King of the hill: Ronnie O’Sullivan

2009 World Snooker Rankings is a snapshot of the very best the sport has to offer. The Essex born Ronnie Sullivan finished the 2008/2009 season as the highest ranked pool player on the back of his fantastic start to the year, which sadly tapered off. Having won several snooker championships, including the Northern Ireland Trophy 2008, his bad form later in the year, culminating in a shock loss to Ricky Walden, upset O’Sullivan. With that behind him, the Ronnie O’Sullivan of old looked to be back in in claiming the 2009 Shanghai Masters.

The contender: Stephen Maguire

The 28-year old Stephen Maguire who turned pro at the young age of 17 had a decidedly awful 2009. Having leaped to second place in 2008, he was allowed to retain his second place spot on the 2009 World Snooker Ranking as a result of reaching the quarterfinals in six major snooker championships. But, not reaching a single final all season has weighed heavy on him and could crush his confidence if he doesn’t find form soon.

The rest

Shaun Murphy, John Higgins and Allister Carter round off the top five, with Murphy, Maguire and O’Sullivan making nearly £650,000 in prize tour money from snooker championships the season before.

As for would-be part-time pool hustlers playing for less, to get to this level, one needs to practice constantly. The kind of practice that would require one owned a pool table or snooker table, with the appropriate props and adequate competition. It’s a completely different league of ability at the top of the 2009 World Snooker Rankings.

Massive public investment

Guests can expect a unique blend of African hospitality and western modernity and comfort. The country, and its major host cities Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban have in recent years undertaken the massive task of upgrading facilities, stadiums and transport systems to accommodate the influx of an expected 500 000 foreign visitors over the six week tournament. New stadiums, purpose built for the 2010 Football World Cup have been built – Soccer City in Johannesburg inspired by the bowl-shape of the African calabash will host the final and 94,700 fans on the 11 July.

Cape Town, widely believed to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, has a spectacular addition in the Cape Town (Green Point) stadium. This modern and sleek European based ‘canvas-facade’ sealed 70,000 seater would be equally at home in major European city. Guests based in the southern tip of the country will be able to catch the on-field action all the way up to the semi-final draw. Despite being winter, over the interior of the country the weather will be fine and dry, so be sure to bring sunglasses and sunscreen if you’re making your way south for the Cup.

Culture and comfort combined

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) has ensured the public and foreign partners that every measure will be taken to ensure a successful and enjoyable 2010 World Cup tournament. Transport links from airports, and within the city, will ferry players, teams and guests to the matches. Parks for fans will be in place to bring the action to thousands of fans via giant screen TVs.

Host cities throughout the country have also gone through a tremendous process of maintenance, upgrading and preparation of public areas, amenities and facilities. Many South Africans are leasing their properties, apartments and villas to guests, with services and travel arrangements all inclusive in these hospitality packages over the tournament. Prices for these packages range from the affordable to luxurious. Owners asking as much as £22 000 a week for penthouse arrangements in the exclusive suburbs of Camps Bay, Clifton and Sandton.

Exciting soccer action

The World Cup 2010 action promises to be as exciting as ever, with relative minnows taking on the giants off the football world. Favourites include Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany – support your team all the way to the final! The big question is, can the local side Bafana Bafana, led by coach Carlos Parreira, stage a near miraculous effort and go well past the group stages. With the support of the local fans, as passionate as any of the dominant football playing nations of the world surprise results could be on the cards. Surely this African spectacle will prove to be a melting pot of passion, culture and celebration. Viva Africa! Viva 2010!

Cheering for victory

England Captain Johnny Wilkinson has a lot to prove after his gut wrenching defeat at Muarrayfield two years ago. England fans, however, are supportive, and will be cheering for the team to lead in victory against their opponents at the finals.

For every fan

To make sure that English rugby fans remain happy, upbeat and positive, there are a few essentials for every English rugby fan.

Finding a place to relax and get together with people who are as fanatic about the game as you are is important. Whether it is at a house, a pub, or if you have been lucky enough to have scored tickets to a match, being with like minded people makes all the difference in the world.

Rugby fans travelling abroad may need to brush up on their foreign language skills, as well as their knowledge of cultures and customs of the countries they will be visiting. And if you are one of the lucky ones watching the game abroad, be sure to get hold of some rugby gear to let your team know you’re rooting for them.

On the web

For die-hard rugby fans who are following more than the Six Nations Tournament, but don’t have to time to catch all the games, websites like SCRUM .com keep score of all the matches, so rugby fans can have their finger on the pulse, no matter which team is playing on either side of the globe.

Six Nations Rugby tickets are selling fast, so be sure to get yours for the final game as soon as possible.

