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New Zealand's Michael Venus and Croat Nikola Mektic are into the quarters at the Miami Open PHOTO: NZSW Mixed results for New Zealanders at the Miami Open doubles draws with a win and loss at the Masters 1000 event. Michael Venus and Nikola Mektic are through to the quarterfinals after a 6-3 6-3 win over the French team of Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. LATEST HEADLINES: Tom Walsh takes World Indoor shot put title Black Caps win, Aussie too good for Ferns NCAA medal for New Zealand swimmer Nix Women fall to Central Coast at home Zoe Hobbs sixth in world indoors 60m sprint The fifth seeds took an early with a break in the opening game, adding another when their opponents served at 2-5. Venus and Mektic had another break in the fourth game of the next set and were able to hold onto that advantage to close out the match. In the quarterfinals Venus and Mektic will play the winners of the match between Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori against Christian Harrison and Evan King. It is the first time the kiwi and Croat have won back-to-back matches at a tournament since winning the title at the ASB Classic in January. In the first round at Miami they beat the American team of Learner Tien and Mackenzie McDonald 3-6 6-3 10-5. The news isn't so good for Erin Routliffe and Gaby Dabrowski. The second seeds were beaten in the first round of doubles by the Chinese pair of Xinyu Wang and Sai Sai Zheng 6-4 7-6(6) in one hour 45 minutes. Routliffe and Dabrowski had 13 break points against their serves, saving nine overall.

A bronze for New Zealand's Brearna Crawford in the NCAA Championships for the Indiana University swim team. PHOTO: INDIANA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS A huge result for a New Zealand swimmer at the NCAA Division I final at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center in Washington state. Aucklander Brearna Crawford, 24, claimed a bronze medal in the women's 200-yard breaststroke, clocking 2 minutes 05.66 seconds. LATEST HEADLINES: Nix Women fall to Central Coast at home Zoe Hobbs sixth in world indoors 60m sprint Oceania mountain biking honours shared Crusaders dump more misery on the Blues Steven Alker, Voke in top-10 in US, Macau It was a new career-best for the two-time Big Ten 200-yard breaststroke champion, in the final collegiate swim of her career. It was her first-career appearance in a championship final, racing as the fifth seed in the 200-yard breaststroke. Her time is also good enough, when converted, to qualify for the world champships this year. Crawford also finished 10th in a relay for Indiana. She dropped from her lifetime best of 2:06.86 at the 2022 Big Ten Championships. Crawford notably finished 17th in the event a year ago, just missing out on finals but showed a big improvement over the last 12 months. The last Kiwi to make a NCAA final was Laticia-Leigh Transom, who finished seventh in the women's 200-yard freestyale (1:43.49) and was part of the USC Trojans record-breaking 400-yard medley relay (freestyle leg) that finished seventh.

Sammie Maxwell in action on their way to respective elite wins in the UCI Oceania MTB Championships at Coronet Peak, Queenstown PHOTO: BLISSFIELD PHOTOGRAPHY Australian Sam Fox mixed work with competition to become the first Australian in 10 years to win the men's elite cross-country title at the UCI Oceania MTB Championships in Queenstown. The honours were shared in the elite racing with New Zealand’s Paris Olympian, Sammie Maxwell dominating the women’s race to defend her title. LATEST HEADLINES: Crusaders dump more misery on Blues Steven Alker, Voke in top-10 in US, Macau Hot-shooting Rams too good for Southland Australian Nat Hurst named Tall Ferns coach Chiefs almost blow lead vs Moana Pasifika Fox became only the second person in 10 years to win the elite men's title, with Anton Cooper (New Zealand) winning every edition since 2016. The duo was closely matched early with Cooper pushing out to a 30-second lead after three of seven laps before a flat tyre proved costly. After limping back to service, the Lapierre Racing Unity professional found himself well down on the Australian and was unable recover the time. Fox finished just shy of a minute clear to add the elite crown to his Australian national honours last week with Cooper finishing second for his 12th consecutive Oceania Championship medal since 