Ireland scrap South Africa plan

Ireland have shelved plans to play South Africa at a neutral “non-traditional” venue in November after running out of time.

Jankovic knocked out of Pan Pacific Open

JELENA Jankovic's hopes of regaining her world No. 1 spot this week ended on when she crashed out of the Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament to Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarter-finals.

Jankovic edged out in Tokyo

JELENA Jankovic's hopes of regaining her world No. 1 spot this week ended on when she crashed out of the Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament to Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarter-finals.

France name strong Cup team

FRENCH hopes of a first-up Hopman Cup tennis triumph have been given a massive boost following confirmation that Alize Cornet will team up with Gilles Simon to represent the country.

Sack for teacher sent home 'in disgrace' from school trip

A TEACHER at one of Scotland's leading fee-paying schools, sent home in apparent disgrace from a student expedition to East Africa, has now been sacked.

Australia appoints coach Mantilla

TENNIS Australia has hired Felix Mantilla and acquired a Barcelona-based training facility to fasttrack the learning and development of clay-court skills among Australian players.

Bob Bryan out of Davis Cup semi

TOP-ranked US doubles tennis player Bob Bryan will miss this weekend's Davis Cup semi-final against Spain in Madrid due to a shoulder injury and was replaced by Mardy Fish.

Serena Williams Set To Serve Up Memoir In 2009

A memoir by Serena Williams will be released in 2009 by Grand Central
Publishing, which beat out a handful of other publishers bidding for
the life story of the No. 1 ranked women's tennis player.

Mac Snr wants top ATP job

JOHN McEnroe Sr, father of the most volatile tennis champion of the modern era, wants to run the men's game.

Simon retains Bucharest title

GILLES Simon retained the BCR Open Romania title in Bucharest, defeating Carlos Moya 6-3 6-4 in the final to boost his chances of contesting the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai.

Davydenko cleared in corruption probe

RUSSIAN tennis player Nikolay Davydenko has been cleared by the ATP of suspicion of corruption.

Du Toit Wins 4th Gold At Paralympics

Natalie Du Toit of South Africa won her fourth gold medal in swimming
at the Beijing Paralympics, taking the 400-meter freestyle on Friday in
a world-record time for her disability group.

Davydenko Cleared By ATP In Tennis Gambling Probe

Russian tennis star Nikolay Davydenko was cleared by the ATP on Friday
after a yearlong investigation into suspicious betting patterns on a
match he lost to a low-ranked opponent.

NHL Suspends Ruutu 2 Games For On-Ice Bite

Ottawa Senators forward Jarkko Ruutu has been suspended by the NHL for
two games without pay for biting Buffalo Sabres enforcer Andrew Peters.

BC Fires Jagodzinski After Coach Meets With Jets

Boston College fired Jeff Jagodzinski on Wednesday, days after he was
warned of dismissal if he interviewed for the coaching job with the New
York Jets.

Dallas Cowboys Release Adam 'Pacman' Jones

Troubled cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones must look elsewhere in the NFL for another chance. The Dallas Cowboys are done with him. Jones
was released Wednesday by the Cowboys following a turbulent season in
which he was suspended six games for an off-field scuffle and made
little impact on the field.

Georgia's Stafford, Moreno Enter 2009 NFL Draft

With Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno headed to the NFL, Georgia
probably won't have to worry about another preseason No. 1 ranking in
2009. Stafford, a junior who set a school record with 25
touchdown passes this season, and Moreno, only the second Georgia
player to rush for more than 1, 000 yards in consecutive seasons, said
Wednesday they are leaving school to enter the NFL draft.

Avs' Sakic Undergoes Back Surgery

Joe Sakic, already sidelined after a snow blower accident last month,
underwent surgery for a herniated disk on Wednesday and will need about
10 weeks to recover.

AP Source: Browns To Hire Mangini As Head Coach

Eric Mangini is the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns, a week
after being fired by the New York Jets. A person with knowledge of the
negotiations told The Associated Press that Mangini will be introduced
Thursday at a news conference at the team's headquarters in Berea. The
person spoke on condition of anonymity because Mangini's contract has
not been finalized.

AP Source: Hoffman, Brewers Close To Deal

Career saves leader Trevor Hoffman is closing in on a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. A
person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press the
sides are near an agreement. The person spoke on condition of anonymity
because the contract hadn't been completed Wednesday night.

Northwestern Falls To Wisconsin 74-45

Jason Bohannon scored a career-high 20 points and Wisconsin used a long second-half run to take control in a 74-45 victory over Northwestern on Wednesday.

L. T. Confirms Torn Tendon In Groin

LaDainian Tomlinson confirmed Wednesday that he has a torn tendon in
his groin and listed himself as doubtful for the San Diego Chargers'
playoff game at Pittsburgh on Sunday.

DePaul Smashed By Syracuse 85-68

DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright got a first-hand look at hot-shooting Andy Rautins and his Syracuse teammates, and he could only marvel at what they did to his Blue Demons.