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Thursday, January 8, 2009

Athletics : Gebrselassie Set For World Record No.27 In Dubai?

Although world records have come with the same metronomic regularity he applies to his marathon running, Haile Gebrselassie won’t be drawn just yet on whether next week’s Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on January 16 will be world record number 27.

But the running legend says he is in better shape than when he won in Dubai last year in 2h:04m:53s, then the second fastest on record.

“Last year, I had a little injury two weeks before Dubai, but this year everything is OK, I feel fine,” he yesterday (Wednesday) by phone from his home in Addis Ababa. “And I won’t make the mistake of going too fast, like last year”.

Aiming for a first half in 62 minutes in 2008, the pacemakers seared through the 21.1k in 61.27. It probably made the difference between breaking his then world record of 2.04.26, set in Berlin 2007, by half a minute instead of ending up a half a minute outside it, as was the case.

Geb proved that when he went back to Berlin last September, ran the first half in 62.04, and came back in 61.55, to set his 26th world record and become the first marathoner under 2.04. If he breaks that record in Dubai, he will win a
US$ 1,000,000 bonus in addition to the first place prize of US$250,000 - already the biggest in marathon running.

Haile 2

After Berlin, he said he thought he could do “2.03 something” in Dubai “but everything has to be perfect for another record - weather, pacemakers. If I don’t get injured, then maybe 2.02.59 is possible, but considering my shape and my age, 2.03.30, or 2.03.20.”

It is a tribute to his consistency that even at 35, with a workforce of hundreds in half-a-dozen businesses in Addis, Gebrselassie still concentrates on running.

“It’s my top priority, because without running I wouldn’t have anything else. I get up at 5.30am every day and go training. And it’s cold here in the morning now. At Entoto (hills outside Addis), it’s about plus one (degree centigrade). I go to the office at about 9.30am and work until four. Then I train again. I go to bed about 9.30pm, ten at the latest.”

So there you have it, the ultimate recipe for success. Not forgetting that you needed to have been born and nurtured at altitude, run thousands of kilometres a year for the last twenty years, and have a great finishing sprint.

Sponsored by Standard Chartered for the past five years and held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon is supported by Dubai Holding, The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina, PUMA, Arab Media Group (AMG), TNT and Fitness First with assistance provided by Dubai Sports Council, RTA, Dubai Municipality and Dubai Police.

Golf : QDF Luxury Car On Offer To Golf Fans At Commercialbank Qatar Masters


One lucky spectator will drive off with a brand new BMW320, courtesy of Qatar Duty Free when the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, presented by Dolphin Energy is staged at Doha Golf Club later this month.

It will be the first time Qatar Duty Free has been involved with the US$2.5 million PGA European Tour event and the organisation is marking the occasion by bringing its popular Luxury Car Draw on to the golf course itself. The winning ticket will be drawn by the tournament champion after the prize presentation on January 25.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker, who is also CEO of Qatar Duty Free Company, said he was proud for the airline to be associated with the Qatar Masters, as it is one of the country’s premier international sporting events.

“With Qatar enjoying phenomenal growth and drawing major international sporting events, Qatar Duty Free looks forward to a long-term commitment to the Qatar Masters.

“We’re excited to be raffling a 2009 BMW 320 Coupe exclusively for this event. The limited draw is open to golf fans and residents alike and entrants have an excellent chance of winning,” Al Baker said.

Visitors can purchase raffle tickets at the dedicated Qatar Duty Free Car Draw area located at the Doha Golf Club from Tuesday the 21st of January 2009 until the last day of the tournament.

Located at Doha International Airport, Qatar Duty Free is a subsidiary company of Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, and has been one of the most outstanding success stories in the region in recent years.

More than US$1million has already been invested by Qatar Duty Free in refurbishing the existing shopping facilities in the departures and arrivals area at Doha International Airport. Future plans include a brand-new Duty Free shopping experience inside the New Doha International Airport, a state-of-the-art facility scheduled to open in 2011.

“We are always delighted to welcome new members to our family of sponsors and it is particularly true in this case as Qatar Duty Free is one of the leading organisations in the country,” said Hassan Al Nuami, President of the Qatar Golf Association (QGA).

Held in conjunction with the QGA, the Qatar Olympic Committee and Commercialbank, the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, presented by Dolphin Energy, will be staged from January 22-25 at Doha Golf Club.

World stars such as defending champion Adam Scott, world no.2 Sergio Garcia, former winners Retief Goosen and Henrik Stenson and American stars Brandt Snedeker and Boo Weekley are already confirmed in the 120-man line-up with more big names expected over the coming days.

“We have a wonderful field this year and I’m sure spectators are in for a great four days of golf,” said Commercialbank Group CEO Andrew Stevens. “Having the chance of winning a brand new car is an added bonus for fans in 2009 and we are grateful to Qatar Duty Free for their support in what is their first year with us at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, presented by Dolphin Energy.”

Football : Rich List from FourFourTwo magazine


CHELSEA'S megarich owner Roman Abramovich has finally been toppled from his Number One spot in the prestigious Football Rich List following the credit crunch and the take-over of Manchester City by an Arab Sheikh.

The top spot is now taken by new City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, aged 38, estimated to be worth £15billion - more than twice as much as Abramovich, aged 42, who slips to third place with a fortune worth £7billion and who is said to have lost over £3billion in the economic downturn.

The Football Rich List, researched and published by FourFourTwo magazine, is worth a total of £61billion and includes 11 billionaires, 64 entries are British and three WAGS and there are 25 new entries.

Separating the two at Number Two is a new entry Lakshmi Mittal, aged 58, worth £12.5billion who joined Formula One's Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore investing in Queen's Park Rangers.

The new England manager Fabio Capello, aged 62 is also a new entry worth an estimated £25m with a £6m a year contract and a £10m private art collection and Sir Elton John is a new entry at Number 28 with a £235m fortune.

And Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger appears in the list at Number 92 with a fortune of £14m while his rival Sir Alex Ferguson is at Number 78 with £22m.

The Top Twenty out of the Top 100 in the Football Rich List are:

1. Shekh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nayan - Manchester City - £15bn
2. Lakshmi Mittal and family - QPR - £12.5bn.
3. Roman Abramovich - Chelsea - £7bn
4.Joe Lewis - Tottenham Hotspur - £2.5bn
5. Bernie and Slavica Ecclestone - QPR - £2.4bn
6. Stanley Kroenke - Arsenal - £2.245bn
7. Alisher Usmanov - Arsenal - £1.5bn
8 = Lord Grantchester & The Moores Family - Everton - £1.2bn
8 = Dermot Desmond - Celtic - £1.2bn
10= Lord Ashcroft - Watford - £1.1bn
10= Malcolm Glazer and family - £1.1bn
12. Simon Keswick - Cheltenham Town - £966m
13. Trevor Hemmings - Preston North End - £900m
14. Mike Ashley - Newcastle United - £800m
15. Randy Lerner - Aston Villa - £750m
16. Tom Hicks - Liverpool - £700m
17. The Walker Family - Blackburn Rovers - £660m
18. Mohammed Al Fayed - Fulham - £650m
19. Sir David Murray - Glasgow Rangers - £600m
20. Steve Morgan - Wolverhampton Wanderers - £400m

Despite the wealth of British football football expert Professor Tom Cannon says the bubble is about to burst. He claims clubs will start feeling the pinch when it is time to consider renewing seaon tickets or executive lounge hospitality facilties.

"Season ticket numbers will probably be down by about 10 per cent but renewals will be down by at least 15 or 20 per cent. That's where the porblems will be as you go down the divisions," Professor Cannon told the magazine.

Editor in Chief of FourFourTwo magazine Hugh Sleight said: “Judging by this list, football is the last remaining financial bubble. The combined wealth of our Top 100 is now £61bn compared with £41.7bn last year and £20.45bn in the first-ever Football Rich List in 2003.

“We’ve also got 25 new entries in the 100, primarily because of the continued rush to invest in British football over the last 12 months.

“But the landscape has already changed dramatically because of the recession. As Arsene Wenger rightly pointed out, football will suffer just like any other industry. So far there seems to be a time lag but as economic conditions continue to bite, clubs and owners will feel the effect and it will then be interesting to see the reactions of these very wealthy men as they see their fortunes disappearing. In 12 months’ time, this list could look very different indeed.”

The Top Twenty Players in the Four Four Two Rich List are: (overall position in the main list show in brackets) It includes five current Manchester United players.

1. David Beckham - £125M (38)
2. Michael Owen - £40m (56=)
3. Wayne Rooney - £35m (61)
4= Rio Ferdinand - £28m (69=)
4= Robbie Fowler - £28m (69=)
4= Sol Campbell - £28m (69=)
7. Ryan Giggs - £23m (77)
8= Michael Ballack - £20m (80=)
8= Frank Lampard - £20m (80=)
10.Steven Gerrard - £19m (86)
11. Cristiano Ronaldo - £18m (87)
12. John Terry - £17m (88)
13. Didier Drogba - £15m (89)
14= Nicolas Anelka - £14m (92=)
14= Damien Duff - £14m (92=)
16= Dimitar Berbatov £13m (96=)
16= Ashley and Cheryl Cole - £13m (96=)
16= Fernando Torres - £13m (96=)
19 = Emile Heskey - £12m ( 100)
20. Gary Neville - £11.75m (101)

THE FULL FOURFOURTWO FOOTBALL RICH LIST CAN BE SEEN IN THE LATEST EDITION OF THE MAGAZINE, OUT NOW.

Cricket : Firebirds at the Basin this Sunday

Catch the State Wellington Firebirds this Sunday 11 January. This pivotal match could set the Firebirds up for a semi final so get along and support your team as they take on the top of the table State Central Stags.

Adults $10, Under 18's $5.

Cricket : Guptill joins BLACKCAPS squad for last two One Day Internationals

The BLACKCAPS squad for the final two One Day Internationals against the West Indies has been announced today. The squad of 12 is:

Daniel Vettori (Captain)
Neil Broom
Grant Elliott
Daniel Flynn
Mark Gillespie
Martin Guptill
Brendon McCullum
Kyle Mills
Jeetan Patel
Jesse Ryder
Tim Southee
Ross Taylor

Auckland’s Martin Guptill, 22, earns his first BLACKCAPS call-up, replacing Jamie How. Head of the selection panel, Glenn Turner, said Guptill has been in consistent high-scoring form. “Martin really impressed on the tours to Australia and India last year with the Emerging Players and New Zealand A,” said Turner.

“He’s continued that form this summer – since coming back from injury at the start of the season he’s had a couple of great knocks including 124 off 97 balls for Auckland against ND, and 58 from 66 balls against Otago on Monday.”

