Search Results

Who will step on court for the NBL's 12th franchise, the Indian Panthers, in the season-opener on Wednesday night remains a mystery. PHOTO: NBL The Indian Panthers‘ introduction into the National Basketball League (NBL) is just under 36 hours away and who will take the court for them is still unknown. The Panthers - with a yet to be confirmed roster - are due to take on the Hawke’s Bay Hawks at Napier's Rodney Green Arena in the 2025 season-opener on Wednesday night (tip-off 7pm). LATEST HEADLINES: Lulu Sun, Erin Routliffe beaten at Indian Wells Auckland FC reserves to make domestic debut Alker wins on PGA Tour Champions in playoff White Ferns wrap up Sri Lanka ODI series 2-0 Auckland FC grab A-League point at Newcastle The expansion and foreign-owned franchise, who will play their home games out of South Auckland’s Bruce Pulman Arena, have announced just six player signings to date - five Indians and one American. However, with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) naming an extended squad for a national team training camp this week ahead of their 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Final Qualifying Tournament from March 21-23, the Panthers will be without most, if not all, of their players. Instead, the Panthers have been given a special dispensation by the NBL Commission to fill their roster with New Zealand players for the opening weeks of the season, the NBL said in a statement on Monday, although no players were revealed. Guard Vaisakh Manoj is the only contracted Panthers player to appear for India during the second round of FIBA Asia Cup qualifying. PHOTO: VAISAKH MANOJ Of the Panthers' five contracted Indian players, only guard Vaisakh Manoj appeared for India during the six games of the second round of FIBA Asia Cup qualifying, for a total of two minutes. "Similar to when the Tall Blacks call up players from the NBL for national team duty, the same applies for the Panthers and the Indian national team," said former Tall Blacks and NBL veteran Casey Frank, now the league's media, fans and brand manager. "Ideally you would like it to occur out of season for us, but it happens and it's been great to see a number of Kiwi players step up to help out." The Panthers' rushed introduction as the league's 12th franchise has been fraught with issues. The first players were only announced last Tuesday, eight days before their first game, and they did not have a head coach until the following day, when former NBL stalwart Miles Pearce was confirmed. They had to withdraw at late notice from last week's Westside Blitz NBL preseason tournament on the South Island's West Coast due to the inaugural INBL Pro season in India and subsequent visa issues.

Matt Henry was top wicket taker at the Champions Trophy and named in the Team of the Tournament. PHOTO: ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY A quartet of New Zealand cricketers have been named in the ICC Champions Trophy tournament team after their loss in the final. India beat the Black Caps by four wickets in the final on their 'home' ground in Dubai, while the New Zealand side travelled from Pakistan to the Middle East twice. LATEST HEADLINES: Bracewell to lead Black Caps vs Pakistan NZ All Whites squad for World Cup qualies Indian Panthers unknown ahead of NBL debut Lulu Sun, Erin Routliffe beaten at Indian Wells Auckland FC reserves to make domestic debut Spinner Mitchell Santner is picked as captain, player of the tournament Rachin Ravindra to open, allrounder Glenn Phillips and the tournament's top wicket taker Matt Henry are in the eleven. Ravindra scored two centuries at the tournament and finished top runscorer with 251 runs averaging 62.75. Santner finished second equalwicket taker with nine, while Phillips outstanding fielding added to that a strong batting performance with 177 runs, averaging 59 and also picking up