Search Results

The Wellington Phoenix Women are in-form after a 2-0 win over Perth Glory thanks initially to a Grace Jale goal. Jale came back to haunt her old side with a second long-range stunner in as many home matches at Sky Stadium early in the second half, before Olivia Fergusson sealed the points in the 69th minute. LATEST HEADLINES: Phoenix's Melbourne struggles continue Double wins for Auckland over Cantabs Kiwi tennis battler Rubin Statham retires Sri Lanka defeat Black Caps in third T20 Northern Brave win big over Wellington Wellington have lost just one of their past six Women's A-League fixtures, with the result at Porirua Park moving the Phoenix Wellington up to fifth in the standings through Round 10 – ahead of Central Coast Mariners on games won, though the latter are still to play, and one clear of Adelaide United who are also scheduled to play. As for Perth, they are 10th and five points outside the top six amid a three-match winless run. It was a scoreless opening 45 minutes in Wellington, where Mebae Tanaka had two good chances to put the Phoenix head. The deadlock was broken two minutes into the second half when Jale came back to haunt her former side. Olivia Fergusson celebrates as the Wellington Phoenix women win over the Perth Glory. PHOTO: A-LEAGUE For the second home game running, Jale scored from distance – this time the New Zealand international beat Casey Dumont from outside the penalty area. Fergusson made it 2-0 with 21 minutes remaining – the Englishwoman rose highest to head home Lara Wall’s inch-perfect cross as she scored for the second consecutive match. Perth had two big chances to reduce the deficit late on but they were denied twice in an incredible sequence – firstly by ‘Nix goalkeeper Carolina Vilao and then the crossbar as the Glory suffered a third straight loss to Wellington.

It was another night to forget in Melbourne for the Wellington Phoenix in the A-League. The Phoenix were defeated 2-0 by Melbourne City in their first match of 2025 on Friday night, extending their winless run at AAMI Park to 22 matches. LATEST HEADLINES: Double wins for Auckland over Cantabs Kiwi tennis battler Rubin Statham retires Sri Lanka defeat Black Caps in third T20 Northern Brave win big over Wellington Venus, Mektic defeat Djokovic, Kyrgios The Nix only registered one shot in the defeat and were not able to force City goalkeeper Patrick Beach to make a single save. Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano believed the game could have turned out differently if they had not conceded inside 10 minutes. “It was a poor first half,” Italiano said. “It was a very poor goal to concede early on and that really puts you on the back foot. “We conceded and then we kind of got pinned for large parts of that first half. Halftime we went to a 4-2-3-1 and I felt the first 10-15 were actually quite good. “When we were brave enough to find that forward pass, we were actually dangerous. We had a couple of good chances, but again just the linkage player into that final third … just wasn’t good enough." Italiano remained “very optimistic” he can turn his side’s fortunes around. “But that really comes down to the focus of the group and how I can refocus them. For me it’s now just going back to the drawing board, seeing what players I have available and finding a style that suits the players. “It’s very important for the coach to steer the direction, but I need to make sure that my players know that they have my confidence and the other way around as well that we can do something still in the season. “You look at Mariners, with the way they started last season. It was four games where they lost and then they turned it around. I think we’re maybe one or two performances short of turning our season around.” The Wellington Phoenix's winless run at Melbourne's AAMI Park extended to 22 matches. PHOTO: WELLINGTON PHOENIX Italiano made just the one enforced change to the XI which started the 2-1 win over Newcastle Jets on Saturday, with centre back Isaac Hughes returning to the side in place of captain and midfield linchpin Alex Rufer, who has been sidelined indefinitely with illness. The first half was an especially tough watch for Phoenix fans, with City pinning Wellington in their half for most of the opening 45. Harry Politidis put the hosts in front in the seventh minute from a sharply worked short corner routine, after Josh Oluwayemi had done well to make his first save of the night to deny Callum Talbot from long-range. Oluwayemi made a further three saves before halftime, to deny Arion Sulemani twice and Benjamin Mazzeo, but none of them really tested the Nix ‘keeper. However, all three shots came after the Phoenix were careless with possession inside their half. They were not able to register a shot of their own before the break as they found it difficult to break City’s press. Italiano made a couple of attacking switches at halftime, bringing on forward Oskar van Hattum in place of midfielder Kazuki Nagasawa and changing from a back-five to a back-four, with Matt Sheridan pushing into midfield in Nagasawa’s absence. The changes had an impact with the Nix more comfortable in possession and able to make more regular forays into the opposition half. Teen Luke Brooke-Smith registered Wellington’s first shot shortly before the hour mark when he burst into the City box. Unfortunately for him and the Phoenix his effort was well-blocked. Brooke-Smith was replaced soon after, following a tireless 60 minutes on the right wing, with fellow teen Luke Supyk making his way on the pitch for the first time this season. There were few memorable moments for the next quarter of an hour, with Italiano making further positive substitutions with 10 minutes remaining, bringing on Nathan Walker and Lukas Kelly-Heald on in place of Sheridan and Sam Sutton. Moments later City doubled their lead, with Nathaniel Atkinson putting the final touch on a sweeping move into the Nix penalty area to all but seal the three points. Italiano made his final change shortly before the start of time added on, bringing on Corban Piper for an ailing Tim Payne. But the Phoenix were unable to test Beach in City’s goal and threaten a dramatic late comeback. The Phoenix have no time to dwell on the defeat as they will return home on Saturday to prepare for next Saturday’s match against high-flying Adelaide United at Sky Stadium (kick-off 5pm). Melbourne City 2 (Harry Politidis 7', Nathaniel Atkinson 83') Wellington Phoenix 0 . HT: 1-0

