 71, S Drummond 71 73, G Veenstra (Rsa) 73 71, T Charamba (Zim) 75 69, B Vaughan (Rsa) 72 72, D Lynn 71 73, S Walker 75 69, G Muller (Rsa) 72 72, W Abery (Rsa) 70 74, M Foster 71 73, J Kamte (Rsa) 68 76, N Schietekat (Rsa) 72 72 145 A Haindl (Rsa) 71 74, A Cruse (Rsa) 72 73, D Frittelli (Rsa) 73 72, B Davison (Rsa) 75 70, A Michell (Rsa) 70 75, M Cayeux (Zim) 72 73, A Snobeck (Fra) 71 74, C Doak 72 73.

PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA QUALIFYING SCHOOL FINAL STAGE Peninsula Country Golf Club, South Course, Frankston, Victoria, Australia (Aus unless stated, Par 72): 280 A Tschudin 69 69 67 75, 282 M McGrath 70 70 69 73, 284 R Gallichan 72 72 69 71, M Moore 73 70 70 71, J King 67 71 72 74, E Stedman 70 73 69 72, 285 T Prowse 72 69 74 70, 286 P Cooke 69 74 69 74, 287 R Bezuidenhout 73 68 70 76, T Stewart 69 70 67 81, 288 J Carr 76 69 71 72, S Brazel 71 73 70 74, 289 J Carmichael (Nzl) 78 70 69 72, G Scott 73 75 69 72, R Moir 70 73 72 74, L Lyle 72 70 73 74, 290 T Nicholson (Nzl) 76 72 71 71, M Doyle 73 74 69 74, M Cain 71 72 72 75, J Pender (Nzl) 70 71 72 77, 291 M Light 74 71 75 71, A Wilcox 70 71 77 73, N Cullen 71 76 67 77, 292 R Blizard 72 76 70 74, D Jordon 72 74 71 75, D Harris 72 69 74 77, J Younger 71 71 72 78, N Uebergang 70 71 72 79, 293 A Pike 70 77 75 71, H Robertson (Nzl) 73 68 79 73, D Morrison 72 75 72 74, V Sexton-Finck 76 70 72 75, F Power 72 72 72 77, C Downes 76 67 73 77, J Nilsson (Swe) 73 71 71 78.

ASIAN TOUR VOLVO MASTERS OF ASIA Thai Country Club, Bangkok, Thailand (Par: 72) 135 Lam Chih B (Sin) 69 66, 137 C Nirat (Tha) 71 66, M Brown (Aus) 70 67, A Lascuna (Phi) 70 67, M Both (Aus) 69 68, 138 C Plaphol (Tha) 71 67, L Wen-Tang (Tpe) 68 70, 139 P Marksaeng (Tha) 74 65, 140 S Griffiths (Eng) 72 68, Kim K-T (Kor) 72 68, R Davies (Wal) 72 68, G Ghei (Ind) 70 70, H Buhrmann (Rsa) 69 71, N Basic (Aus) 66 74, A Blyth (Aus) 68 72, 141 R Kulacz (Aus) 72 69, 142 M Brown (Nzl) 72 70, T Wiratchant (Tha) 71 71, D Chia (Mal) 71 71, A Dodt (Aus) 70 72, 143 J Randhawa (Ind) 73 70, Lu W-C (Tpe) 72 71, I Steel (Mal) 72 71, S Hend (Aus) 72 71, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 71 72, M Mamat (Sin) 70 73, 144 J Knutzon (USA) 74 70, T Oh (Kor) 73 71, Mo J-K (Kor) 73 71, D Gleeson (Aus) 72 72, C Phadungsil (Tha) 72 72, J Pagunsan (Phi) 72 72, SSP Chowrasia (Ind) 71 73, G Bhullar (Ind) 72 72, S Kapur (Ind) 71 73, T Carolan (Aus) 69 75, 145 K Ichihara (Jpn) 75 70, M Pucay (Phi) 74 71, Wang T-C (Tpe) 72 73, D Chand (Fij) 71 74, 146 J Milkha Singh (Ind) 76 70, Noh S-Y (Kor) 76 70, Bae S-M (Kor) 74 72, S Barr (Aus) 74 72, K Webber (Aus) 72 74, A Que (Phi) 72 74, D Bransdon (Aus) 72 74, G Flint (Aus) 70 76, 147 Ye J-F (Chn) 75 72, D Beck (Aus) 74 73, A Murakami (Phi) 74 73, T Jaidee (Tha) 73 74, Zhang L-W (Chn) 73 74, Lu W-T (Tpe) 72 75, 148 D Singh (Ind) 75 73, 149 S Srisanga (Tha) 75 74, U Park (Aus) 75 74, P Meesawat (Tha) 74 75, V Sripattranusorn (Tha) 74 75, C Rodgers (Eng) 72 77, 150 T Kiyota (Jpn) 75 75, F Aunzo (Phi) 75 75, R Khan (Ind) 72 78, 151 B Leong (Mal) 75 76, 152 A Kang (USA) 79 73, R Bakshi (Ind) 76 76, 153 P Naewsuk (Tha) 75 78, G Van Der Valk (Ned) 74 79.GRIDIRON