two wickets saw him included. Henry despite being ruled out of the final with a shoulder injury finished top of the wicket taking list with ten. Winners India have six players in the side batters Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer, wicket keeper KL Rahul, pace bowler Mohammed Shami, and leg spinner Varun Chakarvarthy. The only players not from New Zealand or India are Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zahran and allrounder Azmatullah Omarzai. Omarzai was last year's men's ODI player of the year and took 5-58 against England, taking seven wickets in total at the tournament and scoring 126 at an average of 42. India won nearly $4 million in prizemoney in winning the final while the Black Caps picked up $2.12 million in finishing runners-u

The Tauranga Whai rallied in the final quarter of a loss to the Wellington Saints to claim the Westside Blitz NBL preseason title. PHOTO: TAURANGA WHAI The Tauranga Whai have claimed the first trophy of the National Basketball League (NBL) season. Despite a loss to the Wellington Saints in their final 'half-game', the Whai accumulated enough victories and quarter wins to claim the title at the Westside Blitz preseason tournament in Greymouth. LATEST HEADLINES: Black Caps quartet in Champions Trophy team Bracewell to lead Black Caps against Pakistan Stable All Whites squad for World Cup qualies Indian Panthers unknown ahead of NBL debut Lulu Sun, Erin Routliffe beaten at Indian Wells Due to the Indian Panthers' late withdrawal, the Whai, Saints and Nelson Giants played a game-of-three-halves on the tournament's final day. The Whai were the only team that could overtake the unbeaten Hawke's Bay Hawks on Saturday for the title, needing four-and-a-half of the seven points on offer in the two half-games. Winning both quarters in a 46-39 win over the Giants and taking the last quarter in a 46-32 loss to the Saints, the Whai did exactly that, drawing level with the Hawks on 16.5 points, earning the top spot on a tiebreaker. Former Tall Blacks guard Kruz Perrott-Hunt had 16 points (5/9 FG, 3/5 3pt) against the Giants, with Carter Hopoi adding 10 points, while Perrott-Hunt finished with nine points and Australian Sean Bairstow eight points against the Saints. Junior Tall Black Hayden Jones led the Giants with 12 points against the Whai, while Australian big Callum Dalton put up 11 points and American guard Jaylen Forbes 10 points in the 46-41 win over the Saints. For Wellington, Rangimarie Dougall-Mita finished with 12 points and six rebounds against Nelson, with American centre Nick Muszynski and Kiwi guard Kazlo Evans Jr putting up double-digit points in the win over the Whai. Hawks forward Jackson Ball (right) was awarded the Phill Jones Medal by the Tall Blacks legend. PHOTO: WESTSIDE BLITZ/DIGISPORT Hawks teen Jackson Ball collected the Phill Jones Medal as tournament MVP. Ball, a recent Tall Blacks call-up who celebrated his 17th birthday on Monday, amassed 29 of a possible 30 points in the MVP voting system, to finish ahead of Taranaki Airs forward Carlin Davison and Perrott-Hunt. Ball scored 25 points in a 98-86 win over the Franklin Bulls on Tuesday, had a 29-point outburst in a 98-89 victory over the Canterbury Rams on Thursday and hit the game-winning three as time expired amid 21 points in an 83-82 win over the Otago Nuggets on Friday. In the tournament's final game at the Westland Recreation Centre, the Airs rode a strong first half to defeat the Rams 81-72. Davison, an NZ Breakers development player, finished with an incredible stat-line of 26 points (9/14 FG, 5/8 3pt), 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals and five blocks, supported by 18 points and 11 boards from Jack Andrew and 14 points from Dom Kelman-Poto. Another Breakers and Tall Blacks player, Max Darling, led the Rams with 19 points (7/14 FG, 3/6 3pt), nine rebounds and two blocks.

