It's a partnership with the potential for greatness but it very nearly didn't pass the first test.
Susan Blundell and Anna Scarlett have formed a long-awaited partnership in beach volleyball, and celebrated by winning the Mauao Grandslam tournament at Mount Maunganui's Main Beach on Sunday.
Tauranga's Blundell has been New Zealand's best female beach player for the best part of five years and her combination with Silver Fern netballer Scarlett brings together two of the tallest, most athletic players in NewZealand.
But they had an early shock when unheralded pair Susie McAsey and Miah Smith beat them in just the second round.
"It was just our third day on the beach together so it might have explained a bit of the rust, definitely," Blundell said.
"There was one game we didn't have great ball control but there were some really promising things in there. When you put two blockers together, you're asking for a few hiccups."
It's hoped their height and skills might eventually challenge for a permanent world tour spot, once Scarlett has eased back on her netballing demands.
On Sunday, they eventually beat Emma Preston and Micah Lindsay-Brown in an enthralling three-set final. Despite strong, gusty winds, the quality of the rallies was notable.
One of the toughest tasks of the day for the winners was deciding who out of the two naturalfront-courters would stay at the net.
"We've decided that I will at this point and Anna, because she's a defensive player in netball, will play back-court. Plus she's a tall girl _ she can stretch a long way!"
Blundell and Scarlett are planning on entering all the AAA Pro Tour events this summer but may only fit in around three more AA events, starting with the Taranaki Open in two weeks.
Meanwhile, the men's final was no less exciting, also going to three sets with Brendan Heath and Mike Hynds eventually beating Taranaki pairing Greg Lindsay and Russell Watson. Lindsay and Watson snatched the second set in an epic 26-24 result but couldn't keep their momentum, losing the decider 15-9.
The Taranaki duo accounted for one of two outstandingschoolboy combinations whofinished fifth, beating Otumoetai brothers Sam and Edwin O'Deain the quarterfinals.
Sam Wallace-Boyd (Tauranga Boys') and Mark Petersen (Trident) also made it that far before losing to North Harbour indoor stars Sam Frankham and Alex Raksanyi.
Wallace-Boyd and Sam O'Dea were also involved in the New Zealand national indoor squad training in Tauranga on theSaturday.
Mauao Grandslam:
Men:
Semifinals: Brendan Heath/Mike Hynds df Sam Frankham/Alex Raksanyi 2-0; Greg Lindsay/Russell Watson df Charles Leota/Damon Haenga 2-0. Final: Heath/Hynds bt Lindsay/Watson 24-21, 24-26, 15-9.
Women:
Semifinals: Anna Scarlett/Susan Blundell bt Tamara King/Anna Williamson 2-0; Micah Lindsay-Brown/Emma Preston bt Susie McAsey/Miah Smith 2-0. Final: Scarlett/Blundell bt Lindsay-Brown/Preston 21-17, 20-22, 15-12.
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