College sport: Transtasman sevens hopes die

By JENNI RUTHERFORD

The New Zealand secondary schools rugby sevens team will stay a paper side for another year after plans for a transtasman match were foiled.

The national secondary school competition will kick off in Palmerston North on Queen's Birthday Monday, but the tournament team that is named at the end of the day will not get any further game time as planned.

Tournament organisers had banked on playing the inaugural secondary schools sevens match between New Zealand and Australia as the curtain-raiser to the All Blacks-Ireland test at Eden Park on June 22. But the Auckland Rugby Union opted to host a schoolboy first XV Moascar Cup clash instead.

Auckland's Kelston Boys High School appear the likely holders after winning their first challenge 40-0 against St Paul's College on Saturday in the Auckland 1A first XV competition. They will have to defend the cup against Otahuhu College and Mt Albert Grammar before they get a chance to prelude the All Blacks' test against St Kentigern College. Whoever holds the historic cup on the day will play their scheduled match at Eden Park.

National secondary schools rugby sevens tournament organiser Ron Bragg was disappointed the Auckland Rugby Union had shied away from hosting the first transtasman secondary schools sevens clash.

A spokeswoman at the Auckland Rugby Union said that the decision was made in accordance with the NZRFU's preference for All Black matches to have 15-a-side secondary school games as the curtain-raiser.

Other problems have plagued Bragg as schools have withdrawn at the last minute. Ruatoria's Ngata Memorial College and Feilding High pulled out, forcing Bragg to scratch around for replacement teams. Napier Boys High will now field two teams, and Bragg hopes the Manawatu Evergreens will come up with an under-17 composite side.

South Auckland's Wesley High School are looking for a three-peat but are expected to come up against tough opposition in Kelston, Rotorua and Gisborne Boys High School and Christchurch's Aranui High.

GOLF

Rotorua Boys High School continued their winning ways, while Hamilton Boys rubbed more salt into the Australians' wound as the two schools emerged top dogs at the first transtasman tournament on Australia's Sunshine Coast.

The tournament, replacing the defunct world secondary school championships, wasn't always a two-horse race, as Hamilton Boys trailed Queensland's Kooralbyn International School by three shots after the first round. But Hamilton produced the best combined score after the second 18 holes to leapfrog the Australians and end 10 shots behind winners Rotorua.

Rotorua's Jae An was the best individual, with 144 for the two rounds. An shot 74 and 70, to beat Hamilton's Mark Purser by one shot.

RUGBY

Defending champions Auckland Girls Grammar recovered from their shock loss to Onehunga High School with a 27-0 win over Epsom Girls Grammar on Monday.

The 10-5 defeat at the hands of Onehunga in the central zone competition was the first time the team have lost in three years.

LEAGUE

Bay of Islands College are eyeing a Northland secondary schools three-peat after the first XIII's latest victory. They beat Kamo High School 62-20 to stay unbeaten this season and on track for a third defence of the title. Whangarei Boys High School, Kaitaia College and Bream Bay College look likely semifinalists in the competition so far.

Bay of Islands College, led by national secondary schools representative Peter Prime, will meet Bream Bay in the next round in a repeat of last year's final.

TENNIS

The New Zealand junior Davis Cup boys' team finished 10th at the Asia/Oceania tournament in Kuala Lumpur.

The team of Rubin Statham (St Kentigern), Auckland Grammar's Rade Radinovich and James Pilbro from King's College confirmed their placing when they lost 1-2 to Thailand.

Both Statham and Radinovich lost their singles matches but Radinovich and Pilbro saved the side from a whitewash with their 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 win in the doubles.

THIS WEEK:

* Today:

Northland: final day of the Northland Area School tournament, soccer, rugby league.

Auckland: premier boys hockey, orienteering - teams relay, rugby league.

Counties Manukau: netball.

North Harbour: girls badminton.

* Tomorrow: Auckland: premier girls hockey.

* Friday: Northland: basketball.

Auckland: premier basketball

* Saturday: Secondary schools wrestling championships, Wellington.

Northland: rugby.

Waikato: rugby, soccer.

Auckland: rugby, netball, soccer.

Counties Manukau: rugby.

North Harbour: rugby, netball.

* Monday: Secondary schools rugby sevens, Palmerston North.

* Tuesday: Eastland: East Coast secondary schools cross-country championships.