Chris Wood (centre) will lead the All Whites in their FIFA World Cup Oceania Qualifiers. PHOTO: OFC/PHOTOTEK The All Whites squad for their FIFA World Cup Oceania Qualifiers this month in New Zealand has been confirmed. New Zealand will face Fiji in the Oceania semifinals on Friday, March 21 at Wellington's Sky Stadium, with the winner qualifying for the final, against either New Caledonia or Tahiti on Monday, March 24 at Auckland's Eden Park. LATEST HEADLINES: Indian Panthers unknown ahead of NBL debut Lulu Sun, Erin Routliffe beaten at Indian Wells Auckland FC reserves to make domestic debut Alker wins on PGA Tour Champions in playoff White Ferns wrap up Sri Lanka ODI series 2-0 The winning team will automatically qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in history after the tournament was expanded giving an OFC side direct entry. Should the All Whites win it will see New Zealand represented at the men’s FIFA World Cup for the first time in 16 years. Head coach Darren Bazeley has named a strong squad with 22 of the 23 players part of the team that assembled for the All Whites back-to-back wins over Vanuatu and Samoa in November. Joining the squad for this window is Auckland FC forward Jesse Randall, who made his debut in June 2024 at the OFC Nations Cup, earning four caps and scoring his first international goal as part of the tournament-winning side. All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley was happy with the squad and being able to regularly select players. “This is the business end of the competition now and we know we have a job to do in these games to see us return to the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2010. “We aren’t taking anything for granted, all of the squad are completely focused on what we want to achieve this month. “We have been really consistent with a lot of our selections over the last year to drive cohesion in the team so that when players arrive in camp they know what is expected, especially when we have limited time together and need to perform. “It was brilliant to see the support we had last year, and it is exciting that we get the opportunity to fight for our place at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in front of our own fans, we hope to see as many of you in the stands as possible.” Portland Timbers' Finn Surman was not selected as the defender recently earned a starting place for the MLS side. The MLS schedule continues during the FIFA window, so Darren Bazeley elected not to call up Surman to prioritise the player’s development with his club. ALL WHITES SQUAD Kosta Barbarouses (65 caps/7 goals) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand Joe Bell (22/1) Viking FK, Norway Tyler Bindon (13/2) Reading FC, England (on loan from Nottingham Forest) Michael Boxall (53/0) Minnesota United, USA Liberato Cacace (31/1) Empoli FC, Italy Max Crocombe (13/0) Burton Albion, England Matt Garbett (28/5) NAC Breda, Netherlands Eli Just (32/6) SKN St. Pölten, Austria (on loan from Horsens) Callum McCowatt (21/4) Silkeborg IF, Denmark Alex Paulsen (3/0) Auckland FC, New Zealand (on loan from AFC Bournemouth) Tim Payne (41/2) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand Nando Pijnaker (23/0) Auckland FC, New Zealand Jesse Randall (4/1) Auckland FC, New Zealand Logan Rogerson (14/2) Auckland FC, New Zealand Storm Roux (15/0) Central Coast Mariners, Australia Alex Rufer (18/0) Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand Oli Sail (9/0) Perth Glory, Australia Sarpreet Singh (16/2) U.D. Leiria, Portugal Tommy Smith (56/2) Auckland FC, New Zealand Marko Stamenić (27/2) Olympiacos, Greece (on loan from Nottingham Forest) Francis de Vries (8/1) Auckland FC, New Zealand Ben Waine (22/8) Mansfield Town, England (on loan from Plymouth Argyle) Chris Wood (80/41) Nottingham Forest, England

Michael Bracewell will lead the Black Caps at home for the first time for the T20 series against Pakistan. PHOTO: ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY A new home captain for the Black Caps with Wellington all-rounder Michael Bracewell to lead the side for this month's T20 series against Pakistan. Mitchell Santner along with Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra are unavailable due to IPL commitments. LATEST HEADLINES: NZ All Whites squad for World Cup qualies Indian Panthers unknown ahead of NBL debut Lulu Sun, Erin Routliffe beaten at Indian Wells Auckland FC reserves to make domestic debut Alker wins on PGA Tour Champions in playoff Bracewell, 34, has made 66 international appearances since debuting in 2022 and was a key member of the squad that made the recent Champions