TABLE BRITISH men's No.1 Darren Hall has more than just pride at

staketoday when he returns to Glasgow's Kelvin Hall to begin his defence

of the singles title at the Glasgow Carlton Scottish Open Badminton

Championships.

Unless he reaches the last eight, Hall almost certainly will forfeit a

place at the World Grand Prix finals in Malaysia next month.

In this, the final counting event in the 1992 grand prix series, Hall

needs to pick up no fewer than 45 points in order to muscle his way into

the world's all-important top 15. The sixteenth spot automatically will

go to Malaysian Kok Koong Foo.

A qualifier on the last six occasions, Hall currently is tied in

seventeenth position, 10 points behind Open absentee Anders Nielsen.

For the former European champion, the current season could not have

started better. Hall, a comfortable winner of the Wimbledon Open in

September, became the first Briton to lift the Danish Open title, when

he beat top-seed Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen in last month's final.

However, an unexpected defeat in the second round of the recent

Norwegian Open has tempered his confidence, as has a nasty head cold,

which caused him such discomfort that he seriously considered

withdrawing from this week's line-up.

Fortunately, the symptoms have abated and, according to Hall, he is

fit and eagerly awaits the chance to defend the title.

Although seeded to meet old adversary Jens Olsson in Sunday's final,

Hall believes the biggest threat to his crown will come from a closer

quarter.

According to Hall, fellow British Olympian Steve Butler is in fine

fettle and, having beaten Olsson en route to the Norwegian title, may

well feature in the competition's latter stages. Other players earmarked

by Hall as possible challengers are Finland's Pontus Jantii and another

Englishman, Peter Knowles.

Scottish hopes are pinned on national champion Kevin Scott, for whom

an awkward first-round draw with the Danish No.3, Claus Thomsen, may

have its compensations.

''On paper, he will be expected to beat me but I have nothing to

lose,'' said Scott.

* SWEDEN, the European champions, whitewashed Scotland at the Saltire

Leisure Centre, Arbroath, last night to record their eight successive

victory over the Scots. Results (Swedish names first):

Men's singles -- R Magnusson defeated B Flockhart 15-2, 15-5; P

Andreasson defeated K Scott 15-6, 15-8. Men's doubles -- P Axelsson and

P G Jonsson defeated K Middlemiss and R Hogg 15-6, 15-4; Andreasson and

Magnusson defeated G Haldane and A Gatt 15-4, 15-2. Women's singles -- A

Crabo defeated G Martin 11-1, 11-3. Women's doubles -- M and C Bengtsson

defeated J and E Allen 15-17, 15-0, 15-4. Mixed doubles -- Jonsson and M

Bengtsson defeated Middlemiss and E Allen 10-15, 15-8, 15-11.