Useful double for Hamilton

The Hamilton women’s side will have taken heart from their latest showing in the Northern Volleyball League first division.

The team continued their steady improvement to score two wins on Saturday to move up to a share of third spot on the ladder with Tauranga.

In their opening match, Hamilton fought off a determined challenge to win in five sets over a Harbour Raiders side fielding several national junior representatives. They then saw off hardhitting Auckland club Saints in three straight sets.

Both matches were improvements over early-season efforts by the side which will now move on to the top-five shootout in preparation for August’s club nationals in Waitakere, where they will hope to better their 2012 bronze medal.

The Hamilton men’s side was without some of their usual starters in two losses to South Auckland clubs.

They were competitive against fellow qualification series-bound teams Diamonds and South Auckland, with backup setter Matt Polley playing well in the absence of injured captain and normal setter Tim Kirk.

The team needs a top-two finish among the nine teams in this cut-throat group to make first division at the nationals and have a chance of bettering their 2012 ninth-place finish.

Sparta women were runaway winners of the league, while Sparta men – national finalists for the past four years – won the John Hall Cup by the narrowest of margins when previous leaders Mauao lost the last game of the competition 3-1 to Harbour Raiders.