Tauranga’s Kurt Pickard led a powerful performance from New Zealand’s leading BMX riders in qualifying at the opening UCI World Cup Supercross in Manchester today.

Pickard, 23, won all three of his motos to top the 48 qualifiers from 121 starters under the new qualification system.

Top seed and now hot favourite can be used to describe Hsu Jen Hao (Chinese Taipei) going into tomorrow’s final of the SKYCITY NZ Badminton Open at the North Shore Events Centre in what will be an all Chinese Taipei affair.

As a result of bad weather day one of the Southern Cross Softball Challenge at Mainland Foundation Ballpark in Christchurch featuring the women’s draw has been abandoned.

A new draw with both men’s and women’s games starting at 10am has been confirmed at http://www.csa.org.nz/

The Football Ferns will get a true sense of where they stand in the world game next month when they tackle world number three side Japan in Osaka on May 8.

Ma’a Nonu has been ruled out of tonight’s match against the Hurricanes through injury.

More than sixty of New Zealand’s up-and-coming young baseball players will converge on Lloyd Elsmore Park in Auckland this weekend to prepare for their respective world championship baseball tournaments in the U.S.A.

After a relatively comfortable run through the first half of the tournament for the top ranked players, the underdogs finally won a few battles in the quarterfinals of the SKYCITY NZ Badminton Open being played at the North Shore Events Centre.

Top seeds dominated in this morning’s 3rd round action at the SKYCITY NZ Badminton Open at the North Shore Events Centre in a rain and windswept Auckland, with the favoured players for the most part progressing safely through to tonight’s quarterfinals.

This weekend’s Southern Cross Softball Challenge in Christchurch is a tournament with special significance as two national sides prepare for their respective world championships.

The Chiefs have announced their team to play the Crusaders at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton this Saturday at 7.35pm.