Four veterans who proved that youth is no substitute for experience when they were responsible for one of Bowls Wanganui's greatest days, were saluted at the 2015 Ray White Wanganui Sports Awards last night at the race course.
Elevated above Wanganui's rowing's medallists from the world championships, world-ranked kayakers and other national champions, the Wanganui fours team received the Supreme Award for their dynamic victory at the 2015 Heartland Bank National Championships at Auckland's Browns Bay on January 10.
Cynthia Adams, Dot Belliss, Glenis Pidwell and Pam Burgess had been given the Senior Team award and it was decided by the judging committee that claiming Wanganui's first national title in women's fours was a special achievement which may not be replicated again.
The committee of Philippa Baker-Hogan, Keith Smith, Grant McKinnon, Bridget Belsham and Jared Smith made their selections in October.
In Auckland, the four Wanganui women took all the experience they had accumulated in winning a combined 70 centre titles to take out a thrilling final against a composite four skipped by Petone's Tanya Wheeler.
The opposition was a 'young guns' outfit as Wheeler's lead player was Ashleigh Jeffcoat, only 15, while Jeffcoat's fellow Raglan team-mate Rachel Jelley was 22.
When Webster's number three, Dale Rayner, played a great shot on the 16th end to take the score to 16-12 the match appeared over.
But Wanganui hit back with two on the final two ends to force an extra end at 16-16, and Adams drew a winner with her last bowl as Wheeler's final attempt could not get closer.
Adams, Belliss, and Burgess were the toast of their Wanganui Bowling Club while the Durie Hill Bowling Club raised glasses for Pidwell.
Last year's Supreme and International Junior Sportsperson winner Kerri Gowler claimed the Senior International Sportsperson award for her double silver act at the 2015 World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette, France.
Gowler teamed with Grace Prendergast to finish second in the women's pairs, then they teamed with fellow Wanganui nominee Rebecca Scown, on stroke, to earn another silver in the women's eight final.
It was another big night for the Gowler family as younger sibling Jackie Gowler, a Junior Team winner last year, followed in big sister's footsteps with the International Junior award.
Chosen from 14 nominations, Jackie Gowler was a national club champion in Under 20's pair racing and would earn a fifth place finish with the NZ Women's Under 23 coxless four at the U23 World Championships in Bulgaria.
Amongst the others who had gone to the world stage between October 2014 and September 30 this year, sprint kayakers Aiden Nossiter and Max Brown again received the Junior Team prize.
The national and Oceania gold medallists in the K21000 represented New Zealand at the World U23 Championships in Portugal, where they finished eighth overall after being eliminated in the semifinals.
There was some new faces amongst the national award winners as jetsprint racer Pat Dillon had another cap to a wonderful retirement when he received the National Senior Sportsperson award.
Dillon created history as the first Ford engine driver to win the feature Superboats class of the 2015 NZ Jet Sprint Championship season, being the only driver to make the podium at all six rounds to be comfortably ahead on points.
The National Junior Sportsperson award went to Collegiate's standout middle distance runner Geordie Beamish.
Again, this junior category had a lot of competition with 12 nominees, but Beamish winning and his retaining crowns in the 3000m and 1500m at both NZ Junior and NZ Schools level over the season saw him given the nod.
At the other end of the spectrum, Taumaranui's Nadine Cull received the Masters Award for her accomplishments in squash.
Cull has had a lot of success in squash and up until the last two years her nominations were considered for the Waikato awards, although her actual affiliations spread back down into this area.
Cull had won the 2014 National Champion of Champions in the Women's A Grade last November, and also received the Masters Squash Award in the Waikato District after coming ninth at the World Masters in Hong Kong.
Wanganui Squash Club coach John Roestenburg received his due for four years of national success by his team.
The Wanganui club team won the National C Grade Squash Championships in Taumarunui, capping off a glorious run, starting in 2012, where they progressed through the grades and won the E and D Grade national titles.
Under Roestenburg's stewardship, the team fashioned a 25-1 record against the best club sides at their various levels.
And from a field of six impressive nominees, whose standout players were also nominated individually, it was the Wanganui Harrier Club, celebrating their 90th year in 2015, who received the Club of the Year award.
Having increased their membership to more than 100 runners and walkers, the club picked up second place out of 45 clubs at the North Island Cross Country Championships, while they did a great job organising events at the Masters Games and 3 Bridges Marathon.