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The Stars struggled to make an impact against the Magic in the ANZ Premiership PHOTO: MICHAEL BRADLEY/NETALL NZ The Magic have scored a comprehensive 71-54 win over the Stars to complete the double against their northern rivals in Auckland to complete round five. A dominant first quarter from the Magic put the stamp on the match from which the Stars never recovered. Drawn second and fourth quarters were not enough for the home side to make any in-roads after the damaging first and third quarters the visitors delivered. LATEST HEADLINES: Kiwi 49er team strike gold in Europe Black Foils second NYC, third overall Top-10 finishes for Kiwis Garvey, Alker Ryan Fox wins Canadian Open playoff Wollaston sprints to Tour of Britain win With their attacking line on-song, shooters Saviour Tui and Ameliaranne Ekenasio were almost unstoppable when on a roll, the rest of the Magic team following suit to leave the Stars with few answers. Captain Maia Wilson was a steady hand under the Stars hoop with her accuracy but a lack of ball hindered the home side’s progress throughout. The Stars opted for a different shooting pair to start with, Wilson moving back to goal shoot and Monica Falkner getting her first start of the season, at goal attack. The Magic picked up where they left off last week against the same opposition, their attacking end moving into top gear early and impressing with the fluidity, ball delivery and movement from Ekenasio, Claire O’Brien and Ali Wilshier. Under the hoop Tui was the clinical finisher of the excellent work being done in front of her while showcasing her aerial skills, athleticism and shooting accuracy. At the other end, the defensive pairing of Georgia Tong and Erena Mikaere were equally influential as the visitors raced out to a 20-11 first quarter lead. Former Silver Fern Kayla Johnson was injected into goal defence for the Stars on the resumption with wing defence Samon Nathan following soon after for her first game-time of the season after coming back from injury. Showing more defensive grit, the Stars competed on level terms before the Magic produced a storming finishing burst to nail home their dominance. Three super shots from Falkner did little to repair the damage, the Magic happy to stick with one-pointers in a drawn second quarter and a handy 38-29 lead at the main break. A 5-1 start to the third term set the tone for the Magic, who continued in relentless fashion while knocking any sign of resistance out of the Stars. The visitors’ controlled the ball superbly with the Stars unable to get their hands of any sniff of a turnover. Making it look easy at times, Ekenasio and Tui worked in perfect unison in the Magic’s attacking circle, the Stars defence unable to inflict any damage as their deficit kept climbing. The rangy reaches of Mikaere and Tong gave the Stars no respite at the other end, the pair picking up intercepts and getting their hands to multiple deflections while executing a frustrating night for the home side’s attackers. The tall figure of Australian Charlie Bell took over at goal shoot but the Stars had an ever-growing mountain to climb when staring down a 56-39 scoreline at the last turn.

Team New Zealand charging to the line at SailGP New York PHOTO: SAILGP The Black Foils have finished second at the SailGP event in New York after winds picked up from early issues with no breeze. The Peter Burling skippered New Zealand boat was beaten by Spain in the winner-take-all top-three decider.with France third. LATEST HEADLINES: Top-10 finishes for Kiwis Garvey, Alker Ryan Fox wins Canadian Open playoff Wollaston sprints to Tour of Britain win Determined Mystics beat Central Pulse Kiwis Reynolds, Watt win doubles title The NZ boat reached a fastest speed of 84.38km/h in one of the races as the weather changed rapidly from storm conditions to, to flat calm and then breezy again. Earlier New Zealand had finished fourth in Flett Race 6, second in the fifth race, fourth in race four, won race three. They were 11th in race two but second in the first race. The New Zealand team now improve to third in the season standings. Spain lead overall with 46 points followed by Australia on 45 and the Kiwis 44.