No Parker Jackson-Cartwright, no problem for the NZ Breakers. The Breakers got big games from American guard Matt Mooney and import big man Tacko Fall as they ended their eight-game Australian National Basketball League (ANBL) losing streak with a 92-68 win over the Cairns Taipans on New Year's Eve. LATEST HEADLINES: Ellyse Perry to play for Blaze in Super Smash White Fern Amelia Kerr up for two ICC Awards Golfer Lydia Ko honoured as youngest Dame Fotu back at Tuatara, Bulls re-sign Rusbatch Wood helps Notts Forest to fifth straight win The Breakers arrived at the Cairns Convention Centre having lost all eight games since cutting Freddie Gillespie and adding Fall to the roster in November and were missing MVP candidate Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who was suspended after their Christmas Day loss to the Tasmania JackJumpers. The Breakers showed a performance full of heart to dominate a listless Taipans outfit, with Mooney delivering 23 points (9/14 FG, 3/5 3pt) and 10 assists, and Fall 21 points (9/14 FG) and 12 rebounds in 16 minutes. The last ANBL game of 2024 featured the two coldest teams, with the Snakes having lost 14 straight and not tasted a victory since beating Melbourne United on October 6, while the Breakers' last win was in Cairns back on November 16. Matt Mooney stepped up with a game-high 23 points for the NZ Breakers. PHOTO: ANBL The Breakers returned to make a point of utilising the size advantage of Fall early on. It worked a treat too as he scored 10 points in the opening four minutes, opening up a 19-7 lead before turning that into a 14-point advantage during the second period. The Breakers were still up 10 by halftime, with Fall producing 16 points in just over nine minutes, while the Snakes were ice-cold, shooting just 36 percent from the field and 29 percent from three. Mooney took control in the second half for the Breakers and he hit two threes in the third quarter to help the lead to 18 by three-quarter time, and it grew to as much as 26 in the fourth. The visitors cruised to the drought-breaking 24-point win from there, shooting 54 percent from the field, despite going 14-of-27 at the foul line. Kiwi forward Sam Mennenga enjoyed his return to Cairns with 11 points (5/6 FG) and five rebounds off the bench, while Max Darling provided nine points. Breakers coach Petteri Koponen was full of praise for his team afterwards, particularly Mooney and Mitch McCarron (eight points, five rebounds, three assists). "I have to give big credit to Matt Mooney and Mitch McCarron, especially Mitch who it hasn’t been easy for during the season behind Parker," he said. "But tonight how he controlled the game together with Matt, we were sharing the ball excellent and also defensively we were great, and Mojave King did a great job with Rob Edwards. "This guy (Fall) next to me also was amazing and impactful with all his minutes that he was on the floor." It was a horror loss for Cairns who have now lost 15 straight at 3-16 as they shot 32 percent while having 14 turnovers from which the Breakers scored 24 points off. Tanner Groves battled hard for 21 points and eight rebounds with Kiwi forward Sam Waardenburg providing 11 points, four rebounds and three assists. The struggles of Edwards (16 points, five turnovers, 2/11 shooting) and Taran Armstrong (two points, three turnovers, 1/10 shooting) were problematic for the home team. Fall was the focal point inside for the Breakers and they were able to take full advantage early on, and point guard McCarron was instrumental in making that happen after getting the start. The Breakers scored seven straight points to lead 7-2 and then went on another 12-2 run to lead 19-7 with Fall having 10 of those 19 points. The Breakers turned that into a 21-15 lead by the end of the first quarter while making 8-of-19 from the floor, opposed to 5-of-19 from the Taipans, and having nine second chance points to two. Fall scored another couple of early buckets in the second period and then the Breakers went on a 7-0 run to lead by 12, and it soon got to 13 with another Max Darling three, and then 14 with a Jonah Bolden finish. Cairns answered with six consecutive points but the Breakers had all the answers to go into half-time leading 47-37 with the Breakers 5/13 free-throw shooting helping to at least keep the Snakes in touch. Even with Fall not reappearing until six minutes into the third quarter, the Breakers again build on their lead and it was back to 14 when Matt Mooney knocked down his second triple of the contest. The Breakers then finished the third quarter with the last six points with the last five of those courtesy of Mooney as the lead grew to 18, and then was out to 20 early in the fourth frame. The Breakers continued to capitalise on careless Cairns turnovers to see the lead grow to as much as 26 before the Breakers returned to the winner's list in style with the 24-point win. The Breakers are back at home on Sunday to host the Perth Wildcats in the second of five games without suspended Jackson-Cartwright, while the Taipans take on the league-leading Illawarra Hawks in Wollongong on Friday. NZ Breakers 92 (Matt Mooney 23, Tacko Fall 21, Sam Mennenga 11) Cairns Taipans 68 (Tanner Groves 21, Rob Edwards 16, Sam Waardenburg 11). 1Q: 21-15, HT: 47-37, 3Q: 72-54

