Two newcomers in basketball side

Press, 5 March 1987, Page 42

Two newcomers in basketball side

Sue Camp and Vicki Beardsley are two interesting newcomers to the Canterbury women’s basketball team announced by the coach, Bill Whelan, yesterday. Camp has never played a senior game of basketball, previously devoting games to the social area. However, she is a well-known netballer, having played for Canterbury and the emerging New Zealand teams. Three months ago she decided to play indoors this winter and joined the Aranui club. At her first tournament at Ashburton last month she was named the outstanding player of the tournament.

Beardsley has moved from Southland to Christchurch to further her career. Last season she played out of the New Zealand Basketball Institute in Hamilton. Sonja Akkerman, another former institute member, rejoins the Canterbury squad, as does a former outstanding New Zealand junior player, Donna Broughton. Twelve players make up the squad, although this could be reduced to 10, said Mr Whelan, who had 24 players at

the final trials on Tuesday evening. “The interest has been phenomenal," he said, "but the biggest drawback is we do not know when we will play.”

The second division has been reduced to six teams, three in the southern zone and a similar number in the north. However, the Basketball Federation is undecided whether to hold, the league at all or have a tournament and the top team to make first division next season.

The Canterbury association is holding a meeting this evening to discuss the matter.

“It is a shame nothing definite has been done by the federation,” said Mr Whelan. “The squad is perhaps the best seen in Canterbury and our original plan of importing an American player has had to be placed on hold.” The squad is: Shona Richards, Brenda Atchison, Tina Beukenholdt, Sue Camp (Aranui); Sonja Akkerman, Megan Cassidy, Dianne Woodhouse, Connie Erb (Checkers); Yvonne Crichton-Hill (Burnham); Donna Broughton (Y.M.C.A.); Sue Bennie (Halswell); Vicki Beardsley.