Canoe Polo: Mitch Graham has incentive for quiet 21st

Three New Zealand representatives, Sophie Winton, Mitch Graham and Eric Gurden, complete some speed training in the buildup to this weekend's Havelock North Canoe Polo Club's annual 3-a-side tournament. Photo/Duncan Brown.

Should the team led by Hawke's Bay's New Zealand under-21 men's canoe polo team's captain Mitch Graham win the Havelock North club's 3-a-side tournament this weekend drawmaster Meryn Hinton will have to be congratulated.

It's Graham's 21st tomorrow night and with 40 of his mates, including 20 New Zealand representatives in town for the celebration, Graham may not be in the best of shape for Sunday's second day of play, the business end of the tournament.

"I think I'll be okay. Fortunately Meryn has been kind enough with the draw and our first game on Sunday won't be until the afternoon," Graham remarked.

His 21st is a key reason why 20 New Zealand representatives are fronting up for the event, which is a fundraiser for the club's youth teams who are travelling to nationals.

"To have this many Kiwi reps at my old home club pool is pretty significant. The only other Hawke's Bay tournament which would attract as many New Zealand reps would be the annual Art Deco tournament," Graham said.

The memories of his secondary school training sessions and games at the pool flooded back for Graham when he joined fellow New Zealand reps Sophie Winton and Eric Gurden for some speed training at the pool yesterday.

A canoe polo player since the age of 7, Graham, won two New Zealand Secondary School titles and one College Games titles while playing for Havelock North High School.

These successes prompted him to make the code his No1 sport and he has represented the New Zealand under-21 side at three international events including two Oceania Championships, which the Kiwis won. Last year he captained the side, which included fellow Bay players Matt Keong and Liam Barendsen, at the world championships in Poland where the Kiwis were unlucky to concede the matchwinning goal during the final 20 seconds of their semifinal against France before losing the playoff for third against Germany in extra-time.

Graham has two years remaining in a four-year electrical engineering degree he is completing in Christchurch.

He has a Unison scholarship and will return to the Bay to work in 2015.

While based in Christchurch he has been playing for Christchurch in the national men's league and this year the side finished second in a close final to the Palmerston North Vikings side, which included former Bay player Connor Sellwood.

Former New Zealand men's captain and former Karamu High School player Tom Neilson, and Graham's brother and current New Zealand men's vice captain, Jed Graham, were the other "Bay" players in the Christchurch side.

Most of the teams in this weekend's tournament will turn up with four players so they can have one sub. Joining Graham in his team are fellow Kiwi reps Alex Lowen and Marty Pearson of Auckland and Nevan Hadley of Palmerston North. They will be one of nine men's teams at the event which caters for four grades, primary-intermediate, 15 and under, 16-18 and adults.

It will be Graham's first taste of the tournament as he missed last year's inaugural event because he was playing in the South Island championships for the Burnside club which he is the president of. He will have an extra incentive to wake up in reasonable shape on Sunday ... the winning teams in each grade will secure free entry to next year's tournament.