edmonton

The top four seeds in the Women’s World Team Squash championships — England, The Netherlands, Malaysia, Egypt — took their allotted places in the semifinals when the completed easy 3-0 wins over their respective opponents in the first round of the knockout play-offs in Edmonton, Canada.

South Africa, seeded 12th, caused a major surprise in the first round of the Women’s World Squash Championships in Edmonton, Canada, when they defeated defending champions Australia, the fifth seeds, 2-1. Australia drew first blood when Kasey Brown outplayed Tenille Swartz in four games. South African captain Claire Nitch evened matters by defeating Melissa Martin in straight games.

New Zealand won a third straight Women’s Rugby World Cup crown when they held off England 25-17 in the final on Sunday at Commonwealth Stadium. Lock Monalisa Codling scored the only try of the first half moments before the break for New Zealand’s Black Ferns to lead 10-3.

England captain Sue Day scored four of her side’s 12 tries on Monday evening as they proved too strong for South Africa in their IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup match at Ellerslie Rugby Park in Edmonton, Canada. The 2002 runners-up started the match full of life with flyhalf Shelley Rae pulling the strings.