Mercantile Squash
After 11 weeks of squash, our 2025 finals have been decided... The 2025 Mercantile Top Team finalists are reigning champions Pickering Cabinet Makers and Slort Sports who quietly made their way to the top of the table this season. The 2025 Wooden Spoon finalists are PGG Wrightsons Livestock and The Wishing Stars.

It promises to be a great finals night this Friday so make sure you come down to support the players! We also have a mid-week playoff for 7th & 8th position, check out the schedule below.

Tuesday 29 July, 6pm
Pensioners vs Emergency Smash Services
Friday 1 August, 5.30pm
AFFCO Stingers vs Smithy Motorcycles
Farmlands vs Waikare
Friday 1 August, 7.36pm (FINALS)
Pickering Cabinet Makers vs Slort Sports
PGG Wrightsons vs The Wishing Stars

Junior Rugby
Another sunny Saturday morning provided better conditions for our players, who went out and played very strong games! Check out the results below.

TUHARA HARVEST PRIMARY
TBC

TUHARA HARVEST JUNIOR
Our junior team had a bye.

TUHARA HARVEST RIPPA
Tapuae Little DeanOs (14) - Athletic Black (12)
Player of the Day: Coven

Athletic White (14) - Nuhaka S&R 1 (14)
Player of the Day: Juni

Athletic Stripes (16) - Wairoa Primary School (14)
Player of the Day: Marlowe

Senior Netball
On Saturday, Oslers Bakery Athletic White faced off in a double-header against two competitive Tapuae teams, showing resilience, grit, and teamwork across both matches. Game 1 versus Tapuae Te Rauhina was a high-paced and skillful encounter, with both teams showcasing excellent netball. Despite a massive effort from Athletic White, Tapuae Te Rauhina pulled ahead with consistent play to take the win 29–17.
Players of the game:
 3 Points – Teri Wathen-Smith,
 2 Points – Becky Donovan,
 1 Point – Jessie Crawford. In the second game, White faced Tapuae Ruataumata. Athletic came out firing in their second match, converting strongly from centre passes and making key turnovers count. The team’s composure and teamwork paid off, securing a hard-fought 26–23 victory over Tapuae Ruataumata.
Players of the game:
 3 Points – Becky Donovan,
 2 Points – Sarah Spicer,
 1 Point – Teri Wathen-Smith. A great effort from the whole squad across both games—well done, Athletic White! Next Saturday will mark the final day of the 2025 Wairoa Netball Competition, with finals and prizegiving on that day. Stay tuned for more details!

Senior Football
Saturday's match up saw QRS Athletic Football host Wainui Demons in muddy conditions under some well-awaited sunshine. Athletic started strongly, applying pressure early but the Demons backline and keeper managing to hold off Athletic. Until the 32nd minute that was, where Tom Rowley-Westwood slotted in Athletic's first goal, 1-0 to the home team. Athletic created multiple chances but Demons were strong enough to hold off, halftime 1-0 to the home side. The second half began and the Demons came out firing trying to find an equalizer but Athletic's backline with Mark Anderson and Luke Graves defended strongly allowing Athletic to counter-attack and Tom Rowley-Westwood finding his second goal of the day, Athletic 2-0. Demons didn't hesitate to strike right back, making the score 2-1 and bringing themselves back into the game. Both teams showcased skill and determination with plenty of laughs and banter going on which was great to see! Athletic was able to catch Demons off guard with Athletic's veteran player Hira Campbell tricking the keeper off his line and managing to chip the keeper for a beauty of a goal, Athletic now leading 3-1. QRS Athletic Football continued to carry momentum with a 4th and final goal of the match. A clearance was made but through a strong chase, Athletic managed to regain possession and Tom Rowley-Westwood claimed his hat trick. Final score: Athletic (4) Wainui Demons (1). Plenty of positives out of this game as Athletic is building great momentum going into the final round of the season. Player of the day: Tom Rowley-Westwood.

A league win is unfortunately out of reach, but the goal is to get our hands on the Chris Moore Knockout cup for the first time. We will host Pro Roofing Thistle on August 9th in what will be our last home game for the year (and it's a semi final). But first, QRS Athletic Football travel up to Ngatapa next Saturday in the final round of Tairawhiti Division Two competition.

Mercantile Squash
The semi finals are set, what a cracker of a final round we had! A bunch of close games once again and it couldn't have been closer in pool B - the top three separated by only 2 points! Through to the semi finals are:

1. Pickering Cabinet Makers
2. Waikare
3. Slort Sports
4. Farmlands

And in contention for the Wooden Spoon are:

1. PGG Wrightsons
2. Emergency Smash Services
3. Pensioners
4. The Wishing Stars

Check out all the results from Friday night and the final points table below:
Pickering Cabinet Makers bt. Waikare 15 - 6
Farmlands bt. Smithy Motorcycles 15 - 3
Pensioners bt. Emergency Smash Services 12 - 6
The Wishing Stars bt. PGG Wrightsons 15 - 6

Junior Rugby
All teams were back in action after a few weeks off due to the school holidays. It was great to see everyone again and even though it was a little chilly, the sun did come out for us!

