February 2011: Sports fans lick your lips . . . this weekend and the coming months promise a mouth-watering feast of sport.
The action promises to be hot, hot, hot this weekend as the Sharks finally get their Super XV campaign under way and the faithful flock to the renamed Mr Price King’s Park Stadium on Saturday to see the local franchise take on the Cheetahs.
Click here for our profile on rising star Lwazi Mvovo
Then there’s the Unlimited Dusi Canoe Marathon circus which steams into town on Saturday, with the main contenders dashing down the Umgeni for honours at about 8am (and thousands coming in much later). A KZN institution, the Dusi attracts a huge crowd of fans, family, supporters, this year there are even the Dusi Floozies . . . never mind the poor old exhausted paddlers.
The Unlimited Dusi Canoe Marathon: Click here
Back to the rugby briefly (and then straight into the cricket), while there’s general pride around town about the “King’s Park” bit returning to the stadium name, and about the Sharks’ prospects after a stunning 2010 Currie Cup campaign, the focus will simultaneously turn towards the Cricket World Cup which gets cracking in Mirpur, Bangladesh, where Bangladesh face India.
South Africa’s prospects in this tournament look fair: the Proteas skipper says he’s pleased with the youthful exuberance of the side and some of the exciting talent coming through, while the critics point out that a number of key players have now moved on and question our hitting power at the death. Also, how will our bowlers, and particularly spin attack, cope on the low and slow wickets of the sub-continent? Graeme Smith says he feels his side is more flexible this time round, and he has more options at hand. All will be revealed soon. See our blog here:
Do the Proteas have what it takes to win the World Cup? Vote in our poll, bottom right of the home page.
There’s also high expectations for the first ever cycling Tour of South Africa which gets into gear on . . . you guessed it, Saturday.
Oh and let’s not forget the Tri Nations to come later in the year, and the big one, The Rugby World Cup in New Zealand from September 9 to October 23. At the time of writing there were just over 200 days to go until kick-off. Come on P Divv and the boys, let’s get it together and keep the trophy in SA!
Sports fans can also pick up annual favourites such as the Champions League, FA cup, Premier Soccer League, Durban July, golf, Formula 1, ASP World Tour, Tour de France etc . . . so overall, what a great year to support your favourite team live, or be a couch potato. Enjoy. – Garth Johnstone