Amelia Garvey faded in the final round but still managed a tie for eighth on the Ladies European Tour. PHOTO: AMELIA GARVEY New Zealand golfers Amelia Garvey and Steven Alker have recorded top-10 finishes on either side of the Atlantic. Garvey produced the best result of her professional career in Europe, tied for eighth at the Ladies European Tour’s Tenerife Women’s Open on Sunday (Monday NZ Time). LATEST HEADLINES: Ryan Fox wins Canadian Open playoff Wollaston sprints to Tour of Britain win Determined Mystics beat Central Pulse Kiwis Reynolds, Watt win doubles title All Whites beat Ivory Coast in Toronto The 25-year-old closed with a one-over 73 at the Abama Golf Club in Spain’s Canary Islands, dropping from a tie for fifth to eighth at five-under, four strokes behind the winner, Czech Sara Kouskova. Garvey had four birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey in her final round, matching her opening day score. She shot rounds of 69 and 68 during the middle rounds. Further down the leaderboard, compatriot and fellow Canterbury golfer Momoka Kobori finished in a share of 30th at two-over after a two-under 70 on the last day, and Wenyung Keh tied for 49th at five-over after a six-over 78. At the LPGA Tour's Shoprite LPGA Classic in New Jersey, rookie Fiona Xu missed the weekend cut by five strokes after rounds of 73 and 72. On the PGA Tour Champions in Madison, Wisconsin, Alker and Bernhard Langer finished sixth at the American Family Insurance Championship, a 54-hole four-ball teams tournament. The Kiwi-German pair carded a bogey-free eight-under 63 on Sunday (Monday NZT) at the TPC Wisconsin, finishing at 27-under, five shots behind the winners, Thomas Bjorn and Darren Clarke. Alker, who remains third in the Schwab Cup standings but closed the gap to Angel Cabrera and Miguel Angel Jiminez, contributed six of the pair's birdies. Meanwhile, Michael Hendry finished tied for 62nd at the BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship, north of Tokyo. Hendry carded all four rounds in the 70s, finishing at 10-over, 20 shots off the pace. On the DP World Tour and LIV Golf circuit, Daniel Hillier and Ben Campbell posted promising results after differing final rounds. Hillier, who moved up to seventh in the Road to Dubai rankings, signed for an even-par 71 in the final round of the KLM Open in the Netherlands, finishing tied for 26th at one-over, 12 strokes behind the winner. He made four birdies and four bogeys on the final day at The International in Amsterdam, following earlier rounds of 70, 72 and 72. Campbell, in his first tournament after returning from a wrist injury, fired the day's best round, a nine-under 62 to climb into a tie for 19th at the LIV Golf Virginia tournament. Starting at the 12th hole, the 32-year-old made seven straight birdies from the 13th to first holes, adding another four birdies and two bogeys at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on Sunday (Monday NZT). At the HotelPlanner Tour's Swiss Challenge in Lucerne, left-hander Sam Jones finished in a share of 36th at one-under, 13 shots back. He made 17 pars and a double-bogey on the final day in a two-over 73, following rounds of 67, 73 and 70. Harry Hillier missed the weekend cut by seven shots at the Korn Ferry Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am in South Carolina after back-to-back rounds of 72.

