Spotlight on Southland Sport: Sunday Special
Today's Spotlight on Sport includes the inaugural Tribune Sportsperson of the Week honour. Find out who the first winner is.
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Welcome to our first Spotlight on Sport Sunday special. This will land in subscribers’ inboxes on most Sundays, probably later in the day. We hope you enjoy the read.
Today includes the inaugural Tribune Sportsperson of the Week honour at the bottom of this post.
History-making wins highlight weekend racing
There was some great racing on track and road over the weekend as Cycling Southland hosted the ILT New Year Track Carnival and the Ascot Park Hotel New Year Criterium. (READ MORE HERE)
Age is just a number; Domigan dominates with the bat
Brendan Domigan just might be getting better with age with the 39-year-old Southland cricket captain arguably in the form of his life. (READ MORE HERE).
224 from 124 balls.... Take that Southland club cricket
Tobias Van der heever has produced arguably one of the more remarkable batting displays ever seen in Southland club cricket. (READ MORE HERE)
Southland Rugby League: Cowboys make round one statement
The Cowboys have knocked over He Tauaa 32-8 and Southland Fiji toppled the Cooks 34-28 in round one of the 2023 Southland District Rugby League club competition. (READ MORE HERE).
New boss in town….
Sonya Fleming doesn’t have to shift too far to take up her new post as the Southern Steel’s and Netball South chief executive.
For 15 years Fleming has been working at the organisation as a manager in both an events and commercial sponsorship.
Fleming was named Administrator of the Year at the ILT Southland Sports Awards last year for her work in the event space.
She now takes over from Lana Winders as Netball South and Steel chief executive with Winders stepping down from the role.
“It is an honour and a privilege to now lead Netball South. I am really excited to take on this new challenge and continue to build on netball’s success,” Fleming said.
“The chief executive role has been my ultimate goal. I have grown professionally in this organisation and the Steel culture has certainly shaped me as a person,” she said.
Congrats Sonya, we wish you all the best.
Keep an eye on…
Benji Culhane continues to highlight his sporting talent with yet another strong showing on Saturday. This time it came via his knock of 90 from 98 balls playing for Southland in a Hawke Cup cricket game against South Canterbury in Timaru. He struck 11 fours and three sixes and put on 150 with Brendan Domigan for the fifth wicket.
However, it’s actually in the sport of hockey where Culhane’s biggest focus has been this summer. Culhane - the son of former All Black Simon Culhane - is part of the Junior Black Sticks squad which late last year took on Australia.
From the birdcage….
Robyn’s Playboy - aka the Beast from the East - claimed the 2023 Wairio Trotting Cup at Winton on Saturday.
After a false start, after the 35m tape failed to clear the track, it was second time lucky as Robyn’s Playboy powered home for trainer Ross Wilson in the $20,000 Otautau Four Square Supermarket Wairio Cup.
Check out the Bruce Stewart - of Southern Harness Racing - wrap of the 2023 Wairio Cup. (READ MORE).
From the Archives….
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and remember when the Brent Shirley-trained Costa Del Magnifico won the 2015 Wairio Cup. Costa Del Magnifico recorded its fourth straight win that day.
It finished racing in New Zealand in 2017 with a record of 12 wins, 11 seconds, four thirds from 37 starts. That was before heading to Australia.
As the 2015 Southland Times/Stuff article explains Costa Del Magnifico completed the 2400m (stand) in 3:1.2 and ran the last 800m in 56.3 and 400m in 27.6 to win the 2015 Wairio Cup. (READ MORE)
Okay, we were handed a tough one to start with. There was Magnus Jamieson’s victory in the Gore to Invercargill Cycling Classic which shouldn’t be scoffed out. Then in club cricket circles, Tobias Van der hever scored a whopping 224 from 124 balls playing for Marist against SBHS. I’ve been playing or following club cricket for 25-plus years and that’s the highest club score I can remember.
But…. I can’t go past Brendan Domigan’s unbeaten 150 runs playing at the next level for Southland against South Canterbury in a Hawke Cup fixture. Superb performance.
Congratulations Brendan Domigan, you are our first Tribune Sportsperson of the Week.
Get in touch….
If you have something you think is worth featuring in either our Friday or Sunday Spotlight on Sport editions, please get in touch. Note: Please provide as much detail as possible to help us in collating everything at this end. Email logan@southlandtribune.com
In case you missed it….
Tribune is Born: On Wednesday we launched The Southland Tribune, a project that's looking at doing journalism a little bit differently in Southland. Have a read about what The Tribune is all about and how you can get involved. (READ MORE).
