Japan stamp class at Waikato Open

As the Tour moved inland, the teams were able to take a break from the wind, with Lake Karapiro, usually reserved for New Zealand’s rowing finest came alive with beach volleyball players from around the country and the world.

Day One had pool play completed with the only upset being Hayley Griffiths and Alex Lawrence seeded third in their pool to overcome rivals Bex Story and Dani Tuagalu to evict them from the quarter-final playoffs. With New Zealand’s top men’s team taking a well-earned break from the tour, second seed Hartles and Morunga were favourites to make it to the final.

However, the young pairing of Taraunga Thomas Reid and Canadian Jake MacNeil had another agenda and managed to take the win over Hartles and Morunga in straight two sets, sending them home. This would be the first semi- final encounter for Reid and MacNeil. Tame Malcolm and Griffin Muller found the great form they had been searching for all season and defeated Rene Kapa and Morgan Seymour to make their first final of the Tour.

The final was an intense battle between clinical Japan and Malcolm / Muller. Japan narrowly took the first set, which saw Malcolm and Muller come back fighting convincingly and taking the second set. The crowd was watching this intense battle with great delight. The third set was so close until Japan had a late run, coming away with their third win in the Tour 15-10.

Meanwhile, the women’s side of the draw was more true to form with New Zealand’s top seeding Julia Tilley and Shaunna Polley meeting Japan in the final. Once again Japan took the first set, and with a repeat of the first two tour events, Tilley and Polley scrambled for every ball and deservedly won the second set. Their efforts in the second set left them exhausted and Japan came out firing, winning the third set, to go up 3-0 in the Tour.

The final leg of the New Zealand Open Tour closes out on Auckland’s North Shore this weekend, at the purpose built courts of Mairangi Bay.

After a week’s break the New Zealand Beach Volleyball Pro Tour will commence with the Tour heading to Hutt City on January 29.