Logan McCorkindale has won the New Zealand Golf Croquet Championship. Photo supplied.Mid Canterbury has a new national champion walking in it’s midst and in a continuation of a meteoric rise for the district in a minority sport, it was the sport golf croquet where we’ve produced once again.

Logan McCorkindale, who is a member of the Waireka Croquet Club here in Ashburton, returned home from the New Zealand Golf Croquet Championships last week in Auckland a winner – adding his name to a long list of players to have achieved the feat over the past 20 years.

And he had to do it the hard way too.

In a stand-out field of 22 players, it was McCorkindale who emerged at the top of the pile after 13 intense games over the course of the championship.

And in a fitting result, considering this district’s standing in the sport he had to beat another local to claim the title – Edmund Fordyce.

Play started with 10 best of the three matches during the qualifying stages with the 22 players split up into two sections.

McCorkindale snuck through with eight wins from his 10 matches, while Fordyce and Chris Spittal, also from Mid Canterbury, worked through to the next stage in the other section with seven wins each.

Spittal took down North Island champion, Hamish McIntosh in one quarter-final 7-4, 7-2 while Fordyce, who was the defending champion, took three sets to win his quarter-final.

McCorkindale had to fight hard for his spot in the semi-final, winning 7-5, 6-7, 7-4.

In the semi-finals, Fordyce grabbed his spot in the final with a 7-6, 7-5 victory while McCorkindale was victorious over Spittal, winning 7-3, 7-4.

The final between the two club-mates was a best of five games match-up and all five of the matches were needed to get a result.

Fordyce won the first 7-3, but McCorkindale came back to take the next two 7-4, 7-4 to be on the verge of his maiden nationals crown.

However, as he did when he won the World Under 21 crown early this year, Fordyce fought back in the fourth to win 7-6 and force a fifth and deciding game.

McCorkindale prevailed 7-5 in that one however, winning the match 3-2.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 19 December 2019

Wayne Rodgers with his life member pin. Photo supplied.Wayne Rodgers has cemented himself a place among local basketball royalty and has been named a life member of Basketball Mid Canterbury.

Over 42 years of involvement in the game Mr Rodgers, whose nickname is “bait”, has been a player, coach, and enthusiastic promoter of the sport locally.

His playing days started as a mini ball player at St Joseph’s school.

As a teenager he played for Mid Canterbury and captained the Ashburton College A team for a couple of seasons.

He played at rep level, in local and social leagues until 2005, when he made the decision to switch to coaching.

“When you get a bit older and a bit slower you need to do the wise thing and pull the pin on playing.

“I had my own kids, so it was the right time to use my experience and to take it into coaching.”

Coaching started with Year 4 and Year 5 teams and progressed up the age group ranks.

Coaching has also taken him to Australia, first as the manager of the NZ Under 18 men’s team in Tasmania in 2011, and the following year with the NZ Under 20 team in Canberra.

Since 2012 Mr Rodgers has been the president of Basketball Mid Canterbury.

Late last year an initiative was launched to help upskill young players and to encourage a love of the game that will filter through all levels.

“Our academy model offers one hour of extra training for boys and another hour for girls once a week during the season.

“It’s a free invitation for players from Year 5 upwards, although we have a couple of younger players at the moment, to get targeted coaching that will improve their skills, encourage their enthusiasm and hopefully filter through to grow the game locally.”

Mr Rodgers said the game of basketball was a great team sport and occupied a lot of his spare time.

Winning was nice, he said, but the key was playing your best and participating.

He said his love of the game had been passed on by his late father.

“For me the payback is seeing the smiles on the kids faces and also the camaraderie of the basketball community.”

loyal local basketball stalwart, Steph Ching, also received a life membership from Basketball Mid Canterbury. Mrs Ching now lives on the West Coast, but is a regular return visitor for local basketball tournaments.

By Mick Jensen © The Ashburton Courier - December 2019

With Damian Peeti and the refurbished carving of Tawhaki are Charlie Culshaw, Brooklyn Culshaw, Darian Haami-Pethig and Thomas Kairau, some of the students who lent a hand on the restoration project. Photo supplied.Damian Peeti, with help from half a dozen students, has repaired, refurbished and repainted the carvings that have stood at the entrance of Ashburton College’s whare for more than two decades.

The carvings were crafted by the late Vince Leonard, a master carver, and will be re-erected and displayed in all their glory for the start of the new academic year.

Mr Leonard started the carvings in the mid 1990s and they were unveiled in 1997.

They are made from totara, are very heavy and intricately carved.

An impressive carving of Tawhaki, a celebrated hero of Polynesia, stands in the centre of things.

Mr Peeti said he had been among a team of volunteers assisting Mr Leonard on the original carving project and was proud to have been asked to come back to tidy them up.

“I’m not a master carver like Vince was, but I’ve worked through the process of repairing the carvings, reinforcing areas where cracks have occurred and also in sourcing the right colours for the painting.”

Totara wood shavings and glue had been used to fill cracks and gaps and the original maker’s plaque had been cleaned and polished.

Mr Peeti said students had lent an enthusiastic hand over the last four or five months, with boys helping with painting, lifting and tidying up the carvings inside the whare, which has been converted into a workshop, and the girls painting and offering encouragement from outside.

He said it had been “a pleasure to work alongside the students” and he was very happy with what had been achieved.

“Vince kept an eye on the carvings over the years, but this is the first time they have all been taken down and refurbished.”

It had taken 20 teachers to move the bigger carvings around in the workshop and a crane and hoist would be used again to put everything back in place.

“This project honours the work of master carver Vince Leonard, who passed far too early,” said Mr Peeti.

By Mick Jensen © The Ashburton Courier - December 2019