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JUNIOR RUGBY After a few weeks off due to cancellations and school holidays, Wairoa JAB was finally back in action on Saturday morning. With only a few rounds remaining this season, it was great to see teams banding together to have fun and competitive matches. Players were shared to fill in gaps which was great to see! Check out the results for round 8 below. Tuhara Harvest Rippa Rippa Black vs. YMP Tangitu (win by default) Rippa White (10) vs. St Joseph School (10) Rippa Stripes (11) vs. Tapuae Rossco's (6) Tuhara Harvest Junior Junior Warriors (15) vs. Nuhaka (9) Junior Storm (21) vs. Tapuae Little Taniwha (5) Tuhara Harvest Primary Athletic vs. Tapuae Big Baldy's SENIOR NETBALL FINALS Osler's Bakery & Cafe Athletic Black took to the court for the final time this season, pumped and ready to take on TKT in the Gold Grade Final. In the lead-up to the game, we trained hard both mentally and physically to ensure we stepped onto the court ready to play our game and bring home the win. The first quarter got off to a great start. We stuck to our game plan, supported one another, and kept level heads. Despite an injury in the opening minutes that saw us lose one of our defenders, the team stepped up and played with determination. Our midcourters worked tirelessly to carry the ball through the court and feed our shooters, who made it look effortless as they calmly sank the goals. We held a narrow lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter saw our defensive pressure lift another level. WD Claire disrupted TKT’s attacking flow, while midcourters Teri and Maddy continued to work hard to maintain possession and deliver accurate ball into the circle. Our shooters capitalised on every opportunity, and by halftime the scores were locked at 23-all. The third quarter saw TKT demonstrate why they have been such a strong side all season. They contested every ball, applied relentless pressure, and made us fight for every pass. Despite the incredible effort from every player on the court, we were unable to regain the momentum, with TKT taking the win 44–34. This season wasn’t without its challenges for Athletic Black. We battled injuries, farewelled teammates, welcomed new ones, and adapted to position changes throughout the year. But one thing remained constant—our support for one another, the laughter we shared, our dedication, our love for the game, and the positive energy we brought to the court every week. While we are disappointed not to have come away with the win, we are incredibly proud of how far we’ve come this season. A huge thank you to our coach, Tracy, who travelled from Napier every week to share her knowledge, passion, and experience. Her commitment helped us grow not only as individual players but as the strong, united team we became throughout the season. Finally, thank you to all of our supporters who turned up week after week to cheer us on, and especially those who packed the sidelines for Saturday’s final. We truly felt the Athletic support behind us, and we’re so grateful for every one of you. Pictured below: Osler's Bakery & Cafe Athletic Black on Finals Day.  What a way to finish the season! After months of hard work, Osler's Bakery & Cafe Athletic White finished the season on a high, taking on Panthers Te Rito in the playoff for 5th and 6th place. It was an incredibly close contest that went right down to the final whistle, but we came away with a hard-fought 20–18 victory, securing 5th place overall in the Silver Grade. Captain Alyssa Deam made an immediate impact after returning from injury. From the second quarter onwards, she helped swing the momentum in Athletic White’s favour, delivering pinpoint bullet feeds into the shooting circle that combined brilliantly with Sarah Spicer and Grace Young, creating crucial scoring opportunities. Although everyone played incredibly well, standout players were Libby Young and Sarah Spicer, who were on fire. Libby was outstanding in defence, applying relentless pressure, denying Panthers countless opportunities to score and getting fingertips to numerous intercepts that proved crucial throughout the game. Sarah was exceptional under the hoop with her accurate shooting and tireless work rate. She never stopped moving, working hard both in the circle and through the midcourt to create opportunities and help drive the team to victory. To top off an outstanding performance, Sarah also picked up a couple of well-earned interceptions, an impressive all-round effort and something she should