The Star: August 01, 2019

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The Star Thursday August 1 2019 28 SPORT news online at www.star.kiwi Nothing out of hand with this pitcher FAST BALL: Josh Wilson will become just the second Canterbury baseballer to play at college in the United States. PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER • By Gordon Findlater TEENAGE BASEBALL Josh Wilson will take his talents stateside after striking a scholarship to play at Hesston College in Kansas. The 18-year-old pitcher will become just the second Canterbury baseballer to play at college in the United States and the first to receive a scholarship to play when he leaves for Kansas on August 11. He is also the latest youngster chasing the dream of becoming Kiwi to play in Major League Baseball. Christchurch softball turned baseball player Travis Wilson – who is of no relation to Josh – came tantalisingly close to cracking MLB in the early 2000s. Wilson only took up baseball three years ago when he was introduced to the sport by a friend. However, a background in cricket made the adaption easier. “He’s taken to it like a duck Eddie’s Eastern Eagles on the hunt for elusive trophy • By Gordon Findlater THE EASTERN Eagles will have their first crack at the business end of the club rugby league competition in seven years as they hunt for their first Pat Smith Trophy since 1981. The Eagles relished the do or die nature of their final roundrobin match against Riccarton on Saturday to make the top four for the first time since 2012. On Saturday they leapfrogged Riccarton into fourth with a 31-16 victory at Wainoni Park. Of the squad which won at the weekend only Mikaere Ropiha and Longe Faalilo were part of the Eagles squad which last appeared in their last semi-final appearance. The Eagles will head to Kaiapoi next weekend to play the Northern Bulldogs for a spot in the preliminary final. The other semi-final will see minor premiers Linwood host Hornby. The winner will gain automatic entry to the grand-final, while the loser will play in the preliminary final. After finishing seventh in 2017 the Eagles rebounded last year, but missed the top four by one point. Coach Eddie Timo-Latu believes a shift in culture and mind-set has been key in the team’s resurgence. “It’s about having the heart for the club and not the heart for being a premier player . . . people’s hearts and minds need to be with the whole club and not just their own identity,” said Timo-Latu. Part of the shift in creating a whole club culture has involved BIG STAGE: Sea Muaimalae crosses the line for one of two tries which helped the Eagles defeat Riccarton on Saturday. many of the Eagles premier players coaching junior teams at the club and cooking meals for prize giving each Saturday. Timo Latu says his side’s biggest challenge is their lack in size against the likes of Hornby and Linwood’s forwards. However, the Eagles have adapted by introducing a rugby union influenced defensive patterns. They have adopted a “legs first” tackling technique, breaking away from the traditional technique of tackling higher to wrap up the ball handler’s arms. “We’ve always known it’s going to give opportunities for offloads, so it’s about our outsides being aware and smart about it,” he said. The club known as Eastern Suburbs between 1968 and 2005 and the Aranui Eagles until changing name to Eastern Eagles last year. They last won the Pat Smith Trophy in 1981. Meanwhile, the bottom four finishers of the round-robin Riccarton, Halswell, Celebration and Papanui will now play for the Gore Cup. to water. The cricketers seem to be able to adapt quite well,” said Canterbury Baseball president Brian Hemera. “They see the ball coming overarm to them with cricket, so it’s a bit like facing a full toss really.” Wilson says he enjoyed watching baseball and had played t-ball in his primary school years, but was unaware a baseball competition existed in Christchurch. “I hadn’t done much pitching before baseball, but I knew I had a decently strong arm from fielding on the boundary in cricket . . . when I was first started I was rubbish. I couldn’t throw a strike to save my life,” said Wilson. “My coach helped me a lot with solidifying solid form and a good technique. It’s a massive part of pitching and I’ve just kept doing that. I don’t even have to throw a ball, I just go through the same motion over and over again.” • By Gordon Findlater WATCH OUT Larry the Lamb, Canterbury and Highlanders outside back Josh McKay has taken his first steps towards a career after rugby – as a mascot. Contracted Canterbury players were made unavailable for Sunday’s final between Lincoln University and High School Old Boys which HSOB won 