Selwyn_Times: September 13, 2023

Wednesday September 13 2023 Selwyn Times
Young softballer set to take a
swing at World Cup qualifiers
• By Jaime Cunningham
ROLLESTON College student
Caitlin Henderson has
made the Junior White
Sox squad to play
in the under-18
women’s World
Cup Oceania
qualifiers in
November.
The year 12
student is one of
three Canterbury
representatives,
along with
Kaiyah Ratu
and McKenzie
Bailey-McDowell,
selected in the
15-strong squad.
The top two teams
from the qualifying
games will advance to the
WBSC World Cup group stage
tournament next year before
the World Cup finals in
2025.
Henderson, 16, was
selected in a wider Junior
White Sox squad who travelled
to Kansas City, Missouri,
in June for the Top
Gun tournament. She
was also part of
the Canterbury
under-17 team who won the national
championships
in January.
Junior White
Sox head
coach
Kiri
Shaw said they have been preparing
for the qualifier games in
Pago Pago, American Samoa, for
about two years.
“Success in this tournament
is massively important for our
programme and for the future of
talented young female softballers
in New Zealand,” she said.
“We gained valuable insights
into our players’ performance
against a level
of softball
rarely
encountered in New Zealand
(at the Kansas tournament).
This exposure has equipped the
Junior White Sox players with
the experience and confidence
needed to excel on the
international stage.”
Shaw, who is a former White
Sox captain and Olympian,
will coach the team with newly
appointed assistant Carley Ratu.
The qualifiers will be played
from November 5-7.
JUNIOR WHITE SOX
SQUAD
Clover Alapaki, Innika
Hapuku-Lambert, Waimarie
Tawera, Ellazay Utanga-
Fletcher (Auckland),
McKenzie Bailey-McDowell,
Caitlin Henderson, Kaiyah
Ratu (Canterbury), Iris
Feng (Counties Manukau),
Maysen Kurene-Iwikau,
Mesha Shaw-Wallace, Aayla
Toman, Rylee Watt (Hutt
Valley), Charlotte Graham
(North Harbour) Siobhan
Bolger, Maiarangi Waipara
(Wellington).
BIG HIT: Caitlin Henderson
has been named in the
Junior White Sox squad for
the World Cup Oceania
qualifiers.
PHOTO: AIMEE RUSSELL
SPORT 25
Lincoln
coaches
appointed
• By Jaime Cunningham
LINCOLN HAVE announced
their division 1 coaching team
seven months out from the start
of the season.
Bevan Sisson
(right) and Jody
Smith will return
to Lincoln’s
coaching ranks
after leading the
Lincoln-Rolleston
combined side
last season. They will be joined
by Tim Nuthall who has been
promoted from the successful
combined country title winning
Bales colts team.
It comes as Darfield,
Southbridge, Rolleston and
Hornby are on the hunt for
people to fill coaching positions
in their senior sides.
The clubs are taking
applications for coaches and
managers for their division 1
and 2 sides, as well as other
grades.
Rolleston are also advertising
for a management team to take
charge of the club’s first colts
side in eight years.
•The vacant coaching
positions can be viewed
at www.facebook.com/
EllesmereRugbySubUnion
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Please phone
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Ben Turner
027 530 1400
Craig Blackburn
027 489 7225
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