SAB SPORTS JOURNALISTS OF THE YEAR AWARDS - CALL FOR ENTRIES

Submission of entries for the prestigious SAB Sports Journalists of the Year Awards opens on March 1.

Dubbed “the Oscars of sports journalism”, the SAB Sports Journalists of the Year Awards have over the past 27 years established itself as the most prestigious awards for journalists covering developments in the world of sport.

The 2006 awards are for work produced between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2006. The various categories make it possible for journalists from a variety of media to enter. Categories include Print and Internet, Radio and Television (comprising 10 sub-categories) as well as overall Newcomer of the Year and Most Media-Friendly Sports Personality of the Year which is nominated by the sports media. Category winners receive R15 000 each and sub category winners R3 000 each.

All individuals are invited to submit their work or nominate others’ work, including editors, managers, colleagues and the panel of judges themselves. For the first time, a number of scouts have been appointed to submit work they think worthy.

Explains SAB communications manager Michael Farr: “We introduced this new scheme as some of the regions felt that they were at a disadvantage to the major media houses. We feel that this will go a long way to addressing these concerns. We are looking forward to a record number of entries this year with the support of the regional scouts”.

Convened by Joe Latakgomo, the judging panel for this year's print and internet awards include Paula Fray, Bokkie Gerber (Rapport), Guy Hawthorne (The Daily Sun), Gert Kotze and Bronwyn Wilkinson. Jan Snyman will convene the panel for broadcast media, with a line-up of judges including Joe Visagie (SABC Sport), Dan Retief (Supersport Zone), Arthur Molisiwa (The Star), Robin Kempthorne and Dan Setshedi.

“The judges are guided in their judging by three main criteria: integrity, overall quality and impact, as well as tailoring the writing or broadcasting for a particular target audience and balance,” says Farr. “In addition to this, elements like style, factual accuracy, originality, fairness and regular exposure will have a significant impact on determining the final winners.”

The awards dinner will take place in Johannesburg on Thursday May 10, 2007.

For more information about the awards and to download an entry form and go to www.sablimited.co.za

Entries close on March 30, 2007.

Massive boost for Gauteng sport

The Sport Trust delivered another significant boost to the development of sport in South Africa with the donation of R882 000 for various projects in Gauteng.

The donation took place at the Johannesburg Gymnastics Centre on Wednesday, which proved an appropriate venue considering The Sports Trust provided funding in 2001 for the repair of the ceiling and sponsored a vaulting horse, fat mat and 3 landing mats. The investment bore fruits when four gymnasts were selected as part of the Commonwealth Games in 2006, with two of them winning medals.

A total of 11 projects in Gauteng stand to benefit from the donation, including gymnastics, soccer, volleyball, karate, dancing, aerobics and golf.

The specific projects that have received funding are:

• Itireleng Skills Development Programme (R23 000,00).
• African House College (R16 000,00).
• Soshanguve Volleyball (R13 000,00).
• Karate Org SA Matsushima (R30 000,00).
• Masakane Primary (R15 000,00).
• JHB Gymnastics Centre (R70 000,00).
• Tshimo School of Dancing (R20 000,00).
• Twelopelo Group of Aerobics (R65 000,00).
• SA Golf Development Board (R50 000,00).
• SuperSports Let’s Play (R200 000,00).
• Soccer Kits and Balls as part of the 2010 drive (R250 000,00).

“Our donation to various projects across Gauteng will ensure that young sportsmen and women are given the opportunity to realise their dreams of one day representing their country on the world stage,” said Greg Garden, Chairman of The Sports Trust.

“The Sports Trust tries to help wherever it can. But we would not be able to deliver to these projects if it weren’t for the help that we receive from our partners the National Lottery Board, the Department of Sport and Recreation, Coca Cola, Impala Platinum, Harmony, Nedbank, Super Sport, Sun International and SA Breweries.

“We are heavily indebted to them for allowing us to act on the various requests that we receive for funding around the country.”