8 April – 11 April

Tee-off is scheduled for 8 April, with the final hole being played on 11 April. The 2010 US Masters is the first major in the 2010 PGA tour and, as such, often carries the weight and excitement of months of speculation in the lead up to the tournament.

The Tiger Woods factor

Though many would like to draw attention away from it, it is rumoured that the 2010 US Masters will be the first major tournament the returning Tiger Woods will play in since his highly publicised personal scandal. The player, who had taken an indefinite leave of absence from golf, seems to have put his worries behind him and, if he does compete, will surely be the bookie’s favourite to win the tournament. Outside of just Tiger, major sponsor Nike will see first-hand if their decision to keep Tiger Woods, while other sponsors like Gillette dropped him, pays off.

A place for records

The 2010 US Masters will have a tough time following the record-breaking act last year’s Masters resulted in. The final hole, contested between Argentine Angel Cabrera and Kenny Perry saw Perry all but throw away a sure lead with a double bogey and Cabrera needed the assistance of a tree to stay in contention.

In victory, Cabrera became the lowest ranking player to ever win a major, only the second Argentine to win any major, and the very first Argentinean player to win one of the biggest accolades in all of Golf – the US Open.

The 2010 US Masters, the official ‘major’ curtain raiser to the 2010 PGA Tour, starts 8 April 2010.?

Rooney grabbed headlines after coming on as a forty second minute substitute for Michael Owen, who was benched due to a hamstring injury that has bothered him throughout his career.

Next up: UEFA

Now that the Carling Cup is over, Football fans will have to find ways to pass the time before the next big championship match, the UEFA Championship Football League, starts later on this year. Luckily there are plenty of ways to keep eager football fans occupied until kick-off.

In the meantime…

For starters, fans can keep their heads in the game and their minds active by turning on that game console that has probably been sitting in the corner, collecting dust while the Carling Cup has been on. Popping in one of the many football games that are out there may just be the fix that football fans need.

Getting a bunch of friends together for a friendly football match, or joining a football club, is a great way to stay in touch with the game. Kicking a ball around with mates after work is an easy and fun way to relax, de-stress and get some exercise.

After all that exercise, why not pop down to your nearest local and have a pint or two with some friends. If you’re really fiending for more football then take part in a football quiz night, or visit the National Football Museum.

By the time the next Championship Football League starts again fans will surely have their fingers on the football pulse.

The sixteen time Grand Slam tennis champion is known for his breakthrough and dominance, and says he is happy to have started the year on such a positive note. His win seems to have paved the way for the next set of challenges he will be facing in 2010.

Number one

Ranking as the tennis world’s number one player certainly has its perks, and as far as endorsement deals go, Federer seems to have struck the right chord with big names such as Gillette, Lindt, Rolex, Nike and Wilson to name a few.

So what makes a world number one tennis pro? For a start, the right shoes can make all the difference. Federer has a lucrative ten -ear endorsement deal with Nike, and wears the Vapor V Tennis shoe when he’s on the court. As for tennis rackets, the Grand Slam tennis champion uses a Wilson K Factor KSix One Tour Tennis Racket when he beats and dominates his opponents.

Down time

Down time is an important factor for the tennis pro, and when he isn’t training or participating in championship tennis tournaments he takes time out to relax with his wife and two daughters. And believe it or not, he enjoys playing sports other than tennis, including golf and football.

Hard work and intense training factor into Federer’s success in the world of championship tennis, but he has been known to carry a good luck charm with him in the form of a tweety bird dressed as a ladybug. Hey, if it works for one of the greatest tennis players of all time, it could work for your everyday tennis player, dreaming of making it in the big leagues one day.

Fifa’s official ticketing procedure

From Fifa’s official ticketing site, 2010 World Cup tickets have been sold in phases. The first three phases are now complete, with the fourth phase, having been started on 9 February, currently in progress. Tickets in this phase are available on a first come first serve basis, with this phase closing on 7 April, and the final phase starting on 15 April until the end of the tournament.

Ticket prices

The 2010 World Cup tickets are available in a range of pricing, depending on where you’re seated in the stadium, and which stage in the tournament games are being attended in. Tickets for the opening match are in the £120-£270 range. Group stage matches will cost between £48 and£97. The second rounds tickets are priced at £60-£120. Quarter-finals tickets start at £90 and top off at £181. And, finally, tickets for the semis are in the £151-£362 range with the finals, the most expensive match, costing between £241 and £543.

Football mania

While the lucky few who can go abroad snap up the remaining 2010 World Cup tickets, homebound fans have many options for viewing the football with unprecedented clarity. Freeview HD has been rolled out into many homes across the United Kingdom, with a large part of the marketing campaign to sell the necessary set-top boxes and HD TVs being centered around football. London is set to be the location of one of Fifa’s many global fan parks, and pubs nationwide are expecting fans to pack themselves in to make the experience as sociable as possible.