Gateball
Kew Croquet Club
Gateball is a mallet sport similar to croquet. It is a fast-paced, non-contact, highly strategic team game, which can be played by anyone regardless of age or gender. Although relatively new in Australia, it is played by millions of people throughout Asia and South America.
Kew triumphs over adversity to win 2022 National Gateball Championship
Neither COVID delays nor unusually long grass could hold back the Kew team at the 2022 National Gateball Championship. The contest was held April first to third on the Gold Coast. Kew won all nine games they played, including an eventual 11-9 triumph in the final over a strong Southport side.
The Kew team had been beaten grand finalists at the previous National championship in 2019 and their captain had plotted a course to go one better in the next contest. However, 2020 and 2021 were not the smooth years of training and improvement originally envisaged. COVID restrictions frequently prevented the team from practising and from attending tournaments beforehand. Indeed, COVID delayed the National Championship by six months.
So it was with an air of heady freedom that the team embarked on the tournament. Unlike previous years, the tournament was held at a multi-purpose facility with excellent amenities, but uneven lawns with very long grass. The difficult lawns meant non-standard tactics were rewarded, with success found by the teams best able to adapt to gateball played on such an unusual surface.
Unreliable lawns also meant depth of talent in a team became a major factor. Here Kew excelled, with all team members playing to a very high standard and different players coming to the fore at different times.
After a moderate start involving close wins over weaker teams, Kew hit their straps on the second morning, playing as best as could be done in the conditions. Kew beat a strong Canberra side in the block stage before winning a semi-final over the Toronto Macs and the grand final over Southport Red.
The Australian Gateball Championships have been held on eleven occasions, generally every two years, and the win by Kew is only the third time that an Australian based club has won.
For more information, go to Gateball Australia at https://gateball.com.au/wordpress/ or Kew Croquet Club at https://croquetvic.asn.au/clubpage.php?clubnameclicked=Kew
North Box Hill Tennis Club: a club for all abilities and ages
Lynn Heath
North Box Hill Tennis Club is a friendly club catering for players of all levels for social or competition play. The club has six porous courts with four under lights. We embrace diversity and welcome people from all backgrounds and cultures.
The club’s setting in the beautiful surrounds of Frank Sedgman Reserve is perfect, with no traffic noise to distract classes. Plenty of free parking, plus a comfortable clubhouse with a wide verandah, make it enjoyable for parents, too.
The clubhouse provides disabled access and facilities. A playground is nearby. There is even a convenient bus stop in Station Street that leads to a path that follows the freeway reserve to the club, just a very short walk.
The club offers social tennis at various times plus night and weekend competitions. The club’s coach, Ian Peter-Budge, encourages and nurtures his students of all abilities and ages.
North Box Hill Tennis Club’s juniors featured in the finals of the ESTA junior competition on 23 and 24 March. Five teams played overall, with four reaching finals. Open Rubbers Section 29 won their grand final in a nail-biting match, where a 7/5 win in the opening doubles and a tie-break in the final singles rubber decided the outcome.
Take the time to visit us at 24 Elizabeth Street, Box Hill North. It’s a lovely family friendly environment where everyone is welcome. Also, check us out at https://play.tennis.com.au/northboxhilltennisclub. The club president, Dallas Newton can be contacted on 0401 990 013 and the secretary, Mark Langdon on 0419 560 506.
Lynn Heath is Past-President and Life Member North Box Hill Tennis Club