Beaumont and Knight lead England to ODI win over Kiwis

England Women cruised to an eight-wicket victory against New Zealand in their first 50-over international in more than a year.

Tammy Beaumont (71) and captain Heather Knight (67 not out) fired the tourists to the winning target in just 33.4 overs, having skittled out their hosts for 178 at Christchurch's Hagley Oval. The victory puts England 1-0 up in the three-match series.

Beaumont made her 50 from 67 balls before she was caught behind off Lea Tahuhu's delivery. Knight reached her half century in 58 balls, with Nat Sciver (21no) hitting the matchwinning boundary.

A move to allow amateur golfers to secure sponsorship and publicly promote it has been warmly welcomed in Scotland, with one player hailing the end of a “cloak and dagger” era in the sport.

The proposal has been put on the table by the R&A and USGA as part of a bid to modernise the Rules of Amateur Status, which govern the game worldwide.

A ban on sponsorship of individuals in the amateur ranks has often been questioned because of the fact it has created an uneven playing field in events involving players being supported through national associations.

Under the new proposal, budding young talents out with those set-ups would be free to secure financial support and also be allowed to use social media as a promotion tool.

“Thebiggesthotspotwould be America and, if you look at your basketball players and NFL players coming through the college system, they are all supported,” said Scotland captain and career amateur Matthew Clark, of the plan to open up sponsorship to non-pros.

“Lebron James had God knows how much money thrown at him in the build uptohisprofessionalcareer, so it puts golf more on a level playing field and more upto-date with what is going on in a sporting society, which is always a positive.”

Feedback is being sought by the game’s governing bodies to a series of significant proposals aimed at modernising the amateur status guidelines along the lines already accomplished in the Rules of Golf.

“I think the sponsorship proposal will allow some players who have struggled in the past where their national body isn’t wealthy enough to support them too much to now be able to attract the support of, say, manufacturers, to help them with costs to play in the bigger events and showcase their talents,” added Kilmacolm man Clark.

“They will be able to do so without it being cloak and dagger, because I am pretty sure it has gone on in the past.

"With that support, a player might be able to go on and carve out a career that, otherwise, they might not have been able to enjoy.”

Kieran Cantley had to fund his amateur career as he came through the ranks at Liberton, overcoming the odds when compared to Scotland squad members as he earned a crack in the pro ranks by winning the Progolf Tour in Germany a year past November.

“I think that is a great thing,” he said of the proposal. “When you are in the Scotland team, they help you out a lot by taking you on trips and whatever. I was having to fund that myself.

"I was working 25-30 hours a week and caddying two days a week before going to play a practice round on the Friday, then 36 holes on the Saturday and Sunday.

“That leaves you mentally drained but it was the only way I could afford to do it, so you just had to get on with it.”

Cantley said it is “brilliant” that amateurs look set to be allowed to promote themselves on social media. Clark, in concurring, said of that: “It was one of the other anchors holding the game back, but golf is now moving in the right direction.”

Grant Moir, the R&A’S director of rules, said: “Golf isn’t standing still. It is evolving and modernising, and we felt it was an appropriate time to take a hard look at the Rules of Amateur Status. The principal concerns raised are that current Rules don’t reflect the fact the elite amateur game is a “progression” for players who aspire to be successful tournament professionals.”