Latest - The Central Falcons have made it two wins from two in the men's Premier Hockey League.
Hauraki Mavericks players celebrate Photo: www.bwmedia.co.nz
The Falcons have beaten the Northern Tridents 3-1 in their second round match in Hamilton, after a dramatic first-up win over the Southern Alpiners.
Jacob Smith scored Central's first two goals before Sam Hiha completed the scoring a minute before fulltime.
The Hauraki Mavericks sit second after beating the Alpiners 2-1 in a penalty shoot-out after their match finished in a 2-2 draw.
Nic Wood sent the match to a shoot-out after scoring the equalising goal for Hauraki in the final minute of the match.
Devine returning for Scorchers
White Ferns skipper Sophie Devine is set to return to the Perth Scorchers lineup for the final weekend of the Women's Big Bash regular season with three of the semi-final spots still to be confirmed.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Devine left the field with a sore back last weekend and missed two games but is set to return for the fourth placed Scorchers.
The Melbourne Stars are top of the table and confirmed semi-finalists, but the other three spots remain up for grabs, with just two points (one win) separating the Brisbane Heat, who sit in second on 14 points, and the Perth Scorchers, Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers, all on 12.
Two wins for the sixth placed Adelaide Strikers could also result in them sneaking into the play-offs.
Each team has two games this weekend.
Northland into final
Northland have booked their place in the provincial rugby Championship final after a 32-19 upset win over Otago in their semi-final in Dunedin.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
After losing 30-7 to Otago in round seven Northland were fired up for the semi-final and they broke the game open in the 70th minute with a try to Sam Nock.
The visitors then sealed the game with their fourth try in the final minutes against an Otago side that was again plagued by mistakes.
Northland scored four tries to three and were behind 1012 at half time.
Northland will play the winner of today's other semi-final between Hawke's Bay and Taranaki for the right for promotion to the Premiership.
Ravindra scores ton against tourists
New Zealand A had a solid day with the bat in their three day tour game against the West Indies in Queenstown.
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Wellington's Rachin Ravindra scored a century and Henry Nicholls 76 as the New Zealand selection declared on 308 for three.
The tourists then ended the first day on 17 for one with John Campbell bowled by Blair Tickner for four.
Ravindra's 112 came off 187 balls and he put on 160 runs for the second wicket with Nicholls.
New Black Caps T20 squad member Devon Conway scored an unbeaten 46 off 63 balls before their innings was declared.
Alzarri Joseph, Chemar Holder and Raymon Reifer all picked up a wicket for the West Indies.
Djokovic makes last four
London's farewell edition of the ATP Finals could still have its dream climax after world number one Novak Djokovic beat Alexander Zverev 6-3 7-6 to seal a last-four spot.
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Defeat by Daniil Medvedev had left the five-time champion needing to beat Germany's Zverev to avoid a group stage exit and he obliged with a relatively comfortable win.
Djokovic will finish second in the Tokyo Group, named after the first edition of the season-ending tournament 50 years ago, and with Spanish world number two Rafa Nadal finishing second in the London Group, they have avoided a semi-final clash.
The 33-year-old Serb will face U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem in tomorrow's semi-final, when Nadal plays Medvedev.
Sunday's final will end the tournament's 12-year stay in London before it re-locates to Turin.
- Reuters
Junior wins top award
Finn class yachtie Josh Junior has been named the New Zealand sailor of the year.
New Zealand sailor Josh Junior. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Junior created history when he became the first Kiwi to win the Finn Gold Cup (world championships).
New Zealand has a proud history in the Finn class, with the likes of Sir Russell Coutts, Jonty Farmer, John Cutler and Craig Monk all achieving success, but no one had won the world title until Junior. He triumphed at last year's Finn Gold Cup in Melbourne, when fellow Kiwi and training partner Andy Maloney was also sixth.
Junior wasn't the only New Zealand sailor to win a world title over the last 12 months despite the impact of Covid-19 and he edged Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, who won two 49er world titles in that time, for the top award.
Junior was also named the Male Sailor of the Year and his coaches, Andrew Murdoch and John Cutler, won Yachting New Zealand Coach of the Year.
Kitefoiler Justina Kitchen was named Female Sailor of the Year following her success at last year's European Kitefoiling Championships when she teamed up with Lukas Walton-Keim to collect bronze in the mixed team's relay, the event that will be contested at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kitchen was also fifth in the individual competition.
Another Fiji game called off
The Autumn Nations Cup rugby clash between Scotland and Fiji scheduled to take place at Murrayfield on Nov. 28 has been cancelled due to Covid-19 cases in the Fiji squad.
Fiji's clash with Italy on Saturday had been called off following 29 positive Covid-19 cases within the squad and their game against France had suffered a similar fate. France were awarded a 28-0 victory and a bonus point.
"The extent of infection in the Fiji camp, combined with a minimum 10-day isolation period, plus the obvious need for suitable preparation for any international test meant that... the decision was unavoidable," organisers said in a statement.
Organisers added they were hopeful that a fourth match on Dec. 5 where Fiji take on the team that finishes fourth in Pool A will go ahead as scheduled following fitness checks on players after they come out of isolation.
The Autumn Nations Cup is a tournament created to replace the November tests after the international schedule was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Reuters
