The Women’s IHF Trophy in Nouméa, New Caledonia finished on Friday, 20 October, with the hosts taking the plaudits in both the youth (U17) and junior (U19) competitions. Both New Caledonia sides booked their tickets to the Intercontinental Phase of the Women’s IHF Trophy.

New Caledonia’s youth (U17) team had secured the top position already on Wednesday, and two days later, they extended their winning streak against New Zealand, in their last game, 34:14. Therefore, the hosts won the double round-robin tournament with the maximum of eight points available, while Tahiti finished second with three points, and New Zealand ranked third with one point.

In the junior (U19) competition, New Caledonia also won all their matches, but they had to wait until the last match day to secure the title. Gambey Deiradane and Selui Marie-Bernard combined for 17 goals, helping the home team to beat New Zealand, 29:14. On the same day, Tahiti proved too strong for Australia, 25:7.

New Caledonia finished the competition with eight points, two more than Tahiti, who ranked second. New Zealand took the third position with four points, ahead of Australia (two points) and Cook Islands (zero).

Final ranking
Youth (U17)
1. New Caledonia
2. Tahiti
3. New Zealand

Junior (U19)

1. New Caledonia
2. Tahiti
3. New Zealand
4. Australia
5. Cook Islands

Photo credit: Jun Tanlayco