2013. Rotorua’s Sam Shaw finished third. It continues a rewarding time for Fox, who has recently finished as a fulltime professional and is mixing work with racing. "It has been a busy couple of weeks, I finished up our national titles in some pretty torrential conditions and back to work with Cycleways in Christchurch, so I didn't get to touch the bike until course recon yesterday," said the Australian. "The fun-is-fast adage is really paying off. I had a lot of momentum from the last year of training professionally and kind of carrying that through with less volume. Obviously that momentum will drop off as the training volume does as well but riding the wave for now." Maxwell confirmed her status as Oceania's top female cross-country rider with another dominant display in the elite women's race. The former under-23 world champion opened a 90-second lead early on powered away from the field to take the title by nearly 15 minutes on her closest competitor Zoe Cuthbert (Australia), with Mary Gray (New Zealand) completing the podium. "It's such a brutal course and if you can't quite get up the climbs, the lap times get way slower, so I knew it was going to be a matter of keeping within my limits for the first bit of the race. "It was good, got all the climbs, so I was happy,” said a delighted Maxwell on her back-to-back Oceania titles. In under 23 events Ethan Rose (New Zealand) made it two in a row and kiwi Marie Laurie won the women’s honours. The men's race was close competition between Rose, the Trek Future Racing professional, and Australian Harry Doye who were locked together for two laps until the Australian pushed clear. Rose upped the pace to reclaim the lead and from that point he dominated, going on to claim the title by more than three minutes. "It's tough around here, lots of steep climbs and not really many places to rest. So, I paced it pretty well and let a few guys ride off at the start hoping they would go a little hard and then pull it back," said Rose. After finishing second last year, Christchurch rider Marie Laurie claimed her first under 23 Oceania title to add to her under 19 crown from two years ago. The rising Kiwi star who won the first round of the recent Continental Series was in a league of her own, finished well clear of Ella Menigoz (Australia) with kiwi Amelie Mackay. The under-19 men’s title went to Australia’s Connor Wright and New Zealand’s Kayley McMillan. Wright pushed clear in the men ahead of New Zealand’s Fletcher Adams James Climo. McMillan dominated the under 19 women's race to add to her honours after success in the Continental Series, with the Waikato rider winning in impressive fashion from compatriot Millie Junge and Annie Kleywegt (Australia) third. Results: Male, Elite: Sam Fox (AUS) 1:27.11, 1; Anton Cooper (NZL) at 58s, 2; Sam Shaw (NZL) at 5:30, 3. Under-23: Ethan Rose (NZL) 1:26.41, 1; Harry Doye (AUS) at 3:15, 2; Reuben Page-Brown (AUS) at 4:37, 3. Under-19: Connor Wright (AUS) 1:04.52, 1; Fletcher Adams (NZL) at 1:54, 2; James Climo (NZL) at 3:03, 3. Female, Elite: Sammie Maxwell (NZL) 1:26.38, 1; Zoe Cuthbert (AUS) at 14:41, 2; Mary Gray (NZL) 3 laps, 3. Under-23: Marie Laurie (NZL) 1:37.44, 1; Ella Menigoz (AUS) at 3 laps, 2; Amelie Mackay (NZL) at 4 laps, 3. Under-19: Kayley McMillan (NZL) 1:18.55, 1; Millie Junge (NZL) at 5:18, 2; Annie Kleywegt (AUS) at 8:39, 3.

Zoe Hobbs seen here last year finished sixth in the World Indoor 60m sprint PHOTO: THE NZ TEAM New Zealand sprinter Zoe Hobbs has finished sixth at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China in the 60m sprint final.. In a blanket finish, Hobbs was just 0.06 seconds off a place on the podium and 0.09 seconds from gold, having clocked a time of 7.13sec. LATEST HEADLINES: Oceania MTB cross-country honours shared Crusaders dump more misery on Blues Steven Alker, Voke in top-10 in US, Macau Hot-shooting Rams too good for Southland Australian Nat Hurst named Tall Ferns coach Swiss sprinter Mujinga Kambundji won in 7.04sec, edging Italy's pre-race favourite Zaynab Dosso and Luxembourg's Patrizia van der Weken. It was the second straight year Hobbs had contested the final, placing fourth in Glasgow 12 months ago. On that occasion she timed in an Oceania record time of 7.06 seconds. The 27-year-old was the fourth-fasted overall in the heats in Nanjing, winning her opening race in 7.18 seconds. She qualified sevent fastest for the final with a time of 7.12 seconds, third in her heat..

