Beach volleyball: Top pair likely to miss first round

Kirk Pitman (left) and Jason Lochhead. Photo / Bay News

With many international pairings arriving in the country only this weekend, the field for the Mairangi Bay beach volleyball tournament may not be as strong as the series' later events.

Top men's pairing Kirk Pitman and Jason Lochhead will sit out this weekend as they have just got back into training after returning from the world tour. All going to plan, Pitman and Lochhead will play in the Karapiro event before turning their attention to the New Zealand Open in their home tournament at Mt Maunganui.

Pitman was instrumental in bringing the event to the Mount, which is often recognised as the home of New Zealand beach volleyball. The event represents ideal preparation for the 2011 world tour, critical in their build-up towards achieving qualification for the 2012 Olympics.

"Having the open tournament in the Mount allows Jason and I to train in our home town for summer with some of the best international players on the world tour," said Pitman.

With him and Lochhead watching from the sidelines this weekend, the men's favourites are the tournament top seeds Edwin O'Dea and Brendan Heath, and O'Dea's younger siblings Ben and Sam, who are teaming up together this season after some success on the Asian Tour.

This year's tour will be without New Zealand's number-one ranked women's player, Susan Blundell, who is taking a year out from the sport as she recovers from minor ankle and knee surgeries.