College sport: Indian tour wiped amid unease

Armani Rex-Hipa of Mt Roskill Grammar recorded a jump of 5.32m in the Junior Boys' long jump at Mt Smart Stadium yesterday. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Next month's planned Indian tour by the Auckland Secondary School's cricket team has been cancelled.

The Auckland SS Cricket Association has cancelled the tour "with great regret" following security concerns and potential organisational liabilities which led the Auckland SS Heads' Association to withdraw their support for the tour.

Auckland Cricket considered whether it was appropriate to continue the tour without ASSHA endorsement but decided against supporting the tour.

It is a bitter blow to the players with the decision coming so close to departure after almost a year of planning.

The ASSCA is now investigating the possibility of a replacement tour to Australia as the $40,000 grant from the Frank Grattan legacy is still available.

In the meantime, the players selected for India will compete against representative teams from Hamilton, Wellington and Canterbury in the Frank Grattan Cup tournament at St Kentigern College from April 3-5, where the home side, under coaches Tony Sail and Roy Goodyear, will attempt to win back the trophy from Canterbury.

QUAKE AFTERMATH

A number of planned secondary school sporting events have been affected by the Christchurch earthquake.

NZSS Sports Council executive director Garry Carnachan yesterday confirmed some events scheduled for the city had been cancelled and others moved.

The NZSS national triathlon championship, scheduled for March 31 - during the annual summer tournament week - at Pegasus Town north of Christchurch has been switched to Queenstown.

"While we are aware of the impact on the Canterbury region and are reluctant to take events away from the city, there are a number of factors other than the damage and subsequent loss of accommodation to be considered," said Carnachan. "In an event like triathlon, as an example, there are infrastructure concerns, including the availability of people involved in road management, to be considered.

"We are aware that cancelling or moving events doesn't help the city and we want to leave as many events there as we can. In the short term we have had to make these decisions in the best interests of everyone concerned."

The loss of the QEII Stadium and pool has hit hard.

Already cancelled are the South Island touch championships and the South Island volleyball championships.

"In the case of touch, the national association is looking at ways to ensure South Island teams will still be able to qualify for the nationals later in the year," said Carnachan. "They will look at historical records and the issuing of wildcards to achieve that.

"Volleyball could have used Dunedin as an alternative but given the disarray in Christchurch schools and the unlikelihood of many, if any, still being ready and able to play made it infeasible."

The South Island water polo championships are likely to go to Invercargill while the national division one softball tournament has been switched from Mainland Foundation Ballpark to Hutt Valley.

The national team tennis finals will now be played at Albany and the South Island athletics championships in Timaru.

The zone four basketball championships in July have moved to Dunedin.

"There are winners and losers everywhere," said Carnachan.

"Sorting out the changes for this month including tournament week has been our priority. Once that has been done, we will look further ahead."

Underwater hockey, cycling, netball, indoor cricket, soccer and volleyball are also scheduled in Christchurch this year.

FORUM

Determined to make the most of the highly experienced and knowledgeable people at his disposal, ASB College Sport chief executive Manoj Daji has reinstituted a forum to assist in the running of the burgeoning school sports programme in Auckland.

"We decided it was too good an opportunity to miss," said Daji in announcing the members of the forum which will be seen as a problem-solving body.

"It was a concept that was around when Rob Boston was here but has lapsed in recent times."

There are logistical problems for College Sport staff in organising sport on behalf of their 103 member schools and Daji is hoping this forum, which will first meet in early April and a further three times during the year, will be able to assist in a number of ways.

The forum members represent schools from all deciles and across the great Auckland region and were nominated by their respective principals.

The forum members are: Sharon Davies (TGS), Dean Flyger (WGHS),

Rob Taylor (WBHS), Martin Piaggi (St Kentigern), Terry O'Dea (Macleans), Perry Cunningham (Kings), Julie Wharton (Southern Cross), Mere Rangihuna (Alfriston), Christo Peters (AGGS), Liz Thomas (EGGS), Grant Hansen (AGS), Fran Bromhead (Massey HS) and Casey Redman (Green Bay HS).

TENNIS

Westlake Chester Espie will be aiming for a rare triple on finals day at the Auckland SS Champion of Champions tomorrow.

Espie, already with junior and intermediate titles to his credit is through to the semifinals in the senior boy's championship where he will be joined by Ryan Henderson (St Kentigern), Aaron Hicks (Macleans) and Sacred Heart's Rhett Purcell.

Most of the top-seeded players across all grades are through to the business end of the tournament which has been the focal point of Auckland school's tennis for more than 60 years.

The senior girls' title will be fought out between Mikaela Davies of Takapuna Grammar who is seeking to retain her title.

She can expect plenty of opposition from Carli Davis (St Kentigern), last year's runner-up, Danielle Feneridis (WGHS) and last year's Intermediate champion and winner and now highly ranked senior Joanna Peshev (St Kentigern).

There are also very strong fields in the intermediate and junior sections for tomorrow's semifinals and finals which will be played from 9am at the Scarbro Tennis Centre.

VOLLEYBALL

WBHS stormed home with two wins on a dramatic final day to snatch the Auckland premier title.

Going into the last round of matches, Westlake, beaten earlier in the season by One Tree Hill in a tight five-setter, needed to beat old rivals Rangitoto and previously unbeaten Orewa to claim the honours and bragging rights heading into this week's Auckland SS championship.

After losing the first set to Rangitoto, WBHS took the next three and a convincing 3-1 win.

Rangitoto, however, bounced back with a straight-sets victory over the leaders Orewa.

That set up an exciting final game of the night, with Orewa and Westlake even on 12 points, atop the competition standings with the winner assured the round-robin crown.

Westlake opened the game strongly, winning the first set 25-12.

However, a more energetic Orewa side took the second just as convincingly.

WBHS then scrapped out a close third quarter 25-22, eventually running away in the final period to win the match 3-1 and finish the season on top.

Westlake coach, Craig Waller, was happy his team managed to take both wins, and now has high ambitions with Auckland and national championships looming.

"Obviously we want to win the Auckland championship ... we then want to make the top eight initially at the nationals," said Waller.

"But of course we want to win the thing."

On what they have showed so far this season, they will be among the favourites for the New Zealand title which will be contested in Palmerston North from March 27 to April 1. Nathan Calis

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