There was a big crowd and it was the first time I've played in Australia

There was a big crowd and it was the first time I've played in Australia for a while," Cash said. "It's been a long hard slog but I feel good."Cash's determination to regain his fitness was underlined in pre-Christmas tests in London when he registered a body fat reading of just seven per cent and the best endurance result he has produced in his career.His reflexes are still sharp too, an improbable volley setting up the vital break for 4-2 in the second set which decided his tussle with the 32-year-old Van Rensburg.The South African did not help his cause with seven double faults and was even more profligate in the final rubber, giving Cash and Radford crucial assistance at key moments.Australia will be hoping for a similar result when they travel to South Africa for the first round of the Davis Cup next month but their immediate task will be to upset the top-seeded Czech Republic in tomorrow's quarter-final.If they are to have a chance, Radford will need to improve after being thrashed 6-1, 6-1 in just 57 minutes by the world No 18, Coetzer, in the opening women's singles.. ATHLETICS It had been a largely satisfying afternoon's work for Catherina McKiernan. On what was widely and fondly described as a real cross-country course - required features: mud, rain, snow, a killingly steep hill and more mud - she had beaten her Irish rival, Sonia O'Sullivan, and also held off the bold challenge of Paula Radcliffe, back to top- level racing after 10 months' absence through injury. And yet, and yet... there was no ignoring the tiny figure of 18-year-old Rose Cheruiyot, who had pattered over the line half a minute ahead of her "These Kenyans," McKiernan said with a little Irish grin "I don't know what to do about them Tie ropes around them?"It might work. The only thing that threatened to slow Cherui- yot's progress on Saturday and that of her fellow Kenyan and training partner, Ismail Kirui, the runaway winner of the men's race, was their reluctance to wear long spikes. When the advice of their manager, John Bicourt, prevailed, they proceeded to demonstrate that the world titles - which will be contested over the same ground on March 25 - are highly likely to remain in Kenya's keeping.The Kenyans' store of cross-country talent appears inexhaustible.

Kirui, the world 5,000m champion, was not even chosen for the last world championships; Cheruiyot was only silver medallist in this year's Kenyan championships - the junior championships, that is.McKiernan, world silver medallist for the past three years, is nevertheless determined to take the one step forward that would free her to reshape her athletics future. The rigours of the Durham course have convinced her that she needs to alter her training."To be honest, I don't like the mud," she said "I need more strength work More running in this sort of stuff. It's not hard to find at home."She also intends to fit in a three-week period training at altitude between now and the world championships - probably from mid-February "Maybe I'll get back with the Kenyans then," she mused. "If I won the world title, then I might take a year off to concentrate on the track. I'm stuck in a bit of a rut - it's like I have to win it before I leave. But there is always someone new"Radcliffe, in contrast, is not planning a new approach "We train on places like this," she said. "It was no different from Ampthill Park on a muddy day." She took much comfort from her performance.

It was a far cry from her bitter experience last March when she was forced to watch the world championships in Budapest while on crutches. "That was extremely hard," she said."It broke my heart."Andrew Pearson, who won a sprint finish for second place behind Kirui, shares McKiernan's ambition to train at altitude - but in his case, there are insufficient funds.Pearson's coach, Richard Hepworth, said his October training at Font Romeu in the Pyrenees had made a significant difference to his performance. "If we could get there again we could be competing with the Kenyans," Hepworth said A mountainous prospect indeed.. Solomon Wariso completed his first competition since a three-month doping suspension with a personal-best performance at Birmingham's national indoor arena yesterday, writes Mike Rowbottom. The 28-year-old sprinter ran the 200 metres at the low-key New Year Games in 20.99sec, bettering his previous fastest indoor time by 0.02sec. It brought him second place behind his Haringey team-mate, Darren Braithwaite, whose time of 20.87 was also a personal best, and the fifth fastest on the all-time UK indoor list. Wariso, who took third place in the 60 metres on Saturday in a time of 6.72sec, said afterwards that he had not been nervous about competing again, but he did confess to being very tired. "I have done six races in two days," he said."I am just not used to it."He is nevertheless clearly in the kind of form to be called up for the indoor international against Russia later this month.If there is any doubt, the British Athletic Federation is likely to give Wariso the benefit of it.