A key player foer the White Ferns and also for the Wellington Blaze as they beat Northern Districts in Super Smash PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER/LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY White Ferns star Amelia Kerr top-scored, was the best bowler and was involved in a run out as her Wellington Blaze team beat the Northern Districts women by four runs in Super Smash cricket at Seddon Park in Hamilton. Australian star Ellyse Perry played her first of two games for the Blaze but was out bowled Marama Downes for six. LATEST HEADLINES: Drought breaking victory for NZ Breakers Ellyse Perry to play for Blaze in Super Smash White Fern Amelia Kerr up for two ICC Awards Golfer Lydia Ko honoured as youngest Dame Fotu back at Tuatara, Bulls re-sign Rusbatch Batting first the Blaze made 150-3 in their 20 overs as Amelia Kerr made 67 not out from 51 balls opening the innings including one six and six fours. Alongside her sister Jess they had a 101 run partnership with the younger sister finished with her career best 61 not out. Amelia crossed the 2,000 run threshold in the competition. Aside from Perry the other players to bat were Rebecca Burns with eight and Leigh Kasperek six. Downes was the best of the ND bowlers with 1-20 from her four overs. In the filed Amelia Kerr had figures of 4-18 from four overs and was involved in a run out as well. Jess Kerr had 1-32 while Kasperek bowled 2-18. Perry bowled four overs for 44 without success. Northern Districts eventually finished on 146-9 with plenty of partnership, but no one quite finishing the innings. Captain Jess Watkin opened with Sri Lankan Chamari Athapaththu scoring 34 and 26 respectively while down the order it was Carol Agafili who hit 40 off 28 balls. B

