MOODIE, DE VOEST CONFIRMED FOR SAA OPEN

South Africans Wesley Moodie and Rik de Voest are among the first acceptors for the R875 000 South African Airways Open to be played at Westridge Park Tennis Stadium in Durban from January 22 to 28. This is the first ATP Tour sanctioned tournament to be staged in South Africa since 1995.

Moodie, currently ranked 122, and De Voest (135) will be joined by wild card Izak van der Merwe to ensure there will be at least three South Africans in the main draw of the tournament. “I’ve never played an ATP Tour tournament in South Africa so it will be fantastic to play at home, particularly as it will be in Durban where I live,” said Moodie. “I’ve always loved playing Davis Cup in front of the South African fans so this will be special.”

In fact Moodie has scored some of his best wins in South Africa, including a Davis Cup victory over German Tommy Haas in 2005 at a Davis Cup tie in Johannesburg. Among the overseas entrants are Swiss George Bastl, Giles Muller of Luxembourg, Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic and Michal Mertinak of Slovakia, who was a member of their successful Davis Cup team that beat South Africa on a specially prepared grass court at the Wanderers Cricket Stadium nearly three years ago.

Bastl hit the headlines in 2002 when he shocked seven-time champion Pete Sampras in the second round of Wimbledon. The match was moved to court two after rain had created havoc with the schedule and Bastl came through to win 6-3 6-2 4-6 3-6 6-4 in three hours and 15 minutes. After his retirement Sampras named that defeat as the lowest point of his tennis career.

Minar had the misfortune to bump Roger Federer in two consecutive Grand Slams in 2005 and was literally wiped off the court on both occasions. Ironically he was expected to do well when they met in the second round of Wimbledon as Minar had taken him to a third set tie-breaker in their first meeting in Dubai which the world number one took 7-5.

However, at Wimbledon Minar won just nine games and then only managed three in total when the pair met a few months later in the first round of the US Open. Muller made a name for himself that same year at Wimbledon when he beat world number two Rafael Nadal 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the second round.

The big-serving left-hander was not given too much hope of unseating Nadal as earlier that year on clay in Barcelona, Muller only managed to win two games off Nadal. A further wild card for the Open will be decided at the SAA Wild Card tournament from January 12 to 15, also at Westridge Park.

PSL Kicks off, again

It seems as if those lazy PSL payers have had months off during the festive season, but it has only been 13 days since the last match. Two weeks isn't that long to have a break? While managers are ranting and raving about too many games in too short a time, the PSL takes a break. That makes TOTAL sense. While England are playing games every 2nd day, we take a break. WHY????

Anyway, here is the schedule for the weekend, if anyone still cares.

Friday
Ajax Cape Town v Benoni Premier United

Saturday
Wits v Maritzburg United
Golden Arrows v Silver Stars
Kaizer Chiefs v SuperSport United

Sunday
AmaZulu v Jomo Cosmos
Bloemfontein Celtic v Santos
Moroka Swallows v Black Leopards

SA Surfers Shine in Oz

South African surfers shone in the Aloha Hornet contest at Curl Curl in Sydney, Australia.

Beyrick de Vries (U14) and Chad du Toit (U16) both won their heats convincingly to get through to the quarter finals on Thursday.

Contest organizers remarked on the quality of the surfers from South Africa who competed against surfers from different countries in the highly competitive competition which is the last competition in Australia in 2006.

“I am chuffed - I only arrived yesterday in Australia and went into the surf a little unprepared, but I got into the groove quite early to take the heat” said du Toit.

The Aloha attracts the cream of Australian surfers as well as a number of surfers from countries like Hawaii, Tahiti, Reunion, NZ, Japan, Australia and others from the Pacific Rim.

“I cracked a second place in the Rip Curl Gromsearch in Gold Coast, Australia earlier this month” said Beyrick de Vries from Umhlanga.

