At the completion of trials, we had four teams register to play in the Coffee Club Competition where we took to the courts looking stunning in our new playing kit.
The A1 team was coached this year by Paula Newman. They had a great grading round which saw them start the first round in Prem 3 but unfortunately were demoted to Prem 4 for the second round, where they found some good form especially late in the round and finished in 5th place.
The Old Girls played their first-round in Seniors' 2nd A grade where they went through unbeaten promoting them to Prem 4 for the second round. This was one of their more stable years in regards to player availability which showed and saw them continue with their good form, dropping just one game all year, giving them the Prem 4 title.
The A2s this year were coached by Karen Thomas. They played in Club Seniors' Reserve B2 and were hampered by a few niggly injuries all season, which affected player rotation and ability.
The girls, though, continued to give their all on the court week in and week out and finished 4th in their grade.
A3s were coached by Michelle Christie and comprised of a real mixture of youth and experience. This year they played in Club Seniors Reserve B3. Likewise, they also struggled a bit with injuries and just fell short on several occasions, leaving them 9th in their grade.
All teams were very lucky to have past club members to call on to fill in for them, as well as players from teams happily playing up in the higher grades when needed.
Coaching is an often tireless job, with huge hours put in but, without them, we wouldn't be able to put teams out there each week which also applies to the umpires. This year we held a couple of club nights consisting of a quiz afternoon on a Sunday and drinks in the clubrooms on a Thursday night after practice. These were well attended, and we received good feedback.
We will look to expand on these next year. In addition to this, we managed to get three out of our four teams' home games for club day. The travelling teams seemed to enjoy it and it was nice to be able to sit down with them after the games.
Trophy winners from our prize-giving:
■ Bush Old Girls
MacDougall's Family Trophy, Most Outstanding Player - Billie Hunter. Pahiatua New World Trophy, Most Dedicated Player - Sela Byrne. Tararua Heliworks Ltd Trophy, Most Improved Player - Paula Newman.
■ Bush A1
Gleeson Family Cup, Most Outstanding Player - Deana Richards. Bush Sports Club Trophy, Most Dedicated Player - Holly Swanson. Bush Sports Club Trophy, Most Improved Player - Maddie Rankin.
■ Bush A2
Burns' Family Cup, Most Outstanding Player - Maia Richards. Bush Sports Club Trophy, Most Dedicated Player - Deborah Abercrombie. Bush Sports Club Trophy, Most Improved Player - Amber Mabey.
■ Bush A3
Nation Trophy, Most Outstanding Player - Jo Oliver. FMG Trophy, Most Dedicated Player - Bridgette Walls. Hoffman Ford Trophy, Most Improved Player - Anahera TeRewa. Tony Jury Motorcycles Trophy, Team Sportsmanship - Asha Christie.
■ Club Captain's Cup
Julie Hoffman Cup, Club Captain choice for Outstanding Contribution - Melanie Bolton.
