Sport
ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, Saturday, December 1, 2012
Weekend
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www.guardianONLINE.co.nz
Saturday-Sunday, December 1-2, 2012
High hopes for top talent
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Inside:
P23 Black Caps redeem themselves P24, 25 All Blacks expected to kick on home
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ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, Saturday, December 1, 2012
Weekend By Kris Shannon
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- The Black Caps won just their second test of 2012 when they clinched a series-levelling 167-run victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo on Thursday night. Trent Boult picked up the last wicket to secure a triumph built largely around the 15 scalps he shared with Tim Southee.
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- It has been 10 years since the All Blacks last lost a match on a Northern Hemisphere tour, a 31-28 defeat at the hands of England in 2002. If New Zealand can avoid defeat by the same opposition on Sunday morning, they will complete the year unbeaten.
Ponting, who has won 108 tests while wearing the baggy green, will hope for a fitting farewell in his final match against South Africa at the Waca - the same venue where he scored 96 on debut.
ed by the San Antonio Spurs in their loss against Miami yesterday, leaving the NBA promising “substantial sanctions”. Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich elected to send home, among others, veterans Tim Duncan and Tony Parker instead of playing them for a fourth time in five nights.
world No 2 Tommy Haas, who has climbed from outside the top 200 to a ranking of 21 this year, will continue his remarkable comeback at January’s Heineken Open. Haas, a finalist in Auckland in 1999, has since gone on to win 13 titles and make four grand slam semifinals.
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- Legendary New York Yankees’ pitcher Mariano Rivera turned 43 on Thursday and celebrated by signing a new one-year contract. Rivera, who is Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in saves, took a US$5 million pay cut from the US$15 million he earned in 2012.
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- Manchester United striker Robin van Persie struck the fastest goal in this season’s Premier League, netting after just 33 seconds against Winston Reid’s West Ham on Thursday. It proved
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- After 17 years playing test cricket, Australia’s Ricky Ponting is pulling the plug on his playing career.
to be the only goal of the game as United maintained a one-point lead over Manchester City atop the table.
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- The number of Southern Hemisphere rugby players charged by the judiciary during the November internationals, while their Northern counterparts have escaped sanction. All Blacks Adam Thomson and Andrew Hore have been joined in the dock by players from South Africa, Australia, Tonga, Samoa and Argentina.
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- Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel won his third successive Formula One world championship after taking out the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix last weekend. By claiming victory, Vettel edged Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso by just three points.
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- Auckland pair Colin Munro and Craig Cachopa put on 377 runs for the sixth wicket as their side racked up a massive first innings total of 658-9 in their Plunket Shield match against Wellington at Eden Park. Despite the partnership - the fourth-highest sixthwicket stand in cricket history - the match was drawn. - APNZ
their fans, the wrong way.
2.
Because they invented the game ...
1. Because it’s England!
The English arguably rank behind Australia and South Africa as the All Blacks’ biggest rivals but they are the side New Zealand players often admit they hate losing to the most. The All Blacks succeed through their fear of letting down the black jersey, but when it comes to playing England - it seems the fear of seeing the opposition celebrate is what drives them. Even a draw is enough for the English, who ‘celebrated’ the 1997 26-26 stalemate with a lap of honour around Twickenham. Victories over New Zealand don’t come that often for England, just six times in 34 matches, the last in 2003 when Jonny Wilkinson kicked the Poms to a 15-13 victory in atrocious conditions at Wellington Stadium. Since then the All Blacks have won the last nine, their longest streak against England. But there is something about the English rugby team that just rubs the All Blacks, and
Standout captions from last week’s odd pictures
Sportstalk
4 - The number of players rest-
21 - Former
By Cameron McMillan
SPORT
... but the All Blacks taught the world how it should be played. Yes, William Webb Ellis ran with the ball and created the game but going on their recent form against the All Blacks it wouldn’t be surprising if young Ellis failed to cross the tryline. England have scored just one try in 254 minutes against the All Blacks going back to the 2008 test in Christchurch. In that time the All Blacks have crossed 10 times. Yes, rugby isn’t just about tries but the All Blacks have succeeded for so long because they play a running game - something the English haven’t mastered since Ellis’ runaway.
