Category: Sport

Source: Radio New Zealand

Northern Districts pace bowler Kristian Clarke has joined the Black Caps squad ahead of this week’s second Test against West Indies in Wellington.

Clarke is the second uncapped player to join the squad after Canterbury fast bowler Michael Rae.

New Zealand’s lead pace bowler Matt Henry, along with Nathan Smith and Mitchell Santner have been ruled out of the rest of the series with injuries.

Henry suffered a calf injury during the first Test in Christchurch, while Smith suffered a side strain. Both players were unable to bowl in the West Indies’ second innings.

Santner is recovering from abdominal surgery in August.

The New Zealanders had a patched-up team complete the first Test at Hagley Oval with Tom Latham forced to take over the wicketkeeping gloves from an injured Tom Blundell, while Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips, who were also both recovering from injuries, were called on to be substitute fielders.

With Jacob Duffy and Zak Foulkes forced to get through a lot of overs at Hagley Oval, they will be monitored over the next couple of days.

Blair Tickner is the other bowling option. He has played three tests for New Zealand.

Clarke was called in as cover for the ODI series against England in October when Matt Henry went down with a calf strain.

He and Rae now come into contention to make their Test debuts as the Black Caps face a stern test of their bowling depth.

Mitch Hay is expected to keep wickets in the second Test, while Blundell could be considered fo the third Test at Bay Oval.

Hay is poised for his Test debut but is already capped in white ball cricket.

New Zealand Cricket said they would update their squad Monday night.

The first Test ended in a draw with the second Test starting on Wednesday.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Wellington Phoenix women are closely monitoring the fitness of Nepal international Sabitra ‘Samba’ Bhandari after an injury scare in Melbourne.

Bhandari limped off the field during Wellington’s 1-0 A-League loss to Melbourne City yesterday in the Phoenix’s first match on the road in their A-League season.

Wellington’s import striker returned from a knee injury to the starting XI.

Bhandari’s comeback however was short-lived as she went down clutching her lower leg in the 58th minute.

She was assisted off the field with an apparent lower leg problem.

Wellington headed into the match brimming with confidence after beating heavyweight’s Melbourne Victory last round.

The Phoenix held Melbourne City until the 86th minute when City captain Rebekah Stott unleashed the game-winning goal for the reigning premiers.

Phoenix coach Bev Priestman told media her side dominated in the box but was unable to break City’s defence.

“I’m frustrated and I think the team are but this game can’t define us. We did a very good job against a very good Melbourne City team and now we have to grow from this,” she said.

“We have to put the ball in the back of the net and that’s a different game.”

The Wellington Phoenix will stay on the other side of the Tasman to prepare for Friday night’s match against Perth Glory.

The Phoenix, sitting 8th on the standings after four games, will be looking to rebound from their first loss of the season.

The experienced Football Fern CJ Bott said she will continue to lead by example for Wellington after she was confirmed before the last match as the team’s fulltime captain.

– RNZ

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Black Ferns Sevens have been crushed by Australia in the Cape Town World Rugby Sevens series decider, unable to back up their victory in Dubai.

After tasting success in the opening round last week, New Zealand were beaten by Australia overnight, with their green and gold rivals leading 19-0 at halftime.

Heidi Dennis, Teagan Levi and Isabella Nasser ran in three tries for Australia in their emphatic 26-12 win.

In the overall standings the Black Ferns Sevens are second on the leaderboard after the opening two rounds.

In the men’s decider, South Africa secured back-to-back titles on home turf beating Argentina 21-19.

Early in the second half, Argentina looked to have the gold-medal match sewn up to complete a remarkable turnaround after finishing eighth in Dubai last round.

But the Blitzboks hit back with two tries in the last four minutes as the excited crowd ramped up the volume.

Like the New Zealand women, the All Blacks Sevens also failed to follow up their win in Dubai last round, slumping to fifth.

The New Zealand men missed the the semi-final stage after a heavy 35-5 loss to Fiji.

They rallied back to beat Australia 28-21 in the 5th place semifinal and then overcame Great Britain 27-12 to secure fifth behind Fiji and France.

