College sport: Rebecca's remarkable winning run

While her mates are fretting over exams, Rebecca Spence is kicking back and enjoying her final few days of freedom.

The 17-year-old is home from a remarkable stint overseas - successfully defending her world junior duathlon title in Canada, winning the junior women's individual cycling time trial in Belgium and finishing 12th at the world junior triathlon championships in Switzerland.

Despite her cycling and duathlon success, Spence was disappointed with her effort in the triathlon.

"The triathlon was the main one I wanted to get," she said.

"I had just been training and racing for too long. The week before the race I knew it was going to be a major struggle.

"We knew it was going to be a big risk doing all three, but you never know until you try."

Spence will return to school and training next week. Her next major assignment is the last triathlon world cup event of the year in New Plymouth in November.

After that she is not sure. She would love to continue both cycling and multisport but is questioning whether it is feasible.

"I am elite next year for cycling because they don't have an under-23 rank and I just miss out on the junior rank. So I guess I'll see how it goes."

For now school is a priority.

In Year 13 at Rangitoto College, which has become a breeding ground for multisport athletes, Spence is studying English, chemistry, biology, business and calculus.

"I am quite lucky in that I usually do nothing and still pass," she admits. "But this year I am definitely going to have to study more."

She is trying for a place in an American university next year, preferably Stanford or UCLA, where she would like to study business.

"I have to go on a running scholarship because they don't have triathlon in their Year One sports."

So along with passing her exams, Spence also has to prove her worth as a runner by nailing several times on the track. Not surprisingly, she has already met them.

Basketball

For the first time in six years Avondale will not contest the final of the premier girls' basketball competition.

Avondale were beaten by Rangitoto 47-41 in last Friday night's semifinals.

Rangitoto will face Northcote College, who beat Massey High 66-43 in their semifinal, in the final on Friday.

The boys' final the same night pits defending champions Westlake against Auckland Grammar.

Westlake thrashed Avondale 107-36 in the semifinals and Auckland Grammar beat Kelston Boys High 83-75.

Westlake and Grammar have contested the final twice before - in 2002 and last year. Westlake won both.

Games start at the North Shore Events Centre at 3pm on Friday. The premier girls' final is at 6.30pm and the boys' at 8pm.

Cycling

Auckland Grammar A produced their best times of the season on one of the worst days to beat arch- rivals St Kentigern in the final round of the Auckland Waterfront time trials series.

Finals day on Sunday doubled as the last race of the series and the Auckland Championships.

In the senior boys' division Auckland Grammar beat St Kentigern by 30s in the wet, with Macleans a further 15s back.

The win got Grammar the Auckland title but was not enough to prevent St Kentigern from winning the series.

In the senior girls' competition Diocesan A beat Epsom A by 12s to claim both the Auckland title and series win. Diocesan A continued their dominance of the junior girls' series, with Massey producing a stellar ride to take second ahead of St Cuthberts College.

In the junior boys Westlake A produced the fastest time of the season to edge out Auckland Grammar A and Macleans College 1. Westlake won the Auckland title and Auckland Grammar the series.

The national school cycling championships are in Palmerston North in two weeks' time.

Netball

Rangitoto College have sent an ominous warning to their rivals with news that six of their premier team will be returning next season.

Rangitoto won the North Harbour Collegiate 1 competition for the third year in a row, beating arch-rivals Westlake Girls 28-15 in the final, which was played in heavy rain.

Coached by Lynn Barr the Rangitoto side included Jenna Murie, last week named North Harbour's netballer of the year, Rose Twaddle, a member of the New Zealand secondary schools team, and Lauren Smallfield, a North Harbour under-17 representative.

At the start of the season the side set themselves two goals - to win the North Harbour competition and make the top four in the Upper North Island championships (they finished fifth).

Rugby

Six schools will participate in the inaugural 10-a-side girls' tournament to be played at Fearon Park in Mt Roskill next Wednesday.

It is being organised by a group of Unitec School of Sport students and the Auckland Rugby Union to help promote women's rugby.

Tournament promotions manager Kaela Clark said the objectives were to promote women's rugby and women's sport and to make the tournament an annual one.

Participating schools are Onehunga High, Otahuhu College, Manurewa High, Papakura High, Massey High and Lynfield College.

The tournament runs from 10am to 2.30pm.

Coming up

Today: Soccer, Auckland knockout championship, Macleans College v Mt Albert Grammar, North Harbour Stadium, Domain No 3, (1pm).

