Report – Quadrangular – Premier and Premier Development – 18 February 2024
Not even a superb effort by North Harbour’s Black Jack Selina Goddard in winning all of her singles matches could earn the centre at least one team win in the quadrangular representative tournament at the weekend.
In the women’s premier contest at Mairangi Bay Selina started with a 21-5 win over her Northland opponent and then followed with a 21-15 win over Counties Leanne Poulson and then in a thriller 21-20 over Auckland’s Linda Rolph.
The diverting aspect of the clash against Leanne was that it pitted Selina as the 2023 national women’s singles champion against the player who succeeded her with the title this year.
Selina’s efforts, however, were off-set by Harbour losing both the pairs and fours to Auckland, meaning that Auckland finished ahead in the women’s premier competition with Harbour, with the pair having one loss and the four just the one win in the opening round clash with Northland.
Harbour finished second to Auckland in the women’s development competition as well, winning two games to one against Northland, three-nil against Counties in the second but dropping all three games to Auckland in the third.
In the men’s contests at Browns Bay there were many worthy performances by Harbour players, but again in both premier and development sections had to bow to Auckland.
Harbour in the premier round one had a win, a loss and draw with Northland, but was beaten on the overall shot points. There was a clean sweep in the three games against Counties but then had the bad luck in the third to win two games to Auckland’s one, to again be forced to concede the overall result because again Auckland had the superior shot points.
There was a similar frustration for the Harbour men’s development team with wins in the second and third rounds over both Counties and most satisfyingly of all Auckland. But a 5-35, two games to one first round loss to Northland proved costly for though just one game point behind Auckland and equal with Northland it was pushed back because of slightly inferior shot point to third place.
Despite the disappointments it was still a good work-out for both the national inter-centre and octagonal competition next month and those in the national fours and mixed pairs starting in Taranaki.
Selina especially must have been delighted with her form. She plays in the fours with Taranaki’s promising Briar Atkinson. Wellington’s Lisa White, winner of the mixed pairs title last year, and a Harbour team-mate Trish Croot and in the mixed pairs with Sheldon Bagrie-Howley.