Poor A1gp Medical

Sunday night, as I was going back to my room after a tough day atthe OB Van for SAfm, I saw a couple of Team USA. I asked them how thier driver was. Earlier in the day, Jonathon Summeton, the driver for the USA had had a major accident. After going through the the flat-out left corner towards the end of the track, Johanthon had hit the right hand wall, lost control and hit the barriers further down the road, head-on. At the time, nothing much was thought of the incident and the race went on. The Team USA man told me the rest of the story....

Straight after the accident, Jonathon was on the team radio crying and saying that he was injured. He was saying that his hand was sore. The team told him to sit still and the medical crew would get there soon. Guess what? The team never arrived. Jonathon had to get out of the car himself and make his way to the pits.

This after a MASSIVE shunt, head-first into a concrete barrier. Surely somone should have sent an ambulance just as a precaution?

When I tried to contact A1gp yesterday, they were all in transit from Durban back to the UK and I will try to get answers once they arrive in the UK later today or tomorrow.

Find out more about this young American here....

Ullrich quits after decade of Tour frustration

When the 23-year-old Jan Ullrich stormed to victory in the 1997 Tour de France it looked like the start of a long period of dominance by the German.

Fitness problems, Lance Armstrong and finally a doping investigation combined to thwart him, however, and his retirement at the age of 33 comes after a decade of Tour disappointments.

There were certainly successes along the way. In 1999 he won the Tour of Spain and in 2000 he won a gold and silver medal at the Sydney Olympics.

But greatness in cycling is measured by the Tour de France and while Ullrich was a regular on the podium, with a total of five second-places to his name, the second victory he dreamed of remained beyond his grasp.

His retirement announcement on Monday came eight months after he was withdrawn from the T-Mobile team for the Tour de France over suspicions of a link to the massive anti-doping investigation being conducted by police in Spain.

With Armstrong by then retired, after winning the Tour for seven straight years, Ullrich was denied his last, best shot at a second title and he still sounded bitter on Monday.

"My exclusion from the Tour in 2006 was like a bad dream," said Ullrich, who has always denied having any involvement in doping. "It was a huge shock, one which I still haven't been able to come to terms with.

"I've never deceived anyone and I'm not to be blamed."

If anyone could have broken Armstrong's reign it was Ullrich.

His victory in the Tour in 1997 left the cycling world open-mouthed, as the big, freckled German won by more than nine minutes.

"We have witnessed the birth of a champion," Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc said as Ullrich became the first German to win the French classic.

Many wondered whether anyone would be able to match his all-round strength in time trials and in the mountains but the following season he had injury problems and in the end had to settle for second place in the Tour behind Marco Pantani.

Finishing second was something he would have to get used to as Armstrong set about writing his name in cycling history.

Most years Ullrich seemed to come into the event less than fully prepared and he was runner-up to the American in 2000, 2001 and 2003.

In 2002 Ullrich was found guilty of drink-driving after crashing his Porsche and two months later his team announced he had tested positive for a recreational drug, a result Ullrich blamed on "two little pills" he had taken at a nightclub because he was feeling depressed.

Ullrich left Telekom and raced for the Bianchi team in the 2003 Tour. That was the year he came closest to beating Armstrong, with a fall in the decisive time trial on the penultimate day finally costing him victory.

After returning to Telkom, now named T-Mobile, he was on the podium at the Tour again in 2005, finishing third behind Armstrong in what turned out to be the last Tour appearances for both great rivals.

It's still Hot

Hey motor fans.

Qualifying has just begun at the A1gp here in Durban. Team South Africa is having some brake problems. Team leader, Mike Carol, says that they are not sure what the problem is but they are working hard on fixing it.

Adrian Zaugg is not making it available for interviews. He has a HUGE bodygaurd that is making sure nobody gets close. The alternate driver is around but do we care? I want to know what it's REALLY like on the track.

Anyway, Germany are leading after the 1st qualifying session with the USA and Singapore in 2nd and 3rd.

It's Hot!!

Day 1 of the Durban A1gp is a thing of the past. As the heading will tell you, I am hot. I used to live in Durban but I keep forgetting just how hot it gets in Durban in February. No idea what the actual temperature was but it was hot. Standing in the shade outside would get you sweating, forget about going out in the sun!

