I would like to offer my apologies for not being here in person to present this report but duty calls.
It has been a good year for Wellington Pétanque as we continue to close the gap on Auckland. I believe that the structure of Wellington Pétanque provides for players of all levels of ability. It is important that we continue to recognize that the needs among our pétanque fraternity are diverse and that these needs are catered for at either club, regional or national level.
Our representation at a national level is probably stronger off the piste than on with Graeme Morris, Barbara Whittington and Brian Smith all on the NZPA executive. The national publication has been revitalised thanks to the efforts of Brenda Dykes. These people are active in promoting the interests of the WPA at a national level.
On the playing side of things we still have a Wellington Pétanquer as a National Titleholder in singles. This championship is being held in Wellington this year so hopefully we will be able to claim the "home" advantage and retain this. I believe that we need to encourage more of our membership to compete at a national level to continue to raise the standard of the game in Wellington. Daphne and Janet's comprehensive demolition of the No. 1 seed at the recent indoor event at Clareville demonstrates that any team on any given day...
The effort that Brian puts into recording results throughout the country has been invaluable to the success of tournament organisation both regionally and nationally. The reliability of the system certainly shows through in the overall results. The benefits of the seedings are just beginning to show as the 2 year cycle is completed.
The range and format of tournaments that we have in Wellington is wonderful and meets the needs of our players whether they be social players or competitive. I would like to thank all the tournament organisers from the clubs for offering such a range of matches.
I would again like to acknowledge the mountain of work Brian does in organising the regional tournaments. It can be a thankless task but Brian displays such a level of commitment to ensure the tournaments run smoothly.
The Jacques Cochonnet Trophy has been a really successful innovation and keenly contested on all occasions.
Our Winter League format has been adapted to include a singles series and I am hopeful that next season it will also include a triples championship. This will then truely reflect the strength and depth of clubs throughout the region. This format, encourages participation from all abilities and helps to build club identity. The participation aspect prohibits a limit being placed on the number of teams a club can enter. This can create some issues in the second and subsequent round as the pools are based on results and club teams may end up playing each other. Is this really an issue?
Having our regional championships prior to the nationals is a good move as they follow the same format and they assist teams to iron out any rough areas. The indoor facility at Clareville also opens up opportunities both regionally and nationally. The innovative thinking by the Masterton Club will benefit us all.
I want to thank all members of the WPA for their contribution to the growth of Pétanque in Wellington. As a growing organisation we are bound to experience some areas of difficulty and conflict. Each situation that we encounter is alearning one for us all. If we believe in each other and trust that we are all working towards the same objective i.e. the promotion and improvement of Pétanque locally and nationally, then we will find solutions for all our challenges.
Enjoy your meeting, see you on Sunday for Round Two!
Regards
Dirk Winnie