Newspaper Article 1962 – HB performances at NZ tournament

HB performances at NZ tournament

By Goal Attack

Hawke’s Bay teams ignored the wet slippery conditions encountered at the New Zealand tournament in Auckland last week and played to a high standard.

The major team was unlucky in several games but lost by narrow margins. The minor team enjoyed more wins than in past years.

“In a New Zealand tourney match it is only a matter of seconds or of two or three passes between goals,” said their major team coach, Mrs R. McCarthy. “The opposition was more even than other years. I’m sure that if conditions had been finer, Hawke’s Bay’s performances would have been better.”

The shooting of Maxine Kitt and Dianne Carmen was excellent. Maxine played brilliantly throughout the tournament and appears to have a good future ahead of her in basketball.

During a training match last Monday, the Hawke’s Bay minor team’s main forward, Jill Osborne, sprained an ankle. She was not available for play until Friday.

The wet weather presented far more difficulties than merely just slippery court play. The drying of uniforms, tights, stockings and boots before each match presented an even greater problem.

“The girls had rain streaming down their faces and hair,” said Mrs McCarthy. “Their uniforms were very wet.” But despite the wet conditions, scoring was high.

Players were pleased to see the sun shine again for the North v South Island match on Saturday. The teams were made up of some of New Zealand’s best players. Goal shooting was accurate on both sides and the match really kept the spectators and players on their toes.

South Island won by the narrow margin of two goals, scoring being 36-34.

The North and South Island teams were selected during the tournament and announced on Friday.

Margaret Elliot (above) of the Hastings High School Old Girls’ club team, Huias, was the only Hawke’s Bay representative to be chosen. She was also chosen for the New Zealand representative team trials.

Margaret was the sole Hawke’s Bay representative for the New Zealand team to Australia in 1960. She has represented Hastings and Hawke’s Bay since 1956 and has been in the North Island team only once before, in 1959.

Margaret has been playing for Old Girls’ for five years. Her basketball career began as a High School junior. After a year she graduated to the School firsts where she played for three years before her grading to the first Old Girls’ team.