Published on Monday, 30 September 2013 at 12:00:00 AM
The 5th Annual Onslow Basketball Carnival proved to be the biggest and best to date with over 400 players, specatators and officials!
The Carnival, which took place on 14 and 15 Sept 2013, proudly demonstrated the excellent range of skill and good sportsmanship by almost 200 players from around the region.
Teams travelled from all over the North West – Port Hedland, Roebourne, Karratha, Carnarvon and Onslow.
A total of 25 teams registered but due to limited accommodation in Onslow only 19 teams were able to participate in the Carnival:
- 9 x Senior Mens
- 5 x Senior Womens
- 5 x Junior Teams
A great display of skill and good sportsmanship exhibited throughout the weekend, and the event was very well run with a large number of volunteers who contributed to its success.
“We always manage to obtain excellent support from the community which contributes greatly to the smooth running of the carnival,” said event organiser and Community Services Manager for the Shire of Ashburton Peta Hayto.
“Referees were sourced from out of town so as to have neutral officials for the finals games and also to encourage and educate existing and potential local referees.”
Event organisers were delighted to see large numbers of spectators. “We are always amazed at not only the support for the local players but the entourage of followers for the visiting teams” Peta Hayto said.
Grand Final Results
Hedland Pacers, a group of young boys who were playing their first competition as a team put up a great fight against the Wizards team. But the experienced Wizards were a little too good on the day and won the Senior Mens Grand Final by 1 point (26 – 25)
The Senior Womens Grand Final saw the same two teams as last year battle it out again for the trophy and this year the title returned to Onslow with the Onslow Illusions defeating the Lady Mustangs (20 – 17)
Senior Womens winning team: Onslow Illusions
It was the same scenario for the 13 Boys Division where Little Nuggets met the Onslow Bulls again in the Grand Final but the home team yet again defeated the Little Nuggets (15 – 12).
The 13 Girls Division was a battle between the Onslow Girls and Hedlands Little Hornets, Onslow Girls winning the Grand Final (21 – 11).
"It was very rewarding watching the event come together and see the skills and experience of the teams develop over the years. We were very excited and pleased to see the Onslow teams competitive and it was wonderful for three Onslow teams taking out the trophies," said Peta.
"Events like this don’t happen without sponsorship and it is very important for the organisers to ensure that our sponsors are recognised for their contribution to the weekend."
BHP Billiton was the principal sponsor of the weekend and has made significant contributions to the development of basketball over the last few years in Onslow. "We thank them for their ongoing support," said Peta.
Further sponsorship for the carnival was received from Buurabalayji Thalanyji and the Shire of Ashburton.
Photography by Travis Hayto.
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