Claymores have not denied that Hastings, who retired from the international scene after last year's World Cup, would be their man. Table tennis England must beat Poland in a two-leg play-off next month to avoid relegation from the European League Super Division. Poland were condemned to the play-off after losing 4-3 at home to Hungary on Tuesday, giving the Hungarians a 7-7 draw on aggregate. Hungary managed to avoid relegation by virtue of their superior games average. England went down 4-1 in Hamm, Germany, and lost the tie 8-4 on aggregate.. The winner of the Independent/Famous Grouse rugby union competition is Sally Adam of London SW16, who wins a luxury trip to next week's crucial Calcutta Cup match between Scotland and England at Murrayfield. The five runners-up, who receive Famous Grouse/Scotland official training tops and a bottle of The Famous Grouse whisky are: Simon Nichols of Bristol; Mr S Brady of London SE9; S Pretty of Sleaford, Roddy Hunter of Hull and Adrian Nichols of Maidstone..

Football Manchester United 2 Everton 0 Manchester United, who have been coughing and wheezing to keep within touching distance of Newcastle all season, received encouragement last night when they made significant ground on the Premiership leaders.Goals from Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs carried them to victory over a weakened Everton and brought Newcastle, thanks to the result at Upton Park, into sight even if United are hardly breathing down their necks. At Old Trafford a six-point deficit, albeit having played a game more, will suddenly seem a less than formidable barrier.There were undercurrents to this game beyond the need for points. United were keen to inflict pain on the team that beat them in the FA Cup final last May, a need intensified by the appearance of their former colleague Andrei Kanchelskis in the opposition ranks. Everton's players were still stinging from losing to Port Vale last week.The visitors bore the marks of Joe Royle's wrath after that defeat, Matthew Jackson and Craig Short paying the penalty for what the Everton manager called the worst performance since he went to Goodison. To compound his problems, Duncan Ferguson failed a fitness test on a groin strain.The residue of resentment over Kanchelskis's departure from Old Trafford last summer was apparent from the start. The Russian international winger was vigorously booed with his first touch and continued to be the target of abuse throughout. It would be nice to report that this came from a mindless minority but in this case majority would be a more appropriate word.There was ironic, therefore, that Kanchelskis created the first real chance of the game, his lightning pace taking him round Philip Neville and Roy Keane in the 12th minute.

His cross eluded Peter Schmeichel, too, but as Graham Stuart slid in, Denis Irwin stuck out a boot and the ball was deflected over the bar.United, playing in fits and starts, created only glimmers of chances for half an hour, Neville twice forcing Neville Southall into flying saves. With Eric Cantona there is always a threat, however, and with Everton growing comfortable he delivered the piercing pass.A series of one-twos carved through the Everton midfield and as the visiting rearguard was pulled apart by the movement in front of them the Frenchman slipped a delightful pass between Dave Watson and David Unsworth. The ball was perfectly weighted for Keane, who charged into the space and then chipped past Southall.A heavy snow shower greeted the players as the second-half started, and the initial impression was that Everton would go under in a blizzard of attacks. First Watson had to head from under his bar as Irwin's cross looped towards the unmarked Andy Cole, then Lee Sharpe's volley whistled past the visitors' post.The mood changed when Nicky Butt's attempted clearance thumped into Watson's midrift and rebounded just wide of the post. That encouraged Everton and they had their best 10 minutes of the game, Kanchelskis forcing Schmeicel to scramble low down to save a left-foot shot.There was danger too in Andy Hinchcliffe's 63rd-minute cross that three Everton players seemed to get in the way of each other and Daniel Amokachi's header was too tame to worry the United goalkeeper.Manchester United (4-4-2): Schmeichel; Irwin, Bruce, Pallister, P Neville; Giggs, Butt, Keane, Sharpe (Beckham, 83); Cantona, Cole. Substitutes not used: G Neville, Scholes,.Everton (4-4-1-1): Southall; O'Connor, Watson, Unsworth, Hinchcliffe; Grant (Branch, 72) Horne, Ebbrell, Stuart; Kanchelskis; Amokachi. Substitutes not used: Short, Kearton (gk).Referee: M Bodenham (East Looe)..

Grimsby Town 0 Chelsea 0 Chelsea eventually had to forget style and draw heavily on their survival instinct to avoid becoming the second London Premiership side in eight days to see their FA Cup ambitions perish on South Humberside. Grimsby gave a good account of themselves, but will not relish a fifth-round replay at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday. After last week's magnificent victory over West Ham, Grimsby approached the occasion with no fear, their confidence buoyed still more by the knowledge that Harry Redknapp's team had recovered to defeat Chelsea in the Premiership at the weekend. Blundell Park, with which Ruud Gullit can have seen little to compare, in its own way presented an atmosphere every bit as intimidating as St James' Park, where Chelsea beat another team in black and white in the third round.As always, Grimsby's best hopes lay in snatching an early goal, but there was no hesitation to attack from Chelsea, for whom Gullit occupied a central midfield position with the air of a commanding general. "But it's a sad fact that this is a matter of financial necessity. He beat Anthony Hamilton 5-2 and now plays Tony Drago or Alain Robidoux for a place in tomorrow's semi-finals.. Tennis Richard Krajicek beat the Slovakian qualifier Karol Kucera 6-4, 6-4 to ease into the quarter-finals of the European Community championship in Antwerp yesterday. Winner here in 1992, the fourth-seeded Dutchman said he was extremely pleased with his confidence-boosting performance in his first event since being forced to retire from last month's Australian Open with an arm injury.He was out of action for two weeks after his mishap and surprisingly left out of the Dutch Davis Cup team, which was then beaten 3-2 by India."I'm very satisfied, especially with my volleys and forehand shots." said Krajicek, whose quarter-final opponent will be the German Michael Stich if the former Wimbledon champion gets through to that stage.Stich, who served 16 aces in his 6-4, 7-6 first-round win over the Czech Daniel Vacek, plays Belgium's Johan Van Herck in the second round. Joining him moments later was Stephen Lee, the former English amateur champion.