College sport: Brough expected to dominate sprints

By DAVE WORSLEY

The New Zealand secondary schools athletics championships looks set to be a benefit for King's College student April Brough.

Brough, 17, should dominate the 100m and 200m sprints and is arguably the fastest runner over the distances competing at present.

She was a winner of the Athletics category at the Auckland College Sport Awards and made the top five athletes for Sportswoman of the Year.

Among the other contenders, Brent Newdick of Tauranga Boys is expected to dominate in the field events, including the pole vault and shot put.

Rangitoto College athletes are expected to excel in a variety of events. Graeme Read is a top junior sprinter and the Bozzone brothers, Terenzo and Dino, could take a 1500m-3000m double in the senior and intermediate grades.

The championships are being held in Inglewood this Saturday and Sunday.

BOWLS

The third national secondary schools championships are being played in Nelson this weekend with several schools from the upper North Island strong favourites for titles.

There are 48 girls and 48 boys from 49 schools from throughout the country competing for titles in boys and girls singles and pairs.

Cambridge High School's Genevieve Gaildon is highly rated in the girls' singles and Shannon McIlroy from Lytton High School, Gisborne, in the boys.

Jason Lindsay of Auckland's Sacred Heart is expected to give McIlroy a strong challenge.

The boys' pairs will be led by last year's runners-up, Chris Le Lievre and Bryan Clough, from Howick College.

Close competition is expected to come from the Thames High School pairing of Paul Bithell, a 2000 pairs winner, with new partner Matt Johnson. Also expected to be tough are Rajendram and Rihari O'Brien, from Hamilton's Fraser High School.

The girls' pairs feature Westlake's Sarah Lown and Rachael Singleton and Edgewater College's Sarah Kee and Amy Coghlan as top combinations.

WRESTLING

The NZ Olympic Wrestling Union has selected seven members of this year's national secondary schools squad to tour to Australia next January.

The team will take part in the Australian Youth Olympic Festival, which runs from January 8-12 in Sydney. The festival is a biennial multisport event for young Olympic aspirants between the ages of 14 and 19. It will provide a high level of competition to 1400 elite junior athletes in 17 summer Olympic sports.

This festival, which has the patronage of the International Olympic Committee, features elements of the Olympic Games model, such as an opening ceremony, medal ceremonies, sport drug education and testing, and village type accommodation for athletes and officials.

Countries participating in wrestling have been invited to send a team of five male and two female athletes. The New Zealand head coach for this team is Graham Campbell from Hawera.

Although there are eight senior male weight categories in New Zealand the tournament organisers are including only five. Similarly, although six senior female weight categories were contested at the New Zealand championships, only two are included in next year's programme.

The New Zealand team:

Boys: Lee Calder (Kelston BHS, 58kg); Sami Werder (Hawera High, 63kg); Hamish Chrisp (Dilworth, 76kg); Raymond Winslow (Dilworth, 85kg); Shaun Calder (Kelston, 100kg).

Girls: Natasha Laurenson (Tawa College, 56kg); Theresa Alafaio (Tawa, 60kg).

KILIKITI

Mt Albert Grammar won the Auckland competition. They beat De La Salle in the A grade boys' final, while the girls' A final was won by Otahuhu College over Kelston Girls.

In the B grade boys, Papatoetoe beat Liston and Tangaroa College defeated Westlake Girls.

The tournament was played at the Auckland Domain in sweltering conditions yesterday with 33 teams from 25 schools taking part.

The senior Auckland tournament will be held in February .

TOUCH

The New Zealand championships are being held this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Palmerston North.

Over 40 schools will take part and numerous Auckland schools are looking to challenge for the titles.

Papakura High School will be one of the top contenders in the girls' section. In the boys' section, Kelston and Auckland Grammar are likely semifinalists.

Previous winners (boys, girls, mixed):

1993: Tongariro High, Tongariro High, Putaruru High.

1994: Wanganui City College, Bay of Islands College, Burnside High School.

1995: Taumarunui High, Whangarei Girls, Awatapu High.

1996: Kelston Boys, Mangere College, Nayland College.

1997 Wanganui City College, Manurewa High, Queen Elizabeth College.

1998 Kelston Boys, Auckland Girls, Aranui High.

1999 Wanganui City College, Auckland Girls, Whakatane College.

2000 Kelston Boys, Papakura High, Tangaroa High.

2001: Forrest View High, Palmerston North, Whakatane High.