Trophy final. Bracewell captained the Black Caps white-ball tour of Pakistan in April last year and said he relished the challenge of leading the side. "I really enjoyed leading the side in Pakistan last year and we've got many players from that squad included for this series as well, which is nice. "Mitch Santner's done a great job since taking over as white-ball captain and I'll really just be trying to build on his good work and create an enjoyable environment for the guys to perform in. "Pakistan are always a dangerous short-form side with lots of power and pace and we know they'll be hurting after an early exit in the Champions Trophy. Ish Sodhi has been recalled after missing the recent home series against Sri Lanka, while Ben Sears has recovered from the torn hamstring which forced him to return home on the eve of the Champions Trophy last month. Kyle Jamieson and Will O'Rourke have been included for the first three games of the series only, as the selectors seek to manage the workloads of the pace-bowlers returning from the Champions Trophy. Ish Sodhi celebrates a wicket against India in 2023.Ish Sodhi celebrates a wicket against India in 2023. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Matt Henry, who finished as the leading wicket-taker at the tournament despite missing the final through injury, has been selected for games four and five, subject to further assessment once the ODI squad arrives home on Wednesday. Finn Allen, Jimmy Neesham and Tim Seifert have also been included in the squad after confirming their availability, if selected, for the build-up series' to next year's ICC T20 World Cup in India (against India and Afghanistan in January and February). The trio were unavailable for the recent home series against Sri Lanka in December and January due to their overseas T20 league commitments, but have since returned for their Major Associations in the Ford Trophy. Tim Robinson continues his run at the top of the T20 order, while pace-bowler Zak Foulkes (games 4 and 5) and wicket-keeper Mitch Hay retain their spots in the squad after impressing in the recent series against Sri Lanka. Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman, who were both part of the Champions Trophy campaign, will provide the top-order batting experience. Bevon Jacobs, who was part of the squad for the recent T20 series against Sri Lanka, was unavailable due to IPL commitments, while Kane Williamson wasn't considered for selection after making himself unavailable. Blac Caps T20 squad v Pakistan Michael Bracewell (c) Finn Allen Mark Chapman Jacob Duffy Zak Foulkes (games 4 & 5) Mitch Hay Matt Henry (games 4 & 5) Kyle Jamieson (games 1, 2 & 3) Daryl Mitchell Jimmy Neesham Will O'Rourke (games 1, 2 & 3) Tim Robinson Ben Sears Tim Seifert Ish Sodhi T20I Double-Header Schedule 1st T20I Double-Header - Sunday 16 March - Hagley Oval, Christchurch White Ferns v Sri Lanka, 10:15am Black Caps v Pakistan, 2:15pm 2nd T20I Double-Header - Tuesday 18 March - University of Otago Oval, Dunedin White Ferns v Sri Lanka, 10:15am Black Caps v Pakistan, 2:15pm 3rd T20I Double-Header - Friday 21 March - Eden Park, Auckland White Ferns v Australia, 2:45pm Black Caps v Pakistan, 7:15pm 4th T20I Double-Header - Sunday 23 March - Bay Oval, Tauranga White Ferns v Australia, 2:45pm Black Caps v Pakistan, 7:15pm 5th T20I Double Header - Wednesday 25 March - Sky Stadium, Wellington White Ferns v Australia, 2:45pm Black Caps v Pakistan, 7:15pm

Lulu Sun fought hard but found eighth seed Qinwen Zheng too tough in the Indian Wells third round PHOTO: BNP PARIBAS OPEN New Zealand tennis player Lulu Sun's run at the WTA 1000 tournament at India Wells has come to an end in the third round Sun won two matches at Indian Wells in what has been a tough year for victories on the WTA Tour. She had just one other win in 2025 so far. LATEST HEADLINES: Auckland FC reserves to make domestic debut Alker wins on PGA Tour Champions in playoff White Ferns wrap up Sri Lanka ODI series 2-0 Auckland FC grab A-League point at Newcastle Phoenix Women secure first win since January Crusaders claim big victory over Queensland However eighth seed Qinwen Zheng was too good in the third round winning 6-4 7-5 in one hour 50 minutes. Sun broke Zheng on four occasions out of her eight opportunities but gave up six breaks on her own serve. The head-to-head record between the two now sits at 1-1 after Sun beat Zheng in the first round at Wimbledon last year. Also losing were doubles second seeds Erin Routliffe and Canadian Gaby Dabrowski. They lost to wildcards Anna Kalinskaya (Russia) and American Caty McNally 7-6(4), 7-5 in the second round.

