The Hunter River Times

BY ALEX TIGANI

This week our region celebrated International Women’s Day which has been globally recognised by the United Nations since 1977 to commemorate the social, economic, cultural and political impact of women.

On a much smaller scale, we decided to commence our sports section with the gathering of two separate generations of sportswomen in Singleton.

Each Saturday at 1pm, the Howe Park Tennis Club opens its gates to members of the Howe Park Croquet Club.

When weather is not extreme, a group of elderly residents congregate for the mallet sport which featured in the 1900 Paris Olympics.

Ironically, this was the first Olympic Games which allowed female participants.

Only four members were able to attend the court on Saturday, February 25 which inspired The Hunter River Times to recruit some of Singleton’s rising stars of the sporting world for a surprise game.

Tazma Upward (rugby league) was on hand to represent the Singleton Greyhounds.

Only days earlier, the second rower and her Singleton teammates Lilly-Jane Williams and Jessica Borg made headlines when they were selected in the Lisa Fiola Squad.

Clare Watson (football) also accepted our invitation in this celebrity match.

She has made an impact at the Singleton Strikers as a junior midfielder, coach and referee.

Their invitation was a pleasant surprise for Howe Park Croquet Club’s stars Robyn Schmierer, Betty Knight and Lois Brooker who were on hand that afternoon.

Upward, 16, teamed up with Schmierer while Watson, 14, combined forces with Brooker.

Watson’s accuracy on the football pitch transferred smoothly when scoring some early hoops as ‘Team Strikers’ captured an early 3-2 lead.

Schmierer brought some momentum back into the match and then ‘Team Greyhounds’ captured a short 5-4 lead before scores were level again after the next hoop.

Such was the excitement, Knight had set up an adjacent game for the girls’ onlooking family members.

So, who won the game you may ask, Team Strikers or Team Greyhounds?

The result of the clash was irrelevant.

What mattered most was that a fine amount of teamwork was on display from each pair as Tazma and Claire’s patience and strategies from their respective footy codes transferred with ease to croquet.

Both junior talents thanked the Croquet ladies before heading home to enjoy the rest of the weekend.

The club’s members thanked the girls in return for their surprise visit.

“The sport is fun, social and it keeps your mind active,” Schmierer told The Hunter River Times.

“New members are always welcome,” Brooker concluded.

This edition’s sports section has been dedicated to all those who celebrated International Women’s Day held on Wednesday, March 8.