Latest - The players' auction for this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) was halted after auctioneer Hugh Edmeades collapsed on stage during the bidding in Bengaluru.
Lockie Ferguson Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Edmeades was conducting the bidding for Sri Lankan spin-bowling all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga when he collapsed in front of shocked officials from the league's 10 franchises.
"The IPL auctioneer had an unfortunate fall due to Postural Hypotension during the IPL auction this afternoon," the league said in a statement.
"The medical team attended to him immediately after the incident and he is stable."
Broadcaster Charu Sharma would continue the auction, it added.
Six hundred players have registered to fill 217 places for this year's two-day auction.
24 New Zealanders are among the 600 players up for auction.
Black Caps bowlers Lockie Ferguson and Trent Boult have been picked up, with Ferguson sold to competition newcomers Gujarat Titans for just under $2 million and Boult moving from the Mumbai Indians to the Rajasthan Royals for $1.6 million.
- Reuters/RNZ
New Zealand doubles player climbing the ranks
New Zealand doubles player Erin Routliffe and her Polish partner Alicja Rosolska have reached the final at the WTA 500 tournament in St Petersburg in Russia.
Routliffe and Rosolska beat Russians Natela Dzalamidze and Alexandra Panova 7-5 6-4 in their semi-final.
The Kiwi and Polish player were the more ruthless pair converting four from four break point chances while their Russian opponents managed just two breaks from 12 looks.
"I've played both of them a couple times separately, not as a team. So I knew it was going to be tough. And I knew that we had to come out and play well in order to get the win. We were down a couple of set points in the first when I was serving at 4-5. So it could have gone either way. I think we played the big points well but it was a really close match." Routliffe said.
Routliffe and Rosolska will play Russian Anna Kalinskaya and American Caty McNally for the title.
The Kiwi has won one WTA Tour title in Palermo last year. By making the final in St Petersburg the 26-year-old is projected to climb to another career high ranking of 39. A win tomorrow would lift her to around 30 in the WTA doubles rankings.
Coast to Coast titles decided
Simone Maier celebrated her 42nd birthday in style, claiming the Coast to Coast elite women's Longest Day title, her third, in a time of 11 hours 52 minutes and 18 seconds.
Simone Maier Photo: Supplied
The Wanaka-based multisporter held off a strong challenge from four-time champion Elina Ussher, who finished eight minutes behind Maier, with Christchurch's Fiona Dowling just two minutes 46 further back in third place.
Competitors took off from Kumara Beach on the South Island's West Coast at 5.40 am this morning, with the 40th Anniversary event forced to swap out the usual 70-kilometre kayak through the Waimakariri Gorge due to high river levels with a 115 km bike ride over Porters Pass, before a shorter paddle on the lower reaches of the river.
Wanaka's Braden Currie won the men's event, adding a fourth Multisport World Championship title to his name.
Currie, who has specialised in Ironman for the past six years, only secured an entry into the famous race 48 hours prior to the race, stopping the clock in 9 hours 45 minutes and 23 seconds.
Defending champion Dougal Allan worked his way into second after suffering an injury to his foot on the 30.5 km Mountain Run over Goat Pass.
Allan crossed the line in New Brighton in 10 hours 5 minutes and 34 seconds and has since been taken to hospital for an x-ray.
Tauranga's Bobby Dean managed to hold off North Canterbury's Ryan Kiesanowski by 32 seconds, to claim third, finishing in 10:13:17, with Kiesanowski in fourth with a time of 10:13:49 after the duo battled it out for much of the race.
Phoenix continue A-League points accumulation
The Wellington Phoenix have claimed seven points in as many days in the A-League.
Gael Sandoval Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Phoenix drew 1-all with Adelaide United in Sydney on Saturday, after beating Macarthur FC last Sunday and Melbourne Victory on Wednesday.
Mexican playmaker Gael Sandoval put Wellington ahead in the 20th minute and the Nix led until the second minute of second-half stoppage time, when 17-year-old substitute Bernardo Oiliveira headed home from close range to earn Adelaide a share of the spoils.
Phoenix head coach Ufuk Talay told media post-game it felt like "we dropped two points tonight".
"I think we created enough opportunities to win the game but weren't clinical enough today and disappointed that we conceded so late," Talay said.
"We could have walked away with the three points but at the end of the day we didn't lose and we continue."
The Phoenix continue the 'February Football Frenzy' on Wednesday when they play host to Brisbane Roar at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney.
Boe brothers dominate in biathlon 10km sprint
Norway's Johannes Thingnes Boe shrugged off a late missed shot before skiing to glory and another Olympic gold medal in the men's 10 km sprint event at the Beijing Olympics, his second gold of the Games after last week's mixed relay win.
France's Quentin Fillon Maillet came in second to add a silver medal to the gold he secured in the men's individual race and a relay silver, while Boe's older brother Tarjei finished third to snag his second of the Games, adding bronze to the relay gold he won with Johannes.
Starting 16th, the younger Boe flew out of the traps and hit all five of his shots to open a lead of 20.1 seconds over his nearest competitor in perfect weather conditions as the sun began to slide down behind the mountains of Zhangjiakou to the west.
Each racer had two visits to the shooting range, one in the prone position and one standing, with each miss incurring a penalty loop of 150 metres before rejoining the course.
A miss with his second shot while standing sent Boe for a lap of the penalty loop, but it made little difference as his trademark powerful skiing increased his lead.
Boe crossed the line with a lead of 40.6 seconds, collapsing face first on the snow and sucking down huge gulps of air after his exertions as the long wait for the rest of the field to finish began.
New Zealand's Campbell Wright finished 75th in a field of 94 athletes.
- Reuters
Maori All Stars and Indigenous All Stars split rugby league series
Maori All Stars coach David Kidwell has dedicated his side's 16-10 win over the Indigenous All Stars to former Kiwis player Olsen Filipaina who died aged 64 this week.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
In wet conditions in Sydney, Kodi Nikorima, Esan Marsters and captain Joseph Tapine scored tries for the Maori men.
Tapine was named player of the match for his try coupled with 125 running metres and seven tackle breaks.
He became the third Maori All Stars player in succession to win the Preston Campbell Medal after James Fisher-Harris (2021) and Brandon Smith (2020).
In the women's game, teenager Jaime Chapman scored two tries as the Indigenous All Stars won 18-8 win over the Maori All Stars.
Autumn-Rain Stephens scored both of the Maori All Stars tries in the loss.
Ryan Fox extends lead at Ras Al Khaimah Classic
Ryan Fox will take a six-shot lead into the final round of the Ras Al Khaimah Classic as he goes in search of his first win on the European tour.
Ryan Fox Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The 211th-ranked New Zealander shot a seven-under 65 in the third round for a 54-hole total of 19-under 197.
Pablo Larrazabal (68), Adri Arnaus (66), Adrian Meronk (64) and Scott Jamieson (65) are tied for second place at Al Hamra Golf Club, the latest stop on the tour's "Desert Swing."
Fox made nine birdies and two bogeys in round three.
"I've put myself exactly where I want to be and it's that cliche - it's all on me tomorrow," he said.
"Somebody is going to have to go out and shoot something really low or I'm going to have to play poorly so hopefully I can keep playing how I've played the last couple of days and put it out of reach.
"For the most part everything has worked - which is kind of rare for me, to be honest, I've always had something for the week that hasn't worked. Hopefully I can keep that going for one more day."
