Sports awards: Top honour to McCullum

Brendon McCullum.
Brendon McCullum.
Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum claimed the top honour at the Otago Sports Awards at the Dunedin Town Hall last night.

McCullum (33) won the sportsperson of the year award, for the second straight year, having won the sportsman of the year award earlier in the night.

The Black Caps skipper, who could not attend the event as he is in England playing in the first test at Lord's, won the award on the back of some strong performances for his side with the bat and through his captaincy.

His personal impact contributed to the national team rising up the rankings and making the final of the World Cup for the first time. McCullum also became the first New Zealander to score 1000 test runs in a calendar year.

In the sportsman category, McCullum beat All Black Ben Smith and world champion rower Hamish Bond.

Otago University Rowing Club rower Fiona Bourke won the sportswomen's award.

She won thanks to her world championship double sculls gold medal. She also picked up two national titles, in the double sculls and the eight, and has been selected to qualify the premier single scull for next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Also nominated in this category were White Ferns captain Suzie Bates and world No 2-ranked freeskier and Central Otago sportsperson of the year Janina Kuzma.

Black Caps coach Mike Hesson was a popular winner of the Otago coach of the year award.

He was the man working behind the scenes as the national cricket side had a great summer, culminating in the memorable World Cup run.

The other two finalists also had a major impact on their sport.

Wanaka's Tom Willmott was the head park and pipe coach for Snow Sports New Zealand and had his charges succeed in events around the world, while Dunedin Thunder coach Janos Kaszala helped his team to the national league final, coached the Ice Blacks and also helped southern region age-group teams.

In the team of the year award, two sides from Otago Boys' High School made the cut and the school's basketball team won the main award.

The basketball side won the country's premier secondary schools title and also had three players named in the all-star team.

The Otago Boys' First XV was also nominated, after it won the Highlanders competition for a fourth straight year. Also up for the award was the Otago golf team, which made the final of the national interprovincial.

It was another win for the Wells family in the category it has had a near mortgage on, when Beau-James Wells secured the junior sportsman award.

A highly successful international season was capped by Wells winning the junior world championship halfpipe title, and finishing the year ranked second on the Association of Freeski Professionals open rankings.

Washington Huskies-bound basketballer Sam Timmins was a finalist in this category as was Rory Ferguson, who captained the New Zealand under-16 rugby league team.

Javelin thrower Tori Peeters won the junior sportswoman award. Peeters is the national senior champion and broke her own national record several times this season.

The other finalists were Oamaru rower Johannah Kearney, who won a silver at the world under-23 championships, and dual-code representative Polly Inglis who enjoyed successful seasons for both the Otago Sparks cricket team and the Southern and Junior Black Sticks hockey teams.

The services to sport award was given to long-serving coach Nola Paterson, in recognition of her 60 years of dedication to gymnastics. She has coached three generations of women and girls and is still active in teaching fundamental skills to pre-school children.

Hayden Croft, a developer of new sports analysis tools, was recognised with the innovation in sport award. Croft has brought video analysis tools down to the grass-roots level, and is also delivering the country's only specialist tertiary qualification in that area.

The guest speaker for last night's ASB-sponsored awards was BMX rider and Olympic silver medallist Sarah Walker.

The finalists and winners were selected by Megan Gibbons (Otago Polytechnic), Steve Hepburn (Otago Daily Times), Dominic George (NZME.) and John Brimble (Sport Otago).

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