Guptill is currently in fourth place in the MVP batting rankings for the State Shield one-day competition, averaging 41 with a strike rate of 103. The right-hand batsman was the highest scorer in the 2007/08 State Shield one-day competition, scoring 596 runs at an average of 59.6.

Turner said Jamie How will have the opportunity to return to domestic cricket, “and hopefully find the form we know he’s capable of.” All-rounder Jacob Oram was not considered for the squad due to injury.

The fourth ODI against the West Indies is at Auckland on Saturday 10 January, with the final in the series next Tuesday 13 January.

Sailing : Day 59 onboard Roxy in the Vendée Globe

Sam Davies’ daily log - Anxious hours waiting to hear about capsized King Jean

I think today has been a hard day for everyone out here. One of my fellow race competitors, Jean Le Cam aboard VM Materiaux, became trapped under his boat after losing the bulb of his keel and capsizing. He was completely uncontactable, trapped in a pocket of air with the two escape hatches on the underside of his boat also submerged. His friend and fellow Vendée Globe skipper, Vincent Riou, diverted his course and eventually managed to rescue Jean from the freezing waters off Cape Horn by hauling him on board with a rescue line. However, this also came at a cost as Vincent damaged one of his deck spreaders in the rescue, meaning his mast is now vulnerable.

We had to wait hours and hours for the good news to come through that Jean Le Cam was safe, meaning it was an absolutely agonising night. The worst part was knowing that King Jean was in trouble, but not having any further information on top of that.

During those painful hours, Roxy was flying along at breakneck speed, leaping off the waves scarily fast in the pitch black. All kinds of things were going through my head; I imagined Jean upside down in VM Materiaux, alone in the freezing cold water in the black of night. That then made me imagine what it would be like if Roxy were to be capsized: not only the danger to myself and her structure, but also the mess it would cause. As you can imagine, I didn't sleep at all until I heard Jean was ok.

Thank goodness Jean is safe though. Vincent did an amazing job, even though these last 24 hours must have been terrible for him, and Armel too. I truly hope that PRB's outrigger damage is repairable. I am so sorry for Jean and all the VM Materiaux team for the loss of their boat. I don't know if they will be able to salvage it or not, but I guess down here it is a pretty hard job to do.

Further to the west, Roxy and I have been making good progress on our approach to Cape Horn. However, travelling at such a high speed has meant that even the simplest tasks on board have become very dangerous. Roxy has been flying off the waves and leaping around like a kangaroo! Every cup of tea I have made I have ended up wearing; likewise with my porridge!

The front has finally passed over us and consequently things are calming – and slowing – down. Just before sunset the fog lifted, the clouds cleared and we had an amazing view of the golden sunset over the grey and angry sea residual from the front. The moon is already out which will be a nice help for me later on when I set up the gennaker.

As much as I have loved the sailing here in the Southern Ocean (I can't wait to come back!), what with all that has happened to the fleet down here, I am starting to get impatient to escape back into the Atlantic. I will be extremely happy and relieved once the whole fleet is safely round Cape Horn.

S x


At 1500 UK time, Sam Davies aboard Roxy was in 5th position, 1,860 miles from race leader Michel Desjoyeaux aboard Foncia

Tennis : Three Seeds Survive Carnage

Five seeds fell on Wednesday as a whole new breed of players introduced themselves to New Zealand. Only half the quarterfinalists have played here before and only two more than once.

Shahar Peer of Israel made an Auckland quarterfinal in 2005, losing to Katarina Srebotnik, but there are not many faces familiar with the ASB Tennis Centre amongst the final eight.

Peer beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-3 4-6 6-2 to book her place against top seed Elena Dementieva. On her first visit here, the Russian had too much class for a nervy and weary looking Marina Erakovic. A double injury timeout delayed the 6-3 6-2 inevitable.

Only one other seed survived the day, another newcomer, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. She accounted for well-known American Jill Craybas, tidily at 6-4 7-5.

Elena Vesnina bundled out the Czech sixth seed Nicole Vaidisova 6-4 6-3, and no-one seems to be able to recall a groundstroke of Vesnina's that wasn't right off the sweet spot... both women first timers here.

Another new face, Edina Gallovits of Romania efficiently gave third seed Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain (an Auckland regular) her marching orders 6-3 6-3.

Anne Keothavong of Great Britain only trip here was a loss in qualifying in 2007 by Shona Lee. She returns in 2009 as the top-ranked British player and makes the quarters courtesy of a sweetly taken 6-2 6-4 victory over eighth seed Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain. 2008 runner-up Aravane Rezai ousted seventh seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia 6-2 6-3, and Japanese qualifier Ayumi Morita continued her giant-killing run with an upset of the fourth seed Aleksandra Wosniak of Canada.

The evening finished with a doubles match of great entertainment value, Russians Elena Dementieva and Elena Vesnina playing their countrywoman Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Yung-Jan Chen of Taiwan, the fourth seeds. Chan's forehands were the highlight again. What a tournament she's having, after scaring Dementieva in round one singles firing similar salvos from all angles.

The popular super tiebreak made for high drama, Chan and Pavlyuchenkova eventually winning it at 14-12, but only after Dementieva and Vesnina had fought back to take the second set 7-5, getting left at the starting line 0-6 in the first... cast usually mid-court as one after another bullet whizzed by.

Tennis : Lock Up Your Quarters

Top seed Elena Dementieva of Russia, fresh from an impressive victory over New Zealand's Marina Erakovic, was taking nothing for granted in her quarterfinal match with Israeli fifth seed Shahar Peer.

"She's always tough," said Dementieva. "We've played a few times now, and on a different surface each time. You never know how it's going to be. Last time was Wimbledon, and this surface is so different. It's the first tournament of the year. My aim will be to keep improving from match to match."

They have played each other five times, Dementieva winning all of these except their first meeting at the 2006 French Open. Twice last year Peer was mown down by the Russian in Grand Slams, 6-2 6-0 at the Australian Open and 6-2 6-1 at Wimbledon.

Eleven titles for the 4th-ranked Dementieva against three for the 39th-ranked Peer makes the Russian a clear favourite.

The low profile Peer said little other than that she was going to focus on her own game.

One of the most intriguing match-ups of the day comes when second seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark meets Elena Vesnina of Russia (pictured), who is debuting at the ASB Classic and a virtual unknown to the Auckland public.

Making the quarterfinals in Hobart and the fourth round in Miami, Vesnina's only other distinguishing WTA Tour events in 2008 were third round losses at Amelia Island and at the Australian Open, but she played doubles for the Russian Federation Cup and Olympic teams, reaching the quarterfinals in Beijing paired with Vera Zvonareva.

Doubles is clearly her forte. She has three WTA titles to her credit with a mixture of higher-profile Russian partners. In Auckland she teamed with top singles seed Elena Dementieva, but her play this week on the singles court has earned some far closer scrutiny than before.

In round one she breezed past a qualifier 1 and 0, then yesterday upped that strong opening tempo to blow away the sixth seed, Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic.

The 22-year-old Vesnina has faced Wozniacki only once, losing 5-7 1-6 on Stockholm's hardcourt in 2007.

Wozniacki for her part looks like she is enjoying the WTA ride at the moment. At 18 she has the tennis world at her feet... fans take to her, the wins keep stacking up and her climb up the rankings looks destined for single figures soon. She is yet to drop a set in Auckland too, this being her first visit here.

Pairs of unseeded players meet in two of the quarters today. In the first, Romanian Edina Gallovits meets Aravane Rezai of France. Gallovits is 24 years old and ranked 75, Rezai is aged 21 and ranked 97. Neither have a WTA title yet, and in their only meeting (Austria on clay) the Romanian won over three sets.

Rezai played Auckland for the first time in 2008, beating a qualifier, two seeds and Erakovic before finishing runner-up to Lindsay Davenport.

It is Gallovit's first visit to Auckland.

The fourth quarterfinal features top British player Anne Keothavong, ranked 60, against gutsy Japanese qualifier Ayumi Morita, ranked 83. The (now) 25 year-old Keothavong beat Morita 7-5 6-4 in their only previous meeting, during qualifying at Roland Garros in 2007, but the Japanese girl was only 17 at the time and has climbed over a hundred ranking places since then.

Both have locked up berths in the quarterfinals through fine tennis in the first two rounds, Keothavong without dropping a set.

Tennis : National Teams Event 14u

The National Teams Event 14u is heating up at Scarbro Tennis Centre, Glen Innes, Auckland with the final round determining who will take out the titles.

In the boys, Waikato-Bays is leading the points race by one over Canterbury, while Auckland trail by three points. The final round is being being held tomorrow (Thursday).

In the girls Auckland are sitting on 31 points while second place Canterbury sitting on 25 points. The two top teams meet in the final tomorrow and Canterbury will need to win more than 4 matches to topple Auckland.

Boys Round 4 results: Waikato Bays beat Central 5 - 1; Canterbury beat Northern 3-all, 8 sets to 7; Southern beat Auckland 3-all 8 sets to 6

Girls Round 4 results: Auckland beat Waikato Bays 5 - 1; Canterbury beat Northern 3-all, sets event,71 games to 67; Southern beat Central 4 - 2

POINTS TO DATE (after 4 rounds):

Boys
Waikato Bays 22
Canterbury 21
Auckland 18
Southern 17
Northern 10
Central 8

Girls
Auckland 31
Canterbury 25
Waikato Bays 16
Southern 15
Northern 6
Central 3

Golf : Great Scott Set To Defend Commercialbank Qatar Masters Crown In 2009

- Former Champions to Line Up Against Top US PGA Stars -

Doha (QATAR): Two-time winner and course record holder Adam Scott will make his only Middle East appearance on the famed ‘desert swing’ when he tees off the defence of his title at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Presented by Dolphin Energy at Doha Golf Club from January 22-25.

To be staged for the twelfth time, the $2.5 million tournament is one of three being staged back-to-back in the Gulf region. However, as an indication of the strength and popularity of the tournament, Scott has chosen to make his sole appearance in the Gulf in Doha as he attempts to win his third Masters title in as many starts.

“Naturally, we are both delighted and honoured that our two-time champion Adam Scott will be back to defend the title he won in such style one year ago,” said Qatar Golf Association (QGA) President Hassan Al Nuami

“It is a positive sign as to the standing of the tournament that he will be coming to the Middle East only to play here in Doha. We are all looking forward to welcoming him back as he looks for a hat-trick of Masters crowns and we are proud he has chosen Doha as his only Gulf tournament of 2009.”

While Scott has won on both his trips to Doha Golf Club in 2002 and 2008 and will be aiming for a unique hat-trick of titles, he will face a formidable 120-player line up in an event staged by the Qatar Golf Association (QGA), the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and Commercialbank.



Masters 2

Among the sought-after names guaranteed exclusively to the tournament are US PGA stars Boo Weekley and Brandt Snedeker who will both be aiming to be the first American winner of the prestigious trophy.

