Kuranui College face daunting road to final

Kuranui College face the prospect of a daunting schedule as they challenge for the right to play Celtic in the grand final of the Wairarapa premier one netball competition at the Genesis Recreation Centre in Masterton on Monday, September 7.
Before they get that far, however, they will need to beat Gladstone All Blacks in this Friday night's semi-final at the Genesis Recreation Centre and then from Monday through until next Saturday contest up to 13 matches at the lower North Island secondary schoolgirls championships in Gisborne.
Coach Phillipa Park agrees it is a hard ask for her side but, at the same time, knows they will lack nothing on the score of endeavour.
"They will obviously be a pretty tired lot if we do make the final but you can't fault their attitude and they will give it their best shot," she said.
Kuranui and Gladstone All Blacks have had some close games already this season and Park is anticipating Friday's semi-final being no different.
She and another teacher, Jess Rutherford, are actually eligible to play for Kuranui there and they will be key players, along with the Phillips sisters, Waimarama and Te Ata, both of whom have had the benefit of regional superleague play with Harcourts,
However, doubts still existed yesterday that Kuranui would be at full strength because the Gleeson sisters, Chantelle and Cherisse, are on a school ski trip and might not be back in time.
Should Kuranui make the grand final it will be the second successive year they have achieved that feat and coach Park freely concedes they have already exceeded expectations, having lost many of their 2008 line-up.
"We really did think it might be another season or two before we got this far again so we are rapt with the way things have panned out," she said.
Kuranui are in the B grade section of the lower North Island tournament and have to be some chance of a major placing there after having finished fifth 12 months ago.
Competing in the A grade section are St Matthew's Collegiate and Wairarapa College who finished 16th and 29th respectively last year.