The rumour mill is going into overdrive as news that Tiger Woods is working on his golf game with coach Hank Haney this week hits Golf Digest and the Golf Channel.

Unnamed sources state on both golfing medias' websites say that Woods is practicing as hard as he ever has done.

There is speculation that he could play at Augusta National, where he has won the Masters four times.

If he is on form, he could even return as early as March 25 to defend his title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando.

US PGA players Charles Howell and JB Holmes told the Golf Channel they have seen Woods practising his swing at Isleworth and it's looking good.

Melbourne Victory lost 2-0 to Korean team Seongnam Ilhwa in the Asian Champions League at the Etihad Stadium last night.  

Archie Thompson, The Victory's striker, has slated the pitch there as "a cow paddock" and said something desperately needs to be done to improve it before the A-League grand final on Saturday week.

The pitch is said to be in terrible condition - uneven, bumpy and with large bald patches.

The Etihad surface has been troubling players and coaches all season. Melbourne coach Ernie Merrick described it earlier in the season as like "a car park".

The reason for Michael Clarke quitting the New Zealand tour to return to Sydney has become clear - he is feeling "confused and lost" about his long term relationship with Lara Bingle - since a nude photo of her was published in a Woman's Day magazine.

The photo was taken by her former lover Brendan Fevola and shows the model naked in the shower. It has apparently caused Lara much distress, and she she has since appeared in the very same magazine to protest her innocence.  

But sources close to Clarke said he is getting increasingly distressed and angry about the spotlight on his life, which has continued to grow since Bingle paired up with celebrity agent Max Markson.

The nude photo furore is thought to be the last straw and his fiancee's decision to sell her side of the story to Woman's Day for $200,000 is believed to be what finally pushed Clarke over the edge.

Clarke is expected to fly back in time for Australia's two-Test series against the Black Caps on March 19 but wants to get things straight regarding his relationship's future before then.

Sources in the fashion world said Bingle has confided she is resigned to the fact that Clarke will most likely ask her to move out.

British Formula One racing legend Stirling Moss has suffered serious injuries to his feet after falling down a lift shaft at his residence in London at the weekend.

The lift stopped a floor above Moss but the doors opened and he stepped in without realising, falling three floors to the ground.

The 80-year-old racing veteran suffered two broken ankles, four broken bones in his feet and four chipped vertebrae.

Fortunately he is now apparently comfortable and recovering in a London hospital after surgery to both ankles, which have been plated and pinned, according to a statement published on his website.

He is expected to take six weeks to recover from his injuries.

During his extensive motor racing career, he raced over 80 cars and took part in 529 races, winning 212 of them.

The Newcastle Knights face uncertain times as both their major sponsors met with the NRL's chief executive Steve Burraston to discuss recent off-field dramas yesterday.

Two players have now been charged with drug dealing - Danny Wicks and Chris Houston - who were housemates as well as teammates. They have voluntarily ended their contracts following the charges.

After the meetings with NIB and McDonalds, Burraston said he was feeling positive as the sponsors had been able to talk about a number of concerns and he would now provide further information to them to aid the ongoing relationship with the organisations. 

He added he was pleased and thankful he'd been given the opportunity to brief the sponsors. 

Australia's cricket Vice-captain Michael Clarke has quit the tour of New Zealand and is coming back home to Sydney for personal reasons.

There is some speculation he's leaving because his father is ill, but this is completely unconfirmed at this stage and it is not known when he will return. His early departure leaves the team with just 12 players. Both paceman Clint McKay and all-rounder Adam Voges are hoping for a place now.

A spokesman said a replacement player may be called up from Australia for the final two one-day games on Thursday and Saturday.

As for the two-Test series starting on March 19, it is not known if he will be back by then and the squad is due to be named later this week.

Clarke's time in New Zealand this time hasn't been great, although he did captain the Australian Twenty20 side to a six-wicket win in Wellington, the team lost in Christchurch two days later.

Clarke is regarded as a possible successor to skipper Ricky Ponting.

Australian racing driver Marcos Ambrose managed to avoid the carnage of 2 accidents during the NASCAR race in Atlanta and claimed 11th place. American driver Kurt Busch took 1st place.

The biggest incident was caused by Carl Edwards, who was 156 laps behind at the time, when he clipped Brad Keselowski's car causing it to spin, then horrifyingly it lifted up into the air at over 300km/hr then landed roof-first on a racetrack barrier.

Fortunately Keselowski was unhurt. Edwards was told to park his car and was summoned to the NASCAR trailer to face the consequences of his rash actions on the racetrack. He was ordered off the track but obnoxiously drove around the track in front of the stands and then went backwards down the pit lane. There was no apology, just arrogance.  

Keselowski was understandably worried about the accident and how the spectators' safety had been compromised. He said it was not cool to intentionally wreck someone, and that someone watching from the grandstand could have been killed.

At the restart, there was then another crash which took out seven cars.

Melbourne Victory beat Sydney FC during extra time in yesterday's semi-final at the Sydney Football Stadium.

The Victory booked a third A-League grand final berth as Archie Thompson returned from injury to seal the deal, when as substitute, he scored the winning goal in the 113th minute.

Melbourne will host the grand final in a fortnight at Etihad Stadium, and Sydney will play Wellington at home next Saturday, after the Phoenix won their minor semi-final 3-1 over Newcastle earlier on Sunday.

Melbourne are the current champions and now stand a chance of a third title in just six seasons of the A-League.

Their captain said his team was hungry to make the finals and they deserved to be there.

As four new teams fight and struggle to get themselves ready in time to join the Formula One grid this year, Australia's Mark Webber has lashed out describing their efforts as 'Mickey Mouse'.

He said that the chaos of the new teams as they prepare for the start of the season was embarrassing and it reflected on the sport overall making the elite series look amateurish. He was incredulous that drivers who were yet to even drive their cars were going to take part in the Grand Prix series.

A football player for country side East Geelong reserves will stand trial for manslaughter of a team-mate.

Daniel Singleton, 29, allegedly punched Nathan Alsop, 37, in the head as they celebrated a premiership victory at the club in September last year.

Singleton today pleaded not guilty to manslaughter after his lawyer put forward the case that no-one could have expected such a blow to cause death. Several witnesses had described the punch as a jab. A forensic pathologist said that a heart condition could have contributed to the death.

But the magistrate ruled there was sufficient evidence for the jury to convict Singleton and ordered him to stand trial.

The court earlier heard that the deceased player may have consumed up to 39 drinks in the 12 hours preceding his death.

Brett Lee announced his retirement from Test cricket earlier this week with high hopes of extending his international career in the shorter formats and Australian selectors have now given him the opportunity he was lookig for by naming him in a 30-man preliminary squad for this year's Twenty20 world championship in the Caribbean.

AUSTRALIA MEN squad: Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey, Travis Birt, Doug Bollinger, Nathan Bracken, Daniel Christian, Ben Cutting, Xavier Doherty, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, John Hastings, Nathan Hauritz, Moises Henriques, Brad Hodge, James Hopes, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Andrew McDonald, Shaun Marsh, Clint McKay, Dirk Nannes, Tim Paine, Steven Smith, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White.

Maria Riesch of Germany is now a double Olympic champion after winning the slalom gold yesterday, on top of her super-combined gold last week. She is now the biggest winner in the women's events.

Marlies Schild of Austria finished second for silver, with Sarka Zahrobska for the Czech Republic winning the bronze, which was her country's first Vancouver Olympic medal.

Riesch's technique was impressive in spite of heavy snowfall and poor visibility. She also made an error which slowed her down, but it wasn't enough to knock her off her quest.    

Germany is now at the top of the medals table, with three golds for the alpine women's ski team.

IOC president Jacques Rogge says the Olympic Committee accepts 'moral responsibility' for the death of the Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili at the Olympics two weeks ago, but said they are not legally responsible.

He said the luger's death crash will always be linked to the Vancouver Games, always casting a shadow, but that the overall success of the games should be taken separately.

Rogge has urged Russian organisers to take heed and ensure the sliding track is safe for the 2014 Sochi Games.

Disqualified Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer allegedly pushed and shouted at a female volunteer as he left the oval infield, after losing out on the gold medal.

The Dutchman was hot favourite to win the 10,000m event and did indeed come over the line first. He thought he had won but there was a lane infringement which meant he was disqualified. He was obviously devastated, the loss made even worse as he would've scooped his 3rd gold in Vancouver. He threw his goggles down to the ground on hearing he was disqualified.

Afterwards he apologised for his behaviour and said he blamed his coach for the infringement, as he had directed him to the inner lane when he was taking the outer, and this was when the violation occurred.  

Korea's Lee Seung-Hoon took the gold and set a new Olympic record with his time of 12:58.55 which was actually 4 seconds slower than Kramer.

TeamVodafone's success at the start of the 2010 V8 Supercars championship season continues as drivers Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup achieved the fastest times in practice at Bahrain yesterday.

Lowndes clocked fastest time of the day with a two minute, 05.317 lap.

Two-time winner Whincup came in second fastest with Todd Kelly for Holden coming in third fastest on the day with his 2:05.702.  

Whincup last week won both races at the stunning Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, but this week said that victory was past history, and he is now focussing on the weekend ahead. He added he had mixed emotions about racing at Bahrain as he's had mixed results there in the past.   

Cricket star Shane Warne has just launched his underwear label 'Spinners' at Sydney's Ivy.

Not quite as glamorous as David Beckham's underwear campaign, but Warne joins an ever-growing list of sporting celebs all launching their own lines of undies.  

His ethos appeared to be that putting on a pair of underpants in the morning was important to him. Phew! Well that's a relief to us all then!

He was joined by a group of very buffed male models who showcased the range at the Ivy Pool, but Warne declined to don a pair himself saying he didn't look as good as them.

Spinners will go on sale nationally in branches of stores such as Big W and Target.

There are noises being made he could expand the range for children's and women's markets. We hold our thoughts on that!

Australia has earned its second gold medal at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, as Lydia Lassila jumped her way to victory in the women's freestyle aerials final at Cypress Mountain.

She found herself in second place after her excellent jump in the first round but Australia's other hot contender for the gold, Jacqui Cooper, stood in top position at the start of the second round. But there were still 6 more jumpers to follow, with Lassila going second from last.

It was a nail biting finish and wait for the final jump from China, but she fell and the gold was rightly awarded to Lassila.

The Netherlands are the latest team to pull out of the four-man bobsleigh after pilot Edwin van Calker said his confidence had gone.

He had previously been invloved in a crash on the notorious Whistler Mountain track in the two-man bobsleigh which clearly knocked his confidence. There have already been more than a dozen crashes on this track, plus the death of the Georgian luger in training before the Games a couple of weeks ago.

Many have called into question the safety of the track under these circumstances, but the Dutch coach personally vouched for the track saying they wouldn't allow athletes down it if it were unsafe. He pointed out that Tuesday's events had all gone safely and without incident.  

The coach said that all new tracks were viewed less confidently until the athletes became more familiar with them.

Other competitors in the four-man bobsleigh event were understanding and sympathetic to Van Calker's decision to withdraw from the event.    

Two Australian athletes failed to recover from injuries incurred during earlier training sessions on the notorious bobsled track at Whistler Mountain, and so yesterday the team were forced to withdraw from the four-man Olympic bobsleigh event.

The Australian chef-de-mission said the decision had been well considered, as everyone was very aware what a privilege it was to be able to represent their country at the Olympics, but said that they had no option but to err on the side of caution where the competitors' health was involved.  

There has been a number of high speed crashes on the track and officials yesterday said they were making moves to improve safety by shaving back snow on some of the worst bends.

With only 3 months until the World Cup kicks off in South Africa, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke says they're not yet ready to host the tournament and there's still uncertainty about where all the teams will be based.

Dubbed Soccer City - the Johannesburg venue is still way off completion, and there are still 700,000 tickets to sell. Valcke said he could reel off a list of things which still needed to be completed. But he said they would be ready on time, even if it meant staying awake 24/7 to get everything done.  

Paceman Brett Lee has announced he's retiring from Test cricket but will now turn his full attention to Twenty20 and one-day international cricket which will also allow him to spend more time with his family.  

He told reporters it was a cricket choice and a lifestyle choice, it wasn't the end of him.

He said he hasn't decided whether he will play in this year's Indian Premier League. Along with the rest of the team, he will be waiting to hear what transpires as there are currently serious issues with the safety of Australians in India. A string of threats were recently issued by various political groups in India.

He maintained that Test cricket should remain the most prominent form of the sport and said he hoped that up- and-coming bowlers would also see it this way and not get too sidetracked concentrating on the shorter styles of the game.  

Alterations to the Olympic bobsled track will now be made to enable safer and better racing, after 2 four-man bobsleds crashed during training yesterday.

Several of the trickier bends are to be shaved slightly, in particular a curve dubbed '50-50' will have about an inch of snow removed. These minor alterations should make the track easier to navigate. 

The US coach said it would still remain the toughest track in the world. It will be fast but drivers will have a slightly wider margin for error.     

The sport of curling is being transformed into an attractive glamorous affair as a new generation of young women prove themselves by working hard in the gym and leaving behind the sport's negative unhealthy-looking image. 

With all those hours spent getting fit in the gym, a raft of toned and healthy bodies is taking to the ice now, and the sport is increasingly attracting younger competitors.   

Eve Muirhead, Scotland's captain at 19 years of age, said she's all for this interest in the athletes as it helps raise curling's profile.

She said the sport requires a great deal of stamina and so her team had been working on their fitness throughout the summer.   

Moe Meguro, captain of Japan, agreed the sexy image could do no harm, but said it should not detract from the sport itself.

Another female causing a stir on the ice is Kristie Moore of Canada who is five months pregnant. She said she was still able to play the sport and thought the baby liked it the more she was active!

World champion Russian ice skaters Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin caused a stir for all the wrong reasons on Sunday when they took to the ice in their 'Aboriginal' outfits. Authenticity was not the order of the day however, wearing fake ferns stuck onto their skimpy red and white outfits and random white markings daubed onto their bodies, it looked more like they were dressed for a kids fancy dress party than an Olympic ice-skating event!

There had been much outcry over the Russians' plans to go with the Aboriginal theme and they did apparently slightly modify their outfits for Sunday, but there were certainly no points awarded for authenticity. In fact, they fell from first place to third when the unimpressed judges gave their scores after their routine.

Quite why their interpretation of a culture caused such offence is questionable when there were Chinese competitors dressed as Greeks and Candians as Spaniards, with no-one batting an eyelid to those conceptions.

The Russians however, remained unrepentant.

The US ice hockey team has shocked their Canadian neighbours by winning 5-3 and achieving their first Ice Hockey Olympic Games win in 50 years.

Ryan Miller stopped 42 shots and Brian Rafalski scored twice with forward Jamie Langenbrunner scoring the winning goal in the second period. The Americans last Olympic win over Canada was a 2-1 victory at the 1960 Squaw Valley Games.

Roger Federer has been forced to pull out of the ATP Dubai Open due to a lung infection.

Doctors have advised him not to play for 2 weeks, however it could possibly take 6 weeks to recover which would mean missing out on the ATP World Masters at Indian Wells which starts on March 11. 

Federer said he could give no guarantees about playing at Indian Wells but if the infection was treated properly he should be back pretty soon.  

He explained he has been training hard since returning from the Australian Open, but last Wednesday found he couldn't even get up and felt worse the next day. He said he's having difficulty breathing, but he feels fine, just tired and slow. 

His plans to beat last year's Dubai Open champion Novak Djokovic at this year's event will have to be sidelined.  

Tiger Woods has finally gone public with an apology.

In the 13 minute broadcast live around the world, he admitted to a string of infidelities and confirmed he had been undergoing treatment in a rehabilitation centre for 45 days.