While Weekley has won two US PGA Tour titles and was a star player in the US Ryder Cup team at Valhalla last year, Snedeker came close to winning last year’s Masters at Augusta before finishing in third place and was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2007.

“I think we can safely say we have the strongest field of any of the events in the ‘desert swing’ of tournaments,” said Commercialbank Group CEO Andrew Stevens, who also announced that former champions Henrik Stenson of Sweden and South African Retief Goosen will be in the line-up of 120 when play gets underway on January 22.

“It again proves what we say year after year – this is an event that will continue to grow in strength thanks to a three-way partnership between the Qatar Golf Association, the Qatar Olympic Committee and Commercialbank.”

It is an indication of the growth of the tournament that in-demand professionals such as Scott, Snedeker and Weekley have opted to play Doha over the two European Tour events staged either side of the event week in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Much like the city that hosts it, the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Presented by Dolphin Energy has dramatically grown since its inception in 1998 to become one of the key dates on the international calendar.

Stevens added: “Last year, with the support of the Qatar Golf Association and the Qatar Olympic Committee, we staged a massively successful tournament in a wonderful venue with superb on-course branding, a wealth of international and local corporate names, unrivalled infrastructure and an all-star cast of players that helped propel the event to a height few could have imagined just a few years ago.
Masters 3

“Every year, we aim to raise the bar even further and in 2008 the tournament was deeply honoured and privileged to receive visits from both His Highness The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamed bin Khalifa Al Thani, and his wife Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned. Their patronage was a great boost for all of us and we again thank them for their support.”

The 2009 Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Presented by Dolphin Energy week will get underway with the Rolex Pro-Am on January 21, before 120 golfers take to the course for the tournament itself from January 22-25.

Golf : warded £12.8 Million Sport England Grant

England Golf has welcomed the award of a £12.8 million grant by Sport England which will be used to develop the sport over the next four years (2009-13).

The grant is a significant increase on the £8.2 million awarded for the previous period and together with club and coaching funding already secured means that more than £14 million will be available to support development programmes at every level of the game.

Bill Bryce, Chairman of the England Golf Partnership, said: “We are delighted with the support shown by Sport England at a time when funding is increasingly under pressure. It is testament to the progress made by all of the partners in meeting the challenge to deliver sustainable growth throughout the game.”

“We look forward to sitting down with Sport England in the New Year to refine our proposals and beginning work on the core objectives of getting more people playing the game and to increase the frequency and enjoyment of those already participating.”

The funding will be used across key projects including developing support to the 26 County Golf Partnerships already in place and those being formed, together with the launch of new programmes aimed at increasing participation among key audiences such as women.

England Golf is a partnership between the English Golf Union, the English Women’s Golf Association and the PGA with the support of the Golf Foundation and Sport England.

County Golf Partnerships are an initiative that have been introduced via England Golf’s ‘Whole Sport Plan’ for golf and are an integral part of England Golf’s vision to ‘Grow the Game’.

Motorsport: Liam Doran Takes First Win

Lydden Hill Motorsport Club Winter Series - Round 1 - 03.01.09 - Liam Doran Takes First Win

Liam Doran made the quantum leap from a spectacular, but erratic teenage racer to a mature, successful Rallycross driver with a well-judged victory in Saturday’s opening round of the Lydden Winter Series.

Driving the ex-Dermot Carnegie Fiesta now owned by his father Pat, motorsport supremo at the circuit, Doran, 21, refused to be rattled when he was beaten away from the start. He pushed on consistently, made only one small mistake when he clipped a course marker and went on to win by almost six seconds.

The event featured a welcome novelty: the “joker” lap. Each driver had to choose one lap of each race to complete an extra loop at Chesson’s Drift. The trick, of course, was to choose when to leave the pack and when to dive back into the fray.

Koen Pauwels’ Focus ST made the best start to the Supercar Final, while just behind him Doran found the nose of Steve Hill’s Mitsubishi Evo nuzzling his driver’s door. Once the Belgian had built up a couple of lengths lead he baled-out early for his joker and left Doran to pull out a useful lead over Hill.

When Pauwels swooped back onto the main track he had the momentum to squeeze past Hill as they slithered out of Chesson’s Drift and that was sufficient to secure second place. Hill, who had set a new track record during the heats, had to be content with third.

Afterwards a delighted Doran said “I hit Koen up the back when he braked early for the first corner. The impact shifted my mirrors and so I had no idea I was home and dry until the last lap.”

Julian Godfrey made the successful transition to Supermodifieds when he led all the way in the Final. Ryan Lawford emerged triumphant after a tremendous Stock Hatch battle with Darren Clark and Tom Keet won the RX150 Final after Ollie O’Donovan had spun out of a comfortable lead.

Two drivers from the Canterbury area starred in the best race of Saturday’s first round of the Winter Rallycross Series at Lydden Circuit, Ryan Lawford, from Blean was the quickest qualifier for the Stock Hatch event but Darren Clark, who lives at Chartham was not far behind. So the scene was set for a thrilling final. Their two 205 GTI Peugeots raced away from the start side by side, but then Clark elected to take his joker lap early and swerved onto the extra loop which has recently been added at Chesson’s Drift.

That left Lawford way out in front, but when he played his joker next time around he discovered that he had fallen behind Clark. Nevertheless he launched his car off the loop with extra momentum, drew alongside Clark and then inched ahead as they raced across The Meadow.

For the next two laps their cars seemed tied together until Clark lost control, skidded sideways through the slime at the Devil’s Elbow and ended up in the sand trap. Even so, he was still able to scramble back onto the track and claim second place ahead of Robert Ward’s Peugeot 205 GTI. Lawford, 22, was delighted to do so well in his first race of the year. The technician for the British Touring Car Championship’s Eurotech team said “I've just rebuilt the engine and the track was very, very slippery so I was pleased to finish so well.” He added “I think the joker lap is a brilliant new idea – it makes the racing even more exciting.”

Lydden Motorsport Club Winter Series – Round One
Supercars: 1 Liam Doran (Ford Fiesta ST) 3m37.451s;
2 Koen Pauwels (Ford Focus ST) 3m43.279s;
3 Steve Hill (Mitsubishi Evo) 3m45.930s.

Supermodified: Julian Godfrey (Ford Fiesta ST) 3m57.544s; 2 Stuart Emery (Peugeot 306); 3 Ray Morgan (Ford Escort Mk.3); 4 Daniel O’Brien (Ford Ka).
Stock Hatch: 1 Ryan Lawford (Peugeot 205 GTI) 4m19.251s; 2 Darren Clark (Peugeot 205 GTI); 3 Robert Ward (Peugeot 205 GTI). No other finishers.
RX150: 1 Tom Keet 4m03.834s; 2 Joe Shrimpton; 3 Ollie O’Donovan; 4 Alex Ingham.

Juniors: 1 Bradley Bailey (BL Mini) 4m34.352s. No other starters.

Cricket : Napier stays on top; Otago's Wagner big mover in MVP

English professional Graham Napier remains the top-performing domestic player in the State MVP rankings, despite a convincing defeat for the State Wellington Firebirds in the State Shield this week. While the Firebirds slumped to a 78 run defeat at the hands of the State Canterbury Wizards in Christchurch, Napier's 3 for 44 with the ball was enough to see him maintain his number one MVP spot.

Firebirds CEO and former BLACKCAP Gavin Larsen said he was not surprised to see Napier topping the MVP. “In both the State Championship and State Shield he has been extremely consistent, leading the Firebirds bowling attack and also providing valuable contributions with the bat. With the domestic Twenty20 only a month away we’re all hoping here in Wellington that the Graham Napier fireworks continue!”

A big mover in the State MVP this week has been State Otago Volt Neil Wagner. Wagner took 3 for 54 in the last ball defeat to the State Auckland Aces, a performance which propels him from 9th to 4th on the overall table, and from a lowly 28th to 3rd in the State Shield MVP.

MVP Top Five at a glance
1 G Napier (WGN) 189.07 points
2 M Sinclair (CD) 171.81
3 E Thompson (CD) 156.11
4 N Wagner (OTG) 141.71
5 J Franklin (WGN) 133.21

State Shield Top Five
1 G Napier (WGN) 98.02 points
2 M Sinclair (CD) 71.23
3 N Wagner (OTG) 67.10
4 B Diamanti (CD) 55.52
5 L Woodcock (WGN) 54.17

For overall points tables and to create customised MVP rankings go to: http://www.blackcaps.co.nz/domestic/mvp/points-table.aspx

Baseball : YANKEES SIGN 1B MARK TEIXEIRA TO EIGHT-YEAR DEAL

The New York Yankees announced today they have signed first baseman Mark Teixeira, a two-time Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award winner and 2005 American League All-Star, to an eight-year contract.



Teixeira, 28, combined to bat .308 (177-for-574) with 41 doubles, 33 home runs and 121 RBI in 157 games with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels in 2008. He also drew a career-high 97 combined walks while striking out a career-low 93 times. Following his acquisition by the Angels on July 29, he hit .358 (69-for-193) with 14 doubles, 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 54 games for the AL West champions, reaching base safely in 49 of those contests. In addition, he saw his first postseason action in 2008, batting .467 (7-for-15) with four runs, one RBI and four walks in four division series games against Boston.



The switch-hitter has a career batting average of .290 (989-for-3414) with 223 doubles, 203 home runs and 676 RBI in 904 games over six seasons with Texas (2003-07), Atlanta (2007-08) and Los Angeles-AL (2008). He is one of only three Major Leaguers to reach 30 home runs and 100 RBI in each of the last five seasons (2004-08), joining Albert Pujols and new teammate Alex Rodriguez. His 203 home runs are the most ever by a switch-hitter in his first six seasons, and among active players, only Albert Pujols (250) hit more home runs in his first six Major League seasons. In his first six professional seasons, Teixeira has averaged 37 doubles and 34 homers per year and played in at least 130 games in all six campaigns.



Over the last five seasons (2004-08), Teixeira ranks third in the Majors in extra-base hits (379), fourth in RBI (592), tied for sixth in home runs (177) and 10th in doubles (194).



Teixeira owns a .288 (815-for-2,825) career batting average in the American League with 187 doubles, 166 home runs and 542 RBI. While with Texas, he was a 2005 All-Star, a two-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner (2005-06) and a two-time Silver Slugger Award recipient (2004-05). He owns a .282 (668-for-2,370) career batting average with 150 homers as a left-handed batter and is a career .307 (321-for-1,044) batter with 53 homers from the right side of the plate.



