Goats win in season curtain-raiser

The Stella Smith Memorial bowling tournament was played on 16 and 17 March. Fortunately, the weather held for the 12 ladies teams from the Nelson Tasman area who competed at the two-day tournament hosted by the Tākaka and Pōhara bowling clubs. The clubs would like to thank NBS for their generous sponsorship.

Winners of the first day, at the Tākaka green, were Julie Hall, Margaret Eames and Melva Forrest from Wakefield. Winners on the second day, at the Pōhara green, were a team from Stoke made up of Rae Peterson, Trish Campbell and Lois Schwass.

Results

BRIDGE

15 March. Pōhara Pairs Session 1: N/S: P Panzeri/J Edmondson 61.67%; E Bradshaw/A Telford 52.50%; A Foreman/T Packard 51.25%. E/W: R McDonald/J Cooper 65.83%; A Gray/L Bradley 50.42%; P Wilson/B Wilson 50.42%. H/cap: N/S: P Panzeri/J Edmondson 59.67%; R Smith/P Nelson 55%; E Bradshaw/A Telford 50.50%;. E/W: R McDonald/J Cooper 66.08%; A Gray/L Bradley 57.92%; P Wilson/B Wilson 50.92%.

GOLF

14 March. 2nd LGU (Nett): M Solly 72, C Le Comte 72. Closest to pin: 3/12 B Miller, 9/18 D Gardiner.

15 March. Stableford: S Kerr 38, R Dyce 38, M Dixon 37. Closest to pin: 3/12 R Heuvel, 4/13 8/17 R Dyce, 9/18 W Collie. Twos: M Dixon, G Allen. Best gross: R Dyce.

18 March. Nett: R Dyce 65, M Dixon 67, R Young 68. Closest to pin: 3/12 R Young, 4/13 R Davis, 8/17 G Rowe, 9/18 R Heuvel. Twos: W Collie, R Heuvel, R Dyce (x2), M Dixon, R Davis, J Crocker. Happy wanderer: J Garner. Best gross: W Collie 72.

Pre-season football kicked off at Tākaka’s Rec Park last Saturday with Golden Bay AFC hosting friends and rivals Wakefield FC.

A Masters tie was followed by a 1st XI clash with the Marble Mountain Shield at stake.

GBAFC Stingrays, now the club’s representatives in the Masters competition, took on the visitors in a noon kick-off.

Led by Rob Anderson, this was the first competitive outing for the revamped side and they got off to a good start, creating several scoring opportunities in the first 30 minutes but could not find the back of the net. Somewhat against the run of play, Wakefield managed to score twice before half-time leaving the home side with it all to do in the second half. After the restart, the Stingrays, rallied by their skipper, showed more composure, with Pew Singh marshalling the back line, Peter Van der Meer creating some excellent passes, and Sam Hopley and Chris von Roy showing class up front. But despite the home side’s spirit and determination, the match ended with the visitors winning 4-2.

The lively game served as a tasty appetiser for the main course – the battle between Golden Bay’s Mountain Goats and Wakefield’s 1st XI for the Marble Mountain Shield.

Under coach Alex Luckett the Goats have been training hard and it showed: within minutes of the start, the home side opened the scoring – and the goals kept flowing, with the Van der Meer siblings Tim and Sam both scoring in quick succession.

It took the Goats a little bit longer to find the net in the second half, but it was worth the wait. A standout performance from Lee McKenna saw the newcomer score a hat-trick and register two assists in the 9-2 victory which effectively put Wakefield to the sword and secured the Shield for GBAFC.

The day’s recipients of the Player of the Match awards, which for senior teams this season are dedicated to the memory of Roli Muntwyler, were Graham Smith and Lee McKenna. Tomorrow at noon, Golden Bay again plays host to a visiting club, with the Shield Maidens playing Nelson Suburbs Swans while the Stingrays take on Nelson Suburbs Masters.