He apologised a number of times to his family, friends and fans saying he was deeply sorry for his irresponsible and selfish behaviour. He said he was the only person to blame and had brought shame upon himself. He said that at the time he had set aside the core values he'd been brought up to believe in, and had begun to feel a sense of entitlement, convincing himslef that normal rules didn't apply to him. He had worked very hard to get where he was and he felt he should be entitled to enjoy all the temptations and benefits around him.

He added it had been hard to admit he needed help and that his 45 day spell at a rehabilitation centre was just the beginning of a long journey to recovery.

Woods said he was making a return to Buddhism to help his rehabilitation, saying he had been schooled in the faith as a youngster by his Thai mother.

He made it clear that his wife Erin had never been violent towards him and had acted with the utmost grace and dignity throughout.

He gave no indication as to when he would return to golf, though he did say he would be back, and perhaps it would be this year.

A French woman's Olympic dreams came crashing down in a matter of seconds in yesterday's downhill event on the Whistler Mountain venue.

Poor Marion Rolland crashed just a few metres from the start as she began her bid for gold at the Winter Games in Vancouver.

She made her start from the gate and within just 5 seconds had lost her balance and toppled over into the snow. A stunned audience watched on as she lay motionless and sobbing. Four years of hard training was over in the blink of an eye.

Rolland is ranked seventh in the World Cup downhill rankings and came fifth in last year's World Championship.

The fall from grace led to an injured knee and she had to be helped off the course.

Australia's Torah Bright has won gold in the women's snowboard halfpipe final, despite a hiccup during her first run which resulted in her being last in the standings. She was then first to make the second run and achieved a terrific score of 45.0 which no-one was able to beat.  

Two Americans, Hannah Teter and Kelly Clark took the silver and bronze medals.

Bright maintained she hadn't lost her confidence despite the shaky start.

She was excited to discover after the event that her parents had been there to watch her, so was looking forward to celebrating her success with her family.

Lindsey Vonn from America yesterday won the Women's downhill event, but  there were a number of spectacular crashes from other competitors, which left some needing medical attention.

The last jump of the Franz Downhill course, known as 'Hot Air' was the one which caught most out. Travelling at 120kph and flying through the air over a distance of 60m, could certainly cause some trouble.

Apparently speeds were higher yesterday as the rain that had fallen previoulsy had frozen, making it very icy and therefore increasing the speeds of competitors.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) said it would act immediately to improve conditions for today's super-combined event.

 A 22 year old woman has been charged with manslaughter and supplying drugs after former Socceroo Ian Gray was found dead in his own home on Monday in what appeared to be suspicious circumstances.

The woman, of Richmond northwest of Sydney, was arrested early yesterday morning at a premises on Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross, and was later charged with manslaughter, supplying a prohibited drug, and stealing, police said.

She has been refused bail and will appear at Central Local Court today.

The first official photograph of Tiger Woods has appeared since the golfer's infidelities were exposed.

He was photographed jogging with a trainer near his home in Florida, US and was not wearing his wedding ring. The photo was taken and published by Getty Images which is not a paparazzi agency, but is used by subscribers from the publishing world around the globe.

His agent said Tiger will speak publicly for the first time tomorrow morning at the TPC Sawgrass, headquarters of the US PGA Tour at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

He will apparently talk about his past, along with future plans and apologise for his behaviour. He will not be taking questions from the limited group of media.

Former Socceroo player Ian Gray was found dead in his apartment in Elizabeth Bay on Monday night by friends who had grown concerned when he missed appointments and stopped taking calls over the weekend.

Police believe it was foul play and homicide detectives are carrying out an investigation into how the 46 year old died.

Gray started his career with the Manly Vale and Western Suburbs clubs. He was an experienced defender and midfielder and joined the national football team in 1984 when he went on tour around the world, playing in the UK, China and Italy.

He was honoured with an Award of Distinction in the Football Federtaion Australia's Hall of Fame in 2004.
The FFA's chairman yesterday issued a statement saying he was saddened to hear of Gray's death, adding that he was a respected teammate and a great ambassador for football.
Police are urging anyone with information on Gray's death to contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

Olympic ski races on the Whistler mountains were postponed yesterday as heavy snow fell, making the pistes unskiable. 

The Cypress Mountain venue has weather problems of its own still - where it is too warm with rain and fog which has caused cancellations and rescheduling of women's snowboarding and half pipe events.

Meanwhile, the National Hockey League is about to hit the ice, with host Canda firm favourites to win the event.

The safety of Australian sports teams travelling to India to compete is under threat as a Pakistani militant with links to al-Qaeda, Ilyas Kashmiri, has reportedly warned the international community against sending competitors to events including this month's Hockey World Cup, the Indian Premier League cricket and the Commonwealth Games.

The Asia Times Online website said the warning had been sent by email from Kashmiri and threatened that the international community must not send competitors to the events nor should their people visit India, otherwise they would not be responsible for the consequences.  

Also the Hindu political party Shiv Sena has repeated its ban on Australian cricketers playing in Mumbai in the IPL, which starts next month, saying that while Indians are still being attacked in Australia they would not allow Australian cricketers to set foot in their country.

Newcastle captain Kurt Gidley was relieved yesterday to discover that the injury he sustained in Saturday night's All Stars match was not as serious as initially thought.

He had feared he would be out of the season ahead before it started, but scans revealed a hamstring muscle or tendon tear.

He will  now be side-lined for 4-6 weeks to recover fully and said he would not push himself to go back before he was ready as he had done on previous occasions, only to find the pain return and take longer to recover. 

The number of injuries during Saturday's pre-season match had cast a shadow of doubt over the timing of such an event, as it could potentially ruin a player's seasons before it had even started. However the game's concept received more support on Monday from Australian Rugby League indigenous council chairman William 'Smiley' Johnstone.

The latest AFL footballer to hit the headlines for the wrong reasons is Andrew Lovett who has been sacked by St Kilda after being charged with rape.

The Saints recruited Lovett from The Bombers in October last year, but are now washing their hands completely of him as he faces charges of rape. He has not even played for them yet.

He will appear in court this Friday for the incident which is alleged to have taken place on Christmas Eve last year. The woman has accused him of sexual assault while she slept in an apartment Port Melbourne.

The AFL and the AFL Players Association have not made any comment as yet.

Switzerland's Didier Defago takes home the first gold medal in the blue riband event for his country in 22 years.

Defago was happy to achieve his dream, after three previous Olympics and a number of championship events, he said he thought his experience in these had really helped.

Aksel Lund Svindal from Norway took the silver and Bode Miller of America took bronze.

The Indigenous All Stars won against the NRL Stars in last night's match at Skilled Park, 16-12.

It was a superb game, but was marred by injuries to NSW's captain Kurt Gidley and Brisbane's captain Darren Lockyer.

Gidley was sent for scans after suffering a possibly serious knee injury during a tackle by his Newcastle teammate Cory Paterson in the third quarter while Lockyer's bicep was injured in the opening tackle of the game.

A brilliant piece of play by man-of-the-match Johnathan Thurston laid on a late try for Jamie Soward to give the Indigenous All Stars a 16-12 win over the NRL All Stars.

Both team coaches said the concept had been a great success and would now be firmly fixed inot the calendar as a pre-season fixture.

TWENTY20 cricket yesterday received formal approval to be included in the 2020 Olympic Games from the International Olympic Committee.

The big question facing cricket now is how on earth to fit it into their extremely busy schedule!  

The International Cricket Council and Cricket Australia have been after this coup for years, viewing it as the best exposure the sport can get, but they now face the challenge of convincing board members, particularly those in India, to set aside revenue generating tournaments so that all cricketing nations can compete at the Olympics.

Cricket has not been part of the Games since the 1900 Olympics in Paris.

A shadow has been cast over the Winter Olympics as a luger from Georgia was killed after flying off the luge track just hours ahead of the Games' official opening ceremomy.

Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21 years old, hurtled off the track at a speed of 148km and crashed into a metal pole during training yesterday.

The International Olympics Committee Vice President said it was a tragedy for the young man's family and his team.

The track is known to be one of the most dangerous in the sport and a gold medallist from Italy was one of a few athletes who previously crashed during training, but was unhurt.  

Weather-wise, it is still unseasonably warm in Vancouver and the Cypress Mountain site had tonnes of snow ferried to it from higher grounds. The forecast is for rain and high winds to further complicate matters. 

The Whistler site is good though and qualification rounds took place yesterday for the blue-riband alpine skiiing events.

Eleven venues are being used for the Games which take place from 12-28 February and involve 2,500 athletes from 82 nations taking part in 15 sports.

Chelsea's Ashley Cole has suffered a broken ankle in a UK match on Wednesday against Everton. He has been ruled out of the game for 3 months and will now find himself trying to get fit worryingly close to the World Cup in June.

Chelsea are understandably very disappointed to lose such an important player for that period of time.

It is hoped however, that he will be back before the end of the season and be in time to join the England squad for their first game of the World Cup which will be against the US on June 12.

Michael Hurley is the latest in an increasing line of AFL players to receive a club suspension after an incident off the field. 

The Essondon Bombers have given Hurley a pre-season suspension which means he will miss the NAB Cup and Challenge, and will not be back in the senior side until round one of the regular season.

This action is apparently just part of a 'broader response' to the assault charges which have been laid against him. The remainder of sanctions to be imposed on him will be announced by Essendon soon.

Hurley is to return to court on 5 March regarding five assault charges involving an incident with a Melbourne taxi driver in September last year. 

Other players facing suspensions are; Mathew Strokes of the Geelong Cats for charges of possessing and trafficking cocaine, Carlton's Eddie Betts, Andrew Walker and Ryan Houlihan for their drunken and disorderly behaviour in their pre-Christmas 'booze cruise' and Richmond draftee Troy Taylor for an alleged assault in Alice Springs on New Year's Eve.

Top trainer Gai Waterhouse believes she has two of her strongest three-year-olds ever, and thinks they will both be winners in Saturday's races at Randwick.

Both Manhatten Rain and More Joyous have only been entered into a limited number of events this season, as the trainer has purposefully held them back ready to be at their prime for the autumn carnival ahead.

Manhattan Rain will compete in the Group Two Royal Sovereign Stakes (1200m) with More Joyous racing in the Group Two Light Fingers Stakes (1200m).

Waterhouse said she is expecting both horses to be superior to their rivals and to win this Saturday. 

She added that she is delighted with More Joyous, saying that she filly is doing everything right and has been training really well.

Likewise, Manhatten Rain's trackwork has been sensational she said.  

Nash Rawiller is More Joyous's jockey in the Light Fingers while Manhattan Rain will be ridden by Blake Shinn.

South Africa yesterday thrashed India by an innings and six runs at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium in Nagpur.

Fast bowler Dale Steyn (3-57) and left-arm spinner Paul Harris (3-76) shared six wickets to bowl out India for 319 following on.

It was India's first Test defeat under their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, since he took the position in 2008. 

The South Africans could reclaim the No.1 ranking from India if they manage to draw the second and final Test which starts in Kolkata on Sunday.  

Australia's Michael Katsidis will not face WBO super-featherweight champion Robert Guerrero from the US in the States next month as the American has postponed the fight in order to spend more time with his wife who is battling cancer.

Casey Guerrero was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago, which had gone into remission, but the cancer has returned recently. Promoter Richard Schaefer said yesterday that Casey Guerrero had received a bone marrow transplant but is in a critical condition.

The Winter Olympics' training schedule has been restricted ahead of the games later this week due to a lack of snow, but the Aussies aren't worried, they're used to similar conditions.

The Cypress Mountain site will host freestyle and snowboarding events but was closed to the public 3 weeks early due to warm temperatures, and since then a mammoth effort to ferry snow from the higher slopes has been underway. 

AOC spokesman Mike Tancred reckoned they had done a fantastic job with the snow and said the Aussies wouldn't be worried by these conditions.

Olympian aerialist Jacqui Cooper said the conditions could be great for Australiasn competitors because they were used to skiing in slushy conditions back home.

Some more great news was recieved yesterday, when the International Olympic Committee agreed to keep the Boxing Kangaroo flag flying in the athletes village.

The RVL is making hasty preparations to get the jumps season started in early April and bring in the new safety measures which were agreed when they backtracked on their decision in January to end jumps racing after this season.

The new standards are designed to make the sport safer, reducing the number of injuries and fatalities in the hope of prolonging the sport's future.

The Australian Jumping Racing Association is directing the RVL on its requirements for adjusting the obstacles.

The season will be reduced this year, commencing at Warrnambool on April 6 and running until August with a program of 64 races in total.

Engineers and risk assessors have been brought in to approve the new jumps and a prototype is currently underway.

The new jumps will not have a solid metal A frame and there will also be some give to them in the event a horse hits the jump. They will also be lighter and designed to convert from hurdles to steeplchase fences. The cost of the new jumps is being born by jumps racing but consequently prize monies this year will be reduced. It's estimated the new jumps will cost in the region of $500,000.   

Yesterday's game between Australia and the West Indies at the MCG yesterday drew a disappointing number of spectators and added to the speculation that 50-over cricket is on the way out.

Officials had hoped for up to 35,000 fans to attend the match, but the figure on the gates was 10,000 less, which is just a quarter of the ground's capacity.  

In comparison, Friday night's Twenty20 game between Australia and Pakistan drew a crowd of 60,000, which was a record this season.

Cricket Victoria chief executive Tony Dodemaide didn't agree that 50-over was dying, saying that the tv audience had to be taken into account as well and that Sunday night matches would not be popular with families attending the grounds due to children having to go to school the next day.

Greg Bird was yesterday cleared of assaulting a female at a nightclub in 2008 and is now set to make his comeback to the NRL in the Indigenous All Stars team when they play at the Gold Coast next Saturday.

He is signed to play for the Gold Coast, but has been called to play for the All Stars in the historic match next weekend. He is replacing Daine Laurie who has been injured.  

The magistrate for his case acquitted Bird after accepting his version of events, which was that he was the one who was attacked after spilling some drink on Victoria Shannon. She deemed Shannon's evidence to be full of inconsistencies and confusing as elements of her story had changed over time.   

Bird's manager Gavin Orr said that Greg had been under an enormous strain throughout all of this and he personally wished that someone in rugby league would apologise to Bird.  

England Coach Fabio Capello has demoted John Terry from his England captaincy and replaced him with Rio Ferdinand.

Terry hit the headlines last weekend with claims that the married Chelsea defender had had an affair with his teammate's girlfriend at the time, who was apparently also his wife's best friend.

Capello conceded that Terry had always maintained positive behaviour as England's captain, but that he had to take into account what was best for the nation's team.

Terry vowed to continue representing England with four months until the World Cup begins in South Africa, saying he respected Capello's decision.

Ferdinand, who was vice captain, will now take the captaincy although there are some concerns over his fitness as he was out of the game for three months with injuries and has only played 2 matches since his return. He is also currently serving a four match ban after being found guilty of elbowing an opponent on the field.  Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard now moves up the ranks to become the team's vice captain.

The boxing kangaroo flag contraversy continues but the Australian team will take down it down if they receive an official request from the IOC.

Mike Tancred, AOC spokesman, said the team will continue to hang the flag unless they they receive a formal letter requesting that it be removed. He added that the Canadian athletes arriving at the village were getting their photos taken with the flag in the background and volunteers were pleading that the flag could stay.

A number of Aussies in Vancouver yesterday took to the streets with banners saying 'Don't Take Me Kangaroo Down Sport'

Pakistan's cricket captain Mohammad Yousuf is adamant he will not step down from captaincy despite noises that a new captain will soon be selected.

Pakistan's recent crushing defeats forced their chief selector Ijaz Butt to resign and there were rumours that their cricket board chairman was asked to quit, which have since been rubbished by Butt.

