Maria Tutaia and Irene van Dyk; Compendium page

Maria Tutaia and Irene van Dyk; Compendium page

Toots & shoots

Not only are they partners on the court, but New Zealand shooting duo Irene van Dyk and Maria Tutaia are great mates off it. Van Dyk reports that they share a similar sense of humour and are often the only people in the team laughing at each other's jokes. "It works the other way, too," says Tutaia. "Sometimes half the team is cracking up at something at training or in the team van and I look at Irene and we both think - that's not funny."

Sock it to me

Jamaican umpire Dalton Hinds is a familiar face; one of the neutral officials in many transtasman clashes. He was supposed to adjudicate in a Ferns practice game earlier in the week but failed to show. Some of the media present, including former Australian representative Kath Harby-Williams, were about to step in and umpire when Hinds sauntered in, a minute before the start.

He had no socks and sought to borrow some from the Ferns. Casey Williams eventually volunteered a spare pair. The conversation then went something like: "Shall I wash them and bring them back?" "No, that's fine, you keep them," said the Ferns captain.

Media watch

The best media story this week was found in a local daily called The New Paper.

It reported on a man seeking a divorce after suffering 'exceptional hardship'. Among the things endured, he listed having to make small talk with his wife's family, eating food he hated and doing household chores alone. The judge turned down his request for an early exit, citing most of his concerns as trivial.

Mate, where's the roo burgers?

It wasn't a quite a revolution but there was certainly an uprising at the Swissotel Stamford earlier in the week. Unlike other world tournaments, all 16 teams are based at the same hotel, where they eat breakfast and dinner together. While the options in the morning have been varied, there has been a distinct lack of variety in the evening. When they were served the same dinner for the fourth night in a row, it was too much for some among Australian management, who chucked a "real spaz" at the startled hotel staff, according to interested New Zealand observers.

World what?

It is hard to assess the impact of the world championships. While there are banners all over the city, press articles and wide television coverage, most locals seem oblivious or at least confused about the sport.

In taxis, hotels and shops, a common local question is: "Are you a player?" - something unlikely to be asked of a male if the event was in Australia or New Zealand.

Fine city

As well as being a fine city, Singapore is also the city of fines. You can buy T-shirts that celebrate the sheer number of financial punishments that are possible in every walk of life. There is a standard S$1000 ($986) for smoking in prohibited places, while eating or drinking anywhere within the subway stations or train is a complete no-no.

That Snickers bar or swig of water can cost you S$500 ($493). Of course, old Singapore hands know that the fines are a "big stick" brought out only to make an example or to punish flagrant offenders or re-offenders.

Bank on her

In a continent not known for height, Sri Lanka's Tharjini Sivalingam stands tall at an incredible 2.06m. She battled well against the Aussies on Wednesday, giving Laura Geitz and company the occasional headache. She was the star in the Asian Championships, shooting 74 of Sri Lanka's 77 goals as they beat Singapore in the final. She is also the only ethnic Tamil in the team and works as a bank teller back home. Read More