College sport: St Kentigern on brink of glory

By JENNI RUTHERFORD

A depleted St Kentigern College senior boys tennis team are just one game away from winning regional honours for the first time in the school's history.

The side lost their top three players after the first term when Damien Mulhane and Aaron McDermott moved overseas to further their tennis careers and injury cut out Matthew Simpson.

Simpson was having a back scan late yesterday to see if he was fit to play, but he is a remote chance to start against King's College in the final round on Saturday.

St Kentigern, on 62 points going into the last round, must win one of their six matches to be out of reach of King's College on 52 points and Auckland Grammar on 51.

A maximum 11 points are taken from the teams' six singles and three doubles matches, with a two-point bonus for winning outright.

Victory would round off a successful year for St Kentigern, whose rugby team nailed the Auckland first XV championship after years of trying.

Three players have had to be recruited from the intermediate and junior ranks this term to cover for the gaps left by Mulhane and Cco.

Simon Scott and Mark Devcich were elevated from the intermediate 1A team and Oliver Statham joined his twin, Rubin, from the top junior team.

King's will be pushed all the way for the runners-up spot, with Auckland Grammar having the easier task against Westlake Boys High School, who are on 21 points.

The St Kentigern tennis academy can be credited with producing talented players in all grades, with the intermediate and junior boys teams at the top of their points tables.

The school boasts 150 tennis players and has 17 teams entered in the three boys grades in the Auckland competition.

Auckland Grammar also has a solid stable of talent, with its intermediate and junior teams in striking distance of taking the titles from St Kentigern.

Grammar has been the powerhouse of Auckland and New Zealand tennis for years, but lost its main firepower when Simon Rea, Jacob Olsen and Brendan Wright left school at the end of last year with the New Zealand title under their belt.

Grammar failed to qualify for the national championships this year, while St Kentigern finished second behind Christchurch Boys High School.

The match-ups between St Kentigern and Auckland Grammar in the lower grades should make a thrilling finale.

In the senior girls contest, Diocesan School will want a strong finish to their postponed match against King's when they resume at 3-1 tomorrow to put themselves in a prime position to sneak the title from St Cuthbert's College. The two teams meet on Saturday with six points separating them.

OUTRIGGER CANOEING

Papatoetoe High School recorded the fastest time of the day to win the junior boys championship at Onehunga Lagoon. Papatoetoe were pushed all the way by De La Salle, to cross the line first in 1m 14s.

Kelston Girls High School were clear winners in the girls championship final ahead of Queen Victoria School.

Clover Park Middle School were the success story of the day. Though they failed to qualify for the championship finals, they finished second in the boys and mixed plate finals after just one 45-minute practice.

WATERPOLO

Auckland schools again dominate the North Island sides who will take to the pool at the North Island junior championships.

Colleges in the region put on powerful displays last year, with Avondale College and Auckland Grammar emerging winners ahead of two other Auckland schools for Auckland trifectas in both grades.

This year, nine of the 16 girls teams are from Auckland and North Harbour colleges, and the region boasts 12 of the 22 in the boys grade.

Wellington schools are an unknown factor, though St Mary's Wellington and Wellington College are expected to be strong in the girls and boys grades respectively.

The competition, which starts tomorrow, is split between Waitakere and Sacred Heart Aquatic Centres.

The final will be on Sunday.

This week:

Today:

Auckland: boys softball.

North Harbour: volleyball.

Tomorrow:

North Island secondary school junior waterpolo championships, until November 4, at Waitakere and Sacred Heart Aquatic Centres.

Auckland: volleyball.

Saturday:

Auckland: tennis, cricket, volleyball junior qualifying tournament.

North Harbour: cricket.

Monday:

Auckland: girls softball.

Tuesday: touch rugby.