The Central Coast Mariners have dented the Wellington Phoenix Women's A-League Women's finals hopes. The Mariners have beaten the Phoenix Women 2-0 at Porirua Park on Saturday courtesy of penalty and a goal from former Wellington midfielder Isabel Gomez either side of halftime. LATEST HEADLINES: Zoe Hobbs sixth in world indoors 60m sprint Oceania mountain biking honours shared Crusaders dump more misery on the Blues Steven Alker, Voke in top-10 in US, Macau Hot-shooting Rams too good for Southland The Nix remain eighth two points outside the top-six with three rounds remaining, but the sixth-placed Brisbane Roar have a further two games to play. Phoenix head coach Paul Temple acknowledged they now needed results to go their way it they were to qualify for the finals for the first time in the team’s history. “I don’t know if it’s completely over but it obviously means we’ve got to win the next three games in a row to stand any chance,” Temple said. “We’re down to must-wins and cup finals now. “We’ll keep going until it’s mathematically impossible. We’ll keep going until we can’t go anymore. We won’t be resting people or rotating people. It’ll be the strongest team, get out there and try to win the games.” Temple felt they lacked a lot of quality against Central Coast. “We didn’t create the amount of chances that we needed to to win a game like this against a good team. “I think the start was really positive and we played well, without really having the moments of quality that we needed. “The penalty definitely took the wind out of our sails but we regrouped, and we’ve come from one-nil down a few times so we didn’t feel like it was all over or anything." Olivia Ingham brings the ball upfield for the Wellington Phoenix Women. PHOTO: DAVE LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY Temple made three changes to the XI that started last Saturday’s last-gasp defeat to Sydney FC, with fit-again Football Ferns Mackenzie Barry and Grace Jale, and versatile fullback Zoe McMeeken coming into the side in place of suspended defender Tiana Jaber, forward Emma Main and midfielder Daisy Brazendale. The Phoenix made a positive start and looked threatening on the counter as the Mariners edged the early possession stakes. Central Coast’s Sarah Langman was the first of the ‘keepers called into action. She made a regulation save to keep out Jale’s first-time effort in the eighth minute after the Nix broke from deep in their own half and Alyssa Whinham picked out Jale on the edge of the six-yard box. Mebae Tanaka came on up-front for the Wellington Phoenix Women. PHOTO: DAVE LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY Wellington had a few other promising moments in the first quarter of an hour but were unable to produce the final pass to produce a goalscoring opportunity. The Phoenix’s best chance came in the 19th minute when Manaia Elliott came close to scoring her second ‘Olimpico’ goal of the season, with Langman producing a desperate save to keep out Elliott’s right-wing corner. Langman made a more comfortable stop soon after to save Jale’s stinging effort from outside the box. The Mariners finished the half the stronger of the two sides. Alivia Kelly produced a last-ditch block to deny Gomez just inside half an hour and the former Nix midfielder rattled the crossbar from the resulting corner. Peta Trimis was the second Central Coast player to strike the crossbar in the 44th and the Mariners were awarded a penalty moments later as Wellington were unable to clear the rebound. Annalise Rasmussen, who was the player deemed to be fouled, stepped up to the spot and sent Carolina Vilão the wrong way to give the Mariners the halftime lead. Lara Wall looks to put the ball back into play for the Wellington Phoenix Women. PHOTO: DAVE LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY The Phoenix started the second half with renewed energy but found themselves two goals down little over five minutes after halftime. Vilão made a good save to parry away a curling long-range effort from Trimis, but was unable to deny Gomez’s volley from the ensuing corner. Temple made his first substitutions in the 65th minute, bringing on Mebae Tanaka and Daisy Brazendale in place of McMeeken and Whinham. He made another change soon after with Liv Ingham replacing Jale as the Nix searched for a way back into the game. Despite their best efforts the Phoenix struggled to break down the well-organised Central Coast defence. Temple made his final substitution in the 79th minute, bringing on 17-year-old attacking midfielder Ela Jerez on for centre back Kelly. Wellington were unable to test Langman until deep in stoppage-time when she produced a spectacular save to keep out a powerful long-range effort from Elliott. The Phoenix Women will be back at Porirua Park next Sunday against top of the table Melbourne City.

