THURSDAY, 12.00NOON:
THE line-up for this year’s MTN Champions tournament has been announced, along with a venue change for the event, which will be held in the 2500-seat University of Pretoria indoor arena.
The organisers have chosen an “elite eight”, four fewer than the 12 participants of previous years, but the names are formidable.
Swedes Bjorn Borg and Mats Wilanders, who between them have 18 Grand Slam titles, and France’s Yannick Noah and Henri Leconte join the tournament from Europe.
From Iran comes Mansour Bahrami and from Argentina, Guillermo Vilas.
The Southern Hemisphere is also represented by John Fitzgerald of Australia and South Africa’s own Danie Visser, former world doubles top seed.
The cut-off age for the Champions circuit is 35, making Wilander (34) the sole under-age man in the tournament.
Jimmy Connors, who founded the Champions circuit, was not approached to participate in the event, as he charges R3-million just to appear, and won’t play doubles or play in the pre-tournament golf day.
SPORT BRIEFS
LOVE AND MONEY
THE Springboks will be pursuing new contracts as well as victory when they meet the All Blacks head-on in a Tri-Nations match at Athletic Park in Wellington, New Zealand, on Saturday. Many of the players have contracts signed after the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which expire on August 1. Winning their two New Zealand games will be a strong argument for new contracts when they return to South Africa.
GOLF SENIORS HEAD FOR UK
SOUTH African senior golfers leave on July 26 for Test matches against Ireland and Scotland. Qualifiers may end up in the British Senior Amateur and British Open championships.
The team is Errol Mills (c), Rhinus van Niekerk, Roydon Pybus, Errol Todd, Tony Godycki, George Adelaine, Comrie du Toit and Mike Kerby.
BLAND WITHDRAWS FROM OPEN
JOHN BLAND, who came second in the 1997 US Senior Open, has withdrawn from the 1998 competition because his wife is ill, and is to return to his home in South Africa.
SCHEEPERS COULD GO FOR TITLE
NAAS SCHEEPERS (27), who was narrowly defeated by WBU junior welterweight champion Shea Neary in Liverpool on Tuesday, may soon have another shot at a world title. Scheepers, the South African lightweight champion, could soon go up against World Boxing Organisation champion Italian Giovanni Parisi, or the French World Boxing Association title-holder, Khalid Rahilou. Scheepers lost on points, 117-111, 116-112 and 116-112 on Tuesday, spending too much time leaning on the ropes late in the fight.
SIKALI FOR SICILY
JUNIOR South African flyweight champion Mzukisi Sikali challenges World Boxing Union junior bantamweight champ Luigi Castiglione in Palermo, Sicily on August 1. Sikali has defended his junior flyweight title five times, winning the Old Buck belt. Castiglione has lost only once in his 19 professional outings.
BOTILE GOES FEATHERWEIGHT
FORMER Interntational Boxing Federation bantamweight champion Mbulelo Botile will be fighting in the featherweight category when he leads the Nashua Fight Night at the Carousel on Tuesday July 28. He will be up against Dino Olivetti of the Philippines.