Daniel Pearce. Photo supplied.Former Ashburton golfer, Daniel Pearce is strutting his stuff on the greens of New Zealand in a rich vein of form.

Pearce, who now hails from the Hawke’s Bay, won the Akarana Open on the weekend by an impressive three shots – his second consecutive win on the Jennian Homes Charles Tour after winning the Mgamotu Classic back in October last year.

The 29-year-old produced consistent golf across the four rounds at the Akarana Golf Course over the weekend to see him home against a strong field of players.

He opened with rounds of 66, 64 and 66 before producing a composed 65 on the final day to hold off the late challenge of defending champion, Gareth Paddison.

Pearce’s iron was his best friend throughout the tournament and he told Golf New Zealand that his short-play won him the tournament.

“I think I played the par threes seven or eight under this week, which is something I have never done in a tournament before, so to have my iron play going so good was a nice feeling,” he said.

“This gives me a lot of confidence, the game is in pretty good shape and I now know I can win a golf tournament even when I’m hitting the driver so badly.”

Pearce said he enjoyed being back plying his trade on familiar land and said that without the ability to play in such tournaments, it would make the struggle of being on the international scene even harder.

“It’s awesome to win out here.

“The Jennian Homes Charles Tour is a great breeding ground for New Zealand golfers and without this it’s really hard to progress yourself because we play overseas a lot.

“But if you’ve got nothing at home to play, to develop yourself and learn how to win, it’s really hard to emulate that when you go overseas.”

The weekend’s result has Pearce sitting in a good position on the leaderboard for the Jennian Homes Trophy which he currently leads comfortably with two wins from three tournaments.

The competition wraps up in a fortnight at the Carrus Open where Pearce will be out to assert his domination.

As another bonus, Pearce is now on top of the Order of Merit for the New Zealand PGA – jumping up 12 spots from his previous position to sit on top of the list of some of the best golfers in the land.

By Matt Markham © The Ashburton Guardian - 11 April 2018

Jane Leonard. Photo supplied.As someone who has never cared much for the Wizard of Oz, the prospect of a stage show based entirely on the untold story of the witches of the same imaginary land left me feeling a little apprehensive.

The process of munchkins, men made from both tin and straw and an afraid lion all mixed in together with a girl in red slippers never really piqued my attention growing up and so I headed to the Isaac Theatre Royal on Saturday night for the second showing of Showbiz Christchurch’s latest production, Wicked with some strongly mixed emotions.

Knowing there was some incredibly talented Mid Canterbury faces in the cast had eased my apprehension somewhat and within two minutes of the curtain rising I found myself captivated, intrigued and sitting on the edge of my seat enjoying every moment.

The world-renowned show, that has been a hit across the globe for a decade now tells the untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two girls who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University: the blonde and very popular Glinda and a misunderstood green girl named Elphaba.

Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, has unexpected and shocking consequences for her future.

Their extraordinary adventures in Oz sees them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Nothing is left unturned here by a star-studded line up of directors and their staff, from the programmes sold at the front door, to the shoes worn by those on stage, everything radiates professionalism and brilliance and the entire production team from the set design, choreography, costumes and music were fully deserving of every plaudit thrown their way.

As luck would have it, former Ashburton lass, and NASDA graduate Jane Leonard was on one of her alternate nights of filling the lead role of the green-skinned Elphaba, playing alongside Wellington’s Ellie Neal who fulfilled the role of Glinda.

The pair were, quite simply a match made in heaven. They bounced off each other with the right amount of enthusiasm and humility that you’d expect from such a high-end show and were the deserving shining lights of the night.

It is hard to imagine the show without these two playing their respective roles.

I sympathise with Leonard’s character somewhat, because I too am green. Green-eyed with envy at the incredible talent this former Ashburton girl possesses.

She commanded the stage, her presence unwavering and demanding and her vocal performance was nigh on perfect.

The show’s most well-known song, Defying Gravity is somewhat of a double-edged sword in the fact that it is such a tune that it’s hard not to enjoy, but equally as difficult vocally and requires some skill to perform.

Leonard’s effort, was quite simply put, perfection wrapped up in green and black. So much so there was the sense of a standing ovation as the curtain fell down on the first act with her powerful tones ringing through the ears of the packed house.

The ovation didn’t come then, but it did as she made her curtain call with the large Ashburton contingent in the crowd making sure that others there knew just how proud they were of her effort.

Leonard wasn’t the only local on stage though.

The experienced Greta Casey-Solly made an appearance as an interestingly attired mid-wife and her own usual manner exuded confidence and power while young rising star Jack Hanrahan was a prominent figure in the ensemble showing up numerous times with his usual amount of flair and skill.

The only gripe I can muster, and it is a very minimal one, is that at times the abrupt loudness of the brilliant band drowned out some soloists, and their lyrics became a little more difficult than it should have.

This was more an issue in the opening act and only for certain performers (not Leonard) but seemed to have been ironed out by the time the curtain rose again for the second act.

So, take it from this former Oz-Doubter, that Wicked is a show not to be missed.

At around $60 a ticket, it’s well worth the trip up the road for a night of good, quality entertainment and one I’ve got no hesitation in recommending to anyone.

Reviewed by Matt Markham © The Ashburton Guardian - 10 April 2018

Wicked runs from April 6 to April 21 at the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch.

Note: Jane Leonard’s nights appearing as Elphaba are as follows: Tuesday April 10, Thursday April 12, Saturday April 14, Sunday April 15, Wednesday April 18, Friday 20 April and Saturday April 21.

Ashburton College players try to clear the ball from a ruck during their game against Waitaki Boys’ High School at the weekend. Photo Linda ClarkeConfidence is growing in the Ashburton College First XV camp after a good showing against Waitaki Boys’ High School on Saturday.

The game was a friendly as both sides prepare for secondary school competitions starting early May and AshColl coach Blair O’Donnell said it was a good chance to test fitness and combinations.

His side lost narrowly to Timaru Boys’ High School in an earlier warmup game and against Waitaki Boys was right in the game until the final stanza, losing 35-15.

O’Donnell said the squad was a mix of experienced players and relative youngsters, who needed time to learn about the game at First XV level.

The side was light on older players so there was an additional focus on building depth for future years.

Among the players who earned praise from the coach on Saturday were Year 13s James Forbes and birthday boy Elama Touli.

O’Donnell said Forbes, who played at second five on Saturday, was a versatile and determined player who could fill any spot in the back line.

Touli is more familiar at No 8 but played prop against Waitaki and stood out with several barnstorming runs.

The tight forward is part of the Crusader Knights wider training group and O’Donnell said he was an exciting prospect.

The whole backline had talent to burn and he was looking forward to seeing them in action, he said.

“This whole team is a great group of boys and we’ve been working on a new game plan. I’m impressed with their ability to learn and get the younger players up to speed.”

AshColl starts its UC Championship campaign on May 5.

By Linda Clarke © The Ashburton Guardian - 9 April 2018