The Glorious Sound Of Leather On Backside

THE sporting goods maker Gray-Nicolls has developed a cricket bat that can be used the wrong way round. Young and enthusiastic players, who seek novelty and disdain tradition, can use the back of the bat to hoick the ball over their heads to the boundary. All that guff about keeping a straight bat and getting to the pitch of the ball goes out the window, and rightly so. It has been holding back cricket for years. Presumably Gray-Nicolls will soon be offering a tennis racquet for those less ...

Boy Burnt In Jet Ski Accident

A TEENAGER who suffered burns to nearly half his body in a jet ski fire was probably saved by his lifejacket, his sister said yesterday. Josh Ritchie, 16, was enjoying Friday's public holiday in Queensland with friends on the Nerang River when their boat ran out of fuel at about 5.30pm.

Hit And Miss

Mixing fashion and fitness can be a challenge for even the highest sporting achievers.

Gerry To Net $143m On Rebel

RETAILER Harvey Norman stands to make a $143 million profit after agreeing to sell its majority holding in sporting goods retailer Rebel Sport to private equity outfit Archer Capital in a deal that values the company at nearly $370 million.

Privateers Circle Rebel Sport Speculation Suggests $5-a-share Bid Looms

AN UNNAMED private equity outfit is believed to be preparing a $400 million takeover bid for Australia's largest sporting goods retailer.

The Ten Controversies Over Sporting Equipment

1. Hair-gate

Adidas In Big Local Push

ADIDAS' $US3.8 billion ($A4.9 billion) move to swallow Reebok could have implications for the structure of the back-office operations of both sporting goods giants in Australia, industry watchers say, but is unlikely to affect adidas' recent sports marketing push here.

Hold The Front Page: Double Act Could Save Our Stories

With the departure of Shane Warne to Hampshire I am sure many people thought sport would not appear on the front page of the paper. Now Dwight Yorke has signed for Sydney FC, I am sure this will not be the case. Let's hope Dwight performs on the field as past headlines say he can off it. We can only hope Mark Bosnich is signed to play in Australia so the duo of Mark and Dwight will be reunited.

Olympics, Soccer Blow For Concept

Sporting goods merchandiser Concept Sports has put another dent in its finances by forfeiting a $2 million bank guarantee to the organisers of the Athens Olympics. And in more bad news from the sharemarket underperformer, losses from its retail operation at the Euro 2004 soccer tournament in Portugal are now expected to be three times worse than initially expected, while founding director Steven Rolton has resigned.

Pacific Peddles Malvern Star On Way To Float

Pacific Brands has taken the next step closer to a full public listing next year with the relaunch of its major Malvern Star and Repco sporting goods products.

Powerhouse Of Sport

A SPORTING exhibition which caters for people of all ages, gender and interests sounds like a tall order, but that is exactly what the Powerhouse Museum's latest exhibition, Sport: More Than Heroes and Legends, has been designed to do.

Bourse Cheers As Rebel Scores $16m Result

Rebel Sport's shares were yesterday pushed to an all-time high of $3.02, up 25c thanks to a jump in demand for sporting goods in the lead-up to next month's Rugby World Cup and the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Rebel Sport Signs Off A Winning Year

Rebel Sport's shares were yesterday pushed to an all-time high of $3.02, up 25 thanks to an upswing in demand for sporting goods in the lead-up to next month's Rugby World Cup and the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Nike Wants Champion

SPORTING-GOODS giant Nike yesterday said Cathy Freeman would remain a company spokeswoman, despite retiring from her sport.

Rebel Sport Awaits Win To Enhance Sales Performance

Sporting goods retailer Rebel Sport would love one Australian - anywhere, in any sport - to win. To hold a trophy aloft, glorious in his or her triumph, so that all the little tykes might rush off to their nearest Rebel store and buy, buy, buy.

Harvey Norman Gets A Winner

A few deft touches from Harvey Norman have turned around Rebel Sport's rundown results, with the sporting goods retailer reporting a record half-year profit and reinstating the interim dividend.

Pacdun Sale Date

The sale of Pacific Dunlop's clothing, footwear and sporting goods division, Pacific Brands, is expected to be completed by November 30.

Pacdun Set To Declare Sale Of Pacific

Pacific Dunlop is expected soon to announce the completion of the sale of its Pacific Brands clothing, footwear and sporting goods division to private equity group CVC Asia.

Rebel Optimistic On Profit Levels

Sporting goods retailer Rebel Sport Ltd was yesterday optimistic about the year ahead, despite being hit by a slow start to the ski season.

Watchdog Probes Fila Over Footy Products Deal

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has launched an investigation into sporting goods manufacturer Fila and its distribution of AFL products.