ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, Monday, February 25, 2013
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Sharks still top of food chain
• Black Sticks lose The New Zealand women’s hockey side began their five-match series against Argentina with a 4-1 loss in Rosario yesterday). A predominantly inexperienced Black Sticks team held their own against the Olympic silver medallists but they were unable to match their clinical finishing, particularly from penalty corners. Argentina were 3-0 up at halftime after scoring two penalty corners and a field goal. The hosts notched another penalty corner late in the second half, before the Black Sticks scored from a penalty corner variation which saw Anita Punt flick to Gemma Flynn to tap in on the post. - APNZ
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The Tech Sharks reigned supreme in Mid Canterbury Twenty 20 cricket for a fifth straight season on Saturday. The four-time defending champion Sharks made it to a fifth straight final and recorded a 47-run win over the Star Old Boys to ensure Tech Sharks remains the only name on the Mid Canterbury Tenty20 trophy. The Sharks batted first and put up a mediocre total of 115 after Matt Hurley made 37 and Sam Hurley 19. Logan Tasker took 3/15 and Ben Crequer 2/10 as Star were delighted at restricting the Sharks to what they thought was a gettable total. However, the Sharks showed why they are the only team to have won the Twenty20 competition with a superb display from the slower bowlers, meaning the Star Old Boys saved their worst batting performance for last. Ben Mably put the brakes on and ripped through the Star order taking 5/5 as Star was dismissed for just 68. Armand van der Eik and Crequer both made 14 but the side was 47 runs short as the Sharks swept to a fifth consecutive title, and adding to the Pritchard Shield and Studholme Shield they had already locked away for the season. The only silverware left is the Muirhead
Rosebowl, which resumes this Saturday with the final round robin matches, with the Sharks the favourites to win through being unbeaten in 45-over cricket so far this season. Earlier in the day, just who would line up in the Twenty20 final was undecided with four teams in the running heading into the final round. The Sharks had the advantage, sitting one win ahead of the other three sides, and sealed their fifth straight finals appearance with a win over Coldstream, but only just. The Sharks made 119/7 and Coldstream fell just six runs short, with Tim Penno carrying his bat right through the innings only to be run out on the last ball for 51. Star Old Boys got the gift of a default from Allenton to put them in the box seat to meet the Sharks, needing Lauriston (who lost to Star), to beat Methven (who beat Star) for Star to advance, while a Methven win would see a repeat of last year’s final and third final meeting between the Sharks and Methven. But Lauriston delivered the result Star was after, rolling Methven for 78 and chasing it down for a five wicket win.
• 5km fun run The Ashburton Athletic is starting up a Tuesday night fun run series. Aimed at winter sport pre-season or just getting active, the first of five 5km social run-walks will be held tomorrow starting at 6pm in the Ashburton domain, by the Walnut Avenue pavilion.
• Johnson injured
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Star Old Boys bowler Armand van der Eik reaches out for a caught and bowled of Tech Sharks batsman Matt Miller during the Mid Canterbury Twenty20 final at the Ashburton Domain on Saturday.
