KEY POINTS:
Cricket has long been regarded as one of Auckland Grammar's most successful sports so it comes as some surprise that their triumph in the 1A two-day championship is their first since 1992.
They finished with a flourish taking outright points after being in some trouble at the end of the first day of their home match with Sacred Heart College.
Struggling at 96/8 in reply to the modest 153 scored by Sacred Heart, AGS added only another 20 runs in being dismissed for 116 with Dave Goddard, who had led the attack with 5-40, top-scoring with 31.
Batting a second time, Sacred Heart were quickly in trouble and managed just 128 of which Ben Kingham's unbeaten 53 stood out. Goddard bagged 4-30 for a nine-wicket match haul.
Needing 166 from 42 overs, AGS, led by Hugo McChesney's 69 not out, cruised home with five wickets in hand and six overs to spare.
AGS took the honours by eight points from St Kentigern who ended their season with a first innings loss to WBHS.
Resuming at 100/8 after WBHS had scored 171 in their first innings, St Kentigern reached 132 with only Brad Stanfield (38) offering any resistance.
With nothing to play for, WBHS batted a second time to score 222 with Daniel ter Braak (65) and James Coughlan (32) the major contributors.
Rangitoto battled bravely but eventually in vain as they chased their first points of the competition.
Resuming at 13/1 after Macleans had scored 250, Rangitoto, despite useful knocks from Travis Brown (44) and Tom Freeman (43) fell 60 short of taking the lead as Jas Singh and Scott Yeoman picked up seven wickets between them.
Kings College beat TGS on the first innings in a high-scoring plate match which featured a fine 136, off 211 balls, from Takapuna's Jaryd Gray. But he lacked much-needed support as the innings ended at 258 after starting the day at 24/2.
Kings, 319/9 declared on the first day, shared the honours in the plate division with MAGS who stormed home with an outright win over Rosmini. MAGS, who resumed at 190/4, went on to 289 with Tom Kerrins top-scoring with 64.
Needing 194 to ensure MAGS would have to bat again, Rosmini managed 195 to lose by an innings and 29 runs.
In the closest contest of the day, Avondale College, resuming at 42/2 came agonisingly close to overhauling the 172 scored first-up by KBHS.
Led by a gutsy unbeaten 103 from Patrick Williams, Avondale got to within three runs of taking the lead in being dismissed for 170.
After the dust settled, KBHS, Avondale, TGS and Rosmini were left together on four points at the bottom of the table. A countback will be needed to find which team will drop down to the 1B grade and be replaced by St Peters next year.
CRICKET
WAIKATO
Last wicket partnerships provided the highlights as the Hamilton BHS Emerging XI met the school's Development XI in a thrilling play-off for the right to play in Saturday's final.
In the end the Emerging XI emerged triumphant but there was no place for faint hearts as they sneaked home by one wicket.
Electing to bat, the Development XI struggled to 124/9 before a 28-run 10th wicket partnership took them beyond 150. Their 153 hardly figured as a match-winner however.
In reply the Emerging XI followed the same course to reach 119/9. Again, the last wicket rallied and put on 34 to reach their 154-run target with just four balls to spare in a low-scoring match in which three bowlers took three wickets and only one batsman, Zabir Azizi, who steered his side to victory, reaching 30.
The other semifinal held no such drama.
After a late-season unbeaten run, St Peter's School came badly unstuck to lose by 115 runs to Hillcrest High.
Batting first on fresh pitch after winning the toss, Hillcrest, led by ever-reliable Chris Jamieson (47) posted a competitive 209 despite the best efforts of St Peter's captain and opening bowler Ross Fitz-John who claimed three quick wickets including the often-dangerous William Kokaua for two.
Jamieson, the Hillcrest captain, steadied the innings but was the sixth wicket to fall when run out. A handy seventh wicket partnership of 49 between Ryan Farr and Cory Whiting swung the game Hillcrest's way with only Fitz-John, who came back to claim another two wickets, troubling the batsmen.
In reply, St Peter's were quickly in trouble slumping to 41/7 as promising quick Brenden Flegg, a year 10 student, bagged 4-17 from his opening spell of six overs.
The only resistance came when they added 36 for the eighth wicket with Warwick Lynn the only batsman showing out as Hillcrest cruised home and, as a bonus, collected the Dave Hoskin Trophy.
In another close battle, St John's School edged Cambridge High by one wicket with seven balls to spare in a high-scoring plate play-off.
The second plate match was in stark contrast with Morrinsville College, led by Todd Arnold's 73 not out, reaching 166/1 to beat Te Aroha College by nine wickets after they had been dismissed for 165, with Jeremy Rout leading the charge with a useful 5-21 from eight overs.
In the battle of the wooden-spooners, Matamata College scored 183 and then bundled Fraser High out for 103 to win the ninth-10th play-off by 80 runs.
TOUCH
Orewa College are not giving up the impressive Bentley Cup without a fight as the boys from St Peter's College found out on Saturday.
In front of another enthusiastic crowd, Orewa again took the trophy into enemy territory for what was generally regarded as the challenge of the season, given the holders were up against a St Peter's team coached by trophy donor Pete Bentley who was challenging a team coached by his LNP touch club team-mate Sam Stone.
From the first whistle this was a game played with passion in a tit-for-tat battle which went to the wire - and beyond.
The teams were locked 4-4 at halftime and 6-6 at fulltime at which point drop-off came into play. Both teams scored twice in the first extra period to again be level at 8-8.
There was plenty of excitement with Orewa captain Shaun Johnson at his side-stepping best and Cameron Plant again showing out with his scooping ability. Johnson touched down twice and Plant three times while Nathan Cargo, Hallam Holloway and Phillipe McConnell grabbed one each.
For St Peter's, Nepia Fox-Matamua and Louies Tolai scored twice with the remaining points scored by Isaac Fitzgerald, Pate Fifita and a brilliant Levi Holland intercept in a field-long dash.
Forced into a second extra period, and with teams down to just three players each, Orewa caught the hosts back-pedalling and off-side close to the line which handed McConnell the chance to snatch the winner.
Already the two teams are eyeing a rematch at the upcoming nationals in Palmerston North.
Before that, Orewa must put the trophy back on the line in the year's final challenge against what should be a competitive Wesley College team who will try to win it for the first time and give Counties Manukau Touch their first holder.
COMING UP
TODAY
* SOFTBALL, junior one-day tournament, Rosedale Park.
TOMORROW
* TOUCH, junior championships, Mt Wellington Reserve, Dunkirk Rd, Panmure start 9.15am.
FRIDAY
* KILIKITI, junior A and B grade tournament, Auckland Domain.
* WATER POLO, play-offs, junior A boys championships, AGS A v Kings (5th/6th) EGGS 4pm; MAGS v Rangitoto (3rd/4th) West Wave 6.50pm; WBHS v Sacred Heart (final) West Wave 8.10pm.
Junior A girls championships, Corran v EGGS (7th/ 8th) EGGS 5.15pm; Marist A v Western Springs (9th/10th) EGGS 5.50pm; Baradene v St Cuthbert's (5th/6th) EGGS 8pm; MAGS v St Mary's A (3rd/4th) West Wave 6.10pm; Rangitoto v Diocesan (final) West Wave 7.30pm.
SATURDAY
* CRICKET, Waikato, championship final, Hamilton BHS Emerging v Hillcrest HS.
* TOUCH, Bentley Cup, Orewa College (holders) v Wesley College (challengers), Wesley College 1pm (final challenge).
MONDAY-FRIDAY
* VOLLEYBALL, North Island SS junior championships, Pettigrew Green Arena, Napier.
