KEY POINTS:
Even a delay while friendly council staff turned the taps on to let the water flow into Orakei Basin didn't dampen the enthusiasm of hundreds of paddlers who turned up to contest the 51 races at the Auckland SS junior Waka Ama regatta.
In perfect conditions, on the water and overhead, the racing was keen, with De La Salle emerging as the top dogs. They won all their races, clocking an impressive 1m 28.97s over the 300m course to take the boy's final from their No 2 crew.
Teamed with EGGS, De La Salle also shared the honours in the division one and division mixed plate finals.
A great effort by Hoani Waititi got them home in the division one girl's final ahead of James Cook High, while Manurewa High took the honours in the girl's division two final.
Attention now turns to next year's senior regatta - also at Orakei - on March 1 followed by the NZ SS Championships from March 31-April 3 on Lake Karapiro.
CRICKET
WAIKATO
As a dress rehearsal for Saturday's semifinal with St John's College, it could not have been worse for the St Peter's School 1st X1.
Batting first, St Peter's, led by a half-century from Jarrod Mongston, reached 189 after having difficulties with wily Cambridge High bowler Andrew George, who claimed five wickets.
But they needed a lot more runs than that if they were to test the Cambridge top order, as Jeremy Clayton and Mark O'Shaugnessy merrily hit off the runs with Clayton reaching his century on their way to 191 without loss.
St Peter's semifinal opponent St John's College also had a day to forget, when they were beaten by five wickets by Morrinsville College.
Batting first after winning the toss, St John's struggled from the outset with only Shaun Devoy (35) and Cameron Baker (28) showing much as they reached 163 in the 49th over.
In reply, Danny Lowe wasted no time in setting up the victory. He scored 102 from 98 balls, with his second 50 off just 25 as Morrinsville reached 165/5.
The Hillcrest 1st X1 warmed up for their semifinal with Hamilton BHS Development by dispatching the Hillcrest 2nd X1 by eight wickets in a low-scoring affair.
HBHS too showed they will be a championship contender, with an expected comfortable win over Te Aroha College.
Electing to bat first, Te Aroha struggled early, but a plucky partnership between Aatinder Singh and Darryn Howse gave them some hope. In the end, though, they could not master Joey Walker, who picked up 3-22 from six overs and played his part in dismissing Te Aroha for 134.
Batting at four, Eli McKillop turned it on for HBHS, scoring an unbeaten 65 as they got home by seven wickets.
NIKE CHALLENGE
A storming finish got AGS home in the three-month challenge aimed at getting pupils active through running and walking.
The initiative - a joint venture between Nike and ASB College Sport Auckland - was held over three months and involved schools from both sides of the Tasman. The 120 pupils from each school were monitored and distances covered recorded.
In a close finish, AGS edged past Kings to take the honours, with Ipswich Grammar (Queensland) third ahead of Kilbreda College (Victoria) and Danebank (NSW).
The AGS team clocked an amazing 15,365.83km to win the Nike+Schools Challenge.
VOLLEYBALL
McAuley High (girls) and Rangitoto College (boys) will be tested as they seek to defend their junior titles when more than 50 teams contest the annual Auckland SS junior championships that start today.
Neither school is seeded for this year's event, with Avondale College, Otahuhu College and Manurewa High the likely front-runners in the 24-team girl's tournament to be held at Tamaki College.
De La Salle are the top boys' seed ahead of KBHS and Long Bay College.
The boys will play at the ASB Stadium, where both finals will be contested on Saturday afternoon.
WATER POLO
Defending champions Sacred Heart (Lower Hutt), were up against it from the start as they attempted to defend their North Island SS junior girls title.
Beaten 7-4 first-up by Diocesan who went on to reach the final, Sacred Heart did not figure as Auckland schools took centre stage.
Rangitoto began strongly with a good win over St Margaret's College and continued the momentum through to the semifinals, where they beat perennial rivals WGHS 9-4.
Diocesan were hard-pressed in their semifinal before edging Massey HS 6-5.
In the final between Rangitoto and Diocesan, schools who had not reached the top three since 2004, Rangitoto sneaked home 3-2 with Massey beating WGHS for third.
Rangitoto just failed to complete the double when their boys were beaten by WBHS, who charged home to win 5-4. MAGS beat Sacred Heart for third.
COMING UP
Today: ASB Young Sportsperson of the Year awards, Eden Park 6.15pm.
Today-Saturday: Volleyball, Auckland SS junior championships, ASB Stadium (boys), Tamaki College (girls) from 9am. Finals, ASB Stadium, Kohimaramara, Saturday noon (girls), 1pm (boys).
Saturday: Cricket, Auckland, 1A premier (11am, home team first), fifth (final) round, AGS v KBHS, Rosmini v St Kentigern, WBHS v MAGS. 1A plate (11am), Avondale v TGS, Kings v Macleans, Sacred Heart v Rangitoto. Waikato (10.30am, home team first), semifinals, top four Championship Trophy, Hillcrest 1st X1 v Hamilton BHS Development, St Peters v St Johns. Middle four plate, Hamilton BHS Emerging X1 v Morrinsville, University 3, Matamata v Cambridge. Bottom four bowl, Fraser v Hillcrest 2nd X1, St Pauls v Te Aroha.
Touch, Bentley Cup (challenge), Howick v WBHS, WBHS 1pm.