He has compiled a .996 (31E, 8,065TC) career fielding percentage at first base, ranking second among active qualifiers, just a fraction behind Doug Mientkiewicz (.996). In 2006, Teixeira was ranked as the American League’s best defensive first baseman by a Baseball America poll of league managers. He has finished among the Majors’ top five first basemen in fielding percentage three times, including the fourth-highest mark in 2008 (.997) and second place finishes in both 2006 (.997) and 2005 (.998). Originally drafted as a third baseman, he converted to first base when he made his Major League debut with Texas in 2003, having never played the position prior to that spring training.



A native of Annapolis, Md., Teixeira was originally selected by the Texas Rangers with the fifth overall pick of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft. Following his sophomore season at Georgia Tech in 2000, he was named the Dick Howser Award winner as the “National Collegiate Player of the Year” as well as “Player of the Year” by Baseball America and the Sporting News.



In 2006, he and his wife, Leigh, established the Mark Teixeira Charitable Fund, which provides annual scholarships for students in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area as well as contributions to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Ft. Worth, the Arlington (Texas) Boys & Girls Club and the Arlington Police Athletic League.

Sailing : Day 58 onboard Roxy in the Vendée Globe

Davies’ daily log - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Today has been a good day!

Roxy is through the last gate and her bow is pointing directly at Cape Horn!!! Good thing number one!

Yesterday I had lighter winds which enabled me to do a thorough check all over Roxy, inside, underwater and on deck, before our last run into the Horn. All seems well and Roxy and I are in good shape!

Today started well, as the wind began to build and our speed crept once again above 15 knots and the daggerboard began to sing again! I've been working on the sail trim and other settings to get max speed. Good thing number two!

The third good thing today is that I'm really hungry and I just haven't stopped eating, which is good because I haven't been hungry for ages and now I know I am getting the energy I need.

The fourth good thing (linked to the third) is that I managed to fiddle around with my 5 Euro lightweight toaster and get it to make toast with my magic Sodebo longlife bread! I LOVE toast!!

The fifth good thing (also linked to 3 and 4) is that whilst rummaging in the "week 9" section of my food bag I found a present - a CD called "The Girls" - full of cheesy girly songs!!! So for the first time in the whole race (I normally listen to my i-pod) I put the music on full blast on the loudspeakers (inside and out)! It is a great feeling to blast out classics such as "Girls Just Wanna have Fun", "Smile", and "I'm So Excited”, as Roxy hoons across the Southern Ocean at 17 knots. However, this has meant that we have been getting very strange looks from the Albatrosses, as it is pretty unusual to see a crazy blonde chick leaping around the deck, karaoke-style, in the Southern Ocean!

Thank goodness it's only the albatrosses that can see and hear us. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination!

S x


At 1100 UK time, Sam Davies aboard Roxy was in 5th position, 1,938 miles from race leader Michel Desjoyeaux aboard Foncia

Tennis : ASB RESULTS - JANUARY 06, 2009

Women's
Singles - First Round
[1] E Dementieva (RUS) d Y Chan (TPE) 75 63
[2] C Wozniacki (DEN) d [Q] A Brianti (ITA) 61 60
[7] A Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d [Q] K Barrois (GER) 63 61
[8] C Suarez Navarro (ESP) d N Dechy (FRA) 64 60
M Erakovic (NZL) d N Llagostera Vives (ESP) 75 64
A Keothavong (GBR) d [WC] M Lucic (CRO) 64 62
[Q] A Morita (JPN) d M Domachowska (POL) 64 46 64
E Vesnina (RUS) d [Q] A Nakamura (JPN) 61 60

Women's
Doubles - First Round
[2] S Peer (ISR) / C Wozniacki (DEN) d B Jozami (ARG) / S Uberoi (IND) 62 63
N Dechy (FRA) / M Santangelo (ITA) d [3] E Dzehalevich (BLR) / V Uhlirova (CZE) 64 64
S Borwell (GBR) / M Muller (GER) d M Domachowska (POL) / A Nakamura (JPN) 06 75 10-7
E Gallovits (ROU) / E Hrdinova (CZE) d [WC] S Lee (NZL) / K Vano (NZL) 63 64
J Ditty (USA) / C Gullickson (USA) d R Kops-Jones (USA) / A Spears (USA) 61 63

ORDER OF PLAY - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 07, 2009
CENTRE COURT start 11:00 am
[6] N Vaidisova (CZE) vs E Vesnina (RUS)
J Craybas (USA) vs [2] C Wozniacki (DEN)
[1] E Dementieva (RUS) vs M Erakovic (NZL)
[Q] A Morita (JPN) vs [4] A Wozniak (CAN)
[4] Y Chan (TPE) / A Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) vs [WC] E Dementieva (RUS) / E Vesnina (RUS)

COURT 4 start 11:00 am
B Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) vs [5] S Peer (ISR)

Not Before 1:00 PM
A Rezai (FRA) vs [7] A Pavlyuchenkova (RUS)
[3] A Medina Garrigues (ESP) vs E Gallovits (ROU)
J Ditty (USA) / C Gullickson (USA) vs [2] S Peer (ISR) / C Wozniacki (DEN)

COURT 6 start 12:30 pm
N Llagostera Vives (ESP) / A Parra Santonja (ESP) vs S Borwell (GBR) / M Muller (GER)
[8] C Suarez Navarro (ESP) vs A Keothavong (GBR)

Tennis : Super Tuesday Tag Vindicated

Tournament top seed Elena Dementieva was slow out of the blocks against Yung-Jan Chan of Taiwan, finding herself 0-4 down in the first set with Chan nailing every groundstroke. The Russian had to find top gear quickly or she was going to be blown off court by the Taiwanese girl's powerful game.



She rose to the occasion like a true champion and brought the crowd to their feet as she first matched then bettered Chan's heavy forehands. It was inspired stuff from the Olympic gold medalist, and the momentum carried her to a 7-5 6-3 victory.



"In the first set, I was just trying to stay positive," she said. "In the first game of the year you have to be prepared to try things, go for the lines." That policy made for an exciting spectacle.



Earlier, delighting all Auckland vikings, Danish second seed Caroline Wozniacki made short work of Italian qualifier Alberta Brianti, 6-1 6-0. Having one of the two top guns already banked for the second round was some reassurance to the nervous-looking tournament staff, during Dementieva's early stutters.



After both seeds were safe, local hope Marina Erakovic guaranteed even more intense interest by beating Nuria Llagostera Vives in straight sets 7-5 6-4, but there was nothing certain about that result until Erakovic finally put the tenacious Spaniard away.



"I didn't know anything about her until last night, but I soon found out how tough she was," said Erakovic, referring a little sheepishly to her doubles loss the night before, when Llagostera Vives and a compatriot had tipped the New Zealander and her American partner Jill Craybas out of that competition.



Reminded that she had escaped from 15-40 down three times in her singles match, and congratulated for composure, Erakovic blushed. "I didn't feel very composed... but my serve saved me today." All her gutsy talent was on display, not just the serve, but Erakovic will need to reduce her error rate if she harbours any real ambition for the title, especially considering she faces the top seed today.



In other Tuesday matches, eighth seed Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain defeated Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy 6-4 6-0, top British player Anne Keothavong ousted Croatian wild card Mirjana Lucic 6-4 6-2, Dementieva's Russian doubles partner Elena Vesnina wiped the court with Aiko Nakamura of Japan 6-1 6-0 while another Japanese qualifier Ayumi Morita upset Marta Domachowska of Poland 6-4 4-6 6-4.

Tennis : Dream Duel For Auckland Fans

No-one could have planned a better centre court duel at the ASB Tennis Centre, the highest-ranked player ever to compete here against the darling of New Zealand tennis, Marina Erakovic.



Erakovic will face one of tennis' hottest and most marketable stars, Olympic singles champion Elena Dementieva. What more favourable giant-killing opportunity could the New Zealander have than a chance to back up 2008's magic victory over top seed Vera Zvonareva?



Erakovic said it all in five words yesterday, "I have to be focused." Her steadiness under pressure will be severely tested. She passed a pretty stern examination in beating Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives, serving well on the big points, but only after putting herself under pressure with more than a few too many errors while the Spaniard lacked a killer blow.



The Russian said she looks forward to the prospect and is sure the hometown crowd will applaud her good tennis too... it is something she enjoys rather than fears.



She was also obviously pleased with Tuesday's win against Yung-Jan Chan of Taiwan. Chan began with a sustained assault of whistling forehands that would have rattled any top player.



Dementieva was all business in her recovery from the barrage. She didn't shy away and was prepared to hit her way out of trouble, so you can only speculate at what Erakovic will need to throw at her today.



In the first match of the day on centre court, Czech sixth seed Nicole Vaidisova will face Elena Vesnina of Russia, Dementieva's doubles partner whose Court 6 demolition of Japanese qualifier Aiko Nakamura was a mixture of power and precision that had her laughing and shrugging with her coach afterwards. It wasn't false modesty, she looked genuinely surprised with how cleanly she was hitting.



Vaidisova's form on Monday in a classic arm wrestle with Russian Alla Kudryavtseva, meanwhile, was even better because she throttled her way through a three-set dogfight.



Out on Court six the eighth seed Carla Suarez Navarro will face Anne Keothavong, Great Britain's top ranked player. Keothavong beat Croatian wild card Mirjana Lucic easily on Tuesday but will find the Spanish seed a far tougher proposition.



Suarez Navarro has a one-handed backhand obviously modelled on Federer, while working on the court speed and footwork to match. She crouches side-on and unleashes low to high, something of a stylist, so make sure to give the outside courts their due attention.



Later on centre court, Danish second seed Caroline Wozniacki will meet American veteran Jill Craybas, and fourth seeded Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak comes up against the only qualifier to make the second round, Ayumi Morita of Japan.



Court 4 has three intriguing battles. Israeli fifth seed Shahar Peer plays Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, while 2008 runner-up Aravane Rezai of France faces Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia (youngest player in the draw at 17) and third seed Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain meets wily Romanian Edina Gallovits.

Motorsport: 1949 To 1965: Motor Racing Legends Announces Eligible Years For The 2009 Le Mans Legend

The eligible years for the 2009 Le Mans Legend, the historic support race organised by Motor Racing Legends on the Saturday morning of the Le Mans 24 Hours, have been announced. This great historic event, on 13th June 2009, will be for cars built between 1949 and 1965.

The Le Mans Legend race is run on the full 8.5-mile circuit on the morning of the start of the actual 24 Hours race. It is for cars which ran at Le Mans in their day and genuine sister cars of the same specification, and is for either one or two drivers. The race pays further tribute to the heritage of this great event by starting with the traditional ‘ear of corn’ formation, while scrutineering will take place – true to history – in the city centre on the Thursday of Le Mans week.

The 1949-1965 era starts with the post-War years, a time when entries were essentially road-going sports cars adapted for the track. The 1949 Le Mans 24 Hours was the first time for 10 years that the race had been held and it welcomed such entries as Aston Martin DB2, the Embiricos Bentley and the eventual winner, Ferrari 166MM.