Always with a bit of personality - Sammie Maxwell celebrates silver at the UCI MTB event in Austria PHOTO: UCI New Zealand mountain bikers, led by Sammie Maxwell, have revelled in the cold and muddy conditions to bag a handful of podium performances in the latest round of the UCI MTB World Series in Leogang, Austria. Maxwell finished second in the women’s cross-country race to extend her lead in the championship in her rookie season in elite category. LATEST HEADLINES: Ryan Fox wins Canadian Open playoff Wollaston sprints to Tour of Britain win Determined Mystics beat Central Pulse Kiwis Reynolds, Watt win doubles title All Whites beat Ivory Coast in Toronto In a nearby part of the Austrian Alps, three Kiwi riders earned podium places in the fourth round of the Enduro World Series in challenging cold, muddy and slippery conditions. Charles Murray enjoyed his best finish of the season to date, with second in the elite men to be third in the overall rankings for the Specialized Gravity rider. Fellow Christchurch rider Winnie Goldsbury bagged her second podium in her debut season in women’s elite, finishing third to move the teenager to fifth overall, while compatriot George Swift (Yeti Fox) was sixth. Alexandra’s Cooper Millwood was second in the junior men’s enduro to be second on the overall standings. It completed a remarkable World Series weekend for New Zealand riders, following on from victory for Kaikoura’s Oli Clark (MS Racing) in the junior men’s downhill yesterday, along with third for Tauranga’s Eliana Hulsebosch (Santa Cruz Racing) in the junior women. Elite riders Lachlan Stevens-McNab and Jess Blewitt were fourth and fifth respectively in the elite finals to round out arguably the most successful weekend for kiwi mountain bikers on the UCI World Series. While Dutch star Puck Pieterse dominated the women’s elite cross-country race rivelling in the challenging cold and muddy conditions, Maxwell again showed maturity beyond her 23 years to finish second. The Decathlon Ford professional pushed clear of the rest of the field in the tough conditions, recovering from a dropped chain to finish 36 seconds clear of third place, while 50sec behind the winner. Maxwell is 290 points clear at the top of the elite women’s standings with the next stop in Italy in two weeks marking the midway point in the championship. In the elite men Anton Cooper (Lapierre Racing) continued his gradual improvement after a year out of the sport, finishing 34th in the elite men with compatriot Sam Gaze (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 53rd as he recovers from illness. In the nearby Leogang mountains, the enduro riders battled not only the tough conditions, but extreme cold in the high mountains in a mammoth eight hours of competition with six timed staged and over 80kms of liaison riding. Murray started strongly to win the opening stage, but dropped out of the lead with a fall on stage four. The Christchurch rider recovered to place fifth on stage five and fourth on the final stage to finish second overall 13 seconds down on winner Jesse Melamed from Canada. The kiwi remains third in the overall competition but has closed to within 100 points from second placed Daniel Booker (Australia). “I am so stoked. It has been tough couple of months with injuries, so to be on the podium and pushing for the win, I couldn’t ask for more,” said Murray. “In those conditions, then the more people are complaining, the more I like it. I know they are struggling more. I like the trails here and was finally feeling fit and strong, so I enjoyed it and coped well today and felt remarkably good. “It is an awesome boost to the confidence and stoked to be up to third with three more races to go. I want to make the last three count and the title is still within reach if all goes well.” Rotorua’s Yeti Development NZ rider Joe Millington had a strong race to finish 13th with the Pivot Factory riders Matthew Walker and Ed Masters 22nd and 45th respectively. Meanwhile Christchurch teenager Goldsbury scored another podium performance in third, starting strongly with second in the first two stages but dropped nearly 30 seconds on stage three. She recovered with three strong stages to finish third and remain fifth overall but just 100 points from third. “It started well but then I messed up a bit and had five hugies. I had a negative attitude midway through but told myself that I am living my life goals here so I should be stoked to be out there,” said Goldsbury. “Everything then got a lot better. It was hard in those conditions but everyone crashed at times. It was the hardest