Clarke will captain a dirt-trackers’ line-up in which half the side – David Flatman Steve Borthwick

Clarke will captain a dirt-trackers’ line-up in which half the side – David Flatman, Steve Borthwick and Paul Volley up front, Martyn Wood, Ali Hepher, Ben Johnston and Liam Botham out wide – make first appearances at tour level.Clarke was enjoying a beer and a burger at a barbecue hosted by his former Bath and Richmond colleague, Jim Fallon, when he learned of his summons. “I had to go out for a quick run, just to convince myself I could still move,” he admitted at the England base in Johannesburg yesterday. But, now the representative door has been re-opened, he intends to walk straight through it and take up residence in Woodward’s plans. A convincing win over the bottom team in South Africa’s domestic Currie Cup last season will establish him as midweek captain and give him an outside chance of a place in the senior 22.There were some clear Test indicators in yesterday’s selection, not that Woodward was admitting as much. The fast-tracking of Dan Luger after a six-month spell on the physio’s slab suggests that Ben Cohen is under pressure for his left- wing berth, while Simon Shaw’s inclusion in the second-string engine room raises the possibility of Danny Grewcock playing alongside Martin Johnson when the serious action begins at Loftus Versfeld this weekend.Meanwhile, in New Zealand the Scotland coach, Ian McGeechan, has opted to field Chris Paterson in the important fly-half position for the first time when the touring team play East Coast-Poverty Bay tomorrow. His previous international games have been at full-back.The Ireland centre Mike Mullins, who scored a hat-trick of tries when the United States were swamped 83-3 on Saturday in Manchester, New Hampshire, was happy that his side have rediscovered their form.

“It was good to get a big win after last week’s disappointment against Argentina,” he said.ENGLAND XV V NORTH WEST DISTRICTS (Potchefstroom, tomorrow): T Stimpson (Leicester); L Botham (Newcastle), L Lloyd (Leicester), B Johnston (Saracens), D Luger (Saracens); A Hepher (Northampton), M Wood (Wasps); D Flatman (Saracens), P Greening (Wasps), D Garforth (Leicester), S Borthwick (Bath), S Shaw (Wasps), B Clarke (Bath, capt), P Volley (Wasps), J Worsley (Wasps).. Tim Henman believes a few home comforts can help him to achieve his Wimbledon ambition this summer. Tim Henman believes a few home comforts can help him to achieve his Wimbledon ambition this summer.
The British No 1 begins his preparations for Wimbledon tomorrow at the £530,000 Stella Artois Championships at Queen’s Club. He is confident he can go one better than last year’s final appearance at Queen’s and semi-final at the All England Club, when his close friend Pete Sampras ended his hopes on both occasions.Defeat at the hands of Sampras in a thrilling three-set match last year was one of six consecutive final losses that have raised questions about Henman’s ability to compete at the very highest level.But the 25-year-old insists his career is still on an upward curve and said: “Of course I can remember all those finals in great detail and can replay the crucial points, but it’s not as if I’ve lost to bad players. It was Pete Sampras at last year’s Stella for instance, so that’s no disgrace. I’m not proud of losing them either, but it’s important to remember that getting to six finals and beating some of the world’s best players along the way isn’t bad.”Large crowds are expected when the tournament starts today with the British No 2 Greg Rusedski in action against South Africa’s Wayne Ferreira.Sampras, who crashed out of the French Open in the first round, is hoping to get back on track this week, as is his great rival Andre Agassi, who will be competing at Queen’s for the first time.* Wayne Arthurs, the 29-year-old Australian who is based in Pinner, kept his head following a poor first set to beat Laurence Tieleman 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 in the Powder Byrne Trophy at Surbiton.

The 29-year-old Australian now moves on to Queen’s where he meets fellow Davis Cup player Mark Philippoussis in the first round.. Three hours into yesterday’s French Open men’s singles final, the Brazilian Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten took three steps towards the net and was ready to shake hands, believing he had won on his first match point. Forty-three minutes later, he completed his journey after converting his 11th match point to win, 6-2, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6. Three hours into yesterday’s French Open men’s singles final, the Brazilian Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten took three steps towards the net and was ready to shake hands, believing he had won on his first match point. Forty-three minutes later, he completed his journey after converting his 11th match point to win, 6-2, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6.
Kuerten’s march of triumph was delayed by the umpire’s decision to overrule a call on the near sideline against Sweden’s Magnus Norman, after Norman asked him to check the mark in the clay where his forehand landed. By so doing, the French official, François Pareau, sentenced Kuerten to a period of purgatory and at the same time guaranteed the 15,000 spectators one of the most exciting conclusions to a Grand Slam tournament in the history of the game.”People enjoyed it so much, they asked me to play some more,” Kuerten joked afterwards, secure in his victory “I was sure the umpire was wrong. In my mind it was out.” The Brazilian’s preoccupation with that line developed into a sideshow.

He would stare at it and then glower at the umpire at every opportunity, angrily criss-crossing the line with his racket on one occasion, and ironically circling the mark of a ball that landed a foot wide on another.John McEnroe, the most celebrated debater of umpiring decisions, declared that the ball was out from his television commentary box, and said if it had happened to him he would have been more upset about it than Kuerten. No kidding.The final had only just got into its stride as a contest. Kuerten, the fifth seed, who had the benefit of experience, having won the title in 1997, won the first two sets while Norman, the third seed, developed a habit of making unforced errors, amassing 82 by the end of the match.The beat of samba drums could be hear from outside the stadium long before Norman’s friend Martin Hingis took her seat, having completed her interviews after winning the women’s doubles title with Mary Pierce, the new singles champion. Norman was trailing 0-2 in the second set, and things got worse before he managed to break Kuerten twice without reply in the third set, serving that out to love with an ace.The first match point, with Norman serving at 4-5, 15-40 in the fourth set, was immediately followed by the second This time Kuerten missed a forehand “Come on!” Norman urged himself. “Gu-ga! Gu-ga!” chanted the majority of the spectators, many easy of them easy to spot in their yellow Brazilian football shirts.Match point number three materialised in that same fifth game. Norman saved it, driving away Kuerten’s return of his second serve.