Champion shooters (from left) Emma Smith, Shania Harrison-Lee and Lanelle McArthur. Photo supplied.Target Shooting Mid Canterbury (TSMC) can boast it has multiple New Zealand representatives within its ranks after returning from the pinnacle event on the national target shooting indoor calendar.

A number of Ashburton shooters spent the weekend in Nelson competing in the annual North versus South match, which was followed by the New Zealand team postal shoot against the British Home Counties.

TSMC was represented by a large group, including Lanelle McArthur, Emma Smith and Shania Harrison-Lee who were in the South Island open, women’s and junior teams, with McArthur the captain of the junior team.

Also taking part were Michaela Smith, Sandy Bennett and Nina McKenzie in the South Island women’s team, which was managed by Ashburton’s Bryan Hunter.

TSMC president McKenzie said it was a tremendous achievement for junior women to gain selection for all three island teams. The Mid Canterbury group filled nearly half of the positions in the South Island women’s team and a quarter of the junior team, at a competition where there were multiple Olympic and Commonwealth representatives present.

The island team matches ran all day Saturday and despite a few nerves and a couple of upsets, after a full day of shooting TSMC had three members through to New Zealand teams – McArthur in the open, junior and women’s team (of which she was captain), Harrison-Lee in the women’s and junior teams, and Michaela Smith in the women’s team.

McArthur was the top woman from both islands, hence her naming as the New Zealand women’s captain. Her 398.026/400.040 was a remarkable achievement for a junior.

In total she shot for six different teams across the weekend and of the 22 targets she shot her total was 2178/2200, an average of 99/100, which was simply phenomenal, McKenzie said.

Harrison-Lee also had a stellar weekend, making two national teams and being second top score in the New Zealand women’s match (296/300). She was also presented with her silver medal from the national B Grade Championship, which was shot a few weeks ago, over the weekend.

The weekend’s hard luck story went to Emma Smith, who was one place short of the New Zealand junior team but shot an excellent score in the Sunday Derby match (294), as did Bennett (296). McKenzie also finished her campaign well, after experiencing an unfortunate technical problem early on the Saturday.

In the team matches, South Island won the junior match but lost the women’s match narrowly, along with the veterans and open matches.

Also competing over the weekend from Ashburton were Greg Menzies in the South Island open team, and John Fleming in the South Island veteran team. Fleming’s granddaughter Phillippa Fleming was also in action, shooting for the North Island women’s team. She had represented the South Island for several years but was now studying in the North Island.

The weekend’s event was hosted by Target Shooting Nelson, at their impressive new Saxton Field facility.

Selection was achieved after qualifying scores were posted at a range of open championships around each island from April to July.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 23 August 2018

Ash/Hutt’s Aidan Elvines in action at line-out time in a game against Roncalli College earlier this season. Photo Erin TaskerThe Ashburton College and Mt Hutt College girls’ first XV will today have home ground advantage in the Aoraki secondary school girls’ rugby competition semi-finals for the first time ever.

The Ash/Hutt girls are the defending champions and have a proud history in the competition in recent seasons, but this was the first year they’d been granted a home semi-final fixture.

The semi-finals and finals were traditionally held in Timaru, and the players were excited to get a chance to play finals footy on their home turf against Timaru Girls’ High School (TGHS) today.

“We have beaten TGHS on the two previous occasions this season, so fingers crossed we can make the final in Timaru next week,” Ash/Hutt coach Grant Elvines said.

In last week’s final round robin games, Ash/Hutt were due to play Geraldine High School and although Geraldine had to default the match due to a lack of players, they still played a 10-aside match to give the girls a bit of a run around heading into the finals, Elvines said.

Ash/Hutt were the defending champions, after going through the season unbeaten and defeating TGHS 64-40 in the final.

The year before that they lost just one game, and the year before that, they were unbeaten.

This year their biggest opposition had come from another all-girls school, Timaru’s Craighead.

Craighead had handed Ash/Hutt their only loss this season.

That 27-20 loss was in the season opener and when the two sides met for a second time this season it was Ash/Hutt that came away with the win 17-10.

If today’s semi-finals went the way they should on paper, then Craighead and Ash/Hutt would be the two teams left fighting it out for the title in Timaru next week.

Today’s semi-final against TGHS will kick off at 4.30pm at the Celtic Rugby Club on Keenans Road, and Elvines and his team were hoping they’d get a heap of home-town support along to cheer them on.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 22 August 2018

Taonga Mbambo won the under-18 section of the Canterbury Road Race Championships at the weekend. Photo supplied.The good news just keeps on coming for Taonga Mbambo.

The Year 13 Ashburton College student took part in the Canterbury Road Race Championships in Christchurch at the weekend and crossed the finish line in first place in the under-18 men’s section.

Just a week out from a big trip to Australia where he’ll compete at the Australian Open and Schools’ Cross Country Championships on the Sunshine Coast, in Queensland, it’s a win that couldn’t have come at a better time.

Mbambo leaves this week for Australia, where the championships will take place from August 25-27.

He’s been busy preparing for the trip under the tutelage of Timaru’s Craig Motley, who has had him on a weekly schedule and given him motivation and encouragement which Mbambo said had been invaluable.

Mbambo said the Australian trip would not have been possible without the help and support he’d received from the Ashburton community.

A number of organisations had supported him financially, including the St. David’s and Hinds churches, the Ashburton Lions Club, Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Trust, the Rotary Club Trust of Ashburton and the Rotary Club of Ashburton Plains, along with many individuals.

Mbambo wasn’t the only Ashburton runner in action at the Canterbury Road Race Championships, with fellow Ashburton College student Matthew Clough finishing seventh in the open men’s race.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 21 August 2018