England, after an encouraging 4-1 victory against Egypt in their opening game in the Sahara Champions Challenge in Alexandria, were brought back to reality in their second game when they were thrashed 5-2 by South Korea on Saturday.
In a niggly game, Mark Pearn and Barry Middleton hit goals for England. The title could now be settled on Friday night, when the Eagles host the Jets in the final weekend of the regular season.Fab Flournoy’s Eagles are 2-1 up in the head-to-head and victory will give them their first Championship title following last month’s triumph in the BBL Trophy final, which earned the franchise’s first silverware for 14 years. Tigers went 85-84 ahead before Moore sealed their win from the free-throw line. London Towers jumped above Sheffield into third place by beating Leicester Riders 78-72..

Thames Valley Tigers have spent the BBL championship campaign expecting no more than to scramble into the play-off quarter-finals, but on Saturday night, the Bracknell club played a surprise role in deciding the title race by unseating the leaders, Chester Jets, 87-84.
Tigers’ victory, sealed only in the frantic final seconds, sent the Jets slipping into second place and allowed Newcastle Eagles back to the top by beating Plymouth Raiders 93-75 following their midweek win over Sheffield Sharks. If the ground was on the good side he would have a leading chance, but if you’ve got a big weight you don’t want to be humping it round in soft ground.”Grand National (Aintree, Saturday): Coral: 9-1 Hedgehunter, Clan Royal, Amberleigh House, 11-1 Forest Gunner, 14-1 Joly Bey, Take The Stand, 16-1 Kelami, Royal Auclair, Strong Resolve, 20-1 Lord Atterbury, Spot Thedifference, 25-1 others. Totesport: 8-1 Hedgehunter, 9-1 Amberleigh House, 10-1 Clan Royal, Forest Gunner, 12-1 Take The Stand, 14-1 Joly Bey, Strong Resolve, 16-1 others.Richard EdmondsonNap: Fulvio(Wolverhampton 5.20)NB: Cashel Mead(Wolverhampton 3.20). William Hill: 8-1 Hedgehunter, 9-1 Amberleigh House, 10-1 Clan Royal, 11-1 Forest Gunner, 14-1 Joly Bey, 16-1 Strong Resolve, Take The Stand, 20-1 Lord Atterbury, Longshanks, Colonel Rayburn, 22-1 Innox, Kelami, Monty’s Pass, 25-1 others.

Ladbrokes: 8-1 Hedgehunter, 9-1 Amberleigh House, 10-1 Clan Royal, 11-1 Forest Gunner, 12-1 Take The Stand, 14-1 Joly Bey, Strong Resolve, 20-1 others. The weather forecasters, meanwhile, are expecting an unsettled week that could bring enough rain to rule out fast-ground performers from consideration for the Aintree race

This is the week when it never rains but it pours. Thus the bookmakers are predicting that the steady flow of money for Carrie Ford’s mount Forest Gunner could turn into a deluge that will sweep them to favouritism for Saturday’s Grand National. The 11-year-old is now an 11-1 chance with all three firms.Being written off by the four-time National-winning trainer Ginger McCain – “women don’t win Grand Nationals” – has proved no disincentive to punters. This is the week when it never rains but it pours. “He coped with heavy ground better than the others last time but ideally he wants it good to soft or soft.”Russell looks likely to get the desired conditions as the going is good to soft on the National course and is expected to get boggier by the Aintree clerk of the course, Andrew Tulloch.”There is some rain coming in tonight and showers and rain are forecast for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, so the ground is going to ease,” he said.That report will concern Paul Nicholls as he is seeking good ground for the Cheltenham Gold Cup fourth Royal Auclair.”If it rains all week and goes soft he won’t run,” Nicholls said “We’ll wait for the Scottish National or Betfred Gold Cup. Fran?s Doumen’s Innox, who is 45th in the list of runners at the moment, should make the final 40 with some comfort, but the trainer’s Cheltenham Festival winner Kelami, who languishes in 75th spot, stands little chance of having the opportunity of taking advantage of a favourable handicap mark.Strong Resolve also needs a few to come out of the race to be guaranteed a run but, currently in 51st position, should make the final field and give those who have backed him to 16-1 a run for their money.”I think he will run a good race and I think conditions will suit,” Lucinda Russell, his trainer, said yesterday.

“Unlike Ginger, plenty of punters think a lady rider can win the National and are backing this horse accordingly,” David Stevens, of Coral, said.Often in the week before the National, and even on the day itself, one horse tumbles as dramatically in price as many contenders do in the race itself, with Ireland’s Bobbyjo and Papillon, 10-1 winners in 1999 and 2000, prime examples. William Hill’s representative is rather less caught up with the Ford/ Forest Gunner bandwagon, and reports strong support for two of the Irish party this time: “While the support for Forest Gunner has been solid over the last week, punters have latched on to the chances of Hedgehunter [now clear 8-1 fav from 9-1] Colonel Rayburn [20-1 from 33-1] and backed them accordingly.”Today’s five-day declaration stage should spark another flurry of betting activity as the picture clears as to which 40 horses will make the cut for the race. Sir: I was delighted to read (30 March) that Jamie Oliver has persuaded the Government, not before time, to part with an extra £280m to improve the quality and nutritional value of school dinners. Meals on wheels need to be taken on by Jamie Oliver
Sir: I was delighted to read (30 March) that Jamie Oliver has persuaded the Government, not before time, to part with an extra £280m to improve the quality and nutritional value of school dinners. Perhaps he could now turn his attention to the meals on wheels service which, in my view, is an undeclared national scandal. My aged father, who sadly died just before Christmas, was in receipt of these meals last year.

Our family was appalled at both the lack of quality and the lack of quantity in what was delivered to him on a daily basis. Of course, we took supplementary food to him, but every old person is not in a position to have this kind of help. The chicken pie had almost no chicken in it, the steak and kidney pie had almost no steak and/or kidney and the pastry crust looked like wet rags. The limp and unappetizing vegetables had to be seen to be believed. And it was not as if these meals were given free by the Government; he was asked to make a major contribution to their costs. If your readers have not seen such “dinners” at first hand they should imagine the meal that would be delivered while in flight on the cheapest airline in the world.