Auckland City’s teenage striker Stipe Ukich has become the 40th player to be awarded the Jack Batty Cup after being named the Player of the Match in this year’s Chatham Cup final.
Despite being on the losing side against Wellington Olympic, Ukich (17) won the award with an outstanding display at Albany’s North Harbour Stadium.
Main photo: Stipe Ukich receives the trophy from John Batty, son of Jack Batty. Photo: Phototek.
Wellington Olympic won the final after a penalty shootout, required when the sides were locked at 1-1 after extra time.
READ MORE: Wellington Olympic beat Auckland City in penalty shootout to lift Chatham Cup >>>>
About the Jack Batty Cup
The Jack Batty Cup is named after a sailor who was in the crew of the HMS Chatham in 1922, when the Royal Navy presented the Chatham Cup to the New Zealand Football Association.
Batty, who was 19 when he arrived in New Zealand, settled in Auckland and was a goalkeeper who won Chatham Cup winners medals with three different clubs — Harbour Board (1924), Tramways (1929) and Tramurewa (1931).
His son, John Batty, won the Chatham Cup with Blockhouse Bay in 1970 and his grandson, Jason Batty, was a Chatham Cup finalist with North Shore United in 1995.
Since 1985, the Player of the Match in the Chatham Cup has been presented with the Jack Batty Cup.
READ MORE: How a young sailor’s love of football became part of Chatham Cup folklore >>>>
Result
Game played on Saturday September 7, 2024
Final
Wellington Olympic 1 (own goal 77′)
Auckland City 1 (Stipe Ukich 90+6′)
*Olympic win penalty shootout 5-4 after extra time
Jack Batty Cup winners
1985 – Greg Brown (Napier City Rovers)
1986 – Duncan Cole (North Shore United)
1987 – Dave Reynolds (Gisborne City)
1988 – Steve Tate (Waikato United)
1989 – Michael McGarry (Christchurch United)
1990 – Michael McGarry (Christchurch United)
1991 – Dave Woodard (Wellington United)
1992 – Neal Cave (Miramar Rangers)
1993 – Paul Halford (Napier City Rovers)
1994 – Ivan Vicelich (Waitakere City)
1995 – Darren McClennan (Waitakere City)
1996 – Mark Foy (Mount Wellington)
1997 – Ivan Vicelich (Central United)
1998 – Terry Torrens (Central United)
1999 – Aaron Burgess (Dunedin Technical)
2000 – Jimmy Cudd (Napier City Rovers)
2001 – Paul Bunbury (University-Mount Wellington)
2002 – Leon Birnie (Napier City Rovers)
2003 – Kara Waetford (University-Mount Wellington)
2004 – Tim Butterfield (Miramar Rangers)
2005 – Ross Nicholson (Central United)
2006 – Phil Imray (Western Suburbs)
2007 – Luiz del Monte (Central United)
2008 – Ryan Zoghby (East Coast Bays)
2009 – Raf de Gregorio (Wellington Olympic)
2010 – Phil Imray (Miramar Rangers)
2011 – Scott Robson (Wairarapa United)
2012 – Emiliano Tade (Central United)
2013 – Andy Pitman (Cashmere Technical)
2014 – Stuart Kelly (Cashmere Technical)
2015 – Miles John (Napier City Rovers)
2016 – Tom Davis (Birkenhead United)
2017 – Mario Ilich (Central United)
2018 – Alec Solomons (Birkenhead United)
2019 – Sho Goto (Napier City Rovers)
2020 – No award (COVID disruption)
2021 – Yuya Taguchi (Cashmere Technical)
2022 – Dylan Manickum (Auckland City)
2023 – Max Tommy (Melville United)
2024 – Stipe Ukich (Auckland City)
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