Graeme Lowans

Many sportsmen never reach provincial representative level. A small percentage do, and an even smaller percentage of these represent their province in two sports. But very, very few attain representative status in three sports. One Nelsonian who has is Graeme Lowans. Over a period of some years he has played soccer, cricket and badminton for his district with distinction

The climax of his soccer career to date was his winning last month of the Nelson Football Association's "Player of the Year" award, an award he richly deserves. Graeme commenced playing soccer while at Nelson College, for the Y. M. C. A. club and later the Thistle club. More latterly he has been a member of the Suburbs side and has just completed his 20th season in the sport He was first chosen for the senior representative side in 1952 at the age of 18 and with the exception of the 1965 and 1966 seasons he has represented the province in one of the halves position since. He is possibly better known as a cricketer - a forceful left-hand open-bat who became a regular member of the Central Districts Plunket Shield team and was selected as twelfth man for New Zealand in 1959. In his first three years with the Central Districts team he scored 1015 runs. He remains but one of four players who won the Hawke Cup from Waikato in 1958 and he was a regular member of the side during the 29 defences of the trophy. He has played badminton for 15 years and has been a regular member of Nelson representative sides for about eight years.

We picture him here, at top left, with his "Player of the Year" award; above as a badminton representative, and at left as a batsman playing for Central Districts against Otago on Car-isbrook (he made 85 that innings).