3. A positive storyline
The whole week leading up to Sunday’s test has been about Andrew Hore’s hit on Welsh lock Bradley Davies and the thuggish behaviour by the All Blacks in Europe, going back to the opening test against Scotland when Adam Thomson used Alasdair Strokosch’s head as a foot rest. A good clean victory over England where they produce an 80-minute performance, which we’ve been waiting for all year, would push aside all the negative media and force the British scribes to write about one thing - why this All
“So, Steel Balls has gone into motorbike racing?” - Kevin and Julie
The All Blacks can’t possibly lose tomorrow Blacks team is one of the greatest of all time.
4. Unbeaten season
A victory at Twickenham, where the All Blacks have won 14 and drawn one of 19 tests, will extend the side’s unbeaten run to 21 games going back to last year’s Tri-Nations defeat in Brisbane. They need another four wins (or draws) to overtake what the All Blacks achieved from 1987 to 1990 _ which they could chase at the start of next season. The one major test nation (sorry Samoa) they haven’t beaten over that time is England. However,
“Dammit, where DID that woman get to?” - Russell T
they can still make history this weekend. A win on Sunday will also cap a near-perfect season under new coach Steve Hansen with the All Blacks having the chance to go through a calendar year unbeaten (John Hart’s team of 1997 was the last to achieve it).
5. It’s not England’s year
England have a habit of beating the All Blacks in years that include a ‘3’ - so maybe look towards next year’s fixture. Putting aside the 2002 win at Twickenham, England’s other victories against New Zealand were in 2003, 1993, 1983, 1973 and 1936.
“There’s no way you would have got a shoe-in if I didn’t have my face where it was!” - Merv C
“It’s not the All Black way. I’ve let myself down and the team, and probably the whole country that is pretty proud of what we do.” - New Zealand hooker ANDREW HORE apologises for the king hit that floored Wales forward Bradley Davies. * * * * “Welsh rugby’s pretty crazy, isn’t it? It’s like EastEnders or something.” - Wales halfback MIKE PHILLIPS likens his side’s ups and downs to a soap opera. “I got used to the fact a long time ago that I am playing with someone who wasn’t born when I made my debut.” - Manchester United winger RYAN GIGGS, the old man at Old Trafford, turns 39. * * * * “I would go as far to say as I would give him half my pay packet just to lure him across. That’s not just words. I would really do that.” - SONNY BILL WILLIAMS is desperate to have good friend Quade Cooper jump codes to play in the NRL. * * * * “There is a total communication breakdown” - Quade Cooper’s manager KHODER NASSER on the state of talks with the Australian Rugby Union. * * * * “I don’t know who was marking who but it was just kindergarten stuff. If they (the opposition player) goes to the toilet, they should follow them to the toilet.” - Brisbane Roar coach RADO VIDOSIC on his side’s defensive effort in their round 8 clash with Central Coast. * * * * “They didn’t stop for five minutes. They just kept chattering in my ear the whole day. But probably we would have done the same thing. Credit to them for speaking the whole day.” South African batting hero FAF DU PLESSIS reveals Australia tried everything to get him out as he saved the second Test in Adelaide with a heroic unbeaten century. * * * * “No it’s not tough at all. I’ve made up my own mind that I feel I’m not good enough to get there.” - RICKY PONTING explains why he’s deciding to call time on his international career after the Perth Test against South Africa. * * * * “I’m emotional because he has played such a big part I guess for Australian cricket, not just my career ... but what an ambassador for the sport. A tearful MICHAEL CLARKE pays tribute to Ponting. * * * * “The culture’s definitely changed. It’s night and day to last season.” - Melbourne Victory midfielder BILLY CELESKI on the impact of coach Ange Postecoglou. - AAP
“Oh no, this is not good! Someone has left the rake upside down in the sand!” - Merv C
“That’s a good girl now, blow hard . . .” - Robin M
Weekend
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ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, Saturday, December 1, 2012
ABs should kick home By Wynne Gray Twickenham is the finishing line as the All Blacks jostle around the last bend in their surge to the tape. If their last international evolves into a strength and fitness exam without interference from referee George Clancy, the All Blacks will pull away from their rivals England. This is the Lamborghini against the Lada, sleek and honed against reliable and grunty, the sort of contest which makes top sport so intriguing. The clash of styles is part of the fascination as each side seeks to impose their strategic flow. Often lustre does not suffocate steadfast so the All Blacks need to bring the focus which captain Richie McCaw will deliver in his last outing before his sabbatical, aided by his buddy Kieran Read. A sapping 24 hour bug nailed Read, but would be no excuse in the side’s 14th and final test tomorrow. The season’s rating is all on the line at Twickenham. Playing on this side of the world in what has become a oneoff match is all the motivation the All Blacks need. Pressure is never a burden, it is an incentive. “The season has to be completed and the All Blacks need to win this week otherwise there will be questions asked,” Read said calmly. During Graham Henry’s time in charge, the All Blacks had a motto about better people making better All Blacks. They might have skipped past that because of a couple of judicial dings this tour and brought in a “better skills deliver better test players” dictum. Throw in a clause about whatever it takes, which is not a reference to any thuggery but more an ability to deal with the physi-
