Here is another Christchurch Chronicle, coming from Cathy Cadieux:

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Good morning Canada,

It was a long day of competition for the Canada Avalanche at the 2003 New Zealand
National Championships.  With games at 11:00am, 3:00pm and 5:45pm, it was a tired group of athletes that arrived back at the Garden Hotel at around 7:15pm.  It should be a good night's sleep for everyone.

It wasn't a great day on court today with the Team losing two out of three games.  In the first game of the day against the number one team at the tournament, Canterbury, the team came out flat and again made a number of unforced errors, from which they could not recover.  The experienced, controlled Canterbury team that included Dan Buckingham, Tim Johnson, Gerry Tinker and Bill Oughton outclassed the Canadians in the first half of the game.  The Avalanche posted a much better result in the second half, but the damage was done and the game ended with a 46-37 loss.

It second game action, a combination of questionable calls and a couple of unforced errors left the Canadian team one goal short at the end of the fourth quarter in the game against Auckland.  With a five goal deficit at the end of the third quarter, the team showed determination and a lot of heart in the fourth quarter, tieing the game with a minute, 24 seconds to go.  With possession, the Kiwis drew a foul, which effectively ended the game at 36-35.

In the final game of the day, Canada took out their frustrations on the unsuspecting
Waikato team.  This was a much better game for Coach Labrecque and company, with the physical conditioning of the Canadian squad apparent.  The Avalanche buried Waikato with speed and endurance.  The game finished at 49-32 for Canada.

Canada faces a rematch with Canterbury tomorrow morning at 11:30am.  If the team plays to its potential, it should be a very tight match and could go either way.

More tomorrow from sunny Christchurch!