Fun comp may be annual fixture

More than 30 players from throughout the district took part in a fun tournament at Broadwood Area School's new covered outdoor facility on Saturday.

Organised by the school's basketball academy, the event was initially promoted as a 3v3 format but was eventually played by 5-a-side teams made up of mixed teams of male and female players contesting open and youth games.

The aim of the event was twofold, being part of a bigger plan to capitalise on a recent surge of interest in the sport, and to fundraise for the Broadwood Area School athletes attending the Northland area schools tournament in Whangarei in June, as well as those who subsequently go on to represent Northland at the area schools nationals in Nelson in September.

The concept was devised by Broadwood Area School basketball academy's head honcho, George Smith, who afterwards said he was pleased with the success of the inaugural tournament and now plans to make it an annual event.

Smith said he networked extensively within the Far North basketball community including son Taal Smith and Mel Rameka from the mid north, and Manuera Riwai from Kaitaia, who all bought players along to Broadwood to take part.

"They were key people, the movers and shakers in basketball up here," he said, adding he was unfortunately unable to get in touch with the organisers of a 3v3 tournament currently being played in Kerikeri.

"It's important to coordinate our activities," Smith said, in reference to how the Far North scene was still fractured and therefore not as strong as it could be.

"Once we do that, we will start making some real headway."

And the grand scheme was to bring the game back to the halcyon days of the '80s when "we had a lot of basketball going on ... It was a fine time."