Grace Adams in action for the College team. Photo Ashburton GuardianAshburton College’s senior basketball teams kicked off their school competitions with a bang on Tuesday night, the girls thrashing Ellesmere College and the boys making a statement of intent by narrowly losing to a star-studded Christ’s College side.

It was a dominant performance by the Ashcoll senior girls at Oxford Street, where they won the first game of their Whelan Trophy competition 109-27.

Ellesmere struggled to contain the Ashcoll guards in transition, with point Sammy Arnold regularly finding wings Grace Adams and Liberty Ross wide open on the break, for a comfortable 58-16 lead at the half.

Ashcoll continued to control the game in the second half, with Ellesmere unable to contain the Ashcoll bigs, allowing Ashlee Strawbridge and Summer Anderson to knock in 20 points each.

Christ’s are seeded top of the boys’ McDonald’s Thompson Trophy competition for good reason with three players among the top 50 schoolboy basketballers in the country, including newly-arrived Max Darling, who was in the New Zealand junior Tall Blacks squad.

They are coached by former Tall Black Mark Dickel.

Ashcoll coach Pip Johnston had his side primed for the encounter and a three-pointer by newbie Quinn Ritchie launched what was a good shooting first half, with Ashcoll ahead 19-16 at the first quarter and up 34-33 at halftime.

An average third quarter allowed Christ’s to pull ahead 58-53 at three-quarter time, a buffer they extended by one to eventually win 79-73.

Johnston said the boys had played what was likely the top school side in the South Island.

“My standout player of the game was Tomo (Thomas O’Brien).

“I liked the way he carried himself and let his defence do the talking.

“ If we continue to play like this, we will go a very long way and achieve the goals we have set.”

While O’Brien was busy on defence, four of his team-mates took up the shooting responsibilities. Josh Lowe top-scored with 17 points, while Fletcher Arnold finished on 15 points and Mitchel Prendergast and Gareth Hunt on 12 each.

“The boys played with a lot of pride and passion.

“It was important that I kept them calm and focused as when you play against good teams you can’t afford to let off one bit.

“I was impressed with the senior leadership group and how they handled the pressure.”

Johnston said a vocal bench helped spur a good-sized crowd.

“I loved that the crowd got into the game and behind us.

“It’s the best crowd I have seen down there in a long time and I hope it only grows during the season.”

Both Ashburton teams head to Cashmere next week for a double header there.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 11 May 2017

Eric Johnston with his gold medal from the recent World Masters Games in Auckland. Photo Jaime Pitt-MacKayWhat was just supposed to be a trip away with a few old softballing buddies turned into a gold medal-winning trip for Ashburton local, Eric Johnston.

Johnston won gold for softball in the recreational grade at the World Masters Games in Auckland recently.

“I was picked up by a guy I used to play with in Christchurch who was coming out from America to play in an old team of his,” he said.

“We just threw a team together, we hadn’t played together for 20 years.”

Despite only putting the team together “for a bit of fun”, the side went through their nine games in recreational division undefeated.

“We played against teams like Team Canada and Western Australia, so it was good competition,” he said.

Now only playing softball in the local division, Johnston spent six years in America and Canada playing, before returning to New Zealand and winning Canterbury titles, and playing for Canterbury against Japan.

“I won a silver in motocross at the NZ Masters Games in Dunedin last year and in 2012, but this is the first time I have won something for softball, especially at a world event,” he said. “I’m semi-retired from it now, but I still enjoy going out in the local league on a Saturday and just hitting the ball.”

Johnston was one of many athletes, officials and supporters who travelled from Mid Canterbury to the games.

Some of the sports attended include: Archery, athletics, basketball, cycling, hockey, rowing, softball, swimming and triathlon.

By Jaime Pitt-MacKay © The Ashburton Guardian - 10 May 2017

Olivia Pike. Photo supplied.Mid Canterbury music lovers will be spoiled for choice this coming weekend as both the Ashburton Musical Club and Mid Canterbury Choir are staging concerts.

Accomplished vocalist Olivia Pike will star in the Ashburton Musical Club public concert Olivia Pike in Recital at the Sinclair Centre on Saturday at 7.30pm.

She will be joined by several invited guests including her younger brother Joshua Pike.

The concert will feature a variety of performances, both vocal and instrumental.

Having performed regularly for the club as a young singer and pianist while still at Ashburton College, Pike is looking forward to performing her first public concert for the club.

The University of Otago Bachelor of Music graduate is a choral accompanist for various Dunedin choirs, and has performed in several operas.

She is an accompanist for the Ashburton MSA Men’s Choir and credits many of her performance opportunities to her involvement with this choir, including singing with Simon O’Neill several times over the last few years.

On Sunday, Mid Canterbury Choir members are presenting for the first time The Heavens Declare, at St Stephen’s Anglican Church, 2pm.

Guest artists are soprano Olivia Stewart, a former choir member now studying music at Victoria University, as well as organist Martin Setchell and violinist Ruth Hall.

Setchell is also musical director for the concert.

Soloists include Stewart as well as contralto Ann Robinson, tenor David O’Beirne and bass Stephen Diedricks, while accompanists are Diedricks and Alison Holden.

The Heavens Declare is to feature classical music by Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn and Fauré, and includes The Coronation Mass featuring the four soloists along with the choir.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 8 May 2017