Bay Harbour: August 14, 2019
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PAGE 16 Wednesday <strong>August</strong> <strong>14</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
BAY HARBOUR<br />
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi<br />
Vote keeps clubs in reserve grade<br />
• By Gordon Findlater<br />
LYTTELTON, Otautahi and<br />
Suburbs will continue to<br />
compete in the metro rugby<br />
premier reserve grade after a<br />
decision was overturned at a<br />
meeting last week.<br />
A Canterbury Rugby Football<br />
Union decision made three years<br />
ago meant teams wanting to<br />
compete in the premier reserve<br />
grade would have needed a team<br />
in the premier competition from<br />
next season.<br />
However, this requirement<br />
was overturned last week at a<br />
meeting between all 16 metro<br />
sub-union clubs. The three clubs<br />
which don’t have a team in the<br />
premier competition will now<br />
still be able to compete in the<br />
reserve grade.<br />
All of the metro sub-union<br />
clubs voted in favour of no<br />
changes being made to the teams<br />
currently competing in the<br />
premier reserve grade.<br />
“The clubs were given some<br />
material by the metro committee<br />
to talk to their boards about and<br />
come back with their boards’<br />
feelings based on the material<br />
we’d given them, which they<br />
did,” said metro sub-union<br />
committee chairman Brent<br />
Goldsmid.<br />
“It was basically unanimous<br />
that given the player number<br />
difficulties the sport faces,<br />
to restrict teams from the<br />
competition would make no<br />
Bid to promote<br />
squash in Sumner<br />
THE SUMNER Tennis and<br />
Squash Club wants to prevent<br />
squash from fading as a sport.<br />
The club will host the<br />
Canterbury masters and<br />
under-23 squash tournaments on<br />
Saturday and Sunday as part of<br />
an effort to promote the game in<br />
the region.<br />
Said president Phil Loughnan:<br />
“Hopefully this will be the<br />
first of many, with the club<br />
reintroducing a Sumner open<br />
next year.”<br />
“Squash nationally is a fading<br />
game, but it’s a great game the<br />
club is committed to growing,”<br />
Mr Loughnan said.<br />
STILL ALIVE: Lyttelton will continue to compete in the metro premier reserve competition after<br />
a decision to exclude them, Suburbs and Otautahi was overturned last week.<br />
He said it will be an<br />
opportunity to showcase the<br />
club’s rejuvenated facilities,<br />
which are “arguably the best in<br />
Christchurch.”<br />
The club on Heberden Ave<br />
has spent more than $1 million<br />
renovating the squash and tennis<br />
courts and associated facilities,<br />
which were reopened late last<br />
year.<br />
“The courts have new floors<br />
and lighting and have been<br />
heavily insulated to give excellent<br />
playing conditions,” he said.<br />
•For more information,<br />
email p.loughnan@gmail.<br />
com<br />
sense. The environment over the<br />
last three years has changed . . .<br />
three years ago, it was probably<br />
the right decision, now it’s not<br />
and we’re happy to change that.”<br />
Lyttelton club president<br />
SPORT<br />
Clinton Norris said he was<br />
confident going into the meeting<br />
about the future of the three<br />
clubs, but was surprised by the<br />
amount of support for the clubs<br />
to continue competing in the<br />
reserve competition.<br />
“To listen to what the clubs<br />
had to say was overwhelming. It<br />
means we can all work together<br />
and make something better for<br />
our local rugby,” said Norris.<br />
The decision, which would<br />
have ruled Lyttelton, Otautahi<br />
and Suburbs out of the premier<br />
reserve grade, came to light<br />
recently, with vocal support for<br />
it to be overturned on social<br />
media.<br />
“We got up two months ago<br />
and just spilt the beans about<br />
what effect it would have on our<br />
clubs and how hard it would<br />
be. No one had thought about a<br />
pathway and then we asked for a<br />
full review,” said Norris.<br />
Lyttelton currently have two<br />
senior teams and eight junior<br />
teams. Suburbs have two senior,<br />
a colts, a women’s and seven<br />
junior teams. Otautahi have two<br />
senior and four junior teams.<br />
Experienced new coach appointed<br />
THE REDCLIFFS Tennis Club<br />
has appointed an internationally<br />
experienced new head coach.<br />
Originally from Canterbury,<br />
Alan Adair has been coaching<br />
at a high level in Germany<br />
for many years, but recently<br />
returned to Christchurch with<br />
his family.<br />
He replaces Jack Tiller, who<br />
has taken up a role in Ashburton<br />
as head coach of the Mid-<br />
Canterbury region. Adair brings<br />
a great deal of expertise to the<br />
club and can coach at all levels<br />
– from absolute beginners to<br />
professionals.<br />
His goal is to teach tactically<br />
intelligent tennis, which<br />
suits each player’s individual<br />
strengths and weaknesses.<br />
The former junior New<br />
Zealand age group champion<br />
has previously been the<br />
Southland regional coach and<br />
also coaches at the Kaiapoi and<br />
Amberley clubs.<br />
TACTICAL:<br />
Alan<br />
Adair has<br />
replaced<br />
Jack Tiller<br />
as Redcliffs<br />
Tennis Club<br />
head coach.<br />
Adair will be available to<br />
meet potential new members at<br />
the ‘love tennis’ open day from<br />
1-4pm on September 7 and 8 at<br />
the Redcliffs club.<br />
3 issues $20 • 6 issues $44.50 • 10 issues $65<br />
rugbynews.co.nz 0800 77 77 10