I'm not looking far beyond trying to have a really good season with Salford this year but I would love the opportunity

"I'm not looking far beyond trying to have a really good season with Salford this year, but I would love the opportunity to coach my country."I have never understood players who didn't want to play for Great Britain, and to coach your country is the greatest honour in coaching."That remark merged into a slap on the wrist for Bobbie Goulding, who withdrew last weekend after originally agreeing to come in as a replacement for his St Helens team-mate, Keiron Cunningham."Bobbie's agent phoned me on Saturday morning to tell me that he didn't want to go because he had things to sort out here, which disappointed me," Gregory said. "But I don't want to dwell on Bobbie, because we are taking a party of players who really want to play for Great Britain."The Lions tour forward, Steve Molloy, who has been on the transfer list at Featherstone since last season, is considering staying with the club after being offered new terms. Molloy, listed at pounds 100,000, has been a target for a number of Super League clubs.Lee Penny, Warrington's Great Britain Under-21 full-back, will miss his team's start to the new season after receiving a two-match ban yesterday. Penny was placed on report by the referee Steve Presley for an alleged high tackle during Warrington's friendly against Salford last Sunday.. Damon Hill will be a serious Formula One competitor this coming season - especially with his team's new tyres, one of his main rivals, Gerhard Berger, predicted yesterday. Hill, the reigning world champion, had just finished a difficult first major test with his new team in Jerez, Spain, when his TWR Arrows was hit by technical problems. Nevertheless, Berger believes Hill can return to the top of the podium.

"I don't think we have seen Damon winning a race for the last time," he said. "Damon is a very good racing driver and I am sure he will win and be back on the front row of the grid again." TWR have switched to using tyres from the Japanese giants Bridgestone, who make their Formula One bow this season in a pounds 70m attempt to end Goodyear's monopoly.Berger fears they could have a major impact - Ligier have also switched and their driver, Olivier Panis, was six seconds faster in the wet in Jerez this week than Benetton's Jean Alesi.Berger, whose Benetton team are sticking to Goodyear, said: "I am very worried about Bridgestone. There are some races, particularly if it's wet, when they will be very strong.". John Price, of Wales, won his opening match at the Saga World Indoor Championships in Preston yesterday when he eased past a qualifier, Paul Foster, in straight sets. Price, winner of the title in 1990, won the opening two sets comfortably, losing just three ends in the process as he claimed the first 7-1 and the second 7-3. Foster, who won the Scottish junior singles title on Sunday, was able to build a 6-1 lead after just four ends of the third set.

However, the 23-year-old Scot saw his hopes of extending the match disappear when Price recorded a double on the fifth end and then added a maximum four on the next to take the set 7-6.Australia's Ian Schuback produced a typically gritty performance to beat the former Scottish champion, David Peacock, in straight sets and move through to the last 16.Schuback, the 1992 winner, dominated the opening set, winning it 7-2 in six ends, but had to come from behind in the next two.Peacock saw a 4-0 lead disappear in the second as Schuback hit back to win 7-5. The Scot then saw his 6-3 advantage in the third eaten into by Schuback, who finished with a burst of one, one and two to take the set 7-6 and the match.. Wales' financially stricken senior clubs have been warned that there can be no repeat of the big-spending philosophy which has plunged the game into financial crisis. The Welsh Rugby Union yesterday began bailing out several leading clubs, including Swansea, Llanelli and Bridgend, with six-figure loans as part of a pounds 1.2m rescue package. The WRU treasurer, Glanmor Griffiths, also delivered a stern warning intended to put a block on the lucrative transfer market and huge wage bills responsible for the current desperate position."We will ask each club to provide us with a business plan," Griffiths said.

"Within that, we will expect that all future expenditure is matched by income. It follows that contracts for any player would have to be covered by the financial resources of each club."Additionally, the WRU intends carrying out monthly audits of clubs' books, and could block future signings if it is not satisfied with the financial resources available.Bridgend and their First Division rivals, Treorchy, yesterday became the latest clubs to cancel contracts and release players. Bridgend let six go, including the former Wales winger Gwilym Wilkins, while Treorchy decided they could no longer afford the scrum-half Kevin Ellis, having already parted company with his fellow rugby league recruit Rowland Phillips.Such drastic moves follow recent actions by Swansea and Llanelli, who both released eight squad members. Llanelli players, including their sizeable international contingent, also agreed a 10 per-cent pay cut.Swansea, Llanelli and Bridgend have received five-year loans totalling pounds 550,000 while Treorchy have a pounds 70,000 loan. Swansea also owe the WRU pounds 120,000 after it guaranteed Scott Gibbs' move from St Helens. Additional payments totalling pounds 120,000 have been made to Newbridge, Aberavon and Abertillery."The clubs have been prepared to take some very hard decisions to put their financial houses in order," Griffiths said.

"We all have to recognise that a professional game can only succeed in Wales if it is run professionally in accordance with good business principles.". Martina Hingis is just one step away from becoming the youngest winner of a Grand Slam tournament this century after beating Mary Joe Fernandez in straight sets in the Australian Open women's singles semi-finals here yesterday. But the day's biggest upset belonged to Spain's Carlos Moya, who succeeded where Tim Henman failed by defeating the second seed, Michael Chang, to clinch a place in the men's final. Hingis, at 16 years, three months and 26 days on the day of the final, could become the youngest Grand Slam champion since the amateur Lottie Dod won the first of her five Wimbledons in 1887 at the age of 15 years and 10 months And she could become the youngest-ever world No 1 as well. Monica Seles holds the record - 17 years, three months and nine days - but Hingis will rise to No 2 whether or not she wins tomorrow's final."I just played an unbelievable match," said Hingis after her 6-1, 6-3 victory. "I wasn't nervous at all and I played very good tennis." Hingis had promised to play aggressively against the 14th seed, but she hardly needed to. She hovered around the baseline dictating the pace of the match for all but a brief period.Fernandez, who broke Hingis's serve once in the first set without holding her own, saved two match points at 5-1 in the second as Hingis angrily questioned a line-call.