It was not long, however, before road-going sports cars were replaced by purpose-built racers and, by the end of the chosen era, Le Mans had been the battleground for Ferrari 275LM and 330LMB, Aston Martin DBR1 and Jaguar C-type and D-type, along with AC Cobra and Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupé, Austin-Healey 100S, MGA Le Mans and many others.

Says Duncan Wiltshire of Motor Racing Legends, “This is our ninth historic support race at Le Mans and it looks likely to be one of the most exciting and competitive ever. It is the exhilarating sight of historic cars in full-on combat, combined with the Le Mans pedigree of the cars taking part, which makes the Le Mans Legend so popular with the 230,000 spectators at the 24 Hours race weekend. We want to ensure that the battle for overall victory – and in each class – is as closely fought as possible and, to this end, GT40s will not be invited this year, as their success lay after this era. Since cars from the Fifties and Sixties are so widely recognised and admired, we think this period will prove extremely popular with spectators.”

Further information can be found at www.motorracinglegends.com

Golf : World Number One Spot In Sight For Qatar-Bound Sergio Garcia

After the best year of his professional career, world number two Sergio Garcia will jet in to Doha for the 2009 Commercialbank Qatar Masters, presented by Dolphin Energy, with one eye on the top of the world rankings.

The 28 year-old Spaniard has added his name to a growing list of golfing heavyweights for the twelfth staging of the US$ 2.5 million PGA European Tour event to be held at Doha Golf Club from January 22-25.

With world number one Tiger Woods sidelined through injury, Garcia is currently the hottest player on the planet and his inclusion in the 120-man Doha field is another massive boost for an event staged by the Qatar Golf Association (QGA), Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and Commercialbank.

“Sergio made huge strides in 2008 with victories on both The European Tour and the US PGA TOUR,” said QGA President Hassan Al Nuami. “As a result of his phenomenally successful year, he has moved to number two in the world and a win here in Doha will get him even closer to top spot. We are absolutely delighted he has chosen to return to Qatar.”

Although Garcia has yet to win a title on the Middle East’s booming golf scene, this will be his third consecutive visit to Doha. The current leader in the Race to Dubai standings is a big supporter of the region.

“The tournaments in the Middle East are great,” he said. “The fields are good and you get a lot of World Ranking points. You're moving in the right direction.”
Garcia 2

There’s little doubt Garcia is swinging in the right direction after a year that saw him win his seventh US PGA TOUR title at the prestigious Players Championship at Sawgrass – often dubbed “the fifth Major” – as well as finish runner-up at The European Open, The PGA Championship and The Tour Championship.

“There are always a couple of things that you can improve on,” added the world number two. “I've been improving on my short game quite a lot this year and that is probably what's going to give you the extra edge. I’ve got to keep working hard on every single part and on my mental game and see if we can keep moving and taking the right steps towards what we want to achieve.

“I think The European Tour has done a great job in the past ten years, the quality of the golf courses have grown up a lot and are much better than they used to be.”

Facing Garcia, Boo Weekley, Brandt Snedeker and the many other household names who will play in Qatar is the notoriously tough 7,388-yard Doha Golf Club with its biting desert winds.

“As always the course is looking in great shape for the tournament and will again provide a different type of test to those faced in the other Middle East events,” said Commercialbank Group CEO Andrew Stevens. “However, we are looking at a field of players with more strength in depth than any other event in the region – and with the world number two set to join us these are exciting times for the tournament.

Cricket : Special offer for ticket holders after rain-affected ODI

Ticket holders from the rain-affected One Day International between the BLACKCAPS and the West Indies in Christchurch last Saturday have been offered a discount on tickets for the ODI against India in March.

Discounts of $10 or $5, depending on the type of ticket, can be redeemed up to the end of February.

The offer from New Zealand Cricket and Ticketek means people who purchased tickets to the West Indies game can take their ticket to any Ticketek outlet and access tickets to the BLACKCAPS vs India game at AMI Stadium on Friday 20 March, at the same price.

Under this offer, tickets to the India ODI normally priced at $35 and $25 can be purchased for $25 and $20 respectively. The $40 adult/child combo in the National Bank Neighbourhood will be available for $30.

The “same price” offer can only be redeemed at Ticketek outlets and is available only until 28 February – it is not available on match day.

NZC Commercial Manager Peter Dwan said the offer would help compensate for the disruption caused by the four-hour rain delay.

“Even though Saturday’s game produced an exciting contest, we recognise the rain and hail shortened the game and impacted on the spectator experience,” he said.

“We’ve worked as quickly as possible with Ticketek to put this offer in place as a thank you to the fans. They turned out in droves for last weekend’s game – we’re confident they’ll do the same when the Indians are in town.”

Ticket prices include the stadium levy on adult tickets, but not the Ticketek service fee.

Cricket : Hadlee an inaugural inductee to ICC Hall of Fame

New Zealand cricketing great Sir Richard Hadlee has been named as one of the inaugural inductees of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame has been established by the ICC as part of its Centenary Year celebrations during 2009.

Hadlee joins such cricketing legends as WG Grace, Don Bradman, Garfield Sobers and Sunil Gavaskar as one of the initial 55 inductees. He is the only New Zealander named.

Hadlee said he was delighted to be selected as part of this milestone in celebrating cricket’s first 100 years.

"It's an honour to be included in the Hall of Fame alongside so many outstanding cricketers of the past hundred years,” said Hadlee.

“There's a lot of cricket history in that list of names - and it's a great way to celebrate the ICC's maiden ton. I hope there will be a few more New Zealanders on the list in the future too.”

The Hall of Fame is a collaboration between ICC and the Federation of International Cricketers Associations (FICA). The initial inductees are those named in the FICA Hall of Fame, which ran between 1999 and 2003. Additional names will be added annually from later this year, when new inductees will be announced at the LG ICC Awards ceremony.

The complete Hall of Fame, including players’ career statistics and biographies, can be viewed at http://www.catchthespirit.com/hall_of_fame/hall_of_fame_landing.aspx



ICC Hall of Fame Citation: Richard Hadlee (1972-1990)

Born 3 July 1951 at St Albans, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand

Richard Hadlee was New Zealand’s best all-rounder. One of the finest exponents of fast-medium bowling the game has seen he became Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker. He became particularly successful when he shortened his run-up and concentrated on impeccable control. His Test wickets came at a rate of more than five per Test.

His best bowling was in the Test against Australia at Brisbane in 1985 when he took 15-123 in the match including 9-52 in the first innings. He was also a hard-hitting batsman and one of the few men to complete the double of 3 000 runs and 300 wickets in Tests. Playing for Nottinghamshire in 1984 he completed a carefully planned and well executed double of 1 000 runs and 100 wickets in the first-class season. He was knighted shortly before his final Test match in 1990.

ICC Cricket Hall of Fame – initial inductees

Sydney Barnes, Bishan Bedi, Alec Bedser, Richie Benaud, Allan Border, Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, Donald Bradman, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Denis Compton, Colin Cowdrey, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Lance Gibbs, Graham Gooch, David Gower, WG Grace, Tom Graveney, Gordon Greenidge, Richard Hadlee, Walter Hammond, Neil Harvey, George Headley, Jack Hobbs, Michael Holding, Leonard Hutton, Rohan Kanhai, Imran Khan, Alan Knott, Jim Laker, Harold Larwood, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Clive Lloyd, Hanif Mohammad, Rodney Marsh, Malcolm Marshall, Peter May, Javed Miandad, Keith Miller, Bill O’Reilly, Graeme Pollock, Wilfred Rhodes, Barry Richards, Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts, Garfield Sobers, Brian Statham, Fred Trueman, Derek Underwood, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Frank Woolley, Frank Worrell.

Tennis : National Teams Event 14u

The National Teams Event 14u started today (Monday) at Scarbro Tennis Centre, Glen Innes, Auckland being held from the 5th - 8th January.

The six regions (Auckland, Northern, Waikato-Bays, Central, Canterbury and Southern) take part in this four day event. The teams play one and a half rounds today and tomorrow (Tuesday) and one Round Wednesday and Thursday (Finals).

Boys Round 1 results: Waikato Bays beat Southern 5 - 1; Canterbury beat Central 4 - 2; Auckland beat Northern 6 - 0

Girls Round 1 results: Auckland beat Northern 6 - 0; Canterbury beat Central 4 - 2; Waikato Bays beat Southern 5 - 1

Sailing : Day 57 onboard Roxy in the Vendée Globe


Sam Davies’ daily log - My incredible singing boat

Hello everyone!

I hope it's not too hard getting back to work after the Christmas holidays!

Today is a quiet day on board Roxy as we are flirting with another ridge of high pressure that is located around the next ice gate. Our new occupation seems to be to find all the parts of the Pacific with light wind - there is another one right here!

When I say a quiet day, I do mean it. Out here we get accustomed to the noise made by an Open 60, but when I was describing it to a friend, it made me realise that it is actually quite loud - most people think it’s a bit of a din!

To give you an idea, over and above the general vibrations of water crashing around at 20 knots past a carbon hull, yesterday Roxy was making several other noises:

- The daggerboard sings in a fairly high-pitched sound, which changes pitch every time Roxy accelerates over 18 knots - it’s almost happy to announce that we're going really fast! The bobstay (cable under the bowsprit) also vibrates with a low pitch each time Roxy stuffs her nose into the wave.

- The understays of the jockey pole have a separate tone, like strings on a guitar, as they skim through the waves. Occasionally there is a bigger disturbance if the pole itself gets dipped in!

- The propeller sometimes hits resonance too, singing from underneath the chart table.

- The keel occasionally "clacks" if Roxy jumps over a big wave, as the whole system is slightly flexible and the rams move within their bearings. If there is a big gust, I can hear the rumblings of the air bubbles in the rudders as they cavitate whilst trying to keep control.

So all of the above noises are normal and create a really special kind of, rather loud, music that I am now totally in tune with. It is this music that is almost a lullaby as it is a sign from Roxy that everything is normal and she's happy. Maybe that is why I sleep so well when she's going fast.

However, the important factor is to be able to pin point and single out any noise or vibration that is not normal. These include; the little 'pop' that signifies that I have hit something small and a rudder has popped up; the vibration associated with something being wrapped around the keel; a vibration caused by a piece of deck gear failing; or simply the change in pitch of the normal sounds signifying that Roxy is no longer at 100% and a sail needs to be re-trimmed or changed.

Quite often I will wake up for no particular reason, but know that something is not right. I am so finely tuned into the sounds my little boat makes and I can sense any change immediately. It is better than any alarm clock, as I know I will wake up if I'm needed, and if all is OK then my boat lets me sleep!