be incredibly proud of. A special mention also goes to Sarah Johansen, who answered the call-up for the match and slotted seamlessly into Goal Keep. She put in a determined defensive performance, making life difficult for the Panthers shooters and helping restrict their scoring opportunities when it mattered most. While individual performances stood out, this win was a true team effort. Every player stepped onto the court determined to finish the season on a high, and the trust, communication, and support shown across all four quarters was a reflection of how far this team has come. A very special thank you to Avon McCormack for all the coaching and support throughout the season. Your passion, knowledge, and commitment made a huge difference to our team, and we are incredibly grateful for everything you’ve done. We hope to have you back with us next season. We can’t wait to see what next season has in store! Finally, a massive thank you to our incredible NETBALL CODE SPONSOR OSLER'S BAKERY & CAFE for their continued support throughout the season and beyond. Go and show them some love and try out their brand new Pāua Pie, in store now! Pictured below: Osler's Bakery & Cafe Athletic White on Finals Day.  SENIOR FOOTBALL
Saturday's match we hosted top of the table Thistle Bobcats at Bayleys Athletic Park. QRS Athletic Football played a good-spirited game with defensive efforts keeping Thistle scoreless for the first 43 minutes, and eventually holding them to a 1-0 lead going into halftime. Athletic started slow in the second half, picking up a bit of fatigue from the impressive effort Thistle put in and they managed to get a second goal, making it 2-0. Athletic had some standout players with Will Taylor filling in, Luke Graves outstanding in goal, Hira Campbell running the substitutions perfectly, and young guns Aayden, Tamatoa, and KC played incredibly against tough opposition. Thistle managed to get a further 2 goals to take home a 4-0 victory to better their chances for the Division 1 title. Players of the day were Andrew Langdon and Luke Graves sharing the honours. Next weekend we have a bye as its a catch up round, then we go into the final 3 matches after the division split happens. Stay tuned!
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Mercantile Squash Another fantastic Athletic Mercantile Squash season came to a close with an exciting night of finals, followed by prizegiving and a shared meal to celebrate another successful competition. Congratulations to Smithy Motorcycles, who were crowned the 2026 Athletic Mercantile Squash Champions after a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Emergency Smash Services. The final showcased some quality squash, with both teams battling hard in every match. Smithy Motorcycles proved just that little bit too strong on the night, earning the title after a fantastic season. The battle to avoid the Wooden Spoon was one of the closest contests of the evening. The Wishing Stars and Racquet Squad All Hui couldn't be separated on matches, finishing with a 3-3 draw. It all came down to points, where Racquet Squad edged ahead by just six points to claim the narrow countback victory. That meant The Wishing Stars officially took home this year's Wooden Spoon after a spirited effort from both teams. Following the matches, everyone enjoyed prizegiving and a shared meal, a great way to celebrate another enjoyable Mercantile season and catch up with teammates and opponents alike. Congratulations to Luke Graves, who took home the raffle prize on finals night. A special congratulations to Jenny McCracken, who was presented with the Kevin Vette Cup for Most Dedicated to Mercantile Squash. This award recognises Jenny's outstanding commitment, enthusiasm, and contribution to the competition throughout the season, and it is thoroughly deserved. A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the competition such a success:
While the Mercantile season has wrapped up, there's still plenty of squash to look forward to. Leagues get underway this week, and our Club Championships will be held from 17-21 August. We look forward to seeing everyone back on court for more great squash! Results of the final round: Farmlands bt. Pickering Cabinet Makers 12 - 6 Pensioners bt. Slort Sports 12 - 6 Racket Squad All Hui bt. The Wishing Stars 10 - 9 (on countback) Smithy Motorcycles bt. Emergency Smash Services 12 - 6 There was no Junior Rugby last weekend due to school holidays. Senior Netball had a fun cross-over round before heading into the finals this weekend.
