Year in Review: Southland sport in 2019

Another impressive year of Southland sporting achievement is drawing to a close. 

Once again, Southlanders have succeeded on the national and international stage, and while it’s important to celebrate success, time and space means the following is anything but an exhaustive list of accomplishments. 

Track cyclist Edde Dawkins has been one of Southland’s best performers for such a long time now, we almost take it for granted. 

Back in February he was judged the leading male cyclist at the national track champs and there was more Southland success at the world championships in Poland later in the month where Tom Sexton won bronze in the scratch race and Kirstie James was part of the New Zealand women’s team which finished third in the team pursuit, as well as being fourth in the individual pursuit. 

In March, Jordan Michels added his name to the Formula 1600 motorsport trophy alongside some of the greats of New Zealand racing. 

In May, top indoor bowler Gary Low was part of the New Zealand team at the inaugural International Carpet Bowls event. 

The following month, Corbin Strong won best young rider classifications at the Tour of Kumano and Tour of Korea. 

Men’s netball advocate Angee Shand managed the national team during a groundbreaking series which included televised games against the Silver Ferns. 

Sam Colyer leapt his way to a silver medal in the under 18 long jump at the Oceania Games and Robyn Boniface was named a life member of Golf Southland. 

The Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel were knocked out of the ANZ Premiership after a surprise elimination final loss to the Northern Stars, snapping a 16-game home court winning streak. 

In July, Tom Scully was selected by his EF Education First Pro Cycling team to ride the Tour de France, the first Southlander to achieve that honour. 

United States-based runner Hannah Miller competed in the World University Games, Alena Saili was in San Diego playing for the Black Ferns and Ryan Jones won gold and silver at the Trans-Tasman under 19 archery champs. 

Shannon Swain won the New Zealand snooker singles title and combined with fellow Gore cueist Michael Grattan to take out the doubles. 

Former Southland Times chief of sport and racing Don Wright passed away and the Southland Sharks went down in a tight semi-final against eventual champions the Wellington Saints. 

Southern Steel players Gina Crampton, Shannon Saunders and Te Paea Selby-Rickit were part of the Silver Ferns team which took out the Netball World Cup and archer Adam Kaluzny won a gold medal at the Pacific Games and qualified a spot for NZ at the Tokyo Olympics. 

In August, motorcycle rider Cormac Buchanan was selected to compete in the prestigious Red Bull selection camp in Spain, Ali Robertson and Arielle Wilkes were part of the New Zealand synchronized swimming team at the world swimming champs in South Korea, Ryan Jones attended the world youth archery champs and Lance Smith won Athletics NZ’s inaugural Arthur Eustace Coaching award. 

It was a big month for cycling, with Emily Paterson and Conor Shearing representing New Zealand at the world junior track cycling champs. 

Paterson went desperately close to winning a world title in the team pursuit and Shearing just missed out on a medal with the men’s team pursuit, edged out of the bronze medal by Russia. 

The highlight, however, was Shakira Mirfin’s junior world rowing champs title as part of the New Zealand women’s quad in Japan. 

In September, Bronwyn Stevens, Sarah Scott, Caleb Hope and Sheldon Bagrie-Howley were named in the New Zealand development lawn bowls team to take on Australia, cyclist Hamish Beadle joined the Team Novo Nordisk professional cycling team, Liam Hewitt became the first Southlander in 40 years to win the Zealand age group golf championships and Lachlan Crosbie and Dylan Moore were selected in the New Zealand under 23 men’s netball team. 

Five Southlanders were named in the Scorpions South Island rugby league team, the Southland B rugby team won the South Island development competition, Barbara Grieve was confirmed as a weightlifting official for next year’s Olympics, Eastern Southland won the inaugural South Island senior netball champs and the Stags snapped a 27-game losing streak with a 42-14 win over Counties Manukau. 

In October, Lewis Thomson was selected in the New Zealand gymnastics team, the SIT Velodrome hosted the Oceania track cycling champs, Corbin Strong signed with Dutch development cycling team SEG Academy, Donna Wilkins was named on a new board overseeing the women’s national basketball league, Brendon Leitch finished third in Lamborghini’s Asian Series, Rob Beveridge was named Sharks coach for 2020 and Dale MacLeod was named Stags coach for next season. 

Last month, Amy du Plessis was selected for the Black Ferns Sevens team and Bruce Ross stepped down after 35 years as race director of the SBS Bank Tour of Southland, after a week which saw Strong finish seventh and Sexton claim the Sprint Ace jersey. 

Ethan de Groot and Manaaki Selby-Rickit were confirmed in the Highlanders 2020 squad, Richard Ford and Buddy Small represented New Zealand at the world mountain running champs, Amy Rule was selected for the Black Ferns development team, Bagrie-Howley became the first Southlander to play lawn bowls for New Zealand in 32 years, Quinn Hartley broke five Southland age group high jump records with one mighty leap and Matt Tautari brought up 100 golf matches for Southland. 

In anyone’s language, that’s some sort of year. Bring on 2020.