New Zealand’s Darryl Lewis tries to beat the block of Russel Moore during first day action at the 2012 Oceania Beach Volleyball Championships in Papeete, Tahiti on Saturday

Papeete, Tahiti, December 1, 2012 - The 2012 Oceania Beach Volleyball Championships started in Papeete, Tahiti on Saturday with Australia completing the opening day unbeaten.

Countries taking part in the tournament are Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Tahiti with a total of nine teams in the senior women’s category and 12 teams in the senior men’s category.

The women’s competition started with the host country’s top team beating the Solomon Islands in straight sets (21-4, 21-9). The men’s category started with the host country’s third team taking on New Zealand 2. The young New Zealanders disappointed the home crowd and won the game 2-0 (21-19, 21-17).

The heat and windy conditions during the day did not deter the atmosphere at the “Jardine de Paofai” which saw some great performances from up and coming teams from Wallis & Futuna and the young New Zealand players.

New Zealand men’s pairing of Darryl Lewis and James Gilling played their hearts out in the heat when they took on the experienced Australia pairing of Sam Boehm and Russel Moore to the tournament’s first tie-break on the second last match of the day. Despite New Zealand players’ determination, Australia eventually won the game 2-1 (21-16, 15-21, 15-10).

Another thrilling match was Tahiti No. 1 women’s team against Vanuatu. The Tahitians saw the opportunity to get even with the Vanuatu team after bowing out to them in the semifinals at the New Caledonia 2011 Pacific Games. Despite the beautiful weather and the advantage of the home crowd, Vanuatu again proved yet again why they were crowned the gold medallists at the 2011 Pacific Games by winning the game 2-0 (25-23, 26-24).

2012 Oceania Beach Volleyball Championships – Day One Results

Senior Women
Australia vs Tahiti 2: 2-0 (21-14, 21-9)
Vanuatu vs New Zealand 2: 2-0 (21-7, 21-12)
Solomon Islands vs Tahiti 3: 0-2 (7-21, 5-21)
Australia vs New Zealand 1: 2-0 (21-4, 21-11)

Senior Men
New Zealand 2 vs Tahiti 3: 2-0 (21-19, 21-17)
Vanuatu vs Tahiti 2: 0-2 (14-21, 20-22)
New Caledonia 1 vs Wallis & Futuna: 2-0 (21-12, 21-6)
New Zealand 1 vs Solomon Islands: 2-0 (21-14, 21-11)
Australia vs New Zealand 2: 2-1 (21-16, 15-21, 15-10)
Tahiti 1 vs New Caledonia 2: 2-0 (21-14, 21-16)

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