Age no barrier to title winner

Competing against mainly older opposition doesn't faze promising Masterton athlete Stevie Paine.
And the 10-year-old Douglas Park Primary School student proved the point by winning the under-12yrs girls race at the North Island cross country championships at Taupo last weekend.
"I don't really think how old the other runners are??..I just get out there and go for it," Paine said.
Go for it she certainly did at Taupo, staying with the leaders through all of the 2000 metres and then launching a powerful sprint over the final 200m to take the honours in a time of 7mins 51secs.
It was a performance which showed just why Paine has been selected to compete for New Zealand at the seventh Pacific School games to be held in Melbourne from November 26 to December 4.
She will race over 1500m and 2800m there, evidence of her preference for competing over the longer distances."I don't really have the speed to be a sprinter, the longer races seem to suit me better," she said.
Stevie, who trains most days, was one of five members of the Paine family competing at Taupo, being joined there by mother Maria, sisters Corrina and Vicky and brother Kurtis. They were all racing in the Athletics Masterton colours.
Wairarapa placings were:-
Boys under-10 1000m: Kurtis Paine (Masterton) 4.19 9, Luke Mudgway (Bush) 4.24 10.
Girls under-12 2000m: Stevie Paine (Masterton) 7.51 1, Kelsey Mudgway (Bush) 9.58 19.
Boys under-12 2000m: Tom Quinn (Masterton) 8.19 14.
Girls under-14 3000m: Corrina Paine (Masterton) 12.22 11, Vicky Paine (Masaterton) 12.53 19.
Masters men 35-49yrs 6000m: John Mudgway (Bush) 20.56 6.
Masters women 35-44yrs 5000m: Maria Paine (Masterton) 26.24 24.
Men 16yrs: Mike Banks (Masterton) 22.48 17.
Open men 9000m: Ben Winder (Masterton) 29.54 7.
Masters men 50yrs plus 6000m: Ray Wallis (Carterton) 29.53 49.
On the local scene Athletics Carterton held a road race over 7km on Saturday with Michael Rowe Penny clocking 27mins 8secs in beating Craig Ewing (31.14) and Michael Scott (32.52). Winner of the 2km walk in 17mins 15secs was Eric Lowery.
The seventh race in the Trust House harrier winter series was staged over a 6km course at Miki Miki on Sunday with the most notable effort coming from Graeme Butcher who finished second in the A grade section just four days after returning from contesting the World Cup ultra marathon in Japan.
Butcher showed little sign of being jaded in clocking 25mins 40secs, 44secs behind the front running Mark Eagle.
Results in order of actual and handicap times:-
A grade: Mark Eagle 24.56, 17.56; Graeme Butcher 25.40, 16.46; Michael Macklin 26.16, 19.18; Tony Price 26.20, 18.50; Gavin Graham 26.50, 17.50; Eric Barber 27.42, 18.36; Bob Williams 28.47, 18.05; Brian Sanders 30.26, 19.56; Terry Blackburn 30.50, 19.08.
B grade: Alan Stuart 27.13, 23.13; Lesley Graham 28.30, 20.42; Ray Haste 29.11, 22.11; Malcolm MacDonald 30.34, 21.58; Anthony Eagle 30.49, 21.37; Willie Simonsen 33.04, 19.34; Conrad McCaffrey 31.23, 22.05; David Nathan 31.35, 21.17; Norman Chu 31.50, 21.14; Denis Baker 33.44, 21.38; Andrew Shackleton 34.05, 19.53.
C grade: Paul Banfield 34.38, 34.38; Rachel Shackleton 35.51, 26.51; Gordon Reid 36.42, 27.42; Michael Teahan 37.34, 25.34; Jane Flowerday 38.02, 24.38; Ope Tuhoro 38.24, 26.24; Tim Matthews 38.27, 38.27.
D grade: Judy Brown 38.05, 29.05; Lorenzo Dec Re 38.33, 38.33; Mac Hepburn 38.42, 38.42; Melanie Nathan 39.06, 33.06; Ben Hepburn 39.53, 39.53; Jim Collins 41.38, 27.26; Kate Hepburn 45.32, 45.32; Danny Hepburn 48.24, 48.24; Graeme Roberts 52.11, 37.41.
F grade: Karen Barber 46.58, 43.58; Peter Tearle 48.44, 38.20; Debbie Barber 53.40, 42.34; Peter Martin 57.02, 30.26; Peter Teahan 57.02, 43.02; Barbara Williams 57.17, 30.41; Gillian Atkinson 57.38, 43.38; Hazel Van Dyk 64.55, 43.31; Karen Teahan 64.55, 46.55; Ray Lee 66.42, 45.36.
J grade (3km): Greg Barber 15.47, 14.05; Eleni Turnbull 16.46, 14.46; Bevan Brown 18.27, 15.27; Mathew Shackleton 22.10, 15.13.
M grade (1km): Jason Barber 5.57, 5.56; Katherine Williams 6.05, 6.03; Emma Brown 6.37, 6.06; Monique Scott 6.38, 4.51; Nathan Wride 6.39, 5.23; Lilly Wride 6.40, 5.23; Atarangi Pirimona 8.10, 6.50; Lachlan Chesmar 8.15, 6.16; Alix Haste 8.35, 5.36; Martha Bowring 9.07, 5.44; Sydney Blackburn 9.30, 3.16; Megan Matthews 10.03, 6.27; Anahera McDonald 10.13, 6.48; Duncan Banfield 11.17, 11.17; Dominic Bucknell 11.39, 9.09.