Friday rally for Mangaia

Mangaia islanders based on Rarotonga are meeting at 5.30pm every Friday at the Avatea School grounds to prepare for the third biannual Mangaia Tri-Series Games to be hosted by Auckland between December 24 and January 8.

The Cook Islands Mangaia group are the current holders of the Jim Marurai Champions Trophy and the weekly training sessions is to ensure that the Cook Islands retains the trophy.

The Cook Islands Mangaia team secured the trophy after winning seven of the sport codes that were contested during the Tri Series here on Rarotonga in 2008-09.

These codes were table tennis, volleyball, golf, soccer, oe vaka, netball and rugby 15s.

The Cook Islands Mangaia contingent of 100 athletes and officials, including 20 athletes from the home island of Mangaia, is expected to travel to New Zealand at the end of the year.

And according to the Mangaia Tri-Series Chairman, Tangi Kauvarevai, they are not travelling to New Zealand for a holiday but rather to retain the Jim Marurai Champions Trophy.

The New Zealand Mangaian Blacks and Ferns won the first two Tri-Series meets and as host for the upcoming meet they will be difficult to beat.

The competition programme has now been confirmed and will start with oe vaka on Monday December 27.

This will then be followed by golf, volleyball, touch rugby, tennis and table tennis in the first week.

Soccer will start the second week of games on Monday January 3 followed by cricket, darts, netball and rugby 15.

The Cook Islands Mangaia major raffles are still on sale for $25 and will be drawn this Saturday July 24 at the Tupapa Centre.

Get yourself a ticket and be in to win a brand new motorbike from Pickering Motors. To pay for your ticket or to get your hands on one, contact Tangi Tereapii on 24484 or Tuvaine Tutavake Iorangi on 28038/50319.