Sports awards: Moulds rewarded with top award

SUPREME: Taniwha player Matt Moulds won the top award at Friday's Silver Fern Farms Kaipara District Sports Awards for his efforts as part of the All Blacks Sevens team, among other things. Moulds won the award ahead of national champion waterskiier Toni Atkinson. PHOTO/FILE

Taniwha hooker Matt Moulds has scooped the top prize at the Silver Fern Farms Kaipara District Sports Awards in front of a sell-out crowd in Dargaville, beating Toni Atkinson for the title.

Moulds picked up the award after having played his way into the All Blacks Sevens squad, thanks to a standout season for Northland in the National Tournament in January.

The All Blacks Sevens were crowned world series champions earlier this year.

While playing and training under legendary coach Sir Gordon Tietjens, Moulds was also a member of the world champion Blues 10-a-side team.

Capping off a busy 12 months for Moulds was his involvement with the Taniwha ITM Cup squad, where he was a regular starter and played his way to a Super Rugby contract with the Blues next year.

The Otamatea player also picked up Sportsman of the Year.

Battling it out with Moulds for the top award on Friday night was waterskiier Atkinson, who won the Sportswoman of the Year title.

Atkinson is a national champion of several disciplines in the sport and is also the Northland region open women's champion in slalom, trick, jump and overall.

Winning the Subdivideit Team of the Year Award was the Maungaturoto Squash Club's E-Grade team that won the National E Grade Ladies' Championship.

Maungaturoto were seeded second in a 10-team draw, dropping only one of their 20 matches to win their pool and go on to win in the final against Te Puke.

The Kaipara District Council Coach of the Year title was won by squash's Philip Tana for his efforts with the E grade ladies' team.

Meanwhile, claiming the Noel Radd Motors Kaipara Junior Team of the Year was Dargaville Intermediate's Aims Games gymnastics team.

At the NZCT Aims International Sporting Championships the team placed second in the artistic gymnastics, second in the trampoline, and third in the rhythmic gymnastics. Gymnast Stephanie Brown won the Newman Engineering Leadership Award after identifying opportunities to further develop her club and its volunteer coaches to provide the best experience to their members.

Brown works with GymSports NZ to provide upskilling opportunities for her coaches to support the skills and classes they teach.

Swimming's Carlrine Gillespie won the Steinlager Pure Award for Referee/Umpire of the Year for her efforts with officiates at Swimming New Zealand events such as the national open water championships as assistant clerk of course and turn judge.

Winning the Pacific Motor Group Masters Sportsperson of the Year was Julie Harris for her efforts in bodybuilding.

Harris competed at the INBA Natural Olympia where she won the over-50 and open class in women's bodybuilding, along with winning a national title.

Kaihu Valley Rugby Football Club won the Sport NZ Club of the Year title.

Kaipara District Sports Awards winners
• Silver Fern Farms Supreme Award: Matt Moulds (rugby).
• Silver Fern Farms Sportsman of the Year: Matt Moulds (rugby).
• Silver Fern Farms Sportswoman of the Year: Toni Atkinson (waterskiing).
• Subdivideit Team of the Year: Maungaturoto Squash Club E-Grade Squash team.
• Noel Radd Motors Kaipara Junior Team of the Year: Dargaville Intermediate Aims Games Gymnastics team.
• Newman Engineering Leadership Award: Stephanie Brown (gymnastics).
• Kaipara District Council Coach of the Year: Philip Tana (squash).
• Steinlager Pure Referee/Umpire of the Year: Carlrine Gillespie (swimming).
• Pacific Motor Group Masters Sportsperson of the Year: Julie Harris (bodybuilding).
• Barry Markwick Memorial Service to Sport: Allen Dennis (football), Bronwyn Williamson (rugby).
• ASB Youth Achievement Awards: Jessica Woollam (gymnastics), Cullen Curtis (motocross), Ocean Shadbolt (multisports), Baden Curel (waterskiing), Sarah de Bruin (Highland dancing), Rhys Shadbolt (rugby), Joshua Nilsson (shooting).
• Sport NZ Club of the Year: Kaihu Valley Rugby Football Club.Moulds rewarded with top award