By
FLGOFF Fiona Harris
IT
HAS taken 25 years, but the Australian Defence Force Basketball
Association (ADFBA) has finally taken the basketball Tri- Series
title from the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).
The ADF men’s and women’s basketball teams have returned victorious
from their recent 16-day tour of New Zealand with a clean sweep
over the Kiwis – the women winning all six games and the men winning
six out of seven games.
Both teams squared away the three-game test series in front of
appreciative crowds. Sergeant Hayley Hall captained the women’s
team that brought together eight new players for national representation.
SGT Hall said the standard of basketball achieved was a credit
to all involved considering the limited training time together
as a team and that the majority of players had not played together
prior to the tour. The head coach of the men and women’s teams,
Warrant Officer 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, though
the ADF women’s skill, fitness, morale, team work, game plan and
team defence excelled in all games,” WOFF Kearney said.
This is the second international tour where the women’s team has
been undefeated, the other being the tour of the United Kingdom
in 1998.
Squadron Leader Tharren Kingston- lee, the assistant coach to
the women, said the women showed maturity on the court and a strong
sense of team to completely dominate the opposition.
The men played in seven games on tour, winning six and losing
one game to a New Zealand National League team by a small margin.
Highlights were many and the test series against the NZDF was
a no- holds-barred competition.
The men’s team, led by Corporal Ken Robertson, was said to be
the best ADFBA men’s team put together for many years. Their star-studded
line up included the likes of the National Basketball League’s
1992 Rookie of the Year, Private Lachlan Armfield.
Coach 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 men’s coach Dean Burke said the depth on the bench showed
in the later stages of games when all players were given a run.
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FLGOFF
Craig Searle aims for a dunk in the first men’s game between
ADF and NZDF.
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FLGOFF
Fiona Harris makes a drive for the hoop.
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Navy’s
Narelle Ponder defends strongly against her NZ attacker.
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Photos
by AC Brad Hanson, NZDF
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How we played the games
| June
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Women |
ADF |
95 |
 |
NZ
Police |
29 |
| Men |
ADF |
112 |
|
NZ
Police |
85 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| June
14 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Women |
ADF |
60 |
|
Manawatu
3 |
47 |
| Men |
ADF |
136 |
|
Wanganui
3 |
59 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| June
15 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Women |
ADF |
64 |
|
Wanganui
3 |
37 |
| Men |
ADF |
106 |
|
Manawatu
2 |
104 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| June
17 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Men |
Manawatu
Jets 1 |
92 |
|
ADF |
79 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| June
19 - first test |
|
|
|
|
|
| Women |
ADF |
80 |
|
NZDF |
44 |
| Men |
ADF |
112 |
|
NZDF |
56 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| June
21 - second test |
|
|
|
|
|
| Women |
ADF |
64 |
|
NZDF |
43 |
| Men |
ADF |
126 |
|
NZDF |
74 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| June
23 - third test |
|
|
|
|
|
| Women |
ADF |
77 |
|
NZDF |
45 |
| Men |
ADF |
103 |
|
NZDF |
55 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Air
Force Representatives
|
|
ACW
Karen Herbert
|
LACW Heather Edwards
|
LAC Dean Hill
|
|
SGT Janeter Turnbull
|
FLTLT
Megan Hurley
|
CPL Andrew Peate
|
|
LACW Danni Stone
|
FLGOFF
Fiona Harris
|
CPL Ken Robertson
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