1.
GV PAN Start of match between Japan in light shirts and Colombia. Colombia attack and score first shot in basket.
0.22

2.
GV & MV Japan attack and score in basket as crowd looks on. (4 shots)
0.35

3.
GV Japan attacks and scores again.
0.42

4.
CU Scoreboard - Japan 97 Colombia 65.
0.45

5.
GV Start of match between Russia and Italy, Russia attacking from left to right.
0.58

6.
SV Crowd.
1.00

7.
GV ZOOM INTO SV Large Russian woman running.
1.04

8.
GV Italy attack and score in basket.
1.14

9.
GV Russia attacks and scores in basket.
1.22

10.
CU Final scoreboard Italy 49 Russia 85.
1.25

11.
GV Start of match between Czechoslovakia and Mexico, Czechs in white shirts, and crowd. (2 shots)
1.33

12.
GV PAN Mexico attack and score in basket, and crowd. (2 shots)
1.54

13.
GV PAN Czechs attack and score in basket, and crowd. (2 shots)
2.06

14.
GV Czechs score penalty shots, end of game final score Mexico 52 Czechoslovakia 71. (2 shots)
2.21



Initials CL/1800


SPORT: BASKETBALL

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The Soviet Union won the world women's basketball title for the fifth time at the seventh world championships which finished in the Colombian city of Cali on Saturday night (4 October).

The team won all of its six games with a total of 509 points. Japan came second with 461 points and Czechoslovakia third with 379.

The world women's basketball tournament began in 1953. This year teams from 12 countries took part in the qualifying stages of the two week tournament which was played in the Colombian cities of Cali, Bucaramanga and Bogota.

In the final round with the Soviet Union were Japan, Czechoslovakia, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, and Colombia. Italy's vivacious Liliana Bocchi, was top individual scorer for the championships. She netted a total of 146 points.

The clash between Italy and Japan was the most dramatic match of the series. Italy saw its title chance slip from its hands in the closing seconds of the game when Japan mounted a swift counter-attack to snatch the vital points after lagging 49-48. The final score was 50-49 to Japan.

Favourites from the start, it was obvious after the matches played on Friday night (3 October) that the Soviet girls were going to take the title again. They also beat Italy on Saturday (4 October) and all other possible challengers were beaten by Japan, giving the Soviet team an unbeatable lead.

SYNOPSIS: On the final day of the seventh world women's basketball championships in Cali, Colombia on Saturday, the host team made a spirited attempt to bring down Japan. The Japanese in the light coloured shirts, were on the defensive at the start as the Colombian girls launched their attack and scored a goal early in the game.

But it wasn't long before Japan took to the attack ... and started scoring. As their confidence grew the Japanese attacks became increasingly frequent. By the end the home side found themselves decisively beaten.

The Soviet Union, four times world champions, met Italy in their final game. The Soviet Union attacking from left to right.

As well as its obvious talent, the Soviet team had the additional advantage of some well built team members.

The smaller Italians weren't daunted and attacked right back to get some good shots in the basket.

But as the match progressed the Soviet team just kept totting up more goals. They were also clear winners.

In another final round match Mexico played Czechoslovakia - Czechoslovakia in the light coloured shirts.

This was a much more evenly contested game.

The Mexicans kept possession well but they took a little longer building their attacks than the Czechoslovakians. This move resulted in a score for Mexico but the European side, who finished third with a total of three hundred and seventy nine points in the whole competition, did not take long to reply.

This penalty goal to the Czechs saw to it that by the final whistle they were more than ten points clear, but they had to battle for their win.