“I really believe that us South Africans can show the Aussies a thing or two – so far Chad and I have won our heats and there are people like Jordy Smith who still have to surf their heats. We are flying the South African flag high so far and I think we can do a lot more in the next couple of days” said de Vries in Sydney earlier today.

Other South African surfers in town, with Jordy (2006 WORLD CHAMPION), are Steven Friedman, SA National Surfer Klee Strachan, 2005 SA Champ Rory Beach, SA National Surfer Rudy Palmboom Jnr, 2005 ASP Champion Brandon Jackson, and with this crop of surfers South Africa is bound to bring home a good amount of silverware!

HOGGARD MAKES LIGHT OF STOLEN ENGLAND PLANS

Matthew Hoggard was able to see the lighter side of it, but England team management has launched an investigation into how team plans fell into the hands of an Australian media outlet.

In another blow for the embattled tourists, copies of England's bowling plans for the Australian batsmen were apparently emailed to ABC Radio during the second day of the fourth Ashes Test here Wednesday and were subsequently broadcast during the station's cricket coverage.

England team management said it was unclear whether the plans had been removed from their rooms, or had been inadvertently left somewhere and found by a member of the public, although the ABC claimed the latter.

England media manager Andrew Walpole confirmed an investigation into the source of the leak was underway, but a cheeky Hoggard was more blunt.

"We've got seven plans up in the changing rooms and one of them has ended up in the opposition media's hands and someone has leaked the document," Hoggard said after Wednesday's play.

"We are continuing our investigations, and when we find him we are stringing him up by his ding dang doos."

The plans are prepared by England team analyst Mark Garaway as part of a video presentation on each Australian batsman which England study before the start of each Test.

They are then posted in the dressing rooms.

The plan recommended that the English play on Matthew Hayden's ego by trying to stop him scoring with "dot balls".

Hoggard said it appeared the plans that were forwarded to the radio station had been photocopied from the original.

"It is very disappointing that you've got a document that is personal and private in your changing rooms and unfortunately someone has leaked it and taken it out of there," he said.

"We've got detailed plan of how we want to get each batsman out.

"Unfortunately someone has taken a picture or photocopy and given it to the Australians."

Hoggard said it was disappointing that the incident occurred, given the presence of three full-time security staff that work with the team.

"You'd think the security in international cricket was tighter than that," he said.

Walpole said team security was being reviewed as part of the investigation.

"We don't know whether the document was taken from the dressing room or another part of the ground -- we are trying to establish that," Walpole said.

"We are talking to the ICC security manager and we are also talking to Cricket Australia and they are disappointed with it like we are."

Hoggard joked that England's finest detectives were on the case.

"Sherlock Holmes ... Inspector Morse, Miss Marple," he said.

Asked if the English were plotting to gain some revenge by getting their hands on Australia's plans, Hoggard had a dry response.

"Yeah, but it won't help us."

What F1 Drivers want for Christmas

They all must have included a Formula One drive on their Christmas wish-list at some point. But now they have what thousands of others dream about, what do the Formula One drivers hope to find under their tree this Christmas?

Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault:
"I do not believe in Santa, but my kids do, so I must stick with the tradition. I would like Santa to give me the best Formula One car in 2007, I'll do the rest!"

David Coulthard, Red Bull:
"That Michael (Schumacher) doesn't change his mind and return to racing!"

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari:
"My wish for my Christmas stocking, or rather, in this case, parked in my garage, would be a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorana."

Ralf Schumacher, Toyota:
"Of course, I hope the best for Toyota and our team but even more important for me is my family - Cora and my five year old son, David. He is now starting school and I want to spend as much time as I can to be with him and help him to develop into a strong personality."

Jenson Button, Honda:
"I've got everything I want. I have my whole family joining me for Christmas and spending time with family and friends is all I need. You can't ask Santa for a podium or a win. You've got to do that yourself."

Jarno Trulli, Toyota:
"My Christmas wish is for my family and the people around me to be fine. If they are happy and healthy, then I am happy, I don't wish for anything more than that."

Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber:
"For me Christmas this year was in August. So I don’t have any wishes left now."

Rubens Barichello, Honda:
"A very fast car for 2007 and maintaining our good level of reliability from 2006."

Vitantonio Liuzzi, Toro Rosso:
"My wish from the stocky man in red velvet? To see very soon my new baby - meaning the STR2!"

Franck Montagny, test driver, Toyota:
"My Christmas wish is for Toyota to win a race in 2007. I will join the team in January and I am pleased to be joining an ambitious team. They have set themselves a goal of eventually winning races and fighting for the championship so my wish is for them to be successful in that as soon as possible."

Alexander Wurz, Williams:
"I have two wish lists, one from Santa and one from the team. From the team, lots of downforce with low drag, than the rest comes automatically. From Santa, new climbing shoes and that Santa changes his schedule so he comes a bit later than now, because it’s not funny if the kids jump on you at 6am..."

Sebastian Vettel, BMW Sauber:
"I wish that all in my family are well. I don’t have any special or material wishes - I already have everything that I ever wanted: a great team and a fast car."

Scot Speed, Toro Rosso:
"I wish the SRT2 will kick a....!!"

Christian Klien, test driver, Honda:
"It’s a quite intensive list so I hope that Santa doesn’t mind. My first wish goes to my family and friends - that they all stay well. The second wish goes to my team - that 2007 will be the best year for Honda and that I can contribute to pushing them forward. The third one is for me, that health and success stick with me. "

Mark Webber, Red Bull:
"I’m looking forward to find a K1 Kajak under the Christmas tree...."

Nico Rosberg, Williams:
“To be honest I can't think of anything materialistic so I just hope that maybe you could give us a little support that we can have a great time and that my family are healthy and happy."

IT'S ONLY LOGICAL, GERMANY WOULD HAVE WON WORLD CUP WITH ME: KAHN

Former German international goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, relegated to the bench during the 2006 World Cup, insisted Friday it was only logical that they would have been world champions if he had been in goal.

With Jens Lehmann in goal hosts Germany finished third in the competition after being knocked out in the semi-finals by eventual champions Italy.

But 37-year-old Kahn believes that logically he should have been first choice keeper.

"I'm not criticising what Jens Lehmann did, but with me Germany would have been world champions," Kahn, 37, told weekly magazine Stern.

"I'm convinced of it because the way my career has evolved points in that direction," said Kahn, who retired from the national side after sealing the bronze medal with a 3-1 win over Portugal.

"In 1994 with Karlsruhe I reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup - two years later I won this trophy with Bayern Munich," he explained.

"In 1999, I lost the Champions League final in the harshest circumstances (losing 2-1 to Manchester United in stoppage time) before winning this competition two years later.

"Finally I lost the 2002 World Cup final (against Brazil).

"This logic, and I really believe in the law of series, should have continued at the 2006 World Cup," said Kahn.

Kahn, who is under contract with Bayern Munich until 2008, said that he had tried to explain his theory to World Cup coach Jurgen Klinsmann before the competition but "he didn't understand or didn't want to understand".

"I told him 'I don't understand why you won't admit that I'm right'," he added.

Germany previously won the World Cup in 1974 and 1990.

More 2010 troubles in Cape Town

A war of words broke out yesterday between Cape Town mayor Hellen Zille and Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool over the proposed Green Point 2010 stadium.

An angry Rasool earlier in the day called on Zille to summon an urgent council meeting to rectify what he said was an error threatening the already-fragile construction timetable for the R2.5bn project.

He told journalists that instead of itself giving formal consent for the building of the stadium, the council had incorrectly referred the decision to provincial planning MEC Tasneem Essop.

Last week chairperson of the 2010 Local Organising Committee Irvin Khoza warned that if construction did not start in January, Cape Town could kiss its World Cup semi-final goodbye.