conditions of the season, and challenging mentally in the cold, mud and wet and a long day on the tools.” Nelson’s George Swift (Yeti Fox) also revelled in the tough going, finishing sixth for her best finish so far this year. There was more good news for enduro riders with Alexandra’s Cooper Millwood continuing his outstanding season. The Yeti NZ Development rider won the opening stage but moved back to second after dropping time on stage four. Millward recovered to win stage five and second on stage six to finish runner-up, just seven seconds behind winner Melvin Almuies (FRA). Millwood remains second on the season standings, 100 points behind the Frenchman but has moved 250 points clear of third. The UCI MTB World Series action moves to Italy’s Val di Sole in two weeks, with competition for cross-country and downhill before a break. Results: Cross-Country: Female Under-23: Fiona Schibler (SUI) 1:12.44, 1; Monique Halter (SUI) at 57s, 2; Elina Benoit (SUI) at 2:23, 3. Also NZer: Amelie MacKay at 10:37, 36. Male Under-23: Finn Treudler (SUI) 1:14.02, 1; Paul Schehl (GER) at 47s, 2; Nicolas Halter (SUI) at 52s, 3. Also NZers: Ethan Rose (Trek Future Racing, Christchurch) at 4:22, 21; Coen Nicol (Taupo) 1 lap, 62; Bailey Fredericksen (Whakatane) 3 laps, 72. Female Elite: Puck Pieterse (NED) 1:26.39, 1; Sammie Maxwell (Decathlon Ford, Taupo, NZL) at 50s, 2; Ramona Forchini (SUI) at 1:26, 3. Standings: Maxwell 1022, Nicole Koller (SUI) 732, Evie Richards (GBR) 634. Male Elite: Ondrej Cink (CZE) 1:25.05, 1; Mathias Fluckiger (SUI) at 18s, 2; Fabio Puntener (SUI) at 27s, 3. Also NZers: Anton Cooper (Lapierre Racing) 1:30.57, 34; Sam Gaze (MS Racing) 1:34.01, 53. Enduro: Elite men: Jesse Melamed (CAN) 24:46.028, 1; Charles Murray (Specialized Gravity, Christchurch, NZL) at 13.980s, 2; Slawomir Lukasik (POL) at 19.539, 3. Also NZers: Joe Millington at 55.372, 13; Matthew Walker (Pivot Factory) at 1:15.694, 22; Lachie Ross at 1:46.373, 31; Edward Masters at 2:12.685, 45; Oliver Jenkins at 2:29,391, 55; Asher Hart at 3:37.992, 76; Regan Doig at 6:27.039, 96. Standings: Slawomir Lukasik (POL) 1370, 1; Daniel Booker (AUS) 1080, 2; Murray 960, 3. Also: Millington 638, 16. Elite women: Ella Conolly (GBR) 30:04.459, 1; Simona Kuchynkova (SVK) at 16.379, 2; Winni Goldsbury ( Specialized Gravity, Christchurch, NZL) at 35.383, 3. Also NZers: George Swift (Yeti Fox, Nelson) at 2:04,899, 6. Standings: Conolly 1500, 1; Kuchynkova 1010, 2; Morgane Charre (FRA) 970, 3. Also NZers: Goldsbury 850, 5; Swift 750, 8. Junior men: Melvin Almueis (FRA) 26:20.431, 1; Cooper Millwood (NZL) at 7.325, 2; Aron Babo (HUN) at 46.589, 3. Also NZers: Eli Robertson at 3:15.308, 13; Marcus Sayers dnf. Standings: Almueis 575, Millwood 475, Tommy Bougon (FRA) 225. Also NZers: Marcus Sayers 80, 13.

Ryan Fox won the Canadian Open on the fourth playoff hole in Toronto. PHOTO: CANADIAN OPEN New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox has his second victory on the PGA Tour in less than a month. Fox defeated American Sam Burns with a tap-in birdie on the fourth playoff hole to win the Canadian Open on Sunday (Monday NZ Time), just four weeks after his maiden PGA Tour win at the Myrtle Beach Classic. LATEST HEADLINES: Wollaston sprints to Tour of Britain win Determined Mystics beat Central Pulse Kiwis Reynolds, Watt win doubles title All Whites beat Ivory Coast in Toronto Hurricanes defeated in SRP semifinal The 38-year-old from Auckland, who was tied for the 54-hole lead, had to come from three strokes back during the final round at the TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, birdieing three of his final five holes. With members of the All Whites squad watching and cheering loudly from a greenside hospitality tent, Fox cranked his second shot on the par-five 18th from 259 yards to within nine feet, setting up the victory. "To be honest, Sam and I had a bit of a pillow fight there for three holes. There was some pretty avearage golf from both of us, some average putting," said Fox, with daughters Isobel and Margot in his arms. "That shot I hit on 18, that 3-wood, is probably the best shot I've ever hit. It would've been nice to make it (the eagle putt) but I'll take it." With the US$1.764 million (NZ$2.92 million) winner's cheque and accompanying points, Fox climbed to 25th in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup standings, putting him in a strong position to make the FedEx Cup playoffs. "It was tough. I hit some great shots down the stretch in regulation. Probably got a little lucky on that putt on 18 in regulation, just sneaking in the left door," said