Masters ready for challenge

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Eastland Masters will step up a division when they start their 2020 badminton season at North Harbour this weekend.

They finished second in the North Island division 3 masters (over-35) inter-association competition last year and were invited to move up to division 2 after a team pulled out.

After some discussion, the Gisborne-based team decided to accept the invitation.

Player-manager Debbie Brown said it would be a big step up in the quality of play and the team's goal was to win enough ties to stay in the division.

They was ready to take on the challenge, she said.

At North Harbour, Eastland Masters will play North Harbour 3 and Northland 1.

North Harbour 3 finished sixth and Northland 1 second in the division 2 competition last year.

The Eastland Masters team are coached by Ross Hannam but he can't travel with them this weekend because of work commitments.

It is a long season, which runs into September.

The team travelling this weekend are Mark Beard, David Colbert, Justin Kent, Debbie Brown (manager), Andrea Jones, Gabrielle Perano, Victoria West, Makuini Winiata, who are all from Gisborne Badminton Club, as well as loan players Gary Teague (Manawatu) and Brendan Andersen (Bay of Plenty).

From last year's team, Michael Thorpe is on the road to recovery from an accident he had at the end of last year. The team will keep him in mind as they endeavour to bank some wins.

Hayley Ledger and Adrianne McLeod are unavailable to travel this tie while Jacque White has left the district.

The team welcome Jones, a former junior and senior Eastland representative who will be making her masters debut.