MASTERTON Intermediate schoolboy Daniel Haxton may only be 13 but he has already had a big-time experience in his chosen sport, table tennis. A handy player in his own right and member of the Wairarapa C grade under 15 boy's team Daniel has just been notified that he has won theNew Zealand Junior Boys Umpires Award. This is open to boys under 19 and was awarded after national championships held in Christchurch recently. There, Daniel was called on to umpire a senior match between Canterbury and the Australian Development Squad, a daunting task for a boy of his age. To secure the junior boy's title Daniel had to do a written test paper as well as his practical umpiring and gained the highest marks in each section. He is the son of Paul and Kelly Haxton and plays table tennis for the Red Star Club. As a player Daniel partnered his mother to win the Wairarapa C Grade Inter-Club Competition, teamed up with Brad Peterson to win the Red Star Club doubles and was a member of the Masterton Intermediate School's winning team in the Wairarapa schools tournament earlier this year. His success as a junior umpire is not the only satisfying result for Table Tennis Wairarapa from the nationals held in Christchurch. The junior boys number 1 team of Myles Collins, Jori Quaedvlieg and Caleb Haxton won all five matches in the preliminary rounds in the B Grade and then beat Nelson in the final. They won the Mr and Mrs R.A.Voice Shield, presented many years ago by a well- known Wairarapa table tennis family. The boys in the under 15 no 2 team Brad Peterson, Daniel Haxton and Orion Slater who played in the C Grade in their first5 national tournament won two of their four matches, finishing third overall. This was a very good result as they were seeded 5th in the grade.