Ferns out to avoid clean sweep The Black Ferns will be looking to save face against their arch nemesis England at Twickenham tomorrow morning. New Zealand’s world champion women’s rugby team have lost four of their five tests against England since 2010, and the English have been the more physical side during the first two games of the current series. New Zealand lost the first test 16-13 and went down 17-8 in the second, which shows how closely fought it has been. The Black Ferns beat England in the World Cup final in 2010 but that victory will seem a long time ago now for a side who are starved of regular international competition. Black Ferns coach Brian Evans said the players were disappointed after losing the first two tests and wanted to finish the tour with a strong effort. “The girls are really up-beat and have trained with passion and enthusiasm. We’re going into the game with the strongest team we have available and committed to leaving nothing behind,” Evans said. - APNZ
cal combat as well as any other foibles like weather, a referee or opposition brilliance. There has to be a bit of Muhammad Ali about the All Blacks’ methods. They need to absorb some big hits, know how to take some punishment and ride with it as Ali did in his classic duels with Joe Frazier before using his counterattack venom. Even the Rope a Dope concept used against George Foreman, although that is an unkind notion to be firing at an England side which can look a touch one dimensional. They bring danger because of their power and a growing belief, despite close losses to the Wallabies and Springboks, that they are on the right path towards finding a style to suit them and their players in the march to the 2015 World Cup. And depending on next week’s tournament draw, the All Blacks and England may be seeded in the same group. About 81,000 will file in good voice into the Old Cabbage Patch tomorrow, an arena which has a perfect rugby surface if the predicted fine and cold weather stays. Hopefully the diarrhoea and vomiting bug which swept the All Blacks has been well flushed away so there are no side effects or side issues to detract from the test.
Rugby men such as former All Blacks skipper Sean Fitzpatrick who has watched England play a great deal, sees their ambition but feel they will be some points adrift of the visitors at full-time. He is enthused by the All Blacks’
progress since their World Cup success as they have been integrated a number of new players into the squad. “This group is up there with other All Black sides who dominated their eras,” he said. Since England’s World Cup triumph in 2003 when they began that march with a narrow 15-13 win against the All Blacks in foul weather in Wellington, the All Blacks have not lost another of those contests. Nine times the All Blacks have prospered with a 23-19 margin in 2005 at Twickenham, the sides’ closest tussle. The All Blacks are purring and England are growling for this stoush in just the right sort of heavyweight chess contest to close the year. - NZH
Owen Franks will again be fronting up at scrum time against England tomorrow morning.
Nine All Blacks have finished their footy for the year although their tour of duty is not over. Four - Adam Thomson, Hosea Gear, Tamati Ellison and Sam Cane - played in one test each, while replacements Tom Taylor and Hika Elliot will not see any game time, unless something dramatic happens. It is possible. There was the food poisoning which nobbled the All Blacks at the 1995 World Cup and a bug has collared a few in their hotel this week. But the “dirty dirties”, as the non-players are known, have a great deal of work left to help get those who are playing England as ready as possible for that combat. This week, the omitted group is Gear, Ellison, Beauden Barrett, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Cane, Thomson, Ali Williams, Ben Franks, the suspended Andrew Hore and Taylor and Elliot. There were strong reasons for all the single-game men - with the possible exception of Gear being that way. Ellison damaged his foot in his start against Scotland and did
• Plea for changes As the All Blacks prepare to bring the curtain down on a marathon season that has seen some individuals play more than 30 games in 40 weeks, noises increase about the need for change to the season structure. The brave new format of 2012 that saw an extended Super Rugby competition take a three-week break for the June test window has not been endorsed by the senior All Blacks. The New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association is closely monitoring the situation and quietly working out strategies to either push for change in the structure or mechanisms by which workloads can be better managed. The impact of the long season was felt in Cardiff last week when the All Blacks felt they ran out of gas in the final 10 minutes. - NZH
• Different atmosphere Superlatives flowed the last time Israel Dagg and his mates took to Twickenham. There was a widespread gush about the work from both the Crusaders and Sharks in their rescheduled Super rugby game last March but especially the athletic gifts of the New Zealand side. Daniel Carter - who else - Dagg, Sonny Bill Williams and co sashayed around the track in a 44-28 victory as expats and locals saw what some of the noise was about Super rugby. Sunday though is international rugby with Dagg in the No 15 jersey for the All Blacks as they search for the elixir to round this tour off with a strong performance. “It was a lot different last time with two visiting teams playing at Twickenham but the atmosphere and ground was some- NZH thing else,” he said.
