UF ORDER OF OMEGA

Natalia Dorado, Spain's captain, scored with three well-struck penalty corners to send Great Britain tumbling to a 3-1 defeat in Madrid yesterday - their worst defeat at the hands of the Olympic champions since they lost 5-1 in Santander in 1988 just prior to departure to the Seoul Olympics, writes Bill Colwill. It was a disappointing result for their coach, Sue Slocombe, as the team completed their extended preparation programme of international matches prior to departure a week today to North Carolina for acclimatisation before moving to Atlanta. Yesterday Britain pinned the Spanish into their own half for long periods without looking like scoring and it was not until the 67th minute that they won their only penalty corner, which Scotland's Sue Fraser converted.Spain, fielding eight Olympic gold medallists, looked dangerous on the break and even more dangerous at set-pieces, Dorado scoring from three of their six penalty corners.SPAIN: M Gonzalez; E Urkizo; S de Ignacio, M Telleria, C Gonzalez; N Dorado (capt), C Barea, B Larzabal; T Motos, S Barrio, N Gabellanes. British positions: 4 Grannusch (J Whitaker) 4 faults, 54.33; 6 Tees Hanauer (R Smith) 4 faults, 57.96.Vegla Prize: 1.Blue Bayu (P Charles, Irl) 59.23secs; 2 My Girl (I Millar, Can) 62.75; 3 Jolly Boy (J Whitaker, GB) 63.36.. This was only her third outdoor show of the year."She does not like to work like a German dressage horse, so you have to play along with her," Beerbaum said. "And she doesn't like you to have 100 per cent control or she fights against you." Thanks to his sensitivity, she simply concentrates on clearing fences.AACHEN NATIONS CUP SHOW: Preis von Europa: 1 Sprehe Ratina (L Beerbaum, Ger) clear, 60.72secs; 2 Visa Carthago (J Lansink, Neth) clear, 66.13; 3 Constantijn (J Smit, It) clear, 68.40. The horse was paying more attention to the crowds than the fences and Whitaker turned him away from the treble to get a better approach.

He cleared all three parts of the obstacle but retired shortly afterwards.Ratina will be Beerbaum's mount at the Olympics, for which she has been given easy preparation. The German Olympic champion was last to go in the jump-off and he had already seen John Whitaker make a single error on the final double when recording a record time on Grannusch. "If John had been clear, I would have tried to beat his time," Beerbaum said. "I don't think there's a faster horse in the world than Ratina, but we might have had a fence down trying to be quicker." As it was, he had only two slow clear rounds to beat and (though 6.39sec slower than Whitaker) he gained an easy victory over Jos Lansink on Visa Carthago and Jerry Smit on Constantijn.Whitaker finished fourth and Robert Smith, the only other Briton in the jump-off, was sixth on Tees Hanauer.Michael Whitaker and Midnight Madness, convincing winners here on Tuesday, retired during the first round yesterday. Ludger Beerbaum had no need to hurry yesterday, when he cruised round the jump-off course to win the Preis von Europa with Sprehe Ratina on the second day of the Aachen Nations Cup Show. They are clear of the Australian Peter Conde in third place. Both Loick Peyron, the defending champion, and his close rival, Paul Vatine, were expected to finish the Europe 1 Singlehanded Transatlantic Race from Plymouth to Newport, Rhode Island, inside the record time last night.Italy's Giovanni Soldini leads the monohulls, with the Frenchman Gerry Roufs second and Britain's Pete Goss third..

Squaring up at the Squadron Corral are Britain's Nigel Gosling, whose third consecutive second place yesterday put him into the overall lead, and the American Jud Smith. Smith, a runner-up at Newport Beach in 1994 who had led the series until yesterday's fifth race, came back from 21st at the first turning mark to finish seventh and is four points adrift. An Anglo-American showdown for the Etchells 22 World Championship is in prospect for the last race in the Solent today, writes Stuart Alexander. But the Worcestershire coach, David Houghton, remains optimistic: "We have worked hard to get into a winning role and it's important that we keep it going now."Warwickshire are awaiting a fitness report on the England opener Nick Knight before finalising their squad for the game against Middlesex at Lord's.. But he knows that his team, knocked off the top by Kent in the last round of matches, will have to improve against a Midlands side who, although third bottom, have hit their best form of the season."After losing to Leicestershire at Bradford where we did not play well, it is very important to get back to winning ways if we are to stay in touch with the leaders," said Byas, whose side now has an opportunity to climb back to the top of the table, because leaders Kent have no game this week."Although we are placed second we have played a match more than most of our rivals so we must pick up points now."He is helped by the fact that the home side are without their reliable seamer Phil Newport, who has a calf strain The youngster Scott Ellis is in line for a debut.

There was also a half-century for Vikram Rathore.The Yorkshire captain, David Byas, is determined that his side will rekindle their County Championship hopes against Worcestershire at New Road today. Sanjay Manjrekar returned to action with a century for the Indian tourists against British Universities at Fenner's yesterday. Playing for the first time since damaging an ankle in the first Test against England, he made 101 in 138 balls as India scored 391 for 5. "It's good to be back on the cricket field again and although the ankle is still weak, from now on it is a mental thing," said Manjrekar, who is expected to replace Ajay Jadeja in the third Test at Trent Bridge next week. However, Jadeja may have complicated matters for the Indian selectors by scoring an unbeaten 95 from 108 balls. The most spectacular batting of the day came from tour captain Mohammad Azharuddin, who cracked three huge sixes and seven fours in his 73. They were saying 'it's still possible, it's still possible'."When I am in a wound-up situation I want to do something, and they are shouting 'you are only two seconds down and the corners are finished.