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Kazuma Kobori was the best of the Kiwi players at the Japan-Australasia Championship tied sixth PHOTO: PGA OF AUSTRALIA Australian Travis Smyth has won the inaugural ISPS HANDA Japan Australasia Championship at Royal Auckland & Grange Golf Club, making a birdie on the sixth sudden death hole. Smyth finished ahead of countryman Jack Thompson to win the final tournament of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s three-week stretch in New Zealand. LATEST HEADLINES: Paul Coll wins NZ Squash Open title Black Caps lose to Indiia in T20 Cup   Liam Lawson 13th at Australian GP Auckland FC draw with Perth Glory White Ferns easy win vs Zimbabwe The pair were tied on 15-under-par after a thrilling final round that saw seven professionals lead outright or co-lead at some stage. Thompson equaled the course record with a final round eight-under-64 while the eventual champion carded his third successive five-under-67 to finish a shot ahead of Justin De Los Santos from the Philippines following regulation play. DP World Tour player and the Kiwi pre-tournament favourite Kazuma Kobori finished as the best of the 17 Kiwis in the field, sharing sixth-place at 12-under-par. Before the playoff began, Thompson had waited almost two hours watching challengers fall short of his total, before Smyth rolled in a clutch birdie to match. The par-5 18th green on the composite course didn’t yield a single birdie in the playoff, prompting a switch to the short par-4 third to try and find a result. Smyth eventually drove the green and two-putted for birdie to win the inaugural title and claim the winners share of the A$1.2 million prize purse. Of the seven Kiwis who made the weekend, Kobori and Voke were in contention heading into today’s final round. The pre-tournament favourite, Kobori, put up a valiant title effort, but was unfortunately unable to conjure the same magic he displayed in rounds one and three, shooting a one-under-71 with four birdies and three bogeys on his scorecard this afternoon. Royal Auckland and Grange members Voke and Cameron Harlock had memorable weeks in front of their home fans, finishing in equal 11th and 15th respectively. Voke finished a shot behind Kobori following rounds of 70, 66, 70, and 71, while Harlock stormed up the leaderboard over the final three days, shooting scores of 73, 69, 68, and 68. Michael Hendry and Kerry Mountcastle finished off their three-week domestic stretch in a tie for 35th at five-under, while local amateur Ryan Xie finished in a tie for 60th at one-under after equaling the course record in round three. Josh Geary rounded out the Kiwi contingent that made the cut, finishing on a even-par total in a tie for 62nd.

Paul Coll and sister-in-law Tinne Gilies - winners of the NZ Squah Open titles PHOTO: PSA SQUASH TOUR Kiwi world No.2 Paul Coll has powered his way through to a third consecutive New Zealand Open title in emphatic style after defeating a physically fatigued Mohamad Zakaria in straight games. Coll entered the final on the back of flawless wins over Eain Yow Ng and Iker Pajares, and the World No.2 picked up where he left off from those matches, motoring through to the title virtue of an 11-7, 11-2, 11-5 victory. LATEST HEADLINES: Black Caps lose to Indiia in T20 Cup Liam Lawson 13th at Australian GP Auckland FC draw with Perth Glory White Ferns easy win vs Zimbabwe Blues back after beating Crusaders Returning to court less than 24 hours after his 125-minute marathon match against Joel Makin, World No.9 Zakaria struggled to match the physical intensity of Coll. After winning a lengthy 17-minute first game, there was no stopping Coll with the finish line in sight. Playing in front of his friends and family, the 33-year-old put the hammer down to secure his 31st PSA Tour title after just 38 minutes of play. “Yeah, it’s amazing,” Coll said after the match, “I was pretty excited, but also pretty nervous coming into this week. It’s one of the biggest ones for me to win, and when it’s a packed-out theatre in your hometown, there’s always a little bit of nerves. “Especially those last couple of rounds, I got a lot of goosebumps just walking down [through the theatre], so I had to come on and control myself on court. It really is dreams come true for me.” Meanwhile, in the women’s final, Tinne Gilis overcame older sister Nele in four games to lift her first title on the PSA Squash Tour since October 2024. Top seed Tinne, who entered the match with just one win from her nine meetings with Nele on the PSA Tour, moved through to lift the Silver-level title by an 11-6, 5-11, 12-10, 11-9 scoreline. Result – Men’s Final: New Zealand Squash Open 2026 [1] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [3] Mohamad Zakaria (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-2, 11-5 (38m) Result – Women’s Final: New Zealand Squash Open 2026 [1] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt [3] Nele Gilis (BEL) 3-1: 11-6, 5-11, 12-10, 11-9 (79m)

