FOR Nowra Hill’s Matthew Higham, the 2018 season in the sporting arena couldn’t have gone much better.
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At the end of last year, the former Nowra Public School student was awarded the Helen Fuller/Mal Mow Award from the South Coast School Sports Association, acknowledging his outstanding contribution to the SCSSA – which also saw him presented a sporting blue in 2016.
Over the space of five years, Higham represented South Coast in five different sports at the NSW State Championships, including swimming (2014-18), athletics (2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018), cross-country (2017) and cricket (2018).
“My success in 2018 was due to training conscientiously in all the sports I competed in,” Higham said.
“I was helped by excellent coaches, Janine Sparks for swimming and the cricket coaches in the Greater Illawarra Regional Academy and Shoalhaven District Junior Cricket Association winter development program.”
Only students in year six (primary) or year 10 and above (secondary) are eligible to win the Helen Fuller/Mal Mow Award – with athletes only allowed to be recognised once during their school years.
“It was an honour to win this prestigious award for outstanding contribution to the SCSSA, that so many other great South Coast sportspeople have won,” Higham said.
“Representing the SCSSA in four different sports over the last five years is what this award is about.
“This award is for representing the SCSSA for one sport over a number of years or for many sports in one year, both of which I was fortunate enough to achieve.”
In swimming, Higham, 12, is both a state and national champion, while in athletics, he made a 200m state final and numerous semi-finals in 100m and 200m, as well as representing in long jump.
In cross -country, he was part of the 2017 SCSSA gold winning team, with his South Coast cricket team finishing third in the state championships.
“In my eyes, representing the South Coast at the PSSA State Cricket Championships last year was my top achievement in South Coast colours,” he said.
“It had been a goal of mine for three years and I was so happy to have achieved it.”
Also at the Nowra Public School presentation in December, Higham was awarded the John Lovell Award (athletics), Joan Kalman Award (cross-country), Paul Lee Award (swimming) and the Most Outstanding Achievement in Sport Award – with Higham being the only student to hold all trophies at the same time in recent history.
Making these achievements even more special was Higham also claimed the Academic Allrounder Award for his year six class.
Now that he is finished primary school, Higham has high hopes at is new school, Nowra High.
“I really want to build on my previous couple of years and represent Nowra High at the CHS State Championships,” he said.
“Beyond 2019 and my future years at school, I would love to represent Australia in cricket and/or compete in an Olympic or Commonwealth Games."