Butt last week said that ideally Pakistan would have liked to have selected a younger captain than Yousef (35) but that Australia was not the place to switch to something new and experiment. He added they woud liek to hand the reins over to a younger captain.

Yousef said he hadn't done so badly as a captain that he should be forced to resign and that he'd taken the role when no-one else was willing to take the responsibility.  

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) is defying the International Olmypic Committee (IOC) by refusing to take down a flag which is hanging over an area of the accommodation village, which will house the Aussie athletes. 

The massive green and gold flag features a kangaroo clad in boxing gloves and is supposed to show the nation's pride at being in the Olympics. The IOC doesn't view it in this light however, saying that the emblem is a registered trademark and therefore a commercial symbol. The AOC argues however, that it has to be registered in this way as it's used to promote sport and fair play in schools.  They also said that the flag is always displayed in this manner at all international events.     

Wallabies player George Smith is retiring from international cricket at the age of 29 to focus on spending quality time with his family.

He will leave his squad at the end of this year's Super 14 campaign.  

Smith said it had been a very difficult decision to make but felt that after his family had given him such great support over the years, that it was now his turn to give something back to them.

He has 3 young children, all under the age of 5, and is now hoping to make a move with his wife and family overseas, though nothing is in place as yet. 

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans was full of praise for the veteran flanker, saying he was the greatest No.7 in the history of Australian rugby.

Smith has won the John Eales Medal twice and been awarded the Brumbies Players' Player award on eight occasions during his career and so it's not surprising then that he aims to go out of the game with a Super 14 crown, saying he will be hyping his team up to win the title this season.  

Virgin Racing has unveiled its VR01 model for its maiden F1 season.

Incredibly, the car was designed, constructed and tested in virtual reality only - to keep costs down.

Virgin Racing's technical director Nick Wirth said it had been a full-on 12 months for the team - from the moment they came into existence to present day, which sees them about to start testing on the track, ahead of the season start next month.  

Four new teams join F1 this year - Virgin, Campos, Lotus and USF1.

The first testing session of the F1 season took place yesterday with Ferrari's new driver - Fernando Alonso -and the improved F10, taking to each other quite nicely as the former Renault driver achieved the fastest time on the track.

A record number of spectators for a single day practice had gathered - 36,400 were recorded - and watched as Alonso set a fastest time of 1 minute, 11.470 seconds from 127 laps of the Cheste circuit.

Alonso said it had been a very emotional first day for him, driving for Ferrari he said was an unbelievable feeling with the team being incredibly passionate, which was new and motivating to him. 

Michael Schumacher settled in nicely to make third fastest time, while last year's champion Jenson Button had a slow start in his McLaren, and came fifth.

The new model Ferrari showed no reliability problems over the 3 days and Felipe Massa, driving once more for the iconic team, showed he has made a truly remarkable recovery from what was a horrendous and life threatening crash in Hungary in July last year.

This year's season begins in Bahrain on March 14.

FIFA released its latest world rankings yesterday, revealing that the Socceroos have fallen two places to No 23 but are still the leading team in the Asiatic region.

Spain are still No 1, followed by Brazil and then the Netherlands. The top nine rankings remain the same, while Egytpt have stormed from No 24 to No 10 after winning their third continental title at the weekend.

The US and Mexico retain the same rankings also, at 14 and 17 respectively.

Australia's former prime minister John Howard is a candidate for the presidency of the International Cricket Council, along with New Zealand Cricket's former chairman, Sir John Anderson.

Howard is CA's preferred candidate for the role, but CA and NZ Cricket so far cannot agree who should assume it.

Malcolm Speed, the former boss of world cricket and a previous Australian chairman, said that cricket is lucky to have 2 such exceptional candidates to choose from and believes that Howard has the credentials despite never worked as a cricket administrator.

Australian cricketers face strict security measures during this year's Indian Premier League and will be advised not to leave their hotels on their own or wear any type of clothing which could give away their nationality.

The head of security for the IPL said that there are concerns for Australian players there but that the level of protection they are giving is very high and they believe the players will be safe.

There are twenty one Aussie players due to go out and take part in next month's IPL, including Shane Watson, Cameron White, David Hussey, David Warner, Shaun Marsh, Ryan Harris, Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait.

AFL Geelong premiership player Mathew Stokes has been charged with dealing and possession of cocaine. He will appear in the magistrate's court in Geelong today.

Five men have been charged after the raids which took place last Friday, targeting four properties in the area.

$50,000 worh of drugs were allegedy seized, including cocaine, amphetamines, cannabis and ecstasy along with $3,000 in cash.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is backing David Beckham's bid to make England's World Cup squad this year.

Man United will play AC Milan in the Champions League second round and Ferguson believes that England's Manager (and ex AC Milan Manager) Fabio Capello will make his decision on Beckham then.

Beckham still has the goods on the field as he nears his 35th birthday, Ferguson was asked if he regretted his decsion to sell the player 7 years ago. But he replied he had none and has moved on.

It will be Beckham's first return to Old Trafford since he notoriously fell out with Fergie and went to play for Real Madrid in 2003.

Pink cricket balls are currently being tested by CA to decide if they can be used for day-night matches. Cricket authorities must determine whether this colour ball can be clearly seen by players, spectators and television audiences under daylight and floodlit conditions as the advance of longer form night matches draws closer. 

Pink balls were used in Futures League matches in Adelaide and Brisbane yesterday, while a white ball was used during a match in Melbourne.

A pink Kookaburra ball was used in a day-night match at Adelaide Oval which apparently seemed to possess an uncertain colour at times. In Brisbane, a pink Duke ball was trialled.

The white ball tested in Melbourne didn't really get a fair test as Tasmania bowled Victoria out for 187 in 48.3 overs and made 6-145 in 47 overs in reply.

The Sports Minister for Pakistan - Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani - is pushing Cricket Australia to take a leaf out of other countries' books by setting up barriers at grounds and banning alcohol after a spectator invaded the pitch and tackled Khalid Latif in Perth on Sunday night.

He said it was no good waiting for someone to die before taking preventative action. Grounds in other parts of the world have barbed-wire fences which segregate the audience players from the players.  

Senior officials apparently told the press that Perth has a reputation for being the worst ground in the country in terms of security and crowd behaviour.

The WACA has called for fines to be increased from $500 to a sum in the region of $10,000 which would act as a real deterrent.

Pakistan's stand in captain Shahid Afridi has made things worse, after apologising for his recent behaviour when he was caught biting the ball during Sunday's one dayer at the WACA, for which he was banned from the next 2 games, but he has now come out and said that every team in the world tampers with ball anyway!

He should've just stick to his apology and admission of embarrassment, this will do nothing to endear him to the public or the cricketing world. 

Shahid Afridi, Pakistan's star all-rounder, has been banned for two matches after being caught chewing on one side of the ball as he walked with bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan in the final one-dayer match at the WACA in Perth.

The ICC does not allow any efforts to change the condition of the ball and any violations are liable to punishment. The incident was reported to match referee Ranjan Madugalle who conducted separate hearings with team manager Abdur Raqeeb and Afridi before serving the two match ban.

Pakistan lost Sunday's match by two wickets for a 5-0 clean sweep.

The ban means Afridi, who is Pakistan's captain in the Twenty20 format since Mohammed Yousef was relieved of his captaincy duties last week, will miss the February 5 Twenty20 match against Australia in Melbourne and also the first of two Twenty20 games against England in Dubai on February 18.

Afterwards Afridi acknowleged that as their captain, he should be providing a role for his team and apologised for his behaviour.

Chief Selector for Pakistan's national team - Iqbal Qasim, has resigned after Sunday's defeat in Perth and Pakistan's underwhelming tour, saying that he was responsible for the selection of this team which had disappointed him and millions of Pakistanis.

The Women's Singles Finals take place tonight - Serena Williams v wildcard and former World no 1, Justine Henin.

Williams has had a hectic week on the court this week. In singles, she beat Sam Stosur at the start of the week, Victoria Azarenka on Weds, followed by China's Li Na on Thursday. In doubles with Venus, she played on Monday, Tuesday and yesterday, when she and her sister took their 11th women's doubles title.

She's certainly showing the extent of her physical exertions on court with heavy bandages on her right thigh, left calf and now her wrist. She joked she was using so much tape she had resorted to borrowing it from everyone else.

But she is in high spirits ahead of tonight's final, saying she wasn't feeling the pressure, and is feeling good.

Henin said tonight would be the perfect challenge between the two of them. She said they'd had some great battles in the past and played their best tennis when playing against each other.

Serena agreed it would be a big challenge - not just on the court but inside their heads as well.  

Ferrari have unveiled their new car for the 2010 season - the F10 - which they are hoping will be an improvement on last year's F60, which was beaten by Red Bull and Brawn GP (now Mercedes, who Michael Schumaker will be driving for this year).

New driver for Ferrari this year - Fernando Alonso (ex Renault), said he was excited and confident about 'this dream new car' and added he hoped that he and team driver Felipe Massa would make Ferrari fans around the world proud one more.

Roger Federer stormed his way into the finals last night in what was an easy ride for him against 10th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Federer won 6-2 6-3 6-2 in a match that lasted barely 90 minutes.

Tsonga was seriously outplayed as Federer barely worked up a sweat. He will now face UK's Andy Murray on Sunday for the Grand Slam Final.

He couldn't resist a gentle dig at the Scotsman saying he'd be attempting to be the first British guy to win a Grand Slam in 150,000 years (it would actually be 76 years). More seriously though, he was spot on when he said his opponent would surely be feeling the pressure of his country's expectations, and he said he would be adding to that as much as possible

Federer is hoping for his fourth Australian Open championship, but Murray is one of just a small number of Federer's rivals to hold a winning record against him - 6-4, although Murray has lost their two most recent matches and the 2008 US Open final.

Andy Murray has given British tennis fans hope at last! After an acutely embarrassing period of more than 30 years since a Brit has won a Grand Slam final, it could just be their time.

Last night Murray was in amazing form to beat Marin Cilic in four sets, 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-2. Murray made some incredible returns on the court during a well fought battle to take his place in the finals on Sunday. At one point he chased a shot back over his head, and unleashed a blind forehand past his opponent.

Murray will play the winner of tonight's other semi-final between No.1 seed Roger Federer and French No.10 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Wildcard Justine Henin has crushed her Chinese opponent in this afternoon's semi final in a match lasting just 52 minutes. She beat Zheng Jie 6-1 6-0 and will now take on Serena Williams. It was only her second tournament after an absence of 20 months. Henin and Williams have never met in a Grand Slam Final before. Henin last won the Aussie Open in 2004. Williams is the defending champion this year.

World No.1 Serena Williams has made it into the finals this Saturday after beating China's Li Na in straight sets today 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-1). The semi final lasted just over 2 hours.

Who will play her in the final will be decided today after the other women's semi final between Justine Henin of Belgium and China's Zheng Jie.

Williams once again played with strapping on her left knee and right thigh and indeed she did seem a little troubled at times moving about the court, but she was strong enough to come through when it was necessary, pretty much owning the second set tiebreak.

After the match she gave credit to her opponent saying Li Na had played really well, going for broke when she had match points against her.

It was Li Na's first ever grand slam semi final and she will now move up into the top 10 in the world rankings when they're revised next Monday.  

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for France is through to the semi final against Roger Federer after beating Novak Djokovic 7-6 (10/8), 6-7 (5/7), 1-6, 6-3, 6-1. It was a testing match which lasted almost 4 hours.

It was Tsonga's second 5 set match in 2 days, and he'd never before even played a 5 set match. He looked to be strong and confident right the way through, bouncing about energetically as his opponent went downhill in the fourth set, where he appeared to have an upset stomach. Djokovic called a medical time-out, apparently vomiting while in the locker room.

It was a dramatic turn of events for the Serbian player, who had won his previous five matches against top-10 opponents, and he had sailed through the third set up to that point.

Organisers of the Winter Olympics in Canada are in crisis mode due to a severe lack of snow!

Cypress Mountain, where the snowboarding and freestyle skiing events take place, is apparently devoid of the frozen white stuff. It was closed to the public two and a half weeks earlier than planned as the weather was warm and wet.  

A spokeswoman for the organising committee reassured by saying they have everything they need in terms of technology, equipment, manpower and expertise to ensure that the games take place as planned. They will be using natural snow brought in from higher up in the moutains where snow is present, and also manmade snow which apparently makes a great base and is more long lasting and wearing than fresh snow. Freestyle skiers are used to these conditions anyway, as they practise their sport all year round.

Li Na from China has clawed her way through to the semi finals after beating Venus Williams today, coming from a set down to win 2-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5. 

Li who is seeded 16 in the tournament, started out weakly, seeming to be overwhelmed by her opponent, but during the second set she began to relax and everything started to fall into place for her.  

After the match she said it was the best day of her life, and she was happy to join fellow compatriot Zheng Jie in the final four. She will now face defending champion Serena Williams or seventh seed Victoria Azarenka for a place in the final.  

The British must be feeling very proud of Andy Murray today after his inspired game against Nadal last night which saw the world's no 2 withdraw from the match with knee trouble. But no injury could take away the fact that Murray is playing incredible tennis - even by Nadal's own admission, who said afterwards that Andy played really well and is in with a chance of winning the tournament.

The 22-year-old Scotsman was leading their quarter-final 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 3-0 when Nadal decided he couldn't continue. He had already just received treatment for the the knee injury, but didn't want to run the risk of causing further damage. He says he always plays on if he can, but he must've had on his mind the knee tendinitis which kept him away from the sport for 2 months last year and prevented him from defending his Wimbledon title.

Murray will now face Croatian Marin Cilic in the semi finals.

Sydney FC are back at the top of the A-League with a 3-1 win over Newcastle yesterday.

First, John Aloisi equalised just before halftime, then the team came out after the break looking ready to go and took the lead after just 5 minutes when Stuart Musialik scored against his former club.  

Their success was complete when young substitute Payne scored his first A-League goal in the final minutes of the game.

Coach Vitezslav Lavicka was full of praise for his team saying how much he appreciated their character. However he was concerned by the injuries 2 of his key players have received with Aloisi being assessed today after yesterday's possible hamstring injury, along with strike partner Mark Bridge who missed yesterday's match and could well be out for the rest of the season with a problem with his toe. 

Cricket Australia has confirmed it will be trialling the use of a pink ball next week during a three-day match at Adelaide Oval which will be played as a day-night fixture.

The experiment is set to test the visibility of the ball during daytime conditions and also by floodlight at night- time matches, both for players and spectators alike, plus to determine any discolouration.

CA's chief executive said they are committed to making day-nigt Test cricket a reality and this trial was to be one of the many steps necessary before the vision could be realised.   

Samantha Stosur put on an impressive display today to beat Italian Alberta Brianti in straight sets and is now bound to play Serena Williams on Monday.

It took just 72 minutes to defeat Brianti 6-4 6-1 and go through to the last 16.

Stosur said that she and Williams had played some pretty close matches on the last two occasions and she had won the last one, so she would be taking taking that as her inspiration and motivation to play well and try to beat the American superstar. 

Russian world No.3 Svetlana Kuznetsova just about clinched her match against German qualifier Angelique Kerber who is world no 118 last night. They had a very late start, beginning after 11.30pm and she had put up a huge fight to win 3-6 7-5 6-4.

Kuznetsova, seeded third in the competition, will now face fellow Russian Nadia Petrova in the fourth round, who thrashed Kim Clijsters last night 6-0 6-1.

Russian Dinara Safina, second seed,  is through to the fourth round of the Australian Open after defeating UK's Elena Baltacha 6-1, 6-2.

She overcame last year's bad memories of the Open when she lost massively to Serena Williams, and played great tennis today, hitting 19 winners and tying the match up in just under an hour.

