 |
August 2023 Highlights from this month include hosting the NZ Senior Inter-District Teams Championship and the NZ Racketball Festival. A big thank you to Hamilton Squash & Tennis Club and Lugton Park Squash Club for hosting these events. Upcoming tournaments:
WAIKATO CUP 2023 The inaugural Waikato Cup kicked off on Tuesday 1st August at Hamilton Squash & Tennis Club. We had 4 clusters take part and 40 players involved. The players were having a lot of fun, especially with the Power Plays during their matches. Thank you to the players who have taken part and to the host clubs so far. There are 3 more weeks to go at the commencement of Spring Interclub. Points table so far is: WAIPA 16 HAMILTON EAST 13 WAIKATO SOUTH/EAST 12 HAMILTON WEST 7 The last rounds of the round-robins will take place on Tuesday 17 October (Te Awamutu) and Wednesday 18 October (Leamington). Before Semi-finals the following week and finishing with finals Wednesday 1st November (Hamilton). NZ SECONDARY SCHOOLS SQUASH CHAMPS The NZSSS Champs took place from the 4-6 August in Auckland. We had 6 teams competing from the Waikato. Two girls teams (HGHS and Hillcrest) and four boys teams (HBHS, St Peters Cambridge and St Pauls x 2). Congratulations to all of the players who competed in these teams. Final results below: Girls Final Placings: [2] HGHS - 3rd, [13] Hillcrest High - 11th Boys Final Placings: [6] HBHS - 5th, [23] St Peter’s Cambridge - 28th, [26] St Paul’s 1 - 20th, [30] St Paul’s 2 - 35th Congratulations to Sophie Hodges (HGHS) and Fergus Hill (HBHS) named in the NZ Secondary School Trans-Tasman Team. Special mention to Sophie for being named Team Captain. Also, congratulations to Riley Noonan (St Peter’s) and Dayna Burr (HGHS) who were named as non-travelling reserves.  |
|
|
WAIBOP J GRADE ROLLERS Another fantastic day was had by those who came to United Matamata Squash Club for our second WaiBOP J Grade Festival of Squash. New friends were made, skills were learnt, games were played and lots of fun was had by all. Thank you to all the parents and family members that helped make these new WaiBOP J Grade Festivals of Squash happen - it has been awesome seeing the players grow in confidence and skill over the days. Thank you to the coaches and clubs that have supported us by allowing us to use your venues for the day (Devoy Squash & Fitness Centre and United Matamata Squash Club). These days have been really successful, and we look forward to them returning again next year along with other opportunities for our juniors across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty. |
 |
NZ MASTERS CLUB TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS The NZ Masters Club Team Champs were held over the weekend at Marlborough Squash Club. We had 3 Mercury Bay teams and 1 Thames team take part. Awesome to see Mercury Bay have so many teams, especially after missing out on interclub this year. Results were: Open Div - Mercury Bay 1 - Consolation Plate winners Div 2 - Mercury Bay 2 - 4th, Thames - Plate Winners Div 3 - Mercury Bay 3 - 6th JUNIOR INTERCLUB 2023 We have had players proudly represent 14 clubs from across the Waikato as well as players from outside of our district (Te Kauwhata - Auckland and Tokoroa - Bay of Plenty). Some fantastic squash has been played and we have been impressed with the display of sportsmanship both on and off the court. Players embraced the new junior interclub format with different levels of experience, many juniors had never played a competitive match prior to this and are now confident to go and play full tournaments. The progress that we have seen over the 6 rounds has been incredible - this is all thanks to the hard work put in by club coaches and members who give up their time to support our juniors weekly, parents/ whanau for enabling their children to be involved in squash, and the players - who stick at, week after week, it even when things aren't going their way. We had 2 Squash Waikato shirts to give away to 2 players who showed amazing grit and determination, participated in all (or nearly all) rounds of interclub, displayed the most amazing sportsmanship and were always there to help out when needed. These were really hard to pick as we had a number of players that deserved to be awarded these tops, but for this year they went to Hannah Jiang (Te Rapa Squash Club) and Laga Talagi (Huntly Squash Club). They were both very proud to receive their first Squash Waikato shirts, from what they displayed both on and off the court, we are pretty confident that these will not be the last Squash Waikato shirts that they are given. We were blown away with the number of clubs that had juniors participate in our junior interclub this year, with it being a new format we weren't sure how it would go, but it has proved to be very successful - we are looking at extending it next year to allow for more rounds at a wider range of clubs (so watch this space). The final standings for our Waikato clubs are: 1st - Aria Squash Club 292 points 2nd - Te Awamutu Squash Club 257 points 3rd - Te Rapa Squash Club 21 points 4th - Lugton Park Squash Club 180 points 5th - Cambridge Racquets Club 119 points 6th - Huntly Squash Club 107 points 7th - Morrinsville Squash 106 points 8th - Leamington Squash Club 77 points 9th - Taupiri Squash Juniors 56points 10th - Hamilton Squash & Tennis Club 37 points 11th - Waikato Secondary Schools 32 points 12th - Te Arohasquashclub 7 points 13th - United Matamata Squash Club 6 points 14th - Thames Squash Club 5 points A huge thank you to those clubs that got behind junior interclub this year - promoted it and encouraged your juniors to participate. We look forward to it growing next year and getting more players involved and representing their clubs with pride. Congratulations to Aria Squash Club who supported every round of Junior Interclub - while they had a fair distance to travel each week, they showed up and played some fantastic squash - we look forward to presenting the new Junior Interclub trophy to you at the Squash Waikato prizegiving later in the year. |