The All Blacks Sevens are third overall behind South Africa and Fiji after two rounds on the leaderboard.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Hallyburton Johnstone Sports Club – home to lawn bowling, croquet, and tennis in Auckland’s Point Chevalier – has used the same block of land for almost 100 years, but there are now fears for the future after an Anglican Trust raised questions about who owns that land.

Members of the community sports club, including Kiwis head coach Stacey Jones, have said it is an important space for the entire community.

Bowling club President Simon Munro said the land was donated by farmer Hallyburton Johnstone in 1927.

A New Zealand Herald article from 3 August of that year spoke of the “generous gift of Johnstone’s fine old home and over four acres of property”.

Munro said the farmer wanted the land – where he once lived – to be used as a community sports area, administered by a public club.

Since then, generations have enjoyed the beloved green space in the central west suburb.

“It’s not just playing bowls, playing croquet, playing tennis, even though we’ve got about 1000 members across all three clubs, but it’s the wider benefits that we’ve been providing the community,” said Munro.

“Since the local RSA closed down a few years ago, their members now use our club rooms for their veterans days, committee meetings, and we hold the Anzac Parade every year as well.”

There was also a volunteer-run community garden at the site, which was used by local schools.

So he was shocked to learn the Anglican Trust for Women and Children, which he said was a beneficiary of Hallyburton Johnston’s estate, was questioning whether it was also entitled to the sports club land.

He believed the trust was considering developing the land, which had a council capital value of $5.15 million, for a purpose other than community sports.

“It was a big shock. You know, you go through all of the emotions, and anger is certainly one of them.

“What we now know is that the Anglican Trust for Women and Children potentially wants to develop the land for housing, which goes completely against what Hallyburton Johnstone intended for this land to provide, which is the benefits of sports and recreation.”

He said Johnstone also gifted part of his Point Chevalier land to the Anglican Church, which sold it in 2017.

New Zealand Kiwis head coach Stacey Jones was a frequent flyer at the club, coming most weeks.

He supported keeping the site the way it was.

“I just enjoy the social part, I go down there and watch the sports. I like to have a quiet beer. I don’t have to go down there with any friends or ring them up, I can go on my own and just enjoy a quiet space.

“It’s such a wonderful place and creates a really good vibe for the community. Every generation of people can enjoy that space, not just the bowlers and the older people, but the young ones.

“It just needs to stay.”

Long-time bowling club member 75-year-old Kevin Morris said the club was a popular place for families as well.

“In terms of the bowling club, we’ve got a huge social membership because it’s the hub of the community.

“The demographics of the area have changed in recent years, with families coming in with young children. We’re a welcoming club with a children’s playground, and we never ban children. We’re more likely to ban adults generally because of intoxication, but that doesn’t happen very often.”

The bowling club’s hospitality manager Krystal Stevens said knowing they could lose their space had been difficult.

“It kind of hits you more in the heart because you know how much this place means to the locals, to the community.

“To see that being threatened is quite sad because there’s nowhere else in Point Chev or the surrounding areas quite like this.”

The Anglican Trust declined RNZ’s request for an interview, but confirmed it was “seeking clarification on the ownership of the land”.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

McLaren’s Lando Norris sobbed tears of joy and relief as he won the Formula One championship for the first time and ended Max Verstappen’s four-year reign with a nervy third place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Red Bull’s Verstappen, who ended the campaign with the most wins (eight), triumphed in the season-ender with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri second and 12.5 seconds behind at the chequered flag.

Norris, Britain’s 11th Formula One world champion at the age of 26, took his points tally to 423 with Verstappen on 421 and Piastri third with 410.

McLaren, who secured the constructors’ championship in October for the second year in a row, won both titles in the same season for the first time since 1998.

New Zealand Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson finished 18th, his worst result of the season when finishing a race and the worst result of his F1 career.

After starting 13th on the grid, the New Zealand driver made up a couple of places but was handed a 5 second penalty for erratic driving which dropped him to the back of the field.