As for the racing, the cars did their thing in the rookie testing and official testing. Team South Africa's driver, Adrian Zaugg arrived at the track at 10:30am with practice already 30 minutes underway. He walked straight to the garage, put on his gloves and helmet, jumped in the car and had an accident. Not a big one, just enough to take the car out of the session.

Practice 1 came along and he did quite well. He placed 10th out of 20-odd countries.

The noise from the cars is loud but not as loud as you would imagine. I used my trusty sound level meter at the track and got readings of around 108dB. My music in the car is louder than that. I was about 30 metres away from the track but I still imagined it to be a little louder.

Tomorrow's weather should be good. There were clear skies after a cloudy start today, so we hope to see some fun on the track.

Germans to Challenge at Drak

Four top German canoeists have entered the weekend’s Hansa Powerade Drakensberg Challenge in Underberg, adding new spice to the intrigue and excitement around the event, which is hosting the SA K1 River Championships.

The four include Max Hoff, who is no strangers to river racing, and in September came within a whisker of winning the Hansa Powerade Fish Marathon in Cradock with his K2 partner Stefan Stiefenhoefer, pushing eventual champs Hank McGregor and Len Jenkins all the way to the finish.

The other Germans are wild water international star Florian Wohlers, Julian Lohn and Lars Walter.

The four jetted into South Africa with a large contingent of internationals for a training camp during the cold European winter. They will be joining the South African sprint squad, and a big group of top Hungarian paddlers at a Port Edward training camp next month.

They are all are accomplished wild water and flatwater racing internationals, and eagerly jumped at the chance of racing the unique race in Underberg at the start of their stay.

Their technical abilities will be tested to the full, as the Umzimkulu river that flows through Underberg is running low, leaving the section that hosts the race a demanding technical paddle strewn with rocks.

The Hansa Powerade Drakensberg Challenge will host the SA K1 River Championships in Underberg on 24 and 25 February. Entries closed on 17 February, but late entries are still being processed. The race website is at www.canoesa.org.za/DrakChallenge

Favourites Chelsea paired with Spurs in FA Cup

Favourites Chelsea will play Tottenham Hotspur in what is likely to be an extremely lively FA Cup quarter-final tie at Stamford Bridge next month following the draw made on Monday.

Manchester United will play at either Middlesbrough or second division West Bromwich Albion if they beat Reading in their fifth round replay.

Arsenal will be at home against Manchester City if they beat Blackburn Rovers in their fifth round replay at Ewood Park while Plymouth Argyle, of the second division, will play Premier League strugglers Watford in a repeat of their famous 1984 semi-final which Watford won 1-0.

That was Plymouth's only semi-final appearance while Watford went on to the final for the only time where they lost 2-0 to Everton.

Chelsea lost to Spurs in the league for the first time in 16 years in their last meeting at White Hart Lane in November and will be desperate to avenge that defeat in the all-London derby on either March 10 or March 11.

Chelsea reached the last eight with a 4-0 win over Norwich City on Saturday -- their third successive home victory in this season's competition -- while Spurs beat Chelsea's west London neighbours Fulham by the same score on Sunday.

The sides have only met eight times in the Cup in the last 97 years, with Spurs beating Chelsea 2-1 in the 1967 Cup final.

Chelsea beat Spurs 4-0 in their last FA Cup meeting in a quarter-final tie in 2002.

Coral bookmakers have Chelsea as the 7/4 favourites to win the Cup followed by Manchester United (10/3) and Arsenal (4/1). Spurs are listed at 12/1 with West Brom the 80/1 outsiders.

A1gp Driver Preperation

Team South Africa's driver for the A1Gp in Durban is Adrian Zaugg. He is the 20 year old on the right hand side here. He is a South African with some Swiss thrown in to make him an interesting mix. Another person with the same type of mix is Roger Federer, the best tennis player that has ever lived....

I spoke with Adrian yesterday and asked him about his preparation for the Durban race next weekend and he told me quite a scary tale.

Adrian told me that he had GP2 testing on Wednesday and Thursday in Switzerland and that he would leave the mountainous country on Thursday evening, arriving in Durban on Friday morning. He will then drive out to the circuit at the beach-front, hop in an A1Gp car and take part in the Rookie Testing session.

