College sport: Nervous wait for multisport squad naming

By DAVE WORSLEY

It's a nervous time for many of New Zealand's top multisport athletes with the naming of the A and B training squads in the next couple of weeks.

Winners of the weekends national schools duathlon champs held at Te Awamutu such as Anna Hamilton, the senior girls champ is bound to be in the A squad along with Rebecca Spence of Takapuna Grammar School the dominate winner in the intermediate girls.

Also strong contenders for the 10 names in the A squad are the three top place getters in the intermediate boys - St Kentergens twins William and Andrew Curtayne and surprise third place competitor Brett Mann from Rangitoto.

By making the A squad athletes are invited to compete in events overseas such as the Australian state champs. There is also the possibility of funding and the opportunity to represent their country.

The B squad is a larger group of 20-25 athletes who will kept an eye on and given coaching advice for their improvement.

Students such as third placed junior boys place getter Steven Langdon of Mt Maunganui could be named in this squad.

ATHLETICS

Rangitoto Year 12 student Graeme Read showed his potential at the recent world youth athletics championships at Sherbrooke, Canada and surprised both his schools and his coach.

Read sprinted into fifth place in the final of the 200m in 21.71 seconds into a headwind.

He was also an integral part of the mens medley relay which finished fifth in the final. The medley relay run over 100m, 200m, 300m, and 400m, was an The team of Cameron Hayton, Graeme Read, Jordan Vandermade and Sam Wilson were fifth behind USA, Poland, Japan and Puerto Rico clocking 1min 57.62 seconds.

"His result did surprise me to a certain extent," says Read's coach and New Zealand sprint coach, Kerry Hill "he's long and lean and is really committed to his training. He was the first white guy in the final. Before he went to the champs we were hoping for he would make the semis. His result was fantastic."

RUGBY

The big match in the restart of the 1A first XV in Auckland this Saturday will be between top side De La Salle against fourth placed team Mt Albert.

The game will be at De La Salle at 2.30.

Mt Albert have 34 points - equal with Kings and Auckland Grammar and three behind De La Salle.

Other clashes are Kings at home to St Kents, Otahuhu versus Kelston, St Pauls play Sacred Heart and sixth placed Onehunga are at home against Auckland Grammar.

BADMINTON

Michelle Chan and Simon Koo took away their respective senior singles titles at the teams event yesterday.

Epsom Girls Chan who is regarded as one of Australasia's best juniors beat Assunta Wong from Macleans in the senior girls final.

Koo from Rosmini beat another North Harbour competitor, Daniel Forrest of Northcote College by default after Forrest was forced to withdraw with an injury.

The junior titles were won by St Kents Chin Han Yu over Rangitoto's Jason Ulrich in the boys final. In the girls final Danielle Barry of Massey High School defeated Carmel College's Tina Chow.

The junior girls doubles was won by Epsom Girls and the junior boys by Rosmini.

The Westlake team of Chance Cheung and Henry Tam won the senior boys and the Epsom Girls pair Diana Fu and Lilliam Hsu beat Westlake in the senior girls doubles.

THIS WEEK

Friday: Premier basketball - girls and boys - various venues.

Squash - Bay of Plenty teams champs, girls and boys - Geyser City Club, Rotorua.

Squash - Northland teams champs, girls and boys - Whangarei Squash Club.

Saturday: Auckland 1A first XV (home team first); Kings v St Kentigern, Otahuhu v Kelston, St Pauls v Sacred Heart, De La Salle v Mt Albert, St Peters v Tangaroa, Onehunga v Auck Grammar.

Premier boys soccer - various venues.

Sunday: Road racing, Tamaki Drive.

Monday, Tuesday: Auckland lawn bowls championships - Mt Richmond and Pukekohe.

Monday: Badminton - Bay of Plenty teams champs, girls and boys - Rotorua Sports Dome.