Women sport news

UK Athletics today announced the first wave of selections for the Norwich Union Great Britain and Northern Ireland team to contest the European Under 23 Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, on 12-15 July.

Adaptive skier Liz Miller is set to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with three of her Paralympic rivals to raise awareness of women in disability sport and funds to help other disabled women take up sport.

The first Women in Paralympic Sport Leadership Summit in Europe was held from 22 to 24 June in Bonn, Germany. The aim is to find ways to knock down barriers and create opportunities for girls and women with a disability in Paralympic Sport. Supported by the German government, a total of 22 participants, including Paralympic athletes, took part in the event.

England’s preparations for the World Youth Netball championships in 2009 start in earnest this week with the announcement of an African tour for the full 22 player squad running from last Saturday, 23 June to 16 July. photo Mark Pritchard

The U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team moved one step closer to winning its preliminary round pool of the Sixth Annual Pan American Cup by sweeping Trinidad & Tobago 25-8, 25-9, 25-5 on June 24 at Colima, Mexico.

The U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team earned itself not only two days off with a 25-18, 25-12, 25-11 victory tonight over host Mexico (1-4) at the Sixth Annual Pan American Cup in Colima, Mexico, but bypassed the tournament’s quarterfinal round by winning Pool A with a 5-0 record and qualified for the 2008 FIVB World Grand Prix. photo US Volleyball

A 70-minute quarter-final battle in the Women's Epstein Becker & Green Los Angeles Squash Open resulted in Italy's Manuela Manetta scoring a significant upset in the WISPA World Tour event at the LA Athletic Club in Los Angeles when she beat second-seeded Mexican Samantha Teran.

It took both players 27 minutes to win their semi-finals - but when favourite Natalie Grainger and third seed Raneem El Weleily meet in the final of the Women's Epstein Becker & Green Los Angeles Squash Open at the LA Athletic Club in Los Angeles, they will represent opposite ends of the spectrum of players on the WISPA World Tour.

New Zealand's Shelley Kitchen earned a stunning victory in today's (Sunday) final of the Women's North Shore Squash Open to claim her eighth WISPA World Tour at North Shore SC in Takapuna, New Zealand.

Natalie Grainger won the Women's Epstein Becker & Green Los Angeles Squash Open title as predicted by the seedings - but the experienced 29-year-old from Washington DC was taken the full distance in the final by third seed Raneem El Weleily before beating the Egyptian teenager at the LA Athletic Club in Los Angeles, USA. photo Wispa

Defending Champion and N0 4 seed Amelie Mauresmo starts her Wimbledon campain on centre court today against American Jamea Jackson. Maria Sharapova is up on Court one as is Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Defending Champion Amelie Mauresmo swept through her first round match against Jamea Jackson 61-63. Seeds progress on the second day with matches still in progress. Hantuchova and Stosur through, Dulko and Lena Groenefeld defeated in first round matches

The England Under 18 Girls Squad has been selected for the third EuroHockey Youth Nations Championships which will take place in Edinburgh between 9 and 14 July.

Seo-Jae Lee broke through for her first professional win today at the $100,000 Duramed Championship. The rookie carded only three birdies in her bogey-free round, but proved to be too steady to unravel down the stretch.

Frilford Heath, the Oxfordshire club soon to celebrate its centenary, will be the host for the Ladies’ British Mid-Amateur Championship from 6-8 July and with Martine Pow unable to defend the trophy, a new name is destined to be engraved on the silverware.

Gloucestershire’s Jo Hodge scored four under par to win the Harper Salver at Bath for the second time in three years. photo ELGA

Britain's women took the silver medal at the LEN European B Water Polo Championships after they were narrowly beaten by tournament favourites France in today's final.

Cowes Combined Clubs (CCC) is pleased to announce that National Boat Shows Ltd (NBS) has joined its family of supporting sponsors of Skandia Cowes Week 2007.

The 2007 Chevrolet Revolution Tour came to a close Friday with Katie Williams (Bend, OR) capturing slopestyle victories at Windells. Earning the overall slopestyle titles for the five-stop tour was Kaitlyn Farrington (Bellevue, ID)

Anna Hemmings, five times World Marathon Champion, will also be keen to make a successful entry onto the 2007 Sprint racing scene. She competes in the womens kayak single (WK1) class

WFTDA National Tournament in Austin, Texas, September 2007

Pip was feeling decidedly “flat” today after the long trip from Australia and racing Escape from Alcatraz along with the Eagleman 70.3 Half Ironman over the last couple of weeks and did not have her usual strength on the bike. photo John Coxon

2003 world champion Torri Edwards displayed an impressive return to form in the Visa women's 100m. At age 30, the 2003 USA 100 and 200 champion led from start to finish, winning in 11.02 (0.9mps). World champion Lauryn Williams was second in 11.16, with Carmelita Jeter third in 11.17. Quotes from the Day

The final meet of the 2007 Visa Championship Series, the AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships serves as the Team USA selection competition for the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Osaka. The top three finishers in each event who have achieved the IAAF "A" standard make the team. Quotes from the Ladies

Amy Palmerio-Winters, below knee amputee, single mother of two and world record holder in the marathon and the Olympic distance triathlon, has been nominated for a 2007 ESPY award as best female athlete with a disability.

The U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team rolled past Costa Rica 25-14, 25-15, 25-13 on the second day of the Sixth Pan American Cup in Colima, Mexico. photo US Volleyball