Tim Seifert scored another half centgury for the Black Caps but India were too storong PHOTO: ICC The Black Caps have been beaten by Indiia in the final of the T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad in front of over 100,000 fans. India won by 96 runs after batting first and scored 255-6 thanks mainly to a top three of Sanju Samson making 89Abhishek Sharma 52 and Ishan Kishan with 54. LATEST HEADLINES: Liam Lawson 13th at Australian GP Auckland FC draw with Perth Glory White Ferns easy win vs Zimbabwe Blues back after beating Crusaders Paul Coll into NZ Squash Open final The surprise wicket taker was James Neesham with 3-46 from his four overs. Rachin Ravindra and Matt Henry both took a wicket each. At bat there were just three New Zealanders who reached double figures. Tim Seifert completed his fourth consecutive half century with 52 from 26 balls including two fours and five sixes, but Finn Allen fell for nine, Ravindra one, Glenn Phillips five and Mark Chapman three. Daryl Mitchell mad 17 from 11 with two sixes. But it came down to a captains knock from Mitchell Santner with43 from 35 balls featuring two sixes and three fours to add any credibility. Neesham went for eight, Henry no score, Lockie Ferguson was not out six and Jaco Duffy out for three in the total of 159 in 19 overs. Star Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah took an astonishing 4-15 from his four overs and Axar Patel 3-27 to win the final.

Liam Lawson and teammate Arvind Lindblad had very different Australian Grand Prix PHOTO: VISA CASH APP RACING BULLS A Mercedes one-two as George Russell has led home teammate Kimi Antonelli for the race win at Formula 1's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Charles Leclerc claimed third from Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari's as the lead was traded between the quartet throughout the race in fine conditions. LATEST HEADLINES: Auckland FC draw with Perth Glory White Ferns easy win vs Zimbabwe Blues back after beating Crusaders Paul Coll into NZ Squash Open final Lawson qualifies 8th Australian GP Multiple world champion Max Verstappen made his way from 20th to finish sixth New Zealand's Liam Lawson started eighth on the grid, but finished in 13th after at one stage dropping as low as 20th. He appeared to stall at the start of the race. He had previously said that he was surprised the car had done so well in qualifying and had voiced concerns about the battery in the car. Even on the formation lap he stated his car was not charging but was told it would be okay. Lawson's rookie teammate Arvind Lindblad went from ninth on the grid to finish eighth in his first drive in F1. It wasn't a great day for driver s from Australasia with Oscar Piastri crashing out of his home race prior to the start.