The Crusaders have further dented the Blues' Super Rugby Pacific title defence aspirations with a 42-19 win. Outside of the first few minutes, it was one-way traffic at Auckland's Eden Park on Saturday night in Round 6 as the Crusaders sent a message to the rest of the competition. LATEST HEADLINES: Steven Alker, Voke in top-10 in US, Macau Hot-shooting Rams too good for Southland Australian Nat Hurst named Tall Ferns coach Chiefs almost blow lead vs Moana Pasifika Kerr earns silver at World Athletics indoors NZ Warriors beat Roosters for two in a row Both teams found themselves changing their teams, with hookers Codie Taylor and Kurt Eklund ruled out after Wednesday’s team naming. Eklund’s replacement, James Mullan, found himself in the thick of the action early when he broke the line in the third minute, handing off to skipper Dalton Papali’i for the opener. This woke up the Crusaders, who responded through try-scoring halfback Kyle Preston from close. The Crusaders ran in seven tries against the Blues at Eden Park. PHOTO: CRUSADERS The Crusaders surprised plenty with the dropping of five-try hero Macca Springer to the bench but it paid dividends when returning wing Chay Fihaki split the defence and sprinted through the hole to give the visitors the lead. Rob Penney’s side kept the pressure on and were rewarded when prop Tamaiti Williams barged over from close for a 17-7 lead after 25 minutes. Taha Kemara’s boot extended the advantage by three more at the break, with Fihaki’s second adding to the Blues’ punishment. The hosts were stuck in a spiral as second-rower Laghlan McWhannell went to the bin for a cynical foul. The Crusaders pounced and their rolling maul drove over the top of the Blues, Tom Christie the man to dot it down. The Blues eventually found something for the Eden Park crowd to cheer when Marcel Renata dived over under the posts. But it was the Crusaders’ night as Springer got in on the attack off the bench, with Will Jordan crossing to seal the win in the final play of the game. A Filipo Daugunu double and a huge shift from the forward pack has powered the Queensland Reds to a comeback win in Dunedin against the Highlanders. The Reds' scrum has powered a season-defining 29-23 comeback win at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday afternoon that was 12 years in the making. The win came without rested captain Tate McDermott, injured star flankers Liam Wright and Fraser McReight (shoulder) and test hooker Matt Faessler (leg). The visitors defied some early pressure to lead 12-0 before conceding 20 straight points when unforced errors and missed tackles crept in. But the Reds, powered by reserve prop Alex Hodgman, turned to their scrum in a pulsating second-half effort that moved Les Kiss's side to 4-1. The Highlanders lost to the Queensland Reds in Dunedin for the first time in 12 years. PHOTO: HIGHLANDERS Hodgman's 30-minute masterclass left Highlanders prop Saula Mau in tatters as Queensland's set piece spearheaded their first win at the venue since 2013 and just the Reds' third win in New Zealand, against Kiwi opponents, in their last 27 games. In his first game as Reds captain, Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson was inspirational, plucking a crucial late turnover, charging into the line and adding a deft kick ahead that led to their decisive final try. Outside centre Daugunu scored twice and was formidable in defence, the Reds following his lead to produce consecutive turnovers once they hit the lead with 17 minutes to play But it was their scrum that made the difference, the Reds able to steady behind their reliable set-piece superiority that yielded four penalties inside 11 minutes. That led to a yellow card for All Blacks prop Ethan de Groot, who felt the pressure and gave away a penalty at the breakdown and created the Reds the platform to surge clear. Tries to Anderson and