Squash
A veritable who's who of New Zealand squash will be contesting the Wellington district championships to be hosted by the Masterton Trust House Squash Club at their Villa St headquarters from July 5-7.
Spearheading the battle for the open men's title will be Kashif Shuja and Evan Williams, while Joelle King looks to have the open women's field at her mercy.
Shuja, originally from Pakistan, turned professional in 2005 and four years later reached No35 in the world rankings. He is now ranked 95, mainly because he has not played in many of the recent major tournaments rather than any significant drop in form.
Arriving in New Zealand in 2001, Shuja became a Kiwi citizen in 2004 and lived in Auckland for almost a decade before moving to Palmerston North.