She removed any fears that last year's back injury would beleaguer her performance and has looked more at ease with every match this week.  

Meanwhile eighth seed Jelena Jankovic lost to 31st seed Alona Bondarenko, crashing 6-2, 6-3 in the third round.

Jankovic, who this time last year was the world's number one tennis player, made 36 unforced errors and served four double faults to a player she had previously beaten in their last 8 matches against each other.

Ex Pakistani international batsman Javed Miandad yesterday claimed that Twenty20 leagues were a virus which could end up killing off Test Cricket.

He said that leading players would no longer want to represent their countries in Test Cricket as playing for the new format was far more lucrative and when faced with representing their country or earning the big bucks, then it would be a foregone conclusion that money would win.  He added he hoped that T20 cricket would be restricted for the sake of the game, otherwise world cricket would end up at the mercy of India. 

The RSPCA and The Coalition for the Protection of Race Horses are disgusted with the RVL for going back on their recent ban on jumps racing in Victoria yesterday.  

The RVL backtracked on its decision in a statement issued by RVL Chairman Micheal Duffy saying that falls and fatality rates were unacceptable but if the industry can meet a number of safety requirements which result in the number of fatalities being halved, along with other conditions relating to reducing the number of falls, then the sport could continue beyond the 2010 season after all. 

RSPCA Victorian president Hugh Wirth said the RVL had lost all credibility by giving in to a minority group. He added he was disgusted and that the RVL would regret its decision in future.

Tiger Woods has apparently been photographed leaving a sex rehabilitation clinic in Mississippi, according to US tabloid the National Enquirer.

It has published a very grainy photo of a man dressed in white with a black hooded jacket over his shoulders and head and holding a white takeaway coffee cup in his right hand.

Woods is allegedly living in one of the cottages at the facility, where he checked in for a 6 week period on 30 December.  

Two of Woods' sponsors - AT&T and Accenture - have dropped him since his indiscretions came to light.

Swiss Formula One team BMW Sauber has named and signed their second driver for the 2010 season - Pedro da la Rosa from Spain.

He has competed in 72 races during his career which began in 1999, with one podium placing in the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2006. He was more recently a test driver for McLaren-Mercedes between 2003 and 2009.

De la Rosa said he was excited to be on the BMW Sauber team and said he'd always believed he'd be given another chance to drive for F1 as a team driver.

Peter Sauber said his team would benefit from De la Rosa's technical experience.

US Open champion Kim Clijsters from Belgium beat Tamarine Tanasugarn from Thailand today in straight sets, 6-3 6-3, and is through to the third round of the Australian Open.

Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, seeded three, and current French Open champion is also through after beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets, 6-2 6-2.

Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark, defeated Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak in straight sets,  6-4 6-2 and goes through to the second round.

Australia's newest resident tennis player - Jarmila Groth - was narrowly beaten by Sofia Arvidsson from Sweden.

So just four of the Aussie players went through beyond the first round - Samantha Stosur, Casey Dellacqua, Lleyton Hewitt and Bernard Tomic.

Entries for the Doncaster Mile in April have reached 200 already and the quality of horses this year looks to be outstanding.

Previous winners Vision And Power and Triple Honour, along with Bart Cummings' Spring winners Shocking, Viewed, So You Think and Allez Wonder have all been entered.   

Gai Waterhouse, who's had 6 winners there in the past, has put forward 16 horses and Triple Honour's trainer Chris Waller has nominated 13 including Group One winner Danleigh and Tuesday's Wyong winner Double Whisky.

Mark Kavanagh has entered his winner Whobegotyou.  Black Caviar and Typhoon Tracy will be gracing Peter Moody's team.

The AJC said it was very pleased with the overall quality of entrants this year along with a good balance of older horses and up-and-coming 3 year olds.

Rafael Nadal yesterday defended his title at the Aussie Open, beating Melbourne raised Peter Luczak 7-6 (7-0) 6-1 6-4.  

A visibly nervous Luczak served for the first set after breaking Nadal with a scorcher of a backhand return winner but Nadal's strength, experience and class ulimately showed through. The first set was a long but entertaining 79 minutes as it went to a tie break situation.

Luczak realised he'd missed his big chance after double-faulting twice, so giving Nadal the break back when he was trying to serve out the opening set.

Luczak said he had enjoyed the match and would remember it for the rest of his life.

Dokic was a very different player on the court last night to the one Australia saw make it to the quarter finals a year ago. Facing Kleybanova yesterday, and bearing in mind this is one of the players she beat last year, it was grimly apparent how much can change in just one year.

Despite her opponent's dodgy serve throughout the game and how physically exhausted Kleybanova appeared to be, pouring buckets of sweat as she doggedly played on, Dokic cut a remarkably passionless figure on the court and was unable to cut through and lost the match 6-1 7-5 in one hour and 34 minutes.  

Australia's Samantha Stosur is through to the second round after winning a tough match against Chinese qualifier Xinyun Han.

Despite a second-set lapse where she dropped her serve three times allowing Han to even up, she managed to steady her game in the third set to win with the score 6-1 3-6 6-2 which took one hour 38 minutes.

It certainly wasn't her strongest performance but still it was a win, which coming after her defeats in Sydney and Perth this summer, will act as a confidence booster ahead of Thursday's game when she will face either German Kristina Barrois or Uzbeki Akgul Amanmuradova for a place in the last 32 for the fourth time in Melbourne.

After the match Stosur said it was always a relief to survive the first round at a grand slam and she was pleased with how she'd played today.

Maria Sharapova has shockingly crashed out of the Australian Open in her first match today.

Sharapova, seeded 14 and a former world number one and winner of the Australian Open in 2008, was not on best form at all against Maria Kirilenko, who worked hard to win 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4.

It seems that Sharapova's decision to only play exhibitions in Thailand and Hong Kong as a warm-up to the opening Grand Slam of the year came back to haunt her. Last year she was unable to defend her 2008 title due to a shoulder injury which she hadn't fully recovered from and she was out of action until May last year. 

Safina, number two seed,  performed well in her match agaianst Slovakia's 47th-ranked Magdalena Rybarikova, winning 6-4, 6-4. Safina had battled with back problems at the end of last year but she said this was no longer causing her any trouble and she was hyped up and ready to go this season.

Lance Armstrong's form impressed in yesterday's Tour Down Under's Cancer Council Classic in Adelaide.

The one-off race which traditionally comes before the Tour and includes all the cyclists in the field, attracted a crowd of more than 100,000 spectators. 

An exciting highlight was when Armstrong and fellow Tour de France winner Oscar Pereiro (Astana) of Spain formed an attack group with Slovakian Peter Sagan (Liquigas) and French pair Mathieu Perget (Caisse d'Epargne) and Mikael Cherel (Francaise des Jeux) about halfway through the one hour race. 

New Zealander Greg Henderson won the sprint overall for new cycling super team Sky, Australian team-mate Chris Sutton was second and Tour Down Under 2008  inner Andre Greipel of Germany (HTC-Columbia) third. Armstrong came in 62nd and Pereiro 99th.  

Elena Dementieva has thrashed Serena Williams in the Sydney International finals last night 6-3 6-2.

The Russian player ranked No 5 in the world, retained last year's winning title  - becoming the first woman to do so since Martina Hingis in 2001-02.

Williams struggled with a few injuries. She suffered a minor knee injury, then her left ankle was strapped during the game, and her right hamstring was heavily iced after the match. She insisted she will be fine for the Open in Melbourne which starts on Monday, saying she feels ready and fit.

Dementieva has been rated the best player in the world for a long time without winning a major. She has made it into the semi finals four times out of the last six slams and this could well be her time now at the Open. She said after last night's victory that the win had given her confidence and she now has to recover from this event to be ready for next week from round 1.

The official draw for the Australian Open 2010 was held at Melbourne Park yesterday, aided by legendary tennis player of the 1980's - John McEnroe, and Serbian star Ana Ivanovic.

Round 1 games were drawn as follows; 

MENS

Rafael Nadal (defending men's champion) v Peter Luczak from Australia.

Roger Federer v Igor Andreev from Russia.

Fernando Verdasco from Spain v Australian Carsten Ball.

Andy Murray for UK v a qualifier.

Richard Gasquet from France v Russian Mikhail Youzhny

Australian Bernard Tomic v a qualifier.

WOMENS

Justine Henin from Belgium v compatriot Kirsten Flipkens

Serena Williams v Urszula Radwanska

Sam Stosur v a qualifier

Ana Ivanovic v a qualifier

Maria Sharapova v Maria Kirilenko

Jelena Dokic v Alisa Kleybanova from Russia.

Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark v Canada’s Alexsandra Wozniak, which should make for some interesting commentary given how similar their surnames are! 

Second seed Shahar Peer of Israel thrashed Italian Sara Errani in the Hobart International semi-finals today with an amazing score 6-2 6-0.

Peer played an impressive attacking game, on top of having played a tough three-set quarter-final against Carla Suarez Navarro which finished late last night, yet she still managed to come out onto the court with fire and determination.

She said she hadn't had much sleep last night, but knew that today was going to be a great test of character which she certainly stepped up to.

She will now play the winner of the other semi final tonight, which is top seed Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain v fourth seed Alona Bondarenko of the Ukraine.

Jelena Dokic and Alicia Molik for Australia, lost their first doubles match yesterday in Hobart, as several players voiced their concerns over the extreme winds which hampered play at the international.

Dokic and Molik lost 7-6 6-7 (10-2) to Yung-Jan Chan of Taipei and Monica Niculescu of Romania.

Quarter-finalist and eighth seeded Gisela Dulko for Argentina, said it was practically impossible to play in such windy conditions and didn't think she had played in worse conditions in her whole career. She added that there should be a policy in place for tournament officials to call off play in extreme weather conditions. She did however, manage to win her match against Austrian Tamira Paszek, 6-1 0-6 7-6.

Conditions were so bad yesterday that points were interrupted a number of times as objects blew across the court, scoreboards had to be weighed down and there were even people holding onto poles supporting a hospitality tent which threatened to take off in winds above 70km/hr.

On Monday, it was extreme heat which was causing issues. With temperatures soaring above 35 degrees players suffered, but tournament officials said there was no policy to stop play, just one that allowed for a 10-minute break between the second and third sets.

Jockey Damien Oliver will not be taking to the saddle at Melbourne's Sandown racetrack today or at the Moonee Valley meeting on Friday night as it is believed his mother - Pat Rudland - was involved in a serious car crash yesterday which claimed 2 lives. He is heading back to Western Australia to be by her side. 

Four people in 2 cars were involved in the accident on the Forrest Highway south of Perth. Sadly a 78-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman from Busselton were critically injured and died at the scene.

It is not clear at this stage if Mrs Rudland has been injured. Given the champion jockey's family history of tragic accidents, everyone will be hoping for the very best outcome for Oliver's mother.

Cyril Despres and Carlos Sainz continue to hold onto their respective overall leads in the Dakar Rally as the eigth leg drew to a close yesterday.

There was something for local supporters to celebrate as Chilean motorcyclist Francisco Lopez rode his way to victory, winning his second stage in the eighth leg of the arduous race.

His win takes him to third place overall.

Frenchman Despres encountered problems during this stage, but was lucky enough to be bailed out of trouble by one of his team-mates who turned up as he discovered that his wheels had split in two with a considerable way still to go. They swapped rims and he went on to finish successfully.

Spanish Sainz, the previous world champion twice over, also had some hairy moments. He suffered 2 punctures, and found himself with no spare tyre and 180km still to go.

All drivers must be relieved as the toughest stages of this most challenging race are now over.

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Australia's Geoff Ogilvy has won the SBS Championship at Kapalua, Maui yesterday, netting a very tidy $1.2 million for his efforts.

His triumph now makes 5 Aussie wins in 7 years at the opening event of the US PGA Tour.  

Overall, Ogilvy achieved 46-under over the past eight rounds.  

He was very excited to get the birdies he'd needed to thwart Sabbatini's score and happy to know that his win had ensured his return to Kapalua.

Michael Hurley is the latest in an increasing line of AFL players to receive a club suspension after an incident off the field. 

The Essondon Bombers have given Hurley a pre-season suspension which means he will miss the NAB Cup and Challenge, and will not be back in the senior side until round one of the regular season.

This action is apparently just part of a 'broader response' to the assault charges which have been laid against him. The remainder of sanctions to be imposed on him will be announced by Essendon soon.

Hurley is to return to court on 5 March regarding five assault charges involving an incident with a Melbourne taxi driver in September last year. 

Other players facing suspensions are; Mathew Strokes of the Geelong Cats for charges of possessing and trafficking cocaine, Carlton's Eddie Betts, Andrew Walker and Ryan Houlihan for their drunken and disorderly behaviour in their pre-Christmas 'booze cruise' and Richmond draftee Troy Taylor for an alleged assault in Alice Springs on New Year's Eve.

Two year old filly Military Rose has fulfilled her trainer's dreams by romping home to win the Magic Millions Classic on the Gold Coast yesterday.

Racehorse trainer Gillian Heinrich had voiced her hopes of a win earlier in the week, saying it would be ideal to win there as she is a local girl herself. She has never won a Group One in her 20 year career but the Magic Millions was the one race she had always wanted to win. She was certain her filly was ready and capable for this event, as she had been performing so well of late.

Jockey Stathi Katsidis was over the moon at winning on board Military Rose, saying he had ridden 87 winners this season, but this was one of the best.  

Military Rose will now be rested before preparation begins for the Golden Slipper in April. 

Al-Attiyah for Volkwagen has won the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally in 5 hours, 41 minutes, 29 seconds. It was the toughest stage of the race, starting at Iquique and finishing at Antofagasta in northern Chile. The terrain through the Atacama Desert is merciless, a 600 km endurance across sand, stones and salt.

However his teammate Carlos Sainz and motorcyclist Cyril Despres continue to lead the rally overall in their respective categories.

Sainz, the world rally champion twice over hailing from from Spain, came in third on this stage.

Al-Attiyah's win yesterday takes him into second place overall.

Cyril Despres is on commanding form, winning the stage on his KTM motorbike in 6 hours, 34 minutes and 14 seconds, despite losing his shock absorbers on hitting a ditch with 150km left to go. From then on he said it was incredibly hard on him, as his body took the shocks from the unforgiving terrain, but he said his bike appears not to have suffered too much other than that.

Italian motorcyclist Luca Manca was taken to intensive care on Thursday in the Mutual de Seguirdad Hospital after sustaining  life-threatening head injuries. He will be kept in an induced coma for at least 5 days to try to control swelling to his brain - a shocking reminder of just how dangerous this sport can be.  

In a stark contrast to Australia's summer heatwave, Britain's coldest spell in 30 years wreaks havoc as it causes more than half of the weekend's Premier League games to be cancelled.

Concerns about safety around stadiums all over the UK has put paid paid to four of Saturday's seven matches; Chelsea v Hull, Fulham v Portsmouth, Burnley v Stoke and Sunderland v Bolton.

Also Sunday's game in London - Liverpool v Tottenham - has been cancelled. 

Apparently fields are playable but the major issue is with saftey of supporters getting to and from matches.

Arsene Wenger, Arsenal's manager couldn't hide his disdain saying "It is the price we pay for living in a society where everybody wants 100 per cent security. Nobody accepts any risk any more and everybody is always guided by fear."

He is still hoping his team's match against Everton will go ahead at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. 

Venus Williams has denied she is considering retirement as she gears up to play in the Australian Open which starts 18 January. She reckons she still has a lot to give and so long as she's playing well, she will remain in the game.

She had a hard time last year, first losing her Wimbledon title to sister Serena and then had a disastrous time at  the Beijing Open in October, but she was in good form yesterday in the Hong Kong tournament winning her match against against Zheng Jie, 6-3 6-2.