Daugunu - the latter's coming after Tim Ryan sped through the line and Wilson kicked ahead - put the Reds clear. The host's only second-half points came courtesy of penalty kicks, the second of those after the bell with victory out of reach. Their inability to penetrate was at shocking odds to their first-half form, when scintillating wing Caleb Tangitau burst out of the blocks. Denied a brilliant first-minute try when his chip ahead narrowly went into touch, the former rugby sevens star was robbed of another when replays showed an accidental offside in the build up. They led 17-12 at that stage, Reds wing Heremai Murray yellow-carded for a deliberate knock down and the visitors reeling. Tanielu Tele'a and captain Timoci Tavatavanawai crossed for the Highlanders, who had forced five consecutive penalties out of the Reds and were calling all the shots. But the visitors showed tremendous resolve to stop the bleeding and then turn the screws after the break to earn a bonus-point win. Crusaders 42 (Kyle Preston, Chay Fihaki 2, Tamaiti Williams, Tom Christie, Macca Springer, Will Jordan tries; Taha Kemara con, pen, James O’Connor con) Blues 19 (Dalton Papali’i, Marcel Renata, Finlay Christie tries; Xavier Taele con, Harry Plummer con). HT: 20-7 Queensland Reds 29 (Kalani Thomas, Richie Asiata, Filipo Daugunu 2, Lachie Anderson tries; Tom Lynagh 2 con) Highlanders 23 (Timoci Tavatavanawai, Tanielu Tele’a tries; Taine Robinson 2 con, 2 pen, Sam Gilbert pen). HT: 12-17

The two-time defending National Basketball League (NBL) champion Canterbury Rams already seem to be in mid-season form. The Rams shot the lights out at Christchurch’s Cowles on Saturday night on the way to a 120-84 Sal’s NBL win over the Southland Sharks. LATEST HEADLINES: Australian Nat Hurst named Tall Ferns coach Chiefs almost blow lead vs Moana Pasifika Kerr earns silver at World Athletics indoors NZ Warriors beat Roosters for two in a row Sadowski-Synnott a world champion again Tall Blacks guard Taylor Britt led the way, with 27 points (11/19 FG, 4/4 FT), five rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block. National teammate Kaia Isaac also put up 27 points (11/14 FG, 2/5 3pt) and two steals, while Tama Isaac added 21 points (8/13 FG, 2/6 3pt), six assists and four steals off the bench. Max Darling hit four triples for his 13 points, while Tohi Smith-Milner did a little of everything, with 10 points (4/7 FG, 2/4 3pt), six boards, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Taylor Britt put up 27 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals for the Canterbury Rams. PHOTO: NBL American forward Keylan Boone was the best of the Sharks, who committed 22 turnovers, with 26 points (10/13 FG, 5/6 3pt) and four rebounds. Alonzo Burton had 11 points (4/9 FG, 2/7 3pt), four boards and three steals, while import guard Caleb Asberry had the Devil’s stat-line with six points, six assists and six steals. With an all-New Zealand lineup - as they wait for their imports to arrive - the Rams shot 61 percent (44-of-71) from the field, including 50 percent (13-of-26) on three-point attempts. Already up seven at the half, the Isaac brothers combined for 17 points and Britt added nine as Canterbury hit five triples in a 34-17 third period to stretch out by more than 20 points. The Rams (2-1) remain at home to host the Wellington Saints (1-1) next Sunday (tip-off 3pm), while the Sharks also face the Saints next, on Wednesday (tip-off 7pm) in the Capital. In the Sky Broadband Rapid League contest, Jake Holmes led the Rams to a 36-32 win with 13 points and five rebounds. Mana Martin also had 10 points for the Rams, and Dane Bertinshaw 10 points for the Sharks. Canterbury Rams 120 (Taylor Britt 27, Kaia Isaac 27, Tama Isaac 21, Max Darling 13, Tohi Smith-Milner 10) Southland Sharks 84 (Keylan Boone 26, Alonzo Burton 11, Josiah Allick 10, Tukaha Cooper 10). 1Q: 27-19, HT: 53-46, 3Q: 87-63