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: Jacksonville Jaguars 24 Indianapolis Colts 31.HOCKEY

SCOTLAND's indoor squads are limbering up for next month's European excursions at a tri-nations tournament with England and Australia in Southampton this weekend. Gordon Shepherd, Scotland's women's coach, is aware of the challenge ahead. "England will be tough on their own patch and it's good they are getting back into the indoor scene internationally. Also, I know the Australian coach and he will certainly have prepared his squad very well. My targets are to introduce some of the best under-21 players onto the international stage. I hope these youngsters can take on board what is asked of them and that by the time we finish the weekend we'll be a better team for it." There is a need to toughen up the under-21 squad for the forthcoming Junior European Trophy in Portugal next month. The best of them will also be needed for the crucial European Senior Championships in 2010.

So there are places in the Southampton squad for the likes of Amy Brodie (CALA Edinburgh), Rosanna Innes (Sunderland and Newcastle University), Kay Bartlett (Milne Craig Western), Sophie McIntyre (Bonagrass Grove) and Isobel Rosie (Bristol City Firebrands). Shepherd's charges start this year's campaign against the Wallabies this morning, followed by the English in the late afternoon, with another pair of matches tomorrow. The men, under new coach and triple Olympian Russell Garcia, have a similar combination of youth and experience, and will also play twice against each country. Inverleith, who have taken over second spot in the league, are rewarded with youngsters Chris Grassick, Callum Duke, Fraser Hirst and Callum Milne given the opportunity to cut their teeth at senior level. Also included is Beijing Olympian Stephen Dick, who will act as playmaker and mentor to his youthful club-mates. ICE HOCKEY

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

Atlanta Thrashers 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 6, Boston Bruins 8 Toronto Maple Leafs 5, Carolina Hurricanes 2 Florida Panthers 1 (OT), Dallas Stars 6 Columbus Blue Jackets 5 (SO), Detroit Red Wings 6 San Jose Sharks 0, Montreal Canadiens 5 Philadelphia Flyers 2, Phoenix Coyotes 2 Nashville Predators 1, Tampa Bay Lightning 1 Colorado Avalanche 2 (SO), Washington Capitals 4 St Louis Blues 2SAILING

A FELLOW competitor came to the assistance yesterday of injured Vendee Globe sailor Yann Elies, hurling water and medicine aboard his yacht. Marc Guillemot told France's RTL radio that he sailed past Elies' stern and talked to him. Elies fractured his leg while working on deck. The Australian Navy has sent a frigate, HMAS Arunta, to rescue the French sailor. It left Fremantle on Australia's west coast early yesterday and is expected to reach the yacht Generali tomorrow, although rough weather and bad seas could slow the expected 800-mile trip. Guillemot, skippering Safran, said conditions were rough, with 8-metre (26-foot) waves. "There are a lot of waves and wind. I passed very close to his stern and threw a bottle of water and some medicines, aiming for inside his cabin so he could catch them without moving," Guillemot said. "The conditions are difficult, knowing there's a guy suffering next to you is really tough. But I was able to speak to him and that was very comforting for him." The Australian frigate responded to calls from Australian Search and Rescue, which was contacted by race organisers late on Thursday, less than seven hours before Arunta set sail. The ship is carrying a doctor and has a helicopter. The race doctor, Jean-Yves Chauve, said Elies had a suspected broken femur. He was resting in his bunk at the chart table, but with the violent motion of the boat, has so far been unable to reach his medicine kit for painkillers. "Not surprisingly he can't find the nerve to move a few metres across the cabin sole (floor), which is obviously being jolted about every which way by the sea state. However, he desperately needs to get to the medication both physically and mentally now as he's in so much pain," race organisers said. The Vendee, a single-handed race for men and women without any stopovers, set off from Les Sables d'Olonne on 9 November.SKIING