Auckland FC scored first but ended up in a stalemate with Perth Glory PHOTO: A-LEAGUE Auckland FC have dropped two crucial points in the race for the Premiers Plate after drawing 2-2 with Perth Glory in a thrilling clash at Go Media Stadium. It took the home side just seven minutes to break the deadlock and it came from the boot of in-form striker Sam Cosgrove, who lashed a powerful low effort into the back of the net from the edge of the box after Perth failed to clear their lines from a set-piece. LATEST HEADLINES: White Ferns easy win vs Zimbabwe Blues back after beating Crusaders Paul Coll into NZ Squash Open final Lawson qualifies 8th Australian GP Chiefs, Hurricanes score big wins Auckland almost doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Cosgrove played Guillermo May through on goal but the Uruguayan drilled his shot wide of the far post. Completely against the run of play Perth Glory levelled things up in the 39th minute as Brian Kaltak escaped the marking of close friend and former Mariners teammate Dan Hall to head home the equaliser from a corner. Cosgrove came close to reestablishing Auckland’s lead early in the second half but the Englishman’s towering header was tipped over the bar by Perth keeper Matt Sutton before the shotstopper then pulled off a stunning save to deny Cam Howieson. Despite their dominance though it was Perth who took the lead in the 57th minute as Stefan Colacovski latched on to a precise through ball from Luca Tevere before dispatching the ball beyond Michael Woud. The Glory goalscorer was then booked for celebrating in front of the Auckland active support, with his actions instigating some push and shove on the byline between both sets of players. Auckland weren’t behind for long though as Cosgrove connected with Francis De Vries’ pinpoint cross and powered a header towards goal which hit the post and then the trailing leg of goalkeeper Sutton. The goal was initially chalked off due to an apparent foul inside the box but a quick VAR check saw referee Declan Woods overturn his initial decision. Both sides threw caution to the wind in the final stages as Perth went close to bagging the winner through Adam Taggart, however both sides were forced to settle for a point. The result leaves Auckland second on the ladder but now four points behind league leaders Newcastle Jets before their meeting next weekend.

Ameila Kerr is congratulated on one of her seven wickets for the White Ferns against Zimbabwe in the second ODI in Dunedin PHOTO: ICC The White Ferns have once again thrashed Zimbabwe, this time in the second ODI in Dunedin. New Zealand captain Amelia Kerr put paid to any decent total from the visitors taking 7-34 from 9.1 overs as Zimbabwe capitulated for 102 runs. LATEST HEADLINES: Blues back after beating Crusaders Paul Coll into NZ Squash Open final Lawson qualifies 8th Australian GP Chiefs, Hurricanes score big wins NZ Warriors big win over Roosters Wicketkeeper Modester Mupachikwa top-scored with 32 runs. Only three other players reached double figures, one of them Kelis Ndhlovu retired hurt on 12 after being hit by a Bree Illing bouncer. In their turn at bat the White Ferns scored 106-2 to ease to an eight wicket victory. Amelia Kerr started slowly to finish on 45 from 40 balls with six four and one six. Izzy Gaze made 20 while Maddy Green was not out 27 and Brooke Halliday seven not out as they reached the scored in the 17th over.

Codemeru Vai gets airborne to score for the Blues in the win over the Crusaders PHOTO: SHANE WENZLICK/LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY The Blues have reignited their season with a 29-13 Suepr Rugby Pacific win over the Crusaders at Eden Park. The hosts rebounded from last week’s narrow defeat at Canberra, putting themselves into the top four for the time being. LATEST HEADLINES: Paul Coll into NZ Squash Open final Lawson qualifies 8th Australian GP Chiefs, Hurricanes score big wins NZ Warriors big win over Roosters Phoenix take point from Adelaide It was the Blues’ wingers in the action early as the hosts took a commanding 19-3 lead after 21 minutes. All Black Caleb Clarke picked up where he left off last week, scoring twice in the first nine minutes. It came after the Crusaders were reduced to 14 after a high shot from Dom Gardiner cancelled out Jamie Hannah’s try. The Blues made the late switch to elevate Beauden Barrett into the starting side in his first appearance of 2026, and it paid dividends with one of the finishes of the year. Barrett produced a stabbing kick for Codemeru Vai, who showed great athleticism to collect and put the ball down within inches of the in-goal sideline. However, a yellow card to Clarke for a deliberate knock-down allowed the Crusaders to mount a late first-half charge to reduce the lead to six at the break. Codie Taylor got their opening try of the game, followed over by Rivez Reihana, who started and ended an electric series after putting in the initial kick, before diving over from Noah Hotham’s flick pass. Clarke returned to the field after the break and quickly made up for his infringement, completing his hat-trick and giving them a 12-point lead. It allowed the hosts to control the rest of the contest as their defensive shutout any half-chance from the defending champions. The Crusaders’ best chance came with ten minutes to go, with a clutch tackle dislodging the ball right under the posts. Barrett’s late penalty put the result beyond doubt, ending a four-game drought at Eden Park against the Crusaders. Meanwhile, it leaves the reigning premiers desperate for victory ahead of next week’s southern derby against the Highlanders. Blues 29 (Clarke 3, Vai: Barrett 3 cons; 1 Pen) Crusaders 13 (Taylor, Reihana tries; Reihana 1 pen)

