Lucky chair and awards for Ferguson

Can Hawke's Bay's world champion shearer Cam Ferguson do anything wrong?
One had to ask the question after his winning roll at the weekend.
On Saturday night he received the 2010 Ngati Kahungunu Sportsperson of the Year award in front of 400 people in Waipukurau's AW Parsons Stadium, 24 hours after being crowned Central Hawke's Bay's Sportsperson of the Year at the same venue.
In between winning the awards Ferguson won the annual Manawatu A&P Show open title and shortly after sitting down on Saturday night was one of 10 lucky chair winners who each won a copy of the Beneath the Maori Moon book.
Such success would warrant a celebratory ale or two for most of us but not Ferguson. He is in serious training for a crack at a lamb shearing world record attempt of 736 lambs in eight hours at Bennydale on January 12.
"I'm rapt ... these are my first lot of awards from outside of the shearing fraternity," said Ferguson, who was accompanied by his grandmother Hine Aramoana as he received the premier award.
"It was awesome to receive the big one with Te Aute College students and members of my family performing the Tika Tonu haka." Ferguson is a former student of the school.
Ferguson collected the premier award after earlier pipping All Black Israel Dagg, Commonwealth Games Sevens gold medallist Zac Guildford and world champion New Zealand under-20 rugby player Star Timu for the Senior Sportsman award.
It was a similar double for Ferguson at the Central Hawke's Bay awards - Central Hawke's Bay Sportsperson of the Year and Senior Sportsperson Award.
Ferguson, 27, was the hot favourite for both nights after winning gold in the individual and team events at the world championships in Wales back in July. The father of three won the Golden Shears open championship title in March, is the South Island Shearer of the Year and the Otago, Taihape, Manawatu and Central Hawke's Bay regional titleholder.
"Ngati Kahungunu boasts the strongest shearers in the world and it's those high standards which have helped me get where I am today," he said. "This success proves to all young Maori if you put your mind to it and give it 100 per cent you will get what you want."
Another Ferguson (but no relation of Cam's), New Zealand Sevens representative Julie Ferguson won the Senior Sportswoman award for the third time. She captained the Aotearoa side that won the Rome Sevens title.
Tamatea's Melbourne Storm rugby league player Tohu Harris took home the Junior Sportsman award. The utility was the Storm's Toyota Cup under-20 team's MVP this year.
Sacred Heart College's world ranked waka ama paddler Olivia Mador-Puna won the Junior Sportswoman award. She won silver and bronze medals at the world sprint championships in her respective under-19 W6 1000m and W12 500m events.
International touch referee and promising rugby referee Zarne Johnson won the official award for a third time after another memorable year which included controlling a final at the World Indigenous touch tournament and official assignments at the New Zealand Maori-England rugby match, IRB Sevens in Wellington and Super 14 matches.
It was appropriate New Zealand Maori rugby team kaumatua for more than a decade Whetu Tipiwai should win the active kaumatua award on a night which was also a celebration of 100 years of Maori rugby. Central Region's representative on the New Zealand Maori Rugby Board, Tipiwai, composed the New Zealand Maori side's haka Timatanga and assisted in the design of the team's Centenary jersey.
The key organiser behind the world's first IronMaori Half Ironman event, Heather Skipworth, won the administrator award. This event, which was staged back in December, involved 294 competitors, most of whom were Maori and in need of motivation to make healthy lifestyle choices.
Next month's second annual IronMaori will have a capacity field of 589 starters.
Busy mixed martial arts mentor Dion Crouch won the coach award. During the qualifying period he coached Easton Nicholas to the IKBF South Pacific light heavyweight title and five Zero Tolerance fighters to national titles.