Rowing champ wins top gong at Bay Sports Awards

Julia Edward recieves the supreme award from Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick at the Bay of Plenty Sports Awards. Photo/Ben Fraser

World rowing champion Julia Edward received the prestigious Supreme Award at the annual Bay of Plenty Sports Awards held in Rotorua on Friday night.

The Rotorua local won gold in the women's lightweight double scull in a world best time at the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam in August this year. Edward and rowing partner Sophie Mackenzie were also named finalists in 2014 World Rowing Female Crew of the Year category.

Papamoa Surf Lifesaving Club's Andrew Trembath, left, and Ben Johnston helped win the world youth championship in France. Photo/supplied

Edward also won the Sportswoman of the Year award, leading an outstanding field of category recipients, including 2013 Supreme Award winner Peter Burling, who took out the Bayleys Real Estate Sportsman of the Year award for the second year.

It was a memorable night for the Papamoa Surf Lifesaving Club. Their youth team that won gold at the world champs in France took out Junior Team of the Year, the club's IRB team the senior Team of the Year, Junior Sportswoman of the Year went to Natalie Peat and Junior Sportsman of the Year to Ben Johnston.

Coach of the Year went to Omanu Surf Lifesaving Club's Scott Bartlett.

International rugby referee Glen Jackson was awarded Official of the Year for the second year in a row.

The Service to Sport Awards went to Sue Clarke (canoe slalom), Pam Clayton (netball), Gwenda Ruegg (swimming), Jennie Taylor (hockey), Ray Wells (football), Rob Beckett (rugby) and Lyn Govenlock (cricket).

Club of the Year title went to the Devoy Squash and Fitness Club which has undergone significant membership growth and event planning over the past 12 months.

In the secondary school awards, Student Contribution to Sport went to basketballer Rhys Hamilton (Tauranga Boys' College) while the Girls' Team of the Year went to Tauranga Girls' canoe slalom team.

Judge Hamish Ashton said the process of deciding finalists and winners has been just as hard this year as previous years.

"This creates some robust discussion among us as a judging panel," he said.

"When you have champions in diverse sports every little detail is considered when deciding who is the ultimate winner.

"Having been involved with the awards for a number of years now it has been great to follow the progress of some of our college athletes through to the international stage. There is a huge, but largely unrecognised, amount of talent here in the Bay."