Netball tournament

Press, 17 July 1979, Page 6

Netball tournament

[ Late sport

Canterbury Country was too strong for the opposition at the Top-of-the-South netball tournament at Blenheim during the week-end. Country won al] five of its matches by substantial margins.

The nine-member squad had gone to Blenheim to get extra experience for the New Zealand tournament at New Plymouth from August 20-25, but the opposition was not as strong as had been hoped for.

Country usually plays in the first and second South Island tournaments, but this year it decided to miss the second tournament at Ashburton in August to test the strength at the Blenheim one. Fourth in the second grade at the national tournament last year, Country will be trying for first and promotion to the first grade for next year. Country has, however, arranged to play three other matches at intervals as part of its build-up for rhe

national tournament. The first of these will be against Canterbury under 20 at Hagley Park this Sunday, when Canterbury and the New Zealand team will play Wellington. The other matches will be against South Canterbury and Ashburton. Two new-comers to the side are Donna Smith (North Canterbury) and Heather Chapman (Lincoln). The others are Maxine Loffhagen (North Canterbury); Errin Harris (Kaikoura): Chris May, Joanne Higginson, Caroline Dalzell (Hurunui); Annette Blomquist (Banks Peninsula); Phillipa Quartermain (Malvern). The manager is Mrs Margaret Ivory and coach Mrs Joan Smith. The results for the five matches won by Country at the Top-of-the-South tournament are:—

Beat Nelson Minor, 43-15; beat Marlborough A, 44-18; beat Wairarapa, 57-11; beat Hutt No, 2, 43-10; beat West Coast Reserve, 49-8.