FRIDAY, 12.30PM:
FORMER Wimbledon champion Pat Cash is out of the MTN Championships Tennis tournament after losing 2-6 7-8 (8/6) 10-8 to Tim Wilkison in the quaterfinals at Sandton Gardens on Thursday night.
Cash, who replaced defending champion Yannick Noah in the 12-man field, destroyed a courtside television microphone after one of many dodgy line calls in the second set, and after the match he did not turn up for a media conference.
Wilkison became the first player to qualify for the semifinals and will meet the winner of Friday’s match between Johan Kriek and Jose-Luis Clerc.
“The difference tonight was that he had the power and the winners, but I was more consistent,” said Wilkison after the game.
Earlier, John Lloyd reached the quarterfinals at the expense of Mel Purcell, whom he beat 7-5 5-7 11-9. Lloyd will now face second-seeded Andres Gomez on Friday.
SPORT BRIEFS
NATIONS CUP DRAW DEFENDING champions Bafana Bafana have been drawn against Angola, Ivory Coast and Namibia in the 1998 African Nations Cup draw in Burkina Faso on Thursday night. They will open the tournament against Angola in Bobo Dioulasso.
DRAW:
Group A: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Algeria, Guinea Group B: Ghana, Tunisia, Togo, RD Congo Group C: South Africa, Angola, Ivory Coast, Namibia Group D: Zambia, Morocco, Egypt, Mozambique.
FREE STATE STUMPS NORTHERNS GERHARDUS LIEBENBERG hammered a 131 off 126 balls to help the Free State cricket side to victory by 43 runs against Northerns in an annual pre-season Challenge Trophy at Supersport Centurion on Thursday night. Northerns were dismissed for 198.
BANNED FOR RACIST JIBE POTCHEFSTROOM player Frik Phyfer was on Thursday suspended by the United Cricket Board until the end of the season after he was found guilty of transgressing the UCB’s code of conduct. Phyfer was found guilty of passing “derogatory racial remarks” at Harlequins’ Ephraim Mokanyane during the club championships on Monday.
WESTERNS HOLD PRESTASI CUP DEFENDING champions Western Province retained the Prestasi national interprovincial amateur golf title at East London Golf Club course on Thursday. WP will play their final match against Natal and Natal would have to win by 7,5 to 4,5 for Southern Transvaal to win the tournament. Meanwhile, Southern Transvaal completed their programme with a well deserved 8-4 win over Gauteng North.
BOWLED OVER SOUTH AFRICAN men’s U25 bowls team lost the second of their three matches against Australia in Perth on Thursday in conditions favourable to the hosts. Cold and rain made the green slow as the Australians beat South Africa in the singles, pairs, trips and fours.
FERREIRA DROPS COACH SOUTH AFRICAN tennis star Wayne Ferreira and his coach Dannie Visser have parted ways amicably. Ferreira is to go it alone until the end of the year and then reassess the situation.
GOLF BY ANY OTHER NAME … THE South African Golf Federation – the ruling body of amateur golf – changed its name to the South African Golf Association at its annual general meeting on Thursday.