Asked if he knows anything about the track in Durban, Adrian answered that he knows nothing. He has seen some of the electronic data from last year but that is all. He says that if someone told him, it wouldn't make sense, so he is waiting for the testing session early on Friday.

Adrian, I am sure, is a very good driver, but he has not been in a race car since before Xmas last year. He has some tight muscles and he had to have an operation on his forearms to fix it. Can this young man take Team South Africa to a victory come Sunday, i doubt it, but we live in hope.

A1gp

Next weekend, I am off to the A1gp in Durban. As with the Nedbank Golf Challenge, I will be writing up what is happening, how things are going and bringing you all the news and happenings from around the race track. Not just what is going on on the track but also behind the scenes with pictures as well on my picture site.

I hope to bring a few updates per day, starting off on Thursday and finishing on Monday morning.

I hope that you stop by and let me know about your A1 experience as well.

Proteas go No.1 as Australia Sand Bag ahead of World Cup

Australia have lost their ranking as the world's leading one-day international side after a five-wicket defeat to New Zealand in a thrilling match in Auckland on Sunday.

Read the scorecard of the match here from Cricinfo.com

New Zealand successfully chased down Australia's record Eden Park total of 336 for four with eight balls to spare to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in their Chappell-Hadlee series and condemn the Australians to a fourth straight defeat.
South Africa, who beat Pakistan 3-1 in a recent home series, have become the first team to replace Australia at the top of the rankings since they were introduced in October 2002.
The Australians looked to have rebounded from their humiliating 10-wicket loss in Wellington on Friday after posting a massive total with stand-in captain Mike Hussey blasting 105 and Brad Hodge 97 not out.
But New Zealand reached their victory target in the 49th over after Ross Taylor made 117 and Peter Fulton 76 not out.
The third and final match of the series will be played at Hamilton on Tuesday.

ARSENAL CONFIDENT OF BEATING BLACKBURN AFTER EVENTFUL WEEK

Arsenal scored two goals in the last nine minutes to beat Wigan in the Premier League and survived an extra-time cup game against Bolton.

The Gunners should be confident heading into a fifth-round FA Cup match against Blackburn on Saturday, especially after beating Blackburn 6-2 and 2-0 in league action this season.

Coach Arsene Wenger's team, which is also in the Feb. 25 League Cup final against Chelsea and next Tuesday visits PSV Eindhoven in the last 16 of the Champions League, is going through a busy spell of games.

Meeting Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on Thursday at least was on a break day after Wednesday's grueling 3-1 victory over Bolton.

"There is not much time for Saturday. That is a problem we have at the moment," Wenger said. "The fatigue factor is important. We didn't wish to play extra time (against Bolton) but, as long as you win, you hope you can recover. I will change a few players on Saturday, that is for sure."

Wenger rested Thierry Henry, Jens Lehmann and Cesc Fabregas for the game at Bolton, which the Gunners won despite missing two penalties. Although he often uses his young backup players in cup games, Wenger may recall his big names for Saturday's game against Rovers at the Emirates Stadium.

Entering the Bolton game as a substitute, Fredrik Ljungberg made his first appearance after a long injury layoff and scored. Wenger may reward Jeremie Aliadiere, who set up that goal, with another start.

"Aliadiere is a good player," Wenger said. "He has made a huge improvement this year. But he was always injured in the seasons before. This is the first year when he has been completely clear, and sometimes you need patience with young players."

Blackburn comes off a 3-2 UEFA Cup loss at Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday and will be without South Africa striker Benni McCarthy, who picked up an Achilles tendon injury against the Bundesliga side.

Morten Gamst Pedersen is sidelined with a hamstring problem, and manager Mark Hughes is also without Robbie Savage, Andre Ooijer and Steven Reid. He plans to rest talented Turkish midfielder Tugay Kerimoglu.

"Tugay has been a big player this season and played a lot of games," Hughes said. "I have to protect him because he is an influential player for us. We have big games coming up two or three times a week until the end of May ... at times he will have to be rested."

Bruno Berner and Christopher Samba were unavailable for the UEFA Cup game but can face Arsenal while forward Matt Derbyshire should return after a thigh injury.

