College sport: Sports-mad students to invade Hamilton

By JENNI RUTHERFORD

Exams may be over, but school is not out for many Auckland students just yet. The first New Zealand College Games start on Friday in Hamilton, with more than 4000 students taking part.

Auckland Grammar are sending the largest team, of about 90 boys. Most will compete in the New Zealand athletics or road championships on Saturday and Sunday, while their First XI cricket team play in the Gillette Cup.

Despite having the biggest team at the games, Auckland Grammar sports co-ordinator Richard Skelly said his school lacked real interest in the event.

"It's not a great time to have it," he said. "It's just too hard with exams to schedule, training, etc. Everything is winding down."

Twenty sports, including seven national championships and one of two transtasman soccer matches, will be contested over the four days.

One of Auckland's best hopes for a medal is Kaipara College's Leonora Joy. The speedy seventh former will defend her title in the road race.

CRICKET


Epsom Girls' Grammar will be hoping the White Ferns will pass the tomato sauce as well as some handy hints before they contest the national Yoplait Cup in Christchurch starting on Sunday.

The four finalists, defending champions Timaru, New Plymouth and Napier Girls' High Schools and Epsom, have been invited to watch the New Zealand women's team play India in the World Cup on Saturday, then will join the team for sausages and salads at a barbecue.

Epsom have won the cup twice in their seven-year history and were second in 1999. The teams each play three one-day matches at the Ilam playing fields from Sunday to Tuesday.

WATERPOLO, SOCCER


Two Australian teams wash up on our shores at the end of the week to take on New Zealand secondary school representative sides.

The Australian schoolboys and girls waterpolo teams arrive in Auckland to contest a three-test series, while their national secondary schoolgirls soccer team will play two games against their New Zealand counterparts.

Australia have dominated the pool in the girls' competition since the series' inception in 1984, while the New Zealand boys have beaten the Australians twice in that time.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand schoolgirls soccer side also face a formidable task when they meet Australia in Hamilton as a demonstration event at the College Games on Monday and then at Auckland next Wednesday.

SOFTBALL

St Peter's College have continued their domination of the Auckland boys' titles, winning the junior competition for the third consecutive year, to go with the senior title they won at the beginning of 2000.

The St Peter's senior team are also the New Zealand secondary school champions and played the curtainraiser at Black Sox-Australia test at Lion Red Ball Park on Sunday against a New Zealand development side.

The schools team, made up of mainly fifth and sixth formers, were narrowly beaten, 1-2, by the older opposition.

AWARDS


An Auckland Girls' Grammar multi-talented sportswoman, Nicolette Ropati, added another award to her steadily growing haul by winning the young Samoan sportswoman award.

Ropati, a member of the Silver Ferns squad, won the netball and softball category at the Auckland College sports awards.

Avondale College basketballer Alan Weshe won the young Samoan sportsman title.

This week. -

* Friday: NZ College Games from December 8-12, in Hamilton, featuring the national secondary schools championships of athletics, road race, Gillette Cup (boys) cricket, touch, indoor rowing, petanque, judo and bowls, and cycling, karting, clay target shooting, tenpin bowling, swimming, springboard diving, riding for disabled, mountain biking, karting, canoe polo, wrestling, waterpolo, volleyball, transtasman girls soccer match (demonstration event).

New Zealand secondary schools v Australia secondary schools waterpolo, December 8-10, Waitakere Aquatic Centre.

* Sunday: Yoplait Cup, national secondary schoolgirls cricket championship, December 10-12, Christchurch.

* Wednesday. -

Transtasman girls soccer, second match, Ericsson Stadium, Auckland.