Krystal Murray celebrates winning the Women's Rugby World Cup with the Black Ferns in November. Murray has been named the Northland Sportsperson of the Year and Sportswoman of the Year.
Krystal Murray celebrates winning the Women's Rugby World Cup with the Black Ferns in November. Murray has been named the Northland Sportsperson of the Year and Sportswoman of the Year.
The last six months have been amazing for Northland Black Fern Krystal Murray.
She’s won the Women’s Rugby World Cup and has been named the Supreme Winner of the 2023 Tai Tokerau Māori Sports Award.
And the accolades keep rolling in for Murray, with the prop being named the Supreme Winner of the Northland Sportsperson of the Year Award and Sportswoman of the Year at the Conbrio Northland Sports Awards.
The outstanding achievements of Northland’s sportspeople were recognised at the recent awards, with Murray taking out the Supreme Award along with the Fireco Sportswoman of the Year Award. Murray was selected for the Black Ferns’ Women’s Rugby World Cup 32-player squad. She scored a try in the second pool game against Wales, and came off the bench in the World Cup final against England and scored a try only three minutes after running on to the field.
The Fireco Sportsman of the Year Award went to joint winners Tupuria King (waka ama) and Tim Southee (cricket). King had won an impressive five gold medals and one silver at the World Sprint Championships in Great Britain, and also won two golds and one silver at the Waka Ama Long Distance Nationals in 2022.
New Zealand cricket team captain Tim Southee, pictured here during the second test match against Sri Lanka earlier this month, has been named the joint Sportsman of the Year at the Northland Sports Awards.
Southee, not only a recipient of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for his stellar performances across three different cricket formats in the latest cricket season, was also part of the team which was a World Cup finalist in the 2021 T20 World Cup, and captained the New Zealand side in the T20 Internationals.
The Garry Frew Memorial Junior Sportsperson of the Year Award went to Hayden Ganley (hockey), who was selected for the New Zealand Junior Black Sticks (U21) team for the Hockey Junior World Cup qualifying games played in Canberra. He was also named in the NZ Hockey U18 Development Squad and represented Hockey Northland at the National Hockey Championship.
Waka ama champion Tupuria King has been awarded the joint Sportsman of the Year Award at the Northland Sports Awards,
The Brian Maunsell Memorial Service to Sport Award is awarded for an outstanding contribution to Northland sport, and recognises the selfless dedication of individuals that they bring for the good of sport. This went to Brian Johnston and Peter Crawford for their contribution to cricket, which began in 1978. The pair continue to contribute to growing the game and role modelling the broader purpose of ‘the spirit of cricket’.
Te Tai Tokerau has some amazing paddlers, and Team of the Year went to Herberts on Tour in waka ama. At the International Va’a Federation World Sprint Championships in Great Britain (2022), Herberts on Tour won gold in the Open Men’s W12 500-metre, gold in the Open Men’s W6 1500m and gold in the Open Men’s W6 500m. They also won gold in the Open Men’s W6 24-kilometre at the Long-Distance Nationals at Waitangi in October, 2022.
Dion Nash was inducted as the 33rd Northland Legend of Sport for his outstanding career in cricket – coincidently, 33 was his international playing number. Born and raised in Dargaville, Nash is known throughout the cricket world as “The Dargaville Dasher” - a moniker given to him in a headline by another Northland Legend of Sport and Northern Advocate sportswriter, Garry Frew. Nash represented the New Zealand men’s cricket team in 32 test matches and 81 one-day games, and made 120 first-class appearances over his sporting career.
Samantha Warriner was inducted as the 34th Northland Legend of Sport for her impressive career in triathlon, which also started in Dargaville back in 2001 at the Kumara Triathlon. Warriner’s career has included podium finishes in the NZ and World Duathlon Championships, World Triathlon Championships, qualifying and competing at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, and the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, where she was rewarded with a silver medal. Sam was top-ranked in the world in 2008, finishing third at the World Championships and competing at the Beijing Olympics.
Northland cricket stalwarts Brian Johnston (left) and Peter Crawford have been awarded the Brian Maunsell Service to Sport Award at the Northland Sports Awards.
Ted Salmon was inducted as the 35th Northland Legend of Sport, with a long-standing involvement in hockey. Ted’s passion for hockey started at Kensington Park, Whangārei. He has represented Whangārei in over 100 games and played over 200 games for Northland. He represented New Zealand at the highest level, which included the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
Eight organisations and community groups were recognised in the Community Impact Award sponsored by Pak’nSave Whangārei for their collaborative community projects which have a positive impact in and on the community through play, active recreation and sport. They were Bream Bay Sports Trust, Northern Region Football - Go Girls initiative, Kaitaia Boxing Club Inc, Te Rarawa Anga Mua Charitable Trust - Matariki Games, Ngunguru Bowling Club, Parafed Northland – Play Trailer, Northland Cricket Association - Taking Cricket to the Far North and Te Kopuru Community Development Group - Te Kopuru Play Trailer.
A full list of the winners:
Conbrio Supreme Winner: Krystal Murray (rugby)
Team of the Year: Herberts on Tour (waka ama)
Brian Maunsell Service to Sport: Brian Johnston and Peter Crawford (cricket)
Garry Frew Memorial Junior Sportsperson of the Year: Hayden Ganley (hockey)
