Good sports play for Grace

CHANCE TO HELP: Grace Yeats, pictured recently at Paper Plus, where she was supporting Red Nose Day. She is holding koala bear Warley, who has been with her through all her operations.PHOTO/ LYNDA FERINGA

The cause should guarantee huge crowds at two sporting events to be held in Wairarapa on Saturday.

Parliamentary Sports Trust teams will take on invitational netball and rugby teams at the Colombo Road courts in Masterton and the Carterton rugby grounds respectively, with money raised going towards Carterton 11-year-old Grace Yeats' care and rehabilitation.

Grace has an extremely rare brain disease and is one of only 13 people worldwide to have been diagnosed with it. She is the most severely affected of all known cases.

She suffers muscle contractions, scoliosis and seizures, and is unable to move her body at will, speak or swallow. Grace spent several months in Starship Hospital, Auckland, before being transferred to Masterton Hospital this year to be closer to family and support networks.

The hope is that she will be able to return home in coming months.

For that to happen, the family home has had major changes. Grace will require 24-hour care and rehabilitation, which will have to be paid for. Money raised from Saturday's sporting events, organised by the Play for Grace committee, will assist hugely in that respect.

In the netball match, the Parliamentary side, led by former Silver Fern Louisa Wall, will battle some of the best home-grown talent. It will start at noon, preceded by the finals in Netball Wairarapa's intermediate and primary school grades, which will begin two hours earlier.

A North v South under-10s match will kick off the rugby at Carterton at 1.15pm, followed at 2.30pm by the boys from the Beehive looking to talk their way to victory over an invitation side including players who made their mark at international and provincial level.

Neither team was giving any secrets away when the Times-Age tried to secure their starting line-ups yesterday but we were able to question some of those rumoured to be amongst them:

DILLON HIGGISON - Position: Front row. Occupation: Farm manager. Clubs: Stratford, Tuhirangi, Carterton. Rep teams: Wairarapa-Bush NPC and Heartland, New Zealand Heartland to Argentina in 2006. Sporting highlight: Playing against the All Blacks.

JOE HARWOOD - Position: Hooker. Occupation: YJ co-ordinator. Clubs: Carterton. Rep teams: Wairarapa-Bush, NZ Heartland. Sporting highlight: Captaining NZ Heartland and winning three national trophies with Wairarapa-Bush.

MARTY BERRY - Position: Utility back. Occupation: Real estate agent. Clubs: Greytown, Featherston, HSOB (Manawatu), Petraca (Italy), Upper Hutt, Randberg (South Africa), Waterpark (Ireland), Glasgow Academicals (Scotland), St Cyprien (France) rugby league. Rep honours: Wairarapa-Bush, Wellington, Manawatu, Transvaal, New Zealand under-21s, New Zealand divisional, Hurricanes, New Zealand A, All Blacks. Sporting highlight: Playing in Italy.

DAVE DRUMMOND - Position: Centre. Occupation: New Zealand Police. Rep honours: Wellington sevens, Taranaki, Wairarapa-Bush, New Zealand Police, New Zealand University rugby league. Sporting highlight: 1996 Ranfurly Shield win with Taranaki.

JAMES BRUCE - Position: Halfback. Occupation: Farmer. Clubs: Martinborough, Gladstone. Rep honours: Wairarapa-Bush. Sporting highlight: National third division win with Wairarapa-Bush in 2005 and Meads Cup in 2006.

STEPHEN WILKINSON - Position: Loose forward. Occupation: Stock agent. Clubs: Canterbury University, Dannevirke, Takapau, Waverley (Sydney), Gladstone. Rep honours: Wairarapa-Bush.

TOM DIXON - Position: Lock. Occupation: Physiotherapist. Clubs: Carterton, West Hartlepool (England). Representative honours: Durham County age groups and senior team, North Of England under-16. Sporting highlight: England schoolboy trials.

CATHERINE ROSSITER-STEAD - Position: Centre, wing. Occupation: Businesswoman. Clubs: London Wasps, London Welsh, Exeter, Selly Oak, Bridgnorth. Rep honours: London, Shropshire, West Midlands. Sporting highlight: Marrying my coach!

DEAN CADWALLADER - Position: Prop. Occupation: Police officer. Clubs: Carterton, Rockingham (West Australia). Rep honours: Wairarapa-Bush. Sporting highlights: Playing senior A rugby in same team as son (2013), beating Scotland under-21 at Murrayfield.

MIKE WAKEFIELD - Position: Flanker. Occupation: Police dog handler. Clubs: Carterton. Sporting highlight: Being part of any team.

BRENT REGISTER - Position: First five. Occupation: Area commander Wairarapa police. Clubs: Lincoln University, Mid-Canterbury

RON MARK - Position: Halfback. Position: Carterton Mayor. Clubs: Hornby (Christchurch), Southern Region Army, Multi National Force and Observers (Egypt), Linton Army, Muscat (Oman), NZ parliamentary rugby side.

Carterton Central Lions Club members will collect donations at both venues and a special function will also be held at the Carterton Rugby Club's rooms on Belvedere Rd from 5pm. This will feature an auction which should produce some spirited bidding.

A clear case to open the hearts and the pockets!