Triumphs and setbacks for Kiwi motorsport drivers
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Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Otago Daily Times
New Black Caps coach drops Conway for tri-series
New Black Caps coach Rob Walter has recalled a promising Auckland batter and a pace man who has not played for the Black Caps since late last year for his first assignment in charge. Auckland Aces batter Bevon Jacobs is in line to make his Black Caps debut after being included in a 15-strong squad for next month's T20I Tri Series with South Africa and Zimbabwe. The major omission from the side is Devon Conway, who has struggled for runs in recent years for New Zealand. The series will be New Zealand's first-white ball tour of Zimbabwe since 2015. The Black Caps will play the hosts and South Africa in a four-match T20 series at the Harare Sports Club starting 16 July, with the top two teams progressing to the final on 26 July. Jacobs, 23, is the only uncapped player in an experienced tour party captained by Mitch Santner and featuring the return of speedster Adam Milne. Jacobs was first called up to the T20 side to face Sri Lanka in December, but did not play in the three-game series and has recently returned from a stint with the Mumbai Indians at the Indian Premier League (IPL). Milne, who has 53 T20Is to his name, has not featured for the Black Caps since November last year, but has impressed for the Texas Super Kings so far in America's Major League Cricket, claiming 9-96 across his first four matches. Milne will bolster the pace bowling stocks alongside the ICC's number one ranked T20I bowler Jacob Duffy, and the Canterbury trio of Matt Henry, Will O'Rourke and Zak Foulkes. Henry is back after a shoulder injury kept him sidelined from international cricket following the ICC Champions Trophy, where he was the tournament's leading wicket-taker, helping propel the Black Caps to the final. Pace bowlers unavailable for selection for this tour were Ben Sears (side injury), Lockie Ferguson (load management) and Kyle Jamieson - who is awaiting the birth of his first child. Jacobs will be joined in the batting department by hard-hitting openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, who impressed in the home T20I series against Pakistan in March. Allen is fresh off a T20 world-record knock for the San Francisco Unicorns (MLC), where he racked up the most amount of sixes (19) in a T20 innings, taking him to a career-best 151 (off 51 balls). Seifert was the Black Caps' top-run scorer during the home series against Pakistan, amassing 249 runs at 62, including a career-best unbeaten 97 off 38 balls. Seifert will take the gloves for the series with Allen as the backup wicketkeeper, meaning there's no room for Devon Conway or Mitch Hay in the 15-player squad. Ish Sodhi, New Zealand's second-highest T20I wicket-taker, will join Santner as the other specialist spinner in the squad. Kane Williamson wasn't included after making himself unavailable for selection. Walter is joined by batting coach Luke Ronchi, bowling coach Jake Oram and James Foster, who re-joins the group as a fourth coach. "I think we've got a really strong squad for this tour and I'm looking forward to getting the team together and getting into the work," Walter said. "We've got some good experience in the side and it's nice to be able to welcome back a few of the players who missed the March series against Pakistan because of the IPL." Walter said the series played an important role in the lead up to next year's T20 World Cup. "This series gives us the opportunity to test the breadth of our squad, explore different players and potentially different combinations against some quality opposition." Black Caps T20 Tri-Series squad Mitch Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi.
RNZ News
7 hours ago
- RNZ News
Drag racing-loving teen Katie Iti dies from flu complications
Katie Iti's passion was drag racing. Photo: Supplied The father of a Lower Hutt teenager who died in hospital with flu symptoms says she had only been unwell for a few days. Shayne Iti said his 15-year-old daughter Katie Margaret Iti died on Saturday in Hutt Hospital from complications of influenza B. "She fell ill probably Tuesday last week and just was getting slightly worse over the few days - we were just monitoring her at home," he said. "And then I woke up early Saturday morning to hear her moaning and groaning and I was like 'I can't see my baby like this anymore, let's go to the hospital'." Iti said Katie was seen by a cardiologist and a surgeon, and tests found fluid around her heart. He thought she appeared to improve over the day and another scan confirmed the fluid had not increased. But 13 hours after her arrival, Katie suddenly deteriorated and her heart stopped, Iti said. "She was gone. I was with her right up until the end." Iti said Katie's passion was drag racing and she had completed her first season of racing her own car. She became interested in the motorsport after she and Iti began helping his boss build a drag racing car. After that Katie was hooked, going to 'the drags' as often as she could, an enthusiasm also supported by mum Jamie Halse. "She started getting quite friendly with all the junior drag racers because it's quite big - the scene," Iti said. "She always wanted her own car and started jumping into people's cars and sitting in them and dreaming about having one, one day." When it became known that Katie wanted to 'go down the strip', 2022 New Zealand Super Street Champion Cindy Mendoza took her for the ride. "It spiralled on from there because she wanted to do it herself," Iti said. "I used to say to her 'No, you can't have one, we can't really afford it' but then she'd go round the pits talking to all the other adults telling them to 'Go tell my Dad to get me a drag car' and, of course, everyone was always in my ear about getting her a car so we made it happen." Iti taught Katie to drive the manuel racing car when she was 14, starting off on grass and then in a carpark. Once she mastered it, the then-Year 10 Naenae College student competed in her first race in October, racing the entire season. Katie's car. Photo: Supplied Though Katie had no siblings, Iti described her as "a sister to everyone" and said the drag racing community had been hard hit by her death. "They're all struggling. Everyone's trying to lean against each other just 'cos they're all struggling," he said. "Everyone's in complete disbelief. I'm still in disbelief. I'm still expecting her to jump out and give me a fright. "We can't even stay in our own house at the moment because it just feels so empty." Iti said the drag racing community would take cars to Katie's funeral in Wainuiomata on Thursday and there would be a tribute to the teen's love of the sport. Online tributes had been flowing with descriptions of Katie as a "beautiful soul" who was always happy, smiling, respectful, fun and entertaining. A girl with a passion for drag racing and life, one person wrote. "In life and in our sport you meet lots of different people , some leave a lasting memory when they are gone and Katie Iti was one of those," another person wrote on the Wild Bunch New Zealand Facebook page. "Her raw passion and enthusiasm was genuine and unwavering and her love of our sport and those in it knew no bounds. "Personally thank you Katie for all the messages and gifts and for just being yourself in amongst a sea of testosterone and competitiveness you proved the sport is so much more than that..." Online tributes had been flowing with descriptions of Katie as a "beautiful soul" who was always happy, smiling, respectful, fun and entertaining. Photo: Supplied Iti said some online reports that Katie had died in a drag racing event were incorrect. "The season's over. It has been for quite some time." He said Katie had the best safety equipment possible and they had never had any incidents while racing. Iti said Katie's driving partner Azaliya would continue her legacy, and keep racing the number 109 car. Health New Zealand said without a privacy waiver it could not confirm if Katie's death was referred to the Coroner or if Hutt Hospital was conducting a review. Iti said Katie's initial symptoms appeared to be routine - an achy body, runny nose, and cough - and his message to other families was to get vaccinated. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
10 hours ago
- RNZ News
Emergency services rush to serious crash on SH1 near Topuni
Police said they were called to the scene at Topuni, Kaipara District. Photo: Emergency services have been called to a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 1, north of Auckland. Police said they were called to the scene at Topuni, Kaipara District, between Mill and Otioro at 7.35pm Monday. "Initial reports suggest serious injuries," a police spokesperson said. St John said it has sent eight vehicles to the crash. The number of patients is unknown. The road is closed and diversions are in place. Motorists are asked to avoid the area if possible. - More to come. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
