The Air New Zealand Queenstown International marathon attracts many Aussies over the ditch each year, with a record 1,641 making the trip in 2019, but not all will have the inspirational back-story that Jose and Kathie Alonso bring with them from Ipswich in Queensland.

Club volunteers from across the region were acknowledged at the 2019 Auckland Rugby League Club Volunteers of the Year Luncheon last Sunday.

Held at the Edinburgh Castle in Auckland, recipients were selected by their clubs and received recognition for their services in 2019.

The Marlborough A and P Show became the latest to recognise the growing number of women in shearing competitions by staging a new event as shearing returned to the show in Blenheim on Saturday.

New Zealand representative David Buick notched his first win of the new shearing sports season with victory at the Manawatu Show in Feilding on Saturday.

New Zealand’s Paul Coll is through to the third round of the PSA Men’s World Squash Championship after defeating Spain’s Borja Golan at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha, Qatar.

The Football Ferns have signed off on their year with a 3-0 loss to Canada, leaving coach Tom Sermanni with plenty to ponder as he looks to plot a successful campaign at the Olympic Games next year in Tokyo.

With no play possible due to weather in the other two third round matches in Wellington and Dunedin, the Central Stags and Canterbury were the only sides in action this afternoon, setting up an intriguing final day tomorrow- weather permitting.

It may still be early in the campaign but there are signs the glory days could be about to return for Waitakere United after the west Aucklanders posted their second successive win to become the outright leaders of the ISPS Handa Premiership.

Title hopefuls Southern United have put themselves back in the running for a berth in the National Women’s League final, taking advantage of the inactivity of Auckland to move into third on the table.

Trainer Jamie Richards headed home from Melbourne on Sunday morning with his focus on a massive summer of racing in his home patch but also with one eye firmly to the future which is Australia in the autumn for his stable big guns.