Paul Coll is close to another NZ Squash Open title reaching the final with ease in Christchurch PHOTO: PSA SQUASH TOUR Paul Coll is one win away from back-to-back New Zealand Squash Open titles at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch after a 11-4, 11-5, 11-1 win over unseeded Spaniard Iker Pajares. After a lengthy wait owing to a marathon first men's semi-final, Coll from Greymouth showed little sign of weariness rattling off seven straight points en route to clinching the opening game. LATEST HEADLINES: Lawson qualifies 8th Australian GP Chiefs, Hurricanes score big wins NZ Warriors big win over Roosters Phoenix take point from Adelaide Paul Coll closer to NZ Open final Pajares looked to lift in the second game, mixing his lengths and angles, but Coll never seemed to be troubled. Much like his quarter final win, it was the precision of the backhand and a calmness in long rallies that saw him continue his charge. The 11-5 second game proved a dagger to the confidence of Pajares, who appeared defeated early in the third. Coll duly pounced with a convincing final game to wrap up the match in 37 minutes. "Teeing off at 10.00pm two hours late, I really had to make sure I was switched on mentally for that one,” said the world No 2 Coll. “I knew how I wanted to play, but it was still about constructing my rallies, playing proper squash and not just trying to get off [quickly] or switching off. “I’m very happy overall. My squash felt good, but I'm more happy with the mental focus.” A difference in court time tonight could be a significant factor in tomorrow’s final. Coll will face Egyptian Mohamad Zakaria after the two-time junior world champion outlasted second seed and world number six Joel Makin in a two hour five minute five game thriller 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 8-11, 13-11. Coll won the only previous meeting on the PSA Tour last year in straight games. The women's final features Coll's wife, Nele Gilis against her sister Tinne Gilis.

Liam Lawson has qualified eighth for the Australian Grand Prix PHOTO: VISA CASH APP RACING BULLS Kiwi driver Liam Lawson will start eighth on the grid in Formula 1's opening race of the season, the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne. Multi-world champion Max Verstappen crashed out in qualifying as Lawson, 24 was able to finish in eighth place LATEST HEADLINES: Chiefs, Hurricanes score big wins NZ Warriors big win over Roosters Phoenix take point from Adelaide Paul Coll closer to NZ Open final Kazuma Kobori best Kiwi at JAC Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad was ninth fastest. Earlier Lawson had finished 13th in Practice 1 and 2 and 12th in Practic 3. Starting at the front of the grid is Brit, George Russell in a Mercedes alongside teammate Kimi Antonelli who had earlier crashed out in Practice 3 as well. Red Bull's Isack Hadjar is next followed by Charles Leclerc in Ferrari with local Oscar Piastri fifth.

