- By Henry Lee, AUT Journalism Student
New Zealand’s sports fans have been treated to a weekend to remember in multiple sporting codes.
From Emirates Team New Zealand’s 7-2 victory over INEOS Britania in Barcelona to the White Ferns cricket team winning the Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup, this weekend we had it all.
Emirates Team New Zealand
Emirates Team New Zealand stormed to a third consecutive America’s Cup in Barcelona.
The team skippered by Peter Burling dominated INEOS Britannia, who never really troubled the team from New Zealand.
“The America’s Cup has got to be one of the hardest sporting trophies in the world to win,” said Burling.
Team New Zealand started the 37th edition of the America’s Cup strongly, achieving a 4-0 lead over Sir Ben Ainslie’s INEOS Britannia.
America’s Cup leads are forever etched in Kiwi’s minds, after Emirates Team New Zealand lost the cup in 2013 to Oracle Team USA 9-8, after leading 8-1.
This time around, Team New Zealand made their challenger’s pay, winning the 37th edition as the only team to ever win three in a row.
Although not everyone agreed on this year’s host city Barcelona, the result was what everyone wished for.
Women’s T20 World Cup final
The White Ferns have won their first ICC T20 World Cup in Dubai this morning by 32 runs over South Africa.
It completes a perfect 24 hours for New Zealand cricket after the Black Caps beat India in Bengaluru.
South Africa won the toss and sent the White Ferns in to bat.
Amelia Kerr top-scored for New Zealand, with handy contributions from Suzie Bates (32 runs off 31 balls) and Howick Pakuranga Cricket Club’s Brooke Halliday (38 runs off 28 balls).
Halliday’s 38 with the bat towards the end of the first innings was crucial to the White Ferns’s victory, extending the total to a very competitive 158.
Amelia Kerr was outstanding in the final, winning player of the match and player of the tournament, with 3-24 with the ball in hand.
Kerr contributed 15 wickets during the tournament, the most by a bowler in any Women’s T20 World Cup competition.
The South African side started strongly in the run chase, with opening batters Laura Wolvaardt (33) and Tazmin Brits (17) setting the tone and giving their middle order a platform to take the game into the final overs.
But the Kiwi players kept their cool, taking advantage of any chance given to them by the South African batters.
The World Cup slowly left South Africa’s ascendancy as the game got closer to the end with Eden Carson, Amelia Kerr and Fran Jonas all getting in the action for New Zealand through the all-important middle-order overs.
Veterans Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine both utterly deserve to lift the White Ferns’ maiden T20 World Cup after giving so much to New Zealand cricket over many years in the national jersey.
With losing 10 games in a row before the tournament, not many will have predicted the White Ferns to be world champions.
But if there was a team that deserves it, after such an up-and-down year, it’s the White Ferns.
Black Caps test-match victory over India
The Black Caps have found their way to an unlikely test victory in Bengaluru against India yesterday evening.
The Black Caps have struggled of late and were huge underdogs leading into a three-match test series against second-ranked India.
It was the Black Caps’ first test win in India for 36 years, only ever beating them in test matches twice before.
Under new test captain and longtime opening batsman Tom Latham, the Black Caps found some momentum early on day two to bowl out India for 46 in the first innings.
Bowlers Matt Henry and William O’Rourke combined for nine wickets to dismiss India in challenging conditions.
Rachin Ravindra once again showcased his importance for coach Gary Stead’s side.
Scoring 134 off 157 in his first innings, following that up with 39 not-out off 46 balls to lead the Black Caps to an important victory away from home.
The second test begins in Pune on Thursday at 5pm NZT.
Silver Ferns v Australian Diamonds
Dame Noeline Taurua’s Silver Ferns have beaten the Australian Diamonds 64-50 in Wellington on Sunday evening. The 14-goal win is the Ferns’ largest winning margin since 2010.
Midcourter Maddy Gordon was superb throughout, feeding sharpshooter Grace Nweke with fast and accurate ball into the shooting circle.
Both Kiwi shooters were able to score at a high percentage, with Nweke adding 50 goals from 53 attempts, before Silver Ferns captain and goal-attack Ameliaranne Ekenasio scored 14 goals, only missing one other attempt.
The Constellation Cup now heads to Auckland, where game two of the four-match series is held at Spark Arena on Wednesday night.
Other wins:
New Zealand Canoe Polo
The New Zealand Canoe Polo team has won the 2024 ICF World Championships in China.
A total of 71 teams were in the tournament, from all five continents and 27 countries.
The “Paddle Ferns” beat Italy 6-1 in the final in Deqing.
New Auckland A-league team
Auckland FC have started life in the A-League magnificently with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Queensland’s Brisbane Roar.
The Bill Foley-owned expansion A-League side packed out Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Captain Hiroki Sakai was the architect for the first goal within the first nine minutes of the game, forcing an own-goal off Brisbane Roar player Harry Van Der Saag.
Hometown boy and All-White Logan Rogerson found the net in the second half to give head coach Steve Corica a dream start to life in the A-League for Auckland’s new sporting franchise.
Hayden Wilde
Kiwi triathlete and recent silver medallist at the Paris Olympic games Hayden Wilde has stormed to a substantial victory in Torremolinos, Spain.
Although England’s Alex Yee claimed the overall world title, Wilde was able to finish the season finale on a high with a time of 1:42.22, in one of the last World Triathlon events of the year.
BNZ Breakers
On Saturday night at Spark Arena the BNZ Breakers dismantled their long-time NBL rivals Perth Wildcats 89-85.
Import guard Matt Mooney has been hot and cold to start the new season but lit up the Breakers faithful inside Spark Arena with 28 points and seven three-pointers.
The Breakers have recently returned from an NBL-NBA preseason adventure, playing against three NBA teams before their season gets under way on Wednesday.
The highly controversial “experience heavy” trip, seems to have caught up on the team, dropping a game on Thursday night to the struggling Brisbane Bullets side.
The BNZ Breakers moved to a winning record of 3-1 in the NBL ladder, sitting in second place.
