Olivia Mancer [right] is Junior Player of the Year. PHOTOS/FILE
CHRIS COGDALE
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Tanya Wheeler and Olivia Mancer took away the major individual awards at the Bowls Wairarapa Awards ceremony at the South Wairarapa Working Men’s Club last Friday night.
Wheeler, from the Featherston club, was named Player of the Year after winning the Wairarapa women’s open triples, and the Champion of Champion pairs, triples, and fours.
She also got her first gold star for winning five centre titles and was a selector-player in the Wairarapa women’s representative team.
Mancer’s highlight was joining with her mother Fiona to win the Manawatu women’s open pairs.
The 16-year-old Solway College student, who is a member of Featherston and Carrington, was also in the winning Champion of Champion triples and fours combinations.
Other winners on the night were Peter Leighton [Carrington] for his outstanding contribution to Bowls Wairarapa, Greenkeeper of the Year Kerry Cunningham [Eketahuna], Darren Meyrick [Greytown] who was named Volunteer of the Year, Administrator of the Year Steve Elliott [Lansdowne], and Warren Fisher [Masterton] as Official of the Year. Club of the Year was Featherston.
Wheeler and Matthew Day [Masterton] were awarded their first gold star for winning five centre titles.
Masterton’s Lester Dee got his second gold star after winning his 10th centre title, and Fisher his fifth gold star for 25 centre titles.
Fisher, who is also Bowls Wairarapa executive officer, said the night was well attended and the culmination of a very successful season.
His highlight was the Wairarapa representative team reaching the semifinals of the national intercentre championship in Wellington, missing out on a place in the final by one shot to Auckland.
Lansdowne followed that by just falling short of qualifying for the national 3Five championships when they went down by the barest of margins to Hawke’s Bay in last month’s playoffs.
Fisher said that although the season had ended, there was plenty of bowls action over the winter, with the national Champion of Champions playoffs coming in July.
The Masterton Club are also expected to open their new artificial green in June, bringing the total to three clubs with artificial surfaces, enabling year-round play.
