Newspaper Article 1960 – Young Hawke’s Bay Team For NZ Championships

Young Hawke’s Bay Team For N.Z. Championships

A Hawke’s Bay basketball record will be established by the province’s representative team at next month’s Dominion championship tournament in Wellington.

It is believed that the team will be the youngest side ever to represent Hawke’s Bay at a national tournament.

The average age of the team will be 18 years. Last year the average age was 20 years.

Only one former Hawke’s Bay representative was included in this year’s young 14-strong squad to train before the tournament team was announced.

But the Hawke’s Bay selector-coach, Mrs R. McCarthy, of Hastings, is not worried. “The younger the player the more agile she is; and young players have adapted themselves to the new international rules for New Zealand basketball better than older players,” she said this week.

The team of 10 will be announced tomorrow morning during the annual Sub-Association Day tournament at Napier.

The following Saturday, July 30, the team will compete against Manawatu, Wellington and Wanganui at the annual Rosenbrook Cup tournament at Palmerston North.

Won Last Year

Hawke’s Bay won the cup last year and could do so again next week. But whatever the outcome, the tournament will provide excellent practice before the Dominion championships.

A Hawke’s Bay B team will also be chosen to-morrow and will compete in the Sinclair cup tournament run in conjunction with the Rosenbrook Cup. Opposing Hawke’s Bay B will be three other teams. This will be the first time Hawke’s Bay have entered for the Sinclair Cup.

Three notable occurrences for Hawke’s Bay and Napier basketball are associated with this year’s Dominion tournament.

For the first time a Napier referee has been chosen to referee at a Dominion tournament. She is Mrs G. Burns.

Mrs D. R. Hembrow, of Hastings, has been appointed a North Island selector at the tournament.

This is Mrs McCarthy’s 10th year as Hawke’s Bay selector-coach.

Third Equal

In 1951 Hawke’s Bay finished on the bottom of the first grade ladder but since then they have always been well placed. Twice the team have been runners-up and last year they finished third equal.

Hawke’s Bay have also been well represented in the North Island team which plays the South Island at the end of each tournament. In one recent year, five Hawke’s Bay players were chosen for the North Island.