follow Winter at Sandown . Team Spirit nap to repeat his Mildmay win . by the scout . Team Spirit , winner of the Mildmay memorial &apos;chase last January , returns to Sandown today in an attempt to stage a repeat . strictly on the book , he has little chance of beating Dandy Scot - assuming that Fred Winter &apos;s mount would have made it a very close thing 12 months ago had he not capsized at the last fence . Team Spirit is 12 lb worse off this time , but on the other hand is two years younger than his rival , and is likely to have made the greater improvement . also , there is little doubt that he has a brighter turn of finishing speed than Dandy Scot , who only held on to second place in the Rhymney breweries &apos;chase through his own indomitable courage and the relentless driving of his jockey . good form . Limonalt , brought down by Chavara when well to the fore at Cheltenham last month , earlier beat Frenchman&apos;s Cove here - form that looked all the better when the runner-up went on to trounce Mandarin at Kempton . Limonalt is nothing to look at but is tough and game , and will stay this trip well . he is suggested as the best each-way long-shot and , together with Dandy Scot , the danger to Team Spirit ( 2.35 nap ) . even if he fails on Dandy Scot , Fred Winter is unquestionably the jockey to follow . he should score on Flame Gun ( 1.30 ) , Some Alibi ( 3.5 ) , and Tovaritch ( 3.30 ) . blinkers made all the difference to Tovaritch at Hurst Park and , similarly equipped today , he looks much too good for his village hurdle rivals . best of the opposition may be Chinese Pintall , favourably noted when sixth , running-on , behind Luminarch here last month . Flame Gun , unbeaten here , seems well suited to giving away lumps of weight in small fields such as he faces in the Londesborough &apos;chase . capsized . it is impossible to say whether Some Alibi would have won had he not capsized three fences out at Windsor last Saturday . but he was several lengths ahead of King &apos;s Nephew at the time , and would have probably made a close race of it . he should have too much speed , providing he stands up , for Hal &apos;s Hope , still far from a clever fencer , in the stand novices &apos; &apos;chase . top novices &apos; clash is at Birmingham , where Retour de Flamme ( 2.0 ) , Tokoroa , and Bandalore meet in the Packington &apos;chase . Retour de Flamme allies his always bright turn of speed to brilliant fencing , and he should be too strong at the finish for his rivals . Commandeer ( 3.30 ) is one of the best four-year-old hurdlers seen out so far - though that is not saying much . he should have an easy task in the last event . Retour de Flamme for the replay . by Peter O&apos;Sullevan . the finishing order in the 1958 champion hurdle , won by Bandalore from Tokoroa and Retour de Flamme ( 2.0 nap ) , may be reversed in a unique replay this afternoon , when the trio clash at Birmingham over fences . Retour de Flamme was frequently backed to beat Tokoroa over hurdles , but in six encounters he never succeeded . and after each had staged an impressive first-time effort over fences Fred Rimell bet Syd Warren that Tokoroa would again triumph the first time they met in a &apos;chase . the Packington &apos;chase will determine the bet , and if Syd Warren proves the winner , as I expect , Bob McCreery will complete an unusual hat-trick . for on the two previous occasions he partnered this novice national entry , he won on him at Lewes ( on the flat ) and over hurdles at Newton Abbot . anyway it should be a great race . for Tokoroa &apos;s Hurst Park running was undoubtedly an incorrect reflection on his true ability . while Bandalore had no chance last time out to endorse his notable first fencing effort . the blot ? northern Mildmay hope , Springbok arrived at Sandown yesterday in fine trim after leaving Middleham at 5 a.m . he could prove a blot on the handicap - as connections hope . Merganser also seems well treated , and Johnny Lehane is confident of a bold bid by Miss Popsi Wopsi . me , I am going along with Dandy Scot ( 2.30 e.w ) on his seventh run over the course where his first effort in the 1955-6 season was a fall two from home in a novices &apos; &apos;chase . since then he has won two &apos;chases here and been beaten a short head over hurdles . Gerry Madden &apos;s luck finally changed yesterday - and what a reception his fellow jockeys gave him - when King &apos;s last-fence fall handed the Stanley &apos;chase to Mandarin . there is now no doubt that the winner &apos;s confidence was shaken by his Chepstow fall , and he &apos;ll miss the national in favour of a gold cup preparation . and , of course , 29-year-old Gerry , to whom Mme Kilian Hennessy has remained so loyal , will continue to partner him henceforth . problem horse Mossreeba even defied Johnny Gilbert &apos;s skill in the metropolitan hurdle . he struck the front after jumping the last but as Keith Piggott says : he &apos;ll come and beat anything , but as soon as he gets his head in front up it goes - and he does n&apos;t want to know . Avala compensated the stable when a doubtful issue was clinched by Beldon Hall &apos;s last-fence fall in the mole handicap . league v players - replay Wednesday . ministry stage a last-chance peace talk . by Clive Toye . an urgent peace move by the ministry of labour last night could stop soccer &apos;s headlong flight into a strike . the ministry have called the football league and the players &apos; leaders together for a conference in London next Wednesday - 72 hours before the players &apos; strike is due to begin . the conference could end in , at least , a postponement of the strike notices . for the players &apos; leaders are keen to tell the league : we wish to negotiate on one of your ideas - an eased form of the retain and transfer system . this new system was suggested by the football league management committee on December 29 , accepted by the players , then rejected by the football league club chairmen