Wrestlers do well at national level

Taieri Wrestling Club members Cameron Lord (left) and Jalen Forgie (both 9) face off in the...
Taieri Wrestling Club members Cameron Lord (left) and Jalen Forgie (both 9) face off in the Mosgiel clubrooms, watched by other members. Photo by Linda Robertson.
Taieri Wrestling Club sent a small but mighty team to the national championships.

The tournament was staged in Tauranga in late August.

The club dispatched four wrestlers and they came back with three golds, two silvers and a bronze medal between them.

Ricky Welsford is the most accomplished wrestler of the Taieri contingent. He won gold in the senior freestyle 57kg class and the senior Greco Roman 59kg category.

Simone Reynolds won the 75kg female freestyle uncontested but was in good form in two exhibitions bouts.

Brogan Anderson took silver in the 96kg Greco Roman, while Matt Sproule claimed silver in the 75kg Greco Roman and bronze in the 74kg freestyle.

Sproule's gold-medal bout with blind wrestler Clinton Davies was a thrilling contest and one of the highlights of the tournament, Taieri Wrestling Club stalwart Bronwyn Smith said.

''We all think the match of the tournament was Matt Sproule against Clinton Davies,'' Smith said.

''The whole place was roaring. It was just really close and he [Sproule] only lost in the last second. Clinton has been around a long time and Matt has just come in, so it was really good.''

Welsford dominated his bouts.

His next big assignment is at the Oceania Championships in Hamilton in March where he will try to qualify for the Olympics.

''He has to finish in the top two in Oceania to go through to the [Olympic] qualifier.''

Since the nationals, the Taieri club contingent has been south to Gore to help set up a club in the Southland town.

Former Taieri coach Aron Miller moved down to Gore ''a few years ago'' and is setting up a club.

''He organised an open day to try to get a few wrestlers along to show them what it is all about and everything,'' Smith said.

Some of the more experienced Taieri wrestlers went to Gore to help with the open day and ''showed them the ropes''.

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