Damian McKenzie back for the Chiefs in a big win over Moana Pasifika PHOTO: CRAIG BUTLAND/LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY Significant wins for the New Zealand sides in round four of Super Rugby Pacific with half century scorelines. The Chiefs bounced back from last week's disappointment against the Crusaders to run riot against Moana Pasifika in a 57-24 win. LATEST HEADLINES: NZ Warriors big win over Roosters Phoenix take point from Adelaide Paul Coll closer to NZ Open final Kazuma Kobori best Kiwi at JAC Coll pushed at New Zealand Open In a frenetic first, half seven tries were scored before the break in Hamilton. Chiefs back Quinn Tupaea continued his strong start to the season when he scored close to the left touch line in the third minute. A minute later fullback Liam Coombe-Fabling scored the second try when he strolled over the line by making the most of the outside channel. Moana closed the deficit 10 minutes into the game when fullback Glen Vaihu collected a bounce pass, straightened up, and sliced through beside the posts. Chiefs wing Leroy Carter capitalised on space down the left side when scored with ease in the 16th minute. Against the run of play Moana hit back with a try for number eight Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa as he bumped off players to get to the try line. Emoni Narawa was next across the line as Damian McKenzie also played a part in the fifth try which was scored by former Wallabies midfielder Lalakai Foketi in his first start for the hosts. The Chiefs lead 31-14 at half-time, but Moana were first to score in the second half when Tupou Ta'eiloa again used his size to keep his side in the game. Carter scored twice in six minutes to bring up his hat-trick on the night and extend the Chiefs' lead. With his first touch of the game replacement Kyle Brown was rolling in behind the posts as McKenzie converted it to bring up the 50 points. Another substitute, Tyrone Thompson also got in the board when he lobbed to the back of the lineout, and the Chiefs got a drive going with Thompson in the boot. He remained patient, seeing his way over in the corner. With time nearly up on the clock, Tevita Ofa scored his second try of the season and Moana's fourth of the game. Moana now extend their losing streak against the Chiefs to eight games and a third loss of the season keeps the team on the bottom of the points. Meanwhile the Hurricanes trounced the Waratahs at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, winning the match 59 points to 19. Most of the Canes' points came in the second half - as they had only been leading 17-12 heading into halftime. Billy Proctor scored a hat-trick as the visitors managed nine tries to three including two to Bailyn Sullivan. The Hurricanes now return home to host the Western Force at McLean Park in Napier.

Warriors celebration time with a big win over the Roosters PHOTO: NRL Chanel Harris-Tavita scored a double, as his NZ Warriors overpowered the Sydney Roosters for a 42-18 NRL season-opening victory at Go Media Stadium. It was just the 10th time in history the Warriors have won a first game of the year and they did it in style in front of just over 24,000 fans. LATEST HEADLINES: Phoenix take point from Adelaide Paul Coll closer to NZ Open final Kazuma Kobori best Kiwi at JAC Coll pushed at New Zealand Open White Ferns easy ODI game 1 winners The home side scored 22 consecutive points to grab a 22-6 halftime lead, crossing soon after the break through high-flying second-rower Leka Halasima to stamp their control on the game. The Roosters countered with back-to-back tries to centre Billy Smith and second-rower Angus Crichton, pulling within 10 points midway through the second half, but that was as close as they got. Harris-Tavita had his two tries in identical fashion, looming inside wing Roger Tuivasa-Sheck close to the line for late offloads. His 75th-minute effort probably clinched the game for the Warriors, but fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad had the last say, diving over in the corner, with half Tanah Boyd converting from the sideline. The Roosters were on the negative end of an 11-4 penalty count which coach Trent Robinson wasn't happy about, but they lacked in continuity across the field against an inspired Warriors side.

