New Plymouth event off

Organisers have cancelled this month’s New Plymouth ITU World Cup event after the International Triathlon Union suspended all activities until April 30. Event director Shanelle Barrett expressed disappointment at the news, but stressed that the health and wellbeing of all involved was paramount. The suspension means all events planned at the World Cup, including the Oceania Mixed Relay, Oceania Junior Championships, New Zealand Sprint Triathlon Championships and the Taranaki Tri-er will not take place on the weekend of March 28-29, as planned.

■ Black Caps pace bowler Lockie Ferguson has been cleared of coronavirus after being tested in Australia. Ferguson complained of a sore throat after his team’s one-day international 71-run defeat to Australia on Friday night, a match played without any fans at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The other two matches in the series have been postponed, as has the threematch Twenty20 series between the two nations in New Zealand later this month.

A blazing batting display saw the Auckland Hearts play party poopers and claim the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield women’s one-day cricket title against the Northern Spirit in Hamilton on Saturday. The Spirit, in their 21st season, had been perennial strugglers on the domestic scene, and had never played in a final until Saturday. However, their task of capturing a maiden trophy was made a mountainous task, thanks to Auckland, batting first after winning the toss, racking up a whopping 322-5 – their equal-highest total in history. A superb fighting hundred from Spirit captain Felicity LeydonDavis kept her side in the fight, but the hosts were eventually bowled out for 255. Auckland Hearts 322-5 (Arlene Kelly 110, Lauren Down 90, Katie Perkins 63; Lauren Heaps 2-56) beat Northern Spirit 255 (Felicity Leydon-Davis 124, Kate Anderson 33, Olivia Lobb 31; Fran Jonas 3-46, Bella Armstrong 2-58) by 67 runs.