Mid Canterbury Netball’s ACL Premier competition will get under way for 2023 on Thursday night.

Kicking off the night in ACL Premier 1 will be the teams that just missed out on last year’s final, Methven Wareings and Hampstead Ray White A, before Southern A take on 2022’s beaten finalists United KFC A, and Mt Somers Victory Lime A start their season by taking on last year’s champions Celtic Auric Electrical A.

With more than one team welcoming back only one or two players from 2022 though, it’s anyone’s guess who will be there at the business end of the season in 2023.

In ACL Premier 2 the season will also start with last year’s beaten semi-finalists facing off again, with Celtic Darryl Phillips Motor Company B playing Rakaia ProShear, before College’s A and B teams battle it out, and last year’s premier 2 champions Allenton A take on Methven EuroAgri in the last game of the night.

In ACL Premier 3 College Y10A will play Methven Shearmac Aluminium in the first game of the night, before the other Methven team in premier 3 – Methven Garage Gym – play Hampstead Ray White B. The last game of the first round of ACL Premier 3 will see a second Hampstead team – Hampstead Ray White C – take on a Rakaia Seed Cleaning team making its ACL Premier debut.

Games will be played at 6.15pm, 7.15pm and 8.15pm at the EA Networks Centre, and the ACL Premier netball season will run over a total of 17 weeks, comprising of three full rounds with promotion/relegation games between, then semi-finals and finals.

Meanwhile, Mid Canterbury Netball’s Midlands year 3 and 4 netball will also get under way this week at the EA Networks Centre. Those games are played on Friday afternoons.

Saturday will also be the first day of the Ashburton New World junior youth netball season, and the senior youth netball competition, sponsored by KFC Ashburton and Bellissimo Day Spa. All teams year 7-8 and up will start their season with two grading games of two 10-minute halves, while the year 5-6 teams will all go straight in to their normal length games – four 8 minute quarters.

Mid Canterbury Netball’s social grades – sponsored by Neumanns Tyres, Jennian Homes, Sidekick and TSG The Lock Shop - will start next week, on Wednesday 3 May. They will also start with two weeks of grading.

This Wednesday night all social teams are required to send a representative along to a NetballSmart education night, which is being put on by Mid Canterbury Netball to ensure all social teams know the best way to warm up this season, and hopefully prevent the number of injuries that occur, particularly early in the season.

The NetballSmart education night is also open to players and coaches from other teams, and they can register by going online here: https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/232131

Article added: Monday 24 April 2023