Asher Grapes, left, and Imke Kitchin had plenty of game time for the Aotearoa Maori Secondary Schools team in Aussie last week. Photo/File
Asher Grapes, left, and Imke Kitchin had plenty of game time for the Aotearoa Maori Secondary Schools team in Aussie last week. Photo/File
Top marks for honesty go to Hawke's Bay netballer Asher Grapes in the wake of the Aotearoa Maori Secondary Schools side's third placing on the Gold Coast last week.
"Teams were a lot more competitive this time. Last year they weren't too strong but this year they all stepped upand there were no easy games which was good for the whole competition," Grapes said.
A second-year player at the 10-team International Under-19s Schools Challenge tournament, Grapes, played centre, wing attack and goal attack for the Aotearoa side which finished third behind Australia and Auckland Samoans with nine wins and two losses.
Aotearoa beat Auckland Tongans 36-25 in the playoff for third.
Their only losses were against Australia and Auckland Samoans. Australia beat Aotearoa 44-29 a year after they lost 40-28 to Aotearoa.
"There were plenty of rotations when it came to team selections this year. I started off at centre but played a little bit of wing attack. Then it was more wing attack and a little bit of centre. On the second to last day I played all three positions in our round robin game against the Auckland Tongans," Grapes recalled.
Grapes will be in action for her Hastings Girls' High School team against Napier Girls' High School in a Hawke's Bay Super 8 clash at Taradale's Pettigrew-Green Arena tonight. Havelock North High School's Imke Kitchin had plenty of game time at goal shoot for the Aotearoa side. Both players are second-year Hawke's Bay under-17 reps this season.
