Bash gains momentum
On a perfect day for beach volleyball, a good field of competitive and recreational beach volleyballers gathered on the Kaiteriteri Beach lagoon area for the 2013 Kaiteriteri Beach Bash.
The lagoon area, while being tide dependent, was probably the best playing venue in the Tasman area for the quality and expanse of the sand, said Tasman Volleyball Association regional manager Allan Brodie.
The pleasing feature of this year’s tournament was the number of visitor teams taking part.
The tournament has purposely been set at this time of the year to encourage holiday-makers to become involved.
With a third of this year’s teams coming from outside Nelson, the tournament is starting to gain momentum.
In the men’s pairs, top seeds Andrew Laing and Jack Robb of Waimea went through the roundrobin competition without dropping a set, winning the final match 25-22 over Brent McGlashen and Tomaash Cernik of MotuekaMarahau. The third-placed team consisted of Waimea College students Jacob King and Nikau Webster.
The women’s pairs competition drew a small but quality field, with Janne Wurl, a German visitor, pairing with Katie Crawford of Blenheim to take out the title. Wurl and Crawford won two sets (21-15 21-19) to nil in the final over Kylie Taikato and Sofia Johnston of Mapua.
The fours competition drew good fields for both the competitive and social grades, with team Mot Hops taking out the competitive division with a 25-16 win over reigning champions Marahau Magic to earn bragging rights for the next 12 months.
Team Wilson of Nelson triumphed in the social division with a 15-9, 15-4 win over the Mot Stars.