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News -- June, 2007
Hingis survives round 1 at Wimbledon (26 June)
One-time champion Martina Hingis survived a real scare against 18-year-old British wildcard Naomi Cavaday on Court No.2 to move into the second round.
The teenager - world ranked number 232 – twice held match point against the 1997 champion and former world number one and for a while it appeared that the court known as the “Graveyard of Champions” would claim another victim.
Full story at Wimbledon web
Also…
Alicai Molick won her rain-interrupted match against Anastasia Rodionova, 63 6-2. She now faces Serena Williams. Samantha Stosur’s match with Kristina Brandi has been postponed.
Three invited to Silver Ferns trials
 From Netball Australia: New Zealand National Netball Selectors have invited Shooters Jade Topia (pictured) and Daneka Wipiiti and mid-courter Liana Barrett-Chase players to attend the Silver Ferns trials next weekend.
The Silver Ferns team will be named on Monday 2 July for a series of Test Matches against Jamaica and Australia in New Zealand next month, followed by two test matches in Australia during the Holden Netball Test Series.
The three invited players will join the Silver Ferns Squad in camp from Friday 29 June until Sunday 1 July.
New Zealand national coach Ruth Aitken says that the players have been invited after impressing the selectors during The National Bank Cup.
“The upcoming Fisher & Paykel Series versus Jamaica, and the Fisher & Paykel Cup against Australia are really important in our World Netball Championships preparation, and there is huge competition for places in the team,” Aitken said.
“A campaign like the World Netball Championships requires a team of the twelve strongest available players, and this is a chance for some of the players knocking on the door of Silver Ferns selection to show what they can do.”
All Franchises were asked to submit a player availability list to Netball New Zealand before The National Bank Cup Semi Finals began.
The Silver Ferns squad is:
Maree Bowden (Flames), Leana de Bruin (Force), Temepara George (Force), Paula Griffin (Diamonds), Joline Henry (Magic), Laura Langman (Magic), Anna Scarlett (Diamonds), Jodi Te Huna (Diamonds), Sheryl Scanlan (Force), Julie Seymour (Flames), Maria Tutaia (Diamonds), Irene van Dyk (Magic), Debbie White (Rebels), Adine Wilson (Sting), Casey Williams (Magic)
Invited Triallists: Jade Topia (Flames), Liana Barrett-Chase (Sting), Daneka Wipiiti (Sting)
Netball Australia (Pic: Canterbury Flames)
Wimbledon preview
From Wimbledon.org: Today's second instalment of The Championships, traditionally known as Ladies' Day, might also be appropriately referred to as Fingers Crossed Day after the chill and rain of Day One. The conditions on the first day were not quite as bad as in 2006, when only 45 minutes' play was possible, but can we now get on with the tennis?
Amelie Mauresmo will certainly hope so, since she has a title to defend and a so-so year to put behind her. Defending that 2006 crown as fourth seed, Mauresmo has been in urgent search of form and fitness after an appendicitis operation in the spring and ongoing problems with an adductor strain.
Full story
Aussies aiming for 3-peat (23 June)
From Softball Australia: The Australian Open Women ’s team, Aussie Spirit, are off to Vancouver to compete in the 2007 Canada Cup which takes place from 30 June to 8 Jul,y 2007.
The Canada Cup, in its 14th year, will see Australia take a fresh team to try and secure their third consecutive win, after winning the event in 2005 and 2006.
With USA, Japan, Canada and Chinese Taipei competing, along with local club teams, Australia will give pitchers Jocelyn McCallum, Felicity Witt, Zara Mee and Catherine Bishop a chance to throw against some of the best in the world.
With nine of the 17 players having played in the world championship last year, where Australia finished with a Bronze Medal, head coach Fabian Barlow will take the team in with a new focus.
“The last couple of years have been successful for the Australian team at the Canada Cup and we hope that success continues this year. It’s a new team going this time around so we will need to change some of our game strategies to complement the players we have selected as well as seek out some opposition weaknesses. We are not going there to defend the title we won last year, we are going there to put out strong, smart, consistent performances and hopefully that will have us playing on the final day where anything can happen.”