The Wellington Phoenix managed a point from Adelaide in the A-League PHOTO: A-LEAGUE The Wellington Phoenix have taken a point from the best home team in the A-League with a 1-1 draw against Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium in Chris Greenacre’s second match in charge. Manjrekar James got the final touch on a set piece 10 minutes out from halftime to give the Nix the lead, with Adelaide equalising 10 minutes into the second half. LATEST HEADLINES: Paul Coll closer to NZ Open final Kazuma Kobori best Kiwi at JAC Coll pushed at New Zealand Open White Ferns easy ODI game 1 winners Football Ferns beat American Samoa Wellington then defended stoutly to claim just their sixth draw in 28 visits to South Australia. “My players they were like warriors tonight,” Greenacre told media post-match. “They dug in right to the death. “Full credit to Adelaide. They’re a good team. One of the form teams, they play a lovely brand of football [and] we always knew it was going to be difficult. “And with such a quick turnaround from our game against Sydney…if we would have been offered the point early in the week we would have taken it.” Greenacre labelled it a “tough old performance”. “Notoriously over the years it’s been a tough place for us to come. We’ve struggled to get results here for a long period of time. “You can’t beat Coopers on a Friday night. The atmosphere is always electric, it’s a great place to play and we really had to be on our game today. We had to defend for our lives. “We had a couple of opportunities late in the game could have maybe turned things differently…, it wasn’t to be but it’s a point in the right direction for us.” Chris Greenacre made one enforced change to the XI which started Sunday’s narrow defeat to Sydney FC with Ifeanyi Eze returning from suspension in place of Alex Rufer, who himself is serving a one-match suspension. Kazuki Nagasawa captained the Phoenix in Rufer’s absence. Adelaide fired an early warning shot across Wellington’s goal, with Luka Jovanovic flashing a header narrowly wide of the right hand post just seconds after the kick off. Ramy Najjarine came close to opening the scoring for the Nix a couple of minutes later after Eze picked him out in the penalty area having chased down a seemingly lost cause. Unfortunately, Najjarine steered his effort just wide of the left hand post. The Phoenix continued to get in promising positions and Carlo Armiento and Corban Piper had shots at goal before 10 minutes were on the clock. Armiento’s long-range effort soared over the crossbar and Piper’s was straight at Adelaide’s ‘keeper from a tight angle. Yaya Dukuly came within inches of giving the Reds the lead inside a quarter of an hour when he got in behind the Nix defence but struck the outside of the left hand post. The Video Assistant Referee would have no doubt have looked at the goal if Dukuly had found the right side of the post as he looked to be offside. The moment didn’t rattle Wellington, and they threatened from set pieces. Nagasawa blasted a shot over the bar following a corner and Tuiloma headed a left wing free kick wide of target. Adelaide still had their moments. Jovanovic had a shot from the edge of the area on the half hour mark which Josh Oluwayemi comfortably held on to. Shortly after Najjarine made a clever run in behind the Reds’ defence and tried to catch Joshua Smits out at his near post but the Dutch ‘keeper made a smart save to turn the shot away for a corner. The Phoenix took the lead in the 35th minute when Piper headed a pinpoint free kick from Nagasawa off James and into the back of the net. Oluwayemi made a good save to keep out a direct free kick from Juan Muniz, which dropped awkwardly in front of him, to ensure the Nix led at halftime. Adelaide made a fast start to the second half and had three shots in the opening four minutes but Oluwayemi was only forced to make one save and it was a comfortable one to hold on to a shot from Jovanovic. All Wellington had to show for their endeavours in the first quarter of an hour after halftime was a deflected effort from Nagasawa which ended up in Smits’ gloves. Jovanovic drew the Reds level moments later, cutting inside James and Oluwayemi before shooting into the roof of the net. Oluwayemi made a big save with his left foot midway through the second half to keep out Ryan White’s effort after the midfielder was slipped into the Wellington box by a precise pass. Greenacre made his first substitutions soon after, bringing on fit-again All Whites fullback Tim Payne and forward Nikola Mileusnic on for Matt Sheridan and Eze respectively. They didn’t reap any immediate returns and he made another double change in the 78th minute, when Najjarine and Armiento were replaced by Sander Kartum and Dan Edwards. The hosts were dominating possession and playing the game in their attacking half but the Phoenix defended resolutely and had the better chances to claim all three points. Piper earned the Nix a free kick on the edge of the Adelaide penalty area four minutes from fulltime. Tuiloma took charge of the set piece and curled his effort around the Reds’ wall but straight into Smits’ arms. Luke Brooke-Smith replaced Piper soon after as Greenacre made his final substitution. Mileusnic had a chance to test the Adelaide ‘keeper in the 89th minute after Isaac Hughes won possession in midfield, drove forward and slipped the veteran forward into the box but Mileusnic wasn’t able to properly connect with his first-time effort and it didn’t trouble Smits. Kartum came closest to winning the match for the Phoenix in the third and final minute of time added on when his shot from the edge of the box deflected off a Reds’ player and went narrowly wide of the right hand post. Smits claimed the resulting corner and the referee’s fulltime whistle was blown. The Wellington Phoenix now turn their attention to next Saturday’s Match For Good double-header match at Hnry Stadium, where the Phoenix will play host to Perth Glory.