College sport: International test for swimmers

The national age group swimming champs are pitting New Zealand's best against Japanese, New South Wales and New Caledonia swimmers in Wellington this week.

Corney Swanepoel is using the event as a warm-up for the New Zealand trials at the end of this month in Auckland. The Rangitoto College swimmer won his preliminary in a quick time of 28.58sec in the 50m backstroke ahead of a Japanese swimmer and fellow North Shore club member Dean Burger.

Another North Shore swimmer, Glenn Snyders from Westlake Boys, raced into third in an international field race in the 200 medley.

Snyders, who is a year 13 student and prefect at Westlake, was beaten by a Japanese swimmer and another 16-year-old from New South Wales.

Diocesan's Emma Blake was the leading contender after the prelims of the 16s' 50m breast-stroke which she won in a time of 35.11sec while Auckland Grammar's Brent Griffiths finished .02 of a second ahead of Rangitoto's Jon Jon Zulch in the 16s' 50m backstroke.

Racing continues until Saturday at the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre.

Equestrian

The Auckland secondary schools one-day event held at the Papakura Pony Club showed that Massey High School has some riders of merit with their team causing a minor upset in dressage by winning on 131.43 points.

St Cuthbert's 1 was second and Pukekohe 3, third.

Overall St Cuthbert's proved supreme. They edged Pukekohe 3 by just less than three points to take the one-day title. Massey High completed a great day's competition, finishing third while Strathallen and Mahurangi Colleges rounded out the top 5.

Waka Ama

The third annual national secondary schools event will be held at the Orakei Basin this weekend with Gisborne Girls and James Cook High School returning to defend their girls' and boys' titles respectively. Schools from as far as Kaitaia and Christchurch will compete. Yachting

The Auckland Secondary Schools Yachting Regatta was disrupted by the weather with only one day's racing completed off Narrowneck Beach in Devonport last week.

Carl Evans of Green Bay High School won the individual open Optimist, Suzannah Pyatt of Rangitoto College won the girls' and then teamed up with Daniel Willcox to take the teams' title.

In the P Class the North Shore schools continued to dominate with Joshua Cormack of Rangitoto winning the open and Leah Royden of Westlake Girls winning the girls. Takapuna Grammar's Kate Ellingham and Wade Gatfield won the open teams' title.

Jo Aleh and Hannah Collins of Westlake Girl's High School won the open sunburst class.

Takapuna Grammar were named the overall open champion school, Auckland Grammar second and St Kentigern School third. Westlake Girl's won overall champion girls' school, St Cuthbert's College came second and Baradene College third.


This week

Friday: Waka Ama, Orakei Basin 8.30am.

Saturday: First XI cricket, various venues; Waka Ama, Orakei Basin from 8.30am.

Tuesday: Auckland athletics, Ericsson Stadium.