Friday: Basketball finals, North Shore Events Centre, under-15 girls, Auckland Girls Grammar v Westlake (3pm), under-15 boys, Birkenhead v Kelston (3pm), under-17 girls, Northcote v Baradene (4pm), under-17 boys, Westlake v Dilworth (4pm), open girls, Northcote v Epsom (5.10pm), open boys, Northcote v Mt Roskill (5.10pm), premier girls, Northcote v Rangitoto (6.30pm), premier boys, Westlake v Auckland Grammar (8pm).

Saturday: Multisport, New Zealand secondary schools champs, Tauranga.

www.asbcollegesport.co.nz

* COLLEGE RESULTS

BASKETBALL

AUCKLAND PREMIER SEMIFINALS

Boys: Westlake bt Avondale 107-36, Auckland Grammar bt Kelston 83-75.

Girls: Rangitoto bt Avondale 47-41, Northcote bt Massey 66-43.

* * *

CYCLING

AUCKLAND WATERFRONT TIME TRIALS

Final series standings:

Senior boys: St Kentigern College A, 8 pts 1, Auckland Grammar A, 12 2, Westlake Boys A, 21 3.

Senior girls: Diocesan A, 7 1, St Cuthberts A, 15 2, Epsom Girls Grammar A, 16 3.

Junior boys: Auckland Grammar JA, 9 1, Westlake Boys JA, 11 2, Macleans College 1, 13 3.

Junior girls: Diocesan JA, 6 1, Westlake Girls JA, 15 2, Epsom Girls Grammar JA, 24 3.

Handicap series

Senior boys: Westlake Boys A, 32 1, Westlake Boys B, 36 2, St Kentigern College B, 41 3.

Senior girls: Epsom Girls Grammar A, 9 1, St Kentigern College A, 13 2, Diocesan A, 22 3.

Junior boys: Auckland Grammar JD, 38 1, Auckland Grammar JA, 45 2, Rosehill College JA, 47 3.

Junior girls: St Cuthberts College JA 25 1, Westlake Girls JA, 26 2, Baradene College JC, 27 3.

Auckland Championship

Senior boys: Auckland Grammar A 1, St Kentigern A 2, Macleans College 3.

Senior girls: Diocesan A 1, Epsom Girls Grammar A 2, St Kentigern A 3.

Junior boys: Westlake 1, Auckland Grammar 2, Macleans 3.

Junior girls: Diocesan 1, Massey 2, St Cuthberts 3.

* * *

SOCCER

COUNTIES MANUKAU

Final standings

A-grade, boys: Papatoetoe 1, Waiuku College 2, Rosehill 3, Papakura 4, Manurewa 5, Al-Madinah 6, Pukekohe 7, Aorere 8.

B-grade, boys: Auckland Seventh Day Adventist 1, Manurewa 2, Strathallan 3, Elim Christian 4, Wesley 5, Papatoetoe 6, Mangere 7, Tuakau 8, Tangaroa 9, Al-Madinah 10, Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate 11.

Junior Championship: Pukekohe 1, Aorere 2, Manurewa 3, Waiuku 4, Elim Christian 5, Alfriston.

Junior Plate: Rosehill 1, Aorere 2, Aorere 3, Pukekohe 4, Papakura 5, Southern Cross Campus 6.

AUCKLAND SENIOR A1

Auckland Grammar 4 St Peters College 0, King's College 1 Mt Albert Grammar 2, Rangitoto College v St Kentigern College (postponed waterlogged ground), Westlake Boys 1 Macleans College 4.

Midweek result: Mt Albert 0 Auckland Grammar 1.

SENIOR A2

Avondale College 3 Kelston Boys 1, Kristin School 1 Liston College 0, Mt Roskill Grammar 1 Pakaranga College 1, Onehunga High School 0 to Howick College 1.

SENIOR A3

Massey High 5 Lynfield College 0, Rosmini College 3 Long Bay College 6, Sacred Heart College 2 Birkenhead College 3, Takapuna Grammar 1 Northcote College 2.

* * *

TABLE TENNIS

AUCKLAND INTERSCHOOL

Macleans A bt Auckland Grammar School A 6-1, St Kentigern bt Mt. Albert Grammar 5-2, Auckland Grammar B bt Auckland Grammar C 5-2, Macleans B bt Auckland Grammar D 6-1.