Auckland FC will make their debut in New Zealand Football's National League in 2025. PHOTO: AUCKLAND FC The A-League's newest club, Auckland FC, will make their first foray into New Zealand domestic football later this month. Auckland FC's Reserves join the Northern League this season - with their first match away at fellow new club Fencibles United on Saturday, March 22 - during the regional phase of New Zealand Football's National League . LATEST HEADLINES: Alker wins on PGA Tour Champions in playoff White Ferns wrap up Sri Lanka ODI series 2-0 Auckland FC grab A-League point at Newcastle Phoenix Women secure first win since January Crusaders claim big victory over Queensland Coll defends New Zealand Squash Open title Like the Wellington Phoenix Reserves in the Central League, Auckland FC automatically qualify for the now 11-team National League Championship phase during spring. The Auckland FC Reserves' first home match comes against Tauranga City FC at Fred Taylor Park in Auckland's west on Saturday, March 29, with their fixtures list featuring three home matches in the first five rounds. Their first match against three-time defending Northern League and current National League champions Auckland City FC comes on Saturday, May 10 at Kiwitea Street, before they host the return match on Saturday, August 9. While how Auckland FC Reserves fare will provide some intrigue, the country's pre-eminent club, ACFC, will play in three of the first four Northern League matches to alleviate their schedule congestion. The champions will host Tauranga City on Saturday, March 15 and West Coast Rangers on Tuesday, March 18, before travelling to Manurewa AFC on Saturday, March 22 in the first round proper. After those three matches, they will head to the Solomon Islands for the OFC Champions League, with their next league match coming on Saturday, April 17. Similarly, they will play seven matches in May before dedicating the entirety of June to the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. Three-time Central League champions Wellington Olympic will get their campaign underway at their Wakefield Park home against cross-town rivals Miramar Rangers on Saturday, March 29. The Phoenix Reserves host league newcomers Upper Hutt City the same day at Lower Hutt's Fraser Park. Promoted Wanaka AFC get the Southern League season started, welcoming Universities of Canterbury on Saturday, March 29, while last year's winners Cashmere Technical open at home against Selwyn United the same day. Four teams from the Northern League, three from the Central League and two from the Southern League - plus the AFC Reserves and Phoenix Reserves - will qualify for the National League Championship.

The Wellington Phoenix Women have reinvigorated their Women's A-League finals hopes. The Phoenix came from behind to beat Western Sydney Wanderers Women 2-1 and lift the Sister City Cup at Porirua Park, courtesy of late goals from Mebae Tanaka and Olivia Fergusson. LATEST HEADLINES: Crusaders claim big victory over Queensland Coll defends New Zealand Squash Open title Black Caps lose ICC Champions Trophy final Kiwi Tyler Hodge holds on for NZ PGA victory Wellington Phoenix lose fourth straight match The victory snapped Wellington’s five-match winless run and moved the Nix just a point adrift of the top-six. Phoenix head coach Paul Temple said it was a massively important result for the team. “The last two weekends [and] last night’s games they’ve all been going in our favour really and we haven’t been able to capitalise,” Temple said. “So, it’s huge for us to get three points because it capitalises on that, cuts the gap to one and of course if it’s that tight it’s anyone’s game. The manner of how we won that game today will help the confidence as well so it was just what we needed.” Temple felt his substitutes were the difference. “We were talking on the bench about Mebae and how she has X-factor and a bit of quality and it was all about trying to find her a moment. Thankfully the ball dropped to her, and it was an incredible hit. “As soon as that goes in the whole life goes back into the team and then Fergie I thought finished her chance really well. It was a good cross from Zoe that came on so the subs made a big impact." The Wellington Phoenix Women lift the Sister City Cup after beating Western Sydney Wanderers. PHOTO: WELLINGTON PHOENIX Temple made two changes to the XI that started last Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Adelaide United, with Daisy Brazendale and Manaia Elliott returning to the side in place of Zoe McMeeken and the injured Mackenzie Barry. The Phoenix started brightly with Fergusson unleashing the first shot of the match inside 60 seconds, but pulled it off target. Elliott came close to opening the scoring seven