Fox, who became the first Kiwi to win twice on the PGA Tour in the same season. Fox won for the first time on the PGA Tour on May 11, chipping in from just off the green on the first playoff hole to beat Canadian Mackenzie Hughes and American Harry Higgs in Myrtle Beach. Fox started the day tied for the lead at 14-under with Italian Matteo Manassero but quickly found himself two strokes back as Chinese Taipei's Kevin Yu and Frenchman Victor Perez picked up early strokes. After making the turn at two-under, Burns hit the front with five straight birdies from the 10th to 14th holes to lead by two. He birdied the par-five 18th for an eight-under 62, climbing 15 places after starting the final day four strokes back. Fox opened with five consecutive pars before a birdie at the par-four sixth hole. Another seven pars followed before birdies at the 14th and 15th holes to get within one shot. He missed a nine-footer for birdie at the par-four 17th but, with members of the All Whites squad watching greenside, rolled in a 19-foot birdie putt, which just held onto the left edge of the hole, to force a playoff. But the drama was just getting started. After Fox put his tee shot in the fairway bunker on the first playoff hole, forcing him to lay up further back, Burns chipped to within five feet but missed the birdie putt for victory, forcing another trip down the 18th. Fox cranked his drive on the second playoff hole, going to the green in two but coming up short - and flirting with the water, before a poor chip and 12-foot birdie putt, which he left well short, for the win, sent it to a 75th hole. Down the 18th for the fourth time of the day, but this time with a different hole location, both players laid up. Neither hit a great approach shot, with Fox on the green, while Burns spun his chip from 75 yards off the green and into the first-cut. Fox went long with his 39-foot putt for victory, making a nervy par putt, while Burns made a comfortable up-and-down, sending the pair back to the 18th tee. Both players went for the green in two on the fourth playoff hole. Fox hit the shot of his life, with Burns' shot leaking to the left. The American sent his first putt long, missing the come-backer from 10 feet and tapping in for par. Fox just needed to two-putt from nine feet and duly did, earning a place in this week's US Open in the process.

Ally Wollaston on the podium in Glasgow PHOTO: SW Pix New Zealand cycling star Ally Wollaston has sprinted her way to overall victory on the final day to win the Tour of Britain. The Suez FDJ professional went into the last stage of the UCI World Tour race around the streets of Glasgow trailing emerging British star, Cat Ferguson from Movistar by three seconds. LATEST HEADLINES: Determined Mystics beat Pulse Kiwis Reynolds, Watt win title NZ All Whites beat Ivory Coast Fox joint leader Canadian Open Hurricanes in semifinal defeated Wollaston revelled in the circuit racing, picking up the time bonuses in winning all three of the intermediate sprints in Glasgow and then securing the overall honours with a desperate final sprint for third on the stage. It gave the kiwi rider the vital last four bonus points to secure the overall victory on general classification. "I'm a little bit overwhelmed,” said Wollaston. “I knew it was a lot to pull off today, winning three sprints and having to still get seconds in the final. I knew the race really had to go my way today. “I'm so, so immensely grateful for my teammates for making it pan out that way. I really couldn't have done that on my own out there today," said Wollaston. “If you looked at every sprint that I did well in today, I was never isolated. I had a teammate going into the last corner every single time and it made a world of difference. “This means the world to me, it's my first World Tour victory in GC. “Often a lot of the times on the track, I race best in omniums when I'm not leading from the front and I think I found it super-motivating today not having to defend the win. I find it a lot easier on the mind chasing rather than defending.” Wollaston has won two world titles on the track as well as silver and bronze medals at the Paris Olympic Games. While the kiwi star won a World Tour race in Australia in February, this was her first World Tour GC win in a stage race. "It came down to the last sprint, and there was a moment of doubt halfway through that last lap where I thought 'I just cannot do this today', and my team-mates really helped me pull it together and pulled me to the front for the final." The final stage was held on an 8.4km city-centre circuit in Glasgow.

Oli Clark in action in Leogang, Austria PHOTO:MS Racing New Zealand downhill riders were on fire at the UCI World Series at Leogang in Austria with top-five placings in each of the four championship classes, topped by victory in the junior men. The 18-year-old Oli Clark, from Kaikoura, who rides for the MS Racing pro team, scored the first UCI World Cup downhill victory by a New Zealand junior male, setting up an outstanding day on the slopes of Leogang. LATEST HEADLINES: Blues win late v Chiefs, into semis Tactix stay top after win over Steel Reynolds, Watt in Challenger final Walsh wins fifth Diamon League Top rides in MTB downhill qualies Tauranga’s Eliana Hulsebosch (Santa Cruz Syndicate) was third place in the junior women, before Queenstown’s Jess Blewitt showed her brilliant best to finish fifth in the elite women. The day was capped off by rising Rotorua star, Lachlan Stevens-McNab who was fourth in the elite men’s final. The junior riders set the tone with Hulsebosch grabbing her second podium of the World Cup season after finishing third in Poland, with the 17-year-old already showing the benefits of the tutelage under the highly respected team head, Steve Peat. After a conservative start, she was brilliant down the second half of the run for her podium finish. Nipping at her heals was Rotorua’s Kate Hastings, 17, and younger sister for former junior world champion Jenna, who was fourth in her debut season on the world stage, ahead of fellow Rotorua rider Bellah Birchall (Team High Country) sixth and Queenstown’s Indy Deavoll ninth. Clark became the first kiwi junior men’s downhiller to win a UCI World Cup since Tuhoto-Ariki Pene six years ago. After finishing third in Poland, Clark was outstanding. Series leader Max Alran (France) set the marker in the penultimate run as he chased another victory. But Clark proved outstanding, behind by a blink at the midway point before proving fastest on the tight and technical second half to clock 3:00.724 and better the Frenchman by 0.6sec. “I am pretty stoked with that. It hasn’t sunk it quite yet,” said Clark. It proved a strong day for the kiwi junior men with Hawkes Bay’s Tyler Waite (Yeti-Fox) fifth, Queenstown’s Malik Boatwright (Team High Country) eighth and Palmerston North’s Jonty Williamson (Yeti-Fox) inside the top-10. Waite remains in second on the overall standings behind Alran with Clark moving to fourth. In the elite women, Blewitt enjoyed time in the hot seat with her best performance of the season, finishing a close fifth. The Cube Factory rider set the pace, second fastest behind French star Marine Cabriou as the pair remained in the hot seat until the last three riders pushed on to the podium. Blewitt finished fifth in her best showing of the season to move up to 10th overall. Lachlan-McNab was keen to make amends after his fall last week in Poland in the elite men’s competition. The Trek Factory rider set a blistering run, clocking the fastest speed of 66kph in a mistake-free performance. He was edged back to fourth by multi world champion Loic Bruni (FRA), Loudenvielle winner Jackson Goldstone (CAN) and German Henri Keifer. But none of the top-10 qualifiers to follow were able to better this quartet with Lachlan-McNab securing fourth. There is a busy final day at Leogang tomorrow, with cross-country finals, along with a strong kiwi presence in the Enduro competition. Results, Downhill: Women elite: Gracey Hemstreet (CAN) 3:21.962, 1; Anna Newkirk (USA) at 0.866, 2; Valentina Holl (AUT) at 2.427, 3. Also NZers: Jess Blewitt (Cube Factory, Queenstown) at 3.970, 5. Junior Women: Rosa Zierl (AUT) 3:29.379, 1; Aletha Ostgaard (USA) at 1.368s, 2; Eliana Hulsebosch (Tauranga, Santa Cruz Synd) at 5.427, 3. Other NZers: Kate Hastings (Rotorua) at 5.938, 4; Bellah Birchall (Rotorua, Team High Country) at 10.541, 6; Indy Deavoll at 13.704, 9. Men, Elite: Jackson Goldstone (CAN) 2:57.229, 1; Loic Bruni (FRA) at 0.059, 2; Henri Keifer (GER) at 0.535, 3. Also NZers: Lachlan Stevens-McNab (Trek Factory, Rotorua) at 1.208, 4; Sam Gale (Nelson) at 4.406, 24; Tuhoto-Ariki Pene (MS Racing, Rotorua) at 10.555, 28. Junior: Oli Clark (MS Racing, Kaikoura) 3:00.724, 1; Max Alran (FRA) at 0.608, 2; Asa Vermette (USA) at 1.231, 3. Also NZers: Tyler Waite (Yeti-Fox, Hawkes Bay) at 3.111, 5; Malik Boatwright (Team High Country, Queenstown) at 5.665, 8; Jonty Williamson (Yeti-Fox, Palmerston North) at 6.405, 10; Rory Meek (Queenstown) at 19.176, 20.

