Spotlight on Southland Sport: Sunday Special
What a massive weekend for Southland sport filled with magic moments and milestones. Plenty to delve into Tribune readers.
Welcome to our Spotlight on Sport Sunday special, where we do our best to wrap up the sporting weekend.
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Blistering knock: 88 runs, 37 balls, nine sixes, five fours
Rhuebyn Prattley has delivered yet another reminder of his ball-striking abilities with a startling 88 from just 37 balls playing for Waikoikoi in the ILT Premier League Southland club cricket competition on Saturday. (READ MORE HERE)
Southern Steel build-up continues…
The Ascor Park Hotel Southern Steel’s busy preseason schedule continued this weekend as it lined up in the ANZ Premiership tournament in Otaki.
It played four games across three days and won three of them. The only loss came against the Central Pulse in its first of two games on Saturday.
The Steel will open its 2023 ANZ Premiership campaign against the Mystics on March 4 in Auckland.
OTAKI RESULTS
Day 1: Beat the Stars 55-37
Day 2: Lost to the Pulse 48-44 + beat the Magic 39-38
Day 3: Beat the Mystics 54-42
Horse given away for free wins Invercargill Gold Cup
How about this for a story? A horse given away for free, which hasn't won a race in 19 months, claims the 2023 Invercargill Gold Cup. (READ MORE).
Race win special for track rider watching in hospital
Press Charges has won the Southland Racing Club's first ever $100k race and it meant plenty for an injured track work rider watching from hospital. (READ MORE)
Sharks coach visits…
New Southland Sharks coach Guy Molloy was in Invercargill at the weekend getting a bit of a feel for the facilities and meeting various people before he makes the fulltime shift south in a couple of weeks.
Molloy, who takes over from good mate Rob Beveridge, also took the time to put the Invercargill-based Sharks players through their paces in a couple of sessions.
It was all go, basketball wise, at ILT Stadium Southland on Saturday with the Southland Basketball Association also a 3x3 for secondary school players.
The Southland Tribune sat down with Molloy where he shared his thoughts on the Southland Sharks’ 2023 prospects and he also talked about his tough stint with the Wellington Saints last year where he was axed mid-season. Keep an eye on Tribune for that story on Monday.
Lining up at a World Championships….
Hannah Miller, who is original from Eastern Southland, competed in the senior women’s cross-country championships at Bathurst, Australian on Saturday.
In a race dominated by African competitors Miller finished 64th in a field of close to 90 runners.
Marking 40th birthday with challenge….
You might have recalled one of the first stories published on The Southland Tribune was Peter Mirrielees sharing his journey from ‘rock bottom’ to inspiring others. As part of the story, he outlined how he planned to take on Challenge Wanaka to mark his 40th birthday. Well, he did just that on Saturday.
“The 2km Swim I got run over at the last turn and I went into a panic attack I couldn’t control my breathing so I had to do backstroke for a couple mins and managed to get back into the grove.
“The 90km Bike was definitely my favourite I managed to pull in 7 spots on the bike leg then came the 21km uphill run. It was very hot and hilly, and the goal was to survive, it was my longest run ever to date only managed 15km in training.
“Was totally worth it one of the best emotional feeling I have ever had.”
You can read our original story on Mirrielees by clicking here.
Rugby Southland is pleased to announce a 40 strong group of young male and female players for the 2023 Ralph Moir Ltd Pathways programme which includes the male 'Pre Academy' and female 'Future Hinds' group.
Rugby Southland Academy & Pathways Manager Scott Eade was excited by the group assembled.
"There is a real mix of young talent from our 2022 Supreme Siteworks U16 squads and returning members from the I Hire U18 and Supreme Siteworks U18 Girls girls team who have made some pleasing process over the summer.”
As part of the testing process, two new Rugby Southland Bronco Records were set, with a 4.23 from Jimmy Taylor and Olivia Gill setting a 5.05. These records are for the union, including the Southland Stags High Performance Programme, an impressive feat to celebrate.
(Rugby Southland Male Pre-Academy 2023)
Year 1
Josh Lowe (NSC), Thomas Jennings (SBHS), Presley McHugh (SBHS), Luka Salesa (SBHS), Cody Lowe (NSC), Fraser Wilson (SBHS), Josh Cairns (SBHS), Jordan O’Connell (SBHS), Luke Reynolds (Verdon College), Jimmy Taylor (SBHS), Taine Withy (SBHS), Justin Shaw (SBHS)
Year 2&3
JJ Fisher (SBHS), Kody Crump (Menzies College), Jake Evans (St Peter’s College), Thomas Spain (SBHS), Gregor Rutledge (SBHS), Jayden Broome (Gore HS), Noah Sutton (SBHS), Mika Muliaina (SBHS), Hunter Richards (Menzies College), Preston Evans (SBHS), Jerome Buckley Fa’atoia (SBHS), Crenshaw Conroy (St Peter’s College), Drey Fonoti (SBHS), Rico Muliaina (SBHS)
Rugby Southland Future Hinds Development Group 2023
Ruby Earwaker (SGHS), Grace Duthie (NSC), Amelia Everett (Verdon College), Jay Egerton (CSC), Dixie-Leigh Burr (St Peter’s College), Leila Hill (Blue Mountain College), Abby Smith (SGHS), Libby Carran (SGHS), Olivia Gill (CSC), Addison McHaffie (Gore HS), Hannah Norris (Fiordland College), Indy Hillman (SGHS), Charlotte Strachan (CSC), Dakota Wilton (CSC).
There’s nothing like a rags to riches story. On Saturday racehorse Dunhill won the Invercargill Gold Cup despite not winning a race for 19 months.
It had been let go by its previous trainer and given to its current trainers Kelvin and Amy Tyler for free.
Dunhill might not quite fit out ‘Sportsperson’ honour but its trainers Kelvin and Amy Tyler, who train at Riverton. They are this week’s 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….
Columnist on board: “I’ve been fortunate to see the paddock from both sides of the fence and that’s the perspective I want to explore in this column.” (READ MORE HERE).