WERNER Heel overcame gusting conditions to become the first Italian to win the Val Gardena World Cup Super-G on home snow. Heel, winner of a downhill in Kvitfjell last season, skied a perfect race in 1 min 35.04 seconds and the 26-year-old could not be caught by the leading favourites as high winds swept the Saslong course. Swiss Didier Defago was second, finishing 0.43 seconds behind Heel. Sweden's Patrik Jaerbyn took third place, 0.02 seconds behind Defago, only the third time the 39-year-old has finished in a podium place in 16 years competing on the circuit.

SWEDEN'S Anja Paerson grabbed her first race win of the season in a World Cup super-combined at St Moritz. The Swede dominated the morning's Super-G leg and outclassed most of the opposition in the afternoon's slalom to secure her 39th World Cup victory in a combined time of 1 min 41.87 seconds. Last season, the traditional St Moritz weekend had been successful for Paerson, who bagged two of her three World Cup victories of the winter in a Super-G and a downhill on the same piste. Thanks to a brilliant slalom leg, Nicole Hosp fought back from 17th in the morning to take second place, a huge 1.12 seconds behind Paerson.SQUASH

SCOTTISH NATIONAL LEAGUE

Milngavie & Bearsden 4 Aberdeen II 0 (16-0pts), Glasgow Western 1 Aberdeen 3 (7-13), Newlands 0 Aberdeen 4 (4-16), Glasgow Western 0 Milnagvie & Bearsden 4 (1-16), Newlands 3 Glasgow Westren 1 (13-4), Aberdeen 0 Milngavie & Bearsden (4-16). Present Positions (mid-season): 1 Milnagvie & Bearsden 76pts; 2 Aberdeen 53; 3 Newlands 45; 4 Edinburgh Sports Club 40; 5 Aberdeen II 29; 6 Glasgow Western 27.TABLE TENNIS

GAVIN Rumgay and Corinna Whitaker, the Scottish No1's both from Perth, lead the invitation entry list for the first Andy Fleming Memorial Scotland Top 12 Tournament at Drumchapel, Glasgow today. The line-up includes all the top juniors with only No6 Kenny Lindsay (Glenrothes) missing from the men's rankings.TENNIS

ELENA Baltacha, Scottish No1 and British No3 from Paisley, is in the Great Britain women's quartet for the Europe Africa Zone group one Federation Cup team in Estonia in February. Baltacha is joined in the team by British No1 Anne Keothavong, Mel South and Sarah Borwell for the 15-team event.

ALICE Keddie, the World No243 and Scottish 12 and under champion from Arbroath, went down to the second seeds in both the singles and doubles finals at the Tennis Europe 14 and Under Junior Tour in Wrexham yesterday. Keddie lost the singles 6-2,6-1 to Beth Askew (Lancs), who is ranked in the top 100 in the world, and the Scottish wild card suffered a doubles defeat with partner Hariet Dart (Middx), losing 7-5, 6-1 to Elise Mertens and Michelle Werbrouck of Belgium. Euan McIntosh, the only other Scottish wild card from Edinburgh, who won the consolation singles, and Ryan Frankel (Dorset) went down in the doubles final 3-6,6-3,6-4 to second seeds Clement Geens of Belgium and Boris Savransky of Israel.

14 & U WREXHAM OPEN INTERNATIONAL Wrexham, Wales

Boy's Singles

Final: (3) C Geens (Bel) bt S Manji (Gbr) 6-1 6-4.

Girl's Singles

Final: (2) B Askew (Gbr) bt A Keddie (Gbr) 6-2 6-1.

JOANNA Henderson, the 17-32 seed British No3 from Aberdeen, who is the first Scots qualifier since Andy Murray seven years ago, went down 6-4,6-2 to unseeded American local Sachia Vickery in the second round 64 at the 47th Orange Bowl 14 and Under Junior International in Miami, Florida.