S x


At 1600 UK time, Sam Davies aboard Roxy was in 6th position, 2,084 miles from race leader Michel Desjoyeaux aboard Foncia

Tennis : ASB CLASSIC - NZL

$220,000.00
JANUARY 03 - JANUARY 10, 2009

RESULTS - JANUARY 05, 2009
Women's
Singles - First Round
[3] A Medina Garrigues (ESP) d M Santangelo (ITA) 75 60
[4] A Wozniak (CAN) d M Rybarikova (SVK) 63 67(4) 75
[5] S Peer (ISR) d P Cetkovska (CZE) 76(4) 62
[6] N Vaidisova (CZE) d A Kudryavtseva (RUS) 76(3) 46 75
B Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) d V Razzano (FRA) 16 62 63
E Gallovits (ROU) d K Zakopalova (CZE) 36 62 75
A Rezai (FRA) d [WC] E Daniilidou (GRE) 63 36 63
J Craybas (USA) d [WC] K Date Krumm (JPN) 64 63

Women's
Doubles - First Round
N Llagostera Vives (ESP) / A Parra Santonja (ESP) d [1] J Craybas (USA) / M Erakovic (NZL) 64 62
[4] Y Chan (TPE) / A Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d I Senoglu (TUR) / J Woehr (GER) 62 62
[WC] E Dementieva (RUS) / E Vesnina (RUS) d L Dekmeijere (LAT) / N Grandin (RSA) 61 63

Women's
Qualifying Singles - Quarterfinals
Qualifying - A Nakamura (JPN) d M Johansson (FRA) 64 64
Qualifying - A Morita (JPN) d [WC] M Krajicek (NED) 62 26 75
Qualifying - K Barrois (GER) d A Klepac (SLO) 64 62
Qualifying - A Brianti (ITA) d Y Meusburger (AUT) 63 62

Tennis : Mixed Fortunes For Top Seeds On Final Day Of Qualifying

The four qualifiers were determined yesterday after all four top seeds made it through to the final round. In the Monday wash-up two seeds were eliminated and two advanced into the main draw. Third seed Kristina Barrois of Germany beat Andreja Klepac of Slovakia 6-4 6-2 and second seed Ayumi Morita of Japan beat wild card Michaella Krajicek of Holland 6-2 2-6 7-5, but top seed Mathilde Johannson of France fell to Aiko Nakamura of Japan 4-6 4-6 and fourth seed Yvonne Meusburger of Austria was bundled out 6-3 6-2 by Alberta Brianti of Italy. After three rounds of qualifying, all four winners will be match-hardened for the event proper.



Centre Court

11am start - KIA Motors Singles

2-Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) v Alberta Brianti (ITA)

followed by - KIA Motors Singles

(not before 12.00 pm)

1-Elena Dementieva (RUS) v Yung-Jan Chan (TPE)

followed by - KIA Motors Singles

Marina Erakovic (NZL) v Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP)

followed by - KIA Motors Singles

WC-Mirjana Lucuc (CRO) v Anne Keothavong (GBR)

followed by - KIA Motors Singles

(not before 7.30 pm)

Q-Kristina Barrois (GER) v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS)

followed by - KIA Motors Doubles

WC-Shona Lee (NZL) / Kairangi Vano (NZL) v Edina Gallovits (ROU) / Eva Hrdinova (CZE)



Court 4

11am start - KIA Motors Singles

8-Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) v Nathalie Dechy (FRA)

followed by - KIA Motors Singles

Q-Ayumi Morita (JPN) v Marta Domachowska (POL)

followed by - KIA Motors Doubles

2-Shahar Peer (ISR) / Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) v Betina Jozami (ARG) / Shikha Uberoi (IND)

followed by - KIA Motors Doubles

3-Ekaterina Dzehalevich (BLR) / Vladimira Uhlirova (CZE) v Nathalie Dechy (FRA) / Mara Santangelo (ITA)



Court 6

11am start - KIA Motors Singles

Q-Aiko Nakamura (JPN) v Elena Vesnina (RUS)

followed by - KIA Motors Doubles

Sarah Borwell (GBR) / Martina Muller (GER) v Michaella Krajicek (NED) / Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE)

followed by - KIA Motors Doubles

Julie Ditty (USA) / Carly Gullickson (USA) v Raquel Kops-Jones (USA) / Abigail Spears (USA)

Tennis : Blazing From The Outset

Last year's ASB Classic runner-up Aravane Rezai of France had a fierce fight on centre court against two-time former champion Eleni Daniilidou of Greece in the first match of the 2009 championship. The opening fixture was punctuated by many scorching winners to match the weather.



The tall Greek right-hander was favouring one leg and short of a gallop, but her big wingspan and ability to hit screamers from nowhere kept the smaller Frenchwoman hustling along the baseline and sweating on every point. Daniilidou and she kept herself in the hunt by exploiting Rezai's relative weakness at net, forcing errors on overheads and volleys. When the heat went on at the end of the final set, however, the wild card could not match Rezai's energy and went down 3-6 6-3 3-6.

I tried to move her a little bit," Rezai said.

"I tried also to come into the net and to finish points. It's my new game for 2009 because I've always played at the back of the court."



The temperature on centre court only increased for the following match and the tennis kept pace in a great tussle between Czech 6th seed Nicole Vaidisova and Russian Alla Kudryavtseva. Heavy groundstrokes flowed from either end at a furious rate in the first two sets, with the Czech taking the opener but the Russian retaliating in the second.



A high error rate was forgivable with the amount of topspin being exchanged (in most cases the lines were only just missed). The Czech's nerve held in the end and she took the match 7-6(3) 4-6 7-5, but the Russian left the court warmly applauded by the large crowd for her courage.



"You have to admire the way Alla played," Vaidisova said immediately afterwards, echoing the sentiment from the grandstand, "she was really tough. Games like that go back and forth, they can turn on a single shot here and there... one or two rallies went my way and that was the match."



Third seed Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain played Mara Santangelo of Italy in Monday's final match, with the Spaniard winning easily in the end after a closely-fought first set, 7-5 6-0.

Fourth seed Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada and Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia fought out one of the day's best matches on Court 4.

Wozniak's rhythm was good at the outset, her serve was almost faultless and her trademark power increased as the first set wore on. Rybarikova fought gamely in the second though, breaking late to keep the match alive and then acing her way to take the set in a tiebreak. The effort took its toll, and Wozniak prevailed in the decidier 6-3 6-7(4) 7-5... a high quality tussle to reward the knowledgable outside-court patrons.



After a tense first set which needed a tiebreak to separate the two, fifth seed Shahar Peer of Israel accounted for Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic easily in the second and won 7-6(4) 6-2. Peer was striking the ball well by match's end and moving fluidly after a scratchy beginning.



In other matches Monday, Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic beat Virginie Razzano of France 1-6 6-2 6-3, Edina Gallovits of Romania beat another Czech, Klara Zakopalova, 3-6 6-2 7-5, and 34-year-old American Jill Craybas beat 38-year-old Japanese wild card Kimiko Date Krumm 6-4 6-3 in an intriguing battle between two wily veterans. The high standard of tennis is guaranteed to continue Tuesday.

Tennis : Top Two Seeds Ready To Fire

The two players at either end of the draw are ready to back up their impressive credentials on Tuesday, in what is sure to be an exciting first few hours on centre court.

Top seeded Russian Elena Dementieva enters the tournament ranked 4th in the world. She is the reigning Olympic singles champion and in Grand Slam events has reached the quarterfinals or better nine times in her career. In just over ten years as a professional she has earned nearly US$11 million dollars and won 11 titles.

Her season in 2008 was a steady climb up the top 10, after she finished outside it in 2007 for the first time since 2002. As well as her peerless display in Beijing, she finished in the fourth round in Melbourne, the quarters at Roland Garros and the semis at both Wimbledon and Flushing Meadow.

She is due on centre court immediately after the opening match. That first clash will be between second seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and a qualifier the Danish star should put away easily, Alberta Brianti of Italy. It's best not to assume too much too early about the outcome, of course, but with a ranking difference of 160 places a loss for Wozniacki would be a massive upset.

She is ranked 12th in the world, with three WTA titles and a lower tier win in her hometown of Odense under her belt in 2008, while Brianti is at 172 with no titles, but anyone who watched the Italian's demolition of Austrian Yvonne Meusburger in the final round of qualifying will recognise the danger of any complacency on Wozniacki's part.

By the end of two quick sets the fourth qualifying seed looked ragged with frustration at her inability to find a single square metre of court that Brianti wasn't waiting in already.

Brianti has three rounds of tough tennis on the Auckland surface under her belt, she appears to be in a rich vein of form, and the ASB Tennis Centre has a growing reputation as a graveyard for favourites to boot. If the higher-ranked Dane doesn't fire right off the bat she may find herself behind and struggling to match the Italian girl's intensity.

Following the Wozniacki-Brianti match, New Zealander Marina Erakovic will play Nuria Llagostera Vives of Spain. Erakovic will be hoping for a better result against the Spanish girl than she got on Monday night in the doubles.

Pairing with American Jill Craybas, Erakovic got smoked in straight sets by Llagostera Vives and her Spanish partner Aranxta Parra Santonja.

In other Tuesday matches eighth seed Carla Suarez Navarro will meet Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy, wild card Mirjana Lucic of Croatia will take on Anne Keothavong of Great Britain, German qualifier Kristina Barrois will face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, Japanese qualifier Ayumi Morita will play Marta Domachowska of Poland, while another qualifier from Japan, Aiko Nakamura, comes up against Russian Elena Vesnina.

league : Refreshed Laffranchi chasing further glory in 2009

As far as big years go, they don’t come much more eventful than the year that was 2008 for Jetstar Gold Coast Titans star Anthony Laffranchi.

A season in which the thrill of earning a maiden jersey for Australian along with his State of Origin debut for NSW was tempered by the sudden passing of his father.

But after a month-long break following Australia’s World Cup campaign, the 28-year-old has returned to training refreshed and eyeing further glory with the Jetstar Titans in 2009.

Laffranchi and fellow Australian representative Scott Prince today joined their Titans teammates for their first pre-season training run at Runaway Bay after returning from a well deserved break over December.

Despite climbing almost every mountain he set out to in 2008, Laffranchi said there was still plenty left on his ‘to-do list’ heading into season 2009 including further representative honours and finals footy with the Jetstar Titans.

“Hopefully I can help get the Titans off to a good start and I suppose I was in a losing Origin series so if I could get a crack at that again it would be great. And obviously once you play Test football you want to play it again,’’ said Laffranchi.

“It’s not time to put the feet up and rest now because playing Australia and Origin, once you get a taste of it you want to play a lot more of it.