Steven Alker is three shots off the lead at the PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS' HOAG CLASSIC. PHOTO: PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS New Zealand golfer Steven Alker is back in contention on the PGA Tour Champions in California. Alker carded a four-under 68 in the opening round of the Hoag Classic at the Newport Beach Country Club on Friday (Saturday NZ Time) to be tied for seventh, three shots behind the leader, Australian Brendan Jones. LATEST HEADLINES: Hot-shooting Rams too good for Southland Australian Nat Hurst named Tall Ferns coach Chiefs almost blow lead vs Moana Pasifika Kerr earns silver at World Athletics indoors NZ Warriors beat Roosters for two in a row Sadowski-Synnott a world champion again Fresh off his playoff victory at the Cologuard Classic two weeks ago, Alker immediately got into red numbers with birdies at the par-four second and par-five third. After a string of pars, he bogeyed the par-four 10th but surged up the leaderboard with three birdies in his last four holes - the 15th, 17th and 18th. Alker tees off his second round at the 54-hole tournament at 11.55pm local time (7.55am Sunday NZT). Fellow Kiwi Nick Voke is also in the top-10 heading into the final round of the Asian Tour's International Series Macau tournament. Voke made eight birdies and two bogeys in his six-under 64 in the third round at the Macau Golf and Country Club on Saturday, lifting him into a share of eighth at nine-under, seven strokes off the lead. The 30-year-old made four birdies in his first six holes, before a bogey at the par-four seventh. He followed it up with four birdies on the back-nine, at the 10th, 12th, 15th and 18th holes. Compatriot Denzel Ieremia dropped four shots in his last seven holes in a one-over 71 to drop into a tie for 31st at five-under. He made four birdies in the first 10 holes and was primed to be well inside the top-10 before the late bogeys. At the PGA Tour's Valspar Championship in Florida, New Zealand No 1 Ryan Fox made the weekend cut but continued to tumble down the leaderboard during the third round on Saturday (Sunday NZT). Fox had a birdie, two bogeys and a double-bogey in a three-over 74 in the second round, making the cut by two strokes, before following it up with another 74, featuring three birdies, four bogeys and a double-bogey, on day three. From the top-10 after the opening round, Fox dropped to 39th after the second round and a tie for 67th with half the field still on the course in the third round. It was bad news for NZ golfers on the other side of the Tasman, with most going backwards at the PGA Tour of Australasia's Heritage Classic and WPGA Tour Australasia's Women's NSW Open. Tyler Hodge, last week's winner on the Charles Tour and the 36-hole co-leader, fell to a tie for 20th at 11-under, six shots off the lead, after an even-par 72 on Saturday. Kerry Mountcastle (four-under 68) and Tyler Wood (three-under 69) went in a positive direction, to both move up to a share of 31st at eight-under, while Jimmy Zheng slipped into a tie for 50th at four-under with a one-over 73. Amelia Garvey dropped to T47 after an even-par 71, while Wenyung Keh and Momoka Kobori also posted 71s to move up to T59, and Hanee Song managed a one-over 72, falling three places to T64. On the DP World Tour, Daniel Hillier is tied for 38th and Kazuma Kobori 46th going into the third and final round at the rain-shortened Singapore Classic. Hillier posted five birdies, a bogey and double-bogey in a two-under 70 in the second round on Saturday to be seven shots off the pace. Kobori had five birdies and four bogeys in a one-under 71, sitting a further stroke back. Taranaki's Sam Jones also dropped at the HotelPlanner Tour's Delhi Challenge, down to a share of 24th, despite a two-under 70, which five birdies and three bogeys, in the third round on Saturday.