Senior Football Saturday's match against Shockers Gold was one to forget for the men in black. QRS Athletic Football traveled up to Awapuni Stadium in Gisborne only to forget how to play Footy. Shockers Gold were simply too sharp on the day, capitalising on every mistake and not missing any attempts at goal, managing to get 11 goals. Athletic did manage to get on the board with 1 goal through the boot of Tom Rowley-Westwood. Plenty to work on and hopefully we get a few players back from injury this weekend as we host top-of-the-table Thistle Bobcats. Player of the day: Will Taylor who was able to fill in. Goal scorer: Tom Rowley-Westwood. Mercantile Squash After seven competitive rounds of round robin play, the Wairoa Athletic Mercantile Squash competition has found its semi-finalists! There has been plenty of quality squash, close contests and great sportsmanship throughout the season, with every point proving valuable. Smithy Motorcycles have been the standout team all season, finishing well clear at the top of the table after a dominant round robin campaign. Here are the results of round 7: Pickering Cabinet Makers bt. Farmlands 10 - 8 Smithy Motorcycles bt. The Wishing Stars 15 - 9 Emergency Smash Services bt. Racket Squad All Hui 15 - 6 Slort Sports bt. Pensioners 10 - 9 The match of the round belonged to Mike (Racquet Squad All Hui) and Alyssa (Emergency Smash Services), who produced an absolute thriller. After an outstanding battle, Alyssa edged home 41–40 in one of the closest matches of the year. Congratulations to Jason Smith, who was the winner of this week's raffle. The semi-final draw for this Friday is now confirmed: Championship Round Smithy Motorcycles (1) vs Farmlands (4) Emergency Smash Services (2) vs Pickering Cabinet Makers (3) Wooden Spoon Round The Wishing Stars (5) vs Slort Sports (8) Racquet Squad All Hui (6) vs Pensioners (7) Below: Final round robin standings.  Senior Rugby Charteris Choppers Athletic Rugby travelled to Ngatapa for the final match of the second round, facing tough opposition in challenging, muddy conditions. The game got off to a fast start, with Ngatapa opening the scoring through an early penalty goal. Athletic responded with determination, working hard to stay in the contest, but Ngatapa crossed for two converted tries during the first half. Just before the break, Athletic got on the scoreboard when first five Wade Perritt slotted a penalty goal, leaving the halftime score at 17–3 to Ngatapa. Athletic came out with renewed energy in the second half, controlling possession and building pressure through several strong phases of play. Their efforts were rewarded when Apensia Cava finished off a superb team movement with a brilliant runaway try down the wing. Although the conversion was unsuccessful, the try gave Athletic momentum and reduced the deficit. The remainder of the second half was a hard-fought battle, with Athletic producing an outstanding defensive effort to keep Ngatapa scoreless despite the difficult conditions. Unfortunately, they were unable to add any further points, and the match finished 17–8 in favour of Ngatapa. Player of the Day points: 3 Points: Dylan Torrie 2 Points: Apensia Cava 1 Point: Tyson Kamo This match marks the end of Wairoa Athletic's 2026 rugby season. We would like to sincerely thank all of our sponsors, in particular our code sponsor Charteris Choppers, our supporters, volunteers, and families, for your support throughout the year. . We look forward to coming back stronger next season. Senior Football On Saturday 27th June, QRS Athletic Football organised the first game of the popular Veterans vs Rookies series. The match was played in good spirits despite the muddy conditions, which benefited (or disadvantaged?) both teams by causing chaos and disruptive play (and some banter along with it). It was the Rookies who struck first, putting their team on the front foot with an amazing assist from Chris Jensen, who absolutely shanked it but managed to hit the side bar where Jared Olsen was able to put it away. Play continued through spells of rain and a hydration break, as seen during the world cup. The Veterans were looking to tie the game after great defence from the Rookies. But, not even the big puddles on the field could stop Tom Rowley-Westwood from getting the equalizer. The halftime the score was 1 - 1. At the start of the second half both teams looked to gain momentum with great displays of wet-weather footy. It was the Veterans who took a 2-1 lead though, through the boot of Tom Rowley-Westwood once again. After that, the Rookies had plenty of chances to turn things around but solid saves from keeper Phil Molina kept them out. Veterans' 3rd goal came from a simple error from Rookies keeper Aaron Ioane, who slipped up on his goal kick and found Sharn Black, who scored