Australia ended their campaign last year undefeated, beating home town favourites, Canada, 6-4 in the final. The recorded gate attendance for the tournament was 112,676, a massive rise since the Cup first began in 1993.
The competition this year will be a lot tougher for the Aussie Spirit with the USA and Japanese national teams competing.
Kerry Wyborn will be a player to watch, returning from a broken leg which sidelined her for a year of competition.
“Kerry performed well during the China Australia Challenge earlier this year and has been training very hard at her home training base in NSW in preparation for the Canada Cup. I’m confident she will reward herself with a strong showing at the event,” concluded Barlow.
Australia will hold training sessions at Blacktown Olympic Park on Monday and Tuesday before flying out from Sydney airport on Wednesday 27 June, 2007. (Pic: Natalie Ward in action in the 2006 Canada Cup)
Softball Australia
Golf is an Ogilvy thing (21 June)
(From The Age newspaper) Judy Ogilvy, Geoff's 55-year-old mother, has won the Sandringham Golf Club's associates championship.
Full story
Seeds sprout at Eastbourne
Tennis: All eight seeds in the draw for the International Women's Open emerged victorious from their second-round clashes on Wednesday and they will now compete amongst one another for the four semifinal berths. The top two seeds at the $600,000, Tier II event, Justine Henin and Amélie Mauresmo, were both comfortable winners and the pair remain on course for a championship round meeting at the pre-Wimbledon grass-court event.
Full WTA story
Under-21 team best ever?
From Netball Australia: The depth of Australia’s development programs has been reaffirmed
with the selection of one of the strongest-ever National 21 & Under teams to represent our country.
Eight rising stars in the squad of 14 will make their debut in a series of closed practice matches against England and Jamaica’s Open teams in July.
National 21 & Under coach, Lisa Alexander said trimming the squad to 14 was extremely difficult.
“The level of ability, fitness, strength and tactical nous has improved significantly from last year and I am thrilled with the improvement,” Alexander said.
Full story
Plus...
Three of the world’s leading netball nations will duel in front of bumper crowds around the country next month when the Holden Netball Test Series unfolds in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.
Full story
Good day for Britons
Tennis: The draw for the second round at the International Women's Open in Eastbourne was completed on Tuesday and all three of the seeds in action on day 2 made it safely past the first hurdle. It was also a good day for the British contingent at the $600,000, Tier II event as Elena Baltacha and Katie O'Brien battled past their opening-round opponents to take their place in the round of 16.
Shahar Peer, the tournament's No 6 seed, has been one of the outstanding performers of the 2007 season, but the young Israeli had to summon all her battling qualities to negotiate a tough opening-round clash with qualifier Elena Likhovtseva. Peer's only previous appearance on the British south coast resulted in a tame first-round exit to Nathalie Dechy 12 months ago, although when she rattled off the first set in quick-fire fashion she looked all set to erase this memory with her 29th win of the year.
Full story at the WTA site
Plus
Australians Samantha Stosur and Alicia Molik both received blows ahead of their Wimbledon campaigns, losing three-set matches in the first round of the Eastbourne International.
Full story at The Age
Million dollar league starts
 (June 15) Athletics: The lucrative IAAF Golden League kicks off this Friday night at the Bislett Games in Oslo and Australia will be represented by big guns Sarah Jamieson and Donna MacFarlane in a line up which is headlined by world 100m record holder Asafa Powell and world pole vault record holder Yelena Isinbayeva.
Sarah Jamieson, the world number five over 1500m on the IAAF World Rankings, arrived in Europe at the start of June, and will commence her world championships campaign on Friday night.
Jamieson will have two athletes firmly in her sights when she toes the line in the 1500m – Bahrain’s Maryam Jamal who was one of only five athletes to have broken the magical 4-minute barrier last year and Britain’s Lisa Dobriskey.
When Jamieson produced the Australian record of 4:00.93 in Stockholm last year, the 32-year-old was defeated by Jamal, the former Ethiopian. At the Commonwealth Games, Dobriskey collected the 1500m gold ahead of Jamieson.
Tassie’s super mum Donna MacFarlane, who holds the ninth fastest time in the world this year for the 3000m steeplechase (9.34.21) will also line up on the Bislett Stadium track.
