Latest - Ratcliffe posts PB in first competition since Gold Coast gold
Julia Ratcliffe after winning gold at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Photo: Photosport
In her first competitive outing in more than a year New Zealand hammer thrower Julia Ratcliffe has met the qualifying standard for the athletics world champs in Doha in September.
Ratcliffe hasn't competed since winning the gold medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games last year but has thrown 71.39 metres at the Oceania Athletics Champs in Townsville to win the event and qualify for Doha.
The throw was a personal best for the Ratcliffe and bettered both the Oceania Championship and New Zealand records.
England into semi-finals
England sent out a warning to their rivals as they stormed into the women's World Cup semi-finals with an impressive 3-0 victory against Norway.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Ellen White scored her fifth goal of the tournament in between Jill Scott's opener and a Lucy Bronze screamer from the edge of the area as Phil Neville's side set up a mouthwatering clash with either holders the United States or hosts France.
England were devastating on their right flank with Bronze and Nikita Parris, who missed a late penalty, tormenting their opponents throughout as Norway suffered physically.
England got away with some sloppiness in defence but the Lionesses will hope to improve on their third place from 2015.
In the other quarter-finals Italy play the Netherlands and Germany play Sweden.
-Reuters
More medals for bowlers.
The New Zealand lawn bowls team has added a bronze to their medal haul at the Asia Pacific Championships and will play for two golds on the final day of competition on the Gold Coast.
Jo Edwards (skip) and Kirsten Edwards had to settle for a share of third place in the women's pairs, after being outclassed by Australia in their semi-final.
Jo Edwards Photo: Photosport
It takes New Zealand's tally to five, with three gold, a silver and a bronze, but two more medals are guaranteed.
Shannon McIlroy is through to the final of the men's singles, as are Ali Forsyth (skip), Gary Lawson, Jamie Hill and Mike Kernaghan in the men's fours.
Burgess in trouble
South Sydney prop George Burgess is in hot water after an alleged eye gouge marred the Wests Tigers' ugly 14-9 NRL win over the Rabbitohs.
Burgess was put on report and will face scrutiny from the match review committee for an incident on Robbie Farah that overshadowed a piece of Michael Chee-Kam brilliance to extend the Rabbitohs' losing streak at Bankwest Stadium.
The Englishman is facing the prospect of a lengthy ban if charged after last year copping a four-match suspension for an eye gouge on New Zealand's Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.
Burgess put his fingers in the Tigers veteran's face during a tackle and Farah got up and complained to referee Adam Gee, who placed Burgess on report early in the first half.
Chee-Kam was the unlikely hero, producing a four-pointer out of nothing after he ran 50 metres, beating attempted tackles by Kyle Turner and Adam Reynolds before stepping around fullback Corey Allan.
Souths remain third in the standings and the Tigers are eighth.
-AAP
Top four decided in NBL
The top four has been finalized in the National Basketball League after wins for Canterbury and Southland last night.
The Sharks confirmed their place in the play-offs with a 122-79 victory over Manawatu in Palmerston North, while the Rams beat the Nelson Giants 97-74 in Nelson.
The unbeaten Saints top the table from Canterbury, Hawke's Bay and Southland.
Indians go crazy over game against Pakistan
This month's clash between neighbours India and Pakistan attracted 229 million television viewers in India, accounting for over 60% of the screen audience for the first three weeks of the World Cup in the cricket-crazy nation.
The first 27 matches in the 10-team quadrennial tournament, which is being played in England and Wales, attracted 381 million viewers, according to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India.
The Virat Kohli-led side had four matches -- including the washout against New Zealand -- slotted in during that period, drawing a combined total of 321 million viewers.
The rain-hit, stop-start World Cup match at Old Trafford, Manchester, between the political rivals drew a massive global audience and organisers received nearly 800,000 applications for tickets at the 23,000-capacity stadium.
Official broadcaster Star India is showing the World Cup in six languages, including English.
The broadcaster's live streaming platform Hotstar saw 100 million daily active users during the India-Pakistan match, making it the highest-ever single day reach for the platform.
India and Pakistan have not hosted a cricket series between their countries since 2013 due to political tensions.
India extended their unblemished World Cup record against Pakistan to 7-0 after securing an 89-run victory via the Duckworth-Lewis method in the June 16 encounter.
-Reuters
Sitak into another final
New Zealand doubles player Artem Sitak and his Israeli partner Jonathan Erlich are through to the their second ATP tennis tournament final together.
They've upset the 4th seeds, Czech Roman Jebavy and Austrian Philip Oswald 6-4 6-4 to reach the final in Antalya in Turkey.
Sitak and Erlich won the grasscourt title in Newport, Rhode Island last year..
They will play together at Wimbledon next week.
Sitak and Erlich will face Croatian Ivan Dodig and Czech Filip Polasek for the title.
The Kiwi has won four ATP titles and another triumph would likely see his ranking rise from 47 to the cusp of the top 40 again.
Muirfield allows women into golf club
Muirfield has invited women to join as members for the first time in its 275-year history, two years after a vote to change the club's all-male policy.
The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, based in East Lothian, Scotland invited 12 women including two from overseas and three men for membership from July 1.
The club had voted in 2017 to admit women members, scrapping an earlier policy that had led to the historic Scottish links course being stripped of its eligibility to host the Open Championship by organising body the R&A.
Individuals who are invited to become members must first be proposed and seconded by existing members and five referees.
The club's membership is then invited to write in support, or otherwise, of those put forward with the same process being followed for both men and women.
-Reuters
Fifteen year old makes Wimbledon main draw
Cori Gauff became the youngest player in the professional era to survive the Wimbledon qualifying draw as the 15-year-old American thrashed Belgium's Greet Minnen 6-1 6-1 to seal her place in next week's main draw.
Gauff, who is combining her practice sessions with her schoolwork, looked like a seasoned grasscourt player as she claimed her a third successive straight-sets victory.
Gauff, who won the French Open junior title in 2018, was given a wildcard into the Wimbledon qualifying event and took advantage in spectacular fashion. She will be the first 15-year-old in the main draw since Britain's Laura Robson in 2009.
-Reuters
Trescothick finally retires
Former England opening batsman Marcus Trescothick has announced he will retire from cricket at the end of the season, aged 43.
In 27 seasons as a professional, the Somerset player featured in 76 tests for England and helped them win the Ashes in 2005.
His best test score of 219 was against South Africa at the Oval in 2003.
Trescothick's international career stalled in 2006 due to a stress-related illness, which he blamed on the 'constant grind' of being away from home.
He left a Tour of India and that year's Ashes Tour of Australia before retiring from international cricket in 2008.
Trescothick made his Somerset debut in 1993 and his 52 first class centuries for them and 7,374 List A runs are a club record.
-Reuters
