ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, Monday, January 28, 2013
SPORT
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Methven in huge form turnaround After just over a month off the courts, Mid Canterbury’s Open A grade tennis returned with a mixed bag on Saturday. Methven upset competition leaders Hampstead 4-2, Allenton fought off Fairton 4-2, and Dorie edged out Tinwald on a count back in the second week of the second round, which started back on December 5. The match of the day was between Dorie and Tinwald with the calculators coming out to determine the winner, where Dorie scraped in 49 games to Tinwald’s 45. In the doubles Dorie’s Rhys Cromie and Don Lake cruised past Luke Glendining and Michael Donaldson 6-0, 6-2 while Tinwald’s Aidan Mitchell and Isaac Langley had a straightforward 6-2, 6-2 win over Jessica McCloy and Todd Boag. In the singles Cromie crushed Glendining 6-1, 6-0 but Lake needed a tie break to beat Donaldson 6-1, 1-6, 1-0 (10-7) and Tinwald’s Mitchell beat Boag 6-2, 6-1. Dorie number four McCloy took the first set 7-5 before Langley had the momentum to win the second 6-4 and the match tie-break 10-3, but McCloy’s hard work wasn’t without reward, helping Dorie finish in front in the count back. Dorie’s win was in the match of the day but the result of the day went to Methven.
• Crusaders in town The Crusaders are making a pre-season stopover in Ashburton on Tuesday. Some of the squad are scheduled to be in Ashburton tomorrow morning for a skills session with some local juniors players as well as a meet and greet with fans at the Ashburton Domain.
• Phoenix fail to fire
In their last outing Methven was swept 6-0, but what a difference a few weeks off made as they handed Hampstead their second loss. Methven’s Ben Wright and Murray Amyes need a tie-break to beat Tom Deeley and William Edgar 6-1, 1-6, 1-0 (10-7) but Hampstead secured their own three-set win with Ben Deeley and William Blacklow getting the better of Jack Edgington and James Watt 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6). Tom Deeley proved too strong for Ben Wright 6-1, 6-2 but Methven’s lower order came through for the win. Amyes used his experience to get past Edgar 6-3, 6-1, Watt held off Ben Deeley 7-5, 6-3 and Edgington beat Blacklow 6-0, 6-4. In the other match Allenton had some luck go there way but still recorded a comfortable 4-2 win over Fairton. Allenton swept the doubles as Jason Feutz and Jack Deeley outclassed Peter Leonard and Rebecca Robinson 6-0, 6-1, while Ashleigh Leonard and Brenton Donaldson combined for a 6-2, 6-2 win over Phil Crozier and Bradley Chisnall. Feutz was up 6-2 and 3-3 in the second set when Peter Leonard retired hurt, and Deeley was too strong for Robinson 6-0, 6-0 to lock in the win. Fairton’s Crozier used his experience to claim a 6-1, 6-2 win over Ashleigh Leonard and Chisnall was a convincing 6-2, 6-1 winner over Donaldson.
• Breakers records fall
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Tech Sharks’ Danny Hurley bowls to Allenton’s Jeff Naish during the Muirhead Rosebowl senior cricket match on Saturday.
