Junior prizegivings celebrate 2023 season
Another successful season of junior rugby came to a close at the end of August which saw 37 Pakuranga teams taking the field.
Teams, players, coaches and managers were recognised recently in a series of prizegivings, acknowledging excellence, commitment and improvement across the grades.
The Under 13 Heat were big winners with both players and coaches picking up a host of awards, the team awarded the Best Performing Open team title. Jayden Randall received the prestigious Nan Bell Memorial Trophy for best player across all junior grades, teammate Lachlan McKechnie was awarded the Jeremy Field Memorial Trophy for team player of the year and Peter Mutschel was most promising open player with the Shaun Cassidy memorial Cup.
Heat coach Alipate Tubu received the 3rd Grade Trophy of 1982 for development and instruction of rugby skills, and Erin McKechnie was awarded the WS Turner Trophy for intermediate team management.
Olivia Penman-Gates from the Under 13 Lightening picked up the Abby Lockhart Tophy for Female Player of the year, while Katherine Foy was recognised for outstanding contribution by a female member and junior team management with the Rob Bennett Memorial Trophy and Junior Committee Cup respectively.
Other coaching awards saw Brad Colebrook of the Under 9 Vikings receive the Ed Nieklin Shield for most promising coach of a junior grade, Phil Robinson was the most successful intermediate coach with the Under 11 Superchargers and got the Chris Powell Trophy while Rob Hunkin was awarded the Michael Meek Memorial Trophy for dedication show by a coach/manager or referee.
Full list of Award winners:
Team | Most Valuable Player | Most Improved | Sportsmanship |
U5 Eagles | Thomas Syddall | Lochlann Trask | Nolan Li |
U5 Falcons | Nehemiah Emosi |
| Ollie Yeoman |
U5 Super Hornets | Ryan Brown | Hayley Selwyn | Freddie Simon |
U5 Tomcats | Xavier Pretorius | Isla Keenan | Logan O’Callaghan |
U5 Tornadoes | Jax MacSwain | Manarangi Maeva-Weston | Amy Lockett |
U5 Typhoons | Leo Winstanley | Hugh Davies | Leja Van Der Merwe |
U6 Giants | Layne Schrafft | Draye Kingi | Miller Brookes |
U6 Ravens | Theo Mackie | Zara Watson | Laiton Lotam |
U6 Seahawks | Maddox Arlidge | Connor Brider | Logan Biggelaar |
U6 Seahawks |
| Elijah Stowers |
|
U6 Titans | Chloe van Wagoner | Oliver Stewart | Sidney Lewis |
U7 Bats | Joshua Lockett | Hunter Stewart | Scott Boyd |
U7 Ghosts | Grayson Cook | Jayden Verryt | Hunter Haslip |
U7 Wild Cats | Criss Henry Carfax-Foster | George Militoni | Connor Strydom |
U7 Avengers | Asher Ama | Mason Lau'ese | Harvey Kirby |
U7 Godzillas | Zachary Nayagam | Max Huston | Christian Perry |
U7 Titans | Connor Grant | Troy Viljoen | Cooper Hutcheson |
U8 Warriors | Ofisa Ofisa | Harley Tye | Harry Davies |
U8 Raptors | Luke van der Westhuizen | Hector Liew | Chevy Davis-Neho |
U8 Magic | Riley Grobelaar | Zac Ross | Finley Rose |
U8 Hawks | Tristan Olsen | Sebastian Dellabarca | Jacob Koloamatangi |
U9 Bengals | Penelope Szytkiel | Jaylah Wilson | Marco Lau’ese |
U9 Vikings | Connor Thompson | Kayd Colebrook | Noah Bryan |
U9 Raiders | Samuel Kearns | Noah Fuimaono | Camike Ferreira |
U9 Panthers | Kasey Theron | Leo-Nardus Meyer | Harrison Foster |
U10 Titans | Zac Grant | Caleb Thompson | Charlie Bongiovanni |
U10 Hulks | Ryan Purcell | Malachai Chan Mow | Max Bester |
U10 Avengers | Chan Hay Ofisa | Cooper Steele | Tyler Jina |
