The weekend of February 26-27, 2022, was a memorable one for New Zealand handball fans. The Pioneer Stadium Beach Court in Christchurch hosted the much-anticipated National Beach Handball Championships.
There were three Grades (categories) – Men, Women, and Mixed. Four Men’s and five Women’s teams participated. The Mixed event was the most popular, with seven teams taking part. Sadly, some teams had to pull out owing to their team members testing Covid positive.
This was the second edition of the games – they were first held in 2021. The competition had a simple format. First, each team played every other team in a league format. The two teams with the highest points then played in the final.
The final of the Men’s event featured a repeat of last year’s finalists – the Parrots (Wellington) and Pekapeka (Canterbury). It was a thrilling match, with the Parrots winning the first half 21-4, but Pekapeka bouncing back to take the second 12-6. The Parrots won the resulting shoot-out 9-6 to win the title.
The same clubs, the Parrots Shawtys and the Pekapeka Women, also made it to the Women’s finals. Here again, the Parrots won the first half 11-8, but Pekapeka came back strongly to win the second half 11-10 to force a tie-breaker. The Parrots clinched the shoot-out 4-2 and won.
For spectators, the mixed event was the most exciting. Two or more women from each team always had to be on the field. The two Wellington teams, the Parrots Mixed 1 and 2, contested the finals. This match also came down to the wire, with the Parrots Mixed 2 team finally prevailing in a shoot-out.
It was an enjoyable experience for players and fans alike. Kudos to the NZ Handball Federation for conducting the championships flawlessly in trying circumstances. We can’t wait for the 2023 Championships!