“It’s always great to be there in September football. First and foremost you want to start the year off well, which we don’t have trouble doing, and I think with the modification with our training you’ll hopefully see some improvements in the back end of the season which hopefully gets us across the line to playing some September football.’’

Laffranchi said he felt refreshed after a long 2008 campaign and said the injection of several NYC under-20s players into the first grade training squad during the pre-season had given the club a ‘fresh excitement’ heading into season 2009.

“It’s very exciting. I’ve only just had my first training run with them today but meeting the guys previously, they’re a very enthusiastic young group of guys and there’s a fresh excitement around the place at the moment.

“I think the battle for positions is also good as well, it means there’s going to be a lot of comp and the boys will be training really hard and putting their hand up to make the first team.’’

Similarly, Prince said he had enjoyed his time away from football over the off-season and was ready to rip into pre-season training.

“I was pretty much over football. I didn’t want to touch a football and didn’t want to watch football so the break sort of came at the right time,’’ said Prince.

“Now I’m all nice and refreshed and looking forward to getting fit again and getting back into playing some good football.

“I think most importantly the guys have been training well and working hard together.

“For myself, and I’m sure Boof (Laffranchi) will tell you as well, we’re really looking forward to training hard with the guys and looking forward to the trials and getting on with the season.’’

League - Sonny Fai

The National Rugby League has today joined the Rugby League community in offering support for the family and friends of young Warriors star Sonny Fai.

Fai, 20, is missing, feared drowned, after going for a swim at a west Auckland beach with family members on Sunday evening.

“Sonny’s an emerging star in the game and this tragedy has shocked us all,” NRL Chief Executive, Mr David Gallop, said today.

“Our thoughts are with Sonny’s family, friends and the Warriors club at this difficult time.”

Fai played 15 NRL games for the Warriors in 2008, scoring five tries, after making his debut in Round 2 against Parramatta.

A Junior Kiwi from 2004-07, Fai also played for the Vodafone Junior Warriors in the Toyota Cup last season, scoring five tries in 10 games.

He was the Warriors’ Under-20 Young Player of the Year in 2007 after scoring 14 tries in 21 games for the Auckland Lions in the NSW Premier League.

The NRL has offered grief counselling services for Fai’s family and friends and the Warriors club.

Memorial - Les Matthews

The National Rugby League and NSW Rugby League have paid tribute to long-serving referee Les Matthews, who passed away on Friday aged 69.

Matthews was a member of the NSW Rugby League Referees Association for more than 30 years and was awarded Life Membership of the association in 1986.

He was the NSW Rugby League Referees Association secretary from 1990-2008 and was also a Life Member of the NSW Rugby League, the Canterbury Bankstown District Junior Rugby League and the Canterbury Bankstown Rugby League Referees’ Association.

He has also been honoured with Life Membership of the Mount Pritchard Cricket Club.

“Les dedicated a lifetime of service to the game and our thoughts go out to his family and friends,” NRL Chief Executive, Mr David Gallop, said.

NSW Rugby League General Manager, Mr Geoff Carr, said: “Les devoted his life to refereeing and to the development of referees.

“Les made an outstanding contribution to the game in this area over a long period of time and he will be sorely missed.

“The NSWRL would like to pass on its sympathies to Les’s family during this difficult time.”

Matthews’ funeral will be held at All Saints Catholic Church, 48 George Street, Liverpool, this Friday, January 9, at 11am.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Cricket : AMI Stadium turf drainage sets standard for NZ grounds

The performance of the new turf and drainage system at AMI Stadium was outstanding at yesterday’s One Day International in Christchurch, according to New Zealand Cricket.

NZC CEO Justin Vaughan said the new turf and drainage system at AMI Stadium set a great standard for international venues in New Zealand. “The fact that we got a game at all last night was due to the fantastic work by the groundstaff and the outstanding performance of the new turf and drainage system,” said Vaughan.

“The end result might not have been what we wanted but it was a thrilling game – especially after a four-hour delay and such severe weather. It was amazing to see how well the surface dried and how quickly play was able to resume after such torrential rain and hail showers.

“It’s a great tribute to stadium operators VBase, and the investment they’ve made in the park, that we ended up with such an entertaining game. It was also great to see the Christchurch public filling the stands despite the signficant weather interruption.”

The next game of the National Bank series between the Blackcaps and the West Indies is in Wellington on Wednesday [7 January].

Cricket : BLACKCAPS squad unchanged for next ODI

New Zealand Cricket has advised that no changes will be made to the BLACKCAPS squad for the third One Day International against the West Indies in Wellington on Wednesday 7 January.

Sailing : WILD OATS XI SETS A RECORD IN REVERSE


Bob Oatley’s thoughts about going for a fifth consecutive line honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart race with his supermaxi Wild Oats XI have already been ignited after the yacht sailed back into Sydney Harbour from Hobart early today in a time that was well inside the course record for the race south.

With only its smallest jib and the cruising mainsail set, Wild Oats XI rode a strong south westerly wind away from Hobart on Thursday and arrived back in Sydney Harbour just 1 day 16 hours later. The passage was more than two hours faster than the record time the yacht posted for the 628 nautical mile Hobart race in 2005.

Making the passage even more remarkable was the fact that Wild Oats XI had only two regular crew on board; delivery skipper Troy Tindill, and Josh Whittaker. The 11 others were sailing friends who were there to help get the big boat back home from Hobart.

“The time they took to get home shows the course record is very much there for the taking,” said an elated Bob Oatley today. “I’m not saying we deserved the record in the recent race, but it does show what the yacht might do if we decide to go again this year.”

Troy Tindill said the top speed Wild Oats XI achieved was 35 knots while she was scorching across Bass Strait late yesterday.

“Everything just went our way with the weather,” Tindill said. “We didn’t push the boat hard – it was safety first all the way because it was a delivery voyage. We had the tiny Number Six sized jib set from the inner forestay as well as the delivery mainsail, which goes only three-quarters of the way up the mast. It was a great rig and a really enjoyable ride for everyone.”

Wild Oats XI entered the history books last week when she became the first yacht in the 64-year history of the Rolex Sydney Hobart race to be first to finish on four consecutive occasions. In the first year she raced south she established the current course record – 1 day, 18 hours, 40 mins, 10 secs.

Bob Oatley said after the yacht arrived at the finish in Hobart that he was undecided when it came to going for a fifth straight line honours. A final decision is not expected until later this year.

Baseball : NEW YORK YANKEES TO HOLD CLINIC IN TAIPEI

The New York Yankees announced they will join the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association under the auspices of Major League Baseball in holding a clinic for high school pitchers, catchers and coaches at National Taiwan Sport University’s Taoyuan Campus in Taipei, Taiwan from January 7-11.

As the Yankees’ first-ever large-scale outreach in Taiwan, the clinic represents the latest Yankees-led initiative in cultivating baseball talent and increasing brand recognition in Asia and the greater international community.

"This clinic serves as another step in the outreach and integration of baseball throughout the international community," said Yankees President Randy Levine. "The Yankees organization is recognized around the world, and we are confident this important event will leave a positive imprint on our countless fans in Taiwan."

Led by five members of the Yankees’ player development staff in Tampa, Fla., the five-day clinic will focus on pitching and catching fundamentals and philosophy. Yankees representatives will include special Assistant Pat McMahon, Extended Spring Training Pitching Coach Carlos Chantres, Assistant Director of Baseball Operations Eric Schmitt, Catching Coordinator Julio Mosquera and Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Mike Wickland. Taiwanese participants include 40 pitchers, 10 catchers and 20 coaches, all from the high school level.

“Taiwan has given the Yankees one of its brightest stars in Chien-Ming Wang,” said Yankees Senior Vice President and General Manager Brian Cashman. “We hope that this clinic demonstrates our deep respect and appreciation for a place that has given us such a talented player.”

The Chinese Taipei Baseball Association oversees all amateur baseball in Taiwan and organizes their Olympic and World Baseball Classic teams. Their interest in working with the Yankees is natural given the club’s huge following in Taiwan, which is largely due to the success of Wang, a two-time 19-game winner and Tainan, Taiwan native.

Sailing : Day 54 onboard Roxy in the Vendée Globe

Sam Davies’ daily log - Pas Vent
AAaaaarrrgghhhh!!! I've got NO wind! Or very little!

To be honest, with my solid little Roxy boat, I'd rather have too much wind than not enough.

Roxy's been caught up by another little ridge of high pressure and we're temporarily stuck. I'm doing all I can to squeeze every quarter of a knot out of her to keep wriggling along. It doesn't seem fair that the leaders have managed to run all the way with the depression and we're stuck wallowing out here!! In fact it seems just about the worst for me here - I have my own little bubble of no wind!

Anyway, it should only be for a few hours and we will get going again.

Just this morning I was in 25-30 knots of wind and surfing some of the South Pacific’s finest waves. It was amazing - as I was preparing the big gennaker on the bow and on each surf it was like I was flying, as only the back of Roxy was touching the water and I was several meters up in the air as we whizzed off at 20+ knots!

I used to be a "bow chick" (numero 1) on fully crewed boats, so I'm used to the tough jobs up forward whilst speeding along. But the difference now is that there is no back-up behind me, and I am no longer trusting a skilled helmsman not to "wipeout", "chinese gybe" or "stuff it" on each wave. I just have Chuck - my famous nke autopilot. It is only thanks to all the time on the water, time spent with nke and homework with my electronics that I can trust Chuck 100% in these (and many other) situations to handle Roxy with the finesse that is necessary to keep me safe. For us solo sailors, our autopilot is our best friend, but can quickly become our worst enemy if it decides to go wrong.

And finally, my New Years resolutions:
Sail around the world
Take a photo of Cape Horn
Stop eating the Nutella out of the pot with my fingers
Do not fall asleep with the motor on charging the batteries
Sponge the bilges every day
Brush hair more than once a week
Eat more BUT eat less chocolate
Cancel the above resolution as it is impossible
Catch up some miles on the leaders
Be nice to Chuck, the autopilot
Take no risks

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
S x
P.S. The wind's coming back right now - hooray!!
P.P.S. Note for Denis - new vocabulary: wriggling, wallowing, whizzed, bow chick, wipeout, chinese gybe
At 1100 UK time, Sam Davies aboard Roxy was in 6th position, 2007.4 miles from race leader Michel Desjoyeaux aboard Foncia

Tennis : Kiwis Drawn Together In ASB Classic Qualifying - Greek Player Gets Main Draw Wildcard

Two New Zealanders will clash in the first round of the 2009 ASB Classic qualifying as Dianne Hollands and Kairangi Vano will take the court with the bonus of six WTA ranking points on offer, but also a potential clash with the qualifying top seed Mathilde Johansson of France, ranked at 85 in the world.

