Double defence

Cricket: Anton Cooper and Samara Sheppard successfully defended their cross-country honours at the UCI Altherm Oceania Mountain Bike Championships in Dunedin yesterday. The world number 7 ranked Cooper put the foot to the floor after compatriot Sam Gaze stopped to adjust his seat midway through the race at the new Signal Hill course. From that point Cooper pushed on to a dominant victory in 1:21.54, to finish two minutes ahead of Gaze with Australian Cameron Ivory 2:40 back in third. Sheppard trailed Australian champion Rebecca McConnell (nee Henderson) on the first of five laps before taking command on the gruelling climb on the second lap. From that point she was in a class of her own, winning the five-lap race by three and a half minutes.