Some close marking between individual players in the A-League clash between Auckland FC and Melbourne Victory which ended in a scoreless draw PHOTO: A-LEAGUE Auckland FC continue to adjust to ins and outs of the A-League but they played well enough to go five points clear at the top table following an entertaining goalless draw with Melbourne Victory. The game was played in front of nearly 15,000 spectators at Mt Smart and quickly had defender Nando Pijnaker send a dipping volley narrowly over the ball from an Auckland set-piece. LATEST HEADLINES: Amelia Kerr stars for Blaze over Northern Drought breaking victory for NZ Breakers Ellyse Perry to play for Blaze in Super Smash White Fern Amelia Kerr up for two ICC Awards Golfer Lydia Ko honoured as youngest Dame Both sides had good chances to break the deadlock with Victory keeper Jack Duncan putting in an impressive performance to help the away side seal a valuable point in Auckland. Defender Francis De Vries went closest to finding the back of the net but his powerful header was somehow stopped by Duncan on the line as both sides were forced to settle for a draw. Socceroos winger Nishan Velupillay went oh-so-close to snatching a dramatic late winner for the away side but his shot flew inches wide of the far post in the 93rd minute. The result moves the Auckland five points clear of second-placed Adelaide United who don't play until January 6th while Victory are now level on points (18) with the Reds in third place.

After a long time playing pro tennis Rubin Statham has retired from tennis PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER/LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY New Zealand tennis player Rubin Statham has confirmed his retirement from the sport after 21 years of professional play. The 37-year-old reached a high of 279 in singles and 139 for doubles in the ATP rankings. LATEST HEADLINES: Sri Lanka beat Black Caps in T20 Northern big win over Wellington Venus, Mektic beat Djokovic, Kyrgios Auckland FC, Melbourne Victory draw Amelia Kerr stars for Blaze over Northern His best win was over then No 25 Hyeon Chung at the 2019 ASB Classic. He also made the second round in 2010 and had numerous career wins over players ranked in the top 150. Statham had four ATP Challenger doubles titles to his credit and was a finalist over a dozen times, while his best result at ATP Tour level was a semifinal at Chengdu, China. Statham announced his retirement via social media. "The time has come my friends. After 21 amazing years of professional tennis, I am officially retiring. I’ll miss the hours of competing, pushing my body and mind to the limit, the thrill of victory, the heartbreak of defeat, and the passion of representing my country. It’s also been very special to watch my friends on tour grow, overcome adversity and become amazing athletes and people. Most of all, I’ll miss the friendships and adventures we had together, in the end, all you have are memories, and we made some amazing ones!" In Davis Cup Statham has played the most ties for New Zealand at 35.

Black Caps bowler Jacob Duffy was Man of the Series against Sri Lanka after taking eight wickets PHOTO: DJ MILLS/LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY The Black Caps have lost the third T20 against Sri Lanka by seven runs at Saxon Oval in Nelson after the visitors took the bat to the home bowlers. New Zealand had already wrapped up the series after two wins at Mt Maunganui and kept the same side for the third game. Sri Lanka scored 218-5 in their 20 overs with Kusal Perera making 101 from 44 balls with 13 fours and four sixws Charith Asalank also hit big with 46 from 24 balls - five sixes and one four. LATEST HEADLINES: Northern big win over Wellington Venus, Mektic beat Djokovic, Kyrgios Auckland FC, Melbourne Victory draw Amelia Kerr stars for Blaze over Northern Drought breaking victory for NZ Breakers All of the Kiwi bowlers were given a hammering except Daryl Mitchell who took 1-6 from one over. Jacob Duffybowled four overs and had 1-30. Everyone else went for over 10 runs per over. The Black Caps started well with Tim Robinson making 37 and Rachin Ravindra finding some form with 69 from 39 balls and four sixes with five fours. Daryl Mitchell hit big down the order making 35 from 17 including four consecutive sixes, but after his dismissal the equation looked difficult. Zak Foulkes gave it a good go to get the side close scoring 21 not out alongside Mitch Santner with 14 not out. But in the end the Black Caps made 211-7 falling seven runs short. Duffy was the Player of the Series with his eight wickets and being so difficult for the Sri Lankans to score off. The ODI series between the sides starts on Sunday