He finished just behind his Racing Bulls team-mate Isack Hadjar who is moving up to Red Bull next season.

Lawson finished 14th in the Drivers’ Championship and Racing Bulls sixth in the Constructors’ Championship.

Speaking to media after his victory, Norris said “I’ve not cried in a while. I didn’t think I would cry but I did,” said an emotional Norris in a post-race interview, after also shedding tears inside his helmet on the slowing down lap around the floodlit Yas Marina circuit.”

“It feels amazing. I now know what Max feels like a little bit.

“I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my two biggest competitors the whole season. It’s been a pleasure to race against both of them. It’s been an honour, I’ve learned a lot from both,” he added.

No five titles in a row for Verstappen

Norris’s mother Cisca gave Piastri a consoling hug while both Verstappen and the Australian congratulated the new champion in a show of sportsmanship.

The victory denied Verstappen the achievement of five titles in a row, something only Ferrari great Michael Schumacher has managed so far.

“The way we fought back in the second half of the season, we can be really, really proud of that,” said the Dutch driver, who was 104 points behind then-leader Piastri at the end of August, over the radio to his team.

“So, don’t be too disappointed. I’m definitely not disappointed. I’m really proud of everyone for not giving up.”

Charles Leclerc finished fourth in Sunday’s race for Ferrari with George Russell fifth for Mercedes and Fernando Alonso sixth for Aston Martin.

Esteban Ocon was seventh for Haas, ahead of Ferrari’s seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton — who failed to stand on the podium all year in a career low for the 40-year-old who joined the Italian team this year from Mercedes.

Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg was ninth in the German’s 250th race and Lance Stroll 10th for Aston Martin.

Verstappen, who needed to win with Norris off the podium, led away from the start with Norris fending off Piastri to retain second while Russell dropped from fourth to sixth.

Piastri, the only driver apart from Tsunoda in the top 10 to start on the hard tyres with the rest on mediums, overtook Norris on lap one to drop the Briton into jeopardy with Leclerc close behind.

Norris appeared to be managing his tyres, and pulled out of DRS range, before pitting on lap 19 at the same time as the Ferrari driver.

The championship leader rejoined in ninth with Tsunoda leading a train of traffic and posing a threat to Norris, with Leclerc again closing in, but the McLaren driver overtook four cars in quick succession.

Esteban Ocon’s Haas then peeled into the pits, leaving the Japanese next.

“(Do) all you can when he catches,” Red Bull told Tsunoda, who replied “I know what to do, leave it to me.”

Norris ran wide, Tsunoda handed a penalty

Norris scythed past, running wide onto the dirt as Tsunoda moved twice in defence — a move that earned the Japanese a five second penalty with the Briton cleared of gaining an advantage by leaving the track.

Verstappen pitted on lap 24, immediately after Norris passed his teammate, to hand the lead to Piastri.

Leclerc pitted for a second time on lap 40, followed in by Norris for a second set of hards, with Piastri ending his mighty opening stint to switch for mediums on lap 42.

The Australian rejoined in second, 24.5 seconds behind Verstappen who passed him just before the stop, with Norris third.

“It’s not just this year or the last seven or eight years I’ve been with McLaren, but the last 16 or 17 years of my life trying to chase this dream,” said Norris afterwards.

“Today we all did it, so I’m pretty happy.”

– Reuters with additional reporting from RNZ

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Australia beat England by eight wickets in the second Ashes test in Brisbane on day four on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Australia, who won the series-opener in Perth by eight wickets, need only draw the next test in Adelaide to retain the urn.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Danish golfer Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson has claimed the Australian Open, winning by just one shot over home favourite Cam Smith.

Kiwi Daniel Hillier shared sixth place with rising Spanish golfer Jose Luis Ballester.

Neergaard-Peterson, 26, carded a final-round 70 to prevail in a tight finish at Royal Melbourne.

Smith was denied a maiden title with a bogey on the last hole, while Neergaard-Peterson sank an impressive up-and-down putt to secure victory.

Hillier came within touching distance of the leaders during his final found, sitting just two shots back on the 16th.