Tom Wlash explains his win at the Rome Diamond League PHOTO: DIAMOND lEAGUE TV Kiwi shot putter Tom Walsh's top 2025 season has continued with victory at the Diamond League meet in Rome. Walsh qualified third for the and then threw 21.89 metres with the first of his six attempts, a season's best distance by 18 centimetres. LATEST HEADLINES: Top rides in MTB downhill qualies Fox targets lead at Canadian Open Coll cruises into British Open semis Crusaders beat Reds to reach semis Kiwi duo continue Challenger form It proved to be too good for the rest of the field, with Italian Zane Weir coming second on 21.67m just ahead of Rajindra Campbell of Jamaica in third. The win in Rome is Walsh's fifth career victory at a Diamond League event, following successes in Brussels in 2015 and 2019, and Zurich in 2016 and 2018. The win also follows Walsh claiming his third World Indoor Title in February, in China. Two other New Zealanders were in action in Rome including Olympic high jump champion Hamish Kerr who was sixth with a height of 2.20. He was top qualifier but failed at all three attempts at 2.23m, well below his season's best of 2.32 and his personal best of 2.36. Korea's Woo Sang-hyeok, who finished seventh at last year's Paris Olympics and is a two-time World Indoor Champion, won the high jump, with a leap of 2.32. Imogen Ayris the bronze medalist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games was eighth in the women's pole vault at 4.50m

A four-under first round at the Canadian Open has Ryan Fox top-20 PHOTO: GOLF NZ A late ran has lifted Ryan Fox to an opening round four-under par 66 to be tied 18th at the PGA's Canadian Open near Toronto. The New Zealand number one made birdie at the 11th, 16th and 18th holes after making the turn at one-under. LATEST HEADLINES: Rob Walter new Black Caps head coach Saints roll; Sharks into top six contention Canes hooker Asafo Aumua out injured Paul Coll into British Open quarterfinals Super Rugby teams set for playoff  games Fox is five shots back of the clubhouse lead held by Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen and Cristobal Del Solar (Chile) At the DP World Tour's KLM Open in the Netherlands Daniel Hillier tied 22nd at one-under after a first round 70. Countryman Kazuma Kobori way down the order after carding a 76 to be five-over. The leader is Ricardo Gouveira at seven-under

Paris Lokotui looks for someone to pass too PHOTO: MICHAEL BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHYE/NETBALL NZ The Mainland Tactix have kept their place at the top of the ANZ Premiership points table after a 57-49 win over the Southern Steel in Invercargill With their greater accuracy and finishing, the Tactix had the edge across most aspects of the court to lead throughout but were never totally comfortable. The Steel were always in contention and had several surges but couldn’t maintain consistency for long enough. LATEST HEADLINES: Reynolds, Watt in Challenger final Walsh wins fifth Diamon League Top rides in MTB downhill qualies Fox targets lead at Canadian Open Coll cruises into British Open semis Tactix centre Holly Mather, helped the visitors keep the Steel at arm’s length as the home side requiring super shots when trailing by eight going in to the last quarter but having little success – Aliyah Dunn nailing one. In the side as a permanent replacement player, the well-performed Khanye-Lii Munro-Nonoa got the start at goal defence for the Steel while, spoilt for choice, goal shoot Ellie Bird got the starting nod under the hoop for the visitors. In her 50th match, wing defence Paris Lokotui played in a strong defensive squeeze employed by the Tactix, picking off a couple of turnovers to give her side the early edge. With expertly-placed ball, the extra height provided by Bird under the hoop helped the Tactix build a four-goal buffer while the visitors’ defence clogged the midcourt advances of the Steel for a 16-14 score at the first break. As she has all season, goal attack Te Paea Selby-Rickt executed the role of third feeder to perfection as her shooter-to-shooter