Her toughest opposition will come in the form of Kenyan Eunice Jepkorir who produced a slick 9:25.84 in Neerpelt, Belgium, this month and Belgium’s Veerle Dejaghere who is in fine form after setting a new national record of 9.28.47 two weeks ago.
MacFarlane’s exploits don’t stop there; she will then travel to Karlskrona in Sweden to compete in the 1500m on Monday.
After finishing second over 800m at the Stavanger Games in Norway on Wednesday night in her first hit out of her European campaign, eleven-time national champion Tamsyn Lewis will drop back to the 400m at the Bislett Games on Friday night.
The 28-year old faces a tough assignment against 2006 World Cup and World Athletics Final winner Sanya Richards and British rising star Nicola Sanders who recently claimed the European indoor title. Jamaican Novlene Williams and 2001 World champion Amy Mbacke Thiam of Senegal will also be in the mix.
A $US1 million jackpot is up for grabs in the 2007 edition of the IAAF Golden League and successful claimants must win their event at all six meetings - Oslo, Paris, Rome, Zurich, Brussels and Berlin.
However, should no athlete manage to attain six wins and claim the jackpot, then anyone with five will share half the original prize purse , $US500,000 ($595,000). All winners must compete at the IAAF World Athletics Final to be eligible for their share of the jackpot.
IAAF site
Top seeds suffer in Barcelona
From the WTA: For the second consecutive day one of the top seeds was bundled out of the tournament by one of the women's game's most promising rising stars, as the entire second round was played on Wednesday at the inaugural Barcelona KIA.
Agnes Szavay, who had to qualify to even reach the main draw, was magnificent in a 61 61 victory over No.1-seeded Francesca Schiavone in the feature evening match on the red clay courts of the Centro Municipal de Tenis. The 18-year-old from Hungary has been in excellent form throughout the clay court season, reaching the semis of Budapest in April, winning a $75,000 ITF Women's Circuit tournament in Zagreb just before Roland Garros and then qualifying and reaching the second round at the clay court Grand Slam. This past Monday, she made her career Top 100 debut.
Full story
Rythmic team returns from Europe
From Gymnastics Australia: Kimberly Mason and her coach Nicole Higham have returned from their extremely busy European tour, having competed in 8 competitions in 8 countries over a 3 month period. The tour was a great experience for both Kimberly and Nicole and allowed the pair to witness and compete against the best Rhythmic competitors in the world. Naazmi Johnston, also a national squad member joined her good friend Kimberly on the international scene competing with Kimberly at the Portimao and Corbeil events, and also tackling the fierce competition at two further events, the Bulgaria and Belarus Grand Prix's. Naazmi was joined by coach Edith Peluso.
Gymnastics Australia
Gliders beat Japan, win Oceania
The Australian Women’s Wheelchair basketball team, the Gliders, won the 2007 Asia Oceania Wheelchair Qualification Tournament in Bankstown, Sydney tonight following their nail biting 52-49 win over Japan.
Australia, Japan and New Zealand completed the double round robin Qualification Tournament tonight, with the Gliders and Japan earning spots at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics courtesy of their top two finishing positions.
Full story at Basketball Australia
Plus…
Basketball Australia in conjunction with Australian University Sport is pleased to announce the women’s team selected to represent Australia at the 2007 World University Summer Games.
2007 defencejobs Opals squad members Eva Afeaki and Samantha Richards head the 12-member team, which includes nine players from the defencejobs WNBL and three athletes based at American colleges.
Full story
Henin storms to third straight title
Tennis, from the WTA, June 9: Although it was seemingly her most effortless, Justine Henin's fourth Roland Garros title run this past fortnight was perhaps her most meaningful; with the support of her family for the first time, the Belgian continued to work her way deeper into the hearts of her adoring French fans with a resonant 61 62 rout of Ana Ivanovic.
Henin comes up trumps
Tennis: With all five of the pair's previous encounters going to three sets, the crowds thought they'd be in for a battle on Thursday afternoon as Justine Henin and Jelena Jankovic took the terre battue. But what resulted was far from it, as Henin cruised into her third straight Roland Garros final, where she'll face Ana Ivanovic.
Henin and Jankovic had compiled a deep, competitive rivalry over the last few years; although Henin had won every time, a three set pattern had emerged, including a pair of marathon matches in this year's clay court lead-up. But the Belgian's brilliance outshone Jankovic's fight, and apart from getting things back on serve in the early stages of the second set Jankovic was totally outclassed, falling quietly, 62 62.
"It was disappointing for me to lose like this but I think Justine was a way better player than me today," Jankovic said. "She just played flawlessly. Unfortunately I lost, but it was to the best player in the world, so nothing to be ashamed of."
Full story
Netball sponsor named
Foodstuffs’ New World supermarket chain has been announced as the naming rights sponsor for the 2007 World Netball Championships.
Australia is among 16 nations who will contest the Championships at the Trusts Stadium in Waitakere from November 10-17.
General Manager Retail Sales & Performance, Foodstuffs (Auckland) Limited, Mark Baker, said the naming rights sponsorship was a perfect fit for the company.
“Netball is one of New Zealand’s most popular sports, and many of our 131 New World stores support their local netball clubs and school netball teams. It’s great to be able to do something on a national scale like this,” Baker said.
World Netball Championships General Manager, Jane Patterson, said the organisation was delighted to have attracted a sponsor of New World’s calibre.
“Getting sponsorship for a major international event at short notice after the championships were moved from Fiji could have been challenging. We’re thrilled that a New Zealand-owned company such as Foodstuffs has been willing to support New Zealand hosting the championships,” she said.
Ticketing details
Surf Spree promised for 2008
 Layne Beachley's Womens Surf Spree Gears Up Already For 2008 After The Success Of The Inaugural Event.
With two world champions recently gracing the shorelines of Western Australia this year, both Kelly Slater and Layne Beachley have left the WA public wanting to see more of the champions of the sport.
While Slater was off sampling some of the waves down the South West corner of the state during the Margaret River Pro, it was Layne Beachley who stole the hearts of women from all ages at the inaugural Women’s Surf Spree.
The two day event provided a range of opportunities for women of all ages to meet this amazing female Australian athlete and to experience the pure joy of the sport of surfing. It was a huge success with Beachley winning the hearts and minds of all who participated and were involved.
Beachley gave a talk which was not only inspirational, but also amazing as she touched on the ups and downs of her career, growing up in a male dominated sport, how she got started in surfing, and how she has become the most successful female surfer in the world...
Full story at Surfing Australia
Race for the record books
Golf: A race for the record books will be underway at this week's 53rd annual McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola, as both Annika Sorenstam and Se Ri Pak will be battling for what could be their historic fourth victories in the event at Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre de Grace, Md.
Upon the completion of Thursday's first round, Pak will officially be the first South Korean to enter the LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame. With 23 career victories, the defending champion Pak has more than enough points to be eligible for the Halls of Fame. The 1998 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year only needs to complete 10 events in 2007 to fulfill the final requirement of 10 years of Tour membership.
Should Sorenstam (2003, 2004, 2005) or Pak (1998, 2002, 2006) win this week and take home the $300,000 first-place check from the $2 million purse, it would tie either of them with Mickey Wright (1958, 1960, 1961, 1963) for the most wins at this event in LPGA Tour history. In 2005, Sorenstam's win made her the first LPGA player to win a the same major in three consecutive years, while Pak's one-hole playoff victory over Karrie Webb in 2006 broke a two-year streak without a win.
Full story at the LPGA
Softball champs soon
 The Australian Under 19 Women’s softball team, Aussie Pride, will soon compete in the VIII International Softball Federation’s Junior Women’s World Championship.
In a little over a week, 17 players who have been selected, from an initial squad of 30, will represent Australia in Enschede, Netherlands from 20-30 June 2007.
Australia is one of 16 countries competing in the ISF Junior Women’s World Championship and with four years of preparation, Head Coach Leanne Evans is confident the young team will perform to high expectations.
“The world championship will see a very well balanced Australia team take to the diamond with a good mix of speed and power. I feel, compared to that of the 2003 team, it is a much stronger team offensively and defensively,” said Evans.
