Kate Lloyd in action. Photo credit Michael Bradley.After a stellar season with the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic, netballer Kate Lloyd was named in the Silver Ferns development squad. She was at home in Ashburton this week and caught up with the Guardian’s Erin Tasker.

Kate Lloyd’s rapid rise through New Zealand netball ranks has caught even the 21-year-old defender off guard.

At times this season, when she took to the court to form a defensive partnership with New Zealand netball legend Casey Kopua in the Waikato/Bay of Plenty side in the ANZ premiership, she had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

But she wasn’t and the surprises weren’t done with yet. At the end of the ANZ Premiership, where the Magic finished a disappointing fifth out of six teams, the talented 1.92m-tall defender was named in the Silver Ferns development squad.

Lloyd said she couldn’t believe it.

“I was so shocked. It was only probably a 30-second phone call, but I kept saying, ‘are you sure?’.”

They were sure and come December Lloyd will head off to a week-long Silver Ferns development camp where she’ll get a chance to continue what has been a massive year when it comes to learning.

A year ago, Lloyd was in a sort of netballing limbo. She’d just finished a season as part of the Mainland Tactix side, but with no shortage of talented defenders already within the Tactix ranks, Lloyd was only contracted to the Tactix as a training partner, and she was happy with that.

n her first year out of school Lloyd was studying at Lincoln University and playing for Mainland in the Beko Netball League, and the following year made the Tactix team as an injury replacement. When that season finished, Lloyd wasn’t sure what the future held for her.

Other players were talking about what they were doing the following season, but Lloyd didn’t really know how the whole contracting process worked and so she just focused on getting the job done as part of the New Zealand under-21 side for the world cup. She headed to Botswana with the team, where they did get the job done, and found a surprise waiting for her when she got home.

“I went to the world cup and came back and had a Facebook message from Marg Forsyth, the Magic coach. I didn’t even know who she was so I had to Google her,” Lloyd said.

Forsyth was a former Silver Fern who had been part of the Magic coaching team since 2014 and took on the role of head coach in 2017. She asked if Lloyd was contracted for the 2018 season.

She had the training partner contract for the Tactix side, but after a few emails back and forth, Lloyd decided to take the plunge and make the move north and become a fully-fledged ANZ premiership player, contracted to the Magic.

“I had to step up. Coming to the Magic I thought I would be a bench player and just sit there and soak it all up,” Lloyd said.

But Kelly Jury’s dislocated shoulder changed things and Lloyd found herself on court forming a defensive partnership with Kopua, a player she had idolised as a youngster dividing her time between netball and basketball while growing up in Ashburton.

“I had to grow and learn so rapidly, but it was probably the best thing for me in terms of netball.”

Lloyd said Kopua was like royalty in Hamilton and she never dreamed she’d get the opportunity to play alongside her. “I never thought I would see the day. I thought she would retire before I even got close to her, but she’s still ticking along and giving the younger ones a run for their money,” Lloyd said.

Even in her first year as part of the Tactix squad, lining up to shake the hands of players after games who she had grown up watching on the television didn’t feel real. “I still feel like the young one that’s just at their ankles,” Lloyd said.

Moving to Hamilton was a big move both in terms of netball and in life.

Playing for the Tactix and studying sport and recreation management at Lincoln University, Lloyd had been only an hour’s drive away from home and family. Moving to Hamilton had been a big step and had allowed her to learn a lot about herself.

She was out in the big wide world on her own, but she still had incredible support from her biggest fans – her family. Her parents took a big crew to one of her games in Wellington and when they played the Tactix in Christchurch they’d take a couple of van-loads of people to watch.

On a sunny Sunday in her Ashburton family home, where she’ll be based for the next while as she catches up on some of the papers she’d missed while living in Hamilton, Lloyd looked up at the framed New Zealand under-21 netball dress and medal that took pride of place on the wall. It was a bit embarrassing, she said.

But, the support of her family over the years has been huge and she is happy to be home in Ashburton, where she isn’t Kate Lloyd the netballer. She is Kate Lloyd the daughter and friend, who just happened to play netball at a pretty high level. Just how far she could go in netball, Lloyd didn’t know.

“Ever since I was 12 I’ve wanted to be a Silver Fern, but you just need to be realistic,” Lloyd said.

“I know, for me, I’m not ready yet. I would love to be in there but I want to be in there when I feel ready and confident that I can do the job.”

Her next challenge was known though, with Lloyd this week having been named as part of the Tactix squad for the 2019 season.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 1 September 2018

The captains of Ashburton College’s sporting teams are preparing to take their teams into battle next week, in the annual schools’ tournament week. Photo Katie ToddAshburton College sporting teams are heading to all corners of the country next week for the annual national secondary schools’ tournament week.