Meanwhile sister Serena arrives in Sydney today in plenty of time ahead of the Australian Open in 9 days time. She is back at the top of the tree, ranked No 1 in the world for the fifth time in her career on 2 November last year. She has won a total of 23 Grand Slam titles during her impressive career. As the reigning champion in both singles and women's doubles at the Australian Open, not to mention Wimbledon and also the doubles at the US Open, she will certainly be the one to watch again this year.  

South Australia's Lleyton Hewitt was hampered by pain in his lower back yesterday as he played his first set in the Hopman Cup in Perth. His career was seriously threatened by hip injury in 2008.

Hewitt was seen to clutch at his back and hip throughout the set and served 5 double faults in his opening 2 service games then called for a medical time out in order to get a quick rubdown treatment, after which he seemed to be able to move more easily.  

However he lost 6-2, 6-4 to Spain's Tommy Robredo. Afterwards he explained he had simply felt a bit of a spasm during the first game of the singles which was frustrating for him, but it did ease up as the game continued.

Spain will now be hoping to win their third Hopman Cup title.

Chris Cairns, one of New Zealand's finest cricket all rounders, is suing one of the most powerful figures in cricket, Lalit Modi, over his comments claiming Cairns was a match fixer.

Modi is the IPL's commissioner and has rejected an application by Cairns to take part in the auction for this year's tournament due to his dismissal from the rival Indian Cricket League in 2008.

Cairns maintains he was dismissed as he had not declared a foot injury which prevented him from bowling in the tournament. He is said to be outraged by the allegations of match fixing and seriously concerned by the repurcussions to his career by such claims. He has now taken legal advice to refute the slurs by suing Modi and clear his name. 

Cairns career to date saw him play 62 Tests, 215 one-dayers and two Twenty20s for New Zealand. He scored a total 3320 Test runs and captured 218 Test wickets.

Australia's Geoff Ogilvy, ranked 14 in the world, reckons it could be his time to take over as the world number one of golf, as Tiger Woods' absence continues indefinitely. He also believes a number of other golfers will be thinking it could be their year too. Even if Woods returns, the likelihood of him completing a full schedule is questionable. 

It is certainly the first time in years that the title has been so up for contention and will make for an extremely interesting season.

Ogilvy is currently preparing for his title defence at this week's SBS Championship on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Racehorse trainer Gillian Heinrich is hoping to take a Magic Millions Classic on the Gold Coast tomorrow with her filly Military Rose who was sired by a former Magic Millions winner - General Nediym, who won the race back in 1997. Interestingly General Nediym has already sired a winner of this race - Regimental Gal - who won in 2003.

The trainer's hopes have been further raised with Military Rose drawing barrier four tomorrow. She said she would really like to win Gold Coast's biggest race as she is a Gold Coast girl herself. She added that she couldn't be happier with the filly's form and work recently.  

World boxing champion Amir Khan has vowed to help bring international sports back to Pakistan. He is currently back in his grandparent's homeland, visiting Karachi as a guest for the 20-nation Benazir Bhutto International Boxing Championship.

It is the first major international sporting event in Pakistan since a militant attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team in March 2009 left eight people dead and injured seven players and a coach.

He said he is happy to be back in the country of his forefathers and hopes that when people see him touring the country, they will begin to realise that it is a safe place to play. He is appealing for English cricketers to return to the country to tour and as he knows many players personally, he will be trying to convince them to return, starting with his cousin, England player Sajid Mahmood.

He added that the world must support Pakistan, otherwise the great sporting talent there would go to waste.

England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa all refused to tour Pakistan last year due to major fears over security. The ICC also stopped Pakistan's World Cup 2011 matches after the attack on the Sri Lankan team.

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David Beckham's 2nd stint for AC Milan is paying great dividends both for the team and the player's credibility. Milan beat Genoa 5-2 in the Serie A game last night. He has been praised by Milan's coach for always being willing to help the team in every which way he can.

Ex England Captain and current midfielder for Los Angeles, Beckham is on loan to Milan for a second five-month  spell as he tries to secure a place on England's team for the World Cup - at 34 years of age this is most likely his last chance to play in a World Cup.   

Injuries to Alexandre Pato and Clarence Seedorf  meant that Milan had to start Beckham further forward than usual in last night's match, but their coach said he had been tried in every position during training and said the player possessed an 'extraordinary quality and tactical intelligence."

Milan's chief exec Adriano Galliano was also full of praise for Becks, saying he is "a superb player and a superb person."

No action is to be taken against England after some contention over the condition of the ball during third day of the Third Test - England v South Africa.

TV footage showed England bowler Stuart Broad stopping the ball with his foot, apparently damaging the leather, and it was also possible that seamer Jimmy Anderson picked at the ball's seam with his thumbnail.

Although the issue involving the bowler was raised with the match ref, no official complaint was made by South Africa and with play on day four having resumed, the deadline passed.

But South Africa's AB de Villiers accused Broad "being a little bit naughty" and said he believed an official complaint should have been made. However the ICC stated that umpires scrutinised the tv footage and decided not to charge any of the players for breach of laws pertaining to the ball.

Australia's Hopman Cup title hopes have been dashed as Sam Stosur lost her opening set against Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez this afternoon.

Stosur, seeded no 13 in the world, needed to beat Spain 3-0 and not lose a set in order to top group A and so qualify for Saturday's final.

But Australia's prime hope for winning the title sadly failed, and Martinez Sanchez got the vital break in the seventh game on the way to claiming the set.

It's a battle til the last for handicap honours in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race as one of the 2 yachts in contention had the breeze fail when on the home run, and another is having a protest lodged against it.

Zephyr Hamilton Elevators, the smallest vessel in the race at 33 feet, was leading the way and was expected to cross the line at Hobart about midnight on Wednesday.

She needed to get in by 1.31am AEDT today to take the Tattersalls Cup but then the breeze died, along with the crew's hopes.

This left Two True to come in as provisional overall winner. But a protest lodged against her by She's The Culprit for a collison early in the race which forced She's The Culprit out of the race could result in disqualification. If this happens, then Wicked will be the overall winner.

Two True will argue the case as another yacht caused her actions. So it's a messy old tangle to determine the winner of the handicap and the outcome will be decided by a panel of 5 international sailing jurors at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania tomorrow morning at 10am.

There are still 37 yachts to come in and finish the race today. 

West Indies skipper Chris Gayle underwent scans yesterday after receiving a painful injury to his left side while playing at the WACA grounds against South Australia in the Twenty20 on Tuesday night.

Thankfully there was no serious damage and he will most likely just miss one match this Friday against Tasmania. Medical staff believe he will be fit enough for WA's home match against NSW on January 5.  

Warrior's Coach Tom Moody said they would be working in consultation with the medical team to make sure Gayle was recovered, and ready and fit enough for the game.

WA squad: Adam Voges (capt), David Bandy, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Theo Doropoulos, Aaron Heal, Michael Hogan, Brad Knowles, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Ashley Noffke, Luke Pomersbach, Drew Porter, Luke Ronchi (one to be omitted, 12th man to be named).

The race is on for the coveted handicap honours in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race with 5 yachts all in with a chance.

Two True, Wicked, Patrice Six and Next are all vying for claiming the handicap victory from current leader Ran.

South Australia's Two True is within sight of the finish line and needs to be in Constitution Dock before 3.26pm (AEDT) to win on handicap. It is is due in at 1.15pm.

Wicked is also in with a chance, approximately 17 nautical miles from the finish.

The Victorian yacht needs to be in by 3.10pm and is due at 1.42 pm.

Australia have beaten Pakistan by 170 runs in the first Test at the MCG today.

They set Pakistan 422 runs to win and set up their early finish in the first session of the day with five wickets,  including two by Mitchell Johnson in successive balls in the first over.

Hauritz's return was his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket and came after he scored a Test-best 75 as a nightwatchman in Australia's first innings.

More details of Elin's attack on her errant husband are leaking out as Furman Bisher, allegedley America's top golf writer, has claimed that Nordegren attacked Woods after catching him texting his mistress Rachel Uchitel.

His wife is alleged to have hit him on the right side of his face with a 9 iron and caused such damage that he underwent surgery to a broken cheekbone and had to have 2 teeth fixed.   

After the blow to his face, Woods ran out of the house barefoot as Elin swiped the golf club around in the hallway through to the garage. She then apparently chased him as he tried to drive off and knocked the windows out of the car with the iron.  

Other reports claim Woods was spotted holding hands with Uchitel at a Florida party on Sunday night and unnamed sources have even told US Show Entertainment Tonight that the pair are living together.

Formula One's boss Bernie Ecclestone reckons German Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel could be the next world champion, above Michael Schumaker.

Vettel finished second last season with four wins.

Schuie's younger brother Ralf has revealed he's also thinking about making a comeback, as his passion for F1 is still so strong. He said he would only consider returning to drive for a competitve stable.  

New Zealand maxi Alfa Romeo has sailed into Hobart in first place late last night, taking two days, nine hours, two minutes and ten seconds to make the 630 nautical mile journey. And incredibly it is her 146th consecutive win at sea. 

Her victory on this occasion marks the end of a four consecutive wins of the Sydney to Hobart for Wild Oats XI, who this year was reckoned to finish less than 2 hours behind the mighty Alfa. Both boats share almost identical constructions. Alfa's skipper Neville Crichton reckoned having the best crew in the world was what made the winning difference, and said it was hard work winning the ultimate yacht race. He added it was nice to beat Wild Oats XI who had beaten them in the event back in 2005.

Wild Oats skipper Mark Richards said it had been a dignified defeat and not the thrashing that was shaping on Sunday.

ICAP Leopard will take third place after second place was lost when they decided to change course on Monday to try and find a breeze.

Fourth-placed Investec Loyal, a yacht crewed partly by sporting stars including boxer Danny Green and Wallaby Phil Waugh, was more than 70 nautical miles off the pace, followed closely by Ran, Ichi Ban, Lahana, and Yuuzoo.

It is looking likely that some yachts will just make it to shore a few hours ahead of the New Year, with the possibility that one may well come in after midnight. Let's hope they have plenty of rations to keep them going! 

Shane Watson has finally managed to get his maiden Test century before Australia set Pakistan 422 to win the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

It was a painful process with a string of near misses, but Watson finally achieved his lifelong dream with 120 not out in his side's second-innings total of 8-225 before Ricky Ponting declared for a second time this first Test.

Having gone to the break on 98 he came back after lunch to face a hyped up Mohammed Aamer, but it was down to Pakistan's poor fielding that he managed to get his century. In total, he had faced 186 balls to get there and is now the first Aussie cricketer this summer to hit triple figures.

New Zealand maxi Alfa Romeo is leading the fleet down Tasmania's east coast in the Sydney to Hobart. She is challenging for race line honours and handicap double.  

Her captain Neville Crichton extended their lead overnight to 27 nautical miles. Another maxi - ICAP Leopard, is currently 2nd and Wild Oats XI in 3rd place. But a wind lull means Alfa Romeo has slowed down and her competitors are closing the gap. Her navigator said their aim is to be the first boat out, cross at the narrowest point and hope to make big gains on the way out.

The yacht is expected to finish the race late tonight.

Most of the remaining boats have only just started to make their way into the Bass Strait and the battle is now on for 4th place as there are 5 yachts all within sight of each other. Investec Loyal is currently in the lead here -  a yacht crewed partly by sporting stars including boxer Danny Green and Wallaby Phil Waugh.

Progress is so unexpectedly slow in the Sydney to Hobart, that some of the back markers are most likely facing a New Year's Eve at sea. Reports are that food and drink are being rationed as most have only catered to feed crews for 2 days.

Early handicap honours challenger Yendys' navigator told the media they had started to ration supplies, and that trimmers could no longer use fresh water for the winches.  

Many of the racing crews get by on freeze dried food, nuts and chocolate bars. The boredom must be setting in though.

Loki's navigator said that the further the fleet pushes into Bass Strait the lighter the breeze gets, and it virtually disappears in the middle of the straight.

Etihad Stadium - a super-maxi competing in the Sydney to Hobart on Boxing Day - is fighting the clock whilst making repairs to its mast.

This is just the latest hold up to befall the team. The mast incident occurred when the original was destroyed on its delivery voyage from Melbourne earlier this month.

A new mast was flown in from France but had to be cut into 2 pieces and yesterday the team was attempting to 'cook' the glued section in a giant oven in order to join the 2 pieces together again. However they encountered problems with getting the temperature to reach 100 degrees, managing only 85 which worked, but meant it took longer to 'cook', and so delayed the team further.   

A planned attempt to fit the new mast was also delayed last night, and was carried out early this morning.

Etihad Stadium was expected to make its first sail this afternoon.

Michael Schumacher has now signed a one-year deal to return to Formula One racing next year, driving for Mercedes GP for the 2010 season. He apparently signed the contract yesterday in the UK and so will be coming out of retirement after 3 1/2 years.   

Ferrari must be upset as he was due to replace their injured driver Felipe Massa last season, but he himself suffered a neck injury and so was unable to make his comeback then.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said it was him that rekindled his desire to race after Massa was injured in Hungary and he suggested that Schumaker replace him.

The seven time world champion will take his place on the grid when the new season starts in Bahrain on 14 March.

New Zealand are set to play Mexico in Los Angeles on March 3, in 1 of 6 warm up games ahead of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Facing teh legendary Mexico will make a good test of New Zealand's skills. They have qualified for the World Cup 14 times and will be playing the opening match against South Africa on June 11. Mexico are in Group A with Uruguay and France.

The All Whites are in Group F with Slovakia, Paraguay and world champions Italy.

New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert is confident of getting his top players in from Australasia, Britain, and the United States together for the Mexico match.

New Zealand Football hope to assure a World Cup base camp very shortly for the All Whites at a resort outside Johannesburg.

Plans are also being finalised for the rest of the All Whites build up program with more games to be announced in the New Year.

Lionel Messi - striker for Barcelona and Argentina - was yesterday named as the world's top football player of the year by FIFA.

He takes the crown from Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo. Barcelona have won 6 trophies including the Champions League title and the Club World Cup trophy last week. Messi was of course instrumental to their successes. His goal against Manchester United in last season's final was his ninth of the 2009 Champions League campaign and he was the competition's top scorer.

He also scored Barcelona's winning second goal in the Club World Cup final.

Rome is set to be Formula One's second home in Italy after F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone signed a deal to hold a street race in the Italian capital, race organisers announced yesterday.

However, there's no date yet and the 2010 calendar is already full.

Apparently city authorities have been making plans for the race for over a year and intention is to make it a street race along the lines of the ones held in Monaco and Valencia.

The F1 in Monza would still take place, with Rome becoming a second annual event in the F1 calendar.

8 of the world's top 10 surfers will be heading to next year's biggest ever surfing event for Western Australia - the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro. World surfing champions Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore will headline the competition, while homegrown talent Taj Burrow, winner of the Hawaiian Pipeline Masters will also take part.  Competitive surfers from all over the globe will descend on the Margaret River next year for the event which takes place between March 15 to 21.

Surfing WA vice president Errol Considine was very happy they had attracted the biggest names in the sport, and added it would be more than just a surfing event, as there will be six days of music, arts, fashion and food. He was also hoping that talk of top American surfer Kelly Slater is to attend the event, would prove true.

A live national broadcast of the finals will be televised on cable tv and a programme of highlights will be going out to international networks. 

The third Test is seeing too much feisty behaviour on the pitch with Australian allround cricketer Shane Watson becoming the fourth player to be disciplined for unacceptable behaviour after he screamed crazily and aggressively toward the Windies captain Chris Gayle, in celebration of taking his wicket. 

According to the game's code of conduct, bowlers must not seek to humiliate a batsman after his dismissal.