Australia is in Pool B and will be up against some tough competitors in the USA and Canada who will pose the biggest threat and strongest competition. Also in Pool B are Russia, Argentina, Italy, Botswana and Puerto Rico.
China played host to the seventh ISF Junior Women’s World Championship in 2003 where Australia finished third, picking up their second bronze medal at a Junior Women’s World Championship, after being defeated by USA 7-0 in the preliminary final.
China, Japan and the USA have dominated the medal tally at the Junior Women’s World Championships with Japan having won the last two and Evans is confident the Australian team will perform well saying that “given the team’s preparations in the lead-up to this championship have been against mainly senior teams (Chinese National team, Australian Open Women’s team and National Women’s League teams), the young squad has demonstrated their abilities to rise to any challenge to take on the best,” added Evans.
Evans who played in the first ever ISF Junior Women’s World Championship in 1981 said that her coaching style and experience as a player will provide extra benefit to the team.
“As a player and coach I have participated in many international events and will manage our game strategies to ensure we are positioned well and producing our best softball at the business end of the tournament” concluded Evans.
The junior women’s world championship team includes Alison Bourne (NSW), Sarah Bradley (NSW), Carly Cheesman (Vic), Clare Currie (ACT), Nicole Deegenaars (NSW), Ashleigh Deen (NSW), Chelsea Forkin (WA), Renee Gloss (NSW), Leigh Godfrey (WA), Monica Gray (Vic), Nikki Hollett (Vic), Verity Long-Droppert (WA), Nikki Pallister (ACT), Kaia Parnaby (NSW), Sheree Schenk (SA), Brooke Spence (Captain) (Qld), Erin Thras (Qld) and officials Leanne Evans (Head Coach), Shane Hughes (Assistant Coach), Marissa Carpadios (Specialist Coach), Chris Clough (Team Manager), Cheryl Dawes (Statistician), Sue Itzstein (Umpire) and Debbie Grove (Umpire).
Quarter finals for Paris tonight
Tennis: On Tuesday, eight will become four at Roland Garros, as the quarterfinalists at the year's second Grand Slam take to the court in Paris. All four matches are likely to give the spectators on Courts Philippe Chatrier and Suzanne Lenglen something to savor, but undoubtedly the match of the round will be the clash between world No.1 and reigning champion Justine Henin and eight-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams.
Full story
Netball festival confirmed
Netball Australia has reaffirmed its commitment to showcase the finale of the 11-year Commonwealth Bank Trophy competition across a festival-style weekend of celebration from August 17-19 in Sydney.
Sydney’s ACER Stadium will host three games over the weekend, with the semi-finals on Friday night, August 17 and the Grand Final on Sunday afternoon, August 19.
Television partners, ABC TV will broadcast all matches live across Australia on ABC 1 and ABC 2, further strengthening the reach of the finals series for all netball fans.
Netball Australia Chief Executive, Kate Palmer said she understood the concerns of teams who had voiced their desire to play a grand final in front of a home crowd.
“We understand their concerns but we also needed to consider increased opportunities to secure live television coverage, sponsors and spectators in this weekend festival-style finals format,” Palmer said.
“With certainty of venue and scheduling of matches, netball fans can now consider the options of attending what will be a fabulous weekend of celebration for the sport, or watching it live on ABC TV.
Johnson takes New York
Benita Johnson defended her title at the 29th Freihofer's Run for Women held in New York overnight. Breaking the finish tape in 15 minutes and 22 seconds, the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country champion earned $10,000 for her efforts.
Hanging at the back of the pack in the first kilometre climb, Johnson kept an eye on Kenya's Rose Kosgei who went right to the front with course record holder Asmae Leghzaoui. The 30-year old Moroccan was still at the front of the lead pack of seven at the 2 km mark but then put in a surge which quickly broke the race wide open.
It was a two-horse race from the 3km mark, however Johnson pulled away from Leghzaoui with 800 metres to go, flying down the final 400m slope - her finish time of 15:22 was only four seconds off the race record.
"I was running smart today," said Johnson after the race.
"I know she was hurting as much as me," Johnson said of the pint-size Moroccan who finished 10 seconds adrift in 15:32.
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