Nelson Weekly Your Community Newspaper
Sport
TUESDAY 6 November 2012
27
Axemen prepare for championship chop Sinead Ogilvie
Local axeman Ray Biggs chops through his block at Higgins Park in Pigeon Valley on the weekend. Photo: Sinead Ogilivie.
Nelson’s Axemen are gearing up for a championship chop off this weekend, with the King of the Forest Loggers Sports weekend providing the perfect opportunity to hone their skills. Close to two hundred enthusiasts watched the logging events held at Higgins Park in Pigeon Valley on the weekend, with the chockermans race drawing fierce competition between loggers and their counterparts as they battled on a timed course that included chainsaw assembly and wood splitting. Heading off five other teams to win the final, team Fulton Hogan took out the title with their 4min 22 sec time, a surprising feat said team member Matt Riordan after the team, who aren’t loggers by trade, came second to last in last year’s challenge. “I think the fact we beat the profes-
Speedway's Nelson Tigers roar into action
TR
MAS !
RIST HIS CH
LF T
URSE EAT YO
URBAN RISTORANTE AND BAR
Phillip Rollo The Challenge Cup will be up for grabs when the Nelson Tigers host the Palmerston North Panthers this weekend, but the locals will be competing for more than just superstock silverware. The manager of the Nelson Tigers, Daryl Peterson, says a pool of eight drivers are likely to take part in the four upcoming teams races, which means the five penned in for this Saturday could effectively be on trial for the NZ Teams Champs in February and the Teams Nationals in March. Jared Gray, Carey and Shane Harwood, Ian Clayworth and Blair Cunningham form an experienced quintet and Daryl says home track advantage should count for plenty. “We’ve had a pretty good success rate in the past against them in Nelson and we are the current holders of the annual cup,” he says. “Blair and Shane are probably the youngest but I’d hate to think how many years of experience we have here.” Daryl says the Panthers are the easiest team to plan for because of their overall strengths. “We know their guys are strong and we know their roles and how they race. It’s one of the easier teams to race, although that doesn’t mean we’re going to beat them all of the time.” Action began the Tahuna Holiday Park Speedway two weeks ago and this season will definitely be influenced by a heavy superstock feel. As well as a number of teams fixtures, Nelson will host the New Zealand Superstock Championship, which is widely regarded as the top individual speedway championship in the country. The Tigers will head to Wellington on November 17 to take on the Wildcats in the first race of the Carter Cup series before facing the Glen Eagles in Christchurch two weeks later for the McCall Trophy. The Wildcats will then make the trip across the Cook Strait for the final Carter Cup race on December 8.
sionals surprised us a bit.” Organiser Rex Kelly says it was great to see the loggers having a good time together over the course of the day. “It’s just great to get the loggers together who work in the bush all day and see them enjoying themselves, and getting competitive.” Nelson’s axemen had a chance to prepare for their championship bout to be held this weekend when they displayed standing chops and underhand events throughout the day. Brightwater axeman Rhys Hornecastle said he was enjoying himself and saw it as a “bit of a training day”, for the coming weekend’s competition which will see Nelson play host to members from the New South Wales wood chopping team. Four world champion axemen will attend the event held at The Speights Ale House on Saturday, including Adam Lowe, a former Nelsonian.
c
THE LONG ITALIAN SUNDAY LUNCH
12.30 PM SUNDAY 18 NOVEMBER / 12.30 PM SUNDAY 25 NOVEMBER
Howie Timms - Branch Manager NBS Motueka (centre) hands over the keys to the Motueka Community Patrol Co-ordinator - Stuart Blathwayt. Constable Kyle Abbott of Motueka Police watches on.
Congratulations . . .
MOTUEKA COMMUNITY PATROL
a glass of Castello Prosecco ( Italian Sparkling ) BRUSCHETTA with chicken livers in Marsala or Sicilian Caponata PESTO LINGUINE or INSALATA CAPRESE Wild Boar LASAGNE or OSSO BUCO followed by
Tiramisu or Lemon Ricotta Cake
$65 pp
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM RESTAURANT OR TELEPHONE
03 5466998
Eatalian Urban Ristorante and Bar 7 Morrison Street Fashion Island Nelson 7010 eat@eatalian.co.nz www.eatalian.co.nz
$1000.00 cash prize winners . . .
Kerry & Denise Wells. NELSON. Joanna Leyland. RICHMOND. Joy Hellewell. MOTUEKA. Michael & Evelyn Lusty. MURCHISON. Gerald & Alison Hateley. WESTPORT. Melvin Woodgate. GREYMOUTH. John Balck. TAKAKA. David & Leanne Jackson. ASHBURTON.
NBS NELSON. 111 TRAFALGAR ST. 03 548 2164
Visit us online www.nelsonweekly.co.nz