• Whincup goes fast
photo ap
Thomson’s tour over By Wynne Gray
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not fully recover until this week which put him out of the frame as a backup while Thomson’s suspension kerfuffle effectively eliminated him as well. Cane is behind the skipper and despite a strong run against Italy, he was always going to miss out to a fit Richie McCaw. The way they configure the extended forwards bench with two props, a hooker, a lock and a versatile loosie left no room for the young flanker. Then there was Gear, who was encouraged to stay in New Zealand this season rather than go overseas. The 28-year-old has accrued 14 caps since his 2008 debut, which is not a spectacular rate of progress. Gear admits that at times he suffers from a lack of confidence and does not quite back his power and speed to damage defences. He can also battle to get into games the way that someone like Cory Jane does.
If his confidence is up, Gear can be a lethal package. He changed from his usual left wing to the right for the test with Italy because the selectors believed his sidestep looked more suited to that flank. It may be but he got precious little chance in that test to push his case for some involvement against Wales and England. When the selectors pick their bench, they are looking for versatile men such as Ben Smith, Ellison, Barrett or Taylor who can cover several positions. Gear plays only wing so that diminishes his reserve chances. There are men at home, such as the injured Richard Kahui and Zac Guildford, who have also played for the All Blacks on the wing while others will come into focus again in Super rugby. - NZH Adam Thomson: tour interrupted by suspension
Holden driver Jamie Whincup was fastest in practice for this weekend’s season-ending Sydney 500 V8 Supercars event in sweltering heat yesterday. Whincup, who wrapped up his fourth championship two weeks ago at Winton, clocked a best lap of 1min 28.3984sec to finish on top of the timesheets ahead of Ford rival Will Davison and Holden pilot Garth Tander at the Sydney Olympic Park track. With temperatures reaching 34C in the sun and around 65C in the cabin of the cars, Whincup set the pace as he aims for a breakthrough win around the tight 3.42km street - AAP circuit.
• Barrier for Phoenix The Wellington Phoenix face a number of unique situations as a New Zealand team playing in an Australian competition, and they were thrown another logistical hurdle this week when they were unable to sign talented young goalkeeper Scott Basalaj. The club tried to sign Basalaj as injury cover for Glen Moss but were unable to do so because the international transfer window had closed. Instead, Australian Griffin McMaster was signed for three weeks as cover for Moss, who is suffering from a suspected hernia and could be out for longer if he needs surgery. McMaster spent time with the Phoenix in 2010 as an injury replacement, and will be on the bench when the Wellingtonians host A-League newcomers the Western Sydney Wanderers at Westpac Stadium on Sunday afternoon. - APNZ
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ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, Saturday, December 1, 2012
ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, Saturday, December 1, 2012
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Reward for team effort By Michael Brown
For two sessions late on Thursday night, the New Zealand cricketers might have worried they could be the victims of a second extraordinary draw in a week. Sri Lanka dropped anchor in the second test in Colombo in the hope of batting out for a draw in the same way South Africa did against Australia in Adelaide. Angelo Mathews played the role Faf du Plessis did for the Proteas - du Plessis batted for seven-and-a-half hours - as he held up one end on his way to 84 off 228 balls. The only problem, however, was those at the other end, as much as they fought, couldn’t hold on and allowed the tourists to draw the two-
test series 1-1. It means New Zealand have finally snapped a horrible five-test losing streak - defeat in this match would have equalled the worst by this country in history - and they will feel slightly better about their chances in the upcoming two-test tour of South Africa. Sri Lanka were finally dismissed for 195 early in the final session, handing the Black Caps a 167-run victory. “It was tough after losing so comprehensively in Galle,” captain and manof-the-match Ross Taylor said, “but the way the guys stepped up was a credit to them. “We will treasure this moment for a while. “Test wins away from home don’t happen very often.” It hadn’t happened for nearly 12 months in fact, when New Zealand