Umpires Ian Gould and Billy Bowden charged Watson with bringing the game into disrepute under clause 1.8 of the code. It is the very same offence brought against West Indies spinner Sulieman Benn and Australians Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson during the same Test.

Watson pleaded guilty and was fined 15 per cent of his match fee by Broad.

Talk of Michael Schumacher returning to Formula One next year continues as Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo said Schumacher had spoken to him on the phone on Wednesday and told him there is a 'very strong possibility' of racing for Mercedes.

The seven-time world champion is waiting for the all clear after sustaining injuries to his neck in a motorbike accident earlier this year, which resulted in him pulling out of his planned comeback with Ferrari, as a replacement for Felipe Massa who had been injured and was unable to drive.

Apparently the deal between Mercedes-Benz and Schu has been agreed in principal and Di Montezemolo confirmed that Ferrari had agreed to release 41-year-old Schumacher from any remaining commitments he had to the Italian team if the deal comes off.

The Windies yesterday made a stunning comeback against Australia at the WACA in Perth. Memories of last year's shock loss to South Africa came back to haunt the Aussies with an outstanding display of bowling skills by the West Indies.

Ricky Ponting was helpless in his attempt to save the day when Kemar Roach took him out with just 3 balls.

Ponting had held back from batting in an attempt to rest the elbow injured by Roach in the first innings but was forced to pad up as wickets fell steadily. Ponting was not a happy man and was seen to angrily throw his bat into the dressing room on his return.

Australia were hammered at 8-137 at stumps but are still confident they can keep their lead overall.

West Indian spin bowler Sulieman Benn has been suspended from two one-day internationals against Australia in February after his heated behaviour on the field at the WACA yesterday. He had pleaded not guilty but the match ref disagreed and he was found guilty at the hearing following play. He will now miss the opening two ODIs in Melbourne and Adelaide on 7 and 9 respectively. 

The referee said it was an unnecessary incident which was not in the spirit of the game and it was completely unacceptable to have to watch players pointing bats and pushing at each other.

Australian cricketers caught up in the incident - Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson - pleaded guilty and have been fined a percentage of their match fees for their behaviour during the angry dispute.  

American boxing legend Roy Jones Jnr has accused Australia's Danny Green of cheating during the first round knockout at Acer Arena in Sydney 2 weeks ago.

In an interview with fight website Boxingtalk, Jones questioned that Green was allowed and to wrap gauze around his hands 2 hours prior to the fight and the type of gauze he used. He also claimed that Green's side had tried to give him "used" gloves in the bout.

In a separate interview with the website,  Green said that Jones was a future hall of fame resident who he had a lot of admiration and respect for.

Sprinter racehorse Apache Cat has been retired after fracturing a bone in his foreleg in a race in Hong Kong last Sunday.

His owners have decided not to put him through an operation due to his age (7), and are said to just be happy that he will be returning home on 29 December.  It was the first injury in his racing career - during which time he won 19 races and was placed on another 11 occasions from 43 starts for just under $4.6 million in prizemoney.

He managed eight Group One victories, four Group Two races, four Group Threes and two Listed races.

Most recently he won the Group Two AJ Moir Stakes three starts back on Cox Plate day at Moonee Valley. His trainer Greg Eurell described it as one of the magical moments in the horse's career.

He said Apache Cat had done a terrific job and they were very proud of his achievements, adding that the racehorse deserved a break. He said the horse would be retired to Living Legends just outside Melbourne joining other champions including Might And Power and Fields Of Omagh.

Finally some good news for Tiger Woods as US sports editors yesterday named him Athlete of the Decade. He received 56 out of 142 votes, despite the very unappealing events which have surfaced recently, the votes took into account his career and achievements over the last 10 years.

Woods has won 64 times around the world, including 12 majors. He has changed the face of golf significantly. His influence has been so powerful that TV ratings soared whenever he played and prize money has increased by 4 times what it was since he joined the PGA Tour because of the phenomenal interest he generates.

Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor who won the Tour de France six times this decade, finished second with 33 votes. Roger Federer who won more Grand Slam singles titles than any other male, came third with 25 votes.

Cricket Australia (CA) is planning to expand its 20-over competition to 8 franchises with more games and international stars taking part. The 8 sides would be spread around the country and promoted differently to the 6 state sides. 

Each state would have a city-based team, plus 2 new sides which could come from growing areas such as western Sydney and the Gold Coast.

Greg Chappell one of Australia's most revered cricketers, is all in favour of revamping domestic Twenty20 league and believes it will help develop more cricketers to elite status.

He said the expansion would bring Australia into line with other countries which have embraced the Twenty20 boom, such as India and England.

The major concern over the expansion is how it might affect the current Sheffield Shield and one-day competitions, which could be shortened to allow for more Twenty20 games.

Chappell doesn't want the shield season to be decreased as it is where the Australian Test teams are developed.

He said that players need to be involved in this in order to fully understand all elements of the game, incuding decision making and stamina.

Newcastle Knights player Danny Wicks has today been arrested and charged with possessing and supplying illegal drugs.   

The prop and second rower for Newcastle NRL was one of four people arrested in a joint operation targeting a supply of amphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy in the Clarence Valley on the NSW north coast.

He has been refused bail and is due to appear before Newcastle Local Court later today.

The Newcastle Knights have stood Wicks down indefinitely as a result of the charges.

Steve Burraston, the Knights Chief Exec, has stated the suspension takes effect immediately. It seems very unlikley that Wicks will play for his club again until the courts have decided on his case, which could take more than a year.

Burraston deemed the club's prompt actions as highly necessary to protect the reputation of the club and its sponsors.

Virgin Racing officially unveiled its new team and drivers in London yesterday and Richard Branson was present to show off his latest baby.

Virgin is sponsoring the Manor team and their slogan ''A new team for a new era'' certainly reflects their ethos. The team will be the lowest budget team in Formula One at just over $A71 million, and Branson stated it is determined to prove itself through exceptional engineering skills, great drivers and a good relationship with the public.   

Timo Glock had already been announced  as joining the team, and yesterday it was revealed he would be joined by Di Grassi who will making his debut in F1 driving. Test drivers are Alvaro Parente and Luiz Razia. 

Lloyds Banking Group in Britain has bought a stake in the new Manor GP Formula One team.

Formula One's governing body put a budget cap in place at the end of last year after Honda's exit from the sport and it was this cap and the new rules which were introduced, which instigated Lloyds TSB Development Capital to invest in the team.

Leading F1 teams had threatened to form a breakaway series this year over the issue of a budget cap.

LCD are confident that Manor Grand Prix - who will compete as Virgin Racing - is a good investment, given its track record and commercial and racing expertise. The Financial Times newspaper reported that the stake is worth about $A18 million.

The F1 season starts in March in Bahrain. There will be 4 other new teams next year;  USF1, Campos, Sauber and Lotus.

Frank Farina, former A-League coach for Brisbane Roar is suing the club for more than $325,000 plus compensation for the loss of all potential future income.

He alleges that his contract was terminated in such a manner that his reputation as a football coach was significantly damaged. Farina had previously pleaded guilty to driving with a blood alcohol limit of 0.120 on October 2nd this year, and was consequently fined $500.

His contract had stated  that Queensland Roar FC would not act in a manner which would harm his reputation as a foootball coach and yet he alleges that several members of the Roar's board made comments to a number of media channels which resulted in exactly that. Also, he had only learned of his sacking via a media conference with the club's chairman on October 14.

No date has been set for a court hearing.

Fast bowler Rob Cassell returns to the Victorian Bushrangers on Tuesday to play against South Australia at the MCG after an absence of 7 seasons.

The team's shortage of pacemen either through injury or national duty meant there was a position available for Cassell. He had previously suffered years of pain due to stress fractures in his back but is now keen to take his second chance.

He has managed to modify his bowling action to side-on to lift the stress in his back, and so is stronger and edgier and said he feels like he's making his debut all over again and is nervous and excited about playing once more.

The match is scheduled to start at 2.15pm (AEDT).

The Hong Kong Vase was won by French filly Daryakana as she stormed home to win the first of four Group One races on International Day at Sha Tin.

Daryakana put in an impressive performance, it was only her fifth start and she came from near last on the turn and managed to forge ahead, keeping her unbeaten record in place.

The filly is owned by the Aga Khan and trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre.  Daryakana beat English entrant Spanish Moon and Kasbah Bliss, third.

European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie reckons Tiger Woods has lost his "mystique" and thinks that his indefinite break from golf could be beneficial to his own attempts to win a major.  

Montgomerie was somewhat concerned that Woods's  loss of face now may reflect poorly on the world of golf, but the upside was that there would now be some opportunities for other golfers to win some events - Woods has dominated the sport since 1996 winning 14 major tournaments and 70 PGA Tour events.

Racing NSW and the NSW Harness Racing Club are in negotiations over trialling Friday night thoroughbred racing in Sydney, moving it from its traditional Thursday night slot. The first race could take place in Canterbury next month.  

The move would bring NSW into line with Victoria and is expected to increase revenues generated and awareness.

Friday night has always been about harness racing in Sydney, but it is thought that when the lights at Menangle Park come into effect on 29 January, that the trots would move to Saturday nights from then on.

With over 80 entries in total, Victoria has the most entries with 29 horses nominated from there, while NSW has 27. New Zealand has 12 horses, Queensland 7 and Western Australia 6 entries.

There are no nominators from South Australia or Tasmania. The first rankings for the Watpac Inter Dominion will be released next Wednesday 15 December.

The $1million Grand Final will take place at Menangle Park, NSW on March 7.

The future of slow-bowling in Australia was discussed in a strategy meeting held yesterday with Centre of Excellence Chief Exec Belinda Clark, and the country's top spin bowlers including Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill, Ashley Mallett, Terry Jenner and head COE coach Greg Chappel.

One of the many suggestions made was to create an Australian Idol-type series where young spin hopefuls  audition before the camera and are then judged by former slow-bowling stars.

Clark, who is preparing a paper on the future of spin bowling in Australia, was quick to explain it was merely an idea raised amongst many others and is not central to their strategy, nor has she included it in her recommendations.

It has captured the imagination of certain figures in the media however who reckon it could work, but Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young was last night worried the suggestion would create the wrong impression about Australia's spin-bowling plans and stated that CA was fully confident in its development programs and did not want to create the impression it would be using reality tv to find the next Shane Warne.

Since Warne retired there is no obvious replacement and Australia are in desperate need of a spin-bowling role model

Major concerns over what happens to other sporting codes if Australia wins the hosting of the World Cup in 2018 continue with many club bosses voicing their worried views.

The AFL and NRL were united yesterday as they demanded compensation for reduced revenue in gate takings, membership, corporate sponsors, food and beverage, merchandise, signage and jumper sponsors for the 9 week duration.

South Sydney chief Shane Richardson called on Football Federation Australia to compensate NRL clubs up to $100 million if the rugby league season is suspended for nine weeks for the World Cup.

Newcastle boss Steve Burraston said that halting the NRL season during this time would send his club broke.

State of Origin would also be disrupted, with its $25 million annual turnover put into great risk.

One FFA proposal has the NRL stopped for nine weeks, another suggests the NRL continue but have seven clubs - North Queensland, Brisbane, Newcastle, Canberra, Sydney Roosters, Bulldogs and Souths - moved from their home grounds.

Knights chief executive Steve Burraston said his club would all but sink if the NRL season was stopped over two years as it would be incredibly difficult to retain members as they would become disengaged from their clubs right in the middle of the competition and at State of Origin time.

FIFA will announce the 2018 World Cup hosts next December.

Penrith chief executive Michael Leary thinks the way round it is to play their games at suburban grounds where the World Cup won't be played.

NRL chief executive David Gallop and chief operating officer Graham Annesley were meeting with FFA CEO Ben Buckley today at NRL headquarters where it's believed the issue of compensation will be discussed.

Jason Taylor ex South Sydney coach who was sacked in September, has taken on an unpaid post with the NRL as the Sydney Roosters' kicking coach.

Taylor's contract was abruptly ended by the Rabbitohs following the now infamous incident at Forresters Hotel when he and Rabbitohs forward David Fa'alogo engaged in some karate-inspired "horseplay'' after an eight-hour drinking session, which ended with the Kiwi international knocking him out.  He has offered his services to the Roosters free of charge.

Roosters CEO Steve Noyce and new mentor Brian Smith, both know Taylor from his playing days at Western Suburbs and Parramatta. Noyce said they didn't have a problem with the karate incident and said he'd been a great ambassador for rugby league.

Taylor remains the third-highest point-scorer of all time in top flight Australian rugby league, largely down to his ball kicking skills.

A $150 million makeover has been proposed for Sydney's ANZ stadium in Australia's bid to host the FIFA World Cup, either in 2018 or 2022.  

The revamp would see a retractable and transparent roof fixed over the stadium, and a rectangular shape given to the venue, plus seating capacity would be increased by another 7,000, allowing a total of 90,000 spectators at the stadium. There could also be movable grandstand tiers at each end behind the goals, bringing fans closer to the action.  

It is thought these changes would also attract many national and international sporting events, including the FIFA World Cup.

Mark Benson ICC elite panel cricket umpire, has stated that he hasn't retired  from international umpiring, as it was reported when he pulled out of the second Test between Australia and the West Indies in Adelaide.

He explained he had withdrawn after the first day's play as he didn't think he was up to the task, and would be better for the game if he did so. But he was adamant about not having retired adding that he fully backed the referral system and the use of technology as it helps with decreasing apparent umpiring errors. He strongly denied there had been any disagreement in the umpire's room after the match in Adelaide

Benson will now undergo a series of medical tests for the purpose of the ICC and said they would then discuss his future as an ICC elite umpire.

The Tiger Woods's drama continues as emergency crews were yesterday called to his mansion. It transpires that his mother-in-law, Barbro Holmberg, 57, was suffering from stomach pains, for which she was treated before returning back to his house about 11 hours later.

She and her other daughter - Josefin Nordegren, Woods's wife's twin sister - were staying at his home, presumably to support his wife through this incredibly tough & upsetting time.

Sadly the number of women professing to have had relations with Tiger is still rising, and could be as many as 10, according to Fox News. Holly Sampson is the latest at No 7, a 36-year-old porn star from Los Angeles.

The prestigious golfing magazine, Golf Digest, is facing ridicule as an ill-timed cover story is featured in which Woods offers 10 tips to President Barack Obama.

"Woods is a good role model ... because he has always been able to pull himself together after setbacks," the cover story notes.

"Woods never does anything that would make himself look ridiculous."

Sponsors must also be getting very nervous. Nike's strapline 'Just Do It' is taking on a whole new meaning right now!

Doug Bollinger Australian paceman, has been officially reprimanded for dissent following his appearance before ICC match referee Chris Broad last night.

He had a moment of temper on the pitch when his emphatic lbw appeal was refused on day four of the second Test against the West Indies in Adelaide.

His reaction came when Windies batsman Brendan Nash, on seven, did not offer a shot to an in-dipping delivery and was struck on the pads. He approached Nash and then kicked at the turf in disgust when the umpire signalled him to to go back to his bowling mark by his captain Ricky Ponting.

Nash went on to make 24. Replays showed the delivery should have hit the stumps.

Bollinger soon backed down, realising what he was doing and pleaded guilty, so escaping a fine.

Australia needs 330 runs to win the second cricket Test at Adelaide Oval. However no team has scored more than 239 runs in a fourth innings in an Oval Test at Adelaide in over a century. 

The Windies ended up to be all out for 317, leaving Australia about 80 overs to chase the runs.

Australian quick Mitchell Johnson claimed five wickets for the innings and fellow paceman Doug Bollinger finished with 3-50.

The Windies resumed on 8-284 and Johnson (5-103) struck first on the last day by bowling Ravi Rampaul for 14.

The Australians lead one-nil in the three Test series. The final match takes place in Perth from December 16.

