Indoor centre to host big events

The Blenheim Indoor Sports Centre is preparing to host a couple of exciting, high-profile sporting events over the next few months.

First up is a sport making its debut at the Battys Rd premises – competitive boxing.

The 2025 South Island Golden Gloves championships will be staged in the back hall of the Simcox Stadium on May 31 and June 1.

This is the first time the Golden Gloves, one of the sport’s premier events, will be staged in Marlborough and it was decided to set up a ring and seating at the indoor centre rather than stage it at one of the local boxing gyms. The fact the event is coming to Blenheim underlines the rising quality of boxers in the region. The champs are hosted by Box on Boxing and the Reefton Boxing Club.

Later in the year comes a more traditional pursuit for the indoor centre – the New Zealand Masters over-40 indoor cricket championships, with teams expected to attend from throughout the country.

This will be the biggest indoor cricket tournament staged so far at the Simcox Stadium, Battys Rd facility, a few other high-profile tournaments have taken place at the Burleigh courts, the previous indoor cricket venue.

The NZ champs are scheduled for July 31- August 2 and it is hoped a Marlborough team will take part. The local centre is also planning to send a team to the South Island open men’s champs at King’s Birthday Weekend and maybe a side to the NZ champs in September.

Blenheim Indoor Centre manager Dot Fitzpatrick said, “It’s going to be a big few months for us but we are excited to have the opportunity to host events of this size”.

The indoor complex is already a busy place with indoor cricket, indoor netball, pickleball, table tennis, tenpin bowling, indoor bowls and badminton competitions taking place regularly, plus a steady flow of gym customers and occasional outdoor sport practices when the weather fails to play ball.

Dot is looking forward also to the winter leagues beginning in May, and encourages early registration, plus the new addition of a junior [year 6-8] indoor cricket league over the winter months. It begins on May 2.

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