When he was sent home from the European Championships last August after the announcement that a herbal remedy he had taken had contained small quantities of the banned stimulant, ephedrine, British officials went out of their way to indicate that they considered Wariso had made a genuine mistake.He said this weekend that most athletes he had met regarded his offence in the same light. Despite having a degree involving biochemistry, Wariso failed to realise that Ma Juang, the rogue ingredient in the remedy - garishly entitled "Up Your Gas" - which he took contained ephedrine."The athletes mostly made jokes, asking me if I'd paid the gas bill, but I was worried that if someone like me who knows something about science can make a mistake, anyone can," he said.The publicity which surrounded his case made him consider retiring from the sport, but he rejected the idea."It was a temptation," he said. "But I thought I had to come back and prove a few people wrong.". CRICKET England A play the opening match of their tour of India in Bombay today determined to reverse the run of misfortune that has dogged the senior team in Australia. The shadow England squad were so dedicated in practice yesterday that the team manager, Phil Neale, paid tribute to the tourists after a punishing training schedule in the Brabourne Stadium. "You can tell Test places are up for grabs," Neale said before naming his team to play a 50-over match against the Cricket Club of India.Nick Knight, who surprised Essex by announcing that he was joining Warwickshire next season, will open the batting with Lancashire's Jason Gallian and the tourists include two left arm spinners, Richard Stemp and Min Patel, to perform on a pitch certain to take spin.Neale, receiving regular reports of England's Ashes misfortunes, insists England A will try to dominate all matches on the tour with the traditional English strength of discipline, fight and patience."It is clear from the way the players are performing in practice that what's going on in Australia has given them an even greater incentive to do well," Neale said.He believes his squad, younger than the successful A team he led in South Africa last winter, has equal strength in batting and bowling but is better equipped in the field."We have specialist slip fielders here and our ground fielding and throwing has been exceptional in practice," Neale said.The Cricket Club of India will field a strong side containing Rohan Gavaskar, son of the former Indian Test captain, Sunil.Also included in their line-up is Amol Muzumdar, who distinguished himself last year by making a world-record 260 runs in a first-class debut for Bombay.England A (v Cricket Club of India, Bombay, today): A Wells (Sussex, capt), N Knight (Warwicks), J Gallian (Lancs), M Ramprakash (Middlesex), D Hemp (Glamorgan), P Weekes (Middlesex), D Cork (Derby), P Nixon (Leics), G Chapple (Lancs), R Stemp (Yorks), MPatel (Kent)..

Cheltenham's relationship with commercial television begins this afternoon and the BBC, its estranged former partner of over 30 years, can only watch jealously as Channel 4 offers four races from Prestbury Park and another three from Windsor. Wer e it not for the fatuous competitions and the infantile behaviour of certain of the presenters, the occasion would be a cause for serious celebration. Today, at least, the tight double-header schedule should cut out most of the froth, with the reappearance of Miinnehoma, last year's Grand National winner, at Cheltenham and an apparently easy outing for Large Action, the Champion Hurdle favourite, at Windsor, the principal attractions. But there will be no chance to see Jodami, the 1993 Gold Cup winner, attempting to put in his first clear round this season in Cheltenham's opening race. Peter Beaumont, his trainer, will wait for the Peter Marsh Chase a t Haydock on 21 January after deciding that the ground would not suit his chaser. "I'm disappointed, but it will either be frosty or very heavy and there is no point in running on very bad ground," Beaumont said. The going will be demanding at Windsor too, but it is difficult to believe that Large Action will need to work up even a moderate sweat to win the feature race.