minutes later following a free-flowing Nix attack, but she too pulled her shot. Fergusson also headed an Annalie Longo corner wide of goal before 10 minutes were on the clock. Despite Wellington’s initial dominance they were unable to test Sham Khamis in Western Sydney’s goal and Phoenix ‘keeper Carolina Vilão made the first save of the match in the 20th minute when she kept out Sienna Saveska’s powerful effort from the top of the box. Bronte Trew put Wanderers in front a couple of minutes later when she pounced on a ball mis-played by Alivia Kelly to slot home into an empty net. After a flat period the Nix finished the half with renewed energy. Emma Main shot over the bar from six yards out after Western Sydney were unable to deal with an Annalie Longo corner in the 29th minute. Fergusson had three further goalscoring opportunities before halftime. She struck the outside of the post after Alyssa Whinham made a mazy run and picked her out in the six yard box, found the side-netting from a Longo cutback and wasn’t able to bring a threatening Main cross under control and it bounced into Khamis’ arms. Wellington's Manaia Elliott gets her head in the wrong place and cops a ball to the nose. PHOTO: DAVE LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY Vilão made a save seven minutes into the second half to keep out a shot from Trew, but otherwise Wellington continued where they left off in the first half. Moments after Trew’s shot, Fergusson headed a left-wing cross from Elliott narrowly wide of the near post. Khamis made a double save in the 58th minute to keep Wanderers in front. She first denied Whinham and then spectacularly tipped Elliott’s follow-up around her post. Elliott had to be replaced soon after, having copped a nasty knock to the head. Tanaka came on for the final half-hour. She drew the Phoenix level 15 minutes from fulltime, finding the roof of the Western Sydney net with a thunderous effort after Wanderers were unable to properly clear a right-wing corner. The Nix continued to dominate after Tanaka’s equaliser and finally got the reward for their endeavour in the 86th minute when Fergusson redirected a cross from substitute McMeeken past Khamis. Western Sydney threw numbers forward in the closing stages in the hopes of pinching a point but were unable to trouble Vilão. The Phoenix Women, who lifted the Sister City Cup for the fourth straight match, head across the Tasman next week to play Sydney FC on Saturday. Wellington Phoenix Women 2 (Mebae Tanaka 75', Olivia Fergusson 86') Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Bronte Trew 22'). HT: 0-1

Tyler Hodge became the third Kiwi to win in the last four tournaments on the PGA Tour of Australasia. PHOTO: PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA Kiwi left-hander Tyler Hodge has held his nerve over the closing stages to clinch a one-stroke victory at the Wallace Development New Zealand PGA Championship. Leading by four strokes after a birdie at the par-5 10th, Hodge’s advantage from Queensland pair Tim Hart (67) and Shae Wools-Cobb (71) was reduced to three with a bogey at the par-4 11th. LATEST HEADLINES: Alker in the top-20 on PGA Tour Champions Wellington Phoenix lose fourth straight match Paul Coll into decider at the NZ Squash Open Rise of the Pacific as Chiefs, Canes go down Lulu Sun into third round; Routliffe wins too Hart, Wools-Cobb and Kerry Mountcastle (66) all nudged one stroke closer with birdies of their own, Hodge’s lead shrinking to just one when he made a third bogey in the space of eight holes after three-putting the par-three 16th. The two closing holes at Hastings Golf Club were playing directly into a hefty wind and Hodge came up short with his second into the par-four 17th. He very nearly chipped in before tapping in for par to head to the 72nd tee with a one-shot advantage as Hart and Mountcastle sat safely in the clubhouse at 15-under. A bombed drive into the fairway was the first piece of the puzzle Hodge needed to complete before the 30-year-old hit his best shot of the day, a 7-iron from 161 metres to just 12 feet. It was after watching playing partner Denzel Ieremia’s shot carry deep into the green that Hodge changed clubs, dropping back to 7-iron to all but seal his first PGA Tour of Australasia victory with a final round of 3-under 69. He is the third Kiwi winner in the past four events (Josh Geary, Nick Voke) and the third left-hander to win this season (Elvis Smylie, Ryan Peake) and does so in his second stint as a professional. Originally joining the pro ranks in 2015, Hodge quit in late 2019 and had a year away from the game before returning to amateur golf and caddying for two seasons at Tara Iti. In 2023, he decided to try again and now, two years later, he is a Tour winner with guaranteed status