34-29. However, that wasn’t the case for McKay. He couldn’t bend the rules to get himself into the match day 22, but he was able to take the jumper (or costume in this case) of the team’s unofficial 23rd man – their Ram mascot. The idea came about through a conversation with the university’s sports co-ordinator Graeme Campbell following their semi-final victory against Shirley. “I thought, it’s the only way I’m going to be able to get myself on the field in this final . . . some of the boys were there when he asked me to do it, and they were pretty keen. They said give it a crack it’ll be pretty hard case,” said McKay. It wasn’t just the Lincoln side that made a red-hot start to Sunday’s final at Rugby Park. While the Rams jumped out to an early 29-5 lead, their Ram (McKay) was beginning to feel the extra heat and sweat that goes with being inside a costume. McKay had a less pleasant second half as HSOB completed an impressive comeback, scoring a number of tries in front of their vocal supporters. Persistence has paid off. Last year Wilson travelled to the US with the New Zealand under-18 team which competed at the Arizona Fall Classic Showcase. The tournament allowed Wilson to show off his talents in front of college scouts which has led to the scholarship opportunity at the junior college. Wilson says he gets most of his strikes from curve balls and sliders and can currently get his fast ball near 80mph (128km/h). He currently plays in the Christchurch mens competition which has just four teams. However, with a number of younger players taking up the game he can see more of them following in his footsteps. “I can definitely see guys younger than me going there. I wish I started when I was 12 or 13. Those kids are getting really good coaching and I can see them doing really well,” Wilson said. Super Rugby star turns Rams mascot NEW CAREER: Josh McKay went from the Canterbury wing to Lincoln University wing man for their club final on Sunday. PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER “Unfortunately we weren’t scoring too many points so I didn’t venture down there too often,” he said. “Once they found out it was me under the suit I copped a fair bit of abuse.” McKay is now back to concentrating on his efforts on the field ahead of Canterbury’s Mitre 10 Cup campaign which begins against Waikato next weekend. However, after an impressive debut as Lincoln’s Ram he admits he may look for some tips from his superiors before setting his sights on a potential career move. “I probably should have taken some tips off Larry the Lamb. I’m not much of a dancer and I don’t have much rhythm . . . I could look at that as a career after footy,” he said.
news online at www.star.kiwi ANYONE AFTER a sporting drama and one of the best atmospheres your likely to find in the country should look no further than a school field over the next month. The race for the top four and home field advantage for the play-offs has heated up with just two rounds remaining in the UC Championship. This year’s competition is proving to be wide open and was proved at the weekend when Christchurch Boys’ High School – who needed a win to stay in the top four – defeated previously unbeaten St Andrew’s College 36-5. If the weekend is anything to go by you’ll also be treated to entertainment off the field as was proven by the dozen or so STAC old boys who provided the odd decent one-liner and a half-time sideshow after coming into the 2.45pm kick-off with a full head of steam. SPORT 29 Phone: 348 6020 Open 7 days 11am to late www.speightstowerjunction.co.nz Fijian winger lands with Canty after jumping codes • By Gordon Findlater AFTER TWO years of being groomed by NRL giants the Melbourne Storm, promising 20-year-old Fijian winger Iliesa ‘Junior’ Ratuva is now hoping to launch his rugby career in Canterbury. Earlier this week, Ratuva was named in Canterbury’s squad for the upcoming Mitre 10 Cup season. For the past two years, he has been a regular in the Storm’s under-20 set up. Last year he scored six tries in as many appearances for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the Queensland Cup, and was being touted as a future star of the NRL. Ratuva – who was recruited by the Storm after a two-year stint with the King’s Joe Maddock College first XV in Auckland – says the NRL club were keen to retain him for another three years. However, his love for the 15-man code and a desire to return to New Zealand saw him seek another opportunity. After a conversation with his agent and interest shown by Canterbury and the Crusaders academy, the decision was made to move to Christchurch. He played premier club rugby for Burnside this season, and has had to re-familiarise himself with his