Team | Most Improved | Forward of the Year | Back of the Year |
U11 Spartans | Ethan Baker | Alex Charlton | Oliver White |
U11 Titans | Anthony Fifita | Joel King | Anru Stoltz |
U11 SuperChargers | Corban Baty | Zach Lee | Carlos Harvey |
U11 Turbos | Jayson Conradie | Xavier Joy | Max Kearney |
U12 Jaguars | Theo Vyver | Arno van Niekerk | Ben Brebner |
U12 Pumas | Zayan Shaikh | Jackson Ledingham | Ben Newton |
U13 Heat | Ewald Greyvensteyn | Peter Mutschel | Jaydon Randall |
U13 Lightning | Lachlan Beetham | Keanu Deysel | Helgard Groenewald |
U13 Thunder | Sam Borchard | Jacob Thompson | Bowen Bartley-Smith |
Award | Trophy | Recipient |
Under 5 Overall Most Improved | James Arlidge Trophy | Ollie Yeoman |
Under 5 Overall Most Valuable Player | Tom McCartney Trophy | Beauden Davison |
Under 5 Overall Instruction & Development | Barry Smith Trophy | Chris McLaren |
Under 6 Overall Most Improved | Tom Ritchie Memorial Trophy | Oliver Stewart |
Under 6 Overall Most Valuable Player | Ring Trophy | Maddox Arlidge |
Under 6 Overall Instruction & Development | Greg White Family Trophy | Ben Biggelaar |
Under 7 Overall Most Improved | Alex Thwaites Cup/Trophy | Connor Grant |
Under 7 Overall Most Valuable Player | Percy Jones Cup | Asher Ama |
Under 7 Overall Instruction & Development | Pakuranga United Rugby Club Trophy | Stan Lau'ese |
Under 8 Most Dedicated Player | R&B Semmel Shield | Harry Davies |
Under 8 Outstanding Sportsmanship | Tim Buxton Cup | Zayden La Grange |
Under 9 Most Dedicated Player | Bevan Overend Trophy | Noah Bryan |
Under 9 Outstanding Sportsmanship | Kapeneta Masunu Cup | Marco Lau'ese |
Under 10 Most Dedicated Player | Gavin Heyward Memorial | Anna Konrad |
Under 10 Outstanding Sportsmanship | Sam Prattley Cup | Reece Parkin |
Under 11 Most Dedicated Player | Ormond Challenge Cup | Zac Williams |
Under 11 Outstanding Sportsmanship | Joe Edwards Cup | Abel Robinson |
Under 12 Most Dedicated Player | Aub Bellingham Trophy | Dante Deyzel |
Under 12 Outstanding Sportsmanship | Malakai Fekitoa Cup | Sam Watson |
Under 13 Dedicated Player | Brent MacKenzie Memorial Cup | Tremaine Maeva-Weston |
Under 13 Outstanding Sportsmanship | Salesi Piutau Cup | Jahi Onkoba |
Dedication shown by a Coach/Manager/Referee | Michael Meek Memorial Trophy | Rob Hunkin |
Development & Instruction of Rugby Skills | 3rd Grade Trophy of 1982 | Alipate Tubu |
Volunteer of the Season | Roger Preist Cup | Mutschel Family |
Outstanding Contribution by a Female Member | Rob Bennett Memorial Trophy | Katherine Foy |
Most Promising Coach in a Junior Grade | Ed Nieklin Shield | Brad Colebrook |
Junior Team Management | Junior Committee Cup | Katherine Foy |
Most Successful Intermediate Coach | Chris Powell Trophy | Phil Robinson |
Intermediate Team Management | W.S Turner Trophy | Erin McKechnie |
Team Showing the Most Improvement | Spirit Cup | U13 Thunder |
Most Promising Open Player | Shaun Cassidy Memorial Cup | Peter Mutschel |
Best Performing Open Team | Best Open Team | U13 Heat |
Junior Player of the Year | Austin Family Trophy | Xavier Grant |
Team Player of the Year | Jeremy Field Memorial Trophy | Lachlan McKechnie |
Overall Commitment, Dedication, Attitude, Attendance, Leadership, Skill Level both on and on the field. | Owen Spalding Trophy | Helgard Groenewald |
Female Player of the Year | Abby Lockhart Trophy | Olivia Penman-Gates |
Best Player in All Grades | Nan Bell Memorial Trophy | Jaydon Randall |
