HB Netball chairwoman Chris McIntyre with sportsperson of the year Asher Grapes. Umpire of the year Taini Douglas. Photo/Warren Buckland
Asher Grapes was the toast of individuals at the Hawke's Bay Netball end-of-season awards in Napier on Thursday night.
Grapes not only claimed the code's sportsperson of the year award but also walked away with the junior player of the year gong at the ceremony held at the Napier Sailing Club in Ahuriri.
"It's encouraging to know that even though Napier Girls' did really well this year you don't have to be in the winning team to do well individually," said the affable 17-year-old midcourter who slips on the wing attack, centre and goal attack bibs for the senior Hastings Girls' High School Senior A team.
The Napier Girls' High School counterparts were the "golden girls", walking away with the Hawke's Bay Today & The Hits team of the year award and their coach,
The year 13 pupil said HGHS, who were eighth in the Super 8 senior women's competition, finishing runners-up in the Super 12 HB secondary schoolgirls' league was quite good for them because they were sitting fourth through the campaign but showed some character to pull it back in the last few rounds.
"If you can't be in the best team then you might as well play against them," said Grapes, who had a memorable season, having represented the NZ Secondary School Aotearoa International Team, making the Netball NZ Development Camp and captaining the Hawke's Bay Under-17 side.
Last Sunday she attended the open Waikato/Bay of Plenty Beko League trials of 80 girls and made the cull when the squad was whittled down to 30 on Wednesday.
She'll find out on Monday if she is till in the wider training squad of 21.
Grapes said it was quite challenging to play for HGHS because, at times, they often had only six players turn out for a game.
"I think that has been really good because it builds your character ... because you turn up for a 60-minute game and you only have six players," says the teenager, who will pursue a degree in health, sport and human performance at Waikato University from next year.
Receiving the award was an honour and an endorsement that Bay is a nursery for propagating talent for the higher echelons for the member of the Sir Graeme Avery-led Hawke's Bay Community Fitness Centre Trust based at the HB Regional Sports Park in Hastings.
"They [mum and dad] are very proud," said Grapes, who will be delighted to make the cut on Monday to play alongside adults to boost her CV in realising the dream of becoming a Silver Fern.
NGHS coach Annemarie Kupa said it was boom season for NGHS whose black, white and under-15 sides' players claimed the MVP awards.
"We've got a strong team but they've been building for the last two to three years," said the 41-year-old, who suspected she had won her maiden Bay coaching award after etching her name on the silverware of the Central HB awards.
NGHS Senior A, who were third at the Lower North Island Secondary School Tournament a fortnight ago, are off to the Pita Pit NZSS nationals at the Southern Trust Events Centre, Timaru, from October 9 -12.
They were missing some of their players in the Lower NI semifinal due to the clash with the basketball nationals but they beat top seeds Wellington East Girls', boasting Pulse player Tiana Metarau, for third place.
Valentine Kahukura, Jaime Tapine, Parris Petera and Melika Samia were named in the A tourney side.
It pleased the ex-player/coach of former Otane Thirsty Whale that NGHS defender Kahukura also was called for the Waikato Beko trials to make the under-21 training squad.
Former NGHS player Jadyi Taylor-Chaffey, who represented the Waikato/BOP this season and had returned to play a couple of times for Otane, claimed the senior player of the year award.
"She's another exciting player who'll be one to watch," said Kupa, who coached Taylor-Chaffey in the previous two seasons before she moved to university.
Nurturing youngsters to a level where they have the tenacity to claim ownership in their respective positions on the court is Kupa's coaching philosophy.
"Trying to push through the mental toughness as a player is what it's all about in the big tournaments," she said, eyeing a top six position at the nationals.
HB Netball operations manager Tina Arlidge was delighted with a sold-out function as well as the calibre of nominations.
"We now have players at all levels of the game and it is only a matter of time before we break through to the top, with Kimiora Poi recently being selected in the Silver Ferns' development squad, Ellie Bird playing ANZ Premiership Netball for the [Mainland] Tactix, Kelsey McPhee signed up for [Waikato/BOP] in 2019 and now multiple trialist for the Beko League," said Arlidge, after McPhee and Netball Central Zone CEO Fran Scholey attended as special guests.
"This is a huge achievement for an organisation that is only six years old, as there was nobody when we began," she said.
"In fact netball was not even Kimiora Poi's first choice of sport."
Kenzie Turnbull was named Napier Sailing Club bench official of the year. The volunteer of the year award went to HB Netball board member Dionne Thomas who has been on the board since its inception in 2012.
Thomas also has served as an umpire and umpire mentor.
AWARD WINNERS
■ Kukri club of the year: Napier Pirates.
■ Hawke's Bay Today & The Hits team of the year: Napier Girls' High School.
■ Senior player of the year: Jaydi Taylor-Chaffey.
■ Junior player of the year: Asher Grapes.
■ Coach of the year: Annemarie Kupa.
■ Rescom senior umpire of the year: Taini Douglas.
■ Rescom junior umpire of the year: Georgia Trent.
■ Napier Sailing Club bench official of the year: Kenzie Turnbull.
■ Volunteer of the year: Dionne Thomas.
■ Sportsperson of the year: Asher Grapes.
