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He is more anxious about keeping his 12-year-old partner, Everest Twostep, relaxed than worrying about his own ability to cope with the toe-curling tension that is bound to be part of today’s showdown.Whitaker took the lead after riding a cautious clear round in the jump- off. He has held the lead from his British team-mate, Nick Skelton, since Saturday night’s second leg, and his first major international title is now within reach.”I’m old and experienced enough not to worry about the pressure of being in the lead,” Whitaker, who is 35, said yesterday. “There are a lot of matches when I think I can’t get beat – and that’s when I make hard work of winning.”. EQUESTRIANISM

reports from Gothenburg
Michael Whitaker refuses to be daunted by the pressure of today’s third and closing contest of the Volvo World Cup final. He tried to finish in style, making another attack on the £147,000 prize for a maximum 147 beak “You’ve got to go for the max That prize is a blinding incentive,” he said. Against players like Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White, who go for their shots, I could get punished.”The 19-year-old from Chigwell laid the foundation for victory on Saturday and he quickly added the three frames needed from his overnight 7-2 lead. “It’s been a bit of a nightmare recently, but that’s all behind me now,” said White, who came close to taking the title last year before losing 18-17 to Stephen Hendry.Ronnie O’Sullivan launched his campaign with an emphatic 10-3 success against Dave Harold, having led 7-2 overnight.O’Sullivan claimed there was plenty of room for improvement and stressed: “I am scoring heavily enough but my safety play isn’t up to scratch I am not finding the back cushion with the cue ball.

That helped him to an overnight 7-2 lead over the world No 61, Francisco, and yesterday afternoon he added breaks of 59 and 35 to put the result beyond doubt.After his recent cancer scare and an operation to remove a testicle, any win is a bonus for the 32-year-old Londoner. I haven’t been able to grab much practice since I came to Sheffield, but I’ve got nearly a week off now and I’ll be putting in four or five hours a day.”White’s best effort was just 68 in the third frame during Saturday’s opening session. Substitute not used: Maxwell (gk).Hibernian (4-4-2): Leighton; Miller, Millen, Tweed, Mitchell; Evans (McAllister, 66), McGinlay, Farrell, O’Neill; Wright (Tortolano, 81), Jackson. Substitute not used: Reid (gk).Referee: W Young (Clarkston).. SNOOKER

Jimmy White put his pre-tournament worries behind him in Sheffield yesterday as he made an encouraging start to his Embassy World Championship campaign by concluding a 10-2 first-round victory over the South African, Peter Francisco.
However, White’s success was overshadowed last night by allegations of betting irregularities that were being investigated by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.Whatever the circumstances, it was not vintage White, and he admitted: “I was too relaxed. Rangers kept one of their better performances for this game and were denied a greater winning margin by the skills of Jim Leighton, the Hibernian goalkeeper.Goals from Gordon Durie after 24 minutes, Ian Durrant after 85 and Alexei Mikhailichenko two minutes later sealed the victory, despite Martin O’Neill equalising in the 38th minute.Rangers (4-4-2): Thomson; McLaren, Gough, Brown (Murray, 29), Cleland; Durie (Mikhailichenko, h-t), Miller, Steven, Durrant; Hateley, Laudrup. This seventh title was founded mainly on the skills of Brian Laudrup and forged through adversity.Yesterday at Ibrox the party took some time to warm up but two goals inside the last five minutes had the supporters in good cheer for the traditional lap of honour.

While new faces will arrive familiar ones are certain to leave with Basile Boli, the French defender, likely to be the biggest name to depart.The prospect of Rangers growing must be a frightening one for other Scottish clubs, who this season failed to mount a respectable challenge at a time when Rangers were experiencing a time of transition. The vacant corners at Ibrox are to be filled in before the start of the season to accommodate both seating and the largest screens in Europe, while Smith will set about strengthening the side.The 35,000 fans who have purchased season tickets will be asked to pay to own their seat for the next 25 years, lured by the prospect of their money being used to bring in top players.The success of the last seven years has allowed Rangers to operate on a different plane from other clubs in Scotland and when David Murray, the chairman, mentions new players he is referring to those of the calibre of Dennis Bergkamp and Jesper Blomqvist. We are now one step nearer to equalling Celtic’s record and maybe we can even beat it.”The fans will be asked to make a contribution towards the future success of their club as Rangers embark on a rebuilding job on and off the field. Gough, Robertson, McCall, McCoist, Hateley and Goram have all been missing at various stages, making this a satisfactory triumph for Walter Smith, the Rangers manager.He was magnanimous in victory, suggesting: “I have greater admiration for Celtic’s achievement with each year that passes. BRangers 3

Hibernian 1
Seven down, three to go.

The Rangers fans who packed Ibrox yesterday to acclaim their side’s latest triumph celebrated a seventh successive title win, not so much as an achievement in itself as the latest step towards bettering Celtic’s nine-in-a-row record of the 1960s and 70s.This latest championship – secured when Celtic lost on Saturday – was achieved without the services of several top players for long periods. It wasn’t much of a match, but nobody from Sheffield was complaining.. Further goals from Les Millie, Steve Nemeth and Wilson completed the rout.The Steelers had come a long way in a short time They are the product of initiative and local inspiration. By the time their original benefactor pulled out they were off and skating to 8,000 crowds at a custom-built stadium. They were down 4-2 (Tim Cranston and Ken Priestly) and wilting You would not have put a handful of ice on their chances.

By the end of the second quarter the Racers were ahead on niggles but they were losing an untidy game. They had more accomplished skaters, better stick handlers.It wasn’t long before Rob Wilson and Tommy Plommer gave the Steelers a two-goal lead. The Yorkshire contingent were warming up for a celebration until Murrayfield’s captain, Tony Hand, and Chris Palmer brought the scores level. But it’s hard to prevent teams playing like they came home and found their opponents hiding in the wardrobe.Maybe there was too much at stake in the final but you were not about to reach a glowing conclusion. Last year Sheffield were trounced 12-1 by Cardiff in the semi-finals Yesterday, they never looked like losers. They’re guys who bounce opponents into a corner and mug them for the puck It’s a game where you take your teeth out to play.