College goal attack Hayley Tallentire and Hampstead’s Meg Ashworth will be key players tomorrow night in premier netball. Photo supplied.They may not have pulled off the win but Methven’s performance against Hampstead last week provided some clues as to how the form team can potentially be beaten.

Hampstead got away with a 45-41 win over the out-of-towners, however it was unsettled by a tough display from Methven, who brought plenty of aggression in defence.

As a result Hampstead were forced into mistakes they had not made in the previous weeks, however with a deadly accurate shooter in the circle, it seems everything needs to go right for the opposition if this Hampstead team is going to be toppled.

Whether College A has the experience and size to restrict Hampstead will be one of the pivotal questions as the two teams meet tomorrow night.

The AshColl girls brought both a tough edge and an unruffled composure last week as they clinched a narrow win over Celtic A.

Hampstead will secure the favouritism tag given their strengths in all areas of the court, however while College’s mid-court might be in for a torrid time, there will be some enthralling battles at both ends.

College’s Hayley Tallentire will again be key for her side in front of goal however will have to contend with Hannah Spence and Meg Ashworth for Hampstead.

Going toe-to-toe at the other end will be Hampstead’s Alice Eddington and College defender Poppy Kilworth.

Methven then takes on Celtic B in the middle game of the evening.

Celtic B proved against United last week they are not just making up the numbers as they pushed their opposition, particularly in the final quarter where United have been so strong this year.

If Methven can back up their performance from last week and channel the same dose of intent, it could be a tough outing for Celtic B.

As far as the club’s top team goes, they desperately need to re-find their mojo as they meets United in the final game on court.

It was hard-fought between the two sides in the previous round, with the green machine clinching a 27-22 win.

The biggest challenge for United will be putting together a consistent performance across all four periods if they want to retain its top spot in the championship.

By Adam Burns © The Ashburton Guardian - 12 August 2020

Midlands’ player Darnell Lima follows through during the Canterbury vs Midlands competition in Rakaia on Saturday. Photo Robyn HoodIt was a topsy-turvy battle, however it was Canterbury who did enough to claim bragging rights.

Canterbury edged Midlands 17-15 in the inter-region squash competition in Rakaia at the weekend, with the junior event proving to be the difference.

Midlands were dominant in the masters category as the home team won by 10 matches to 2.

However their Canterbury counterparts turned the tables in senior action with a reversal of the ledger.

Earlier in the competition, Canterbury edged Midlands 5 matches to 3 in the junior competition, as the visitors claimed a 2-0 sweep in the second round of the junior women courtesy of wins for Canterbury’s Caitlin Evison and Ella Knutson.

All three of the other junior matchups finished 1-1, following first round wins to Midlands pair Liam Direen and Brooke Cornish-Madden and then Jacob Ryan in the second round.

Midlands’ outgunned Canterbury in the masters off the back of a 3-1, 3-1 win for the men’s team of Lee Barker, Agustin Maunier, Aaron Bungard, Steve Leckie and Wayne King.

The women’s pair of Karlie McQueen and Andrea Naylor also ran out comfortable 2-0, 2-0 winners over Canterbury, to set Midlands up for the senior phase.

Unfortunately for Midlands it was not to be.

Chris van der Salm’s 3-0 win over Scott Gardiner in round 1 and a 3-1 win over Joe Williams in round 2 would be the only joy for the home team in senior action.

The result was all but sealed when Canterbury’s Sarah Blair and Emma Cormack proved too good for Midlands’ Katrina Palmer and Lily Rae across two rounds of squash.

By Adam Burns © The Ashburton Guardian - 12 August 2020

Back row – Hannah-Mae Joyce, Emily Watson, Henry King, Logan Scammell, Bree Middleton, Mitchell Veix. Front – Lucy Reeve, Hannah King, Harrison Doak, Finn Veix. Photo supplied.It was a fruitful weekend for the Ashburton Swim Team, as some of the region’s young swimming stars did the business.

More than a dozen medals were secured by squad members at the Swimming Canterbury West Coast (SCWC) Short Course Championships, held at Christchurch’s Jellie Park.

Other swimmers completed personal best performances in what was a prosperous few days for the young Mid Canterbury contingent.

Hannah King secured four golds, three silvers and a bronze, achieving personal bests in all nine of her events in the 12-14 years category.

Not far behind was Bree Middleton in the 17-plus division as the Methven swimming sensation clinched four golds and two bronzes.

Club captains Lucy Reeve and Mitchell Veix also found themselves on the podium winning a silver and a bronze respectively.

Having won the Most Improved XLR8 points for the club recently, King stormed home in the majority of the events she competed in.

She came first in the 50, 100 and 200 metre breaststroke events and earlier won the 800 metre freestyle in a time of 9:16:47.

King also took out second in the 200 and 400 metre individual medley, 200 metre freestyle and third in the 400 metre freestyle.

National representative Middleton was again in superb touch, clinching the spoils in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 metre freestyle.

Earlier in the competition she secured bronze in the 50 metre freestyle and 200 metre individual medley.

Reeve secured a silver in the 12-14 year 200 metre butterfly, coming home in a time of 2:42:56 while team skipper Veix took out bronze in the 15-16 year 200 metre butterfly.

Two club swimmers in the 12-14 year category Harrison Doak and Henry King also achieved 100 per cent personal bests across their respective events.

By Adam Burns © The Ashburton Guardian - 12 August 2020