The Star: August 11, 2022

St Thomas makes
ST THOMAS of Canterbury’s
1st XV have created history by
qualifying for the top four of the
Miles Toyota Championship for
the first time.
Denied a place in last year’s
Cup semi-finals by an agonising
final round loss to St Bede’s
College, St Thomas led the
standings this season with a 47-
33 win over Shirley Boys’ High
School enabling them to finish
one point clear of defending
champion Nelson College.
They can now avenge that defeat
to St Bede’s last year when
they host the fourth-ranked
qualifier in Saturday’s Trophy
semi-final.
The other semi-final has
Nelson College hosting thirdseeded
Christchurch Boys’ High
School.
St Thomas, who have former
All Black hooker, and old
boy, Mark Hammett as head
coach, while Hammett’s former
Canterbury and Crusaders
teammate Johnny Leo’o is the
college’s director of rugby.
Significant improvers in a
competition usually dominated
locally by CBHS, Christ’s College
and St Andrew’s College,
St Thomas are arguably bestplaced
to win the title in 2022,
with at least a dozen players in
the first-choice match day 22
departing at the end of the year.
The second-tier Plate
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
history to get to top four
CHRISTCHURCH United and
Cashmere Technical predictably
sealed qualification for the
National League with any lateround
dramas.
The Southern League front
runners have been on course to
claim the two available berths
for the domestic competition
from the outset and achieved
that goal with three rounds of
the regular season remaining.
Christchurch United passed
their first assignment by beating
relegation-threatened Selwyn
United 4-0 on Saturday while
Cashmere Technical were up by
three goals before Coastal Spirit
MARIST ENTER Canterbury
Hockey men’s premier league
buoyed by regular season
success after a helpful schedule
enabled them to head off their
closest challengers to claim the
Presidents Shield.
Buoyed by a Covid-19
catch-up win earlier last week,
Marist nailed top spot for the
play-offs with a 6-1 victory over
cellar-dwelling University of
Canterbury.
Carlton Redcliffs rounded out
their programme with a 3-0 win
CHARGE: St
Thomas of
Canterbury
No. 8 Richie
Tuipelehake
Tupua’ilei
makes ground
against Shirley
Boys’ High
School with
prop Ezekiel
Faga Iete in
support.
managed a consolation goal in
the 90th minute.
Cashmere Technical and
United are now vying for the
Southern League title with the
latter returning to the top of the
standings after a 1-0 win over
Nomads United in a Covid-19
catch-up game on Tuesday
night.
United also host Green
Island while Selwyn United
will be hoping Cashmere
Technical maintain their
intensity away at Mosgiel,
with only a point separating the
Dunedin and Rolleston-based
outfits.
over fellow finalists Harewood
while HSOB/Burnside qualified
third after edging Avon 3-2.
Marist and Carlton Redcliffs
meet to decide which of the top
two teams heads straight to the
final, with the loser able to activate
their second life and play
the minor semi-final winner,
HSOB/Burnside or Harewood.
Carlton Redcliffs needed to
lose by 17 goals to surrender top
spot in the women’s competition
and they duly claimed the Rosebowl
with a 2-1 triumph over
TRY TIME: St
Thomas of
Canterbury
College wing
Jackson
Stewart is
poised to
score out
wide against
Shirley Boys’
High School.
PHOTOS:
BRENDAN
BIGGS
competition’s semi-finals pit
St Andrew’s College against
Shirley Boys’ High School while
Timaru BHS host Marlborough
Boys’ College.
Easy road for Southern
League front runners
Bottom-placed Selwyn also
venture south for a potentially
crucial clash with Dunedin City
Royals.
There was another
unsurprising outcome in the
women’s four-team South Island
Championship with powerhouse
Coastal Spirit SAS beating
Dunedin City Royals 4-1 in the
final, a week after recording a
9-1 margin against the same
opponent.
In the third/fourth play-off,
Cashmere Technical beat
Roslyn Wakari 2-1 in the first
leg of Sunday’s doubleheader at
English Park.
Top play-off spot for Marist
champions Harewood.
Like their male counterparts,
the women’s top four was already
set before the final round,
with Marist safe in second
regardless of last weekend’s bye.
Carlton Redcliffs and Marist
again vie for direct passage
to the final, while in another
mirror image of the men’s
title race, HSOB/Burnside and
Harewood face a sudden death
clash, with the winner facing an
ominous task next in phase two
of the finals format.
IN MY 40 years of journalism,
nothing has felt remotely as
difficult as writing this, because
the emotions are still so raw.
A few weeks ago, I bade ‘happy
travels’ to my dear friend and
long-time New Zealand Herald
sports writing colleague David
Leggat, who was getting ready for
a family adventure in Europe.
David and his wife Jacqui
Bensemann were travelling with
one son, and meeting up with
the other in London. This is what
life should be all about, the joy of
anticipation, fresh fields, with the
people who mean the most.
Now, I am writing a tribute to
“Leggo”, who has passed away
suddenly while swimming in
Lake Como, Italy, at the age of 64.
It feels heart-breaking and
surreal, and the mourners will
include – I can safely say –
much of the sports writing and
media community around New
Zealand. For he was a truly
unique and special character, of
unforgettable charisma, warmth
and charm.
David Leggat was long a central
part of our industry and in
recent years the undisputed elder
statesman.
He started out at the The Press
when a major newspaper still
had room for club table tennis
coverage, he worked for the New
Zealand Press Association as
sports boss and London-based
representative, and he had a
number of roles at the New
Zealand Herald/NZME including
sports editor.
Sports readers will know
him through his coverage of
just about everything, from
his first calling – cricket – to
Commonwealth and Olympic
Games, Rugby World Cups, and
so much more.
Sports writers will remember
him just as much for the
bonhomie, the generous nature,
the endless stories, the tag of
being a champion tourist during
the age of long sports tours, the
cutting critiques of no discernible
malice, the natural ability to
take humble command, the selfdeprecating
humour, the overall
humour, the phrases, the lunches,
the afternoon teas, the morning
teas.
He has left an impact on so
many people, but this story really
summed him up.
Thursday August 11 2022 The Star
SPORT 25
David Leggat, a sports reporter at The Press for
a number of years before heading north to work
for the New Zealand Press Association and NZ
Herald, drowned tragically in Italy last week while
on a family holiday. Colleague and good mate
Chris Rattue shares his memories of the likeable
Cantabrian
Remembering
a charismatic
sports writer
David Leggat during a
Blacks Sticks media briefing
in 2014.
Sports broadcaster Andrew
Alderson recalled – with
reverence – being a nervous
rookie on a New Zealand cricket
tour and hearing a knock on his
hotel door. Leggat - the veteran -
was going out of his way, making
sure the newbie knew about the
touring media dinner and felt
welcome. Alderson has never
forgotten this simple yet easily
overlooked gesture.
My favourite Leggat travel
story concerned the 2002
Commonwealth Games, which
we covered in Manchester.
Leggo was in charge of the
company’s cash and for two days
I’d lived on meagre rations until
we managed to meet up, so he
could hand over a pile of twentypound
notes.
Within the hour I was eagerly
licking my lips at a curry house,
only to be told the money was no
longer legal tender. Before leaving
Auckland, Leggo had apparently
grabbed leftover cash from a
previous overseas assignment.
I can’t recall his response to
my despair and rumbling
stomach, but it may have been
along the lines of “sorry about
that champ”. He loved the word
“champ”.
His own stories went on much
longer than those above, and
they might be described as a
series of detours expertly cobbled
together.
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