/ 3 June 1997

Whittaker starts squash season with huge log lead

TUESDAY, 9.00AM:

THE 1997 Squash season begins this week, with Glenn Whittaker leading the rankings list 80 points ahead of second seed Craig Wapnick. Squash South Africa released their first ranking list on Monday, and Whittaker, of Gauteng, is sitting at the top with 1 765 points, to Wapnic’s 1 675 points.

SOUTH AFRICAN TOP TWENTY

1- Whittaker 1 765

2- Wapnick 1 675

3- Craig van der Wath 1 662

4- Mike Tootill 1 652

5- Rodney Durbach 1 538

6- Grant Isaacs 1 536

7- Morgan Morris 1 508

8- Adrian Hansen 1 505

9- Trevor Wilkinson 1 462

10- Lance Sibbald 1 439

11- Stuart Hailstone 1 429

12- Paul Symonds 1 422

13- Shane Mann 1 399

14- Grant Way 1 389

15- Pierr Roodt 1 360

16- Roger Koep 1 292

17- Bruce Kaiser 1 283

18- Grant Findlay 1 277

19- Kerek Nitch 1 262

20- Gary Zeller 1 227

MANDELA CUP OFFICERS ENGLISH referee Stephen Lodge will referee the Nelson Mandela Inauguration Challenge soccer match between South Africa and Holland on Wednesday night. Linesmen David Krick and David Horlick, also of England, will make up the set for the match.

SMALL TALK THE British Lions rugby team has dismissed James Small’s claim that John Bentley poked him in the eye during Saturday’s match against Western Province in Cape Town. Lions manager Fran Cotton said on Monday: “The allegations are absolute nonsense, totally without foundations, and not worthy of any comments.”

MARALI OBJECTS THE South African management of junior flyweight Mzukisi Marali have lodged an objection with the World Boxing Council, following Marali’s defeat to world title defender Saman Sorjaturong in Thailand on Saturday.

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