Hollands with no WTA singles ranking was too good for Vano on each occasion they played in recent domestic tournaments while the powerful Vano, who is ranked in the 600’s is 19-years-old, six years the junior of Hollands.

Dutchwoman, Michaella Krajicek returns to Auckland after having to withdraw out of the tournament the previous year as a main draw seed with a wrist injury. This time she is coming into the ASB Classic as the 203rd ranked player, but is still just 19 with a first round qualifying match against Carly Gullickson(United States), while highly-promising Croatian Petra Martic, 17 also faces an American in the form of Alexa Glatch.

The cut off for qualifying is Taipei’s Chin-Wei Chan at 190.
(Michaella Krajicek is a wildcard into qualifying that is why her ranking is below that of Taipei’s Chin-Wei Chan.)

Qualifying play starts at 9.30am, Saturday with the second round on Sunday and the final round held on Monday.

Meanwhile in the main draw, Greek player Eleni Daniilidou has been granted the third wild card. The 26-year-old who suffered from a bad right knee injury in 2008 has seen her ranking fall to 144 as a result. However she was able to win her fifth career singles title with victory at the Hobart event early last year.

The popular Daniilidou won the tournament in 2003 and 2004 and reached the top-15 rankings in 2003. She follows Kimiko Date Krumm(Japan) and Mariyana Lucic(Croatia) as the other main draw wildcards.

Qualifying Singles Draw.

Schedule of Play:
Saturday 3 January 9.30am start

Centre Court
Ekaterina Dzehalevich(BLR) v Elena Baltacha(GBR)
Followed by
Michaella Krajicek(NED) v Carly Gullickson(USA)
f.b
Di Hollands(NZL) v Kairangi Vano(NZL)
f.b
Petra Martic(CRO) v Alexa Glatch(USA)
f.b
Ayumi Morita(JPN) v Katie O’Brien(GBR)

Court 4
Kristina Barrois(GER) v Martina Muller(GER)
f.b
Tomoko Yonemura(JPN) v Stephanie Dubois(CAN)
f.b
Mathilde Johansson(FRA) v Anne Schaefer(GER)
f.b
Masa Zec Peskiric(SLO) v Olivia Sanchez(FRA)
f.b
Yvonne Meusburger(AUT) v Corinna Detoni(ITA)
f.b
Jorgelina Cravero(ARG) v Stefanie Voegele(SUI)

Court 6
Kathrin Woerle(GER) v Aiko Nakamura(JPN)
f.b
Neuza Silva(POR) v Julie Ditty(USA)
f.b
Rika Fujiwara(JPN) v Patricia Mayr(AUT)
f.b
Andreja Klepac(SLO) v Chin-Wei Chan(TPE)
f.b
Alberta Brianti(ITA) v Betina Jozami(ARG)

Cricket : Knights Name Moles’ Replacements

With the immediate departure of Andy Moles to the BLACKCAPS Coach role, NDCricket named Grant Bradburn and Craig Ross as the coaching duo to take the State Northern Knights through the rest of the season.

Former BLACKCAP Bradburn and former Knight Craig Ross are part of the highly respected NDCricket High Performance staff. NDCricket CEO, David Cooper said “Both Grant and Craig are very familiar to the Knights’ team environment and the goals and aspirations of NDCricket. They have enthusiastically taken up the challenge presented despite this being a significant change in their life that was conjured
up in four days.

Bradburn is Team Coach and steps into the role after a stellar playing career and a flourishing coaching career. He has coached the Classic Hits NDCricket A team for the past 4 years and has also coached the Cook Islands team in ICC Competitions.

Ross has been involved with the ABN Amro Craigs NDCricket Academy for the past two
years and had also coached at age group level. He is the Assistant Coach and has performed this role on more than one occasion in recent seasons.

The appointment is through to April 2009.

Cricket : Mapei NDCricket Under 17 Team Announced

The Mapei NDCricket Under 17 team to compete in the National Under 17 Tournament,
at Napier, January 14-22, has been named. This national tournament is another prestigious event in the NDCricket and New Zealand Cricket programme. The team is:

Rory Darkins (capt) Northland
Ashley Abraham Counties Manukau
Todd Beehre Northland
Curtis Cherrington Northland
Sean Davey Bay of Plenty
Ross Fitz-John Waikato Valley
Matthew Gurrey Counties Manukau
Owen Ivins Counties Manukau
Eli McKillop Waikato Valley
Mattie Thomas Hamilton
Ash Vodnala Counties Manukau
Jonny Wilkinson Counties Manukau
Blair Alexander Coach
Peter Zanzottera Assistant Coach

Crcket : Mapei NDCricket Under 19 Team

The Mapei NDCricket Under 19 team to compete in the National Under 19 Tournament,
vs. Auckland December 21-23 and at Lincoln January 2-11, has been named. This national tournament is a very prestigious event in the NDCricket and New Zealand
Cricket programme. The team is :

Jono Hickey (capt) Counties Manukau
Anurag Verma Hamilton
Bharat Popli Bay of Plenty
Ashwyn Herwels Counties Manukau
Tamati Clarke Counties Manukau
Fraser Kilgour Waikato Valley
Kyran Dill Northland
Zac Scott Bay of Plenty
Josh Mathews Northland
Adam Flegg Waikato Valley
Andrew Mathieson Hamilton
Steve Martin Hamilton
Brett Sorrenson Bay of Plenty
Lance Cairns Coach
Simon Cushen Manager

Sailing : Day 52 onboard Roxy in the Vendée Globe

Sam Davies’ daily log - A Tale of Two Brains.

Hello everyone

Did you know that offshore sailors actually have two brains? Well, we do! One is a clever brain that makes all the right decisions, is sensible, tidy, rational and patient; the other is the "stupid brain" that makes silly mistakes, and generally tries to create havoc!

Normally, we exist with the two brains in "synch" and fortunately the clever brain seems to keep the stupid brain in check most of the time! There are, however, small flaws that can cause "hiccups" if not best avoided. The clever brain is not perfect, and it is certainly not a "morning" brain! It takes a lot of time to wake up and get functioning.

Unfortunately, on wake up, the stupid brain is up and running at 100% in a matter of seconds (normally before the pins and needles in your hand/foot have gone). This stupid brain then tries to persuade you that it is your clever brain so it can gain control.....

Obviously, lacking the clever brain, (who has pressed "snooze" on its alarm several times by now) you are unable to analyse which brain is in action, and that is where potential disasters can happen! Thus, the moral of the story is - when you wake up after a little sleep (even just a 10 minute one!) BEWARE of the stupid brain, and wait a bit before trying to do something complicated or making a tactical decision, so as to give the clever brain time to get going!

Equally, when one is tired, the clever brain is less able to control the stupid brain, and that is when we make silly errors that either loose miles, or worse, cause breakages!! Just this morning, I made the error of listening to my stupid brain and I gybed too early! How annoying is that? It's been a long time since I fell into this trap. Luckily, it hasn't cost too many miles.

And if you ever hear me talking rubbish on the "vacation radio" you now know that it is probably because I've just woken up and it’s my stupid brain talking, not the clever one, so just ignore me!!!

S x

At 1100 UK time, Sam Davies aboard Roxy was in 7th position, 1,755 miles from race leader Michel Desjoyeaux aboard Foncia

Crickert : Napier storms to top of overall State MVP table

Two strong performances with the ball in the State Shield competition have seen English professional Graham Napier move to the top of the overall State MVP rankings. The State Wellington Firebird took 3 for 47 against the State Central Stags, and 4 for 40 against the State Auckland Aces in the last week. Napier backed up his bowling with a fine half century against the Stags.

Despite suffering their first loss of the season to the State Otago Volts, State Central Stags players Mathew Sinclair and Ewen Thompson remain high on the overall MVP table. Sinclair scored a fine 92 in the victory over the Firebirds, whilst Ewen Thompson has been on duty for the BLACKCAPS this week. State Central Stags wicket keeper Bevan Griggs has moved to the top of the fielding table after taking two catches and a stumping in the victory over Wellington.

MVP TOP FIVE AT A GLANCE
1. Napier, Graham (WLN) 156.20 points
2. Sinclair, Mathew (CD) 144.37
3. Thompson, Ewen (CD) 139.83
4. Franklin, James (WLN) 131.58
5. De Grandhomme, Colin (AKL) 126.23

STATE Shield top five
1. Napier, Graham (WLN) 65.15 points
2. Sinclair, Mathew (CD) 43.79
3. Yovich, Joseph (ND) 42.90
4. Woodcock, Luke (WLN) 36.81
5. Diamanti, Brendon (CAN) 34.07

Sailing : Day 51 onboard Roxy in the Vendée Globe

Sam Davies’ daily log - Things that go bump in the night.

Hello everyone

Well, I just had what the French call a "nuit blanche" – a white night (not to be confused with a White Knight (unfortunately!)), which is a night with no sleep. However, rather confusingly, my night was very very black!

Just as I was contemplating my sleeping bag, there was a loud bang as Roxy hit something small, but solid. I know the sound and recognised that my rudder had popped up on the impact (to save itself) so I rushed on deck to make sure it was out of the water. It was the leeward rudder that had ejected, so now Roxy was careering dangerously all over the ocean, as Chuck (the autopilot) desperately tried to control us with the remaining rudder, which was only partially in the water half of the time.

To avoid a wipeout, I quickly dropped three reefs into the main and rolled the solent; then I started on the rudder. It has a nice "war wound" to show for the impact, but nothing serious. Unfortunately it was the rudder that I had already repaired once, so I had to do some un-bolting and 'DIY' before I could put a new fuse in and get it back down. This took a little while, and caused the usual drenching in the back of the boat with my head underwater as the waves broke into my workspace. I re-bolted the thing back together, all in 25knots of wind and the pitch black, of course.

By this time, the wind shift I was waiting for had materialised and so I needed to gybe. As soon as the rudder was down and tools put away, I then undertook the delightful job of stacking everything onto the other side of the boat. Then we gybed (that's the easy part!). This was concluded with the shaking of two of the three reefs I had hastily put into the main earlier.

After this, you can imagine how tired, hot and sweaty I was (plus seawater ingress from work in transom!!) NICE!!! By this time, the wind was beginning to drop to less than 25knots and it became apparent that I needed Genevive, the big gennaker. I considered my state of fatigue (I was knackered) and the fact that it was still quite "fruity" to put up Genevive and decided that a couple of hours sleep would put me in better (and safer) form for the manoeuvre!

So, I treated myself to the rest, and now Genevive is in place, and ROXY is rocketing along like her old self again. I am a bit tired and very hungry now!! Next on the list: eat, then wash and change, followed by a bit more sleep to make up for my white night!!

Just another day at the office.....

S x

At 1100 UK time, Sam Davies aboard Roxy was in 7th position, 1,632 miles from race leader Michel Desjoyeaux aboard Foncia