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Sports awards coming to town Wānaka will host the Southern Lakes Motors Central Otago Sports Awards in early May and organisers hope it will be one of the first events in the region to be hosted indoors with more than 100 people. The awards will come with a formal dress code, three course seated meal and the guest speaker will be three-time Olympic gold medallist, Hamish Bond. Awards will cover the period from April 1 2021 to today and the nomination period runs for just over another week - until April 8. Following the success of athletes in snow sports, multi-sport events, mountain biking and wood chopping a wide range of categories is sure to be represented, Categories include: Racers Edge Sportsman, and, Gary Anderson Sound Sportswomen of the Year, Gallaway Cook Allan Junior Sportsman and Health 2000 Junior Sportswomen of the Year, Jennian Homes Team of the Year and a
new award - the, Forysth Barr Para Athlete or Team of the Year. The winner of all categories are eligible for the Southern Lakes Motors, Supreme Award, the Bruce Grant Memorial Trophy. Coaches are acknowledged through the Workplace First Aid Coach of the Year. Athletes who display the values of grass roots sport in Central Otago and have shown an outstanding contribution are acknowledged through the Duncan and Kelly Good, Ray White Spirit of Central Junior Award and the Wānaka Physiotherapy Spirit of Central Senior Awards. The John Fitzharris Memorial will also be handed out as a lifetime award for services to sport. Guidelines and online nomination forms can be found at www.sportotago.co.nz Nominations can be made by Regional Sports Organisations, Sport Central, clubs, coaches, whanau/family or self-nomination by the nominee.
Wānaka face newcomers Wānaka take on league newcomers Northern Hearts from Timaru this weekend in a clash between two sides well beaten on the opening day of football’s Southern men’s premiership. The 2.45pm clash on Saturday will be at the Recreation Centre. Wānaka was beaten 5-1 by Northern in a sunny Dunedin on Saturday after trailing by the only goal of the game at half time. Before Tony Sprowson capped off a fine move with a 58th minute tap in after Northern had gone 2-1 up, but they bagged two more to be well clear before adding insult to injury with a 90th minute fifth. The match was a niggly affair in the first half with both sides giving away regular free kicks. Al Julanda Al Malawi took advantage of the first real chance of the half just before the break. Northern added second after 50 minutes but after narrowing the gap to 2-1 Wānaka piled on the pressure for the next 10 minutes, only to see Josh Shackleton beaten for a third time against the run of play. When the fourth went in, the visitors were complaining about the absence of an offside flag for the third time in the half. Hearts arrive in Wānaka this weekend for their first away game at this level in 20 years and on the back of a home loss. The squad was depleted against Roslyn Wakari last weekend as a result of Covid and injuries. Other results: Queenstown 4 Mosgiel 1, Queens Park 1 Otago
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University 3, Northern Hearts 1 Roslyn Wakari 4, Dunedin City 6 Green Island 1. Meanwhile, a new senior football season kicks off this Saturday – with the first round of the Radio Central knockout cup and a 12.45pm game at the Recreation Centre between Wānaka and Charruas. Twelve teams have entered the 2022 competition despite playing numbers being affected by Covid, a busy horticultural/viticultural season and steep petrol prices. Radio Central owner (and Cromwell men’s coach) Shane Norton has recognised this reality by hosting the knock-out cup competition first, and then starting the season proper at the end of April. Teams from Queenstown, Wānaka, Cromwell, Alexandra and Teviot have entered the 2022. “I reckon that our top teams could easily compete in the Dunedin premier league, and probably win it. And it’s probably the most cosmopolitan comp in New Zealand with the range of nationalities competing,” Norton said. That includes, for the first time, a team composed entirely of Uruguayan nationals from Wānaka, a Brazilian team from Queenstown, and an almost complete Vanuatu team from Alexandra. Traditionally the Central Otago men’s competition has been independent of official football but discussions are underway that may see a closer alignment.
Wānaka’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Nico Porteous both won gold at the Beijing Olympics.
PHOTO: Tommy Pyatt Photography
Champion! Richie is now a (gold) star He’s Wānaka’s newest champion and he’s down to earth. Wānaka Bowling Club member Richie Muir won the Central Otago Champion of Champions singles at Alexandra's RSA Bowling club last Saturday. He beat Shaun Scott of Bannockburn 21-20 in the final after both bowlers had overcome stiff competition in the semis. Muir, who is often seen playing on the green after work in socks, is a serial winner. He earlier won the club singles for the sixth year, the pairs with Tom Malcolm for the fifth year, the triples with Malcolm and Simon Nyhof for the fourth year – and was also part of the winning four for the third year. But it's the first time he has won
the Champion of Champion open singles. His only other win at that level was the Junior 1-5s in 2017. Because he has also held three other Central Otago honours titles fours, and the mixed pairs twice with Christine Buchanan, the latest win has earned him a gold star recognising five honours. Muir is a very relaxed player. His range of shots, experience and fabulous weight have seen him win many tournaments. Perhaps he was born with bowls in his genes. His father, Ken, still plays well – and the club records show his first title there was notched up in 1979. Muir has qualified for the New Zealand Champion of Champions singles in Hastings in July.
Richie Muir, not a boots ’n all bowler…
Gold for Meg at nationals Meg Harraway has collected gold at the 2022 Nautique New Zealand Waterski Nationals on Lake Hood, near Ashburton. The 20-year-old former national Junior Worlds representative won both the Open Women's Slalom and Under 21 Women's Slalom. She scored 2.5 buoys on the 12 metre line at 55 kph to beat out New Zealand's other qualifying female skiers for the top spot on the Open Women's podium, and was nearly a full course ahead of the other Under 21 skiers in the final to win her age group class too. The series ran from Tuesday to Saturday last week. Despite Covid uncertainty and restrictions, water skiers from all over the country travelled to compete in excellent conditions, on a purposebuilt waterski lane. Gerald Harraway was also a gold medal winner for the Wānaka waterski club in the men’s over 45 slalom. The only skier in the final to shorten on the 11.25 metre line, he scored 0.5 buoys at 55 THURSDAY 31.03.22 - WEDNESDAY 06.04.22
Meg Harraway in action on Lake Hood.
kph to take out first place in a large and highly competitive division. There were medals for two 12-year-old club members. Katrina Wallis won the Under 14 Girls' tricks section and was fourth in the slalom. She posted personal best scores of 1080 in both the prelim and final rounds for tricks, plus in the slalom with four buoys at 52 kph. Genevieve Wallis collected a bronze in Under 14 Girls Overall,
PHOTO: Wood Watersports
Tricks and Jump and was sixth in the Slalom. Genevieve achieved personal best scores across all three disciplines - 680 in Tricks, 10.7m in Jump and five buoys at 49 kph in the slalom. The Wānaka Waterski Club was re-incorporated last year to support and encourage waterskiers. A recent Lion Foundation grant has enabled the club to maintain two slalom courses in Paddock and Parkins Bays.
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