tipped over Australia in Hobart. It was also Mike Hesson’s first test victory as coach, New Zealand’s fourth test victory in Sri Lanka and their first there since 1998. It was appropriate Trent Boult had the final say when he had Mathews caught at slip after an impressive series. Boult (3-33) and Tim Southee (3-58) combined for 15 wickets in the match and were menaces throughout with their ability to swing the ball. They put constant pressure on one of the world’s best batting lineups and provide some hope the Black Caps can climb out of the dreadful hole they have been in. One test win doesn’t make up for what came before but they at least showed they can fight - a quality not seen enough this year - and showed
the value of numerous contributions. Too often in 2012 players have attained success, albeit limited, in isolation. In Colombo, it has been a team effort. New Zealand has some good cricketers but few world-class players (some might argue there aren’t any) and success can only be achieved if a number chip in. Taylor and Kane Williamson with the bat and Southee and Boult with the ball were the obvious standouts from this Colombo test but others like Todd Astle and Doug Bracewell also did their bit, not to mentioned some of the catching. It is the only way they will compete in South Africa. The Proteas, however, are not only the world’s best side but also the ulti-
mate fighters as they showed in this week’s epic draw. Starting the day at 47-4, Sri Lanka heaped more pressure on themselves when Thilan Samaraweera was needlessly run out for seven with the score at 63. New Zealand might have felt they were on the verge of victory, but they were frustrated as Mathews and Prasanna Jayawardene (29) dug in. The pair combined for 56 in 33.3 painstaking overs on the docile pitch. Astle finally made the breakthrough when the leg spinner induced a faint edge from Jayawardene for his maiden test wicket, and Boult and Southee did the rest. There is still plenty of work to do until New Zealand can say they have turned things around but it’s a start. - APNZ
Black Caps not getting carried away
Trent Boult celebrates taking the final wicket (Angelo Mathews) of the test match in Colombo. Boult combined superbly with Tim Southee to menace the Sri Lanka top order batsmen.
By Michael Brown
Opposite page: New boy Todd Astle picked up his first test scalp when he dismissed Suraj Randiv during the second test at Colombo, and was suitably mobbed by his team-mates.
Many New Zealand cricket fans have a fickle relationship with the national side, and their mood swings as wildly as the Black Caps’ fortunes. That oscillation was no better illustrated than in the past fortnight when New Zealand turned around an embarrassing 10-wicket defeat - appropriately enough in Galle - to comprehensively outplay Sri Lanka in Colombo in the second test to win by 167 runs. Fans are experienced enough to know they shouldn’t get carried away by the victory and, crucially, nor do the team. They planned to enjoy the moment, yes, but didn’t suddenly believe they were world beaters. “It’s one victory, we don’t want to get too carried away, but we’ve got to enjoy the moment,” captain and man-ofthe-match Ross Taylor said afterwards. “We just need to be more consistent.”
NZ players’ averages Averages from the New Zealand cricket team’s two-test series with Sri Lanka: Batting New Zealand M In NO R HS Ave 100/50 (* not out) R Taylor 2 4 0 243 142 60.75 1 1 K Williamson 2 4 0 163 135 40.75 1 0 D Flynn 2 4 0 126 53 31.50 0 2 B McCullum 2 4 0 120 68 30.00 0 1 T Astle 1 2 0 38 35 19.00 0 0 J Patel 2 4 2 37 25* 18.50 0 0 T Southee 2 4 1 55 16 18.33 0 0 K van Wyk 2 4 1 41 28 13.66 0 0 M Guptill 2 4 0 39 13 9.75 0 0 D Bracewell 2 4 0 37 24 9.25 0 0 T Boult 2 4 1 27 13 9.00 0 0 J Franklin 1 2 0 5 3 2.50 0 0 Bowling New Zealand O M R W Ave 5inn Southee 60 13 166 12 13.83 1 Boult 59.1 17 136 9 15.11 0 Franklin 10 2 31 1 31.0 0 Patel 66 18 144 4 36.0 0 Bracewell 47.3 8 159 2 79.5 0 Astle 31 6 97 1 97.0 0 Also: Flynn 1-1-0-0; Williamson 4-1-11-0 Fielding New Zealand: van Wyk 6 catches, Williamson and Guptill 5, Bracewell 2, Boult, Patel, McCullum, Taylor 1.