Nervous wait for champion Phoenix pinch a draw By Patrick McKendry Aucklander Aaron Gate is the proud owner of cycling’s famous rainbow jersey after winning the multi-discipline omnium event at the World Championships in Minsk, Belarus. Gate raised his arms in triumph after watching defending champion Glenn O’Shea, of Australia, fail to beat his time in the final kilo event. The 22-year-old, competing in his first omnium at international level, hugged his BikeNZ support crew in celebration. Apart from his pleasure in becoming world champion and beating O’Shea and Danish Olympic gold medallist Lasse Norman Hansen, Gate was also extremely relieved. O’Shea’s final ride was delayed by 10 minutes because of a problem with his bike, which meant Gate had an agonis-
ing wait. However, O’Shea posted only the fifth fastest time and had to settle for third overall, with Hansen second. “The heart was pumping,” Gate said of the wait and then the minute or so of O’Shea’s ride. “I knew he [O’Shea] was a team pursuiter too and would be able to ride a good kilo. I couldn’t really celebrate until after that ride. He was holding second place really close right up to the last lap. It was a pretty nerve-racking few minutes. “It’s not sunk in. I was an unknown really because I’ve not really done one before so to come away with a world title is every cyclist’s dream, so I couldn’t be happier.” It is the second omnium world title claimed by a New Zealander after Hayden Godfrey won in Manchester in 2008, and it is the third medal won by the five-strong contingent in Minsk following the silver medals by the men’s
team sprint and Simon van Velthooven in the 1km time trial. BikeNZ high performance director Mark Elliott said the nature of Gate’s victory was pleasing. “It was phenomenal. He won all the timed events which is pretty spectacular and it shows the quality of the young man,” he said. Gate, who won bronze in the team pursuit at last year’s Olympics, has worked hard on the timed races in the camp leading into the championships with coach Dayle Cheatley and it paid off. He posted the fastest time in the flying lap on the first day and repeated that effort with a personal best 4:21:60 to be fastest in the 4000m individual pursuit which moved him to a share of second place overall. Gate is now hoping to add the omnium to the team pursuit aspirations for the 2016 Rio Olympics. “It is early days yet.” - APNZ
Corey Gameiro has kept the Wellington Phoenix’s faint playoff hopes alive with an 80th-minute goal that earned them a 2-2 draw against Adelaide United at Westpac Stadium last night. The Phoenix had to battle back from 2-1 down and had the luxury of playing the final 22 minutes with an extra man after Adelaide midfielder and former Phoenix player Jon McKain was given a red card for producing two bookable offences. Wellington dominated the final 20 minutes of the game and should have found a winner but a combination of good goalkeeping from Eugene Galekovic and poor finishing forced them to settle for a draw. Gameiro, who is on loan at the Phoenix from English Premier League side Fulham, looked dangerous throughout the game and his well-taken goal following a touch from Stein Huysegems was due reward. The Phoenix were without lively midfielder Isaka Cernak for the game due to a hip flexor
complaint, while Jeremy Brockie returned to the fold after missing last week’s loss to Brisbane through suspension. Brockie’s return caused a shuffle in formation as Louis Fenton dropped back in to the midfield and he was joined there by Vince Lia who switched from right back after Leo Bertos also returned to the field. Adelaide opened the scoring in the 20th minute when a delightful cross from Iain Ramsay found Tomi Juri, who slammed home a powerful left foot shot on the half volley that gave Phoenix goalkeeper Glen Moss no chance. The home side found their way in to the game just over 10 minutes later when Jeremy Brockie was gifted a tap-in from close range after the energetic Gameiro dispossessed Galekovic. Before the home side even had time to catch their breath, Adelaide restored their advantage though when a thunderbolt shot from midfielder Marcelo Carrusca rifled in to the top corner of Moss’ net. Gameiro’s late goal was the equaliser. - APNZ
Carter freed to focus on Crusaders’ attack By Gregor Paul
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Tight fives test fitness at sevens Rakaia’s Keepu Osai offloads the ball before being tackled during a Tight Five sevens match against Christchurch at the Rakaia Domain on Saturday. Christchurch Club made it all the way to the final of the tournament but Sydenham ran away with the title. The 2011 winners and last year’s runners-up MaristAlbion won the play-off for third but University, who had earlier tipped over Timaru Celtic to advance to the semi-finals, won by technicality after Marist-Albion used
“incorrect players”. Over in the normal sevens, Marist-Albion became the inaugural winners again in Rakaia beating Timaru Celtic with hosts Rakaia third. Aimed at being a pre-season tournament, in its third year it attracted a total of 15 teams with over 250 players but organisers were disappointed that the only Mid Canterbury entry came from the host Rakaia, despite clubs travelling from Christchurch and Timaru to play.