|
NZSSS TRANS-TASMAN TEAM Congratulations to Sophie Hodges (Hamilton) and Fergus Hill (Te Awamutu) on being selected to compete in the NZSSS Trans-Tasman team, who took on Australia in Sydney from 21-25 August. The played in 3 competitions; singles, doubles and the test series. INDIVIDUALS - Day 1 - Sophie won both her matches 3-0, Fergus won against QLD 3-0 and lost against NSW 0-3. NZ won 18-2 against QLD and 13-7 against NSW. INDIVIDUALS - Day 2 - Sophie won both her matches 3-0, Fergus lost 1-3 against NSW and won 3-1 against QLD. NZ won 13-7 against NSW and 18-2 against QLD. INDIVIDUALS - Day 3 - Sophie won both her matches 3-0, Fergus lost 1-3 against NSW and won 3-2 against QLD. NZ won 14-6 against NSW and 16-4 against QLD. DOUBLES - Day 4 - NZ vs QLD Sophie/Jack won 11-5 11-5, Fergus/Grace lost 8-11 8-11, NZ won 8-2. NZ vs NSW Sophie/Jack won 11-0 11-5, Fergus/Grace won 11-6 11-3 TEST SERIES - Day 5 - Sophie won her singles 3-0, Fergus lost his singles 1-3. Sophie/Jack won their doubles and Fergus/Grace lost their doubles. Overall NZ won the test series 17-13. For Sophie this will be her last opportunity to play for this team, however Fergus will be hoping to be selected again in the coming years. You guys represented Waikato & NZ proudly, well done. |
|
|
SQUASH NZ UPDATES JUNIOR SQUASH KITS - in conjunction with NZ-based company Sports Distributors, Squash NZ have developed junior squash equipment kits for clubs and schools needing gear for junior programmes. These kits include things such as racquets, foam balls, various markers and a gear bag. Additional items can include things like the Squash Walls. For more information email john@squashnz.co.nz. n3 MEMBERSHIPS - n3 is a business buying network with over 16,000 members. They are dedicated to making it simple for Kiwi businesses and organisations to save money across all areas of day-to-day business. Squash NZ have covered the membership fee, so it is free to you as a member. Suppliers who are part of n3 network include Bunnings, Placemakers, Ideal Electrical, Resene, BOC, OfficeMax, Alsco and Noel Leeming. To find out more information on how to sign up click here SQUASH WAIKATO AWARDS - NOMINATIONS The Squash Waikato Awards are coming around very quickly and nominations are now open for Club of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and new categories Volunteer Coach of the Year and Coach of the Year. For nomination forms and criteria, check out the Squash Waikato website or click here. SQUASH WAIKATO AWARDS NIGHT - SATURDAY 4 NOVEMBER - VENUE TBC SQUASH WAIKATO JUNIOR TEAM 2023 Congratulations to the following players who have been selected for the Waikato Junior Team to represent Waikato at the NZ District Teams Event on the 3rd-4th October at Hutt City Squash Club, Wellington Boys Team: Connor Hill (Te Awamutu), Cody Paul (Hamilton), Riley Noonan (Morrinsville), Austin Furniss (Te Awamutu), Angus Henry (Lugton Park) Girls Team: Sophie Hodges (Hamilton), Marina Aleksic (Ruakura), Charlize Davy (Thames), Charlee Neilson (Te Awamutu), Shannon Nightingale (Te Awamutu) Coach - Emma Millar, Manager - Rebecca Hill COACH DEVELOPMENT SURVEY Are you currently coaching in a club or school space? Or wanting to upskill as a coach? Please help Squash Waikato to identify areas for coach development. Click on the link below and fill in this quick survey. https://8gv8q9bard2.typeform.com/to/fDWaJw9X NZ RACKETBALL FESTIVAL The NZ Racketball Festival was held on Saturday 26th August at Lugton Park Squash Club and Ruakura Squash Club. Awesome to see an increase in teams this year and a lot of Waikato players getting involved. Richard & Andrea have certainly been putting in the work trying to convert the squashies A big thank you to Bruce, Richard, Andrea and their crew who put this event together. Congratulations to all of the participants, especially the division winners below: Div 1 - Triple Low Carbs - Shari, Te Aorangi and BJ Div 2 - Ruakura Rockets - Felipe, Ken and Helen Div 3 - Ruakura Reserves - Sam, Grant and Wendy |
|
WAIKATO SPORT & ACTIVE RECREATION AWARDS - NOMINATIONS Do you know someone who's making waves in the world of sport and active recreation in your area? It's time to shine a spotlight on your community and their incredible efforts - nominate them for the 2023 Waikato Sport & Active Recreation Awards! With 8 categories to choose from, including the brand new 'Outstanding By Youth For Youth Initiative', there's a place for everyone who's making a difference: NEW || Outstanding By Youth For Youth Initiative: Celebrating the young visionaries creating positive change in our community Community Connection: Recognising those who are bringing people together through the power of sport and recreation Sport & Active Recreation Partnership: Highlighting outstanding collaborations that are taking projects to new heights Outstanding Active Space Initiative: Showcasing innovative projects and spaces that are changing the way we are active Commitment to Accessibility & Inclusion: Applauding champions who make it possible for everyone to participate Commitment to Youth Engagement: Encouraging those who are empowering young people to be active Community Coach: Saluting the coaches who inspire, motivate and provide an outstanding fun experience Community Unsung Hero: Unveiling the hidden volunteer stars whose selfless efforts make a lasting impact Don't miss your chance! Nominations close on Friday, 29 September 2023, at 11.59pm Visit our website at www.wsara.co.nz to submit your nominations and be a part of recognising the remarkable individuals and initiatives that are shaping our Waikato communities. |
|
|
|
|