Ballroom, forensics, kickboxing
height means he gets that extra bit of bounce. ‘He’s also a handy batsman down the order.’’
Somerville will fly out to the UAE tomorrow.
Meanwhile Astle, 32, will return home to Christchurch to have his injured right knee looked at by a specialist.
He picked up the injury during the recent New Zealand A oneday series and Larsen said he wouldn’t be able to cope with the workload expected in the ODI and test series against Pakistan.
‘‘Despite a period of rest, Todd’s knee has not responded as well as we had hoped,’’ said Larsen.
‘‘The best course of action for Todd is to get home and get it looked at, with an eye to returning in the home summer.
‘‘He worked really hard over the winter and is in some of the best shape of his career at the moment, so for this to happen is a cruel blow.’’
New Zealand play game two of the one-day international series early tomorrow after going 1-0 up with a 47-run victory.
Ballroom dancing could not seem further away from the unforgiving world of combat sports. But Auckland-based kickboxer Kelly Broerse has made the transition just fine.
Six years ago, Broerse swapped the ballroom for the ring and she hasn’t looked back, building a 12-1 amateur record on the way to capturing the WKBF New Zealand featherweight title.
The 28-year-old now enters one of the biggest nights of her career tonight at the King in the Ring, the country’s leading kickboxing event, a spot she earned after winning the Lethal Ladies four-woman tournament.
It is not the first time a female has competed at the King in the Ring – four-time world kickboxing champion Michelle Preston has featured in the past – but it does not happen often.
Broerse is determined to make her moment count when she meets Australia’s Lara Ahola for the WKBF South Pacific crown.
‘‘This is the biggest show I’ve fought on. It’s arguably the biggest show in New Zealand and, for a female fighter, this is a huge opportunity,’’ Broerse told Stuff.
Broerse was a competitive ballroom dancer for several years but after becoming ‘‘bored’’ with dance, she discovered Muay Thai through mixed martial arts movie Never Back Down.
She initially joined an MMA gym and while not big on grappling, she fell in love with the stand-up aspect of the sport and been hooked on Muay Thai ever since.
‘‘I think my background in dancing has helped me pick up technique and things like that better and I don’t see myself moving on from fighting,’’ Broerse said.
‘‘It’s the extreme emotions. You can go from absolute fear or feeling really out of your depth to the other end when you win a fight, it’s pure elation and you’re high on life. The emotions are so intense, I’ve never felt anything like it in any other sport I’ve competed in.’’
Broerse initially used the sport to keep fit but says the mental benefits have been just as great.
‘‘I absolutely encourage any females to get it into Muay Thai, even if it’s just for selfdefence, fitness or confidence [reasons].
‘‘It’s done wonders for my mental capacity, it’s made me a lot stronger.’’
Nicknamed ‘The Warrior Princess’, Broerse, who trains out of West Auckland gym Strike Force, juggles her training with a career in forensic science.
She works at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research, analysing crime scene samples from all over New Zealand and cannot see herself leaving the industry.
What: King in the Ring 62V When, where: Tonight, Barfoot & Thompson Stadium, Auckland 62kg Eight-Man tournament: Joey Baylon Nic Aratema Alexi Serepisos Ben Spears Pumipi Ngaronoa Logan Price Nikora Lee-Kingi Ale Taumalolo WKBF K1 Rules South Pacific Featherweight Title Bout: Kelly Broerse v Lara Ahola Super Fight: Ty Williams v HaydenTodd Trans-Tasman Super Fight: Fou Ah-Lam v Patrik Dittrich Curtain-raiser: Jordan Maroroa vs Stefan Harrison