DIANNE ENNOR
With winter sport for senior players nearing the end of the season, netballers from Central Hawke's Bay will be strongly contesting finals berths in the Pak'n Save Hastings-Hawke's Bay Today League at Taradale's Pettigrew-Green Arena this week.
Otane Force are looking to defend their title in the Hawke's Bay division one final against Physique 2000. Otane have gone through the season unbeaten and are favourites to retain their title.
Another Otane team competing in a final are the Otane Flames who will take on Eskview Blue in the division three battle. As Otane's only loss of the season was against Eskview, they will see this being a close encounter.
I guess the player Otane will be looking out for will be former Silver Fern and current Eastern Netball Regional Manager, Tanya Dearns. So I'm looking forward to seeing the former international in action.
The two unlucky Central Hawke's Bay semifinalists from last week are the CHB College team, which will play Iona for third position in the Hawke's Bay Secondary Schools league, and Ruahine Motors Central, which will play MAC for third place in division one.
They lost their semifinal last week by two goals. It was heartening, but at the same time heart-breaking, to see them lose. The same could be said about Central in division one.
With a complete change in coaching management and player personnel, with only two members from the previous year's team, they did well to push Physique hard before losing by four goals.
So with all four CHB netball teams getting as far as they did in the HB League netball playoffs, it's great to see the "country bumpkins" can still foot it with the best from around the region. So go, Central Hawke's Bay girls! The local rugby sides have also been enjoying a measure of success.
Several players have been selected to represent Hawke's Bay at various grades, with some local coaches also helping out in the representative coaching department.
So well done to all of them. Now that the domestic club rugby season is about to finish, it will be a time for all rugby followers to continue on with Friday night's fantastic turnout at the Kelt Capital Magpies game and continue to follow them.
The match against Canterbury at Napier's McLean Park was awesome and doubly so, with our household the lucky recipients of $1500 worth of power tools from ITM at the half-time vertical bungy challenge.
And, no, it wasn't me out there, it was the better half winning the challenge.
So the entertainment package on Friday night was brilliant and well done to the HBRFU for hosting the opening match of the Air New Zealand Cup.
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