Sport

Dunked ADF teams net NZ Basketball title Flg-Off Craig Searle goes for the dunk in the first men’s game between ADF and NZDF. Photos by AC Brad Hanson   Flg-Off Fiona Harris makes a drive for the hoop in the third women’s game between ADF and NZDF. By Flg-Off Fiona Harris TWENTY five years since the ADF Basketball Association (ADFBA) last took the title from the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), the ADF men’s and women’s basketball teams scored a clean sweep over the Kiwi’s teams. The tour of New Zealand, conducted over 16 days, included a three-day training camp before competition. Both teams then competed against local NBL and regional representative teams in the lead up to the three-game test series against the NZDF. For the women, Sgt Hayley Hall captained a team that brought together eight new players to national representation. Sgt Hall said victory had been all the more sweet, as the players had very little time to prepare. “Considering the limited training time together as a team and that the majority of players had not played together prior to the tour, the standard of basketball and team cohesion achieved was to the credit of all involved,” she said. Head Coach of the Men and Women’s teams, WOFF Michael Kearney was extremely impressed at the women’s capacity to excel both on and off the court as a team. “They played and won all six games on tour and in all six games the Kiwis played a physical and hard style of basketball,” he said. “The ADF Women’s skill, fitness, morale, team work, game plan and team defence excelled in all games.” This is the second international tour in which the women’s team has been undefeated, the other being the tour of the United Kingdom in 1998. Sqn-Ldr Tharren Kingston-Lee, assistant coach to the women, said they showed maturity on the court and a strong sense of team to completely dominate the opposition. The Men’s team, lead by Cpl Ken Robertson (Air Force), was said to be the best ADFBA Men’s team put together for many years. Their star-studded lineup included the likes of the NBL’s 1992 Rookie of the Year Pte Lachlan Armfield. WOFF Kearney hailed his players for their maturity to recognise others’ strengths. “The teamwork and morale was noticeable from day one at training as the guys took on lesser roles within the team to meet the goal,” he said. Assistant Coach Dean Burke said the team’s depth on the bench showed through in the later stages of the games. The Men played in seven games on tour, winning six and losing one game to an NZ National League team by a small margin. Highlights were many and the test series against the NZDF was a no-holds-barred competition. The winning formula Coach: WOFF Michael Kearney Men Pte Lachlan Armfield Army LAC Dean Hill Air Force LCpl Aaron Marsh Army Lt Andrew Olechnowicz Army Cpl Andrew Peate Air Force Cpl Lucas Telley Army Gnr Graeme Jones Army Lt Michael Wicks Army Capt Andrew Hannan Army Pte Lucas Tanis Army Cpl Ken Robertson Air Force Bdr Terry Veenstra Army Women LS Narelle Ponder Navy ACW Karen Herbert Air Force WO2 Kim Felmingham Army Sgt Hayley Hall Army Sgt Janeter Turnbull Air Force LACW Danni Stone Air Force LACW Heather Edwards Air Force Flt-Lt Megan Hurley Air Force Flg-Off Fiona Harris Air Force Pte Ruth Parker Army Game stats Saturday June 12 Women – ADF 95, NZ Police 29 Men – ADF 112, NZ Police 85 Monday June 14 Women – ADF 60 u Manawatu-3 47 Men – ADF 136, Wanganui-3 59 Tuesday June 15 Women – ADF 64, Wanganui-3 37 Men – ADF 106, Manawatu-2 104 Thursday June 17 Men – Manawatu Jets-1 92, ADF 79 Saturday June 19 – first test Women – ADF 80, NZDF 44 Men – ADF 112, NZDF 56 Monday June 21 – second test Women – ADF 64, NZDF 43 Men – ADF 126, NZDF 74 Wednesday June 23 – third test Women – ADF 77, NZDF 45 Men – ADF 103, NZDF 55