through until the end of the 2026-2027 season. “That’s a very cool thought,” said Hodge, who had fiancée Tessa McDonald on the bag as he completed a career highlight. “We’ll have some in-house conversations and stuff like that about what the future looks like playing golf. “I had a couple of years off a few years ago and then kind of came back to the game and have been enjoying it. “But she’s a tough old slog pro golf, so my fiancée and I have been having some chats about possibly giving the pro playing stuff away. We’ll have to have a bit more of a chat over the winter about that.” Tied for second overnight, Hodge continued to forge ahead as the likes of Cameron Harlock (77), Jake McLeod (74), Denzel Ieremia (71) and Wools-Cobb (71) stalled on Sunday. Challengers emerged from back in the pack in the form of Mountcastle and Hart, but both would ultimately fall one short of forcing a playoff. It was Hodge’s performances on the Charles Tour in New Zealand last year that earned limited playing rights on the PGA Tour of Australasia this season, a tie for 11th at the NSW Open enhancing his status and providing confirmation that a win was not beyond reach. “I definitely haven’t played to my potential for most of the season,” said Hodge, who is now 22nd on the Order of Merit. “That was a little bit of a highlight that week but still felt like I didn’t kind of have it. Just to kind of let it go this week and just whatever happens, happens, the game kind of came back to me a little bit naturally, I suppose. “I’m almost a journeyman now. Golf is different. There’s a lot of learnings that you have to go through yourself. “People can tell you about it and stuff like that, but you have to experience a few of those things and get through a lot of adversity. “Slowly but surely got back into it and then obviously enjoyed it enough to have another crack at the pro stuff.” Mountcastle and Hart shared second at 15-under, one clear of Wools-Cobb, Anthony Quayle (69) and another Kiwi left-hander Tim Wilkinson (67).

An unusual trophy at the Cologuard Classic for Steven Alker on the PGA Champions Tour. PHOTO: PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS Steven Alker has carded a remarkable final round to win the latest PGA Tour Champions event in Arizona. The New Zealander started the final day on Sunday (Monday NZ Time) four shots off the lead at the Cologuard Classic in Tuscon, only to shoot a five-under 66 to climb six places, along with American Jason Caron. LATEST HEADLINES: White Ferns wrap up Sri Lanka ODI series 2-0 Auckland FC grab A-League point at Newcastle Phoenix Women secure first win since January Crusaders claim big victory over Queensland Coll defends New Zealand Squash Open title The pair went to the clubhouse tied for the lead and watched as others tried to chase down their 12-under for the tournament. Australians Greg Chalmers and Rod Pampling fell one shot short to finish at 11-under, while South African major winner Ernie Els ended at 10-under. On the first playoff hole, the par-four 18th, Alker had a chance to putt for birdie to win the tournament and the reigning Charles Schwab Cup Champion held his nerve. The 53-year-old was even-par at the turn after a pair of birdies and bogeys. His charge to the title began with an eagle at the par-five 11th, before he made three straight birdies at the 15th, 16th and 17th to join Caron. Alker has now moved to second on the overall tour standings, with a second and a tie for fourth in his first two starts of the year. Despite a consistent 2024 - with his lone victory coming in the season-opening tournament in Hawaii - he said it was nice to win a tournament for the first time in a while. "You just grind away, I've been in a lot of top-10s and top-fives, been in the hunt so it's just being patient and working hard on the body in the pre-season. "It's been 13-14 months since my last win so just to get over that little hurdle and get that win. The game has just been feeling good, just consistently week in week out so that's what I want, to give myself chances. "Moving forward, I've got a Charles Schwab Cup to defend so I've got to get it going ... the competition is just getting so good, so you've got to keep getting better." Meanwhile, fellow New Zealand golfer Danny Lee made a final-round push at the LIV Golf Hong Kong tournament on Sunday. Lee fired a four-under 66 at the Hong Kong Golf Club, featuring six birdies - including three in his last five holes - and two bogeys, to climb into a tie for 20th at seven-under, 11 strokes behind the winner, Spaniard Sergio Garcia. Fellow Kiwi Ben Campbell closed with a two-under 68, with four birdies and two bogeys, to finish in a share of 35th at five-under. Campbell's RangeGoats GC finished seventh and Lee's Iron Heads GC 10th.