British Grand Prix has been saved at the 11th hour with the news that the iconic Silverstone will once again host the race, after rival UK racing venue Donington Park failed to come up with the funds and surpassed its deadline in October. The British Racing Drivers' Club, which owns the track at Silverstone, has struck a deal with billionaire sports entrepreneur and Formula One CEO - Bernie Ecclestone - to host the event for the next 17 years.  

Work there to upgrade the facilities can now get into full swing, and a new paddock and pit area will be completed by 2011. The new Arena circuit should be ready by April and, in the longer term, temporary grandstands should be replaced by more user-friendly permanent structures.

The saving of British Grand Prix comes with a steep price however. The initial cost for the privilege of staging the race is apparently in excess of $20m, with an annual ‘escalator’ of 5-7 per cent over the duration of the deal, which has a 10-year break clause.

The hosting fee will end up well in excess of £250million, which will be mostly generated through ticket sales and means the BRDC will need to increase its audience at the event. This year 320,000 specatators attended, making it the 2nd most attended sporting event in the UK after Wimbledon.

With world champions Button and Hamilton fighting it out next year, it doesn't sound like too much of a problem, but the long term future is uncertain, especially with the economy still struggling in the UK. Costs will also be offset by the sale of land at Silverstone, which has planning permission for offices and light industry.

Damon Hill ex F1 driver and now president of the BRDC, stressed the importance of keeping the F1 event in UK saying it acted as a dynamo for the entire motor sports industry there, and pointing out what had happened when France lost their event.

V8 driver Jamie Whincup has managed to win his second championship 2 years running finishing 5th in yesterday's opening race at the Telstra 500 event at Sydney's Olympic Park.

The TeamVodafone star driving for Ford, had only needed to finish higher than 28th in the 250km race of the 3.4km street circuit at Olympic Park, where the exciting new track has been specially built.

The race winner was Holden's Garth Tander and the race was certainly eventful, with 9 cars retiring before the end, and there were several major accidents.  

The Sydney 500 concludes today with an all-in qualifying session followed by another 250km race - the last of the 2010 V8 Supercar season.

The inaugural event has already been deemed a roaring success with over 100,000 spectators attending yesterday. Motor racing icon Dick Johnson was there and was full of praise for Sydney's newest sporting event, saying it was the one thing the biggest city in Australia had been lacking. He added that the concept and venue were fantastic and he was sure it would just grow and grow from now on.

V8 Supercars boss, Tony Cochrane has achieved an incredible feat getting this sport off the ground in Sydney and in such an entertaining manner - with the Rock and Race concept. He said he saw no reason why crowds wouldn't reach 250,000 spectators within 5 year's time.  

The sport is due to be televised in America from next year with North American sports channel - Channel Speed signing up for 3 years.

Tiger Woods's once squeaky clean public image continues to fall as more stories of his philandering come to the surface.

Reports abound that he kept his mistresses from telling all by lavishing them with gifts and even declarations of love. Photographs have also surfaced of his alleged lover Rachel Uchitel checking into his Melbourne hotel when he was in town for the Australian Masters last month. In the pictures, she is being assisted by his childhood friend Byron Bell, who heads up his golf course design firm.   

2 other women have also come forward claiming they had affairs with the golfing legend, and it sounds like there could be more about to spill the beans on his dalliances.

Apparently Woods is in negotiations with his wife Elin Nordegren, and is offering $5 million to stand by him and a further $80 million if they remain married until 2016.

Such are the down sides of being a huge celebrity, and with a previously untarnished image, the stories make these revelations all the more shocking. It seems the 'superhero' as he was dubbed on his trip over here 2 weeks ago, has fallen from grace all too quickly.

He has pleaded on his website for privacy but such is the way of our media today, there is no chance of that.

Woods's sponsors however are standing by him, and although sports marketers say his corporate identity has been seriously tarnished, they predict he will survive.

The World Cup Draw took place in the early hours this morning (AEST) and World Cup Fever has officially commenced!

African sporting stars athlete Haile Gebreselassie, rugby player John Smit, cricketer Makhaya Ntini, and footballers Matthew Booth and Simphiwe Dludlu assisted with the draw, along with England's David Beckham..

The Opening Match on 11 June will be South Africa v Mexico at Soccer City. Possibly the biggest stir of the draw was Group D, where the Socceroos have drawn Germany, Serbia and Ghana which is worrying for the Aussies. They are the least favoured in their group to qualify for the Round of 16. It also means that 2 massively sporting nations will be heading home early. 

England are scheduled to play the USA on June 12.

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Republic, Greece
Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana,
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Group G: Brazil, Korea DPR, Côte d'Ivoire, Portugal
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

Kick-off times are to be announced soon.

Nelson Mandela gave the first speech of the night via video message. He urged his country to make the most of their opportunity as tournamant hosts. The fact that the World Cup is being held in South Africa is only possible because of him.    

He said "We must strive for excellence in our hosting of the World Cup, while at the same time ensuring the event leaves a lasting benefit to all our people." 

Players at The Australian Open are angry with officials who ignored warnings that the greens at La Perouse were too fast for the conditions.

As it was the third time the national championship has been disrupted in this way, players were understandably short on humour. Brett Rumford was the worst affected. His tee-shot at the short second settled within birdie range and he walked off with a quintuple-bogey eight. He was about to putt when the wind suddenly blew his golf ball right off the green. He spoke to 2 rules officials and then decided to chip it back on and then three-putted. He was then penalised.  

Several players, including Geoff Ogilvy, had pre-warned the tournament director that the greens would be unplayable. The Australian PGA is not responsible for this tournament and is not happy about how badly this reflects on golf in Australia as a whole - with it being shown around the world, it must make a very poor represenatation for the sport. The PGA is also having to deal with phone calls in the fall out, with many mistakenly believing that the PGA is responsible, its reputation is tarnished also despite having nothing to do with it.

Golf Australia defended itself by saying they had done everything to protect the greens and had taken on Ogilvy's advice earlier in the week.

David Beckham, ex football captain for England and  midfielder for LA Galaxy, is passionately championing England's campaign to host the 2018 World Cup, making good use of his celebrity status to boost the campaign which has encountered a few struggles recently.

He is in SA for the World Cup draw which takes place at 5pm in Cape Town today. He told reporters he is confident that England could stage a highly successful World Cup. England are the favourites to host the tournament in 2018, though a few divisions internally had marred their good work, Beckham is insisting they are back on track after a positive meeting with Warner on Wednesday. He acknowledged there is still a lot of hard work to be done saying, "Nothing in life is easy, you have to work for special things to be given to you.''

He added that the UK already has enough stadia and the right infrastructure to host the event and the country also has residents of many different nations living there already, and therefore many fans from numerous national teams. He said that England has one of the biggest league teams in the world, with the Premier League having a massive global following.    

FIFA will decide on the 2018 hosts next year. England faces competition from Australia, Indonesia, Japan and Russia as well as from joint bids from Belgium and the Netherlands and Spain and Portugal.

The Socceroos are looking ahead to the 2010 World Cup draw at 5pm Friday night (early Saturday AEDT).

The 32 World Cup qualifiers have been placed in four pots of eight, with one from each pot to be randomly assigned to each four-team group.

No two teams from the same qualifying zone can be drawn together, except in the case of Europe, where the limit is two.

So for example, Argentina could not be paired with Uruguay and South Africa cannot be in the same group as Ghana.

The Socceroos (FIFA ranking 24)  are in pot two, with Japan, South Korea and North Korea, north/central American teams USA, Mexico and Honduras, and New Zealand, so they cannot be grouped with any of those sides according to the zoning rules.

Seven of the world's best - Brazil, who have won the World Cup 5 times, Italy the current world champions, Germany, Argentina, Spain, Holland and England - are seeded in pot one. The odd one out in this pot is South Africa, who are ranked at the bottom, but as the host nation, automatically go into pot one.

Amazingly, France and Portugal both missed seedings despite being ranked inside the world's top seven. These 2 powerful teams are in pot four.

An ideal scenario for Australia would be to draw South Africa (FIFA ranking 86), Slovakia (34th) and Paraguay (30th), a group they could actually aspire to top.

The $1.5 million Australian Open commences at the NSW Golf Club today.

Australian golfer Geoff Ogilvy, who is world No.13,  is the highest-ranked player in the field and the punters' favourite to win the Stonehaven Cup for the first time in his career.

After a shaky mid season, he is back on form and is expected to do very well in the tournament.

The course at Perouse can be tricky as it can get very windy, but Ogilvy hopes he can do well.  

Adam Scott, John Daly and James Nitties teed off early today, starting their opening rounds at 7.30am (AEDT).

Ogilvy teed off at 12.10pm in a group including Mat Goggin and 2006 champion John Senden.

The world of boxing was rocked last night as Danny Green knocked out the legendary Roy Jones Jnr in the first round of the IBO cruiserweight bout at the Acer Arena.

It took just 1 minute for Green to knock his opponent down, and a further 62 seconds of blows rained down to finish him off. Green described the win as ''the greatest victory of my entire life''.

What a turnabout for this Australian who was retired early last year on the very eve of his first title defence of the WBA light-heavyweight belt.

For Jones, this was the worst defeat of his impressive 60-fight career, during which time he won eight world titles. His goal last night had been to become the first person to hold belts in all five weight divisions from middleweight to heavyweight, but now it is questionable whether he will continue fighting. When asked if he will be considering retiring he replied that he will be going back home and having a think. He said he was expecting it to be a tough fight last night, he'd tried but didn't have what it took to beat him.  

Green paid sporting tribute to Jones saying he hoped he hadn't ended the great boxer's 20 year career. ''He is one of the greatest fighters of all time,'' Green said. ''I almost felt bad doing that, I almost felt bad to do that to someone who I aspired to and looked up to as a professional fighter inside and outside the ring. He is a bloody legend.''

Green couldn't resist a swipe at his doubters saying he hadn't surprised himself, and he'd warned that if he got the right shot, he would knock Green out.

The V8 Supercars come to Sydney for the first time this weekend at the newly built track at Olympic Park.

It is the final V8 event of the year and promises to be an eventful and entertaining weekend, with the 'Rock and Race' event which sees the much loved rock band Cold Chisel reform especially for it.  

Jamie Whincup currently leads the championship and needs just a handful of points to win. He simply needs to come in at 28th place or better to get his crown, but as he knows himself from past experience, it is not out of the question that he may crash out at any time before the finish, so nothing is certain! The nature of a purpose built track such as the one at Olympic Park means they are very tight and incredibly difficult to navigate at speed. Plus other drivers will be driving with the intent to win the race of course, and a crash for them would not cause the same damage in terms of winning the championship.

He said he will be taking into account all his previous experiences and will be going completley against the grain by aiming to drive as conservatively as possible, rather than his usual tactic of driving flat out. The title is his for the taking, and he has everything to lose. If he does get there, it would be his 2nd year in a row.

The controversy over the jumps racing ban continues this week. Last week the board of RVL announced that Jumps horseracing in Victoria would end after the 2010 racing season. On Monday this week, the ARJA said it had the support of racing stakeholders to contest the ban.

SA racing authorities stood alone in their decision to continue the sport in their territory so yesterday a protest group - The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses - presented a petition to Greens MP Mark Parnell at Parliament House in Adelaide containing more than 5,000 signatures of South Australians. A spokesman for the  group said this would make a very clear statement to the SA government and Racing Minister Michael Wright. He added that the minister should be ashamed and embarrassed to finance an industry that willingly sends horses to their deaths for the sake of entertainment.

13 horses have died so far this year after falling while jumps racing.

Football fans around the globe are waiting in anticipation of Friday's World Cup Draw in Cape Town when they will find out which are the eight first-round groups and the match order for the 32 teams taking part in the FIFA Wold Cup from June 11 to July 11. 

Charlize Theron, South Africa's most famous current celebrity, will be co-hosting the event. Theron, who won an Oscar for the Best Actress award in 2004, will join FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke as co-host. It is estimated that the show will be broadcast live to an audience of more than 200 million people in 200 countries.

Other high profile figures who will be attending are South African President Jacob Zuma, and Nobel Peace laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Frederik W. de Klerk. David Beckham is also expected to be present. He is desperately hoping to play in the World Cup for his beloved England one more time.

Former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela, 91, played a major role in bringing the World Cup to Africa. It is thought he wil be making an address by video message.

FIFA's general secretary Valcke said in a media release, "This is a very important event for football and Africa as the final draw comes to Cape Town where an unprecedented six teams from the host continent will be represented".

"We expect a record global audience which I hope will be glued to their screens for the duration of the show."

FIFA will announce which teams will be seeded for the draw on Wednesday.

Jockey Damien Oliver was happy to hear that his appeal against the severity of a one-month suspension has been upheld and reduced to a severe reprimand. Oliver had been suspended after he tested positive to a banned substance on Derby Day at Flemington on October 31.

He had argued that he had been taking the herbal supplement Thermalift - which is commonly used to aid weight loss, and can increase energy levels and athletic performance - for 9 years with no previous issues and he had been tested 5 times during this period.  

However, the active ingredient in the product - ephedrine - was placed on RVL's list of banned substances last year without his knowledge.

 The RADB discovered that there was a lack of communication by racing's governing body in relaying the news that the product was now banned and the RVL should now give urgent attention to the problem.

Oliver said he was very relieved at the outcome, and had found it an embarrassing predicament to be in.

He has been booked to ride Sniper's Bullet in the Kingston Town Classic at Ascot on Saturday and Apache Cat in the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin on December 13.

Australian Golf Digest has just named Geoff Ogilvy as its player of the year, for the second time.

Ogilvy, 32, is the highest ranked golfer in Australia - No.13 in the world. He won on the USPGA Tour this year twice, including his second WGC World Match Play title.

The magazine said his "explosive power and exquisite touch" rewarded him with $A4.22 million on the PGA Tour this year.

He plays in this week's Australian Open at the NSW Club, which starts on Thursday, and next week will defend his Australian PGA title at Coolum.

Karrie Webb won best player in the women's category for the 12th time in 15 years. She's won the LPGA title 36 times, including 7 major victories.

Scott Arnold was named amateur player of the year. He was the No.1 ranked amateur in the world in April, before turning pro.

Other annual award winners were: rookie Matthew Griffin, trainee Brent McCullough, senior Mike Harwood, junior Justine Lee, coach David Milne and superintendent Andy Hugill of Mona Vale. Turf expert John Neylan won the services to golf award.

The line ups for Formula One next year have been released by the sport's governing body, the FIA. 

Only 12 teams have been listed so far, but a 13th will apparently be named in due course.

Toyota recently pulled out due to the economic downturn, after experiencing its worst ever loss in the last financial year. Sauber is the most likely replacement. Peter Sauber, who regained his former team back from BMW after it pulled out of the sport, is certain he will get the 13th slot, adding that the team's car would use Ferrari engines and is on schedule for the 2010 season.

McLaren will be a force to be reckoned with, with 2 World Champions, past & present driving. This year's champion Jenson Button was confirmed as the No. 1 driver ahead of new McLaren teammate and 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton.

Brawn GP which will now be called Mercedes GP, has the next two places with Nico Rosberg in at No. 3.

New team British-based Manor, will now drive as Virgin Racing though their sponsorship is yet to be confirmed. Last year Virgin sponsored Brawn GP. They have signed German driver Timo Glock.

Toro Rosso (Red Bull) have only named one driver so far - Sebastien Buemi. But Jaime Alguersuari has been signed for them next year and is currently undergoing physical and psychological training with the team in Austria. At 19 years of age he is F1's youngest driver ever.  

Star Ripper had his third consecutive win yesterday in the Sharp Handicap at Randwick. The racehorse is from the Bart Cumming's stable, and the four year old's outstanding pedigree comes from Encosta De Lago and Dane Ripper.   

