Volleyball Southern league volleyball will be close competition

Press, 31 March 1989, Page 25

Volleyball Southern league volleyball will be close competition

The southern league men’s volleyball competition, which gets underway tomorrow at Pioneer Stadium, promies to be the most closely fought for some years.

While the defending national champion, Pioneer, and the runner-up, Shirley A, should easily fill the top two qualifying berths for the national finals in July, the remaining two positions should be fought out among four sides — Vikings (Dunedin), Scorpions (Dunedin), Aranui-Smash and Shirley Relics.

Pioneer has much the same squad as last year, and aims to win the national title for the third successive year and to compete in the Australian club championships in June. If it wins that event, and the New Zealand title, it is likely to be invited to the prestigious Peace Cup tournament in Japan next year. The side will again be coached by Tony Barnett and captained by Gilbert Enoka. It showed glimpses of its best form in downing Shirley A, 30, in the final of a recent preseason tournament.

Shirley A has lost Grant Waller and Barry Verdellen who are to travel overseas, but has gained Paul Barr from Tauranga, Glen Saunders from Canterbury University, Richard Petrie, who had a season off last year, and the talented Scorpions pair of Paul Wouters and John Lainchbury. Its battles with Pioneer should prove to be among the highlights of the season. The two Christchurch sides in the running for the last two qualifying spots, AranuiSmash and Shirley Relics, look evenly matched and should ensure a close tussle for those qualifying places. Smash has gained Craig Bayliss and Craig Phillipson from Canterbury University, but has lost Mike Tukaki, Roger Bleyendaal and Paul Kerdemelidis while the Relics welcome back Tony Thomas from a working sojourn to San Diego and have gained Mike Berry from Canterbury University. Canterbury University has lost a number of players to other clubs, but could still upset some of the more highly rated sides.

• It has a number of promising young players and should improve as the season progresses.

Squads are.— Pioneer. G. Enoka, R. Hamilton, G. Hamilton, T. Natapu, M. Dudson, I. Bishara, T. Kircher, P. Jillings, M. Termeer, H. McCutcheon, M. King, M. Tukaki, M. Pepper. Shirley A.— P. Barr, J. Lainchbury, P. Wouters, G. Saunders, C. Redpath, R. Petrie, S. Bromley, G. Waller, S. Vesty, M. Akkerman.

Shirley Relics.— M. Berry, T. Thomas, G. Birkett, I. Whitehead, C. Lange, C. Neilson, D. Moot, K. Moorfield, J. Schave, J. Lomax, M. Fowler. Smash. — C. Bayliss, C. Phillipson, M. Wessels, Q. Clough, G. Scammell, J. Way, M. Rickerby. University: R. Batchelor, B. Marshall, M. Bayliss, D. Paul, J. Smith, H. Hovell, M. Williamson, B. Cescon, C. Heenan, T. Tumock, K. Kincaid, H. Lee, P. Higgins. The women’s competition should be dominated by Pioneers, the national champion, and Aranui-Smash, which has looked impressive in pre-season matches.

Pioneer is to play in the Peace Cup tournament in Hiroshima this month, but will have to contend with the loss of such players as Lani Ratana, Aneta Bird, Tracey Frame and Nell Blissett. Gains include Nicole Osmond, a New Zealand junior player from Nelson, Paula Townsend, Kerianne Cutbush, Andrea McDonald, Rhonda Phewson and Cynthia Gillings.

Smash was leading Pioneer in the final of a pre-season tournament when injury forced it to default In the middle of the second set.

The coach, Roger Bleyendaal, believes the experience the players got when finishing third at last year’s national finals will prove invaluable as it chases the league title. Shirley disappointed by finishing only ninth at last year’s national finals, but an influx of new players could see it test the two top sides while for the newest team in the competition, Hornby High School, with an average age of 17, it will be very much a

learning season. The other Christchurch side in the women's league, Canterbury University, has lost the core of last year’s side and its strength will not be apparent until it has played its first games of the four round competition. Squads.— Pioneer. — M. Edmondson, L. Green, J. Smith, T. Taylor, L. Holloway, D. Weir, M. Berry, P. Townshend, R. Phewson, K. Cutbush, A. McDonald, C. Gillings, N. Osmond. Smash:— M. Stratford, A. Stojanovich, D. Guilledge, K. Bleyendaal, T. Sevet, J. Johnson, A. Volmer, B. Beaumont, S. Harliwich, R. Page.

Shirley.— J. Neilson, P. McGregor, S. Hammett, G. Brady, A. Anderson, A. Hughey, S. Hughey, T. Vous-den-Webb, K. Lowe-McLeod. J. Hooke.

Hornby H.S.— A. Woodham, T. Bryant, D. Hill, T. Whatarangi, L. Hammond, F. Watts, S. Setu, R. Rickerby, R. Stuart, C. Downing, A. Mcllwick. University.— K. Held, K. Wood, B. Brownlie, K. Trevelyn, M. Bennett, R. Smith, S. Amodda, V. Wood.