Sports shorts: It's all up to the forwards

Russell Ingall.

A depleted St Kentigern College First XV will host Whangarei Boys' High School in this afternoon's Blues regional schools final for a place in next week's national Top 4 rugby tournament. The Auckland 1A champions lost three key backs in last Saturday's dramatic 17-15 win in the decider against Auckland Grammar. Whangarei BHS beat North Harbour winners Rosmini 11-7 on Tuesday. Aorere will host Kerikeri HS, also at 2.45pm, in the Blues co-ed final. The Chiefs regional final, at midday, is between Rotorua BHS and New Plymouth BHS.

Back on the track

Russell Ingall will come out of V8 Supercars retirement to replace the injured James Courtney in next month's Sandown 500. Ingall, 51, will drive alongside Jack Perkins while Courtney recovers from broken ribs and lung damage caused by a pit-lane accident last weekend. Perkins, Courtney's co-driver, is taking over as No1 driver for the team's No22 Commodore for the September 13 race.

NZ record in Beijing

Auckland race walker Alana Barber set a New Zealand record in finishing 18th in the 20km walk at the world championships in Beijing yesterday. Barber took 1.47s off her own national mark, set in Adelaide in February, in clocking 1h 33m 20s. The time was narrowly outside the Olympic B standard. China's Hong Liu won the race in 1:27.45.

Record topped

Fifteen-year-old Gabrielle Fa'amausili may have set a record for the shortest standing world record on the fourth day of heats at the FINA World Junior swimming Championships in Singapore. The defending champion in the 50m backstroke from Auckland broke the world record in clocking 28.09s in the penultimate heat today. The record lasted a minute until Australian Minna Atherton went 28.00s to lower the mark again in the final heat.

Lee shoots 66

Kiwi Danny Lee has made another great start to the latest PGA tournament, the Barclays Championship in New Jersey. He shot an opening round 66 to be tied for second, one shot behind leaders Bubba Watson, Spencer Levin, Camilo Villegas and Tony Finau.