connection with Bird. Plenty of patience was needed by the Steel to thread the ball towards goal, but once there Dunn provided the footwork, strong hold and accuracy to help keep the home side hot on the Tactix heels. Unable to make definitive inroads, the Steel injected Abby Lawson (goal defence) and Kate Heffernan (wing defence), the Silver Fern getting her first minutes of the season the changes having immediate effect. with the score 32-26 at the main break to the Tactix. A 5-1 start to the third quarter by the Tactix had the Steel scrambling. Unable to contain the profitable impact of the interplay between Selby-Rickit and Bird prompted the tall figure of Kate Lloyd to take over at goalkeeper for the home side. However, the all-round pressure across the court, where Karin Burger, Jane Watson and Lokotui were relentless, continued to take the sting out of the Steel’s challenge. The Steel’s defensive changes gradually began to take effect with more turnover chances helping the home side deliver a much-needed late rally. With no successful super shots through to this point, Dunn delivered twice in the closing minutes to lift the Steel hopes. Trailing by as many as 11 during the third quarter, the Steel still had work to do but had trimmed the margin to 45-37 at the last turn following an untidy finish from the visitors.

Top-10 after two rounds at the Canadian Open for Ryan Fox PHOTO: PGA TOUR A second round of chaos for Ryan Fox at the PGA's Canadian Open near Toronto has the Kiwi in the top-10. Fox is tied seventh at eight-under after a round where he started on the back nine with birdies on the 12th, 13th and 14th holes followed by a bogey on the 15th. LATEST HEADLINES: Coll cruises into British Open semis Crusaders beat Reds to reach semis Kiwi duo continue Challenger form Ryan Fox top-20 round 1 Canadian Open Rob Walter new Black Caps head coach The New Zealand number one then bogeyed the 17th before birdies on the 18th, first and second holes with a bogey at the third and birdie on the fourth. There was another birdie at the sixth and bogey on the seventh. Fox is four shots back of the clubhouse lead held by American Cameron Champ who is 12-under At the DP World Tour's KLM Open in the Netherlands Daniel Hillier is tied 20th at par after a second round one-over 72 which included four bogeys and three birdies. Kazuma Kobori missed the cut at eight over. .

Celebration time for the Warriors after the win over the Sharks PHOTO: NRL One of the most satisfying performances from the Warriors in 2025 has seen them thrash the Sharks 40-10 against the crowd, the refs, the bunker and commentators. Inspired by the defensive efforts of fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, the Warriors piled on five second half tries while shutting out the Sharks at their stadium. LATEST HEADLINES: Kaikoura rider first UCI MTB win Blues win late v Chiefs, into semis Tactix stay top after win over Steel Reynolds, Watt in Challenger final Walsh wins fifth Diamon League The win was the Warriors 10th of the season and it is the first time they have won five matches in Sydney since 1995. It was even more impressive given they were without NSW Origin prop Mitch Barnett and hooker Wayde Egan through injury. James Fisher-Harris stood up in the abscence of Barnett and cross for a try in the 42nd minute while Dallin Watene-Zelezniak opened the scoring in the fifth minute followed by Adam Pompey. The game was still open the first half as the Shark also scored twice through Mawne Hiroti and KL Iro for 12-10 at the break to the visitors. After that the floodgates opened and there were additional tries to Demitric Vaimauga, Leka Halasima and Chanel Harris-Tavita with a double. The Warriors are now second on the NRL points table with 22, behind the Bulldogs, also with 22 but a couple of games in hand. Warriors 40 (Chanel Harris-Tavita 2 tries, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Adam Pompey, James Fisher-Harris, Demitric Vaimauga, Leka Halasima tries, Luke Metcalf 6 goals) Sharks 10 (Mawene Hiroti, KL Iron tries; Nicho Hynes goal). HT: 12-10.