Sport + Motorsport
Jacob Duffy wins Southland Sports Award honour for record third time
12/6/2026 - New Zealand cricketer Jacob Duffy has won the ILT Senior Sportsperson of the Year award at tonight's (June 12) ILT Southland Sports Awards.
The Lumsden-born, Southland Boys' High School-educated Duffy is the first person to be honoured with the coveted award three times, following wins in 2021 and 2025.
It comes off the back of an exceptional 2025/26 summer which saw the right arm fast bowler perform with distinction across all three formats for New Zealand.
In the process he broke a 40-year record for the most wickets taken in a calendar year by a New Zealand men's cricketer, including three five-wicket bags in four tests.
He was named New Zealand's test player of the year, won the Windsor Cup for men's first class bowling and was the recipient of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal, the highest award in New Zealand men's cricket. He was also a member of the Blackcaps team which lost to India in the final of the T20 World Cup.
Duffy, who recently returned home from winning an Indian Premier League title and is expecting the imminent birth of his first child, said it was an honour to be recognised by his home province.
"Southland is always my home and this is a great award to win from my peers down south. The last 12 months I've been very busy travelling the world playing cricket and some pretty major events have gone down in that time," Duffy said.
"All you want is to be the best version of yourself possible. The opportunities come and I managed to take a few (wickets) here and there and you end up finding yourself in some pretty cool situations – there's a World Cup final in there, IPL final, winning test series for your country, some incredibly special moments."
In one of the most competitive fields the annual awards have seen for some time, Black Sticks hockey player Benji Culhane and World Tour cyclist Corbin Strong were also recognised with Distinction Awards.
Jimmy Taylor was named the Te Rourou One NZ Foundation Junior Sportsperson of the Year, the first rugby player to achieve the honour since Jamie Mackintosh in 2002.
Taylor led the Southland Boys' High School first XV to unbeaten Highlanders and South Island titles, finished third in the Top Four and was selected for the New Zealand secondary schoolboys' team.
"I'm really grateful. It was a pretty special season with Southland Boys' last year. Captaining the team was something that I dreamed of as a kid. To be selected for (New Zealand) schools was pretty special as well. It's something that didn't really feel real because not many boys from Southland make those sort of teams."
In a strong field of nominees, Siena Mackley (cross country) and Benson Boys (cycling) were also recognised with Distinction Awards.
The Southland Sharks' rollercoaster ride to the 2025 NBL Grand Final saw them win the Southland Kia Team of the Year award, with Sharks coach Jonathan Yim claiming the BDO Coach of the Year award.
The Southland Evergreens men's team, unbeaten through their past two national campaigns, won the NZME Masters Achievement Award, while squash referee Nicky McNaught's dedication at local, national and international level was recognised with the Creation Signs Official of the Year award. Cycling commissaire Erin Criglington was also acknowledged with a Distinction Award.
Commonwealth Games-bound para-bowler Julie O'Connell won the Inclusive Activity Murihiku Athlete with a Disability Award, and The Bunker, an inclusive sport and active recreation space for youth in Mataura, won the Community Trust South Community Impact award.
Three Invercargill City Council Services to Sport awards were also presented on the night, to Southland BMX Club's Ngarita Te Patu, football stalwart Bill McLean and long-serving athletics official Linda Te Au.
The annual ILT Southland Sports Awards are presented by Active Southland on behalf of the Southland Amateur Sports Trust and are the longest running of their kind in New Zealand.
2026 ILT Southland Sports Awards nominees, winners and distinction awards:
iAM Athlete with a Disability: Londyn Dillinger (swimming), Brooke Anderson (swimming), Jonti Dillinger (athletics), Anna Hika (badminton), Julie O'Connell (lawn bowls). Winner: Julie O'Connell.
Te Rourou One NZ Foundation Junior Sportsperson of the Year: Alison Tweedie (disc golf), Charlotte McVicar (triathlon), Mia Mennell (squash), Siena Mackley (athletics), Connor Gilliland (athletics), Abby O'Boyle (athletics), Magnus Jamieson (cycling), Jimmy Taylor (rugby), Benson Boys (cycling), Dani Kramers (aerobics), Jack Heslip (trap shooting), Ianthe MacMillan-Armstrong (orienteering), Jemima Hoskin (orienteering), Victoria Underwood (orienteering). Distinction Awards: Siena Mackley, Benson Boys. Winner: Jimmy Taylor.
ILT Senior Sportsperson of the Year: Benji Culhane (hockey), Jacob Duffy (cricket), Craig Merrilees (lawn bowls), Kerry Heffer (lawn bowls), Sheldon Bagrie-Howley (lawn bowls), Craig Tinker (lawn bowls), Jeremy Presbury (cycling), Josh Burnett (cycling), Marshall Erwood (cycling), Tom Sexton (cycling), Amy du Plessis (rugby), Amy Rule (rugby), Alena Saili (sevens), Nicholas Kergozou de la Boessiere (cycling), Corbin Strong (cycling), Ethan de Groot (rugby), Kate Heffernan (netball), Tori Moorby (athletics). Distinction Awards: Corbin Strong, Benji Culhane. Winner: Jacob Duffy.
Southland Kia Team of the Year: Southland Sharks (basketball), Hokonui Under 13 marching team (marching), Southland women's intercentre team (lawn bowls), Craig Tinker and Zoe Beck (lawn bowls). Winner: Southland Sharks.
BDO Invercargill Coach of the Year: Jonathan Yim (basketball), Levana McDonald and Aaliyah Bartlett (marching), Andrea Dudley (squash). Winner: Jonathan Yim.
NZME Masters Achievement Award: Neil Familton (cycling), Dwight Grieve (mountain running), Southland men's Evergreen team (softball). Winner: Southland men's Evergreens.
Creation Signs Official of the Year: Peter Pasco (cricket), Emma Bromell (hockey), Waine Harding (cycling), Erin Criglington (cycling), Chris Knight (athletics), Nicky McNaught (squash), Yvonnette Fox (swimming). Distinction Award: Erin Criglington. Winner: Nicky McNaught.
Community Trust South Community Impact Award: Southland Football - Football for All. Tour of Southland - mobilising after a weather event. The Bunker - safe, inclusive space for youth. Winner: The Bunker.
Invercargill City Council Services to Sport Award: Ngarita Te Patu (BMX), Bill McLean (football), Linda Te Au (athletics).