Steve Hepburn

The national basketball league got what it asked for and is pressing ahead with a national women’s league.

All the boxes have been ticked and the stars have aligned — the third hockey turf in Dunedin is soon to be a reality.

An inability to travel overseas and the need to keep top players at a high level were the drivers to get a new national premier hockey league under way.

The coach of the side which was beaten 20-0 in a Southern Premier League match on Saturday has been axed.

It was good news mixed with a bit of reality for the Otago Greyhound Racing Club.

Apparently it is amusing. But stadium bosses are far from smiling by the antics of those who feel the need to unveil everything.

Forbury Park Trotting Club won out over the body which controls the trotting code.

The Highlanders need to start converting gutsy efforts into wins on the scoreboard as a run of Sunday games start.

Sometimes the statistics lie. Sometime they don’t.

There is a real sense of satisfaction when the grass is mowed.

Forbury Park has got off the canvas and is alive, confirming it has been reallocated race dates and has sold a parcel of land to a local consortium for more than $1million.

Trading places has never been much of an issue for the Highlanders’ two happy hookers.

The body overseeing racing has already made a land grab for a Central Otago racetrack, it was alleged yesterday.

A mix of old and new highlights an Otago wider training group named yesterday for the Mitre 10 Cup.

The Southern Magpies — perhaps the Southern Sunwolves.

Highlanders players will be part of club rugby.

The building blocks are being put in place. Now the ultimate test for a young team awaits.

The phone keeps ringing and Alex Ainley keeps answering.

There is not likely to be much input from the South when the inter-island rugby teams are picked.