THE WELSH giant Derwyn Jones is ready to turn his back on his country to begin a new career – in France. Ladbrokes rate them a 3-1 chance to triumph at Wembley, so the 9-2 on offer with Stanley looks healthy.FA CUP 6TH ROUND REPLAYC H L S TChelsea 5-4 5-4 11-8 6-4 6-5Draw 7-4 9-4 2-1 11-5 11-5Man Utd 9-4 7-4 7-4 6-4 15-8Stamford Bridge, tomorrow. Newcastle, having found their scoring touch, are as short as 11-4 with Stanley but they will not face a side as weak as Everton again in the competition and even the 4-1 generally on offer looks mean. Better to stick with the Cup specialists Tottenham, who must eliminate Barnsley at Oakwell in their postponed sixth-round tie and then Newcastle in the semi-final. Barnsley, at 40-1, are the only team deemed less likely to lift the Cup.

The extent of United’s difficulties is emphasised by their price of 9- 4, with Coral, to triumph in Wednesday’s replay at Stamford Bridge. The attractive bet there, given how closely matched the two sides are and their unwillingness to give anything away in defence, may be the 90-minute draw at 9-4 with William Hill.
With a semi-final against Arsenal looming for whoever progresses, the other side of the draw looks a more attractive proposition for finding the Cup winners. Without their leading goalscorer, Jim Mosely, who broke his nose last week, Fareham struggled after Tom Miller’s opening goal in 24 seconds. Woking’s equaliser came from a Mark Robinson penalty corner shot in the 52nd minute.. IT IS a rare occurrence to find Manchester United at odds of 5-1 to win a six-runner race, yet Ladbrokes have the Premiership leaders at that price to win the FA Cup after their failure to dispatch Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday. With their programme complete they must now hang on for a week to await the result of Fareham’s rearranged fixture at High Wycombe on Saturday.Only a win for Fareham, held to a 1-1 draw at Woking on Saturday, will be enough to give them the title and a place in the national play-offs.

A few minutes into the second half, the umpire, after awarding a penalty stroke, changed the decision into a 16-yard hit, which might have been costly for Wimbledon. The former Oxford Blue Adam Laird, on whom much of Cambridge’s hopes will depend this afternoon in Milton Keynes, scored their opening goal.In another eventful game in the South, leaders Wimbledon twice came from behind to beat City of Portsmouth, with the equalising and winning goals coming from Rob Stone and David Alford, both scoring within a minute.Earlier Stuart Avery had scored both Portsmouth’s goals. Cambridge, on the other hand, saw their chance of reaching the National League flickering away by drawing with Crostyx in the Premier Holidays East Premier.
Indeed, it could have been worse for the Light Blues but for an equalising goal from Roger Wilcock with the last touch of the match. However, Saturday’s game did little to grace the official opening of their water-based artificial pitch at Iffley Road – other than to almost certainly ensure their National League survival. “What counts is whether [Samaranch] can have broad support, and I believe he will.” Samaranch, elected as IOC president in 1980, has never faced a contested re-election campaign.. OXFORD UNIVERSITY warmed up for today’s Varsity Match with a 3- 1 win against Isca.

Executive board member Jacques Rogge said members are divided into two camps: those who favour a secret ballot and those who prefer a round of applause or show of hands.”What counts is not the system,” he said. The confidence motion, however, is not listed on the 10-point agenda for next week’s meeting, where the assembly will vote on reform proposals and expulsion of members involved in the Salt Lake City bribery scandal.IOC members said that the confidence question is still being debated among the general membership and the leadership.Samaranch has been canvassing the opinions of IOC members and is expected to settle on a formula later this week. The 78-year-old Spaniard, who has faced calls for his resignation from critics outside the IOC, announced in January that he would put his leadership to a vote of confidence at a special general assembly in Switzerland on 17 to 18 March.
Samaranch has overwhelming support among IOC members for his continuation in office. With the world closely monitoring every move the IOC makes in the wake of its biggest corruption scandal, officials expect the committee will be criticised no matter which procedure is used to endorse Samaranch. WITH THE International Olympic Committee president, Juan Antonio Samaranch, facing a crucial confidence vote next week, the question is not whether he will win the motion but whether it will be by secret ballot or public acclamation. Another professional referee, Robert Connolly, takes over for a match in which Cambridge hope to continue their run of six wins over Oxford in their last seven meetings.Huddersfield’s Great Britain scrum-half, Bobbie Goulding, does not have a broken arm as had been feared.. He will also want to end any doubts over the Tri-Series against Australia and New Zealand this year.

The Kiwis have expressed unease about that tournament and Britain could call their bluff by suggesting an Ashes series instead.The Gateshead prop, Andrew Hick, has become the first player from the new club to be summoned to a disciplinary hearing, over an alleged trip in their inaugural game against Leeds.The referees’ director, Greg McCallum, warned coaches yesterday that lying-on in the tackle, which has crept back into the game this season, will not be tolerated.Britain’s leading referee, Russell Smith, has had to pull out of tonight’s Varsity match at Richmond because he has flu. Britain also regards any arguments over the World Cup as being too late.
“It’s a done deal as far as we are concerned, but South Africa are welcome to make a bid for 2002,” said the Rugby League’s chief executive, Neil Tunnicliffe. That move will be greeted with incredulity by the British representatives at the meeting, who still recall the embarrassment caused to the game by the cancellation of the planned World Nines in Johannesburg last month. The millennium tournament was awarded to Britain last year, but the South Africans will try to persuade the Federation to change its plans this week. GREAT BRITAIN was resisting a rival bid from South Africa to stage the 2000 World Cup when the game’s International Federation began its meeting in Sydney today.