Racketlon returns to make a racket

Such was the success of a racketlon tournament at Massey University last year, the New Zealand championships are in Manawatu this weekend.

Racketlon is a tournament where players face off in table tennis, badminton, squash and tennis, going from the smallest racket to the largest.

There is a set in each of the four different sports and each game goes to 21 points.

The player with the most points across all four sports wins.

Last year’s competition was a first for Manawatu and organiser Kashif Shuja managed to get the national tournament here this year, on Saturday and Sunday.

The Australian competition was last weekend, so Shuja hoped some would have hung around to come and play in New Zealand.

A couple of New Zealand players, including Jo Shanks and Sion Wiggin, are entered for this weekend.

Last year all four codes were at the rec centre at Massey, but this year the squash courts at Massey are closed, so the squash leg will be at Squashgym Palmerston North.

The international requirement is that all sports have to be at one venue.

Former Mexican Davis Cup tennis player Victor Romero is entered, as are a handful of Manawatu’s top young badminton players, table tennis coach Matt Ball and former touring squash pro Shuja.

There are 40 entries with a men’s singles competition, a smaller women’s grade, a junior boys grade and a junior girls.