Wednesday, November 16, 2016 THE DOMINION POST B13 College Sport

FEMALE SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR MALE SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR

Tawa College’s Amelia Kerr bowls for the White Ferns against Pakistan in Christchurch last week. Aotea College golfer Daniel Hillier won male Sportsperson of the Year at the College Sport awards. PHOTO: MARION VAN DIJK/FAIRFAX NZ Kerr’s great year Aussie-bound Hillier continues to spin has stars in his eyes

LIAM HYSLOP were her age. LIAM HYSLOP again. ’’I’ve been there since year nine "In years to come ‘‘Women’s is definitely grow- "You want to play as and they’ve been a massive support to [cricket] will become a ing and I think in years to come it will well as you can, but me,’’ he said. An international callup capped a year become a lot more of a career path than it A date with Jason Day is off, but Daniel ‘‘They’ve been really flexible which full of achievement for Amelia Kerr. lot more of a career is at the moment,’’ Kerr said. Hillier will still be star-gazing at the it's also a good chance has allowed me to do what I love basi- The Tawa College legspinner made ‘‘I guess cricket and maybe like a men- Australian Open this week. cally.’’ her White Ferns debut against Pakistan path than it is at the tal skills coach later on [as a career], but The Aotea College year 13 qualified to learn from the top Hillier did not have long to dwell on last week, becoming one of the youngest at the moment cricket is what I really for the tournament at Royal Sydney, the achievement because he had to get up players to do so at 16 years, 27 days. moment." want to do.’’ starting on Thursday, by virtue of his guys." at 4am the day after the November 6 Her impact was immediate, taking Amelia Kerr Kerr said the mental side of the game six-stroke victory at the Australian boys’ Daniel Hiller awards ceremony to get to Sydney to pre- 1-21 from her 10 overs, removing was just as important as the physical and amateur in Tasmania in April. pare for the New South Wales Open. Pakistan captain Sana Mir caught and squad this week and would be missing something she was always looking to Unfortunately, the guy who he rates big guns. It was at that tournament last week bowled for one as her side won by eight NCEA exams. improve. That and her legspin of course, as his idol, World No 1 Day, pulled out It’s a far stretch from when Hillier where he was shown how tough life as a wickets. Striking that school-sport balance which she said has improved markedly with a back injury, but former World No won the boys’ title, to go with his New professional golfer might be. She took 0-32 from five overs in the would be something she would have to over the winter. 1s Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth remain Zealand under-19 win later in the year, Rounds of 70 and 71 at the second match on Friday and was 12th get used to with future White Ferns ‘‘Training with a purpose is one of in the field. when he was unaware he would even be Stonecutters Ridge Country Club had man for Sunday’s third encounter. callups all-but assured after her debut things I have really focused on this last Hillier said he would be using the in Sydney at this time of the year. him sitting at three-under, but he missed Before she left, she was awarded Col- performances. winter which has helped me a lot to tournament to soak up as much know- ‘‘I was coming off the putting green the cut in what were low-scoring rounds. lege Sport Wellington’s female ‘‘This year they’ll take my results improve faster.’’ ledge as he could from those sorts of and one of my mates came up to me and Hillier said if everything went to plan Sportsperson of the Year, as well as the from my mocks. School has been really She has set herself the lofty goal next players. said ‘you know you’ve got an exemption he would be turning pro in two years’ female Cricketer of the Year. good about it, so it works out quite well. year of playing at the 50-over World Cup, ‘‘You want to play as well as you can, to the Australian Open now’. I said time. Taking out the supreme award ‘‘I try my hardest at school, I’m not the while continuing to develop her Twenty but it’s also a good chance to learn from ‘you’re kidding’, my jaw just dropped and ‘‘For me I’ve got a two-year plan. It’s against a quality field of finalists was brightest but I work hard.’’ 20 skills. the top guys. Even if you don’t play great, it was just a surreal feeling.’’ based around getting more international quite an unexpected accolade for the year It’s that sort of work ethic which In addition to the White Ferns selec- you can still get a lot of learning out of Hillier was unable to defend his New experience over the next few years then 11. should hold Kerr in good stead through- tion, Kerr help her Tawa College team it.’’ Zealand Amateur title at Royal Welling- hopefully at the end of 2018 if I’m feeling ‘‘When I heard the other people nomi- out what should be a long cricketing reach the secondary schools nationals Hillier missed out on a pairing with ton last month, but this year’s results good about my game and feeling comfort- nated I wasn’t really expecting it after career. again where they will look for a three- one of the stars for Thursday’s opening were every bit as good as last year’s and able then I can transition into that pro- hearing what they had done.’’ With the increase in competitions peat in early December. round. That honour fell to Australian earned him back-to-back College Sport fessional environment. After receiving the gong on November which pay women’s cricketers, Kerr has She also played boys’ first XI cricket amateur Curtis Luck, who tees off with Wellington male Sportsperson of the ‘‘But if I’m not quite ready then I’ll 6, she was on a plane at 10am the next the chance to earn a living from cricket in Wellington for Tawa, the first girl to Spieth. Year awards. wait till I am. It could be a couple of years day to join up with her White Ferns which few of her White Ferns team- do so since her White Ferns team-mate But Hillier would be targeting a chat, It was a special feeling for Hillier to be or it could be 10, just whenever I’m team-mates. She has remained with the mates would have dreamed of when they Sophie Devine. or even a practise round, with one of the able to put Aotea’s name up in lights ready.’’ RUGBY PLAYER OF THE YEAR NETBALLER OF THE YEAR Numia’s painful year ends in joy Metuarau just wants to have fun

