Wainui Beach School rule the pool

Makauri School’s Emily Latu won her overall age group at the primary interschool swimming champs.Picture by Paul Rickard

The numbers were excellent and the man on the ground should know.

Enterprise Cars Aquatic Centre founder Gary Martin, who has been involved with the sport for more than half a century, was one of 20-plus volunteers who helped Te Wharau School run the Primary Senior Interschool Swimming Championships at the centre last week.

“It was up there with the best turnouts — 183,” Martin said. “The bigger schools are allowed to enter three kids per event and the smaller schools two kids per event.  They compete in the four strokes, with three boys and three girls age groups — that’s 25 events all up.

“We had heats in the morning and finals after lunch. The standard was really good and we had some close races.”

Wainui Beach School won the overall top school title. They finished on 249 points, followed by Central on 141 and Makaraka on 73.

The individual top three on points in each year group were —

8 and under girls: Emily Latu (Makauri) 19 points, 1; Esme Ngarangione (Mangapapa), Harper Squire (Wainui), Hinemihiata Aupouri (Kaiti) 12pts, 2=

8 and under boys: Dillon Gultig (Makaraka) 32pts, 1; Harvey Higgins (Central) 17pts, 2; Aterea Anderson (Kai) 9pts, 3.

9yrs girls: Summer Hovell (Wain) 36pts, 1; Krystal Love (Kai) 11pts, 2; Charlize Evans (Wain), Jemma King (Wain) 7pts, 3=.

9yrs boys: Eli MacArthur (Wain) 7pts, 1; Ranulph Ralph (Ormond) 6pts, 2; Bodhi King (Wain) 5pts, 3.

10yrs girls: Sophie Searle (Wain) 38pts, 1; Ivy Stewart (Wain) 21pts, 2; Faith Evans (Wain) 17pts, 3.

10yrs boys: Nikau Leach (Mang) 29pts, 1; Jack Murphy (Wain) 17pts, 2; Rupert Bousfield (Orm), Thomas Bull (Cent), Byron Carpenter (Makaraka) 12pts, 3=.