preferred code. “My first game back was a bit dusty. After being tackled, I tried to shuffle my way up from the ground and place the ball back like you do in league,” said Ratuva. Growing up in Fiji, Ratuva developed his love for rugby by playing with friends, often using a water bottle as a ball. As a teenager his talents were noticed and he received a two-year scholarship at King’s. Due to his height (194cm), Ratuva played as a lock while at King’s. However, when he was recruited by the Storm that quickly changed. “They put me on the wing. I thought ‘oh yeah, I’ll give it a go’,” he said. The Storm have won five NRL grand-finals over the past two decades and six minor premierships. The franchise are widely regarded as having one of the NRL’s best set-ups, much like Canterbury and the Crusaders are viewed. “It was an awesome experience. The culture in the team was great and everyone makes you feel welcome,” said Ratuva. He said his dream in rugby is to play internationally for Fiji. He also hopes to replicate the accomplishments of Marika Vunibaka – a hero of his growing up – by playing on the wing for the Crusaders in the future. At the weekend, Ratuva started for Canterbury in their One-eyed Cantab Gordon Findlater gordon.findlater@starmedia.kiwi Unfortunately for them their team’s performance was as flat at their Vodka Cruisers had gone by full-time. However, as long as the lads haven’t clued onto the fact Cruisers are for pussies during the week, another raucous atmosphere can be expected at STAC when they host fifth local sport Proudly brought to you by... LONG LEGS: Ratuva will stand out on Canterbury’s wing due to his 194cm height and lightening acceleration. PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER preseason 33-24 win over Tasman in Hanmer Springs. “He’s an exciting young talent with a big frame and genuine pace, and he showed real promise in our preseason game against Tasman on Saturday,” said Canterbury coach Joe Maddock. Ratuva will hope to feature for Canterbury in their last preseason hit-out against Southland in Oamaru tomorrow and push his case for selection in Maddock’s squad for their first match of the Mitre 10 Cup against Waikato in Hamilton on August 10. Entertainment on and off the field VOCAL: Boys’ High fans had reason to celebrate on Saturday. placed Christ’s College this Saturday. Get on down. Thursday August 1 2019 The Star Martlew aims to paddle into Tokyo Paralympics • By Angus Hilliard NEARLY A decade after losing his leg, Scott Martlew is creating big ripples in the world of New Zealand para-sports. The Christchurch para-canoeist and Paralympian is preparing himself for the ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships, which start on August 21 in Hungary. After contracting a flesh-eating bacteria following a high school rugby injury in 2010, Martlew underwent a lifesaving operation to amputate his left leg. The operation Tower JuncTion Scott Martlew was successful and since then Martlew has represented New Zealand at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro and won silver in the men’s 200m at last year’s ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships in Portugal. This time, he is eyeing up gold and a spot at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. “Of course I’m aiming for that top spot. The competition is the first qualification for the Tokyo Paralympics next year. The top six qualify automatically to race at Tokyo, so I’ll be gunning for that qualification and gunning for that gold medal.” His successes comes off the back of the International Canoe Federation’s decision to reclassify Martlew into a different class in May last year. He was originally in the KL3 class for para-canoe, which classifies paddlers with a lower body impairment but full trunk and upper body function. However, he now competes in the KL2 class due to his limited trunk function, resulting from his amputation surgery. “We didn’t have our medical documents presented correctly. It didn’t explain what sort of muscles I’d lost in my trunk. It really gave me a mental lift, because I always thought I was classified into the wrong category to start off with. It gave me a lift to get out on an even playing field.” Coach Leigh Barker is set to join Martlew in Hungary, and he is training six days a week while also holding down a job. “The training has been pretty intense. Training six days a week, twice a day, and then I’m also working close to full-time hours as an estimator for Downer. That keeps me very busy.” He will continue his training schedule in Hungary.
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The Star: August 01, 2019

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