Netball: Hastings win bronze and rewrite history

Coach Annemarie Kupa-Petera with her netball high achievers.

Few pundits gave them a chance of doing well, let alone winning, but the Hastings Intermediate netballers have achieved what no other Hawke's Bay middle school has.

Coach Annemarie Kupa-Petera and her team returned from Tauranga last week as medallists following their third place at the annual Aims Games tournament for intermediate schools throughout the country.

"We were third out of 96 teams," says Kupa-Petera after her charges lost 28-21 to Holycross School (Papatoetoe) in the semifinal. The winners went on to become champions after beating Northcross School by a goal in the final.

"We're not as strong as last year's team but we always go to try to win it," she says of last year's side, who finished fourth.

This year's outfit started as an all-girl outfit, but four months before the tourney someone pulled out so they recruited a boys team netballer.

"He did not have much game time but when he did he was awesome," says Kupa-Petera, revealing the boy had thought he was going to be a shooter but was employed as a centre instead.

Two players from last year, daughter/GD Paris Petera and centre Renee Karaitiana made this year's tourney team.

She says "it's a shame" goal shoot Etana Luki (80-95 per cent) missed out.

Kupa-Petera saluted her netballers for playing 11 40-minute games over five days, including two on the opening day.