Northern Ireland Milk Cup, Bermuda's Under 14 soccer team blasted English side Solent United 6-1 to kick off their campaign in the Royal Mail Cup.

The competition, involving over 300 teams, is being held in the traditional naval port town of Portsmouth and the Bermuda team were a bit overawed at the start of the match, quickly falling behind 1-0.

However, they would soon come alive as Damon Ming, in his first match back from injury, equalised just prior to the interval when he latched onto a through-ball from Joey Rego and outstripped the defense before slotting it past the goalkeeper.

A halftime pep talk by coaches John Beard and Josef Gooden fully awakened young Bermuda and they returned to strike five times in the second half.

Wolde Place led the charge, hammering home a hat-trick, including a ferocious volley of 18-yards following a right wing cross by Ming.

Meanwhile, Keemo Smith produced his own brand of heroics, scoring twice, but his best effort failed to find the back of the net as his diving header off a Vernon Tankard cross grazed the crossbar on its way over.

There are eight teams separated into two groups among Bermuda's opposition with a round robin phase taking place first with the top two sides in each group qualifying for the next round.

GOLF GLF Master professional Bob Intrieri has been recruited to conduct a junior golf clinic next week at the Riddell's Bay Golf and Country Club.

Currently residing in Sarasota, Florida, Intrieri operates out of the Laurel Oak Golf and Country Club.

August 3, 4 and 5 are the dates for the clinic being sponsored by the Bermuda Professional Golf Association, which has the advanced group classes being held from 9 a.m. to noon and the novices from 1.30 to 3.30 p.m.

Assisting will be several local pros such as Dwayne Pearman, Kim Swan, Cornell Bean and Darron Swan.

Anyone having any questions should call Darron Swan at 238-3225.

CHESS CHS Shimon Alkon recorded his first win at the World Champinship of Juniors and Youth in Chess in Bratislava, Slovakia when he recently defeated the representative from Botswana.

Alkon had lost his first four matches before earning a victory at the tournament featuring many of the world's best players under the age of 18.

Round two of the Canada Dry Trophy competition saw two notable results with Gil Levy drawing against Bermuda Champion Eric Keen while Carlton Williams surprisingly defeated Noel Trott.

Keen, who out-rates Levy by 560 points, had seemed to be pressing home a lethal mating attack, but allowed Levy to wriggle out of trouble and later had his own chances to win.

Last week's results: Richard Swift 0, Richard Farleigh 1; Nigel Chudleigh 1, Brian Stephenson 0; George Ben 0, Phil Shadick 1; Richard Black 1, Bob Bagely 0; Noel Trott 0, Carlton Williams 1; Kennedy Simmons 0, David Arorash 1; Frank Ming 1, Donald Dillas 0.

Tonight's pairings (current points totals in brackets): Farleigh (2) c Chudleigh (2); Keen (1) v Black (11 ); Bagley (1) v Stephenson (1); Arorash (1) v Ben (1); Williams (1) v Ming (1); Trott (1) v Levy (0); Dillas (0) v Simmons (0).

EQUESTRIANISM RAH Bermuda's Nicola DeSousa won a training bursary of 300 over the weekend after a fine performance at the Holt Equestrian Centre at Bradford-On-Avon near Bath in England.

DeSousa, who finished 48th in the three-day event at the Barcelona Olympics last summer, was once again on Prairie King competing against 30 other dressage riders.

A ride-off was needed to produce the winner and DeSousa came out on top, the result qualifying her for the Shell Gas Dressage Championships later this year.

More immediate are the world championships where DeSousa will be joined by fellow Olympian Mary Jane Tumbridge.