College sport: Young NZ athletes can apply for educational scholarships

By JENNI RUTHERFORD

Prime Minister Helen Clark and Sports Minister Trevor Mallard have kept to their election campaign promises by offering young athletes scholarships to further their education.

Clark announced that the Government would establish a multi-million-dollar scholarship programme to ensure that New Zealand's up-and-coming athletes could train in their sport and study at tertiary level without having to worry about their finances.

About $1 million will be available next year.

Athletes can apply for a maximum of $10,000, with up to $5000 a year provided to help to cover course costs and the other half for living and sporting-related expenses.

The scholarship amount is expected to increase to $3 million in 2002 and $5 million in the following years.

The initiative follows an Australian lead to provide balance and a career outside and after sport.

"As Australia's sporting success in years has shown, the spin-offs from Government investment in sport is immense in terms of building national pride and identity,"Clark said.

The Sports Foundation will administer the scholarships. Chief executive Chris Ineson expects to draw the applicants from two areas, the athletes who are already identified by the Sports Foundation as future champions, and those who are still coming though the ranks.

Ineson reiterated Clark's determination to produce athletes well-rounded in academic and sporting prowess.

"It is proven that if all an athlete does is to train fulltime, then come the end of their sporting career they find they have no other skills," he said.

VOLLEYBALL

The girls at Avondale College are showing Auckland schools how to win, scoring another regional title.

The school has won a collection of sporting crowns for girls' sport this year, including senior basketball, netball and volleyball titles.

The latest on display is the junior Auckland girls' volleyball trophy. Avondale dropped only one set in the entire competition, against Otahuhu College in the final.

Avondale and Otahuhu will travel to Napier for the North Island junior championships tomorow week with junior boys winners Westlake, who retained the title for the fourth consecutive year, and Kelston Boys' High, and Hillary College.

TENNIS

St Cuthbert's College held on to a narrow win in the senior girls' section, despite losing their final round 4-5 to Rangitoto College.

Auckland Grammar maintained their dominance of the court with convincing wins in the senior and junior grades.

Both teams played through the year's competition undefeated.

King's College, however, prevented Grammar from dominating the grades, winning the intermediate section from St Kentigern College.

Westlake Girls' High fell at the final hurdle, losing their undefeated status when St Cuthbert's pipped them 5-4 in the last round of the intermediate girls' competition.

Westlake had done enough throughout the season to secure the title.

It came down to the wire for Baradene College and Diocesan School in the junior girls' grade.

Separated by one point going into the final round, Baradene edged Diocesan to win the competition.

CRICKET

The top four premier girls teams have been decided in the Auckland secondary schools competition.

Defending Auckland and national champions Epsom Girls' Grammar won the No 1 spot, followed by Westlake Girls' High School, King's College and St Cuthbert's College.

There are two rounds left in the competition, with Epsom Grammar playing St Cuthbert's College and Westlake Girls' High taking on King's College in the second-to-last round of the competition today.

The teams meet again in the following week for the final game, then the side with the most points are declared the outright Auckland champions for 2000.

This week. -

* Today: Auckland premier girls cricket.

* Tomorrow: Auckland intermediate and junior girls cricket.

Central zone junior girls volleyball.

* Friday: ASB Bank young sportsperson of the year awards.

* Saturday: Auckland premier and lower grade boys cricket.

North Harbour senior and junior boys cricket.

* Tuesday: Auckland kilikiti junior tournament, Auckland Domain. Junior touch rugby.