Also Saturday in the FA Cup, Premier League leader Manchester United hosts Reading, which has climbed to sixth in its first ever season in the top flight, while Chelsea hosts Norwich from the League Championship.

Middlesbrough, which needed a penalty shootout to beat League One club Bristol City after a 2-2 extra-time draw, hosts West Bromwich Albion, which is second in the League Championship and pushing hard for a return to the top flight.

Watford hosts another League Championship club, Ipswich, while the lower division is guaranteed a team in the quarterfinal because Plymouth meets Derby.

On Sunday, eight-time FA Cup winner Tottenham visits Fulham, which lost to West Ham in its only appearance in the final 31 years ago, while Manchester City visits Preston, another strong League Championship side which is chasing promotion to the top flight for the first time since 1961.

VIOLENT CRIME WILL NOT COMPROMISE 2010 CUP: MBEKI

President Thabo Mbeki on Thursday rejected suggestions violent crime could result in South Africa losing the right to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Responding to debate in the National Assembly on his state-of-the-nation address, he told MPs he was alarmed at African Christian Democratic Party leader Kenneth Meshoe's warning that "if violent crime is not drastically reduced" the country would lose the event.

Mbeki said Fifa president Sepp Blatter "is indeed a friend, admirer and supporter of South Africa, and a principled fighter for the restoration of the dignity of the African people universally".

"Regarding the incidence of violent crime in our country and its relevance to the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, President Sepp Blatter would say that he knows that the people of South Africa would host the world of football in conditions of safety.

"He would say that having considered the report of its Technical Committee which assessed the various bids to host the 2010 Tournament, and which drew attention to the challenge of safety and security in our country, the Executive Committee of FIFA decided, deliberately and consciously, that our country should host the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup," said Mbeki.

He said Blatter would say, as he had told others, "that the decision has been made -- the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup will not slip through the fingers of the people of South Africa. It will take place in South Africa. It will be a resounding success".

Abbey Miedema aims for rare hat-trick at Hansa Powerade Drak Challenge

Pint sized Cape racer Abbey Miedema has set her sights on victory in the Hansa Powerade Drakensberg Challenge canoe marathon on 24 and 25 February, and in the process a rare hat-trick of victories in the SA K1 River Championships.

Miedema won the last two women’s K1 river titles on the Fish and Highlands Challenge marathons, and with the privilege of the SA K1 champs falling to the Hansa Powerade Drakensberg Challenge this year, Miedema is enthusiastic about her chances, as she has rates this race as one of her favourites.

“It is so beautiful that it is a fantastic race, whether you do well or have a nightmare on the river,” said Miedema.

Miedema hit the headlines in January when she won her third consecutive Hansa Powerade Dusi women’s K1 title, and now wants to add a hat-trick of SA K1 river titles to her CV to go with her Dusi triple.

However she will have to erase her disastrous second stage during last year’s race that robbed her of what looked like a certain victory.

She broke her paddle and capsized shooting the notorious Glenhaven rapid halfway through the final stage when she was leading the women’s race. Carol Joyce took full advantage of the situation to win the race.

Miedema’s nightmare continued as her seconds thought they had missed her at Glenhaven, and raced downriver, leaving her without a replacement paddle. She finished seventh.

“I am out to redeem myself, after last years mishap at Glenhaven,” said a determined Miedema, who will be arriving in Underberg a fortnight before the race, to recce the river and enjoy the relaxed surroundings of the Southern Drakensberg.

The Hansa Powerade Drakensberg Challenge will host the SA K1 River Championships in Underberg on 24 and 25 February. Entries close on 17 February. The race website is at www.canoesa.org.za/DrakChallenge

Parreira can now Work, 6 months too late

The Department of Home Affairs has fast-tracked the process but the South African Football Association but still has egg on its face. Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Parreira received his work permit today, almost six months after his appointment as national football coach. Spokesperson Mantshele Tau said the Department of Home Affairs committed itself to resolve the issue as speedily as possible, because it was in the interest of 2010. Parreira who conducted a training camp for invited players last week and attended Premier League matches this weekend, was warned to stop working immediately or face arrest. The Brazilian who earns almost R60-thousand rand a day, will now be allowed to move into his office and continue to prepare for South Africa's African Cup of Nations qualifier against Chad next month.

