Latest - The Northern Mystics have defeated the Southern Steel 67-59 in a top of the table ANZ Premiership match in Auckland.
Grace Nweke Photo: www.photosport.nz
The Mystics led 16-15 after the first quarter before pulling away to an eight goal lead at halftime.
Mystics shooter Grace Nweke propelled her side to a 53-40 lead at the end of the third quarter, before the Steel made a late comeback to keep the scoreline respectable.
Nweke was a standout, nailing 45 from 46 goal attempts.
The victory is the Mystics fourth in a row, as they look to defend their title from 2021.
- The All Whites are bracketed in a tough Group E for this year's Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
If the New Zealand side beat Costa Rica in the inter-continental play-off in June, they will be in the same group as former champions Spain and Germany as well as Japan at the World Cup in November.
The draw for the 32-team tournament was made at an elaborate ceremony in Doha.
The tournament will be the first time football's top prize has been competed for in the Middle East with the hosts taking on Ecuador in the opening match.
King in line for best ever British Open finish
New Zealand squash player Joelle King is through to the semi-finals of the women's British Open for the first time.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The 33-year-old fifth seed beat British fourth seed Sarah-Jane Perry 12-10, 11-9, 11-5 in Hull to progress to the final four.
King's semi-final against Egypt's second seed Hania El Hammamy will be played on Sunday.
Hania El Hammamy quickly beat Tinne Gilis 11-4, 11-3, 11-5 to get through to the semi-finals.
Waratahs welcome back Wallabies captain with win
Wallabies captain Michael Hooper has made a successful comeback as the Waratahs crushed an ill-disciplined Fijian Drua 38-14 on the Gold Coast.
Michael Hooper. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Hooper played the entire second half in his first outing since suffering a foot injury while playing for Australia in November.
The champion openside flanker made an immediate impact but really didn't need to as the Drua proved their own worst enemy at Cbus Super Stadium on Friday night.
The Drua spent half an hour playing a man short after their normally inspirational captain Nemani Nagusa was red-carded for a late and high tackle on Tane Edmed, then halfback Frank Lomani copped a yellow for a third illegal tackle.
The Waratahs punished the Drua immediately after both dismissals, piling on 24 points in the influential duo's absence.
Women umpires for Women's Cricket World Cup final
In a first for a global cricket, four women match officials will oversee the final of the Women's Cricket World Cup to be played between Australia and England at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Sunday.
New Zealand's Kim Cotton. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
As part of its strategic commitment to a gender equitable sport, the ICC has focused on increasing the number of international female match officials, with women comprising eight of the 15 match officials at this event.
India's GS Lakshmi has been named as the Match Referee for the final.
Lauren Agenbag of South Africa and Kim Cotton of New Zealand will be the two on-field umpires while West Indies' Jacqueline Williams, who in 2020 became the first female to officiate as the Third Umpire in a men's international match, will also take charge as the TV Umpire here. Langton Rusere of Zimbabwe will be the Fourth Umpire.
Cotton was the only woman match official in the final of the Women's T20 World Cup 2020 between Australia and India at the MCG.
South African spinner stars seven years after last international
South African off-spinner Simon Harmer took all the wickets in his first test appearance for seven years as Bangladesh reached 98 for four at the close of play on a gloomy second day of the first test at Kingsmead on Friday.
The tourists are 269 runs behind South Africa's first innings total of 367 in which Temba Bavuma fell seven runs short of a century, with the depleted home side, who are without their entire first-choice pace attack, taking control of the game with spin.
Opener Mahmudul Hasan Joy (44 not out) will resume on the third morning with nightwatchman Taskin Ahmed (0 not out), but the visitors were undone by some controlled slow bowling from Harmer (4-42) and Keshav Maharaj (0-24), who strangled the run rate as they conceded only 66 runs in 39 overs between them.
The pick of Harmer's wickets was that of Najmul Hossain Shanto (38) as the ball pitched on middle stump and turned to hit the top of off.
Harmer had played the last of his five tests in 2015 before embarking on a career in English county cricket but has been recalled with a number of South Africa's bowlers missing at the Indian Premier League.
-Reuters