Women sport news

In front of a fervent Invercargill crowd, the Southern Steel fended off a mighty last charge from the Thunderbirds to win 52-48 tonight.

An Irene van Dyk goal in the final seconds of a 42-41 fracas with the gritty Fever has secured the Magic’s place on the second rung from the top of the ANZ Championship ladder.

This summer, junior sailors will broaden their horizons -literally-as they escape the confines of Narragansett Bay to embark on an offshore adventure covering up to 177 nautical miles. photo Robbie Benjamin on behalf of the Ida Lewis Distance Race

RIGA (EuroBasket Women 2011) – Latvia will not have their 2007 FIBA Europe Women’s Player of the Year, Anete Jekabsone-Zogota, in the line-up come June when the national team tries to qualify for the London Olympics. photo FIBA

At the North Harbour Hockey Stadium , In their second of three tests, World Champions Argentina. trampled New Zealand’s Black Sticks 6-1, scoring three goals in each half and with Cathryn Finlayson getting what turned out to be a consolation goal for the home side.

Meghan Duggan (Danvers, Mass.), a senior forward from the University of Wisconsin, was today named the 2011 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner. In its 14th year, the award is presented annually by The USA Hockey Foundation to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey.

It’s time for another battle over TV remote control as on Thursday evening, true netball fans will not want to miss Hertfordshire Mavericks’ hard fought win over Northern Thunder in the FIAT Netball Superleague.

The slopestyle format was successfully wrapped up at the 4Star Battery Catfight this Saturday, the 26th of March, 2011. The small village of Levi in the north of Lapland, Finland played host to this female only event, which featured a $10 000 USD prize purse and each format offered a maximum of 500 Swatch TTR Ranking points.

Recently reunited Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor have said they feel they are going to be even stronger than before when they return to the FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour for the first time since 2009 in Brasilia, Brazil from April 17-22. photo FIVB

Santa Catarina, Brazil-Angela Vieira and Raquel Pelucci provided the first major shock of this year's Banco do Brazil Beach Volleyball Tour as they clinched the women's title on the fifth stop of the season in Balneario Camboriu by beating 2010 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour champions Juliana Felisberta and Larissa Franca. photo FIVB

Defending champion Kim Clijsters triumphed on stadium court today over Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open, ringing up her 500th tour-level match win in the process. The World No. 2 fought for two hours to defeat the Spanish player 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

No. 5 seed Francesca Schiavone met a surprise opponent Sunday on stadium court, but defeated Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino, in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open, 6-4, 7-6(2).

Premier League National Division side Barnet will join Super League sides Bristol Academy, Arsenal and Liverpool in the FA Cup semi final draw. Report and Photos by David Brenchley.

NSW Swifts celebrated their first win in Wellington when emerging with a 48-43 victory against a plucky Haier Pulse in the New Zealand capital today.

The Melbourne Vixens got back to winning ways after holding out a gutsy Mercury Energy Tactix 65-50 in Melbourne today. The win cemented the Vixens a spot in the ANZ Championship top four while the Tactix' losing streak now stretches back to the first round of last year. The Tactix competed gamely for much of the contest but were ultimately undone by their poor start and turnovers at crucial times. photo anz-championship.com

STORRS (NCAA) - The University of Connecticut look like a team that's headed to another Final Four in the women's NCAA Tournament.

Another former Sony Ericsson Open champion has bowed out early in Miami. 2006 women’s title winner Svetlana Kuznetsova became the latest seeded casualty of the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open, falling to Peng Shuai of China.

The FA Cup quarter finals commence on Sunday, with two of the eight teams just two games away from Champions League qualification. Report by David Brenchley. Photo - Arsenal.com

World No. 3 Vera Zvonareva surged from a first set loss to win in three sets over wild card entry Dinara Safina, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 at the Sony Ericsson Open Friday night.

Showing clinical efficiency, the Queensland Firebirds overcame a spirited challenge to beat the LG Mystics 61-52 in Auckland today.

Li Xiaoxia, the defending champion, once into a rhythm underlined the fact that she is seen as a key member of China’s National Team as the World Championships loom on the horizon; and as he London Olympic Games appear slightly over the horizon. Report Ian Marshall

After surrendering top spot in the FIAT Netball Superleague table on Thursday night to the still unbeaten Northern Thunder, Maggie Jackson’s Mavericks were on a mission against the fiesty Celtic Dragons but didn’t have things all their own way.

The Australian Women’s Squad completed their third training camp for the year in Sydney this past week. As prospective team members for the 2012 London Olympic Games the squad also participated in an Australian Olympic Committee Team Processing day which included being fitted for uniforms and providing biographical information for the upcoming AOC website.

With their place in London 2012 now confirmed the British Women's Water Polo Team, powered by British Gas, are ready to focus their attention back on their European Championships campaign. BRITISH WATER POLO TAKES SECOND STEP TOWARDS EUROPE

Canada's women's sevens rugby team has gone 5-0 at the Hong Kong Sevens tournament to claim the championship Friday. www.rugbycanada.ca

England's Clare Daniels has been recognised as one of the world's leading female officials following her appointment to the International Rugby Board's first Women's Referee Panel.