That is the true measure. Before Thursday night, the Black Caps last tasted test success in January against Zimbabwe. Prior to that it was in Hobart against Australia 12 months ago. That result was trumpeted as a harbinger of future success but the fans are, quite clearly, still waiting. New Zealand went into the final test in Colombo knowing another defeat would be a record-equalling sixthstraight loss and the prospect of turning that around looked bleak given their next assignment was against the world’s No 1 side South Africa in the Republic. They have on their hands, however, a promising bowling attack and that hasn’t always existed in recent times. “The
batsmen have got a lot of criticism over the time but we haven’t really had the bowlers to get 20 wickets in a few of the test matches,” Taylor said. “But the three we’ve got at the moment, the three quicks, are very exciting and raw and I guess in test match cricket that’s an exciting path. “You’ve got to give credit to Tim Southee. He led the bowling lineup very well and Trent Boult has still only played a handful of games but continues to improve every match. Even the two wickets that Doug Bracewell got were crucial. Sangakkara
and Jayawardene can bat a couple of days if they want to and it was nice to get them early.” Southee’s turnaround has been remarkable. He was dropped against South Africa but is now clearly the side’s No 1 strike bowler. Something changed in Bangalore, where he collected career-best figures of 7-64 and he’s now snared 20 wickets in the last five innings. Against Sri Lanka, not traditionally a place seam bowlers thrive, he picked up 12 at an average of 13.83, bringing down his overall average to 35.04. Crucially, he has a foil in Boult. The 23-year-old has bowled better throughout his young test career than his figures often show but he was rewarded with eight wick-
ets in Colombo where he bowled with intelligence and penetration. The good thing is Taylor has options beyond his new ball pair. Doug Bracewell hits the deck hard, Neil Wagner and Mark Gillespie are wickettakers and the likes of Adam Milne and Mitchell McClenaghan show promise. The team will have only a couple of weeks in New Zealand before they head to South Africa and confidence will have returned. Taylor will also feel more comfortable as captain. His position has been under scrutiny and some reports suggested it would be discussed at board level on the team’s return from Sri Lanka. Captaincy, however, becomes a lot easier when you score runs as an individual and the team performs as a whole. “Hopefully this is the start of something,” said Taylor. It’s every fan’s hope. - APNZ
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ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, Saturday, December 1, 2012
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Guiding our stars Ashburton swim coach Carl Gordon has been selected as one of two New Zealand coaches for the 17 and under swim team, alongside his star charge Grace Sommerville. Sam Morton caught up with him on the eve of his trip to reflect on his time in Mid Canterbury. When Carl Gordon arrived in Ashburton seven years ago, Mid Canterbury swimming prospects were few and far between. In his years as the head swim coach at the Ashburton Community Pool, Gordon has seen a handful of his young charges pull on the silver fern to represent New Zealand, and on each occasion he has beamed with pride. Arguably the brightest talent yet to come out of the district, Gordon has worked his magic with Methven’s Grace Sommerville – who has rocketed her way to the top tier with some remarkable displays in the pool. It has been years of hard work and commitment for the duo, but for Gordon waking up at dawn and helping develop talented swimmers like Sommerville – it is his genuine passion. He has seen Sommerville progress through the ranks and has seen the 16-year-old grow in ability and confidence, both in the pool and on the open water. Gordon, who has represented New Zealand at four Open
Water world championships and represented at the highest level in surf life saving, has helped mould the swimming community into fine shape and is running successful swim programmes – producing international scholarship contenders. Although the future continues to look bright for Mid
Canterbury swimmers, when it comes to settling for his achievements – Gordon insists he is far from finished. He has high hopes for Sommerville and quite rightly too. “Grace is the hardest swimmer we have on our programme, she never misses a training session. “She has given so much as an athlete and there has been a lot of talk about will Grace have to choose between the pool or competing on the open water? “The answer is I don’t think she has to make a commitment or choice one way or the other, because the