Georgia Plimmer in action at the T20 World Cup LAST YEAR scored a century against Sri Lanka in Nelson PHOTO: ICC/GETTY IMAGES The White Ferns have eased to an ODI series win over Sri Lanka by 98 runs in the third and final game in Nelson. Opener Georgia Plimmer was the star for the home tean scoring her maiden ODI century. LATEST HEADLINES: Auckland FC grab A-League point at Newcastle Phoenix Women secure first win since January Crusaders claim big victory over Queensland Coll defends New Zealand Squash Open title Black Caps lose ICC Champions Trophy final After winning the toss and choosing to bat first New Zealand scored 280-6, Plimmer making 112 from 120 balls and Suzie Bates 53. Together they put on 108 for the first wicket. Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green and Isabella Gaze all had good starts in the middle order with scores of 36, 32 adn 24 respectively. Sugandika Kumari was the best of the Sri Lankan bowlers taking 3-70 from 10 overs. Jess Kerr removed the top three visiting batters all for singles figures with Sri Lanka falling to 23-3. Kayisha Dilhari and Nilakshika Silva both scored 45 in the middle of the innings to steady the innings, but it was never going to be enough as the side was dismissed for 182 in the final over. Fran Jonas also took 3-40 alonside Kerr's 3-22. The first match was washed out while New Zealand won the second by 78 runs. The two nations now meet in three T20 internationals with the first in Christchurch on Friday.

Glenn Phillips tries to work the ball away on the Dubai pitch in the ICC Champions Trophy final loss to India PHOTO: ICC The Black Caps have been beaten in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai by Inida by four wickets with six balls to spare. Batting first New Zealand made 251-7 thanks to Daryl Mitchell with a measure 63 from 101 balls to resurect the innings once Kane Williamson had gone at 75-3. LATEST HEADLINES: Wellington Phoenix lose fourth straight game Paul Coll into decider at the NZ Squash Open Rise of the Pacific as Chiefs, Canes go down Kiwi Harlock surprise leader at the NZ PGA Lulu Sun into third round; Routliffe wins too Down the order Michael Bracewll his 53 not out including two sixes and three fours. Rachin Ravindra made 37 from 29 at the to of the order while Glenn Phillips was more cicumspect than usual with 34 from 52 on a wicket tha lacked pace. Will Young scored 15, Tom Latham 14 and Michell Santner was run out for eight while Nathan Smith who was in the side for the injured Matt Henry was not out no score. Williamson made 11 runs but sustained a quad strain during his innings meaning he did not field when India were at bat. The Indian innings was steady all the way through except for Virat Kohli who was lbw to bracewell for just one. Otherwise Rohit Sharma opened with 76, Shreyas Iyer made 48 and KL Rahul 34 as India made 254-6. Phillips once again took a spectacular catch to dismiss Shubman Gill of Santner's bowling. The best of the Black Caps bowlers was Bracewell who has the superb figures of 2-28 from his 10 overs while Santner 2-45 with Kyle Jamieson and Ravindra taking the other two wickers. Ravindra was named player of the tournament.