The Star: May 10, 2018

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday May 10 2018 39
Christchurch trio
to take on world’s
top golfers
• By Gordon Findlater
THE NEW Zealand team for the junior
golf World Cup will have a distinct
Christchurch look to it when they tee
off in Japan next month.
Juliana Hung (Russley), Tom
Parker (Christchurch) and Hiroki
Miya (Russley) have been named
in the seven-strong team alongside
Aucklanders Carmen Lim and Rose
Zheng, Kevin Koong from North
Harbour and Shaun Campbell from
Bay of Plenty.
The selection comes on the back of
what has been a remarkably successful
12 months for the three Canterbury
golfers.
It will be Parker’s second time
competing in the tournament. Last year
he finished 24th overall and helped the
New Zealand boys team to finish sixth.
“It’s my favourite event I’ve ever
played in,” said Parker.
“The course layout is awesome. It’s
perfectly manicured, narrow with
either tree trouble or out-of-bounds
either side so you’ve got to hit it
straight.”
After finishing his final year at
Christchurch Boys’ High School
in 2017, Parker has been able to
concentrate on his game before
beginning college at the University of
Oregon in the United States. With a
strong support unit around him, he’s
confident of a good result in Japan.
“I feel like going back there this time
I have extra confidence. . . . I’ve been
there before and will be doing a few
things differently this time around,”
said Parker.
He will be joined in the four strong
boys team by Miya, who is having a
year to remember after the biggest win
of his young golfing career at the Faldo
Series Asia grand final in Vietnam in
March.
“I’m really excited. I think we have a
really strong team and have an opportunity
to do really well,” said Miya.
Hung will look to continue a strong
run of results in New Zealand and
abroad when she represents the girls
team. The New Zealand stroke play
champion is currently representing
New Zealand at the Queen Sirikit Cup
– Asia-Pacific amateur ladies golf team
championship in Thailand.
The junior golf World Cup will feature
15 men’s and nine women’s teams.
The tournament runs from June 10-15
at the Chukyo Golf Club Ishino course.
Having three Christchurch golfers
named in the team is a rare accomplishment
and a strong sign of a talented
young crop of golfers emerging in the
region.
“We are very proud of the achievement
to have Juliana, Tom and Hiroki
selected to represent New Zealand at
the junior World Cup event, it’s quite a
remarkable achievement. These players
have worked hard to earn their selection
in this team and will gain valuable
international experience amongst some
of the best junior players in the world,”
said Canterbury Golf development
manager Rachel Thow.
Juliana Hung
Tom Parker
Hiroki Miya
in brief
Under-21 hockey
champions
The Canterbury under-21
women’s hockey team have won
the national age-group title
with a 3-0 win over Auckland.
Goals from Hayley Cox, Margot
Willis and Emily Wium helped
overturn the 3-1 loss Canterbury
suffered to Auckland in poolplay.
Canterbury midfielder
Georgie Mackay-Stewart was
named tournament MVP. The
Canterbury men under-21s
finished fourth after a 2-1 loss to
Auckland in the bronze medal
game.
Water polo team
defend title
The Canterbury premier men’s
water polo team have successfully
defended their tier-two national
title in Wellington. The team
beat Harbour City 13-6 in the
final and went undefeated in the
tournament, winning all five of
their games.
Surf lifesaving finalists
named for big night
The finalists for the 2018 Surf
Life Saving Canterbury-Tasman
Awards of Excellence have been
announced ahead of the awards
ceremony in Christchurch on
May 19. Louis Clark (Taylors
Mistake) and Xyron Burns (North
Beach) are both nominated for
sportsperson of the year. Sports
team of the year will be contested
between Sumner’s under-16 board
relay team, Taylors Mistake’s open
men’s taplin team, North Beach’s
under-19 women’s surf boat
team, Waimairi’s open women’s
canoe team, New Brighton’s open
women’s surf boat and Nelson’s
under-20 women’s IRB team.
Cashmere Tech focus
on Chatham Cup run
• By Gordon Findlater
AFTER PUTTING themselves
in the driver’s seat to claim their
fifth Mainland Premier League
title in eight years, Cashmere
Technical now turn their
attention to New Zealand’s most
historic footballing trophy.
Round one of the Chatham
Cup starts this weekend. Cashmere
put themselves on the national
stage in 2013 by winning
the cup for the first time, before
successfully defending it in 2014.
In each campaign since,
Cashmere have been defeated
at either the quarter-final or
semi-final stages, twice by the
eventual competition winners.
On Saturday, they will face
Nomads. Cashmere took the
honours 4-3 when the teams met
in the MPL last month.
“We had trouble against them
last time and only got the result
late . . . we will be ready for this
one,” said Cashmere coach Dean
Hutchinson.
At the weekend, Cashmere
doubled their lead at the top
of the MPL standings with a
dominant 5-1 win over defending
champions Ferrymead Bays.
They scored five unanswered
goals in a 40min spell, courtesy
of Lyle Matthysen Andy Tuckey,
Sam Field, Max Chretien and
Gary Ogilvie.
“It was very pleasing. We’ve
been building after a busy period
and losing a few guys with injury
. . . it was good to see everything
come together,” said Hutchinson.
Cashmere now have 26 points,
six clear of Bays, with Coastal
Spirit on 19.
Round one: Nomads United
v Cashmere Technical; Nelson
Suburbs v FC Nelson; Coastal
Spirit v Waimakariri United;
Parklands United v Selwyn
United; Western v Halswell
United;Ferrymead Bays v
Universities
Moulai on track to world champs
• By Jacob Page
MIDDLE-DISTANCE runner
Nick Moulai has run himself
into a promising future.
The 18-year-old former St
Bede’s College student is on
the cusp of running for New
Zealand in the 1500m at the
junior world championships
in Finland, and will then take
up a four-year scholarship at
Mississippi State University in
the United States.
Moulai has made the
qualifying time for Finland but
so have Isaiah Priddey, Samule
Tanner and Theo Quax, son of
former middle-distance great,
Dick Quax.
With only two places up
for grabs, Moulai will have to
earn his spot with fast times
in a couple of prelude races in
Europe.
“There’s a lot of quality
runners at the moment, which is
exciting, but I just have to focus
on my preparation and hope that
goes well.”
“Life is pretty busy but it’s
FAST: Papanui middledistance
runner Nick
Moulai (front) has a bright
future ahead of him.
PHOTO ALAN MCDONALD
about managing my time, my
training on the roads, and my
rest and recovery,” Moulai said.
The former surf lifesaver and
sprinter came to middle-distance
running six years ago, and
has been coached by Graeme
Christey ever since.
Their partnership will end
when Moulai takes up his
scholarship in the US.
The talented teen recently went
for a training run with Kiwi
Olympic silver medallist Nick
Willis, who took time to share
some advice,
“Nick said every runner is
working hard and putting the
training in, but it’s more about
the little two per cent things
you do that can turn you from a
good runner to a great runner,”
Moulai said.
“Things like getting nine hours
of sleep, doing your stretches,
and prioritising recovery all
make a big difference.”
Moulai said he was eager
to test himself in the US at an
NCAA division one school.
“The quality of runners over
there is incredible,” he said.
“There are 10 guys running
between 3min 36sec and 3min
44sec so it’ll be great to be
around that culture.”