Wanganui East keep the Shield

Sue Gurr, right, presents Wanganui East team captain Dene Futcher with the Central Districts trophy after the club retained it at the tournament on August 3.

Wanganui East Petanque Club retained the Central Districts tournament Shield in the annual competition on home turf this month

First established in 2007, the annual competition is between Horowhenua, Manawatu, Otaki and Wanganui East clubs, playing for the Shield donated by Sue Gurr of Wanganui East.

The locals were the hosts by virtue of winning in 2015.

Despite the driving rain, thunder, lightning and howling winds for the tournament on August 3, Wanganui East prevailed.

The winning team was Dene Futcher, Lee-Anne Bird, Beryl Cowan, Richard Turfrey, Spida (Paul) Anderson, Wayne Goodman, Ken Heywood and Flo (Shirley) Madgwick.

August 14 was the club's annual Open Melee.

There were 42 players in the competition, who played five games to decide the winners of the day, which started in damp conditions but improved as time went on.

First was Wanganui East's Sharon Cannon, with Otaki's Shirley MacDonald the runnerup, and Goodman was third.

Christine Strichen and Claire Wilson ran the tournament while Madgwick organised all of the prizes, as 20 were given at the end of play.

On Tuesday, the club invited Graeme Morris, a national coach from Masterton, to come and spend the day with 11 of the Wanganui East players teaching the finer points of the game.

The weather was very kind and everyone benefited from the day's coaching.

Wanganui East hope to see results from the training today, when they play the first two rounds of the Interclub in Palmerston North.