The Star: April 15, 2021

Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Thursday April 15 2021 The Star
SPORT 37
Family connection on edge for Panthers
• By Chris Barclay
WHEN FORMER New
Zealand Warrior Corey Lawrie
introduced his boy Jayton to
rugby league on the frozen
fields of Doncaster in England’s
north as a four-year-old, he
never imagined they would play
premier grade together.
Yet that scenario unfolded last
weekend when dad answered an
SOS and his teenage son debuted
for their beloved Hornby Panthers
against Riccarton in the
opening round of the Canterbury
Rugby League premiership.
Corey reckoned he’s the lightest
second rower in the competition
at 88kg; Jayton made the
step from captaining the club’s
under-18 team, scoring a brace
on the wing during the 40-6 victory
over the Knights.
They combined on the right
edge, a security blanket for both
after they were unexpectedly
thrust into the top line-up by
Hornby coach Jed Lawrie, Corey’s
brother.
“I was quite happy to just play
Bs this year but Jed was a bit
short of second rowers. I’m 41, I
feel like 81,” Lawrie joked ahead
of a round two clash with the
Papanui Tigers.
“I did an eight-week challenge
a couple of months ago. I lost 7kg
and I can’t seem to put it back
on.”
Lawrie played four games off
the bench as a utility player for
the Warriors in 2007, before
heading to England the following
year.
He resumed his playing career
at the Panthers when he returned
home in 2009.
“I’m not embarrassing myself
yet, when that happens I’ll pull
the pin. At the moment I’m still
competing pretty well.”
Jayton, meanwhile, was rewarded
for a strong off-season.
“It’s always good to see your
son achieve something he’s been
aiming for. He’s worked hard
for the opportunity,” said Corey,
COMBINATION: Jayton Lawrie (left) and his father Corey
played premier grade together for the first time when
Hornby thrashed Riccarton in the opening round of the
Canterbury Rugby League Premiership.
who played down his parental
guardian role.
“You always worry you’re
going to have a dust up with
someone if they rark him
(Jayton) up too much, but he can
look after himself, the kid.”
Jayton was rapt with his debut,
and said dad helped calm the
nerves.
“Having him out there helped,
he gave me a bit of ball too with
us being on the same edge.”
Jayton only had one clear
memory of starting out in
Doncaster: “All I remember is
the snow really,” he said.
While happy to make his
premier grade debut, Jayton
said the under-18s, who play
on Monday night, were still a
priority so he would have to
manage his workload.
“I might miss a few premier
games to help my body out, I still
want to help that (under-18) side
out,” he said.
Papanui defaulted to Halswell
last weekend, but Canterbury
Rugby League chief executive
Duane Fyfe believed the Tigers
would front on Saturday.
“I know they’ve got
some challenges player-numbers
wise but they’re confident they’ll
be able to put a team out,” he
said.
Corey felt for Papanui’s plight.
“That’s the state of rugby
league at the moment, everyone
is a bit light on numbers these
days. I’m playing because our
numbers were a wee bit dicey.”
Young yachtie cruises to national title
• By Chris Barclay
ALTHOUGH COVID-19 twice
scuttled his plans to represent
New Zealand overseas, talented
Optimist sailor Will Leech is
staying upbeat.
After all, the 12-year-old
Cobham Intermediate School
student and member of the
Charteris Bay Yacht Club does
have time on his side.
By becoming the South
Island’s first winner of the
Optimist National Championships
since fellow Cantabrian
Jayvee Buchanan in 2010, Leech
should have been setting sail for
Lake Garda in Italy, venue of the
world optimist championships
in June-July.
However, the global pandemic
means he will stay closer to
home in Charteris Bay on the
southern coast of Lyttelton harbour
to continue training while
playing rugby over the winter
months.
“It’s disappointing not to be
PLAIN SAILING: Talented Christchurch sailor Will Leech
won his first Optimist national championships by a
comfortable margin in Auckland.
PHOTO: YACHTING NEW ZEALAND
able to go to Italy, the world
championships will be a goal for
next season,” he said.
Leech expertly improved on
last year’s second placing in the
Open fleet with a canny display
of consistent sailing on the E
course used by the America’s
Cup and Prada Cup teams in
Auckland.
He only won one of the 12
races he contested off the Maraetai
Sailing Club headquarters
last week, but he also only had a
solitary double-digit placing, a
10th he was able to discard from
his points score.
Otherwise he never finished
outside the top-six among the
76-strong fleet throughout five
days of racing.
He finished 15 points clear of
Auckland’s Joe Leith from the
Murrays Bay Boating Club.
“What I was focusing on was
keeping consistent because
one of Dad’s mates was the OK
Dinghy world champion and he
only won one race,” Leech said,
referencing Christchurch sailor
Matt Stechmann’s triumph at
Melbourne in 2014.
“I’m been working really
hard over the last few seasons,
it’s always been a dream to win
it. I’m so stoked to beat all the
Aucklanders,” he said.
Leech, who claimed the boys
title and the overall honours,
sails a raft of different boats,
including a P Class and an F8
Foiler he built with father Dan.
“It’s super competitive at that
top level so to go up there and
actually win it is a huge achievement,”
Leech’s father said.
“It’s pretty full on, race days up
in Auckland, sometimes you’re
on the water for six hours a day.”
Each competing country
can send their top-five ranked
optimist to the global showpiece,
so Covid-19 also ruined Leech’s
plans to go to Europe last year,
where Italy withdrew their bid
before the world championships
were cancelled.
Fortunately Leech, who started
sailing at age six, is eligible to
compete in the Optimist class
for another two years.
Leech has already represented
New Zealand abroad as a part of
a development team to Noumea
in 2019 and has sizeable goals on
the horizon.
“I want to be involved in the
Sail GP and the America’s Cup,”
he said.
• More sport, pages 38 & 39
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