The Hal Radford Memorial Trophy recipient: A. D. Lipscombe

The Hal Radford Memorial Trophy is awarded to the young man who by quality of performance and all-round effort has also contributed the administration of a sporting code.

This award is given to a young man involved in a sport that is not necessarily considered a mainstream code and the 2023 recipient is Prefect A. D. Lipscombe, for his contributions to Olympic Weightlifting.

Aidan Lipscombe has been a member of the School’s Weightlifting squad for four years, starting the sport as a Form 4 student while at Tibbs House.

He has become renowned in the Weightlifting community for his vociferous encouragement of Grammar lifters, but also for his quieter encouragement of fellow lifters from other schools. His ability to boost younger lifters’ confidence with such support has made him a popular figure on the Olympic Weightlifting competition circuit.

In 2022, Aidan won gold in the 102kg class and claimed the Jerry Wallwork Trophy for the best weightlifter in the School.

This year at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships, he earned Bronze. With his personal best 100kg snatch and 110kg clean and jerk, this 210kg total was the biggest by a Grammar lifter in the competition in seven years. 

Aidan has also continued to actively recruit students into the code.