The Kiwi unleashed four birdies in his Sunday round and looked poised for a strong payday, but a double-bogey on the 18th proved costly.

He had started the day in sixth, four shots off the lead, and finished five back on 71.

New Zealand’s Ryan Fox was further down the leaderboard in 14th.

– RNZ

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Source: Radio New Zealand

England face an uphill battle to avoid defeat, entering the fourth day of the second Ashes test against Australia at Brisbane’s Gabba.

Chasing the Aussies’ first-innings lead of 177 runs, the tourists are staggering at 134/6, needing another 43 runs to make their opponents bat again, with just four wickets in hand.

Captain Ben Stokes is at the crease, unbeaten on four runs, with allrounder Will Jacks also on four. Opener Zak Crawley compiled 44, before gifting bowler Michael Neser a return catch.

First-innings centurion Joe Root could manage only 15 in his second dig, while England lost three wickets for just seven runs in their middle-order collapse.

Australia lead the five-test series 1-0 and have not lost to England at the Gabba since 1986.

First ball on day four is scheduled for 5pm NZT.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand’s Alice Robinson claimed her second straight giant slalom win and sixth World Cup victory of her career in the discipline by mastering rain and wind-battered conditions in Tremblant, Canada.

Robinson, who also won the season opener a week ago before she turned 24, delivered two confident runs to take the day despite tricky conditions in shifting snow and variable visibility, beating Croatian Zrinka Ljutic by nearly a second.

“That was such a testing race,” said Robinson, who moved top of the 2026 giant slalom standings, bolstering her credentials for February’s Milano-Cortina Olympics.

“I remember last time I was here I didn’t have a very good weekend so I was a bit worried coming into this week. I really didn’t know what I was doing on this hill, but today it seemed so seamless.”

The 21-year-old Ljutic delivered one of her strongest giant slalom performances to finish second, the reigning slalom crystal globe holder producing a composed run to secure just her second podium in the discipline.

Home favourite Valerie Grenier completed the podium, while American star Mikaela Shiffrin scraped into sixth, posting a solid first run but unable to find the rhythm in the second.

“I felt very aggressive on the second run,” Shiffrin said.

“The visibility was so dark it felt like skiing at night without any lights, I cleaned up the top pitch, but I mistimed a few things on the flats and you lose speed so fast when it’s that flat. All in all the day was super positive.”

A second women’s giant slalom race is scheduled in Tremblant tomorrow.

And on a good day for New Zealand, Luca Harrington was second in the halfpipe at the inaugural Freeski Big Air World Cup in Beijing, behind winner Brendan Mackay of Canada.

– Reuters, with additional reporting from RNZ

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Uncapped fast bowler Michael Rae has been added to the Black Caps squad for the second test against the West Indies.

The towering 30-year-old Cantabrian joins the New Zealand side as it confronts a stern test of its bowling depth.

In the unfolding injury crisis, Matt Henry and Nathan Smith were sidelined during the opening test in Christchurch.

Both Henry and Smith remain doubtful for the second test in Wellington on Wednesday, particularly due to the short turnaround between matches.

While Rae is unknown to most Black Caps’ followers, he’s been a regular on the domestic scene for Canterbury.

He’s chalked up 69 first-class matches including three five-wicket hauls. He’s also played a handful of times for English county Warwickshire.

Rae flew to Wellington today to join the squad for their preparations.

Rae and Blair Tickner, who was the reserve fast bowler in Christchurch, could be in contention for the test XI.

And with Black Caps wicketkeeper Tom Blundell ruled out of the upcoming test with a hamstring tear, Canterbury’s Mitch Hay joins the squad.

The 25-year-old keeper and right hand batsmen is poised to make his test debut in Wellington.

Black Caps coach Rob Walter will also be keeping a close watch on pacers Jacob Duffy and Zak Foulkes.

They carried an extremely heavy workload as New Zealand’s attacked was depleted to just two frontline seamers at Hagley Oval.

The West Indies head to Wellington with plenty of confidence after their defiant draw in Christchurch in the opening test.

The second test starts on Wednesday at the Basin Reserve.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand