National golf croquet competition: Taranaki rivals of past meet again on the field

Te Kiri King, 20 (left), and Joel Steele, 21, both received bronze medals at the Under-21 Golf Croquet World Championships earlier this year. Photo/ Alyssa Smith

Two golf croquet players who started at the same south Taranaki croquet club met again at a national competition.

Former Hāwera Park Croquet Club member, Joel Steele, 21, who now lives in Hawkes Bay, and Park Croquet member Te Kiri King, 20, faced off at the recent Croquet New Zealand Under-21 Golf Croquet Championships.

Joel moved to Hawke’s Bay two years ago and now works as a farm manager.

He recently won the doubles event at the championships.

He says he and his partner, Levi Franks from Canterbury, came up against Te Kiri and his partner, Australian under-21 champion Curtis Mead, in the semifinal knock-out.

“It seems I’m always meeting Te Kiri in competitions. It’s pretty fifty-fifty. I win some and then he wins some. Luck was on my side at the competition.”

He came against Te Kiri again in the top eight singles knock-out before advancing to the finals.

Joel Steele, 21, won the doubles event with Levi Franks at the Croquet New Zealand Under-21 Golf Croquet Championships. Photo / Alyssa Smith

“After three days of play, I met up with Levi or the finals. He ended up winning the event. I think that’s one of the first times in that competition where a pair have ended up facing against each other in finals of the singles event.”

The two also competed in the Under-21 Golf Croquet World Championships earlier in the year, where both won bronze medals.

Te Kiri, who is a learning assistant at Tawhiti Primary School, says the two events were the last time he and Joel could compete in the under-21 category.

“The worlds was a cool experience. I liked playing against people from different countries who I would have never played against.”

Joel says he and Te Kiri started at the Hāwera Park Croquet Club at the same time and were both coached by Gerald Allen.

“We have a lot to thank him for. He’s done a lot for us. He’s kept us in the game and encouraged us the whole way.”

Both Te Kiri and Joel are now working towards selection for the worlds competition in November at the end of the year.