Kristian Clarke was a key bowler for Northern Districts in their Super Smash win over Wellington PHOTO: LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY The Northern Districts men's team scored a six wicket win over Wellington in Super Smash at Seddon Park in Hamilton. Batting first the Wellington Firebirds scored 160-8 with Nick Green top scoring on 48 and Gareth Severin 30. LATEST HEADLINES: Venus, Mektic beat Djokovic, Kyrgios Auckland FC, Melbourne Victory draw Amelia Kerr stars for Blaze over Northern Drought breaking victory for NZ Breakers Ellyse Perry to play for Blaze in Super Smash Peter Younghusband and Troy Johnson were the other two players to make it to 20's. Tom Blundell returned to the side but was out for a duck. opening the innings. Kristian Clarke was the best of the ND bowlers with 3-32 while former Black Cap Neil Wagner took two wickets for 40 runs. At bat ND knocked off the required total with 10 balls to spare. They scored 166-4 with 66 from Joe Carter including three sixes and seven fours while fellow opener Katene Clarke made 22. The other big scorerer was Brett Hampton coming in and clobbering 25 off 11 balls with two sixes and two fours.

Kiwi Michael Venus in action against Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios at the Brisbane International PHOTO: BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL Kiwi tennis player Michael Venus and Croatian doubles partner Nikola Mektic are into the quarterfinals of the ATP tournament in Brisbane but only after beating a couple of big names to get threre. Top seeds Venus and Mektic defeated Serbian star Novak Djokovic and Australianc and Nick Kyrgios three sets. LATEST HEADLINES: Auckland FC, Melbourne Victory draw Amelia Kerr stars for Blaze over Northern Drought breaking victory for NZ Breakers Ellyse Perry to play for Blaze in Super Smash White Fern Amelia Kerr up for two ICC Awards The two singles players came within two points of winning but an untimely double fault in the match tie-break proved to be a turning point in favour of Venus and Mektic. Having rallied from a set down, Djokovic and Kyrgios looked headed for the quarters before the former world No 1 pushed for too much on his second serve at 8/6. The top seeded combination then reeled off four points to close out the match 6-2 3-6, 10-8 in front of a big and enthusiastic crowd. “Down three points [4/7] in the match tie-break it wasn’t looking great, but somehow we got back in there and Mekta hit a great return on match point,” said Venus. They'll play fifth seed Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, both from Britain in the quarterfinals. Venus and Mektic play the ASB Classic in Auckland next week.

A superstar of the game, Ellyse Perry will play for the Wellington Blaze in Super Smash for two game PHOTO: LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY One of the biggest names in women's cricket, Australian Ellyse Perry will play for the Wellington Blaze in the Super Smash T20 domestic competition. Perry has signed to play in the first two Super Smash games for the Blaze and will team up with White Ferns star Amelia Kerr. LATEST HEADLINES: Amelia Kerr up for two ICC Awards Lydia Ko honoured as youngest Dame Fotu back at Tuatara, Bulls re-sign Rusbatch Wood helps Forest to fifth straight victory Sparks score Women's Super Smash win The Blaze are the Super Smash defending champions The 34-year-old has appeared in over 300 games for her country and recently played at the Basin Reserve as Australia won the Rose Bowl against the White Ferns. Perry will only be able to play a couple of matches for the Blaze as she has to return to Australia to be part of the Women's Ashes. Wellington's first game is against the Northern Brave in Hamilton January 1 with their second against the Central Hinds in Nelson January 4. Perry has a batting average 31 and has taken 126 wickets at an average of 18.78 in T20 internationals. She has also played 134 games in the women's Big Bash in Australia with a batting average of 49 and has taken 70 wickets at an average of 32.

