Sporting Digest: Basketball

ENGLAND were beaten 70-67 by Romania in the European Championship qualifying tournament in Zalaesgerszeg, Hungary, last night. Steve Bucknall scored 20 points for England, but his team could not contain Romania's 7ft 6in Gheorghe Muresan, who scored 28 points.

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP First round Group A (Karlsruhe, Ger): Russia 99 Bosnia 77; Spain 72 Sweden 49. Group B (Berlin): Croatia 104 Bulgaria 83; France 69 Turkey 55. Group C (Karlsruhe): Greece 81 Latvia 62; Italy 92 Israel 83. Group D (Berlin): Estonia 113 Germany 103; Belgium 82 Slovenia 61.

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP Qualifying tournament (Zalaesgerszeg, Hung): England 67 Romania 70.