In the third part of our 'Year in review', Phil Coetzer looks back at July, August and September — a VERY busy time in 2007.

JULY: Raikkonen kept his F1 championship hopes alive with two wins on the trot, whilst Alonso won the European GP in Germany, with Hamilton failing to finish on the podium for the first time. Wimbledon concluded on the first full weekend of July, as Venus Williams defeated surprise finalist Marion Bartoli in straight sets in the ladies' draw, before world number one Roger Federer won his fifth consecutive men's title — after an epic five-set battle against Nadal.

The Tour de France got underway in London, with the organisers desperate to repair the damage caused in 2006 by the Operation Puerto scandal and the subsequent doping sagas, especially the Floyd Landis case. But things went from bad to worse for the sport, as prominent riders continued to fail dope tests. T-mobile captain Patrik Sinkewitz started a procession of bans and withdrawals from the 2007 race — eventually won by Alberto Contador — after he tested positive for excessive testosterone. A highlight amidst the chaos were the amazing performances of Robbie Hunter and the Barloworld team, with Hunter winning Stage 11 and ending second in the overall points classification.

The Tri-Nations was dumped in controversy when the Springboks sent an under-strength squad to Australasia, resting various star players as precaution for the impending World Cup. Australian officials were livid with the Boks, but were nearly left with egg on their faces as the Springboks narrowly lost the Sydney Test after taking a 17-0 lead. On the domestic rugby scene, the Currie Cup continued quietly as the rugby world focused on the preparations for the sixth IRB World Cup in France.

Golf's holy grail was contested once again in the 136th edition of the Open Championship. The event was held at Carnoustie in Scotland, with Irishman Padraig Harrington beating off the challenge of Spain's Sergio Garcia in a dramatic play-off. MotoGP fans saw Dani Pedrosa win the German GP at the Sachsenring, before eventual champion Casey Stoner asserted his dominance in the United States GP at the Laguna Seca race track. Elsewhere, South Africa wrapped up their short cricket tour to Ireland with defeat to India in the Future Cup ODI series, whilst England suffered home series defeats to the West Indies (ODI) and India (Test).

AUGUST: On 7 August, San Francisco Giants baseball star Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run to break Hank Aaron's all-time career home run record. The world's number one female golfer, Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, won her first Major title, the Women's British Open. Tiger Woods, meanwhile, secured his 13th Major title by claiming his fourth PGA Championship at Southern Hills. Elsewhere, the Barclays Premiership got underway, England's cricketers could manage only a draw against India at the Oval, and lost the Test series 1-0, whilst the Proteas completed a routine 3-0 ODI sweep over Zimbabwe in preparation for the World Twenty20.

Three drivers dominated the Formula One scene in August. Lewis Hamilton showed he was no flash in the pan with an impressive victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix, Felipe Massa turned the tables as he topped the podium in the Turkish GP, but 2006 world champion Fernando Alonso had the last laugh in August with a win at Monza in the Italian GP. Casey Stoner marched relentlessly towards the MotoGP world title with another victory in the Czech Republic GP.

SEPTEMBER: A busy Barclays Premiership and local soccer month was dominated by the IRB Rugby World Cup in France, which kicked-off on 7 September, and the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup, which started just four days later in South Africa.

The RWC gathered a steady pace right from Day One as hosts France lost to Argentina first up, whilst the T20 WC was a big hit — excuse the pun! The FIFA Women's World Cup commenced in China on 10 September. Germany — who defended their title, without conceding a single goal — dominated proceedings to such an extent that they strolled to an eye-catching 11-0 demolition of Argentina, before beating Brazil 2-0 in the final.

The US Open tennis tournament concluded on 9 September, with Roger Federer once again claiming the title. This was his fourth consecutive US Open title, and his third Grand Slam of the year. Justine Henin also cemented her number one world ranking with a straight-sets win over Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The Formula One season shaped towards an exciting finale, as Kimi Raikkonen fought doggedly to cut Lewis Hamilton's lead in the driver's standings, by winning the Belgian Grand Prix. Hamilton struck back immediately with victory in the Japanese Grand Prix. This victory seemed to tilt the title race in Hamilton's favour, yet no-one expected the Brit to encounter such misfortune in the last two races. Casey Stoner won his third consecutive MotoGP with victory in the San Marino GP, and despite wins later in the month for Valentino Rossi (Portugal GP) and Loris Capirossi (Japan GP), it was clear that the young Australian would lift the world title, bar injury or tragedy. Sadly, the world of rally driving mourned the passing of former world champion Colin McRae, who died in a helicopter crash on 15 September. The Scot was only 39 years old.

Closer to home, the Currie Cup began nearing the play-offs, with the Cheetahs dominating, despite suffering a shock away loss to Western Province.

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