SA CAN TOPPLE AUSTRALIA AT TOP OF ICC ODI CHAMPIONSHIP

South Africa can go top of the ICC ODI Championship if it beats Pakistan in the fifth and final ODI in Johannesburg on Wednesday and New Zealand has a series win over Australia in the three-match Chappell-Hadlee series which starts in Wellington on Friday.

The Proteas currently lie just three ratings points behind Ricky Ponting's team and can now arrest the ICC ODI Championship shield from the Australians' grasp for the first time since the current format of the rankings was introduced in 2002.

Should South Africa beat Pakistan at the Wanderers it will move up to 128 points and if the Black Caps can win their series 3-0 or 2-1, Australia will drop to second in the ICC ODI Championship for the first time.

It has been a steady move upwards by South Africa in the past 12 months or so. Since it failed to reach the final of the tri-series in Australia in the 2005-6 season, it has enjoyed a remarkable turn around. Early last year, it beat Australia 3-2 in a thrilling home ODI series, with that amazing run chase of 438 coming in the final match in Johannesburg.

It also made the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy in India and since being outplayed by Australia and Sri Lanka in that 2005-6 tri-series it has won 14 ODIs and lost just five, including a 4-0 series win over India.

In a tightly packed table, there could be plenty of other movements in the ICC ODI Championship in the build up to the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies.

New Zealand could move up to third with a good showing in the Chappell-Hadlee series while India could drop as low as sixth if it loses its two remaining ODIs in the current series with Sri Lanka.

England is another team on the move up the ICC ODI Championship.

Winning the recent ODI tri-series with New Zealand and Australia has given the English a timely boost ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup and although it still languishes in seventh place on the table, there are signs that it is experiencing something of a resurgence.

Bangladesh will also be carrying some confidence into the next month or so as it just yesterday completed a 3-1 series win over Zimbabwe in Harare.

Just six points separate England in seventh with Pakistan in third so it is very much all to play for as teams make their final preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup, which opens in Jamaica on March 11.

The Permit Free Bafana Bafan Coach

August 2006. That is when it was announced to the world that South Africa would be getting a new national football coach. August 2006.

Today, news is coming in that Carlos still has no work pernit.

Strange. I thought that he was already buying a house. How can you buy a house without proper papers? Is he earning a salary? If so, who is doing it illegally?

Why has it taken so long? If I knew that I was getting a new staff member and I was paying that person a lot of money to do a very important job and I have some very high-powered friends in the govern,ent, I would have mades sure that that person got the work permit.

How poor are our soccer administrators at thier job?

ATHLETES' BLOGS COME UNDER OLYMPIC SCRUTINY

The IOC is examining what to do about blogs posted by athletes during the Olympic Games, amid fears that it could lead to scurrilous rumours being broadcast on the Internet, officials said Wednesday.

The issue of blogging was discussed by the International Olympic Commission's Athletes's Commission in a process that will feed up to Olympic chiefs.

"In principle, the commission is not against, but it's quite a delicate issue and we decided to investigate a little bit more," said Athletes commission chairman and former Olympic pole vaulter Sergei Bubka.

"It's a modern way for people who want to express their opinion, but we believe there should be certain rules respected by every athlete who participates in the Games and who is living in the (Olympic) village."

Under the Olympic charter, competing athletes are not allowed to double up as journalists during the Games, IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said.

But blogs -- effectively a personal web-based diary that can easily be augmented by pictures and video -- fall into a grey area that does not appear to be covered by the current rulebook, Davies explained.

Bubka said blogs raised questions of privacy and potential conflicts with media or television rights, which could be governed by a code of conduct for Olympic athletes.

No Rooney for England

Striker Wayne Rooney has been ruled out of a re-shuffled England side to face Spain in Wednesday's friendly. England manager Steve McClaren said Rooney, who picked up a back injury in Manchester United's 4-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, had not recovered in time and would be replaced by Peter Crouch.

