Gympie’s best and fairest athletes| List
It’s been a big year for Gympie sport despite the ongoing challenges of Covid, and we’ve named 20 of the best and fairest athletes in the region. SEE THE LIST AND VOTE IN OUR POLL.
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Sport has always played a pivotal role in the community life of the Gympie region.
We love to celebrate sport when we can and especially those whose skills and talent made them stand out in their respective field, so we reached out to the various sport coaches and club presidents of the Gympie region and asked them to nominate their best and fairest players.
From the footy and cricket fields to the basketball courts, Gympie Aquatic Centre and beyond, Gympie has always boasted a wealth of sporting talent.
Here are the Best and Fairest players of 2021, as nominated by the coaches and club presidents.
1. Abbey Pershouse
Abbey Pershouse was selected in the 2021 Queensland Primary School Softball team in October and plays both baseball and softball.
2. Tamalyn Boese
Fifteen-year-old Tamalyn is part of the Gympie Gold Fins Swimming Club and is a 2021 state-level swimmer. Her favourite swimming style is backstroke and she trains six days a week. She is only 1-2 seconds off making nationals.
3. Mackenzie Krafft
Mackenzie Krafft is competing at the Youth Women’s baseball Queensland State Titles and is in the 2021 U14 Queensland softball squad.
4. Troy Ashton
Forty three-year-old Troy Ashton made his debut for the Gympie Gold cricket team in 1998, and has been a foundation brick for the club. He has played more than 300 games and is on track to be the only player in Sunshine Coast Cricket to score more than 4000 runs and 500 wickets.
Troy has earned the Sunshine Coast Umpires Medal (Best and Fairest) in 2012 the year before captaining the team to their maiden One Day premiership. He has best figures of 6/27 and a highest score of 141 not out.
Troy also leads the all time wicket takers list for Gympie Gold.
5. Caite Sing
Caite Sing is the Gympie Devils captain and is a stellar rugby league player. In October this year she won the Representative Player award at the Sunshine Coast Rugby League presentation night. She is beloved by her team and is a solid addition to the Gympie Devils.
6. Esther Davies
Swimming since she was six-months-old, Esther Davies swims for the Gympie Golf Fins swim team. She competed in several regional and state competitions in 2021, represented Wide Bay in the 2021 School State Championships in March 2021, and represented Gympie and Wide Bay in the state championships on December 11.
Her favourite strokes are freestyle and butterfly and she hopes to compete in the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.
7. Brycen Mitchell
Cricketer Brycen Mitchell, 24, made his debut in the 2014/15 season at the age of 17 and is the captain of the Gympie Gold cricket team. Brycen is leading the overall wicket tally this season and claiming his career best of 6/16.
Brycen is an express opening bowler who can also change a game with the bat in hand. He has played country representative cricket from Juniors all the way to state level to represent Queensland in New Zealand at the Under 21 championships.
He leads the All Time Runs Scored for Gympie Gold and has the Highest Score of 254.
8. Xavier Gomes
Xavier Gomes is a 16-year-old swimmer from Cooloola Christian College and is a Queensland State Championship finalist. He swam the 100m Butterfly, 50m Butterfly, 400m Individual Medley, 200m Individual Medley and was in the final for 200m Butterfly for 16-year-old boys and came eighth.
Xavier has now qualified to compete in the Australian Age Nationals for 100m Butterfly and 200m Butterfly events in April 2022, and is working hard to qualify for other events.
9. Thomas Martin
Thomas Martin, 24, is the Ruckman/centre half forward player for the Gympie Cats AFL team. He was a runner up for the Gympie Cats best and fairest award and trains hard on his nights off.
His coach, Matt Killian says that opposition players struggle to keep up with his constant running ability and has the strongest hand for contested marking in the air.
10. Steven Brady
Steven Brady is a batsman for the Gympie Gold Cricket team. He made his debut at 17, now at 37-years of age he’s still a dedicated player.
He has captained the Gold team and taken out leading run scorer for the side many times and captained the Wide Bay team at Country Cricket level.
His coach, Kelvin Cochrane, said he was the type of player everyone wanted on their team.
11. Ryder Johnson
This up-and-coming superstar snagged the Gympie region’s best football player award and has already shown he’s a tremendous athlete.
He plays for the Gympie United Football Club Tigers in the Under 12s and his favourite position is midfield.
Ryder was also the house captain at One Mile State School. He is always looking out for his fellow players and making sure they get a chance to kick a goal.
12. Jack Cross
Jack Cross is the vice-captain of the Gympie Cats AFL team and plays the ruck rover/forward pocket positions. He won the 2021 Gympie Cats best and fairest award and came in second in the league for the best and fairest for Brisbane North Division 2 AFLQ.
Jack trains every night and always leads by example, with young and old players looking up to him. His coach, Matt Killian, says he has a “never say die attitude”.
13. Danny Hawkins
Danny Hawkins is a boxing coach, father and youth worker, who trains every single day before the sun comes up and continues to train others throughout the rest of the day. His grit and determination is second to none having proven his abilities in 2020 with two title fights. He is a true athlete who has many big visions for his community.
14. Keely Jackson
Keely Jackson is a 16-year-old rugby player for the Gympie Hammers. She has spent the past two months travelling to Brisbane to train and has made it into the top 20 under 17s in Queensland for 2021. She aspires to one day represent Australia in the Olympics.
15. Josh Brady
A beloved member of the Gympie Golds Cricket Team, 30-year-old Josh Brady joined when he was just 14. His coach, Kelvin Cochrane, said he was the undisputed best all around player Gympie Gold had ever had.
He is the leading run scorer for the Gympie Gold this season and almost single-handedly won the team its first maiden 1st Grade premiership in 2015/16 as captain, taking seven wickets in the final.
He has a highest score of 155, not out, and best bowling figures of 9/33/ Josh has also played 1st Grade Queensland Premier Cricket and won the Sunshine Coast All Rounder Award and is second on both the All Time Leading Run Scorers and Leading Wicket Takers for Gympie Gold.
16. Hannah Ward
Hannah Ward plays defence and special GD for the Gympie & Districts Netball Association. She has been with the club since she was 9-years-old.
Now, having been at the club for seven years, she plays in the Ladies A grade and Junior A grade divisions.
17. Angelo Brogden
Angelo Brogden is a power forward for the Dragons men's basketball team in the Gympie Basketball Association.
This season, he won the Player’s Player award voted by his fellow teammates. He has played basketball for five years and has been a member of the Dragons team since the founding of the team.
18. Lana Quinlan
Lana Quinlan plays the mid-court position for the Gympie & Districts Netball Association.
She has been with the club since she was 9, now at 16-years-old, she plays in the Junior A grade and Ladies A grade division.
19. Amanda Dibsdale-Godwin
Amanda Dibsdale-Godwin is a point guard for the Flames in the senior women’s competition team in Gympie. Originally from Cairns, she has lots of valuable experience that she presents on the court and now coaches some of the younger teams.
She has represented Gympie playing for the Comets in various carnivals, including the Master’s games up in Cairns over the last few years.
20. Cooloola BMX Team
Venus White, Cru Keating, Zi Keating, Aden Finch, Ben Korn, Leon Cranley, Debbie Forrester, Mathew Keating and Lexi Cranley(absent from Photo).
The Cooloola BMX team just recently competed at the The Australian BMX Championship Finals were held at Nerang BMX Club last week. The BMX club boasts about the skill of their riders
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