on his debut for the Veterans. The game didn't end there. As with any good derby, it got a bit scrappy towards the end when the legs got tired. The cards started coming out with the first yellow going to Tim Howard for a conversion-like attempt at goal. The second yellow went to Jared Olsen for completely messing up a goal attempt himself. As the field got more saturated, Mike Hardie mistimed a tackle and earned himself a red card, meaning the Veterans were down to ten players. Not even 10 minutes later they found themselves down to 9 players after another red card shown to Sharn Black for a similar offence. However, the experience of the Veterans prevailed as they held on for the last 10 minutes of the game, securing a 3-1 victory. This means the Veterans take the series lead to 1-0 in the best-of-three competition. Player of the day for the Veterans: Polly Browne with an outstanding defensive effort on debut. Players of the day for the Rookies: Tamara Olsen and Garron Bright. We finished the day at the Bayleys Athletic Park Clubrooms with burgers and the final All Whites match of the 2026 World Cup. Below: Veterans and Rookies  Mercantile Squash Round 6 delivered some crucial results as teams jostled for position ahead of next week's final round-robin fixtures. The much-anticipated top-of-the-table clash saw Smithy Motorcycles continue their impressive form with a commanding 18-3 victory over Farmlands, strengthening their position at the summit of the standings. At the other end of the table, Slort Sports produced a dominant performance, defeating The Wishing Stars 18-6 to keep their campaign alive heading into the final week. With just one round-robin week remaining, the top four is beginning to take shape, but there is still plenty to play for and several teams remain in contention for semi-final spots. Every point will count as we head into next week's decisive matches. Match of the Round belonged to a family showdown between mother and daughter, Lara Deam and Alyssa Deam. In a fantastic battle that went right down to the wire, neither player could be separated, finishing with a 36-36 draw. Congratulations also to Donald Carroll, who was the lucky winner of this week's raffle. Good luck to all the teams for the final round this Friday! Emergency Smash Services bt. Pensioners 12 - 9 Pickering Cabinet Makers bt. Racket Squad All Hui 16 - 4 Slort Sports bt. The Wishing Stars 18 - 6 Smithy Motorcycles bt. Farmlands 18 - 3  Junior Rugby
Another round of junior sports done and dusted, with two of our Rippa teams facing each other! Another great round for Athletic with some amazing performances from our tamariki. Check out the scores below: Rippa Athletic White (7) vs Athletic Black (9) Athletic Stripes (11) vs St Joseph School (5) Junior Athletic Warriors (16) vs YMP Maungataniwha (5) Athletic Storm (18) vs Nuhaka (5) Primary Athletic (1) vs YMP Maungatoa (24) Senior Netball This week Osler's Bakery & Cafe Athletic Black delivered a strong team performance against Nuhaka, securing a convincing 49–6 victory. Our defence was outstanding throughout the game, applying pressure and working effectively in the shooting circle to create turnovers. Through the midcourt, our attack fed the ball accurately and consistently into the shooters, allowing us to capitalise on scoring opportunities. It was great to see the team put into action the skills and strategies we have been focusing on at training, resulting in a well-deserved win. Osler's Bakery & Cafe Athletic White faced off against Waiau, and with our regular shooter away, we had to make a few adjustments. Lara Deam answered the call-up to Goal Shoot, teaming up alongside our captain Alyssa Deam in the opening quarter. Sarah Spicer made an immediate impact when she took the court in the second quarter, bringing fresh energy and momentum to our side. This allowed Alyssa to move back into her preferred Wing Attack position. Grace Cooney started at Wing Defence and grew in confidence as the game went on, picking up some important interceptions and turnovers. By the third quarter, we were only down by two points. In the defensive circle, Sophie Mickelson worked hard at Goal Defence, making life difficult for Waiau’s attackers. Despite a strong performance, we were unable to come away with the win, with Waiau taking the match 16–11. Considering they’re currently top of the table in the Silver Grade, it’s a result we can still be proud of. Player of the Day honours went to Courtney Hayward, whose effort and determination shone throughout the game. The season is far from over, and we’ll be ready to go again next week. Sadly, there were no matches for Charteris Choppers Athletic Rugby or QRS Athletic Football as both games did not go ahead due to defaults. |
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