Yes we know it’s March already, and for that we do humbly apologise. We are building a snazzy new tool for the Sport24 awards and were really hoping to have it ready for the January nominations. But alas, and after putting it off, and putting it off, we have had to go with the same system we had last year to start off with. Sorry, but we WILL be ready for our February nominations early next week … Please bear with us.

In the interim, and after MUCH deliberation and in-fighting, the Sport24 team have announced their Performers, Plonkers and Pictures for the month of January 2009.

Every month the Sport24 editorial team will announce nominations for a performance (someone who stole the limelight that month), a plonker (a team or person who has not covered themselves in glory) and picture of the month (the one that makes you go "Ahhh"). Readers are then asked to vote for the nominee that best deserves the award...

So without further ado, then, the January nominations are...

PERFORMANCE: 

GRAEME SMITH
Need we say more? His decision to go out to bat at No 11, while nursing two painful injuries, to try to save the dead-rubber Test for his country at the Sydney Cricket Ground is the stuff of folklore. The skipper’s never stood accused of lacking old-fashioned guts …

GINIEL DE VILLIERS
The Dakar rally may presently be staged a million miles from that destination (in South America, nogal!) but the South African still made us all proud by winning the auto section of the mega-gruelling event.

STEVEN PIENAAR
The Everton and Bafana midfielder was hailed in the UK press for being a “ceaseless engine” in a fierce Monday-night, Merseyside Premiership derby draw with Liverpool. He shone in another draw with Arsenal a few days on. Good omen for the World Cup?

HENRY DAVIDS
It was one of those “were you there?” moments – the Cape Cobras batsman’s withering assault on the Warriors attack for a century (112 off 48 balls) and the best ever individual score in the Standard Bank Pro20 competition. Pure Kaboom …

ALBIE MORKEL
The first game in the one-day series in Australia, and South Africa were faltering worryingly in their chase. Enter our Albie: 40 not out off 18 eventful balls, four sixes … 1-0, goodbye Aussies! 


PLONKERS:

And in the not so serious plonker category... Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the biggest plonker of them all?

MBULELO MABIZELA
Going AWOL from training, a drunk driving charge in Maritzburg … no wonder Sundowns finally said “enough” and placed long-troubled defender ‘OJ’ on the transfer list!

CAPE COBRAS
OK, the MTN Domestic Championship game against the Eagles at Paarl was reduced to 24 overs per side, but that was still no excuse for a Cobras batting horror show: a record 39 all out! Money back please, Mr Gateman …

ANDRE NEL
No stranger to Cricket South Africa’s disciplinary committee, big Nella was at it again this month, carpeted for verbal indiscretions, to put it politely, in a game between the Lions and Cobras at … yes, Paarl again!

AJAX CAPE TOWN
It was all in the family in the Ajax dressing room as a bout of handbags allegedly erupted between team-mates, with midfielder Mkhanyiseli Siwahla and Brett Evans rumoured to be among the friendly-fire scrappers. Save it for the opposition, and all that.

COBUS VISAGIE
Old big mouth was at it again as Saracens visited Cape Town for a pre-season friendly against the Stormers, suggesting that his former team pulled down scrums because of their shortcomings in the engine room. The ex-Bok big bek - er, sorry, tighthead - also said fellow-veteran Daan Human (now in France) remained the best South African loosehead! Any more pearls of wisdom?

PHOTOS

In a bid to deservedly salute the photographers doing the hard graft on the sidelines. Sport24 have put together a gallery of the "Best of the Best" pictures of the month of January. They're guaranteed to leave you speechless. Best of the Best pictures


Reader voting

Readers monthly votes will decide the 12 finalists in each category, and it is from those 12 finalists that Sport24 will decide their Star, Plonker and Picture of the Year in December.

To cast your vote, either by SMS or e-mail, head to the Sport24 awards page - Cast your vote HERE