The Ashburton College A netball team that will this week contest the South Island Secondary Schools’ tournament in Nelson. Absent is Billy Surridge. Photo Erin TaskerThey’ve already ticked one massive goal off their to-do list, but the season is far from over for Ashburton College’s A netballers.

They’re off to Nelson this week for the annual South Island Secondary Schools’ Championships, and they couldn’t have asked for a much better build-up than winning the Mid Canterbury Netball premier one title last Saturday.

But that win over Celtic A, which saw them crowned Mid Canterbury’s best for the first time since 2010, has already been put behind them as they prepare to take on some of the South Island’s best.

Ashburton College A head to Nelson eyeing up a top 16 finish, but know that make that a reality they’ll have to be on top of their game from game one, because they’ve drawn a tough pool.

Thirty-two teams will contest the championships’ A grade section and Ashburton College are in a pool with last year’s runners-up Southland Girls’ High School, a strong Marlborough Girls’ High School team, and Nayland College.

Even Nayland, the team promoted to A grade from B grade this season, could pose a tough challenge, Ashburton College A coach Kaye Kennedy said.

But she, and her team, were looking forward to the week ahead.

“There’s nothing like heading away on a tourament with your team, with your team-mates and playing against your peers.

“It’s a really exciting week and the pinnacle of our season,” Kennedy said.

Teams really needed to take at least two wins in pool play to make the top half of the draw come play-offs.

“It’s going to be tough so you really just need to take it one game at a time,” Kennedy said.

“We got 15th last year so we are hoping to better that by one or two places, and anything over and above that is a bonus.”

The win in the local premier competition had given College A a big boost, but they knew that when it came to secondary school netball, it was a whole different picture.

Each week during the netball season, College A has travelled north to play in the top tier of the Christchurch secondary schools’ netball competition, SuperNet.

They played their final SuperNet game of the season last week and went down to Cashmere by one, leaving them a disappointing eighth in the eight-team A grade, meaning they’d start next season needing to win promotion/relegation games if they wanted to stay in the top grade.

While they will lose a few players from this year’s squad – as happened with school netball sides – they’d be ready for any challenge that came their way, just as they will be this week.

The College A team that will take to the court in Nelson is the same as that which took the court in the Mid Canterbury Netball premier competition, with one addition.

Billy Surridge has joined the team from the Ashburton College Year 10 A side.

They won’t be the only Mid Canterbury team in action either, with a team from Mount Hutt College also featuring in the B grade tournament.

A basketball tournament also being played in Nelson next week means that teams taking part in the netball tournament will have the added challenge of both indoor and outdoor games.

Kennedy said the first two days will be inside, and the next two outside.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 31 August 2019