Sport

‘Snowmelt’ bonus for athletes

A Snowmelt event at Hawea Hotel has raised $38,750.

The event catered for Wānaka Snowsports Club athletes aged 12 to 25 who are travelling to train and compete in the Northern Hemisphere for the 2021-22 winter season.

The club has announced that 29 Northern Hemisphere Grant recipients are a mix of alpine racers, park and pipe snowboarders and skiers, and ski and snowboard freeriders.

Finn Bilous has been named in the first group for the Beijing Winter Olympic team and many of the other athletes are named for national teams for 2022 training and competitions.

International competition, essential for the athletes, has been severely Covid affected for two seasons.

Matt and Anna Laming and the team at Lake Hawea Hotel supplied the venue and also supported the fundraising event with their courtesy van to get revellers home.

Duncan Good from Ray White Wānaka displayed his persuasive auctioneering skills and entertainment was provided by Cemetery Road.

Events Wānaka athletes intend to compete in include the Beijing Winter Olympics, World Cups, Freeride World Tour and Qualifier series and Freeride Junior World Tour, Freeride and Alpine World Junior Champs, FIS Alpine events and International Children’s Alpine races. Athletes to receive support are:

Jarred Ferguson, Isabel Watterson, Mathilda

Fin Bilous

Watterson, Kezik Magill, Liam Richards, Kazuma Saka, Luke Harrold, Charlotte Wiggins, Lucia Georgalli, Txema Mazet Brown, Rocco Jamieson, Campbell Appel, Sakiko Saka, Hamish Barlow, Cam Melville Ives, Fin Melville Ives, Oscar Georgalli, Mikayla Smyth, Gustav Legnavsky, Luca Harrington, Timo Fitzpatrick, Calder Bain, Ben Barclay, Ben Harrington, Ben Richards, Finn Bilous, Craig Murray, Hank Bilous and Piera Hudson.

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Phone: 03 443 8000, Top of Helwick Street, Wānaka

Harvey Allwood of the Division 2 Flames faces up to the Molyneux-Teviot pace. It’s back to the wicket…

After Round Three’s washout, the fourth round of the Central Otago Junior Cricket competition was held in cold and windy conditions across the region as teams from Luggate Albion CC charged into the fray with all manner of outcomes.

Friday saw the 'Youth' take on Cromwell Y2, with the lads backing up their emphatic 90-run victory last time out over Dunstan HS (Jackson Clarke's 59 a highlight) to similarly defeat their opposition, posting 174/8 (Will Anderson 55) then dismissing Cromwell for 45. Play of the day - a stunning caught-and-bowled by Joe Rowley.

Division 1:

Heat v Queenstown Super Kings. At home (MAC), against a well-drilled Queenstown squad, the Heat batted through to 136, Fred Gordon top-scoring with a superb 48. The visitors, however, took a liking to the hard and fast conditions, bludgeoning 210 in response.

Division 2:

Flames v Molyneux-Teviot. In a repeat of Round 2, the Flames took on the Roxboroughbased youngsters who were sent in to bat first. Although bowling figures for those bowling upwind suffered, the Flames took key wickets at key moments, Rui Fukaya being instrumental in three of them as 112/8 was posted. A sensational middle-order for the Flames (Henry MacKay 32, Rui 31 and Charlie Lovelock 26) ensured a comfortable win, 146/4.

Thunder v Cromwell Sixers. A great match played on Pembroke Park, the home team started well with Lucas Simpson (22) and Cooper Norman (20) among five batters to prosper, helping to reach 128/5. Cromwell, always a quality outfit, batted well to not give up a single wicket in the final six overs, helping them prevail 138/5.

Division 3:

Stars v Maniototo Ponies. The all-girl Stars played against a more experienced outfit at the LCG, with the older Ponies using their height to extract bounce our girls struggled to deal with. 76/7 was always going to be tricky to defend, but economic bowing including Alice Duffy's first wicket and Sarah Docherty's tidy spell kept the visitors to 119/5.

Volts v Queenstown Hurricanes. A match separated by a solitary run. Queenstown set a target of 148/14 (Sam & Forbes collecting three wickets each) which, although most batsman contributed, unfortunately proved one run too many. AS with other games, wind wreaked havoc on the extras column. Thomas Maling's first-ball hook for four was named Play of the Day.

Heat v Flame - In the always hotly contested local derby this match was an absolute barnburner. With over 400 runs scored and 24 wickets taken, the result went the way of the Flames (222/12, anchored by Oliver Simpson's 25 and John Quirke's 22). Harper Norman (Flames) snared five catches as they held out the Heat (185/12, Charlie Whipp scoring 23). Tom Ford (Heat) was heroic behind the stumps as his bowlers zipped them down.

Division 4:

The Scorchers travelled to Poolburn to play Blacks Hill CC and were beaten in a close game 80-65. Oscar was outstanding with a runout, catch and a wicket. The result of the Sparks’ game against Cromwell Strikers had not been received a when this page went to press.

Lochlainn locked in

Lochlainn Fitzgerald-Symes will enter the Rodin Cars Super GT Series in his Porsche 997.2 Cup Car when the new class begins in the new year.

A regular competitor in endurance racing, the 23-year-old is eager to get down to the South Island where the first two rounds are to be held at Highlands Motorsport Park and Mike Pero Motorsport Park at Ruapuna in January.

“It’s going to be good to have some even competition. There are some very good drivers in the Porsche class especially, the likes of Connor Adam, Matt Whittaker, Paul Kelly etc – the cars are relatively even, and you know with those guys you can race hard but cleanly.”

“I think the timed pit stops should work well; it will balance the field.”

Having raced everything from an E30 in the BMW Driver Series, a Seat León Supercopa and more recently an Audi RS3 in the New Zealand TCR Championship, Fitzgerald-Symes has relished the switch to Porsche machinery.

“The Porsche is just such a great car to race, I have picked up a few wins and a few podiums here and there. Racing is just a hobby for me to go out and have fun but looking forward to seeing how we do in this series.”

“It does require a different approach, particularly if you’ve been racing a front-wheeldrive car such as the Audi TCR.”

“The racing will be great, I love Highlands, it's just such an awesome circuit. I haven’t raced a Porsche before at Ruapuna, so there will be a little bit of learning required there that weekend.”

Following the two rounds in the two backto-back rounds in the South Island, the Rodin Cars Super GT Series will then head to Hampton Downs in February 12-13 and Taupo in March.