open water is about taking that speed she develops in the pool and using it to full advantage on the big stage. “To be honest, I see her and I think she sees herself having a far bigger career on that big stage (open water), but for now it’s about her getting as much exposure in the two disciplines as possible. “They both complement each other perfectly,” he said. Yesterday, Gordon flew to Sydney with Sommerville as one of only two New Zealand swim coaches in the 17 and under team to take part in the Trans-Tasman Challenge and performance camp. He believes the opportunity to compete against the Aussie rivals and to mingle with them after will be immense prior to the Youth Olympics in January and the Open Water championships at Lake Hood next month – two events Sommerville has been targeting. And for Gordon – hosting these trans-Tasman experiences will help bridge the gap of European dominance on the world stage in open water events. “Open water swimming has a special place for me and I have a reasonably unique skills set from that perspective. “The biggest thing to bridge the gap is race experience and no amount of training can level that. We need to get out there and race a whole lot more against some of the best competitors in the world. “It is about making the best with what we have and working with Australia as our close neighbours is a great way to start developing our ability as a country,” Gordon said. By his own admission,
Gordon sometimes feels frustrated by the naivety of New Zealand swimmers who often believe the only way to make it big is in the pool. He is educating Sommerville on quite the opposite, but at the same time leaving all options open. “People need to realise it is possible to be a 10km open water champion, it’s not all about the pool and these sprinting events. “If you go back through all the history, New Zealand produce middle to long distance athletes and world champions in those fields – rarely to we tend to produce sprinters. “We grow up around lakes and rivers and we have the natural resources to dominate these fields, but for some reason a lot of the focus is put on sprinting events. “Open water swimming fits really well with the New Zealand psyche and it’s about educating those possibilities,” he said. And when asked about the overall talent pool in Mid Canterbury, Gordon was openly frank about the prospects and potential rising stars. “I have this view that talent is a reasonably common thing, most people do have some form of talent,” he said. “It’s finding those talented kids who are prepared to do something with it and put the hard yards in to achieve way beyond their junior years – and that’s uncommon. “Generally, Mid Canterbury are seeing some fantastic achievers, but the problem of course is when these talented swimmers get older – they tend not to stick around little old Ashburton and head away for the big cities or overseas – but we just have to do our job while we have them and make them the best they can be,” Gordon said. “My goal is to have someone from our swim programmes make it out their on the major stage. “That’s what this is all about – I live to see these swimmers grow into champions,” he said.
Carl Gordon: “Open water swimming fits really well with the New Zealand psyche and it’s about educating those possibilities.”
photo tetsuro mitomo 291112-tm-117
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ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, Saturday, December 1, 2012
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• Keep it simple . . . A new coach often likes to make a big impression in a new job but Colin Batch isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel as he looks to improve the fortunes of the New Zealand hockey team, starting with the Champions Trophy in Melbourne. Batch took over from Shane McLeod as coach last month and his first assignment will be the Black Sticks’ opening game against Olympic champions Germany today. The team are eyeing a top-five finish in Melbourne, which would guarantee inclusion in the next Champions Trophy, likely to be in two years’ time. Batch has had little time to work with the team, which is why he has adopted a simplistic approach to his coaching.“I think we can overcomplicate things at times,” said Batch, who spent the past two years coaching Belgium. “You need special, talented players to take you to another level but most of the time you need very good quality players to be doing the basic things well game in, game out.” - APNZ
• Long week for Hore Photo Tetsuro Mitomo 291112-TM-085
Young Ashburton swimmers have been hard at work training for this weekend’s Canterbury junior swimming championships at Jellie Park.