McClaren will try again with a 4-3-3 formation used in last November's 1-1 friendly draw in the Netherlands, with Crouch flanked up front by Shaun Wright-Phillips and Kieron Dyer.

Wright-Phillips gets his chance at Old Trafford after McClaren said Aaron Lennon had been ruled out by a stomach bug that had dogged the winger for several days.

Holding player Michael Carrick will anchor a more familiar three-man field, with Frank Lampard to his left and Steven Gerrard on the right.

Bigger changes are in store at the back, largely due to injury absences, with Phil Neville stepping in after England lost both their left-backs, Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge.

Captain John Terry's long-term injury absence means he will be rested and his place alongside Rio Ferdinand handed to Jonathan Woodgate, with Gary Neville at right back.

McClaren dropped first-choice goalkeeper Paul Robinson in order to give Ben Foster his England debut and a taste of international football.

IMPEY SHOWS IMMENSE PROMISE WITH TWO PODIUMS IN MALAYSIA

Rising South African star Daryl Impey took another big step up the ladder of sprinting success when he claimed two podium positions in three stages at the 2007 Tour de Langkawi currently taking place in Malaysia.

Impey, the 22-year-old speedster on the MTN Microsoft team, but riding for the South African national team in Malaysia, claimed second place on Stage 2 and third place on Stage 4 of the prestigious international event that has attracted some of the world’s best professional teams.

You have to see a Tour de Langkawi bunch sprint to believe it. It’s mass chaos at over 60kph as riders jostle for the best positions from which to launch their final dash to the line. The peloton is a collection of talented riders from around the world that are eager to show their potential to the bigger teams in the hope of some recognition and a potential future contract. It’s also a relatively young bunch where experience levels don’t often match energy levels, making for some of the most hair-raising moments!

Impey, who attained an impressive 17 podiums in 2006 (eight of those victories), has been widely regarded as the next big South African sprinting talent and is currently being groomed by MTN Microsoft teammate Malcolm Lange in the art of race winning.

“Those sprints suit Daryl because they wind up from far out and it’s the power sprinters that tend to dominate in Malaysia,” explained Lange. “Daryl is also young and fearless and that is crucial because those are some of the most chaotic sprints I’ve ever been involved in. It takes a special kind of rider to get two podium places at the Tour de Langkawi.”

Lange, one of the South Africa’s most prolific race winners ever, also pointed out that while Impey’s results were impressive, some credit must go to his teammates, especially Rupert Rheeder. “Sprinting success is all about being in the right place. Because those seasoned sprinters there won’t know Daryl, they won’t give him an inch which means that Rupert, his leadout rider, must be doing a great job of getting Daryl to the front at crunch time!”

With Stages 5, 6, 7 and 10 all being relatively flat and fast, Impey still has time to claim that stage win that’s just eluded him. He’s currently lying fourth in the Points classification but is likely to be expected to sacrifice that competition in favour of riding as back-up to teammate David George, the defending Tour de Langkawi champion and one of the favourites to challenge for the overall win again this year.

NEW CLASSES FOR GROWING DRAG RACING FIELD

Yet another national category has been added to accommodate the growing field of national drag racers who will give spectators an adrenaline fix of note at the first round of the 2007 series at WesBank Raceway on Sunday 4 February 2007.

The new Super Competition Eliminator category will accommodate cars and dragsters that run a quarter mile in the 8.2 – 11.2 second bracket, and will fall between the Competition Eliminator category (9 – 13.5 seconds) and the faster Gatorback Senior Eliminator category (7 – 9.6 seconds). The quickest category is the Top Eliminators which run in the seven seconds or faster, with top speeds in the 300 k/ph mark. “Drag racing entries have doubled in the past three years since the nationals started, and the new category will spread the field better”, explained Jan Johnson of WesBank Raceway and a Senior Eliminator competitor in her Bosal B Dragster.

In addition to the four national categories, the street classes have had a revamp: the Factory Street class starts at 11 seconds with no limit for virtually bog standard ex factory cars, with the Modified Street class running between 11 – 16.5 seconds while the Pro Street will encompass the much quicker Competition and Super Competition Eliminator categories.