Reuben Te Rangi was a key contributor for the Bulls in their win over the Indian Pathers in the Sal's NBL PHOTO: NZ NBL The Franklin Bulls have powered to a 3-0 winning record after two rounds of the Sal's NBL following their 107-93 win over the struggling Indian Panthers. The Panthers, despite having a coaching switch after just one game and rumours of behind the scenes organisational issues stood up for themselves against the Bulls at their home venue of Pulman Arena. LATEST HEADLINES: Sadowski-Synnott snowboard champion Eden Park disappointment for NZ cricket All Whites beat Fiji face New Caledonia Hong Kong Sevens on line for NZers Sun out of Miami Open first round Australian Jonathan Goodman took over as Panthers coach and kept his side in the contest against their nearest neighbours. Jaylen Gerrand made 29 with Alex Robinson Jr 23 points featuring seven rebounds and three steals. Leon Henry scored nine for the Panthers including their first points at home, a three point jump shot. For the Bulls, Tall Black Reuben Te Rangi put up 21 points as did American Naquante Hardy and Australian Wena Okwera 20 showing consistency across the court as a couple of other players also reached double figures. The Panthers were down 22-27 after the first quarter but the second period escaped a little 18-27. Going into the final quarter the Bulls were ahead 77-62 but the home side weren't finished nailing seven three pointers and keeping the pressure on as best they could before the depth told in favour of the Bulls. The Bulls host the Hawks, Sunday 23 March, while the Panthers are at home against the Jets, also on Sunday. Meanwhile the Nuggets are now 1-2 after a 93-86 victory over the Hawkes Bay Hawks at Rodney Green Arenas who are 2-1 for the season so far. Donald Carey Jr stood out for the Nuggets with 34 points including five rebounds, but it was speed around the court that counted with three assists and two steals to catch out the Hawks. For the Hawks it was import Darnell Cowart who topped the scoring with 24 and 10 rebounds followed by Clifton Bush III (11 rebounds) and teenager Jackson Ball with 19 each The Logik Franklin Bull 107 (Reuben Te Rangi 21, Naquante Hardy 20, Wena Okwera 20) I ndian Panthers 93 (Jaylen Gerrand 29, Alex Robinson Jr 23) Night 'N Day Otago Nuggets 93 (Donald Carey Jr 34, Jose Perez 20 ) Big Barrel Hawks Bay Hawks 86 (Darnell Cowart 24, Clifton Bush III 19, Jackson Ball 19)

Mark Chapman kept the Black Caps innings alive with a blazing 94 runs PHOTO: ICC A double defeat for the New Zealand cricket teams at Eden Park with a couple of big losses to Australia and Pakistan respectively. The Black Caps batted first against Pakistan and made 204 all out with a ball remaining. LATEST HEADLINES: All Whites beat Fiji face New Caledonia Hong Kong Sevens on line for NZers Sun out of Miami Open first round Fox makes strong start on PGA Tour Auckland City make winning start to season The innings was held togehter by 94 from Mark Chapman off 44 balls including 11 fours and four sixes. Others around Chapman seemed to slip away as he held the innings together. Tim Seifert made 19, Daryl Mitchell 17, Ish Sodhi 10 were the only players toreach double figures aside from captain Michael Bracewell with 31 from 18. In reply Pakistan scored 207-1 with 24 balls spare as they dispatched the New Zealand bowlers around the stadium, Hasan Nawaz scoring 105 not out and captain Salman 51 not out. Mohammad Haris scored 41. The sides play again on Sunday. In the women's game against Australia the White Ferns scored a total of 137-2 after a late flourish by Amelia Kerr and Sophie Devine. Kerr made 51 from 46 balls while Devine scored 39 from 36 after both players struggled together initially. Earlier openers Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer did an earnst job with 14 from 14 and 27 from 24. However Australian openers Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney blazed away from the outset, Voll was eventually out for 50 from 31 balls while Beth Mooney was 75 nout out. Phoebe Litchfield went cheaply for two and Elyse Perry was not out three as the visitors won by eight wickets with 39 balls spare. Lea Tahuhu was the best of the kiwi bowlers with 3-3 from three overs. The second of the three T20 is at Bay Oval in Tauranga on Sunday,

