Manawatu kicks Marist out of its netball competition

NETBALL: Goodbye. Don't come Monday ? on in this case Tuesday.
That's the message arriving brusquely by e-mail ? not even a phone call ? for Wanganui's Marist Netball Club from Manawatu Netball on Thursday.
It wasn't even the end of the season, but it seems Manawatu's netball clubs have got together and decided their 2006 competition ? which they've been UNABLE to win ? should no longer allow teams from outside its area.
That means Marist and Napier's Physique have got the push ? but that Horowhenua's Rahui, playing under the High School Old Girls banner ? have been left in. Coincidentally Rahui has a couple of New Zealand under-21 reps in its team.
Marist's coach Vanda Buttars and the team's players were in a state of shock yesterday, not only because the deed has been done, but also the way in which it was done.
"I would have thought that the fact that we and Physique were there and always amongst their top teams would have been better for their netball. At this stage I can't understand their thinking."
Buttars agrees that the fact that there has only been one "true" Manawatu club in a semi-final in the two years might be proving to be a bit embarrassing, to the clubs ? even though the players in the area themselves enjoyed the challenge.
Marist will not now travel to Palmerston North to finish the 2005 season, which were a playoff for the fifth and sixth spots.
"That would be a total waste of our time," she said. "It's a real sad way to end our season."
And Buttars says she's worried for its effect on Western area netball.
"We need the Flyers to put up a team that's competitive, but this is another step backward."
Mareist goal shoot Lisa Murphy, a member of the Western representative team, now has no club competition to keep herself in trim with.
Western's Annette Pearce wasn't aware of the decision until contacted by Buttars. She was to further investigate the decision over the weekend.
Manawatu has, however, denied it's acted wrongly.
Netball Manawatu chief executive Gillian Gaze says the e-mail was sent first because Manawatu believed Marist should not be making any plans for 2006 it would not be able to meet ? and a letter was in the mail a few hours later.
Gaze also disputes Marist claims that the meeting was not known to them ? although she admits that Marist, as an "invited" club, would not have been allowed to either speak or vote at the meeting, which was a competitions review.
Gaze says Manawatu had decided to cut the number of clubs from 12 to eight in its premier competition, and did not believe having two invited clubs in an eight-team competition gave its own members a fair chance.
The Marist reaction has been quick. An e-mail sent to Gaze was "not supportive" she said, as she hinted the Physique reply had been.
She also denied that the fact that Marist had won the first combined championship and Rahui the second meant that Manawatu clubs were reacting because they were not getting a look in.
Marist took new players Marcia O'Connor, Jo Hall, Claire Walker and Lynn Te Ngahue to Palmerston North this year, widening the experience factor for Wanganui netball. 'It's been a terrific development year," Buttars said.
Now that's all over.