Juniors heading to Jellie Park By Erin Tasker An influx of young swimmers means the Ashburton swim team is the biggest at this weekend’s Canterbury junior swimming championships in Christchurch. Ashburton has sent a team of 31 young swimmers to Jellie Park for the championships, which got under way last night. Ashburton swim coach Carl Gordon said it was an impressive feat for the Ashburton club to have the biggest team at a meet which included teams from Canterbury, the West Coast and Nelson, and it was down to
an influx of juniors in recent months. For some unknown reason many of the new faces have come from the Methven and Hinds areas, but Gordon isn’t worried where his swimmers come from, he’s just pleased that they’re there. He said some of the club’s older swimmers had moved on to things like university so it was good to see some promising young talent coming on board at the other end, indicating the future of swimming in Ashburton was in good hands. “This is by far the biggest numbers in that age bracket that we
Golfers struggle in Tour race The chances of New Zealand No 1 Danny Lee and Manawatu professional Tim Wilkinson regaining their PGA Tour cards look slim after the pair fell further off the pace at the final stage of qualifying in La Quinta, California, yesterday. Wilkinson opened with rounds of 71 (stadium) and 73 (Nicklaus tournament course) to slip to a share of 110th after two rounds. The former PGA Tour professional, who finished 59th on the web.com Tour money list, made three birdies but two double bogeys on day two as he finished on an even par total 13 shots behind leader Meen Whee Kim. Lee’s chances of returnTim Wilkinson ing the PGA Tour in 2013 have also faded. The 21-year-old, who finished 159th on the PGA Tour money list to lose his card, added a three-over 75 to his opening round of 72 and fell more than 30 places on the leaderboard to be tied for 150th. There are six rounds in the qualifying event with 172 players competing for only 25 places on the PGA Tour in 2013. Wilkinson is seven shots off the qualifying mark and Lee is 10 shots back from finishing inside the top 25. - APNZ
have had since I’ve been here anyway,” Gordon said. “Now we’ve just got to hold them in there and keep developing them.” This is the first year that there has been a Canterbury junior championships, and Ashburton’s team members are all aged between 10 and 12. In the past the juniors and seniors were combined, but with QEII out of action following the Canterbury earthquakes the two were split, with the seniors heading to Dunedin and the juniors moving across Christchurch to Jellie Park. Ashburton has some prom-
ising young swimmers hitting the water at the junior championships, with Gordon singling out Matt Harford, Matt Clough, Aimee Elliot, Ashleigh Allred, Josh Harkness and Zack Martin as potential top performers this weekend. For some swimmers it will be a busy weekend, with up to nine or 10 swims at the meet, while for others it will be a new and exciting experience, as it’s their first big competition. Ashburton just earns the tag as the biggest team at the championships, with its 31 swimmers one more than the QEII club has in action.
Banned All Black hooker Andrew Hore has been subjected to “ignorant” comment and has endured the longest week of his life, two of the men closest to him say. Hore, the Highlanders captain, was banned for five weeks after a judicial hearing in the United Kingdom found him guilty of striking Welsh lock Bradley Davies in the All Blacks’ 33-10 victory ast Sunday. His Dunedin-based agent, Warren Alcock, said some of what had been said about Hore in recent days had been incorrect and out of line. “For people to come out and criticise him for not saying anything before the hearing is just ignorance. The IRB in its regulations specifically says to not say anything before the hearing,” Alcock said. “People are calling him [Hore] a thug but he has played near-on 300 games of first-class rugby, and I’ve watched the majority of those, and you would certainly never call him dirty or a thug.” - APNZ
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ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, Saturday, December 1, 2012
weekend crossword number 402 across 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 22 23 27 30 31 32 35 36 38 39 42 45 46 47 48 50 52 54 56 57 59 61 64 66 67 69 72 73 74 79 81 82 83 85 86 87
down 1
SAT 25 AUGUST SOLUTIONS
ACROSS:13 Well enough. 14 Realise. 15 Tender. 16 Sample.17 At an end. 18 Put on. 19 Told. 20 Break. 21 Cache. 22 Rating. 23 Snaps. 28 Gathers. 30 Perhaps. 33 Lose heart. 36 Hang-up. 38 Endow. 39 Sweet. 40 Turn up. 42 Steal. 43 Rapport. 44 Glower. 46 Note. 49 Opus. 51 Rancid. 53 Puts out. 55 Cause. 59 Arisen. 60 Blast. 61 Plead. 62 Likely. 63 Tipped off. 65 Present. 66 Fancied. 70 Place. 71 Prompt. 73 Dread. 75 Lasso. 80 Done. 82 Astir. 83 Round on. 84 Making. 85 Resume. 86 Maltese. 87 Spring roll. DOWN: 1 Repair. 2 Slapdash. 3 Under. 4 Put away. 5 Sheath. 6 Tried. 7 Gander. 8 Dispute. 9 Setting out. 10 Stony. 11 Instance. 12 Well.24 Pursuit. 25 Tripe. 26 Showers. 27 Restore. 29 Apart. 31 End up. 32 Post. 34 Remain. 35 Deal. 37 Grasses. 41 Ransack. 45 Wounds. 47 Grenade. 48 Purpose. 50 Partial. 52 Ivan. 54 Stern. 56 Solve. 57 Star. 58 Clear. 60 Before time. 64 Picked up. 67 Crackers. 68 Smartly. 69 Banners. 72 Turned. 74 Radish. 76 Single. 77 Taken. 78 Quiet. 79 Amend. 81 Open.
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