College sport: Top school faces poaching claim

By JENNI RUTHERFORD

A prominent Auckland college is at the centre of talent-poaching allegations following the North Island secondary schools rowing regatta.

Pio Pio College twins Sam and James Bryan, impressive winners in the under-17 double sculls, told their school's rowing manager that they were offered scholarships by someone claiming to represent St Kentigern College.

Such an offer would break the New Zealand Secondary Schools Sports Council code of conduct which each principal signs.

It says: "As a principal I agree to being held responsible for ensuring that if this school offers any form of financial inducement ... it will be through advertisement and not by way of individual approach."

St Kentigern principal Warren Peat, who was at the championships, said last night that as far as he knew, no one from the school had approached the pair, and he would be surprised if anyone had.

"That goes against well-established rules and my staff know that.

"We're not into backdoor deals."

Pio Pio College principal Tim Davies-Coley was upset that his students were targeted, but the school's rowing manager, Bill Burnell, was not surprised that the boys had been approached.

"I see it all the time with small schools, but it usually happens in rugby and cricket."

Burnell said the boys were excited when an unidentified St Kentigern associate talked to them about a scholarship, but did not consider it seriously.

The 16-year-olds have found fame from humble beginnings.

They train on a dam lake that is barely wide enough for the width of their oars.

The boys had learned to row when they attended Rotorua Boys High School but the family have now returned to their farm at Aria, just out of Pio Pio.

The twins will now come up against the best in New Zealand at the secondary schools championships at Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel, starting on Monday.

St Paul's Collegiate (Hamilton) and Waikato Diocesan lived up to expectations at the North Island event, winning the under-19 boys' and girls' eights respectively.

CRICKET

Kelston Boys High School will defend the R.H. Marryatt Cup and look to again represent the Auckland zone two region at the Gillette Cup finals at the end of the year, when they take on King's College in the final of the one-day competition at Melville Park tomorrow.

King's defeated Auckland Grammar in the semifinals and Kelston were comfortable winners over Westlake Boys High School.

VOLLEYBALL

Whakatane's Trident High School earned the bolter's tag after forcing their way into division one of the national secondary school championships which start on Monday in Palmerston North.

Trident's senior boys' and girls' teams qualified by finishing in the top three in the Bay of Plenty region.

The girls' team, winners of division two last year, have continued their rise into the premier ranks. They pushed Tauranga Girls College into third place in the final standings of the Bay of Plenty top-12 tournament with a superior sets ratio.

The top senior girls' team were Otumoetai College, the defending national champions.

They finished with eight wins from 10 matches to top the table and win the Jones Walker Cup.

The narrowest of margins separated the senior boys' top three.

Western Heights captured the Phil George Cup, winning all 10 matches during the round robin.

Trident, Otumoetai and Tauranga Boys College were equal with six wins.

The second and third placings were determined on countback.

Trident's third place means Otumoetai College will compete in division two at the national championships.

In Northland, Rodney College tasted victory for the first time in 15 years, winning the senior girls' section of the region's secondary school championships to qualify for division one at the national tournament.

Kamo High School were too strong in the senior boys' section and will join Rodney in Palmerston North.

TENNIS

Auckland's top secondary school tennis players fight it out tomorrow for champion status. After nearly a week of knockout matches, the finalists in each of the age groups have been found.

In the Auckland premier competition, Auckland Grammar have a five-point advantage over St Kentigern in the senior boys grade.

Diocesan hold a three-point lead over St Cuthberts College after their 8-1 win over Epsom Girls Grammar in the senior girls section.

TRIATHLON

About 200 athletes will descend on Gisborne's Beacon Park Reserve this afternoon to compete in the Eastland secondary school triathlon championships.

Competitors will swim 400m, cycle 15km and run 4km either individually or in teams of three.

The Horsfall sisters, Amy Kelly and Hosanna, are likely medallists in the senior and junior girls' races respectively.

ATHLETICS

Northland College's Josh Woodman has added another discipline to his repertoire, winning the senior boys' triple jump at the Northland secondary school championships and setting a record.

Woodman, the national secondary schools under-18 pole vault champion, broke the triple jump record of 12.88m by 46cm.

Hannah Child, from Whangarei Girls High School, also rewrote the record books when she won the junior girls 300m sprint in 43.4s. She was more than a second faster than the previous best time.

Child, Woodman and 70 other athletes will represent the region at the North Island secondary schools championships at Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium on March 23 and 24.

THIS WEEK

* Today:

Eastland: triathlon championships.

Bay of Plenty: swimming championships, Te Puke.

* Tomorrow:

North Island waterpolo championships, Auckland.

Northland: boys cricket (North Power Cup), south zone cricket, Northland road cycling championships.

Bay of Plenty: zone tennis, individual yachting regatta.

* Saturday:

National windsurfing championships, Rotorua.

Northland touch rugby championships.

East Coast North Island athletics championships.

Waikato athletics championships.

* Sunday:

Northland doubles tennis championships, boys' cricket (Robertson Shield).

Hawkes Bay individual triathlon championships, Napier.

Bay of Plenty: junior, senior touch rugby championships.

* Monday:

National yachting teams racing, Whangarei (until Saturday).

National rowing championships, Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel (until Saturday).

National bowls qualifiers.

* Tuesday:

National volleyball championships, Palmerston North (until Saturday).

Waikato: Thames Valley triathlon championships, Waikato triathlon championships.