On the eve of the final day of the 2023 HART Senior State Titles, Hunter netballers are well-placed to reap the spoils at the prestigious tournament.
More than 2,500 players from throughout NSW, representing at least 50 associations, have converged upon Maitland and Newcastle over the June long weekend to vie for glory.
In fact, the event is second only to the Junior State Titles in terms of size and scope.
“Few sports in this country can demonstrate such a display of collective force as netball is doing in Maitland and Newcastle,” Netball NSW chair Sallianne Faulkner said.
“The State Titles showcase the best that netball has to offer at community level.
“While we are enthralled by the athleticism and role models of our NSW Swifts and Giants at Suncorp Super Netball level, none of that is possible without what we’re witnessing in the Hunter.
“Netball NSW would like to thank the Maitland District Netball Association and Newcastle District Netball Association, and their respective councils, for their efforts to bring the event to life.”
In the opens championship, Newcastle sits atop the ladder with 11 wins, a loss and a draw, closely followed by local rivals Maitland in third (11-2-0), Charlestown in fourth (11-2-0) and Callaghan District in sixth (8-5-0).
Division two sees Westlakes District in fifth (8-4-0), Lakeside in 12th (4-7-1) and Kurri Kurri in 18th (0-12-0).
Nelson Bay (10-1-1) is placed second in division three, ahead of Singleton in fourth (7-3-2) and Cessnock in fifth (5-6-1).
In the under-17 championship, Newcastle currently lies seventh with a 6-4-2 win-loss-draw record.
Cessnock (10-2-0) is third in division two, in front of Charlestown in sixth (8-4-0), Callaghan District in ninth (7-5-0), Maitland in 12th (5-6-1) and Lakeside in 16th (1-10-1).
In division three, Muswellbrook (12-1-0) has booked in third spot, from Kurri Kurri in fourth (11-2-0), Nelson Bay in 12th (5-8-0), Port Stephens in 18th (1-11-1) and Singleton in 20th (1-11-1).
Newcastle remains in the hunt in the under-15 championship, at ninth.
In division two, Callaghan District (12-0-0) leads the pack from Lakeside in third (9-2-0), Charlestown in fourth (9-2-0), Westlakes District in 11th (3-8-0) and Maitland in 15th (2-8-1).
It’s a similar story in division three, with Cessnock (11-1-0) heading the points table, with Scone & District in second (10-1-1), Muswellbrook in 11th (5-6-1) and Singleton in 18th (0-12-0).
In division four, Kurri Kurri (11-1-0) boasts second place, ahead of Port Stephens in seventh (6-5-1).
Meanwhile, Newcastle finished fifth in the opens male championship, securing five victories, while Charlestown (third – 10-4-0), Lakeside (fifth – 5-9-0) and Kurri Kurri (sixth – 5-9-0) played strongly in division two.
And, in an exciting first for the Senior State Titles, Newcastle also took to the court in the all-abilities challenge, knocking over Eastwood Ryde 11-2 and drawing 3-all with Gosford.
Maitland will continue to host the opens (championship), under-15s and under-17s (Div 1 and 2) on Monday 12 June, while Newcastle stages the opens (Div 2 and 3), under-15s and under-17s (Div 3 and 4) at its complex.
HART Senior State Titles Hunter representatives:
- Opens (championship): Callaghan District, Charlestown, Maitland, Newcastle
- Opens (division two): Kurri Kurri, Lakeside, Westlakes District
- Opens (division three): Cessnock, Nelson Bay, Singleton
- Under-17s (championship): Newcastle
- Under-17s (division two): Callaghan District, Cessnock, Charlestown, Lakeside, Maitland
- Under-17s (division three): Kurri Kurri, Muswellbrook, Nelson Bay, Port Stephens, Singleton
- Under-15s (championship): Newcastle
- Under-15s (division two): Callaghan District, Charlestown, Lakeside, Maitland, Westlakes District
- Under-15s (division three): Cessnock, Muswellbrook, Scone & District, Singleton
- Under-15s (division four): Kurri Kurri, Port Stephens
- Open men’s (division one): Newcastle
- Open men’s (division two): Charlestown, Kurri Kurri, Lakeside
- All-abilities: Newcastle
HART Senior State Titles: Photos: Rod Thompson
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