WHAT WENT ON 15 - 16 May

Mercantile Squash
Friday night #2 was another great one! Our leaders have changed with Smithy Motorcycles accelerating into the lead with a big win over Slort Sports. Other big wins included Racquet Squad over The Wishing Stars. Check out the results below:

Pickering Cabinet Makers bt. Pensioners 12 - 9
Smithy Motorcycles bt. Slort Sports 19 - 1
Emergency Smash Services bt. Farmlands 13 - 12
Racket Squad All Hui bt. The Wishing Stars 15 - 3

Junior Rugby
Winter is here as round two was chilly and rainy, but everyone got out there regardless! The Junior team had a bye but we got double Athletic action in the Rippa grade when Black and Stripes took the field together. Check out the results below:

Rippa
Athletic Black (6) vs Athletic Stripes (14)
YMP Tangitu () vs Athletic White ()

Junior
Bye

Primary
Tapuae Big Baldy's () vs Athletic ()

Senior Netball
It was a wet start on Saturday morning for Osler's Bakery & Cafe Athletic Black. There’s nothing like a bit of water on the court to have the girls questioning the grip on their shoes and warming their joints to save themselves from (more) injuries. Athletic Black braved the cool morning against Mahia and, in the first quarter, fought, showing good potential and maintaining most of the ball possession. Mahia’s tactical changes kept the ladies on their toes whilst Athletic maintained strong pressure in the centre court, Teri at Centre maintaining 110% energy for the entirety of the game. Claire and Becky made multiple intercepts, opportunities for more goals at the attack end of the court. Angel cleared an amazing goal just after the buzzer, which unfortunately wasn’t counted, leaving Athletic 1 point behind with a 30-29 win to Mahia.

Osler's Bakery & Cafe Athletic White took on Panthers Te Rito in a hard-fought and competitive match, finishing in a 14-all draw. The girls came out strong in the opening quarter, taking an early 7–5 lead thanks to accurate shooting from Grace Young and Sarah Spicer. Skye Cox made an impressive debut for the team, picking up key interceptions and making her presence known across the court from the opening whistle. A huge effort from Ebony Rore in Centre, who worked tirelessly all game alongside captain Alyssa Deam through the midcourt, while Sarah Spicer continued to create strong attacking options in Goal Attack. Together with Skye Cox and Grace Cooney, the girls disrupted Panthers’ flow and worked hard to transition the ball smoothly down the court. Defensively, Athletic White dug deep all game. Courtney Hayward delivered a standout performance with crucial intercepts and by shutting down multiple attacking plays, while Player of the Day Grace Cooney kept Panthers’ main shooter quiet for much of the game with her relentless work rate and determination. While there’s still plenty to work on heading into next week, it’s great to see the combinations starting to build and the team growing stronger together each game. Awesome effort from all the girls.

Senior Rugby
On Saturday, Charteris Choppers Athletic Rugby played their first home game of the season against Mahia. The first half was a tight battle, with both sides showing strong defence. Mahia had one good opportunity to score, but Athletic held firm to keep the game locked at 0–0 at halftime. Mahia struck first in the second half with a converted try to take the lead. Athletic responded strongly, putting together some great phases of play which saw Gabriel David score his first try for Athletic. The game remained close throughout and provided a great spectacle for everyone watching. Full time score: Wairoa Athletic (5) – Mahia (13). Player of the Day: Joe Hansen.

This week, Wairoa Athletic host Ngatapa at Bayleys Athletic Park for the Bill Meek Memorial Club Weekend.

Senior Football
For round 6 of the Tairāwhiti Men's Championship, QRS Athletic Football traveled up to Gisborne to take on defending division 1 champions Thistle Bobcats. It was a tough battle, Athletic stepped up and fought hard to make it a tough game for the home side. Athletic's defence was solid holding Bobcats to 1 goal for 30 minutes while having a chance to equalise. Bobcats managed to get a 3-0 halftime lead however. Athletic's spirit was on full display holding Bobcats to only 1 goal in the second half. Goal Keeper Mark Anderson put on a performance with plenty of saves and even saving a penalty. Full time score: 4-0 to Thistle. Player of the day: Mark Anderson.

Join us next weekend as we celebrate our Bill Meek Memorial Club Weekend, taking on Shockers Gold.

Click here for the Bill Meek Memorial Club Weekend schedule.