The 2022 Hunter HART Regional League took place over 2 weekends at Maitland Basketball Stadium with 15 teams from across the Hunter/Central Coast Region representing 11 Associations across 3 Divisions.
In Division 3, all 5 teams were closely matched with tight score lines during the minor rounds on Day 1. By the end of the day Callaghan were on top of the ladder by 2 points, with Singleton, Kurri Kurri and Woy Woy all on equal points, separated only by for and against and Port Stephens sitting in 5th place.
Finals day saw close games in the both Semi-Finals between Callaghan defeating Woy Woy, and Singleton defeating and Kurri Kurri to head into the Grand Final.
Callaghan went into the Grand Final with only 7 players. Following an injury during the match leaving only 6 on court for Callaghan, Singleton overpowered them and took out the match 48 to 37.
The recent flooding has seen Singleton Netball Association unable to access their Clubhouse and their courts were fully submerged under water. The win was a welcome triumph after a tough week.
In Division 2, Charlestown Opens dominated the minor rounds undefeated followed by Newcastle who only lost the one game. Westlakes and Lakeside followed in respective 3rd and 4th positions with Charlestown 17s coming in 5th place.
The top 4 teams returned to Finals Day with some big score lines in the semi finals games. In the end it was our top two ladder positions who dominated with Charlestown Opens and Newcastle going head-to-head in the Grand Final. In a hotly contested showdown, it was Newcastle with only 7 players coming up with the win from Charlestown Opens 48-40.
Division 1, saw the top 5 strongest teams from the Hunter/Central Coast battle it out to be the Hunter Regional League Champion. Again, we saw some close score lines during the minor round games, with the quality and skill of players reaching another level. Callaghan were promoted to Division 1 after winning Division 2 in 2021, however with the effects of late illness and injury of some players this left the team finishing in 5th position following minor rounds. Reigning Champions Newcastle coached by Trude Yen were once again a force coming away undefeated in minor rounds with strong wins against all teams.
Returning for Finals saw Newcastle with a convincing win against Maitland, placing them in the Grand Final while Wyong and Woy Woy battled it out in a grand final worthy match themselves, in the end Wyong held the lead sending them to the Grand Final.
The Division 1 Grand Final was a repeat of 2021, with Newcastle versus Wyong. A solid 60 minutes of netball was played with neither team making it easy for the other. With minimal training sessions prior to the competition for either team, the natural skill of all players taking the court was evident. Once again Newcastle dominated the game coming away with the win 60- 32 and are again crowned Hunter HART Regional League Champions.
During the Hunter HART Regional League Competition coaches were mentored by Kirstie Fuller who provided feedback and learning for our coaches. We thank Kirstie for sharing her exceptional experience and knowledge to help develop the regions coaches.
Selectors for the Hunter Regional State Cup team Nat Hilder, Julie Fox and Jade Nichols also viewed around 100 eligible athletes for a position in the Hunter Regional Team, who will compete at the Regional State Cup in October at Netball Central.
HART Regional League is not possible without Team White umpires officiating the matches over the 2 days. Thank you to those umpires and a special thanks to the Regional Allocations Team of Monique Smith (Head), Kath Styant and Lauren Hill for your efforts of allocating and mentoring the umpires. A big congratulations to Amelia Carty who was awarded her National B Badge during the competition.
It was a big weekend of netball for the Hunter/Central Coast with many players, umpires, coaches and Association Executives attending multiple events taking place throughout the region. The Hunter Carnival at Charlestown took place on the Saturday and featured the Hunter Netball Metro League team in an exhibition match. Central Coast Heart hosted exhibition matches at the Niagara Park Stadium, the evening featured the Central Coast Heart Premier League teams taking the court against UTS Randwick Sparks in the main event. Also taking the court were the Central Coast Academy of Sport and Hunter Academy of Sport teams and the youngsters from the Foundation Waratah’s program. The big weekend of Netball in the Hunter region finished the weekend with the HART Regional League at Maitland. All these events showcased the talent and pathways available within our region and the depth of volunteers who make these events possible.
