Wednesday 22 August 1:17 PM Opals make perfect start to European tour By Laine Clark   A battle-weary Kristen Veal has joined the Opals' European basketball tour in France but is not expected to be fully fit until next week after a gruelling WNBA initiation. Veal sat out the Opals' opening tour match, an impressive 79-69 win over the Czech Republic in Bordeaux last night, nursing a knee injury which hampered the end of her WNBA debut in the United States. Veal ranked fifth in the WNBA in assists per game (4.3) in her maiden US season with Phoenix and averaged four points a match, mostly from the bench. The 20-year-old Canberra guard will be expected to step into the big shoes left by ex-Opal and veteran Phoenix backcourt general Michele Timms, who ended her 17-year professional career in the WNBA last week. While Veal's WNBA debut included many highlights, including Timms' emotional swansong match, the demanding 32-game season took its toll. She was not expected to suit up for Australia until the tour's second leg in Spain started next week. The only other Opals injury concern was forward Carla Boyd, who suffered a facial cut that required six stitches. Last night Veal could only watch as Rachael Sporn led the Opals with a game-high 26 points and nine rebounds against the Czechs. Fellow two-time Olympian Jenny Whittle finished with 10 points and six rebounds, while recent Townsville signing Suzy Batkovic and Adelaide guard Jae Kingi both had nine points. Opals coach Jan Stirling will use the nine-match, two-week tour as a warm-up for next month's world championship qualifiers in New Zealand. But she must mould a competitive outfit without the likes of Opals Lauren Jackson, Kristi Harrower (injury), Annie Burgess, Trish Fallon (playing in Europe) and Michelle Brogan (personal reasons). "The Czech Republic are a very athletic team, and it is a credit to the girls that we were able to handle them on the boards," Stirling said after the match which marked Shelley Hammonds' Opals debut. Forward Penny Taylor - who completed her WNBA debut when Cleveland crashed out of the Eastern Conference semi-finals this week - will join the Opals when they take on Greece in the Bordeaux tournament.