WHAT WENT ON June 12 - 13

Mercantile Squash
With five rounds now completed and just two round-robin rounds remaining before finals, the race for the top four is still wide open. Smithy Motorcycles continue to hold their position at the top of the table, retaining their lead after another strong week. However, with two rounds still to play, there is plenty of squash left and several teams remain firmly in contention for finals spots. The match of the night saw Emergency Smash Services take on Pickering Cabinet Makers in a closely fought contest. Both teams finished with three match wins apiece and claimed one joker win each, leaving the result to be decided on countback. Emergency Smash Services edged out Pickering Cabinet Makers by the narrowest of margins, 251 points to 244, to secure the overall victory. Finally, congratulations to Steve Doole, this week's raffle winner.

With only two round-robin rounds remaining, every point will be crucial as teams battle for a place in the finals. It's still anyone's competition, and the race for the top four is far from decided. Check out the results and the points table below.

Smithy Motorcycles bt. Racket Squad All Hui 12 - 6
Farmlands bt. Slort Sports 12 - 6
Emergency Smash Services bt. Pickering Cabinet Makers 13 - 12
The Wishing Stars bt. Pensioners 15 - 9

Junior Rugby
Last weekend all our teams were back at the usual Lambton Square grounds. Athletic was the duty team so we got there nice and early to set up and take our team photos. The chill quickly disappeared when our first teams got underway and we ended up with a beautiful JAB morning. Some great rips from our Rippa teams, superb tries from Junior and a solid effort from Primary against St Joseph School. Check out the scores:

Rippa
Athletic Black (7) vs Tapuae Little Deano's (9)
Athletic White (4) vs Te Mahia School (8)
Athletic Stripes (6) vs Nuhaka (4)

Junior
Athletic Warriors (18) vs Tapuae Little Taniwha (9)
Athletic Storm (19) vs YMP Maungataniwha (4)

Primary
Athletic (5) vs St Joseph School (12)

Senior Netball
Osler's Bakery & Cafe Athletic Black took the court against Nūhaka Whetū on Saturday, and it was a really pleasing performance from the whole team. Nūhaka Whetū were strong across the court and played with real determination, keeping the game close and putting pressure on us through the middle stages. We were only slightly down at half time, but the team stayed calm, connected well, and built nicely into the second half. In the second half we found our rhythm, lifted our intensity, and pulled away to finish with a well‑earned 29–21 win. A great effort and something the team can be proud of. Players of the Day:
3– Kaylah Reynolds
2– Becky Donovan
1– Teri Wathen‑Smith

A special mention goes to Hannah Little, who played her first game back and delivered a strong half at GA. Wonderful to see her out there again. A proud day for the team and a great step forward.

Osler's Bakery & Cafe Athletic White took on YMP Ki Tai on June 13 in a tightly contested match, narrowly going down 26-24. The game started strongly for Athletic White, with Grace Young finding her rhythm early and sinking the first three goals of the match. Our defensive end worked tirelessly throughout the court, with Courtney Hayward once again putting in a standout performance, using her impressive reach to disrupt attacking plays and create valuable turnover opportunities. After a strong opening quarter, we lost a little momentum in the second but showed great resilience to regroup and lift the intensity again in the third. It was also fantastic to welcome Sky Cox back onto the court after a lengthy injury layoff. Captain Alyssa Deam provided steady leadership in the midcourt, feeding accurately into the shooting circle and keeping the attack moving. Player of the Day went to Ebony Rore as she was instrumental throughout the match, collecting numerous interceptions and helping drive the ball through the court. Despite the result not quite going our way, the team showed determination right through to the final whistle and can take plenty of positives from a strong team performance.

Senior Rugby
Charteris Choppers Athletic Rugby travelled to Mahia full of energy and ready to play rugby. The first half was a tight contest, with Mahia crossing for two tries. However, Athletic stayed in the fight thanks to two penalty goals from Moss Doran. Athletic played with plenty of heart, showing outstanding defence and determination to keep the score close heading into the second half. Athletic came out strongly after the break and produced an excellent team move, which saw Kasey Chemis score a well-worked try in the corner. Mahia responded with a try of their own to keep the pressure on. Near the end of the match, Cava Apensia showed great skill and determination to score under the posts. Moss Doran added the conversion. It was a hard-fought battle between two committed sides, but Wairoa Athletic came away victorious, defeating Mahia 21–17 at full-time. Player Points:
3 Points – Wil Rouse
2 Points – Will Taylor
1 Point – Tyson Kamo

Senior Football
Shockers Marist defaulted earlier in the week so QRS Athletic Football had the day off, with some of the players coming out to support JAB, Netball and Rugby on a beautiful, sunny Saturday. A special mention goes to Ryan O'Sullivan who came up from the Bay to support the other codes. Ryan will soon be off to Europe for the trip of a lifetime - we hope you have the best time and we look forward to seeing you back for a Veterans vs Rookies match!