The three national bike categories for the ex factory, under 1,000cc S category, the SuperBike or SB category for 1,000cc plus bikes, and the ultra-quick Streetbike Shootout or PST category in which the big names like Brad Anassis (Suzuki), ‘Boksburg Bomber’ Fransie Engelbrecht (Suzuki), the one-handed JP Labuschagne (Kawasaki) and Pastor Fanie Coetzee (Suzuki Hyabusa) will wage war with some 7 second runs anticipated. Brad Anassis smashed the speed record in this category on 296 k/ph, and ET (elapsed time for quarter mile) record on 7,947 seconds at the final round at WesBank Raceway last year.

Spectators are in for a treat as the big guns in the awesome Top Eliminator Category go all out to stamp their authority early in the season. The newly crowned champion Phillip Palmer, who made his debut to drag racing last year in his Alcohol run Dragster, has made the big names like Nico van Rensburg and Pieter de Wit, both former national champions, less than confident. Other likely contenders include Michael van Rensburg (TA Dragster), Mike Sargeant (Alcohol Funny Car), Koos Hailey (Alcohol Funny Car) who returns after a year’s absence following an accident, and Lionel Kruger (Alcohol Funny Car).

Entertainment will include spinning demonstrations by the King of Spin, Magesh, the WesBank skydivers and kiddies entertainment. Gates open on Sunday at 8am to the pubic with the racing starting from 9am, with admission R60 per adult and R30 per child.

Radar Golf

Here’s a new gadget which has been called “The Greatest Golf Invention of the 21^st Century” by a US magazine and which has been awarded “Best New Golf Ball” at the PGA merchandise show in 2006.

Imagine a golf ball with the same distance and spin characteristics as other top-quality balls, but which you can actually find when you’ve hit it 320 metres, just off the fairway, with your new R4000 magnesium-titanium driver. We can’t all afford Ricci Roberts as a caddy, nor do we have 400 spectators lining the fairways and watching where our ball lands, so how about some technology (other than TV cameras) to give us a fair chance against the pro’s?

RadarGolf is a new findable golf ball system that uses radar technology to help golfers locate lost balls, eliminating frustration, saving time and reducing penalty strokes.

RadarGolf’s handheld scanner uses radar technology to locate a microchip inside a top-quality golf ball, even if it is completely hidden. The LCD display and audio beeps indicate in which direction the ball is located, beeping louder as you move closer to the ball. It has a normal range of about 10 metres all around you, and maximum range of 30 metres, which means you can search about an acre of heavy rough in the maximum 5 minutes allowed to find your ball. Getting the ball out of the rough, of course, requires clubs, skills and luck that RadarGolf can’t help with, but it’s better than a walk back to the tee with embarrassing apologies to the fourball behind you!

RadarGolf has been available since 2004 in the USA and has been getting rave reviews from news channels like CNN & CBS News (“Gifts dads will love … and use!”) and top international golf magazines - BusinessWeek called it “the top golf product of 2005”! Independent laboratory tests have rated the RadarGolf balls equal to or better than balls from Titleist, Callaway, Nike and Maxfli. The ball is completely standard and conforms to all regulations, and has the same flight, distance and spin characteristics as the leading other brands.

In a demonstration day at Johannesburg Country Club in November 2006, 140 golfers hit a RadarGolf ball off the tee and every single ball was found! Golfers and caddies were equally amazed as the RadarGolf team repeatedly found balls completely hidden in thick 1 metre high bushveld – completely invisible and almost always unfindable unless you (or a spectator) knows exactly where it landed.

Does RadarGolf find every single ball? No. Balls in the water are not lost, they’re gone! (Even if you knew where they were, would you go in and get them?), and balls hit over 3 rows of residential estate houses are also gone. But for the majority of cases where you’re just off the fairway but can’t find your ****** ball, RadarGolf is the must-have addition to your golf bag this year, especially for anyone going near Sun City, Fancourt, the coastal courses or any of the new residential courses that no longer allow caddies.

The system is now available to buy online from www.radargolf.co.za and from more and more leading golf outlets, and retails for R1,999 (including 12 golf balls valued at R459).