Members of the Black Ferns Sevens who are aiming for another Hong Kong title PHOTO: NZR SUPPLIED The All Blacks and Black Ferns Sevens have their eyes set on defending their prestigious Hong Kong Sevens titles. Both teams won their respective tournaments in 2023 and 2024, with the 2025 edition at the new, Kai Tak Sports Park. LATEST HEADLINES: Sun out of Miami Open first round Fox makes strong start on PGA Tour Auckland City make winning start to season Bruce, Le'afa guide Saints home in Nelson Warriors assistant Agar issued breach notice The Black Ferns Sevens have named an unchanged line up from the squad the won in Vancouver last month. The New Zealand women are currently at the top the standings with 76 points, six clear of rivals Australia. The All Blacks Sevens welcome Amanaki Nicole back from injury, running out for his first tournament in 12 months. The team has a lot of work to do as they are in seventh place and in need of points. . In pool play the Black Ferns Sevens will come up against Brazil, USA and China, while the All Blacks Sevens face a stern challenge against South Africa, Australia and Uruguay. Black Ferns Sevens squad: 1. Manaia Nuku 2. Jorja Miller 3. Stacey Waaka 4. Mahina Paul 5. Sarah Hirini (C) 6. Michaela Brake 7. Risaleaana Pouri-Lane (VC) 10. Theresa Setefano 11. Maia Davis 12. Alena Saili 13. Jazmin Felix-Hotham 28. Dhys Faleafaga 88. Kelsey Teneti Unavailable: Shiray Kaka All Blacks Sevens squad: 1. Amanaki Nicole 2. Brady Rush 3. Tone Ng Shiu 4. Oli Mathis 5. Dylan Collier (C) 8. Andrew Knewstubb 11. Joe Webber (VC) 24. Ngarohi McGarvey-Black 25. Cody Vai 27. Sione Molia (VC) 64. Regan Ware 75. Frank Vaenuku 81. Sofai Maka Unavailable: Akuila Rokolisoa, Xavier Tito-Harris, Lewis Ormond, Roderick Solo Match schedule (games listed in NZDT) 28 March 10.07pm Black Ferns Sevens v China 10.30pm All Blacks Sevens v Australia 29 March 12.53am Black Ferns Sevens v USA 1.16am All Blacks Sevens v Uruguay 5.57pm Black Ferns Sevens v Brazil 6.43pm All Blacks Sevens v South Africa 30/31 March Play off Matches

Chris Wood led the NZ All Whites to a 7-0 win over Fiji in the Oceania Qualifiers including three goals himself PHOTO: OFC New Zealand will face New Caledonia on Monday night at Eden Pak in the Oceania Qualifying finalr for a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The All Whites thrashed Fiji 7-0 with English Premier League player and New Zealand captain Chris Wood scoring a hat-trick within the first 60 minutes. LATEST HEADLINES: Hong Kong Sevens on line for NZers Sun out of Miami Open first round Fox makes strong start on PGA Tour Auckland City make winning start to season Bruce, Le'afa guide Saints home in Nelson The home side led 4-0 at halftime and eased up a little in the second half. It could have been eight on the scoresheet but Ben Waine missed a penalty pushing it wide. . Sarpreet Singh also scored, in the 17th minute after Wood nailed the opener in the sixth minute from a running header. Tim Payne and an own goal were the other first half scorers. In the second spell it was Wood again for his third just before he was subbed. Local player Kosta Barbarouses was the final player to get on the scoreboard in the 73th minute. The popularity of Wood proving a bonus for fans as he was subed off with 30 minutes remaining he ended up in the crowd suurounded by autograph hunters and selfie takers. In the earlier game New Caledonia beat Tahiti 3-0 to reserve their spot in the Oceania Qualier final. New Caledonia have a number of players in French leagues along with Jaushua Sotirio from the All League. Sky Stadium, Wellington: All Whites 7 (Chris Wood 6’, 56’, 60’ Sarpreet Singh 17’, own goal 23’, Tim Payne 33’, Kosta Barbarouses 73’) HT: 4-0.