Crowds enjoy sports complex opening

Up to 1000 netball players and supporters turned out to witness the start of a new chapter in the Bay of Islands' sporting history.
Saturday saw the opening of the $3.15 million Kerikeri Sports Complex, at the corner of the Heritage Bypass and Waipapa Rd, and the first day of competition in the 2010 netball season.
The first to take to the new courts were 35 junior teams from around the Bay of Islands and the Mid North, followed in the afternoon by players from Year 9 to adults.
 Minister Sid Kingi and Bloss Silich led a blessing of the complex and Far North Mayor Wayne Brown shot the first goal.
Then the junior players paraded around the nine brand-new courts, many with banners and facepaint, to mark the occasion.
Mr Brown said he was pleased to see the two major sporting codes, netball and rugby, sharing facilities and getting on so well.
He congratulated the council's district facilities manager, Sue Hodge, and her staff for taking a "big, messy paddock" and turning it into a sports facility that towns many times bigger than Kerikeri would envy.
Seven-year-old Anna Yarrall, from Paihia School's Dolphins,
was one of many playing competitive netball for the first time on Saturday.
She played soccer last year but wanted to switch to a girls' sport. She was impressed by the sheer number of courts at the new
complex.
"They're pretty cool," Anna said.
Kerikeri Netball Centre president Dot Dromgool estimated 1000 players, supporters and parents had turned out for the first morning's action.

"We're absolutely rapt with the way it's turned out. We've never had facilities of our own before. All the kids are really, really excited."
Among the special guests on Saturday were former Silver Ferns captain and coach Lyn Gunson, of Whangarei, and her mother Raima Gunson, who captained the first team to represent Northland.
Ms Dromgool said the fact Raima's daughter had gone on to lead the Silver Ferns showed how important it was that mums got involved in coaching.
She was grateful to the council for providing the new complex, and said it had already boosted the number of netball players by a few hundred.

Schoolchildren as young as Year 1 could now join up, whereas the cut-off used to be Year 4.
In the past the club had leased courts at Kerikeri High School.
While the courts, toilets and canteen were ready on Saturday, the rest of the complex is a bare shell. Once building work is complete, the clubs will be responsible for the fit-out.

Space has been left to build up to four squash courts if funding can be found.