Great successes by J’ville bowlers

By Frank Neill

Two outstanding successes were celebrated at the Johnsonville Bowling Club’s prize giving on 19 May.

One was the Johnsonville men winning the Bowls Wellington Champion Club of the Year.

The second was Wayne Coleman, whose great form throughout the season saw him win the Centre Men’s Player of the Year.

The club’s Patron Greg O’Connor MP presented the club trophies and Bowls Wellington General Manager Blake Signal did the honours for centre trophies.

Both spoke positively about the Club’s 2022-23 achievements.

As well as being presented the trophy as the Centre Men’s Player of the Year, Wayne also received a series of other trophies, including the Centre Men’s Open Pairs championship he won with Brendon Gibson, and the club’s men’s over 60 singles and doubles championships. Brendon was also presented the trophy as Greenkeeper of the Year.

Among the many awards presented were the following club championship winners:

Women’s singles: Dale Rayner.

Men’s singles: Phil Todd.

Women’s pairs: Gill Oliver and Dale Rayner.

Men’s pairs: Adam Ryan and Brady Amer.

Women’s triples: Alwyn Knox, Lui Hare and Merani Davis.

Men’s triples: Isi Taito, Bruce Henderson and Ian Franklin.

Women’s fours: Lynette Campbell, Alison Colgate, Gill Oliver and Paula Meredith.

Men’s fours: Isi Taito, Grant Wakefield, Bruce Henderson and Rob Veale.

J’ville scores convincing win

By Frank Neill

The Johnsonville Hawks had a convincing victory over the Wellington Axemen in Wellington Rugby’s Swindale Shield competition on 20 May, winning 52-22.

Jacob Walmsley was in outstanding form when he came off the bench, scoring a second half hat trick of tries.

Those three tries were among the eight tries awarded to Johnsonville, one of them a penalty try.

Finlay Sharp, Niall Delahunt, Ha’amea Ahio, and Mark Sutton also scored tries and Mark kicked five conversions.

The Hawks defence limited the Axemen to just three tries in the match, played at Karori Park.

Johnsonville’s next match will see them meet Tawa at Helston Park on 27 May.

With both teams currently on 27 points on the ladder, this should prove an interesting encounter.

Northern United did not have such a good day on 20 May, however.

They were beaten 37-23 by Old Boys University, who currently sit second on the table.

The Johnsonville Premier 2 team also picked up a victory on 20 May when they beat Stokes Valley 10-5 at Delany Park.

By Frank Neill

North Wellington Badminton is running an under 19 open tournament during King’s Birthday weekend, 3 and 4 June.

Being held at the club’s stadium, 24 Tawa Street, Tawa, the events will feature girls and boys singles, girls and boys doubles and mixed doubles. Hot food and drinks will be available, and spectators are welcome. Spot prizes will be handed out throughout the event.

The club expects that around 50 players will enter the tournament, with the majority of players coming from the Wellington area.

A few players from Christchurch and Auckland had also entered when this issue of the “Independent Herald” went to print.

Junior tournaments have been run in the Wellington region for more than 10 years now.

The three associations – Hutt, Hataitai and Tawa – take differ- ent age groups each year.

North Wellington badminton player Samuel Navarra has been named to represent Team New Zealand in the 23rd World Junior Badminton Championships. Sam will be travelling to Spokane, in the United States, to play in the event, which runs from 25 September to 8 October.

Sam is a member of the New Zealand under19 training squad, the Wellington senior division team 1 and the Wellington under 19 team.