Semis a cricketing conundrum By Jonathan Leask Three teams are locked in for semi-finals in the Muirhead Rosebowl senior cricket competition, with the other four all in the hunt for the final berth after Saturday’s sixth round. The Sharks locked away another trophy for the season, defending the Bevan Stroud Memorial challenge trophy against Allenton, adding to the Pritchard Shield and Studholme Shield, and will be top qualifier for the Muirhead Rosebowl semi-finals. Allenton and Lauriston are also guaranteed semi-final spots, leaving Coldstream, Fairfield, Methven and the Tech Stags to fight for the fourth spot. Coldstream snapped their losing streak to claim a crucial win over Fairfield to move in line for a playoff spot, and Methven followed suit with a four wicket win over the Tech Stags, to leave all four teams tied with one win apiece. Round seven of the Muirhead
Thorn eyes up Europe He is turning - wait for it - 38 next Sunday but while Brad Thorn is finally showing signs of slowing down, he hasn’t closed the door on seeing out his remarkable career in Europe after his stint with the Highlanders. Thorn’s first act with his new Super Rugby team was to head into the Greenstone Valley on a 25km tramp in the wilds west of Queenstown over the weekend. For former All Black Thorn, moving back to the deep south after his two years at the Fukuoka Sanix
When the Wellington Phoenix can’t beat the Newcastle Jets at home then there’s something desperately wrong. Phoenix victories against the Jets at Westpac Stadium have been regular as clockwork in recent seasons and in 10 previous matches between the teams at the Cake Tin, Wellington had won nine since the A-League was formed in 2007. Yesterday’s 1-1 draw will have done nothing to turn down the pressure gauge on the club who are rooted to the bottom of the A-League ladder after 18 rounds. They lacked inspiration and look short of ideas as the side grapples with trying to implement a new playing style while searching for on-field results at the same time. During the game the fans were on their feet as a chant erupted of “If you love the cats stand up”.- APNZ
ONLINE.co.nz
By Jonathan Leask
Blues and his successful careers with the Crusaders and Brisbane Broncos feels like a homecoming - he was born in Mosgiel - but, remarkably, there is still a sense of unfinished business as far as his sporting career is concerned. “It’s going to challenge me,” he told the Otago Daily Times in Queenstown. “How my body holds up. Testing myself, have I still got it? Can I still mix it? There’s a part of me that wouldn’t mind going back to Europe for a season or two. We will see what happens.” - APNZ
Rosebowl isn’t until March 2 and the focus is now on the Twenty20 competition, starting next week.
Tech Sharks v Allenton It was the Robbie Polson and Dan Hurley show as the Tech Sharks’ unbeaten run rolled on with a 52 run win over Allenton. The Sharks batted first and had Polson lead the way with 45, but when he was dismissed the Sharks were 66/6. Matt Hurley made 17 and the rest of the tail chipped in to get the Sharks to 111 all out in 27.1 overs. Allenton’s Wayne McDowell had 3/31 off five overs with Josh Worsfold, Mitch and Ryan Stoddart taking two wickets each. The Allenton reply got off to a rocky start as Dan Hurley went straight to work dismantling the top order. Allenton were in deep trouble at 30/6 and were all out for 59 after 19 overs. Hurley had 6/18 off his seven overs, and at the other end Polson
Locals rule on the lake
Lana Donaldson rounds a buoy during the Aquafest Waterskiing Tournament at Lake Hood.
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The Water Ski Lake Hood skiers still rule Lake Hood after dominating in the Aquafest Tournament at the weekend. As well as the big local contingent the tournament had competitors from Christchurch to Southland, and the lake delivered some good conditions. “It was calm enough but a wee bit breezy on Saturday. We managed to get through all of the slalom with some good scores and then plenty of personal best in the trick. Then we turned up for jump and it was glass calm. If we had the time we would have had three rounds of slalom, but we ran a head-to-head slalom to finish off the tournament.” They started off with the slalom which saw a Donaldson take out each grade. Karl Donaldson took out the men’s on 98 with a best of three buoys on the 12m line, with Gavin Green bettering his son Tom for second. In the women’s Lana Donaldson scored 97 with second Hilary Munro 87 and Rachel Donaldson third on 72. George Donaldson took out the juniors with a score of 137 with twin brother Hugh third. There was some top competition in the trick with big scores across the board before the competitors returned yesterday to ideal conditions. Karl Donaldson had the biggest of the day landing 43.4m to win the men’s, where Tom Green smashed his PB at 30.6m, and Hannah Wright took out the women’s with a 27m effort. The performance of the weekend went to Gabriella Woodman who set PB’s in all three events. For several local juniors it was a last chance to try things before they cross the Tasman to take on the Australians in the OZ-Kiwi Challenge next week.
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had 4/26 off his nine overs, providing three catches for wicketkeeper Paul Morrison. Only four Allenton batsmen made it to double figures but none could establish themselves in the innings.
Coldstream v Fairfield Coldstream snapped a four game losing streak with a 10-run win over Fairfield at Lowcliffe. Coldstream made 142 with Jono Print and Regan Broker sharing the top score of 29, while Jason Harrison made 22. Tom Meyrick took 3/34 while Thomas Bird was on the more expensive side for his 3/48. Fairfield’s reply was anchored by Bird’s 47 but the rest of the order struggled until Cameron McCormack came in at 10 and blitzed 32 to put Fairfield back in contention, but the hosts halted the rally to tale a 10-run win. Andrew Bennett had 3/26 for Coldstream, and Richard Print made his return from a serious knee injury, looking to play in this
weekend’s Hawke Cup clash with Otago Country, bowling nine overs off a short three-step run up to take 2/27.