Cummings believes this horse has a great future ahead of him and said that since he was gelded he is coming into his own. He is likely going to race him in next month's Christmas and Summer Cups, while Viewed and Roman Emperor will probably go for the BMW Cup. So You Think's goal is the AJC Australian Derby and Faint Perfume is headed for the AJC Australian Oaks.  

Trainer Natalie Rasmussen thinks her horse Black's A Fake could take the Miracle Mile at Menangle today. He has attempted it twice previously and failed, but this impressive stalwart is a true champion, having won the Inter Dominion three times. 

She said this could be the best field he'd raced in, and it would be a tough race. He has raced against all the contenders individually in the past.

She said her 9 year old horse is in great shape. While some may think about retiring a horse at that age, she said she doesn't believe in doing so just because that, she thinks he still has plenty to offer. His last five runs have been perfect and he is showing plenty of spark, which is vital for the Miracle Mile.

Other contenders for the Miracle Mile are Australia's fastest pacer - Smoken Up, plus Melpark Major and Karloo Mick, both also from Australia, New Zealand's Monkey King, Auckland Realtor and Kiwi Ingenuity, plus US import Lonestar Legend. 

The fallout from the Jumps racing ban as reported yesterday has started, with the The Australian Jumping Racing Association (AJRA) pledging to fight the decision. It's president Rodney Rae, said they are considering taking legal action against the Racing Victoria Limited board claiming that it had failed to fulfil its constitutional responsibilities and obligations as well as its responsibilities under the Corporations Act.

He said they would not be simply sitting down and accepting the decision. They believe it will have a terrible impact on racing and its industry and the economy in Victoria. He said they will be doing everything in their power to get the decision overturned.

The surprise and horror at the decision is causing major waves in the industry. Renowned jumps jockey Craig Durden said he has been in jumps for over 20 years and the reality of just walking out next year and getting another job was nil.

Before taking action, the ARJA will be getting the input of racing's legislated shareholders; 3 metropolitan clubs, Country Racing Victoria, breeders, owners, trainers, jockeys, unions and bookmakers. 

Montreal is feeling pride in its city again as it was announced yesterday it's back on the Formula One schedule as of September 2010 for five years. 

The race was dropped there this year due to a finacial dispute between local authorities and F1's Bernie Ecclestone as he was asking for $A180.72 million to keep the race in Montreal.

The funding is coming from the federal government and Montreal's tourism bureau who will each contribute $A26.29 million over five years. Plus the province will contribute $A20.81 million and the municipal government almost $A5.5 million.

The province says the F1 event generates $A92 million in economic benefits and Quebec can expect to collect more than $A9 million in additional tax revenues due to it.

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Golf superstar Tiger Woods has been in a minor car accident. He hit a fire hydrant and a neighbour's tree as he was leaving his manison in Florida at 2.25a.m.

His wife heard the crash and found him lying in the roade He suffered facial cuts and has now been released from hospital.  with

There is some speculation as to where he was going at that time of night, with one news site reporting there had been a dometic incident right before the accident. The National Enquirer earlier this week alleged that Woods has had an ongoing romantic relationship with a New York woman named Rachel Uchitel, claiming that they had met up in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Australia. 

The highway patrol says the crash is still under investigation and charges are pending, but it was not alcohol-related.

The board of RVL has announced that Jumps horseracing in Victoria will end after the 2010 racing season.

The historic decision comes after another series of deaths during the jumps season this year.

RVL chairman Michael Duffy said it had been an extremely tough decision for the board, but that falls and fatalties had continued to rise despite all the safety recommendations which had been implemented since last year. Eight horses died in jumps races this season and 12 were killed last year.

Country Racing Victoria chief Scott Whiteman said they were gutted by the decision, but RSPCA VIC were very happy, although they would have preferred for jumps to end immediately, they agreed to give a year's notice to all those involved.   

SA however, will standalone in its decision to continue with the sport.

The board of RVL said a program of high-weight races will be scheduled for the 2011 season to help jumps jockeys, trainers and horses go through the transition.

Craig Williams is set to represent Australia for the fourth time consecutively in the World Super Jockey Series in Japan on December 5.

Eight riders from overseas will compete with Japan's top seven jockeys in the annual competition which is run on dirt and turf tracks over varying distances at Hanshin racecourse.

They are; Calvin Borel and Garrett Gomez from the US, Ryan Moore from UK, Mick Kinane from Ireland, Christophe Lemaire and Ioritz Mendizabal from France and Douglas Whyte from Hong Kong.

Williams won the series in back in 2006.

V8 Supercars Australia executive chairman Tony Cochrane is certainly working hard for his money these days. He has pulled off some impressive feats for his sport.

It took him 8 years to get permission to turn Sydney's Olmpic park into a V8 Supercars street circuit, but now it is all set and the new track was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. The government has pledged $30 million to support the race for the next 5 years. Not only this, he has ensured the sport will generate great revenues. Already 138,000 tickets have been pre-sold for next weekend's 3 day event, max capacity of 150,000, and to top it all off, he has got sign off on a 3 year deal with cable Channle Speed in North America which has 79,000 subscribers, to televise the sport in Australia.

A pretty amazing feat particularly when other motorsoports are feeling the tightening of purse strings.  

Next weekend's event has been heavily promoted and features a 'Rock and Race' spectacular, with Cold Chisel re-forming especially for it, with other bands taking part alongside them.

Cochrane believes that V8 Supercars have a great future and hopes that the Sydney circuit will be talked about as one of the great race circuits of the world. TV ratings and audience nationally are now comparible with the NRL.    

New Zealand All Blacks are heading to the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France this Saturday to play against France after 4 consecutive wins against Australia, Wales, Italy and England.

Coach Graham Henry has made three changes from the team that beat England 19-6. Prop Neemia Tialata wins his 41st cap in place of Owen Franks, blindside flanker Jerome Kaino replaces Adam Thomson, and Cory Jane takes the place of Zac Guildford on the right wing.

Both sides are in great shape, with France beating World Cup holder South Africa 20-13 and smashing Samoa 43-5.

New Zealand: Mils Muliaina, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Dan Carter, Jimmy Cowan, Tony Woodcock, Andrew Hore, Neemia Tialata, Brad Thorn, Tom Donnelly, Jerome Kaino, Richie McCaw (capt), Kieran Read. Reserves: Corey Flynn, Owen Franks, Anthony Boric, Tanerau Latimer, Andy Ellis, Stephen Donald, Luke McAlister.

Rafael Nadal is vowing to improve his game for the forthcoming Australian Open and the 2010 season after being eliminated from title contention in the season-ending World Tour Finals in London. He lost  6-1 7-6 (7-4) to Russia's Nikolay Davydenko in the group stage yesterday.

Nadal believes he didn't go into the tournament with the right amount of confidence which is so necessary to win. He conceded he'd made mistakes and hadn't played well. He also believes the surfaces he was playing on weren't the best for him.

He still has the Davis Cup finals in Barcelona next week. Then he'll be heading back home to Mallorca to work on his game and take on the challenge to try to reclaim the No.1 ranking from Roger Federer next year.

Champion jockey Damien Oliver is set to appeal a one-month suspension which was handed out by RVL stewards after testing positive for the herbal supplement ephedrine which is a prohibited substance. It is commonly used to aid weight loss, and to increase energy levels and athletic performance. The positive test came about after a random sample was taken during the Derby Day meeting at Flemington on 31 October as part of Racing Victoria Limited's (RVL) rider sampling program.

Oliver pleaded guilty to the charge but claimed in an AJA release that he had been taking the supplement since 2000 without any previous issues.

Stewards took Oliver's excellent record into account before giving the penalty but Oliver believes that the one month ban is way too severe given his circumstances and taken as a comparison with penalties incurred in other cases.

The inquiry heard that Oliver had provided a clear sample when tested prior to riding at Ascot last Saturday.

His suspension commences after his three races at Sandown today and lasts until December 26th unless his appeal is successful.

Western Australia cricket coach Tom Moody is laying it on the line to those in his team who are underperforming, with threats to end careers if their so-so performance continues.

The Warriors have a great team on paper, with a number of rising and established star players including Mike Hussey, Luke Pomersbach, Marcus North, Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh, and yet the team is still to make its mark on the cricket scene.

Coach Moody is taking decisive action ahead of his contract renewal negotiations with the WACA board after Christmas, saying that the team needs players to stand up and contribute especially when under pessure. They will of course continue to be supported by him and his staff, but if they can't deliver what is necessary, he will be looking for players that can.  

Former NRL star Greg Bird walked free today free after a judge quashed his conviction for cutting his girlfriend's face with a glass.

Bird had been sentenced in June to at least eight months' jail time, with a maximum of 16 months, after being found guilty of reckless wounding.

The former Cronulla Shark player's girlfriend, Katie Milligan, suffered a broken eye socket and cuts to her eye during an altercation at his flat in August last year.

Judge Michael Finnane believed the evidence of Bird and Milligan that her injury was an accident, caused when an "agitated" and "irrational" Milligan lunged at him with a glass in her hand.

He accepted that the injury happened as Bird tried to defend himself during the fight. The couple put the altercation down to Milligan's drug use and aggression and said she had actually started the fight.

The judge did not believe that Milligan was a victim of domestic violence, as she seemed forthright and determined to follow her own mind. He did comment however that the couple had been 'extemely foolish and reckless' with their lies about the incident afterwards.

He conceded that Bird's lies had been to protect his public image, as opposed to covering up the truth. 

The couple were visibly relieved at the verdict.

A Mexican born boxer - Francisco Rodriguez from Chicago - has died after a fight in Philadelphia. He was just 25 years old.

His promoter Dominic Pesoli said Rodriguez - known as 'El Nino Azteca' which means 'the baby faced assassin' - died on Sunday night after losing a US Boxing Association super bantamweight title bout on Friday against Teon Kennedy.

It was said that he started to lose consciousness as he sat in his corner after the brutal fight was stopped in the 10th round.

He was taken to hospital and underwent emergency brain surgery, but sadly never regained consciousness.

He achieved an outstanding amateur career and was a multiple Chicago Golden Gloves champion and a national Golden Gloves champion in 2001.

In 2005 he turned professional and was a local fan favourite in his adopted city, Chicago. His promoter said Rodriguez had been like family and everyone was deeply saddened by the loss.

Chris Munce has been suspended from riding for once again breaching the new whip rules. It is now his seventh offence and he has been warned he must change his riding style as the suspensions will continue as opposed to the fines which were initially dished out.

Munce was found guilty of striking his racehorse Sikka twice times more than permitted before the 100 metres in the Metropolitan Demolition Group Handicap at Rosehill on Saturaday

The ban is additional to a six-meeting careless riding suspension Munce incurred at Gosford on Wednesday.

The suspensions begin with immediate effect and he will be out of action until 7 December.

Riding apprentice Nathan Berry who had a great day yesterday winning two races was unfortunately also suspended after stewards ruled that while aboard Aristocratico in the CFMEU Mining and Energy Handicap, he shifted out without sufficient clearance for Ausbred King in the straight, which hampered his run. His suspension begins after Sunday week's Listed Canberra Cup and he will be eligible to return on December 10.

He also won aboard Informality in the Hutchinsons Builders Handicap.

Bart Cummings has just been named the Victorian Racing Media Association Personality of the Year, the 4th time he's won the accolade since it began 30 years ago.

Although he didn't win the Melbourne Cup this year, he had 3 group One winners in this year's Spring Carnival; Allez Wonder (Toorak Handicap), Viewed (Caulfield Cup) and Faint Perfume (VRC Oaks). He has been responsible for the training of a total of 12 Melbourne Cup winners during his career.

Previous winners of the VRMA Personality of the Year include racehorse trainer Mark Kavangh, racehorse owner Tony Santic, and jockey Damien Oliver.   

Cummings' autobiography was launched in Spring this year was a total sell out the minute it hit the shelves.

Danehill gelding Zipping will make history tomorrow if he wins the Sandown Classic. It would be his 3rd year in a row.

After Steven Arnold's shock departure from the Lloyd Williams stable this week as reported yesterday, Michael Rodd is now hoping his first ride for trainer Robert Hickmott will be a winner. Arnold won the race on Zipping 2 years ago, and Rodd won aboard him last year, so knows exactly how to ride him to perfection.

Rodd has a busy and eventful weekend ahead with the race tomorrow and his wedding to Cara Aspinall on Sunday! Rodd is the leading rider across the Melbourne Cup carnival with 6 winners. Zipping has had a much lighter preparation after being scratched before the Mackinnon Stakes and didn't run in the Melbourne Cup this year. His last race was 3 weeks ago in the Cox Plate when he came 3rd. But stewards were happy with his trial and he and will have the use of a barrier extension for the first time on Saturday.

World No.1 Tiger Woods has already showed his mettle today, taking just two holes of his second round to take the lead in the Australian Masters at Kingston Heath. He started his game today 2 shots behind American Jason Dufner but managed a straightforward birdie on the par five opening hole to move to seven under par. Dufney was bogeying his final hole of the day and came to the same score so they were both equal. But Woods pulled a magnificent seven-iron second shot on the par four second with the ball settling just centimetres from the hole, which was an easy birdie putt for him taking him into the lead.

Woods' massive audience have of course been most prevalent throughout his game, and at times  have been quite distracting, with adulating comments and numerous cameras going off whilst in play, it shows a calm professionalism and focus to play so well under these circumstances.   

Australia's James Nitties, who had shared the overnight lead with Woods and was playing in the group behind him, also started well, birdieing the first to join Dufner in a share of second.

Villegas shot 68 on Friday, while Australians Mathew Goggin (70) and Ashley Hall (69) had also climbed to six under, two shots behind Woods.

After a surprising and abrupt to his contract with the Lloyd Williams stables this week, jockey Steven Arnold is now freelance and will be riding for his fourth time in the Sandown Classic this weekend on racehorse Zarita - a race he has won 3 out of his 4 attempts.  
The split came as part of a restructure at his employers who have nominated  Efficient, Zipping and C'est La Guerre for Saturday's Sandown Classic. 
Arnold won the 2007 feature on Zipping a year after scoring on Gallant Guru for Lee Freedman. Zipping won again last year, ridden by Michael Rod. Arnold reckons Zarita is a force to be reckoned with and he is happy to be aboard her. The racehorse's trainer Pat Hyland said Zarita was a relatively fresh horse compared to some who'll be running in the Sandown Classic and that she was back in form.
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The Australian Jockey Club has organised a farewell party for legendaryracehorse Takeover Target on Saturday at Randwick after he was retired earlier this year following his breakdown in the July Cup at Newmarket in England.
Takeover Target has inspired many with his character and performance on the track. His fairytale story captured the imagination and won the hearts of racing fans around the world. During his career he won 20 of forty one starts, including 8 races at Group One level, winning a massive total of $6,028,311 in prize money making him 6th in the Millionaire racehorses trained in Australia.    
His rise to fame came about after NSW owner and trainer Joe Janiak bought him for just $1,250 plus GST in 2003. His  previous owners had grown tired of waiting for the gelding with dodgy legs to come right. At the time Janiak was driving a taxi to make ends meet and living in a caravan at Queanbeyan. He had been involved in racing for almost 40 years but never had a winner. He simply hoped Takeover Target would develop into a handy country sprinter. His dreams were more than realised when he won his first stakes race at his fifth start, Janiak couldn't believe it. The racehorse then went from strength to strength and the pair went on to achieve his many great successes. Sadly the dream came to end when he cracked his cannon bone at the July Cup in England this year. But he's had an amazing run and will not be forgotten by his fans. He is back in Australia now, healthy and happy, his work is done. He can look forward to a much deserved retirement in
a verdant paddock in Coffs Harbour where Janiak lives.