Eight teams have got their campaigns off to the perfect start to remain unbeaten after the opening day of the NetballSmart Netball NZ Open Champs at the Christchurch Netball Centre, Ng膩 Puna Wai, on Wednesday.
An integral part of the domestic calendar and important step in the high performance pathway, the Open Champs is netball鈥檚 oldest competition with teams competing for the 91色情片 Cup which was first played for in 1926.
Showcasing a mix of promising up-and-coming talent with a sprinkling of well-known faces, who have ANZ Championship experience, those who have gained exposure in the Synergy Hair Netball League (SHNL) and newcomers, the Open Champs put provincial pride on the line while offering career-boosting opportunities for others.
The 20 competing teams, three more than last year, are spread across four pools of five teams apiece, with the first two days consisting of a round robin format in the respective pools.
Wait膩kere, Manawatu Green, Counties Manukau, Dunedin, Christchurch Whero, Wellington, North Harbour and Tauranga all got through the first day with unblemished records which also threw up the odd surprise.
In Pool A, Wait膩kere posted a convincing 52-25 win over Invercargill before prevailing 54-44 over Christchurch Pango after being pushed a little harder. Manawatu Green have a history of causing the upset and were true to form when slipping past defending champions Hamilton City 40-39 while finishing their day with a handsome 58-38 win over Invercargill.
Counties Manukau, with their well-rounded team, including established personnel in shooters Crystal Maro and Jaelin Tulikaki, rangy defender Lili Tokaduadua and midcourter Tori Kolose, showcased their credentials with impressive 70-21 and 68-28 wins over Rotorua and Kerikeri, respectively, in Pool B.
They were matched by Dunedin, who accounted for South Canterbury 64-38 and Rotorua 66-26.
Christchurch Whero and Wellington took the spoils in a heavyweight Pool C. Kicking off their campaign against Auckland, who had completed a comprehensive 80-19 win in their opener, came unstuck against the team from the Capital. After trailing for the first three-quarters in a tight contest, Wellington stormed home to pip the Aucklanders 38-37.
Wellington followed up with a 45-33 win over Manurewa. Christchurch Whero, with ANZ Premiership midcourter Parris Peterra, along with a host of players from their title-winning SHNL team in the ranks, delivered polished 63-34 and 88-12 wins over Manurewa and Selwyn Invitational, respectively.
North Harbour and Tauranga completed comfortable doubles to take control of Pool D. Untroubled, North Harbour claimed 53-28 and 61-33 wins over North Canterbury and Taranaki, respectively.
With experienced campaigners, Erena Mikaere, Amy Christophers and Hayley Saunders, along with young gun Reeghan de Bono, it was a similar story for Tauranga, who recorded strong wins over West Coast (79-11) and North Canterbury (53-21).
The top two teams from each pool will advance to Thursday鈥檚 quarter-finals, those top eight being in contention for the title. The middle eight teams will compete for places ninth to 16th and the bottom four for 17th to 20th.
Games consist of four 12-minute quarters with winners collecting four points, two being allocated for a draw and one point for a loss of three goals or less. Each team will play a total of seven games across the four-day tournament.