this week , causing the present crisis . first-class idea . players &apos; leader Jimmy Hill said last night : it was an absolutely first-class idea by the league , and it would really work in practice . the league clubs feared this proposal because they thought it could rob them of too many players at one time . that is n&apos;t so . with new , longer contracts , a manager could sign some of his players for one year , some for two and some for three . at the end of any one season , only a small number of players would be in a position to ask for a move . league president Joe Richards said last night at his Barnsley home that he would go to next Wednesday &apos;s meeting if my presence means avoiding a strike . he added : but I am not going to waste time . I am not budging on the issue of the transfer system . the players now believe that , if it is necessary , the final instrument for the defeat of the football league is the case of 26-year-old former England B inside-forward Alfie Stokes . strong case . Stokes is ready to take legal action against Fulham , his last league club , claiming they have no right to keep him out of league football . Stokes , the players have been advised , has an even stronger case against the league &apos;s present contract than George Eastham , the Newcastle star transferred to Arsenal after a long , bitter wrangle with Newcastle . under the system suggested by the league management on December 29 , a player due to be offered a new contract by his club would be given details of his terms by May 19 , accepting or refusing by May 31 . if he refused to sign , the league would find him another club before June 30 . if a player was not transferred by June 30 , and his club wished to retain him , the club would have to pay him a minimum of &amp;pound;15 a week until he was transferred . Mr X will be happy with 10 % . by Robert Findlay . the sports editor . the mysterious Mr X sat drinking coffee in the back room of his modest Charterhouse-street , London , office . Mr X , accused by football league secretary Alan Hardaker as being the man behind the strike . Mr Hardaker hinted Mr X wanted to enrol all footballers under his banner , then hire them out to clubs at his price . was n&apos;t Jimmy Hill , chairman of the professional footballers &apos; association , one of his men ? I decided on a frontal attack . you are trying a soccer take-over , I accused the fresh-faced , fortyish character who offered me coffee in an Irish brogue . you want to dictate to the league clubs . his name . Mr X sighed helplessly . not on your life . I &apos;m only a literary agent trying to earn 10 per cent to keep the wolf from the door . Bagenal Harvey is the name . his partner sat opposite him . his name ? Denis Compton . eleven years ago the enterprising Mr Harvey began to specialise in contributions by well-known sportsmen . he enrolled them on 10 per cent commission to endorse articles for newspapers , periodicals , books , broadcasts , and advertising . he guided the feet of Denis Compton , Godfrey Evans , John Surtees , Danny Blanchflower , Johnny Haynes , Trevor Bailey , and dozens of other sportsmen through the pitfalls of Fleet-street towards contracts based on their fame and personality as sportsmen . and that &apos;s all I &apos;m interested in , said Mr Harvey helplessly . ten per cent and the right to help sportsmen make something out of their great reputations . Mr Harvey is extremely successful in his aims , though he creates enemies in sport and in Fleet-street through his activities in putting a price on sportsmen &apos;s contributions . but to say I am behind the strike is so much nonsense , declared Mr Harvey heatedly . why ? I can n&apos;t make players &apos; contracts . I can n&apos;t make a club pay a player so much a week . and , what &apos;s more , I do n&apos;t want to . a strike &apos;s the last thing I want . it would put my clients out of business , and then where would I be ? Mr Hardaker knows Jimmy Hill is on my list of contributors , but our deals are strictly business . his business . Jimmy has legal and other advisers much better qualified to help him than I am . and in any case I have enough to do minding my own business without wasting time dispelling silly rumours . on the walls of his office hung pictures of sporting celebrities signed in many thanks terms . on his shelves stood sporting books by his contributors . Denis Compton broke in with : and , believe it or not , Bagenal is the only man an England cricket team ever invited to go on tour at their expense . it was before the 1957-58 tour of South Africa , when Bagenal said half-jokingly before some of the team : I wish I was going with you so-and-so&apos;s . the next thing the M.C.C lads had whipped round the necessary &amp;pound;500 and invited Bagenal , through their captain , Freddie Brown , to go with them . he did n&apos;t because he took ill shortly afterwards , but the gesture was what I call highly commended in any language . I said adieu and left Mr X stripped of his mystery , to finish his coffee and calculate the week &apos;s takings at 10 per cent . Cheung from China faces Wolves . by Mike Langley . out with the half-time lemon and in with the chop-suey &amp;hellip; for here comes Cheung Chi Doy , the first full Chinese to play in the football league . he is Blackpool &apos;s outside left against Wolves today . and Aston Villa assistant manager Dick Taylor , who saw 19-year-old Cheung bamboozle Villa reserves on new year &apos;s eve , offers this testimonial : - I &apos;ve not seen such a perfectly balanced player for years . I just can n&apos;t understand why he has n&apos;t been in the first team sooner . Cheung called in at Blackpool last summer on his way to Rome , where he was due to play for Formosa in the Olympics . he decided he liked Lancashire , forgot Rome , and signed professional for Blackpool in October . ten reserve games , the last five at centre forward , and seven goals - that &apos;s Cheung &apos;s record . 