Table Tennis Wellington

By Malcolm Wong

The Hutt Valley Women’s Team won the NZ Women’s A Grade Teams (Herbert G Teagle Memorial Challenge Shield) for the first time at the NZ Championships held in Timaru (1997).

 v Southland 1      won 7-2
 v South Canterbury won 7-2
 v Composite 2      won 7-2
 v Composite 1      won 5-3
 v Canterbury       won 5-4
 v Canterbury (Final) won 5-2 

Singles averages:

Sabine Westenra (Belmont)    14/15  93%
Tracey McLauchlan (Waterloo) 10/14  71%
Melissa Beazer (Waterloo)    8/14   57%
Averil Roberts (Belmont)     4/8    50% 

In the Individual events Tracey won the Under 21 Women Singles and Doubles (with Melissa Beazer) and the Under 19 Girls Singles and Doubles (with Melissa Beazer). Melissa Beazer won the Under 19 Mixed Doubles (with Jason Ng, Auckland). Averil Roberts (Hutt Valley President) won the Over 35 and 45 Women Doubles (with Val Beaver (Counties Manukau).

In the Under 19 A Grade Girls Teams, Hutt Valley (Tracey McLauchlan, Melissa Beazer, Belinda Beazer and Aroha Tam – all Waterloo) won all their matches. They beat Auckland in the final 5-2.

In 1999 Hutt Valley (Tracey McLauchlan, Sabine Westenra, Diana White, Raewyn Young) again won the NZ Womens A Grade Teams in Palmerston North. They defeated Auckland 5-4 in the final.

In 1997: Averil Roberts, Sabine Westenra,
Tracey McLauchlan, Melissa Beazer

In 1975 The Hutt Valley Men’s Team (Gary Murphy, Terry Murphy, Hone Ridley, Murray Borlase) won the NZ Men’s A Grade Teams (Kean Challenge Shield) for the first and only time in Christchurch. In a round robin (6 teams) they had 4 wins and 1 loss which was the same as Franklin. As Hutt Valley had beaten Franklin they won the A Grade.

Information for this report came from the 1997 Hutt Valley Table Tennis Association Annual Report, 1975 and 1999 TTNZ Annual Report and the TTNZ Website.