ATHLETICS

Tournament organisers are considering all possible fixture permutations after opening-round postponements in the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup competitions.

Four-time European title holders Toulouse were the only French team in action at the weekend, losing 32-7 to Saracens at Allianz Park.

Games scheduled to be hosted by Racing 92, Oyonnax, Bordeaux-Begles and Toulon were all postponed by European Professional ClubRugby and French domestic rugby chiefs Ligue Nationale de Rugby after the Paris atrocities.

Eight matches across both tournaments are due to take place on French soil this week, including Parisbased Stade Francais hosting Munster next Sunday.

Stade Francais apart, matches are listed to take place between next Thursday and Sunday in La Rochelle, Agen, Montpellier, Toulouse, Castres, Grenoble and ClermontFerrand.

Gloucester are due at La Rochelle next Thursday, with London Irish visiting Grenoble two days later. Both games are Challenge Cup fixtures, in addition to Edinburgh visiting Agen andNewport being away to Castres. The Ospreys, meanwhile, face a ChampionsCupawaygameagainst Clermont Auvergne next Sunday.

Bath are the only English club affected in terms of rescheduling after the Pool Five match against Champions Cup holders Toulon at Stade Felix-Mayol on Sunday was postponed.

But the west country club does not have a free weekend until April, and that is only if it fails tomake the Champions Cup quarter-finals. Bath chairman Bruce Craig said he thinks finding a rearrangement date will not be possible. John Newsom (Inverness Harriers) secured an important and impressive win ahead ofKenny Wilson (Moray Road Runners) in the Scottish north district league senior men’s race at Thurso.

Both men had one victory each to their credit from the opening two fixtures, but Newson now holds a narrow points advantage at the halfway point in the campaign.

Wilson, the north 10km road running champion, kept in close contact with his rival until just before the halfway point, after which the Inverness Harrier’s strength began to tell in the wet, muddy and windy conditions.

Newsom completed the course in 33min 30sec with Wilson 35sec behind while north hill running champion Gordon Lennox (Inverness Harriers) got the better of Stornoway duo William Mackay and Murdo Mackenzie to take third position.

Inverness went on to take top spot in the team competition with Newsom and Lennox supported by Paul Miller (seventh) and Andrew Macrae (10th).

Nairn teenager Mary Macintosh scored her first victory in the women’s league when finishing well The finals of Euro 2016 will remain in France.

The country’s hosting of the tournament has come under scrutiny since Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris, but Uefa yesterday confirmed the tournament will not be moved.

France’s 1958World Cup footballer Just Fontaine was one prominent figure to call on the country to ahead of Catriona Fraser (Inverness Harriers) and Karen Lyons (Highland Hill Runners).

Fraser led Inverness Harriers to another team success with backing from Julie Wilson (fourth) and Alison Wilson (fifth).

Ross County’s Finlay Todd won the under-17 boys’ race in which runnerup Kier Beaton led East Sutherland AC to team success with Fraser Roach (fourth) and Ian Morrison ( sixth) completing the scoring.

East Sutherland also took the honours in the under-17 girls’ event with Constance Nankivell winning from Sophia Green ( Moray Road Runners) while Lauren McCulloch ( third) and Helen Gordon (fifth) were the other counters for the winning side.

Inverness Harriers completed a clean sweep in the under-15 boys’ compet i t i o n w i t h K i e r a n Chalmers winning from his clubmates Mackenzie Brown and Craig Wilson.

Grace Whelan (Moray Road Runners) was an impressive winner of the give up hosting rights, claiming: “It is simply too dangerous”.

Fontaine, 82, waspresent at the Stade de France on Friday night when the stadiumwas one of the venues targeted in what appeared to be co-ordinated attacks across the French capital.

Explosions could be heard inside the stadium as three suicide bombers detonated vests outside the ground while the friendly between France and Germany continued.

Fontaine, who holds the record for the most goals scored at a single World Cup finals after scoring 13 at the 1958 tournament in Sweden, said: “Any other country could stage Euro 2016, but we cannot.

“I think France should forgo the tournament. under-15 girls’ event, but Inverness Harriers again swept to team success through Megan Keith (second), Emily Andrew (third) and Rebecca Johnstone (fourth).

Ben Cameron ( Forres Harriers) showed good form to take top spot ahead of Joshua Milne (Moray Road runners) and Finlay Rutter (Ross County) in the under-13 boys’ race but Lucas Cairns ( fourth), Duncan McDonald (fifth) and Ben Sharpe ( sixth) gave Inverness yet another team victory.

Alyth Gollan ( East Sutherland) came out top in a closely- contested under-13 girls’ event in which Niamh Whelan (Moray Road runners) was second and third-placed Catriona Garvie led Inverness to team success again with backing from Kirsty Arnold (fourth) and Kirsty Johnstone (fifth).

Bruce Evans took top spot in the under-11 boys’ race, but second-placed Lachlan Buchanan outpaced Sam Bryan (East Sutherland) to lead Inverness to more team celebrations with RobertUrquhart (fourth) and Eoin Black (sixth).

Anya Morrison ( East Sutherland) led home the under-11 girls’ with Inverness runners Zoe Sharp (second), Stroma Fraser (third) andLaurenMcDonald (fourth) securing the team win.

“Eight matches across are due to take place on French soil this week” “Newson now holds a narrow advantage at the halfway point in the campaign”

“I am very afraid this black Friday could be repeated. I think we cannot guarantee the safety that is required to host such a big event.

“It is simply too dangerous. Do you really think that people are going to go to the Stade de France in future?”

France will still face England at Wembley tonight, while Paris St Germain have confirmed their women’s team’s Champions League last- 16 tie against Orebro will go ahead at their Stade Charlety home tomorrow, the first match played in Paris since the attacks.

Marseille’s Ultras group set aside the traditional rivalry between OM and PSG to erect a banner on the Boulevard Rabatau, in the south of Marseille, on Sunday evening proclaiming “Nous sommes Paris” (We are Paris).

Several French news outlets, though, reported the banner had been torn down during the night and was found in pieces on the ground. North District will not be represented in the semi-finals of either the Scottish Women’s District Cup or District Plate.

AAM Merlins Gordonians 2nds returned from Glasgow losing to the District Cup holders Clydesdale Western 2nds while Aberdeen Ladies lost on penalties to Dunfermline Carnegie at Rubislaw on Sunday.

Orkney and Shetland selects have made it through to the semis after wins against Granite City Wanderers 2nds and GHK 2nds.

Ellon and Aberdeen Bon Accord MBC both lost

Just Fontaine