Ashburton College has 12 teams heading to various tournaments, including four basketball teams.

The school’s senior boys have the least distance to travel of all teams.

Their tournament – the AA Secondary Schools non-qualifying boys’ tournament – is on home soil, at Ashburton’s EA Networks Centre.

It will run from next Wednesday to Saturday.

The school’s senior girls have a big road trip ahead though, with their AA Secondary Schools’ Premiership Zone 4 tournament in Invercargill.

Both sides will be hopeful of strong showings, with the college girls having finished seventh in this season’s Canterbury secondary schools’ Whelan Trophy division one competition, and the boys narrowly going down to Papanui High School in the final of the boys’ equivalent Thomson Trophy division two competition earlier this week.

The Ashburton College junior basketball sides will both contest junior zone four South Island premierships, with the boys heading to Nelson and the girls to Timaru.

Also heading to Timaru is the Ashburton College boys’ first XI hockey team.

There, they will play in the Johnson Cup tournament.

Joining the girls basketballers in Invercargill will be the Ashburton College boys’ first XI football team, where they will play in the Linwood Tournament, while the girls’ first XI football team will head to Blenheim for the Gary Sowden Tournament.

The third Ashburton College team heading to Invercargill is the girls’ first XI hockey team, and they’ll be playing in the Audrey Timlin Memorial Tournament.

Ashburton College’s senior A netball side is also heading south, but only as far as Dunedin, for the South Island Secondary Schools’ Netball Championships, while the school’s junior boys’ rugby team will take part in a junior rugby tournament in Queenstown.

For the first time in a few years, Ashburton College will also be represented at the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Golf Championships.

The team of Brent Kirdy, Wilson Hii, Josh Ackerley and Brayden Wood will head to Palmerston North to contest that title from Monday through to Friday.

An Ashburton College golf croquet team will also be eyeing up a national title when they head to the two-day New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Golf Croquet Championships.

That is being held out of Waikanae and Paraparaumu next weekend.

Mount Hutt College will also feature at the golf croquet in Paraparaumu.

The golf croquet team is one of four sporting sides from the Methven school heading away to tournament week.

Mount Hutt will also have a mixed hockey side in action in Oamaru, a basketball side in action in Nelson, and their netballers are also heading to Dunedin like the Ashburton College A side for the South Island Secondary Schools’ Championships.

Back home there is one other tournament being hosted as part of the big tournament week.

Ashburton will host the Chris Arthur Cup Second XI girls’ hockey tournament at the Ashburton hockey turf, although there’s no local teams taking part. It will see two pools of girls’ teams from around New Zealand compete from Monday through to Friday.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 31 August 2018

Fotu Hala has been one of Ashburton College’s outstanding players during this season’s Thomson Trophy division two competition, in which his side has finished runner-up. Photo Erin TaskerA dream start didn’t result in a dream ending for the Ashburton College senior boys’ basketball side on Tuesday night.

The college’s A boys took on Papanui High School in the Canterbury secondary schools’ Thomson Trophy division two final in Christchurch on Tuesday night and came away with an 89-80 loss.

They started aggressively and caught Papanui off guard, racing out to a 14-2 lead, which they extended to 24-12 by the first quarter’s end, and led 42-30 at half time.

But the crucial third quarter had proven problematic for Ashburton this season and although they came out strong to extend their lead to 50-34, that was when things began to change.

Their defensive structure broke down and Papanui were able to break the press and score easily, as Ashburton’s offence also started to misfire.

Ashburton still led 59-55 at three quarter time, but Papanui were on a roll and drove at will at a tiring Ashburton side to come from behind and win.

Ashburton coach Brian Kerr said his side was up for the challenge and deserved their top two finish.

“The team had utilised a basic structure for the whole season which had worked well,” Kerr said.

But their intensity faded and their offence struggled at times in Tuesday night’s encounter.

Kerr said all the boys that got on court played their hearts out.

Marc Juntilla top scored with 17, Quinn Ritchie again worked hard for his 11, and although Fotu Hala got into early foul trouble which didn’t help his flow, he still managed 13 points and a number of blocked shots before fouling out late in the game.

Ben Jackson also worked hard on the boards, finishing with 13 points.

“The result is disappointing because we didn’t get it right on the day. Nearly, but not quite,” Kerr said.

“However, to make the finals was an excellent result for a group of hard working players.

“They will hurt with this, but we move on.”

The college side will be back in action next week in Ashburton, when the EA Networks Centre hosts a South Island basketball tournament.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 29 August 2018