Bell steals show at referee awards

Bay of Plenty Rugby referee Jamie Bell, pictured centre behind the scrum, was the star of the recent referee awards. Photo: Rick Moran.

At the 2017 Bay of Plenty Rugby Referees Awards Dinner, Jamie Bell, fresh from controlling the Premier 1 final between Mount Maunganui and Rotoiti two weeks ago, has taken away the two top on field awards.

Jamie won the Lawrence Award for Best Premier Referee as voted by the Premier Team Coaches and the Martin Teo Shield for the Best Referee as voted by the Referee Coaches at Saturday night's awards.

Winning these two awards caps off a stellar season for Jamie, who has been selected by New Zealand Rugby's Referee High Performance Department to go into the Wider Training Group. In only his sixth season as a referee, Jamie, a former Arataki Premier halfback has excelled since swapping his mouth guard for a whistle.

Known as a casual and laid back referee who likes to let the games flow, Bell's performances put him on New Zealand Rugby's radar late last year and his continued growth has confirmed his selection this season.

Jamie was unable to attend the awards as he was in Auckland at a New Zealand Rugby training camp for match officials who have been selected for this year's Mitre 10 Jock Hobbs National Under 19's tournament in Taupo in September.

'I'm extremely thankful for the opportunities I've received this year and wish to thank my family for all their love and support, especially my partner Renee,” says Jamie.

'Also a huge thanks to my fellow Premier Squad referees who have supported me in my journey so far.”

Mount Maunganui Premier coach Rodney Voullaire says the level of refereeing has been the best in the Eastern, Western and Central areas he's seen over his past six years of coaching.

'Jamie Bell is definitely one of the best personable referees who knows how to communicate, not only to the players but to us coaches on how he wants to see the game run. He understands what the teams are trying to achieve, which is a fair and safe game played hard and fast and to keep the game flowing for our spectators to enjoy.”

A new award was initiated this year following the passing of Bill Sparks last year. Bill was a life member of the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union and a long serving member of the Bay of Plenty Rugby Referees. The award is for the Best Assistant Referee in Premier Rugby, as voted by the Premier Referees. His son Ben Sparks was on hand to present the new award, to first year referee Cameron Russell.

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