2023 Sport ya later

Whangara Old Girls players celebrate their 59-57 double extra-time win over YMP in the Premier Grade netball final. Picture by Paul Rickard

Gisborne Herald Sports continues its look back on another memorable year of sport when Mother Nature wasn’t spitting the dummy and TMOs had nothing to do with results.

by Chris Taewa

The Man With The Golden Guns: Gisborne’s John Leach took his tree trunk-sized arms all the way to Kuala Lumpur and returned with two gold medals in his masters weight group at the world armwrestling champs — the treats for five months of hardcore mahi.

On Golden Pond: Despite upheaval to river training due to the weather, the Self Storage Gisborne Horouta Waka Hoe club once again reigned supreme at the national sprint champs on Lake Karapiro. And leading the way was their crack premier women’s crew Kaiarahi Toa who did the 1-2-3 in the W1 500, won the W6 500 and 1000 titles and the W12 500.

Queen of Karapiro: Akayshia Williams retained the Premier women’s W1 500 crown at the waka ama sprint nationals in record style — winning the final by eight seconds in an Aotearoa record, followed on to the podium by Horouta clubmates Kodi Campbell and Briar McLeely. Williams iced the victory cake by winning the W1 250 Premier dash on the final day.

Captain Fantastic: Shayde Skudder helmed the YMP Premier men’s club rugby ship as it sailed to glory with a perfect winning record in the Poverty Bay club competition. Skudder also brought up his 150th Premier game for his club, co-captained the Poverty Bay Heartland Championship side and was a member of the Tairāwhiti golf team at the national interprovincials. YMP clubmate Willis Tamatea racked up his 200th Premier game during the season.

Frankly Speaking: It wasn’t exactly Europe winning the Ryder Cup, Jon Rahm clinching the Masters or Steve Alker burning up the Champions Tour, but the final round of the Poverty Bay-East Coast Endeavour men’s interclub pennants had a finish to rival the climactic scene in many a sports movie . . . after 192 matches involving eight clubs, the title was decided by a putt-off between Poverty Bay’s Frank Ball and Electrinet Park 1’s Shannon Toa. Frank won. There was no “Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole” celebrations. Just handshakes and a few 19th-hole brews.

Singing the Blues: But it was the sound of glory rather than melancholy pumping out of the Harry Barker Reserve changing sheds as the boys in High School Old Boys blue dominated Poverty Bay Premier club cricket over summer, winning every team trophy —the Doleman Cup, DJ Barry Cup and Walker Shield. Captain Carl Shaw was named Poverty Bay’s Player of the Year.

Shoot to Thrill: When Hinewaipounamu Rangihuna missed a goal on the stroke of fulltime that would have won Whangara Old Girls the Gisborne Premier netball title, she didn’t let it faze her. Two periods of extra time later, Rangihuna slotted two goals in a row to give her side a 59-57 victory over defending champions YMP — Whangara’s first Premier title since 2016.

The Wait is Over: For the first time in their 109 years of existence, Hicks Bay finally won the Ngāti Porou East Coast club rugby title — defeating TVC 13-7 at Whangaparaoa. They partied a bit like it was 1999.

TP Strong 4 Andy: When long-time Poverty Bay-East Coast Coast golf representative Andrew Higham was seriously injured in a car crash, his friends and fellow reps jumped into supportive action, organising a fundraising tournament that drew huge support from many avenues and featured former All Black Christian Cullen. “TP Strong” — a phrase commonly used by Andy — made $32,000. “It was absolutely brilliant,” chief organiser Dave Keown said, “The love, the aroha . . . just everything.”

East Coast Rising: Ngāti Porou East Coast Kaupoi’s Heartland Championship revival continued. Under new coach Kahu Tamatea, they won five of eight matches, qualified for the Meads Cup top four semifinals — where they lost 17-34 to champions South Canterbury after leading 17-3 — and successfully defended the Bill Osborne Taonga over the entire season. The TV series East Coast Rising — following the fortunes of the Coast and produced by NPEC union president and Pango Productions chief executive Bailey Mackey — won Best Sports Programme at the 2023 New Zealand Television Awards.

Pretty In Pink: To show their support for breast cancer, Eastern League Division 2 title rivals HSOB and Smash Palace Shockers donned pink for their vital clash. The pink clashed with red and yellow cards, and $5000 was raised. HSOB lost 3-2 and player co-coach Matt McFatter lost his hair at the scissor-wielding hands of captain Aubrey Yates. All for a great cause.

Pictures of Lily: There were a few of those in The Herald this year as Lily Arnold continued Gisborne Trampoline Club’s proud tradition at the top end of the sport. Lily qualified for the world champs in Birmingham, competed successfully in Australia and dominated the national champs.

Roller-coaster ride: There was no shortage of drama during Poverty Bay’s Heartland rugby season . . . they scored 40 points in the opening 23 minutes in a 52-33 win over Buller; they were 38-12 down at halftime before losing 50-43 to North Otago; they fought back from a 28-7 deficit in the Lochore Cup (fifth to eighth) semifinals to beat North Otago 40-35; and they trailed West Coast 23-0 in the final itself only to launch a fightback that ended 23-20 to the Southerners.

Doing the double: Gisborne United men and Wainui Riverina women proved unstoppable forces over the Eastern League football season. United won 13 from 13 (85 goals for, 13 against) and Wainui 15 from 15 (95 for, seven against) in winning their league titles. Both sides then won their respective knockout trophies.

Surf’s up: Surf City were named Club of the Year at the Squash Eastern annual awards in Napier, and brought home several individual honours. Their F-Grade women’s team won the national superchamps crown for the first time since 2010.

Burton Cup first: A new chapter was added to the proud history of the Burton Cup lawn bowls tournament when Geoff, Karen and Liam Pinn — along with Paddy Stewart and Glenys Whiteman — became the first husband, wife and son combo to win the prestigious silverware. David File’s victory in the Gisborne East Coast men’s singles made it an 84th GEC centre title in his 39 years of playing.

sand and deliver: Oska Smith’s double-double in the open and under-19 men’s beach flags and sprint at the national surf lifesaving champs was the highlight of another medal-winning year. Waikanae and Midway’s medal chest included 20 golds. Gisborne clubbies again wore the Black Fins colours at international level while Cory Taylor (fourth overall) and Olivia Corrin (13th) turned in strong performances in the cut-throat 2022-2023 Nutri-Grain iron series in Australia.

Sailing away: Father and son Colin and Ross Shanks won the 99th Sanders Cup Javelin class NZ interprovincials on Lake Rotoiti for the third time. Lucy Millar was top female sailor in the gold fleet at the open skiff nationals in the Bay of Islands.

A DAY TO REMEMBER: Years from now members of the 2023 Gisborne Tairawhiti under-13 football team will tell their grandkids about the day they took on the big boys . . . and won. Having lost 7-1 to Manawatū earlier in the season, Gis-Tai beat them 2-1 in the Central Federation u13 age-group tournament final in Napier. A real-life underdogs story with a Hollywood ending.