Lining up a bowl Taylor Mackenzie. Photo Robyn Hood.Lining up a bowl during a rep match between Ashburton and Canterbury at the McNally Street indoor bowls stadium on Sunday was Ashburton’s Taylor MacKenzie.

The annual rep match saw 24 players from each association competing, made up into two men’s teams, two women’s teams and two mixed teams playing in fours, pairs and singles.

Among those turning out for Ashburton was William Wilson, playing in his first representative fixture for Ashburton, and it was a good day for Wilson and his team-mates.

Ashburton took it out, beating Canterbury 91 to 77.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 7 August 2018

Josh Lowe, pictured playing in Ashburton in June, will play against an American university basketball side in Christchurch tonight ahead of heading to America on a scholarship himself on Sunday. Photo Erin TaskerJust days out from heading to America to take up a basketball scholarship at a Tennessee university, Ashburton’s Josh Lowe will get the opportunity to test his skills against one of America’s top university sides.

The Saint Mary’s university team from New York was currently in New Zealand on a tour and Lowe had been asked to be part of a Mainland Eagles team to play them both tonight and tomorrow night in Christchurch.

The call-up came just a few days ago, much to Lowe’s surprise.

“I was planning on going up to watch (tonight’s game) already and literally just before I was going to buy tickets I got a message asking if I would play,” Lowe said.

The 18-year-old was looking forward to the opportunity ahead of his departure for America on Sunday.

He was heading to Lee University in Tennessee where he would form part of the university’s basketball team, the Flames, when the American school year began in a couple of weeks.

The Flames were an NCAA division II School and they invited Lowe for a visit earlier this year while he was training at the Impact Basketball Academy in Sarasota, Florida. He impressed, and he was offered the scholarship.

Lowe, a towering 6’8”, said he was feeling a mixture of excitement and nerves, but was excited to get the chance to really test his skills against Saint Mary’s before he headed to the States.

Pip Johnston, who had coached Lowe for three years in the Ashburton College basketball team, said the games would be a good chance for Lowe to see the quality of the division I US sides.

Johnston and Lowe played together for the Checkers club in Christchurch, and Johnston said Lowe’s game had completely changed from last year.

He had become a lot more aggressive, had a lot more confidence on his own shot, and his footwork had improved.

“He could make it to the Tall Blacks one day, he has the right mindset about playing,” Johnston said. “He has a bright future in basketball.”

Both tonight’s game, and tomorrow night’s, would be played at Cowles Stadium in Christchurch.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 6 August 2018

The Target Shooting Mid Canterbury junior team which finished third in Nelson at the weekend. Photo supplied.Target Shooting Mid Canterbury (TSMC) came home from the Andrews and Faulkner shoot in Nelson at the weekend with plenty of silverware, although the big titles on offer just eluded them.

Members of two clubs, Coronation Target Shooting Club and the Phoenix Target Shooting Club, combined to shoot under the Mid Canterbury banner for the first time at the South Island Target Shooting Association’s annual match, with both an open team and a junior team.

After an exciting first morning of shooting, Mid Canterbury were leading at the halfway mark in both the open and junior teams matches, but after a few points were traded up and down the open team ended up second to Marlborough by three points. Marlborough finished up with 2908.114 to Mid Canterbury’s 2905.127, out of a possible score of 3000.300 to take the Andrews and Faulkner match.

Christchurch finished third.

The Mid Canterbury open team was Steve McArthur (captain), Lanelle McArthur, Shania Harrison-Lee, Nick Stewart, Nina McKenzie, TJ Stewart, Michaela Smith, Emma Smith, Bryan Hunter, Sandy Bennett, Colin Taylor and Keith Bonnington.

In the junior match, the Mid Canterbury team of Lanelle McArthur (captain), Emma Smith, Shania Harrison-Lee, Sam Smith, Charlotte McKenzie and Ben Thomas finished third. Out of a possible 1500.150, Mid Canterbury scored 1426.58 behind Nelson on 1435.53, and Ashley on 1430.42.

But Mid Canterbury did take home some other silverware – a cup donated by R Heaton and R Clark – for taking out the Top Five Winning Team competition, competed for by all 10-person teams naming their top five shooters before the match.

They also won the Lindsay Smith Memorial Trophy for winning division II.

Club captain Nina McKenzie said among those who put in stellar individual performances were Steve McArthur, who won the top shot award for the day (298.17/300.30, which included the only 200/200 shot on the day), and Shania Harrison-Lee who was the top junior (296.20/300.30).

McKenzie said TSMC was immensely proud of all of those who took part.

Six of those who went away at the weekend would head back to Nelson in a couple of weeks for the North versus South match. Lanelle McArthur, Emma Smith, Shania Harrison-Lee, Michaela Smith, Sandy Bennett and Nina McKenzie were all part of the South team, while Bryan Hunter had also been named as the manager for the South Island women’s team for the match.

The Ashburton Target Shooting Association – including shooters from the Mayfield, Mt Somers, Seafield and Ashburton clubs – was also in action over the weekend. Their open team was fourth, while their bottom five won the bottom five trophy, which was a handicapped competition on grade.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 2 August 2018