Mark Chapman led the scoring for the Black Caps with a measured 42 runs as they won the T20 series over Sri Lanka PHOTO: DJ MILLS/LINTOTT PHOTOGRAPHY The Black Caps have won the T20 series over Sri Lanka with a comprehensive win in game two of the three game series. New Zealand, who put up an above-par total and then turned to their star man with the ball once again, Jacob Duffy bagging 4 for 15 as Sri Lanka crumbled. LATEST HEADLINES: Bulls resign Rusbatch, Fotu at Tuatara Wood helps Forest to fifth straight victory Sparks score Women's Super Smash win Barry beaten in Classic qualifying battle Mike Venus could face Djokovic, Kyrgios They were just about in the chase with five overs to go, although 60 off 30 was always a tough ask; but after Kusal Perera was dismissed by Duffy for 48 off 35, the innings fell away dramatically, their last seven wickets going down for 14 Three Black Caps scored in the 40's with Mark Chapman making 42 from 29, Tim Robinson 41 from 34 at the top of the innings and some late hitting by Mitch Hay with 41 not out from 19 balls including two sixes and four fours. Glenn Phillips made 23 from 16 and Daryl Mitchell 18, while Rachin Ravindra made one opening again. In their turn in the field Duffy was the star, but Mitch Santer was also key with 2-22 from his four overs while Matt Henry also picked up a couple of wickets as well as Zak Foulkes and Michael Bracewell. The third and final T20 between the sides is New Year's Day in Nelson.

Golfer Lydia Ko is among six new dames and knights honoured in the 2025 New Year Honours. Ko, 27, became the youngest to receive New Zealand's third-highest honour on Tuesday after a year in which she won an Olympic gold medal at Paris 2024 and her third women's golf major. LATEST HEADLINES: Fotu back at Tuatara, Bulls re-sign Rusbatch Wood helps Forest to fifth straight victory Sparks score Women's Super Smash win Barry loses ASB Classic qualifying battle Alice Robinson takes third in giant slalom Ko, who was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2018 at 21, said being made a dame was not only special for her, but also for those around her who had helped her become a professional golfer. "Those opportunities don't come to everyone and for me to have this amazing opportunity, it makes me very proud," Ko said. "I think it's a moment that's special for all of us, obviously it's special for the person but it's a recognition for everyone involved because I wouldn't be here today without them." The honour continues Ko's history of youngest records. She is the youngest to win a professional golf tournament and an LPGA tournament. In 2015, she became the youngest women to be ranking No 1 and in 2024, became the youngest to be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame. The women's world No 3 said she had to think about accepting the Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit honour for services to golf. "I did think about it, because you don't really grow up thinking 'Oh I'm going to become a dame'. I'm obviously very grateful that other people are giving me this opportunity. Not everybody gets that." Among the 16 named Companions of the New Zealander Order of Merit, were former All Blacks coaches Ian Foster (for services to rugby) and John Hart (for services to sports governance). Foster was one of the first professionals to move into coaching. He played a record 148 matches for Waikato and 26 for the Chiefs, before coaching Waikato, the Chiefs and the Junior All Blacks, before joining the All Blacks set-up. He was an assistant under Steve Hansen from 2012-19, before taking the reins from 2020-23, leading the ABs to 32 wins in 46 matches. Hart has been instrumental in the growth of the New Zealand Open golf tournament, while he was the chair of the New Zealand 2011 group that oversaw the running of the Rugby World Cup and was a director with the NZ Warriors from 2009-11 and Blues since 2018. Former All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM). Whitelock earned more test caps than any other All Black, playing 153 times for New Zealand before retiring from rugby in 2023. He captained the All Blacks on 18 occasions during his 13 years at international level.