Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 10 January 12:30 pm

Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:

# We start off with Cricket: St George’s Park in Gqeberha will host the much-anticipated SA20 season two opener this evening. Defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape will get an early test of their credentials when they face Joburg Super Kings. The match promises to be an exhilarating encounter, with both teams possessing an abundance of stars that should provide some exciting match-ups. Proteas T20 captain Aiden Markram, who will again lead the Sunrisers, says he is excited:

# Soccer: Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has expressed concern about several injuries in the squad ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast. Several players, including captain Ronwen Williams and Themba Zwane, could not take part in the team’s final training session due to niggling injuries. Defender Mothobi Mvala is in doubt after he suffered a groin strain. Broos says it will be a huge blow for the team if Mvala is ruled out of Afcon:

# Rugby: Bulls coach Jake White says squad depth will be important over the next few weeks. The Bulls won’t have their Springboks available for the next two rounds of the Champions Cup, nor the United Rugby Championship derby against the Lions at the end of the month. This is a result of an enforced five-week break for all Springboks being decreed by SA Rugby. White says the focus now is their clash against Bristol on Saturday:

# Tennis: Australian Open chief Craig Tiley has defended the process of wildcard distributions. This comes after Arina Rodionova criticised Tennis Australia, claiming a personal vendetta cost her a wildcard into her home Grand Slam, despite being the country’s top-ranked women’s player. The 34-year-old suffered a straight-sets first-round loss in the Australian Open qualifying yesterday. Tiley says there are a lot of things that go into consideration in granting a player a wildcard, including age, current form, and how many matches they’ve played.

# And finally: Cape Town adventure swimmer Kim Prytz has etched her name in the record books by conquering the Robben Island Crossing swimming breaststroke. Prytz  swam the 19.8 kilometers in 14 hours, 13 minutes, and 3 seconds, without the assistance of a wetsuit. Dubbed the ‘Reconciliation Swim,’ this remarkable achievement also served a charitable purpose, as 49-year old Prytz dedicated her swim to supporting the Goedgedacht Trust. The trust actively contributes to the transformation of disadvantaged rural communities in the Western Cape.

Stay tuned for more news………….