As the region edges towards spring, hats off to Wairarapa’s young sports players [not forgetting their coaches and supporters] who have been showing up to practice and play this season, sometimes through driving rain, cold winds and even fog.
A great example of this dedication is Wairarapa’s Under-10s soccer teams.
Players in teams such as the Carterton Pumas, Greytown Lynx, Douglas Villa Wizards and Wairarapa United Lions have been in action “just about every Saturday morning, starting about 8.45am”, soccer parent Jonathan Hooker said.
They played weekly games across the district.
“They even played in the fog in Martinborough when most grounds were closed,” Hooker said. “They’ve only missed one Saturday because of the weather.”
On the rugby pitch, the Masterton Red Star U11 Rams won the Dickson Shield, having been undefeated all season.
Rams coach Chris Senior said the kids loved playing “under the big lights, on a big fields, in front of a good crowd” for the final. “It’s a step towards the big time, isn’t it?” he said.
In junior netball, 37 teams over nine grades competed for several weeks at Wairarapa Netball Courts, culminating in an exciting [and loud] finals day.
In the Higgins Year 7/8 finals, Greytown Fresh Choice triumphed over Eke Tuis in a nailbiter of a match.
Scores were pretty much level until the final quarter when Greytown Fresh Choice inched ahead to close the game 20-16.
“Congratulations to this group of young players,” coach Carla Didsbury said.
“It’s one thing to get to a final, but often it’s very hard to actually come together for a win given the intense nature of finals netball. They held their nerve and stood up to the pressure.”
