Latest - Amy Satterthwaite has hit the second-highest score in New Zealand women's domestic T20 history to guide Canterbury to victory over the Northern Brave.
Amy Satterthwaite Photo: Photosport
The White Ferns star belted 114 off just 66 balls as the home side secured a 24-run win in Christchurch on Friday.
Opening the batting, Sattherthwaite hit 18 fours and a lone six before being run-out from the final ball of the innings.
The impressive knock, second-only to Sarah McGlashan's 131 not out for Auckland and Northern in 2014, helped Canterbury post 172-4 from their 20 overs.
Northern's reply started well and at the 10-over mark they were close to the required run-rate.
However they couldn't maintain pace and eventually came up short on 148-8.
Sam Barriball top-scored for the Brave with 31 off just 16 balls, while White Fern Brooke Halliday provided the early momentum with 28 off 18 from No 3.
Biathlete added to New Zealand Winter Olympics team
New Zealand biathlete Campbell Wright's capped a career best performance overnight, with selection for the Beijing Winter Olympics.
New Zealand biathlete Campbell Wright. Photo: Photosport/NZ Winter Games
Wright finished 15th in a World Cup event in Italy, and will become just the second New Zealander to compete in the combined skiing and shooting sport at a Winter Olympics behind Sarah Murphy in 2010.
Wright says his performance overnight proves he won't be in Beijing to make up the numbers.
"For myself, to be able to represent New Zealand at the Winter Olympic Games is pretty special and I can't wait to get there," he said.
"I'm not aiming for any result in particular, I'm just going to race to my potential and see what happens."
The 19-year-old Lake Hawea athlete will contest the 10km men's sprint event, and has received permission to start in the 20km men's individual, the 12.5km men's pursuit and the 15km men's mass start.
Wright's the last New Zealander to be confirmed for Beijing, meaning a total team of 15 athletes.
Murray's Australian Open dream over
A bitterly disappointed Andy Murray was knocked out of the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday and said he might not be back next year if his results this season didn't match up to his expectations.
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The 34-year-old Scot had high hopes of his return to Melbourne Park after an absence of two years but they were shattered by inspired Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel in three sets on John Cain Arena.
"I'm really, really disappointed. Very frustrated. A tough loss for me, that's for sure," Murray said after the 6-4 6-4 6-4 defeat to the world number 120.
"I made way too many errors today. Yeah, wasn't able to turn it around today, but he definitely was solid today. He moved well and deserved to win."
Three years and two hip operations after he sat in the interview room tearfully proclaiming his career over, Murray said whether he returned to Melbourne Park in 2023 depended on how he got on at big events in 2022.
"This is a really important year for me for a number of reasons, and I want to perform well in the big events," the three-times Grand Slam champion added.
"For me, tonight is not good enough in that respect. You know, making the second round of slams is not something I find particularly motivating. I want to be doing better than that."
-Reuters
Sitak forced to retire in battle with Daniell at the Australian Open
Marcus Daniell and his Danish partner Freddie Nielsen are through to the second round of the men's doubles at the Australian Open.
They had taken the first set 6-2 against New Zealand's Artem Sitak and his Russian partner Aslan Karatsev when Sitak retired with a groin injury after just 30 minutes on court.
Sitak had received treatment at the previous change of ends when trailing 5-2.
Daniell and Nielsen had started strongly and served at 78 percent first serves in the opening set compared to their opponent's 50 percent.
They converted both of their break point chances and won 31 points to 22.
Daniell and Nielsen could face second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the second round.
Earlier Michael Venus and Erin Routliffe won their opening mixed doubles match in a thriller against Australians Lizette Cabrera and Alex Bolt.
The Australian pair won the first set 7-6 (5) before Venus and Routliffe levelled things up by taking the second set 7-5 and then the match tie break 13-11.
Venus and Routliffe will play Venus's doubles partner Germany's Tim Puetz and a former partner of Routliffe's American Alexa Guarachi, the fourth seeds in the second round.
Williamson and Jamieson in ICC test team of the year
The Black Caps captain and batter Kane Williamson and fast bowler Kyle Jamieson are the only New Zealanders to feature in the ICC's men's and women's T20, ODI and test teams of the year.
The pair are in the test team, with no New Zealanders in the men's or women's T20 or One-Day teams of the year.
Leading the 2021 ICC Men's Test Team of 2021, Williamson was an influential leader for the Black Caps, leading them to glory at the inaugural World Test Championship Final against India in Southampton.
He was also steady with the bat, scoring 395 runs in 4 matches at an average of 65.83 with one century.
Jamieson emerged as a brilliant bowling option in 2021 for New Zealand, perfectly complementing the trio of Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Neil Wagner.
Extracting great pace and bounce off the surface, he picked up 27 wickets in 5 matches at an average of 17.51.
He also scored 105 runs at 17.50 and was adjudged the Player of the Match in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship final against India held at Southampton.
The ICC Men's Test Team for 2021 features (in batting order) openers Dimuth Karunaratne (SL), Rohit Sharma (India), Marnus Labuschagne (AUS), Joe Root (ENG), captained by Kane Williamson (NZ), Fawad Alam (PAK), wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant (IND), Ravichandran Ashwin (IND), Kyle Jamison (NZ), Hasan Ali (PAK) and Shaheen Afridi (PAK).
Horse racing: Dunne appeals against ban for bullying fellow jockey Frost
Irish jockey Robbie Dunne has appealed against an 18-month ban imposed on him for bullying and harassing fellow rider Bryony Frost, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said on Thursday.
Dunne, 36, was found in breach of four counts of conduct prejudicial to the integrity and reputation of horse racing between February and September, 2020 by an independent disciplinary panel.
The panel found Dunne guilty of distasteful targeting and deliberate harassment on and off the course, and ruled that there had been "occasional cases of dangerous bullying".
"The independent judicial panel has received an appeal from the representatives of Robbie Dunne in relation to the finding and penalty imposed on him by the disciplinary panel after its recent hearing," BHA said on Twitter.
England's Frost became the first woman to win the King George VI Chase in 2020 and the first woman to ride a top-level Grade One Cheltenham Festival winner in 2019.
-Reuters
