Rowing 22–24 June – the second of three legs of the World Rowing Cup is held in Amsterdam. New Zealand rowers win three gold and three silver medals. (NZ Herald) Shooting Ballinger Belt – Mark Buchanan (Australia) Bill Tabor (Karori), second, top New Zealander Soccer 19 March – A slot in the A-League previously held by the New Zealand Knights is awarded to a Wellington consortium. (NZ Herald). On 28 March, it is revealed the new team will be called the Wellington Phoenix, and they will play their home games at Wellington's Westpac Stadium. Their first regular season fixture, a home game against the Melbourne Victory on 26 August. 10–30 September – The New Zealand women's national football team will compete in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China, their first appearance in a Women's World Cup since 1991. The Chatham Cup is won by Central United who beat Western Suburbs FC 0–0 in the final (10-9 on penalties). Tennis 6 January: Top seed Jelena Janković wins the ASB Classic women's pro tournament held in Auckland, beating Vera Zvonareva (5th seed) 7-6 (11–9) 5–7 6-3 in the final. 13 January: Third seed David Ferrer of Spain wins the Heineken Open men's pro tournament held in Auckland, after he defeated top seed and compatriot Tommy Robredo 6-4 6-2 Yachting 6 June – Team New Zealand wins the Louis Vuitton Cup in Valencia, Spain, thus winning the right to challenge for the America's Cup. 23 June – 3 July – Team New Zealand faces Alinghi in a best of nine series to determine the winner of the 2007 America’s Cup. Alinghi are the eventual winners, by five races to two. Births 10 October – Jimmy Choux, Thoroughbred racehorse 21 October – Terror To Love, Standardbred racehorse Deaths January 9 January – Norman Rumsey, optical systems designer (born 1922) 16 January – Atareta Maxwell, kapa haka leader (born 1956) 21 January – Mina Foley, opera singer (born 1930) February 4 February John Head, teacher and disarmament campaigner (born 1927) Gerald Loft, Roman Catholic bishop (born 1933) 5 February – Leo T. McCarthy, politician and businessman (born 1930) 6 February Helen Duncan, politician (born 1941) Doug Gailey, rugby league player (born 1947) 7 February – Alan MacDiarmid, chemist, Nobel Laureate (born 1927) 22 February – Harold Tyrie, track and field athlete and coach (born 1915) March 7 March – Graham Botting, cricketer (born