Letter: Try Cooke's recipe

Sir: When Ted Dexter decides to take the honourable way out and fall on his ceremonial three-wood, who will replace him? Having taken control of the England rugby union team in 1987, Geoff Cooke transformed mediocrity into magnificence. As manager of the British Lions he put English favouritism to the back of his selectorial mind and dropped Will Carling from captaincy consideration and ultimately Test duty. He has the skill, backbone and ruthlessness to turn 11 English rabbits into roaring Lions, and with a team of cricket experts beside him (G Boycott, R Illingworth, B Willis and I Botham), maybe in the future we'll see an England cricket team win back the Ashes.

Yours sincerely,

PAUL M CUDDEFORD

Heston, Middlesex

26 July