A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Badminton Eastland super veterans' teams had two losses last Saturday.
They had opportunities but could not secure the required points.
Kahu Brown had to withdraw from the team due to illness, and Helen Morley joined the team in the afternoon.
Team members were: Kevin Lee (Gisborne Badminton Club); Ron Prebble, Alan Ledger, Linda White, Annabelle Riwaka and Ruth Ledger (all from the Patutahi Badminton Club); and Matheus Batlajeri, loan player from Manawatu. Alan Ledger was making his debut for the super veterans' team after last playing competitive badminton in 2016 for the veterans.
Cynthia Sidney also made her debut in the super veterans as a loan player to Hawke's Bay. She last played for Eastland in the masters' team in 2011
In the morning, Eastland played Hawke's Bay. First up in the men's doubles were new combination Alan Ledger and Matheus Batlajeri, who were no match for the Hawke's Bay pairing.
Ledger then combined with Lee. They had a tough first game where the score see-sawed as both sides tried to get the upper hand, and the Eastland pair lost 20-22. Hawke's Bay dominated the second game.
Lee and Prebble were then on the court in a similar scenario. The first game was close — a 20-22 loss — but the next game was all Hawke's Bay.
In the women's doubles, White and Ledger had two close wins against former Gisborne player Brenda Barber and Eastland loan player Sidney, 21-18 21-18.
Ruth Ledger and Riwaka continued the winning streak by taking their first game 21-17. They couldn't hold off their opponents in the next game, but by playing strategically they took the third game 21-17.
Riwaka and White had two close games but couldn't overcome the opposition.
After the men's and women's doubles, Hawke's Bay were up four matches to two.
In the mixed doubles, Batlajeri and Riwaka had a close match against Peter Beirne and Sidney before losing in three games.
Hawke's Bay dominated the first game against Ruth Ledger and Lee. The Eastland pair came back with some brilliant rallies in the second game but, with a power cut at a crucial time, they narrowly lost the third game.
Prebble and White were next on and comfortably won, in two games.
Hawke's Bay won the tie 6-3.
Eastland's second tie of the day was against Feilding rivals Oroua.
Over the past few years, Eastland have won the majority of these ties but the results have always been close.
In the men's doubles, Prebble and Batlajeri used all their skill to win in two games.
Alan Ledger and Lee lost their first game narrowly, but were able to win the next two games.
Prebble and Ledger settled into their match early on and won in two.
Oroua won all the women's matches. Ruth Ledger and Morley combined well and had their opportunities in the first game before losing by two points. Their opponents dominated the next.
After losing the first game by some distance, Riwaka and Ledger changed tactics with some well-placed shots and won the next game. Oroua then changed their tactics and took the third.
Oroua took the final match — against Riwaka and Morley — in two games.
After the men's and women's doubles, the tie score was 3-3.
In the mixed doubles, Batlajeri and Riwaka won the first game, fought well but lost the second by two points, and with skilful and consistent play were able to win the third 21-14.
Ruth Ledger and Lee played a tactical game in a match that went first one way and then the other. They narrowly lost in two games 21-19 21-18.
Prebble and White won their first game 21-14, but their opponents came back strongly and won the second 21-13. The third game was intense, both sides taking the lead and losing it, before Oroua held their advantage long enough to win 21-19.
The final tie score was 5-4 to Oroua.
In the afternoon, Hawke's Bay lost to Bay of Plenty (2) 6-3. In this tie, Sidney and partners lost their two women's doubles. However, in the mixed doubles, Sidney and her partner continued their winning form of the morning. They won 21-17 20-22 21-9 in a match that required concentration right to the end.
Other results: Oroua defeated Auckland (2) 5-4; Bay of Plenty def Auckland (2) 6-3.
Eastland lost to Hawke's Bay 6 matches to 3 (Eastland scores first) —
Men's doubles: Ron Prebble/Kevin Lee lost to Stan Codlin/Peter Lo 20-22 13-21; Alan Ledger/Lee lost to Codlin/Peter Beirne 20-22 10-21; Ledger/Matheus Batlajeri lost to Lo/Beirne 13-21 12-21.
Women's doubles: Linda White/Annabelle Riwaka lost to Lynda Watson/Brenda Barber 17-21 19-21; Riwaka/Ruth Ledger defeated Watson/Cynthia Sidney 21-17 18-21 21-17; White/Ledger def Barber/Sidney 21-18 21-18.
Mixed doubles: Prebble/White def Codlin/Watson 21-13 21-19; Lee/Ruth Ledger lost to Lo/Barber 13-21 21-23; Batlajeri/Riwaka lost to Beirne/Sidney 18-21 21-16 16-21.
Eastland lost to Oroua 5-4 —
Men's doubles: Prebble/Alan Ledger def Bruce McGarvey/Mike Smith 21-15 21-13; Ledger/Lee def Smith/Stuart Osborne 18-21 21-16 21-11; Prebble/Batlajeri def Osborne/Steve Arathoon 21-13 21-16.
Women's doubles: Riwaka/Helen Morley lost to Shirley Shields/Anne Sutherland 14-21 13-21; Riwaka/Ruth Ledger lost to Sutherland/Lynette Pierce 9-21 21-18 12-21; Ledger/Morley lost to Shields/Pierce 19-21 12-21.
Mixed doubles: Prebble/White lost to Smith/Sutherland 21-14 13-21 19-21; Richard Skarott/Ruth Ledger lost to McGarvey/Shields 19-21 18-21; Batlajeri/Riwaka def Steve Arathoon/Lynette Pierce 21-14 21-23 21-14.