Teams reunite to remember Otago's year

All ready to walk down memory lane are (from left): former Otago team manager Des Smith, former...
All ready to walk down memory lane are (from left): former Otago team manager Des Smith, former Otago Rebels netballer Belinda Colling, former Otago rugby lock John Blaikie and former Otago Rebels netballer Jo Morrison. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
The older you get, the better you were - except for these two Otago teams who were actually pretty damn good in their time.

It is 20 years this year that Otago ruled in both provincial rugby and netball.

The Otago team won the national provincial championships in rugby in 1998 and the Otago Rebels won netball's Coca Cola Cup in the same year, while the Otago team won the national provincial netball title.

Now, 20 years on, after a bit of talking and a swapping of ideas, the two teams are holding a reunion in September.

Those who watched in the stands and on the sidelines will also have a chance to get involved with a luncheon on September 21 where members of the teams will discuss the successful seasons.

This will be a ticketed lunch at a venue yet to be decided.

The following day, Otago will take on Canterbury at Forsyth Barr Stadium in a Mitre 10 Cup match and all team members will be there for the game.

Most of the members of the rugby team and netball team have signed up for the reunion.

Rugby players who will front up include John Blaikie, Tony Brown, Eddie Hekenui, Andrew Hore, Charlie Hore, Josh Kronfeld, Brendan Laney, John Leslie, Simon Maling, Kees Meeuws, Eugene Morgan, Kelvin Middleton, Eugene Morgan, Mathew O'Connell, Reuben Parkinson, Taine Randell, Romi Ropati, Brendon Timmins, Kupu Vanisi and Jeff Wilson.

Lining up from the netball team are Jo Morrison, Belinda Colling, Anna Stanley, Adine Wilson, Kylie Young, Tara Blaikie, Lesley Rumball, Vic Edgar, Katie Fay and Megan Anderson.

The teams obviously knew each other when playing, as Charlie Hore and Colling, Adine and Jeff Wilson, and Tara and John Blaikie later married.

 

Add a Comment