TUHARA HARVEST PRIMARY
Athletic (13) - Nuhaka (3)
Player of the Day: Wyatt and Julius

TUHARA HARVEST JUNIOR
Athletic (10) - YMP Boarslayerz (3)
Player of the Day: Grayson, Ayva and Robert

TUHARA HARVEST RIPPA
Athletic Black (18) - Athletic White (7)
Player of the Day: Coven (Black) and Juni (White)
Rippa of the Day: Broc (Black) and Harvey (White)
Good Sport: Cohen (Black) and Ranui (White)

Athletic Stripes (8) - Nuhaka (8)
Player of the Day: Lochie, Payson and Briar

Senior Netball
Both Oslers Bakery Athletic Netball teams had double headers this Saturday. Three words to describe the day for Oslers Bakery Athletic White is grit, heart & hustle. The team was set back with two tough opponents and a couple of injuries but still had a whole lot of heart! First up was a face off against a powerhouse Panthers side. With an early injury in the shooting end, the team had to adapt quickly, shifting players into new roles on the fly. Despite the challenge, the girls dug deep, showed real resilience, and kept the energy high on court. Panthers won 44-8. Game two brought an intense battle with a sharp Nuhaka team. The mid-court worked hard, holding their own and keeping the momentum alive. But with another injury and no subs left, the pressure of unfamiliar combos and a slick opposition saw us fall short on the scoreboard once again. Nuhaka Seniors won 44-9. Still, it was a day to be proud of – the girls showed massive determination, backed each other every step of the way and kept the vibes strong throughout. Players of the Day (mid-court magic!): 3: Teri Wathen-Smith 2: Amanda Car, 1: Mady Taylor.

Oslers Bakery Athletic Black versed a strong YMP team first up. Defence and mid court worked extremely hard throughout with constant end to end battles leading to a 14-10 win. Players of the game 3: Suzy Chrystal, 2: Georgia Wood, 1: Claire Little. Second up was TKT Rangatahi, a tough battle against a very strong and fast-paced youth team leading to a 22-12 loss. Players of the game, 3: Georgia Wood, 2: Grace Young, 1: Claire Little.

Senior Football
Saturday's game saw QRS Athletic Football take on the Wainui Salty Dogs at Harry Barker where Athletic were looking to gain momentum going into the final rounds to end the season on a high. It was a tightly contested match with a half time score of nil all, both teams unable to break the deadlock. Wainui created chances but kicking them directly to Athletic's keeper Phil Molina. Athletic also creating chances with a clever free kick where Ryan O'Sullivan narrowly missed the goal. The second half was exactly the same but the men in black looked sharp with the passing and gutsy defending keeping Wainui on the backfoot. Eventually Athletic scored through the boot of Mike Hardie who found the Wainui keeper off his line and got Athletic on the board,  1-0. QRS Athletic shut up shop and defended brilliantly securing a 1 nil win. Player of the day: Mike Hardie

Mercantile Squash
We travelled to Waikare for round 9 of Mercantile and had a great night there as always! We love playing on those courts. The points table is shaping up for some interesting matches as we head towards the last round of pool play before the semi finals! A huge thank you to Waikare for hosting us!

AFFCO Stingers bt. Pensioners 15 - 6
Slort Sports bt. The Wishing Stars 18 - 3
Waikare bt. Emergency Smash Services 19 - 1
Smithy Motorcycles bt. PGG Wrightsons 12 - 6

Senior Netball
Oslers Bakery Athletic White organised a friendly against Mahia on Saturday while the Wairoa Netball competition was still on a break. The team had a great run around. In fact, the teams had so much fun they couldn't even remember what the final score was! Wairoa Netball will be back in action this weekend so keep an eye out for that.

Senior Rugby Final
Charteris Choppers Athletic Rugby took on top of the table Nuhaka at Lambton Square on Saturday for the big final. From the first kick off neither team was willing to give an inch in a tightly contested first half. Each team capitalised on early penalties, exchanging two apiece to head into the break locked at 6-6. Nuhaka emerged from the halftime break hot on attack, striking first with an unconverted try that shifted the momentum their way. Athletic’s discipline wavered as the penalty count stacked making it difficult to get back into the game. Another penalty pushed Nuhaka further ahead at 14-6. Athletic worked hard in Nuhaka’s 22, eventually making it over the line in the corner but the try wasn’t awarded. Nuhaka sealed the result with another penalty, extending their lead to an unassailable 17-6. For Charteris Choppers Athletic Rugby, Jonty Le Leivre stood out with a tireless performance, earning Man of the Match honours for his side. Despite the loss the boys in black and white had their heads held high during the cup ceremony, claiming the Brownlie 2nd place trophy. Thank you to Nuhaka for a great final and congratulations on claiming the Lew Patterson Cup title!

Senior Football
​Saturday's match up saw the boys travel up to Gisborne to take on second place Thistle, trying to keep momentum going into the second round of the competition. The game was played in good spirits where QRS Athletic Football were dominant for the majority of the game but were unfortunate not to capitalise on the opportunities created. Thistle opened the scoreboard early and after Athletic had a goal disallowed, the halftime score was 1-0 to the home side. Athletic started the second half strong, finding the equaliser in the 52nd minute where Tom Rowley-Westwood took his time and perfectly scoring past Thistle's keeper. Unfortunately for the men in black, Thistle took there chances and scored another 3 goals claiming a 4-1 win and keeping their season hopes alive. Player of the day: Ryan O'Sullivan. QRS Athletic Football travel up to Wainui Gisborne to take on the Salty Dogs next Saturday.

Mercantile Squash
Another great night of squash! Pool 1 has spread out a bit with Pickering Cabinet Makers in front by a decent margin, winning well over AFFCO Stingers (a rematch of last year's final). In pool 2, an amazing result by Smithy Motorcycles, scoring the first full points of the competition (all 23 on offer), has really made for some interesting last couple of round robin weeks. This Friday we will be playing at Waikare to support their club. Thanks to Clark and the team for hosting us! Full results below:
Waikare bt. Pensioners 19 - 1
Smithy Motorcycles bt. The Wishing Stars 23 - 0 (Clean Sweep)
Pickering Cabinet Makers bt. AFFCO Stingers 16 - 1
Slort Sports bt. Farmlands 12 - 6