College sport: Superb efforts highlight Games

By JENNI RUTHERFORD and MURRAY McKINNON

The College Games drew New Zealand's brightest young sports prospects to Hamilton for a busy weekend of high-class secondary schools sport.

Records were broken and outstanding performances were turned in over two days which showcased the best of New Zealand's future sporting competitors.

TOUCH

The sibling rivalry on the sideline at the New Zealand touch rugby championships was almost as fierce as the match on the field in the girls final at Hopuhopu.

Sisters Mere and Cynthia Ngawati are the respective coaches of the Auckland Girls' Grammar and Papakura High School sides.

In the end, it was the younger sister, Cynthia, who came out on top, Papakura winning in an upset, 4-2, to take the title.

"It was hilarious," said Mere. "We [Cynthia and her] were at either end of the field and our partners and other family were sitting on the sideline in the middle."

The girls' result was a blow for Auckland Girls' Grammar, who were aiming for a third win in a row, while hard work paid off for Papakura, who scooped their first girls' national touch title.

"It was a great result for Papakura," said Cynthia Ngawati, a former New Zealand touch representative.

"School's like Auckland Girls' get so much of the prestige."

Auckland schools dominated at the touch championships, which were part of the New Zealand College Games. Kelston Boys' High School won the boys championship, defeating Hastings College in the final, while Tangaroa College won the mixed title.

ATHLETICS

Rebecca McEnaney, of Rangitoto College, and Valerie Adams, of Southern Cross Campus, produced record-breaking performances at the national athletics championships in Hamilton.

In the 800m, Monique Williams, of Forest View High School provided tough competition, but hours of training paid off for McEnaney over the final 50m as she forged ahead to victory.

She recorded a time of 2m 9.73s to break Michelle Green's 25-year-old record of 2m 10.70s. McEnaney later finished second to Liz Orchard in the 1500m.

Adams added a massive 1.12m to Beatrice Faumuina's 1992 senior shot put mark with a heave of 15.43m.

Adams also won the discus and was third in the hammer.

James Mortimer, of Rangitoto College, won the senior hurdles double with flawless performances of 14.19s in the 110m event and 38.34s in the 300m.

April Brough, of Cascade Christian College, was unbeatable in all rounds of the senior girls sprints, and won the 100m-200m double in 12.36s and 24.56s respectively, both races being run into a stiff headwind.

Her Counties Manukau clubmate, Louise Jones, of Manurewa High School, won the junior girls sprint double, recording 12.51s in the 100m and 25.61s in the 200m.

Nick Wills, of Hutt Valley High, marked himself down as a runner for future high honours after claiming the difficult 800m-1500m senior boys double.

He overcame a strong challenge from Michael Stringer, of Dargaville, to win the 800m in 1m 52.53s and an hour later outgunned ther 1500m field in 4m 1.87s.

Rangitoto's Terenzo Bozzone displayed explosive finishes to win the junior boys 1500m-3000m double.

CRICKET


Rain in Hamilton washed out day three of the Gillette Cup, handing Auckland Grammar the title ahead of Wanganui Collegiate, Palmerston North Boys' High School and Otago's King's High School. Grammar were the only team unbeaten in tournament, with two wins.

Last year's joint champions, Auckland's King's College and Christchurch Boy's High School, failed to win through to the top four, after being beaten in the regional rounds. Auckland Grammar have never won the competition, though they have been in the finals twice in the tournament's 11-year history.

Stand-out performances for Auckland Grammar were Mark Pearson's seven wickets for 32 off 10 overs, while top-order batsmen Gene Andrews (61) and Kieran McMillan (42) led a solid team batting performance, taking Grammar to 241 for seven from their 50 overs against King's High School, helping the side to a two-run win.

At the New Zealand secondary schools girls Yoplait Cup in Christchurch, Epsom Girls' Grammar finished second behind New Plymouth Girls' High School.

Three of the four teams finished the tournament with two wins each, but New Plymouth were declared winners on run differential.

JUDO


Auckland schools were well represented on the mat, placed in the majority of the weight divisions. Westlake Boys' High School's Ryan Dill-Russell took two golds in the boys competition, winning the open as well as the under-73kg division.

Kyle Leggot (De La Salle College) was another stand-out performer, third in the open division, but winning the over 81kg class.

PETANQUE


Rangitoto College won the inaugural championships, winning from Malborough Boys' High School.

Hours of training on the school's specialist terrain paid off for the team of Nick Keeling, Scott Banks and Oliver McDermott. Rangitoto's Ryan Kothe, Jolly Morgan, Stuart McNaughton picked up a bronze medal.

BOWLS


Kuala Lumpur 1998 Commonwealth bronze medallist Millie Khan and daughter Marina were on hand to present medals and share secrets with young New Zealand bowlers at the first secondary schools championships in Hamilton.

Joanna Rereti (Hutt Valley High), who started playing only in March, won the girls' singles title.

Veteran Raika Gregory, with several years of experience of Otaki College, took out the boys singles.

INDOOR ROWING


World indoor, Olympic and world outdoor rowing champion Rob Waddell would be proud of the competition at the schools championships.

Kerikeri High's Dane Boswell just pipped Rosehill College's Daniel Hayman and Malcolm Lewis in the under-17 100m and 500m events.

However, Lewis and Hayman gained great satisfaction by winning the mixed and teams events.