Methven v Tech Stags Methven claimed their first win of the Muirhead Rosebowl after a strong innings from Mitch Sim. The Stags batted first and made 168 with Callum Gallagher 44 not out and Ben Kelleher 34. Ryan Ashworth had the best return taking 3/21 with Ash Mills, Robert Batt and Ben Payne taking two wickets each. Methven then produced their best batting display of the summer, chasing down the target in 35 overs for the loss of four wickets. Leading the charge was Sim who struck 14 fours and three sixes on his way to 94 before being adjuged lbw by BJ Binnie. Phil Gorman also made 26 as the hosts got home for a four wicket win. For the Stags Hayden Sinclair took 2/29 off his nine overs.
Central takes upper hand Central Districts have stormed to the top of the Plunket Shield standings after completing an 81-run win over Canterbury in Napier yesterday. After Otago wrapped up a huge victory over Wellington on Saturday to temporarily take control of the competition, the Stags responded by successfully defending 332 runs on the fourth day. CD (92) and Otago (77) have now established a large lead in the four-day competition, though they have both played a game more than the other four sides. The Stags’ triumph was set up by debutant spinner Ajaz Patel, who ripped through the Canterbury lineup to finish with figures of 6-57. Patel was wicketless in the first innings, but found much more success on a McLean Park wicket which began to turn more as the game wore on.
After beginning the day on 88-1 and still requiring 244 runs to win, things quickly went downhill for Canterbury. Seamer Kyle Jarvis made the early inroads, dismissing Shanan Stewart without adding to his overnight score before claiming a return catch from Peter Fulton (59) to reduce the Wizards to 103-3. Dean Brownlie became Patel’s first wicket of the day for 26, before Tom Latham was also deceived by the tweaker. Proceeding were evenly poised at lunch, with Canterbury needing 164 with five wickets in hand, but their prospects became dire when Tarun Nethula induced a nick from Andrew Ellis. Patel then rammed home the advantage, taking the next three wickets to fall in the space of 32 runs, before Jeet Raval wrapped things up to dismiss - APNZ Canterbury for 250.
Alex Pledger’s skills on the basketball court are well-known but, with a crunch game against Perth looming, he has also shown a hidden talent as a pitchman. The Breakers won their ninth straight game against Sydney on Saturday night - a club record for a single season - and attention immediately turned to the top-ofthe-table clash with their bitter rivals at Vector Arena on Friday night. The defending champions’ front office should have no problem selling tickets, given the two teams’ history and what lies in the future, but Pledger was keen to ensure the game is played in front of the full house it deserves. “It’s going to be hyped up throughout the week as a possible grand final match-up,” Pledger said. “It’s going to be extremely high intensity and it’ll be worth the price of admission, that’s for sure.” - APNZ
• Aussie takes Classic Australian Nathan Earle has enjoyed the biggest win of his career in taking out the NZ Cycle Classic yesterday. Earle’s team took control of the final stage of the five-day race around the roads of Manawatu, a 112km journey which finished in Palmerston North. Former junior world champion Thomas Palmer, another Australian, won the stage ahead of New Zealanders Patrick Bevin and Clinton Avery. The race, the former Tour of Wellington, was something of a benefit for Australia, with Earle’s compatriots Benjamin Dyball and William Walker finishing second and third on general classification. - APNZ
• Top 20 for Campbell Michael Campbell has finished in a share of 16th place after fading in the final round of the Qatar Masters with a two over par 74 at the Doha Golf Club. The 43-year-old, who carded three rounds of 68 to get to a 12 under par total and only three shots off the lead, finished eight shots back from the champion Englishman Chris Wood who carded a three under par 69 to win by one stroke. Campbell, who finished tied 17th last week at the Abu Dhabi Championship, earned 23,786E ($38,000) and climbed 14 places on the Race to Dubai Standings to 45. Campbell is still looking for his first victory since the World Match Play at - APNZ Wentworth in 2005. Dean Brownlie
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