|
Softball had great representation in long-serving Hawke's Bay age-group softball coach Tom Makea who won the Sportsperson of the Year award after earlier winning the coach category at the Ngati Kahungunu Sports Awards function attended by 350 people in the Hawke's Bay Opera House Assembly Hall in Hastings.
Makea's son and Junior Black Sox catcher Campbell took home the junior sportsman award to cap a memorable night and year for the family. Earlier this year Makea snr was judged Softball New Zealand's Coach of the Year in recognition of his two national titles - the national under-19 boys with Hawke's Bay and Hastings Boys' High School's third national secondary schools title in four years.
Makea, jnr, was the MVP and top batter at the national secondary schools' tournament. He was also Hawke's Bay's softballer of the year for the 2007-08 season and a key member of the Junior Black Sox team which finished fourth at the Junior World Series in Canada.
Junior Black Sox manager Mark Carter, who gets married today, got an early wedding present when he took home the administrator award. He has managed the team for 12 years and ran several national tournaments.
Shaan Waru won the junior sportswoman award for the second time. Waru, 18, was unable to accept it as she is in Brisbane with the Kiwi Ferns side at rugby league's World Cup.
A third-year Hawke's Bay Tuis rugby representative, Waru, has also been selected in the New Zealand Sevens squad to prepare for next year's women's World Cup Sevens tournament in Dubai.
Long-serving Black Sticks hockey player Caryn Paewai won the senior sportswoman award for the third time. She was a key member of the national side which finished 12th at the Olympics, third in the Four Nations tournament and won the Oceania Olympic qualifying tournament with that memorable win against the Aussies.
Two-time rugby world champion and player-of-the-tournament at this year's under-20 World Cup in Wales, Daniel Kirkpatrick, took home the senior sportsman award. The Wellington Lions first five-eighth was a member of the New Zealand team which won the under-20 World Cup a year after winning the under-19 World Cup.
Kirkpatrick also tasted Ranfurly Shield glory with the Lions during the judging period for the awards - October 1, 2007 to September 31, 2008.
Talented rugby and touch referee Zarne Johnson won the official category four nights after winning the same category at the Hawke's Bay Secondary School awards. He was a finals ref at the world indigenous touch tournament in Auckland, the national touch tournament in Wanganui and the youngest, at 17, to be selected for the New Zealand Rugby Union's referee academy.
Woodville's legendary horse trainer Eric Ropiha took out the active kaumatua award. New Zealand's most successful Maori horse trainer, Ropiha, 83, still rides and mentors equestrian riders and horses.
All category winners were finalists for the premier award won by Makea snr.
Go to www.alpha-events.co.nz to view the photos
|
