Britain and Thailand All Square

ecome less trusted as a result of several coup plots involving officers from the Guard. One plot, unmasked in 1990, two months befor see Martin Lee throw it away in dismal fashion later this afternoon.

Henman lost the first set of his singles clash with world No204 Danai Udomchoke before battling back to claim a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena. Lee meanwhile, lost in straight sets to Paradorn Srichaphan.

The British No1 understandably looked completely out of sorts in the early stages of his first competitive match since his third round exit at the US Open earlier this month.

Henman had declared himself almost 100% fit after 10 days of intensive treatment on the shoulder injury which seriously threatened his participation in the world group qualifying tie, but the same could not be said of his game in the first set.

The world No5 made a handful of unforced errors, particularly on his normally reliable volleys, and two double faults in the third game gifted Udomchoke a break of serve.

Udomchoke, a 21-year-old Bangkok law student, made the most of Henman's generosity and saved two break points before serving out for the set to silence the majority of forces.

Various other forces dedicated to intelligence and internal security - possibly totalling more than 100,000 men - could theoretically be deployed in a last-ditch defence of the regime. These include the Special Security Service, the General Intelligence Directorate, the Military Security Service, Military Intelligence and the Border Guards, which all have paramilitary elements.

In addition, there is the Saddam Fedayyeen, a thug militia run by Pree into a 3-0 lead, but the Thai No2 refused to buckle, taking Henman to four deuces in the next game and saving a set point at 5-2 down.

Henman was not to be denied however, serving out to take the set 6-3 and level the match, much to his relief and that of the home crowd.

Henman was finally beginning to stamp his authority on his opponent and broke Udomchoke t

The multiplicity of forces, intended to keep watch on each other and control Iraqi civilians, leads to rivalries and jealousies which are not conducive to a well-coordinated defence of the regime against an external threat.

The conventional army, which probably numbers slightly more than 350,000 (excluding the Republican Guard), is the largest fighting force in the Middle East - but a shadow of its former self. Shortly before the 1991 war it had 955,000 men. That war, followed by 11 years of sanctions, have left it undermanned and poorly equipped, though it could still probably call on 625,000 reservists.

Recent evidence to the US Senate foreign relations committee suggests that at least half of the regular army is at 70% or less of its authorised strength, with some infantry units severely undermanned.

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London ,all army divisions except the Republican Guard are at 50% combat effectiveness

Some infantry units are heavily dependent on conscripts, unlike the Republican Guard, which is a volunteer force. "Six weeks' bombing would finish the conscripts," one analyst said. "They'll not switch to the US but disappear and go home to their mums."

Although the army does have 2,200 tanks - 700 of which are relatively modern -there are reports that much of its equipment is old. According to one American report, half of abe one of the hunt servants. When they besieged the Labour party conference the next year, the cabinet trembled. But this timevealed he did not feel troubled by the shoulder injury - and admitted much of the problem is now in his mind.

He explained: "I wasn't ever full out most of the time - but it's the mental aspect. I played for three or four weeks when I was struggling. I don't have the impingement anymore - but I'm waiting for it to happen.

"The fewer negative feelings I get hopefully the better it will get. It takes time to ease in but I felt good out there and it bodes well for the weekend."

Martin Lee failed to build on Tim Henman's victory in the Davis Cup in spectacular fashion this afternoon, losing 6-0, 7-6, 6-2 to Paradorn Srichaphan.

The British No3 served terribly throughout the match and was easily punished by the man Greg Rusedski removed from this month's US Open. Indeed, Lee managed to win only five points during the entire first set.