LIAM HYSLOP LIAM HYSLOP

The easy road for Xavier Numia would Tiana Metuarau is in no rush to play have been to sit out a lot of the first XV elite-level . rugby season. Many have her pegged as a Silver Instead, the St Pat’s Town prop played Fern-in-waiting, something which comes through the pain of an injured meniscus with the territory when you play for the in one of this knees, which he suffered in under-21 team as a 15-year- just the second game of the season. old, as the Wellington East Girls’ College It was still causing him pain as he col- shooter did earlier this year. lected the College Sport Wellington But take a step back and remember Rugby Player of the Year award on this is a person taking NCEA Level 1 November 6, beating out team-mate Billy exams this week. Proctor and Wellington College’s Naitoa Her schoolwork this year was mixed Ah Kuoi to the coveted prize. with playing for the under-21s and Wel- ‘‘I had an MRI last week and I’ll see St Pat’s Town lington East team, as well as the New Tiana Metuarau how it goes,’’ he said after receiving the prop Xavier Zealand Secondary Schools team, the in action for Numia during Central Pulse Beko League team, the Wellington East award. Girls’ College. ‘‘It’s still playing up a bit now. I played the Wellington Wellington under-17 team and the Ikaroa first XV final. MASANORI through the pain a lot this year, so I’ll see Ki Te Tonga under-17 team. UDAGAWA ROSS GIBLIN/ So with another award locked away in how the MRI goes for what I need to do FAIRFAX NZ next.’’ the trophy cabinet two Sunday’s ago - the Being in his last year at school was a College Sport Wellington Netballer of the big motivator for keeping on playing. Given the injury, Numia said he was higher honours. Year - Metuarau said any goals she set ‘‘I’ve got a long time to make teams. I ‘‘I feel like our team gelled together Numia was an integral part of the St surprised when he got the callup. ‘‘I’ll see what happens next year, I for next year would be mixed with want- just kind of want to enjoy playing with really well and developed better than I Pat’s team which made it to the WelTec ‘‘I wasn’t really expecting it because can’t promise anything, but if I can, I’ll ing to enjoy playing with her friends. my friends, instead of playing up in thought we would.’’ first XV final, which they lost to Welling- I’ve had the knee injury throughout the hopefully play for Wellington. I’ll just ‘‘Next year for under-21s there is the higher teams all the time.’’ Metuarau was named shooter of the ton College 12-9. year, so I was pretty stoked just to make train hard and see what happens.’’ World Youth Cup in Botswana, so hope- Wellington East fielded a young team tournament at nationals, while the St ‘‘It was a pretty hard final, it’s always the team.’’ As for what is now his former school fully I can stay in the squad to stay for this year, led by Metuarau. They showed Mary’s pair of Renee Savai’inaea and a rivalry against Wellington College. It The New Zealand team beat their team, Numia said he hoped next’s year that. continual improvement throughout the Ainsleyana Puleiata were named was pretty sad we couldn’t get the result Fijian and Australian counterparts in Town first XV could continue the good ‘‘There is also the Beko team and the year to finish sixth at secondary schools defender and midcourter of the tourna- we wanted, but it was a good year for the early October, with Numia coming off form of the past two seasons - Town were Pulse training partners, so if I become nationals, beaten by perennial rivals St ment respectively. school.’’ the bench in both matches and champions in 2015 to go with this year’s one of those training partners I might be Mary’s College in the fifth-sixth playoff. That pair were also finalists for the His performances led to him making impressing with his powerful ball run- runner-up effort. on their bench and maybe get a bit of ‘‘We did really well getting to College Sport award, which meant the New Zealand Secondary Schools ning and strong scrummaging skills. ‘‘It will be interesting to see how next court time. nationals and managing to place in the Metuarau would have been happy even if team for the second year in a row, joining The goal for next year was to lock year goes. We’ve had a good two years, no ‘‘The aim would be to make [the Pulse] top-eight. We played St Mary’s in the fifth she had not won. team-mate Billy Proctor as the only rep- down a starting spot in the Oriental- pressure on the blokes next year, but in year 13, I just want to get Level 2 for and sixth playoff, unfortunately we lost, ‘‘Renee and Ainsleyana are two of my resentatives from the Wellington region Rongotai premier team and hope his hopefully they can continue what we’ve NCEA first and I think I would have but I guess they just came on the day and really good friends, so had I lost I still in the squad. performances are enough to earn him been doing.’’ matured more mentally by then. performed better than us. would have been really happy for them.’’

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