Busy Waitangi Day schedule at New Zealand Masters Games in Whanganui

Barbara Sharp (left) and Avala Allsop have made multiple trips to the podium during the Masters Games. Photo / Mike Tweed

Whanganui was abuzz with sporting activity on Waitangi Day as the 2023 New Zealand Masters Games rolled on.

Indoor rowing took centre stage under the games tent at the War Memorial Centre forecourt.

Levin’s Barbara Sharp, 83, had just broken her own New Zealand Masters record for the 80-plus 100-metre row when the Chronicle arrived.

Her time of 25 seconds scraped 0.3 seconds off her previous best.

“I’ve only been doing indoor rowing for about five years,” Sharp said.

“I had been swimming, but our local pool got shut down for renovations, so I went to the gym instead. I got on a rowing machine, and the rest is history.”

Sharp also holds age-group records in the 2000m, 1500m and 300m races.

Her friend Avala Allsop, 87, claimed a silver in the 100m row, but came out on top in powerlifting with a lift of 60kg.

“I had to take powerlifting up because she [Sharp] always beats me in rowing,” Allsop said.

“One day I was doing weights, and suddenly I was presented with a bar. I realised I was doing powerlifting, so I thought I might as well do it at the Masters Games.”

Henry Albert claimed silver in the 65-plus men's javelin.

Paraparaumu’s Henry Albert took part in the javelin at Cook Gardens in the 65-plus age group on Sunday.

It had been close to 50 years since he had thrown, but he still managed to claim a silver medal with a distance of 19.65m.

“The last time I competed was in June 1973 at school in England, so I was a little rusty,” he said.

“I got a silver medal back then as well.

“I was a [cricket] bowler 25 years ago, and the classic Richard Hadlee-style of side-on bowling helps when it comes to throwing a javelin.”

Elsewhere, the Kaitoke Knight Riders were up against the Hunterville Hackers in the T20 cricket competition at Springvale Park.

Players must be 35 or older.

Torrential downpours on Friday delayed the start of games, but no time was lost.

Knight Riders batsman Zane Payne-Potaka was the next man in, and it didn’t take long for him to make the walk to the middle.

“We won the toss and had a bowl,” he said.

“They ended up with 170, but were only on 37 after 10 overs. We got smoked after that.”

Other teams in the cricket tournaments include Sons of Pitches, Fitzroy Old Folks, Gentlemen of Kaierau and Black Sacks.

Mana Mischief squash players (from left) Michelle Burns, Pat Campbell, KC Woods and Sue Fisher. Photo / Mike Tweed

At the Whanganui Squash Club, KC Woods and Michelle Burns played Pat Campbell and Sue Fisher for gold in the women’s doubles competition.

All four were from the Mana Mischief club in Porirua.

Campbell said she had been coming to the Whanganui games since 1992.

“It’s mostly been just squash for me, but I’ve done the five-kilometre walk and the Twilight 400 as well.”

Sharp, who first took part in the Masters Games in 2020, said she would compete in swimming next.

“Last time, I had to swim against two 85-year-old men and one 89-year-old man because there were no women my age doing it. I beat the 89-year-old.

“Let’s see what happens this time around.”

Indoor rowers get under way in the 10,000-metre event. Photo / Mike Tweed