There’s never much need to look too hard at the Crusaders at this time of year - everyone knows precisely what they are going to see from the competition’s most successful franchise. But this year is shaping differently and it’s because the Crusaders feel they have blurred the line between consistency and predictability. So much has changed, and yet they haven’t, which is why there is added pressure on the squad this year, why they are likely to be more expansive. For large periods of last season, the Crusaders lacked ideas; they lacked invention, direct running or clever ways to use a backline lacking star quality. There was no Sonny Bill Williams to take them over the gain line or spark Robbie Fruean into life. With Sean Maitland injured and then strangely overlooked, they lacked finishing power on the wing and it often looked like Dan Carter and Israel Dagg were weighed down by the knowledge that they were carrying the entire creative burden. Winning the ball was no problem. Doing something with it was, which is why Aaron Mauger and Tabai Matson have been brought into the coaching set-up. The arrival of these two former All Blacks is the most significant change and best example of how the mindset has changed in Christchurch. The Crusaders want to catch teams by surprise - deliver better, straighter running lines and, quite simply, score more tries. Last year, they scored 489 points - second only behind the Hurricanes - in the round-robin but less than half came from tries. While they
picked up five try-scoring bonus points, the Hurricanes took eight and in the big games, the Crusaders were overly reliant on the boot of Tom Taylor and then Carter to accumulate points. The decision to relieve Carter of the vicecaptaincy is all about freeing him up to focus on running the attacking game; leaving him clear to deliver ways in which the Crusaders can be innovative, as they were at the peak of their powers during 2000-08. It has been a Crusaders’ trademark to get the best out of the talent they have; to be trend-setters and market leaders - something they realised they weren’t in 2012 after an extensive review. “Most definitely [things are different this year],” says newly installed vice-captain Ryan Crotty. “The review that came out of last year was fairly brutal. We were very harsh on ourselves and we took a lot out of it. “We have been doing a lot more team activities; we have had the All Blacks back in camp and got everyone together. We are tighter and the rugby stuff has maybe taken a little bit of a back seat because we have the bye [in round one]. I think you will see a new style of play from us. A little bit more width - giving the backs some more room to move. It is exciting.” Coach Todd Blackadder took plenty out of the review as well. He admitted late last year that he became distracted by thinking about winning a title - understandable given that the Crusaders have won seven but not one since he came into the job in 2009. There are obvious parallels between Todd Blackadder and Ewen McKenzie, while the now-Reds coach was with the Waratahs. In five seasons in Sydney, McKenzie took the Waratahs to three finals. - APNZ
The Warriors will begin their NRL campaign without the services of Shaun Johnson, after the halfback was sidelined for three to four weeks with an arm injury. Johnson hyper-extended his right elbow during his side’s 16-10 win over the Brisbane Broncos in a trial match in Dunedin on Saturday, leaving the field early in the second half clutching his arm. And the Warriors yesterday announced the 22-year-old had undergone scans which confirmed he will miss up to a month, all but ruling him out of the Warriors’ season-opening game against Parramatta on March 9. Johnson wrote on Twitter he was “gutted” with the injury but his disappointment was eased by winning the game. Johnson’s injury wasn’t the only blow for the Warriors, with second-rower Carlos Tuimavave ruled out for up to six weeks after breaking a bone in his right hand. - APNZ
• Webber keen If Richard Ussher has his way, Formula One ace Mark Webber will one day be racing alongside him in the Speight’s Coast to Coast. Ussher, winner of the event five times since 2004 and second in this year’s race, has formed an unlikely friendship with the Red Bull driver. Webber is contractually limited in his athletic pursuits outside F1 (due to injury fears) but Ussher sees great potential in the 36-year-old.“I know he is very keen to do it,” says Ussher of Webber, “and I’d love him to do it in the near future. He is good on the bike and we would definitely get him through the run and kayak sectors.” Webber is a passionate road and mountain biker and has joined Ussher for rides near Webber’s home in England and his house in France. Webber was hit by a car while riding his bike in 2008, breaking his leg, and has to be careful but is still a capable racer on two wheels. - APNZ
• Ocean racers Rotorua swimmer Kane Radford barely prevailed in a thrilling fourth round of the New Zealand ocean swim series in Christchurch at the weekend. Radford won by just one second over Auckland’s Phillip Ryan, with Queensland’s Josh Richardson another 13 seconds back in third. The race was tight right from the start with all three swimmers, and women’s winner Melissa Gorman, in close proximity to one other. Radford eventually got his nose in front about one kilometre from the end, but Ryan almost swum him down as the pair closed in on the finish.
• Perth still alive Perth kept alive their hopes of overhauling New Zealand for the NBL minor premiership with two wins, but at least one finalist now looks certain to have a negative winloss record. With ladder-leader New Zealand (20-3) having the week off, second placed Perth (19-5) took the opportunity to close the gap. The Wildcats scored a 78-58 home win over third-placed Melbourne (10-12) on Friday and recorded a crushing 97-71 away victory over fifth-placed Sydney (10-14) on Sunday. It was their fourth win in a hectic 10-day period for Perth, who still have a home game against New Zealand.
