Ashburton College’s A netball team got their South Island secondary school tournament campaign off to the perfect start yesterday.

Playing in Nelson, they took on Marlborough Girls’ High School in their opening match of section H in the tournament’s A grade, and did their top 16 hopes a big favour by comfortably taking out the game 41-29.

They then took on Nayland College in their second game yesterday afternoon and won 35-31, putting them in a strong position heading into their next game against last year’s runners-up, Southland Girls’ High School, at 11am this morning.

Yesterday, the Southland side lost to Marlborough Girls’ High School 35-23, meaning Ashburton College finished day one on top in their section.

If they can pick up the victory spoils this morning they will remain at the top heading into cross-section play.

In the netball tournament’s B grade, Mount Hutt College didn’t fare so well in their opening game against Verdon College, going down 48-21, and in game two against Kaikoura High School they again lost, 37-24.

The tournament is one of many being held around the country this week, as part of secondary schools’ tournament week.

In Dunedin, the Ashburton College junior girls’ basketball team started their Junior Secondary Schools Premiership Zone 4 tournament on Saturday with a 57-46 loss to Middleton Grange, despite getting off to a strong start and leading at the end of the first quarter.

On Sunday they took on Kaiapoi High School and picked up their first win, 81-68, before taking on Otago Girls’ High School later in the day.

In that game they started well but tired in the second quarter, and although they launched a comeback late in the second half they fell short, 72-56.

In Invercargill, the Ashburton College boys’ first XI hockey side started their Johnson Cup campaign with a nil-all draw in their pool B match against Nelson College, while at the Jenny McDonald tournament in Cromwell the Ashburton College girls’ hockey first XI were due to take on a South Canterbury Rural Combined team late yesterday afternoon in their opening game of tournament week.

In Timaru, playing at the Gary Sowden Tournament, the Ashburton College girls’ first XI football team started their tournament with a 6-0 loss over Papanui High School.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 3 September 2019