AMID the wailing of sports fans and the gnashing of their teeth, is there any hope to be found in the nation's lost weekend?

Well, yes - although admittedly it is only a glimmer.

Tim Henman, despite losing yesterday's rain-delayed Wimbledon semi-final, is probably the brightest glimmer. He now looks like a serious contender rather than a young hopeful. He played the better tennis throughout the semi-final and if the English summer weather hadn't intervened on Friday night when he was a set up, he probably would have beaten Goran Ivanisevic.

It is now a realistic possibility for the future - rather than the fanciful dream of previous years - that 26-year-old Henman can become the first Englishman since 1936 to win a Wimbledon final, especially as so many of his rivals are reaching retirement age.

However, yesterday he allowed a golden opportunity to slip through his fingers. With the champion Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi defeated, Henman couldn't have hoped for a better run - particularly as his Ivanisevic was ranked 125 in the world.

And while looking hopefully to the future, Henman must also be looking back over his shoulder at the 18 and 19-year-olds - Andrew Roddick, Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt - who are also already being spoken of as future Wimbledon champions.

In rugby, there is some hope, too. Part of the reason the British Lions tour has captured the public imagination is that - despite our belief that we only breed also-rans - the Lions are still an awesome worldwide force.

Next weekend's Third Test decider will be an extraordinary encounter.

In cricket, though, it is difficult to find anything but fear - especially as there are still four tests to go and the captain Nasser Hussain, who has restored a semblance of pride to English cricket in the last 18 months, has again sustained injury.

From a broader perspective, this weekend provides plenty of other positives. There is the remarkable competitive spirit and determination of the Australians to marvel at - and to learn from.

There is also the prospect of a genuinely united nation. These days, with so many differing interests dividing young and old and male and female and black and white, there are no longer supposed to be the "shared experiences" that bind us together.

But judging by the way Henman's progress was watched so avidly by so many people - even those who felt excluded from the laddish gangs that followed football's Italia 90 and Euro 96 - the country can still be united in a patriotic way that is neither xenophobic, jingoistic or racist. That, surely, is very positive.