Eventful year for Ariata as she gathers titles

Ariata Kutia

THE year keeps getting better for 12-year-old Ariata Kutia.

She won the under-13 girls’ division of the Squash New Zealand Junior National Age Group Championships in Invercargill at the weekend. She, elder sister Parearau Kutia and William Donnelly represented Gisborne HSOB Squash Club at the championships.

Gisborne Intermediate student Ariata first beat Diana Galloway of Wellington in three sets. Next up was up-and-coming junior Natalie Sayes of Auckland. This was a thriller that went to five sets and the girls had some gruelling rallies.

In a crucial fourth-set play, Ariata was match ball down when a “let” went her way. She sealed the set to level the tie 2-2.

The fifth set had all the intensity of finals action as Ariata streaked away to a 15-8 victory. That gave her a place in the championship final against second-seeded Ruby Saies of Auckland.

Ariata was familiar with her opponent’s play, having played Ruby twice this year, and won the match in four sets. This comes on top of Ariata’s other 2015 accomplishments: the Oceania u13 girls’ championship, a two-from-two record when she represented New Zealand in the u13 girls’ transtasman clash, victory in her division in the New Zealand Junior Open, the North Island u13 championship and an AIMS Games bronze medal.

She is on standby as a reserve for the eastern junior girls’ team contesting the inter-district teams event this week. William Donnelly finished fourth in the u15 boys’ championship.

His first match was a 3-0 win but the next tie was an epic contest against Jordan Bell of Central. William showed an amazing array of shots and took the match with a 16-14 fifth-set win.

This put William into a semifinal but second-seeded Glenn Templeton of Katikati won this match in four sets. In the playoff for third and fourth, William was up against top seed Logan Webber of Morrinsville, who had been beaten by fourth-seeded Kobe Fleming of Wellington.

This went down to the wire, William losing the decisive fifth set 15-13. Parearau improved her ranking in the under-17 girls’ division.

Seeded 11, she won the special plate final 3-0 against Eastern junior girls teammate Rosemary Mair. Parearau’s only loss was to another Eastern junior girls teammate, Rhiarne Taiapa, in four sets.

She defeated Tia Pauro (Inglewood) 3-0, Alex Thurlow (Invercargill) 3-0 and Holly O’Keen-O’Leary (Waikato) 3-0. Ariata, William and Parearau are members of the Eastern teams taking part in the national junior teams championships in Invercargill which started yesterday and end tomorrow.