HUNDREDS of the state's best netballers are set to descend on Tamworth for this year's NSW Masters Championships and Social Masters competition.
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Beginning on Saturday morning, the two-day competition will see players battle it out in both the over-35 and over-40 categories.
The weekend's event marks the first time Tamworth will host the annual competition and the first time the masters has taken place outside a metropolitan centre in eight years.
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Tamworth Netball Association president Lisa Fox said a lot of hard work had gone into bringing the tournaments to Tamworth.
"We first applied to host the masters in March, so it has been a good six or seven months of hard work leading up to this," Fox told the Leader.
"Many years ago we did host the social masters, but this will be the first time we have hosted the state masters.
"In a way, we were very lucky because the two tournaments used to be separate, but after they were brought together, we were a perfect candidate to host the event given how big our facilities are."
Fox said the weekend's tournaments would be "a great blend of fun and competition".
"Given it is the masters, we usually see players take a more laid-back approach to the tournaments," she said.
"However, having both the social and state masters means there will be something there for those just wanting a good time, and those taking it a little more seriously.
"All told, we will have more than 30 teams taking part, so there should be some really high-quality netball played."
As well as teams from across the state, the tournament will also feature regional teams such as Quirindi, Tamworth, Gunnedah and Glen Innes.
"It will be great to see all the teams gather together," Fox said.
"And it all kicks off with the opening ceremony at 8.30am on Saturday morning."