Upsets shape for close tennis finish Bowls master class By Jonathan Leask All three games in Open A grade tennis finished up 4-2 with the second round leaders both going down on Saturday. Fairton and Allenton both slipped up but remain tied at the top of the table but round one winners Hampstead moved within one point and Dorie is a further point back, shaping for a tight end to the round. Hampstead beat Fairton 4-2 after Hampstead got off to a handy start by winning both doubles. Hampstead’s Tony Brosnahan and Peter Kirwan took down Peter Leonard and Rebecca Robinson 7-5, 6-2 and Ben Deeley and Will Blacklow beat Connor Brosnahan
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and Brad Chisnall 6-2, 6-4. Then came the match of the day as two old stagers slugged it out on the front court. Leonard won the first set 6-4 with a solitary service break before Brosnahan got the upper hand early in second set to win 6-1 as Leonard conserved energy for the third set. An untimely double-fault in the deciding match tiebreak by Brosnahan didn’t help his cause, but from 3-7 down he fought back to 7-8 only for the big-serving Leonard to close out the match with a trademark ace to win the tiebreak 10-7. Kirwan was too powerful for Robinson 6-1, 6-2 and Deeley played great percentage tennis for a 6-0, 6-0 win over fill-in Connor Brosnahan from A Reserve, with the two wins enough for Hampstead to take the
win but Fairton’s Chisnall battled hard to overcome Blacklow 6-4, 6-4 for a 4-2 final score. Tinwald hadn’t had a win in round two but stunned Allenton 4-2 on Saturday. Allenton’s top pair of Jack Deeley and Ashleigh Leonard had to fight hard for a 6-3, 7-6 win over Simon Jordan and fill-in Kyle Brown. Tinwald’s Michael Donaldson and Aidan Mitchell came up with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Brentton Donaldson and Mary-Anne Thyne to level the score heading into the singles. Deeley was promoted to the top singles spot and delivered with a 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (106) win over Jordan, however, the rest of the singles matches went the way of Tinwald. Mitchell had a solid win over Leonard 6-2, 6-2 while in a battle of the unrelated
Donaldsons, Michael overcame Brentton 6-4, 6-2. The decisive match had Brown prevail in a nail-biter against Thyne 3-6, 6-0, 1-0 (12-10) to get Tinwald home for the win. Dorie beat a three-man Methven 4-2. Dorie’s Rhys Cromie and Murray Amyes claimed a 6-0, 6-3 win over Jayden Cromie and Ben Wright while Todd Boag and Jess McCloy won by default to put Dorie up 2-0. In the singles was a battle of the brothers and replay of the Gala Cup final with Rhys again outdoing his older brother 6-4, 6-4. However, Wright claimed a tough 6-4, 6-4 win over Amyes and James Watt beat Boag 6-0, 6-2 for Methven But playing a man short, with McCloy having a win by default, Dorie’s two free points ensured the 4-2 win.
Mike Kernaghan performed the outstanding feat of winning all eight of his singles matches over three days to inspire Dunedin to a thrilling national men’s bowls inter-centre title win at Howick on Saturday. Giving a master class of draw bowling, Kernaghan gave Dunedin a flying start in the final against Manawatu’s Ross Ellery with a 25-19 win, with Ellery, despite being outdrawn, managing to stay in the contest with some effective run shots. Dunedin, even though Shaun Scott and Mark Watt dropped the pairs to Philip Skoglund and Craig Gush, then clinched the title with an exciting win in the fours when the Kerry Becksskipped line-up picked up two shots, one on a measure, on the last end
to pip Manawatu 12-11. But it was Kernaghan, with his flawless record and a string of wins over such notables as Nelson’s international Shannon McIlroy and Wellington’s Rob Ashton, who was Dunedin’s hero. The national singles champion in 2000-01 and pairs champion in 2007, Kernaghan returned to Dunedin after a stint working in Auckland three years ago. Such was his accuracy many might wonder whether Kernaghan might be again useful at national level. But he emphasised he was no longer interested in international honours. “I was just lucky eight times,” he said. Canterbury made it a South Island double by scoring an equally exciting win in women’s final against Nelson. - APNZ