Katikati College's Dana Salmon strikes a forehand on the first day of the tennis competition.PHOTO/JOHN BORREN
Katikati College's Dana Salmon strikes a forehand on the first day of the tennis competition.PHOTO/JOHN BORREN
The Aims Games stepped up a notch yesterday, turning Blake Park into a festival under fine skies on the first full day of competition.
A total of 96 netball teams provided a sense of scale for an event that brings some of the best young athletes in the country totown to slug it out over 12 events.
The 11th edition of the national intermediate-aged tournament has brought more than 7500 Year 7 and 8 athletes to Tauranga, and it seemed like every one of them was crammed into a venue capable of hosting any number of sports. Appearances can be deceiving, though, as seemingly in every corner of the city you could find a keen sense of competition.
The Rosmini College basketball team, coached by former Tall Black Dillon Boucher and featuring his son Jayden, showed what a threat they'll be with the biggest win of the day, beating Otumoetai Intermediate 78-7, while at the other end of the scale, Palmerston North's Monrad Intermediate edged Wanganui Intermediate 28-27.
Manurewa's Randwick Park School was one of seven unbeaten teams on the first day of rugby Sevens action, joining Peachgrove, Tauranga, Hawera, Royal Oak, Glen Eden and St Peter's College (Auckland).
Bucklands Beach's Rose Zheng struck a fierce blow in the gender wars, equalling the best opening round score in the golf with a nine-over 81 on the tough Omokoroa Golf Club course.
Kiri-Lee Delamere-Ririnui of Tauranga Intermediate.PHOTO/GEORGE NOVAK
The 1.9-handicapper finished level with Focus Jonglikit (St Peter's Cambridge) and Taupo's Dylan Bagley, and one shot clear of her brother Jimmy.
Back at the netball courts, Auckland's Sylvia Park School was also upsetting stereotypes, featuring three boys in a 12-strong squad.
Making the team more special is the family ties - identical twin boys Henery and Nick Taulongo featured heavily in their 32-12 win over Te Kura o Te Teko, while twin girls Melelose and Sulieti Manu-Topeni are also in the team.
Brother and sister Samuel and Neelia Fanguna and sisters Pam and Taina Eli complete the family-centric feel.
"They're a really tight-knit bunch on the court and I guess that's because they've all grown up knowing instinctively how each other plays," said Sylvia Park coach Amanda Key. explained.
Otumoetai Intermediate's Josh Vincent was all focus on the opening day of the badminton competition.PHOTO/ GEORGE NOVAK
Former international footballers James Bannatyne and Sacha Haskell, meanwhile, were also at the tournament with the Fifa under-20 World Cup trophy, which will be played for in New Zealand next May.
