College sports: St Paul's seeking revenge in final

By JENNI RUTERFORD

St Paul's College will have a chance to get their revenge on Mt Albert Grammar at the Auckland secondary schools rugby league final at Carlaw Park tonight.

Last year, Mt Albert beat St Paul's in the final, ending their seven-year winning streak.

But the result was reversed at the New Zealand secondary schools championships this year. St Paul's will be hoping to take both titles.

Powered by some of their Auckland representatives, including Israel Latam, Logan Wright and Daniel Vasau, St Paul's are favourites, but Mt Albert are not convincing underdogs.

In the schools' two round-robin games, St Paul's beat Mt Albert 32-20 in the first, but drew 20-all in the second three weeks ago.

Latam, who plays in the front row, has yet to turn 16, but is considered a dominating force.

For St Paul's to win today they will have to master ball control and shut down Mt Albert Grammar's huge forwards.

"We'll have to defend against their big forwards," said St Paul's coach Del Hughes. "We'll try to slow them down in the tackle and hope they run out of petrol."

With three 100kg-plus forwards to bust their way through the St Paul's lighter front row, Hughes will be advising his team to outrun Mt Albert rather than out-muscle them.

St Paul's had a straight run to the final after Otahuhu College defaulted their semifinal last week. Mt Albert, however, had to fight for their finals berth, narrowly beating Kelston Boys High 30-24.

Regardless of today's outcome, both teams will represent Auckland at the national secondary schools championships in August.

St Paul's are a force in three of the four finals games that kick off from 4.15pm today. Their under-15 nine-a-side team challenge Marcellin College for the Grahame Lowe Cup and the under-16s take on Mangere College for the Steve Kearney Cup.

In the V. and G. Fagan Cup, Green Bay High clash with Rosmini College.

ORIENTEERING

Rosehill College's Graeme Hattie had a clear run to the senior boys' title at the Auckland championships in Woodhill Forest.

His win should give him confidence when he travels to Australia next week to compete with the New Zealand team.

Hattie was 13 minutes ahead of second-placed Carl Johnson, of Birkenhead College. However, it was not enough to knock Johnson off top spot on the series points table.

A win to Esther Bennett and a second-place finish for Kate Wysocyanski in the senior girls' event helped Birkenhead College to an overall win, ahead of Macleans College.

This week.-

Today: Intercity boys hockey. Auckland: rugby league finals; boys' hockey grades 1A/B; netball combined points tourney. North Harbour: boys' hockey grades 1 and 2. Counties Manukau: netball, soccer.

Tomorrow: Intercity girls' hockey. Auckland: Aerobics; girls' hockey grades 1A/B. North Harbour: girls' hockey grades 1 and 2.

Friday: Term two ends. Auckland: basketball, badminton premier and A grades. North Harbour: hockey girls grades 3 and 4.

Saturday: NZ gymnastics championships, ASB Stadium. Auckland: rugby, soccer. Counties Manukau: rugby. North Harbour: rugby, netball. Waitakere: netball.

Sunday: Nth Island cycling championships. Monday: NZ junior rugby tournament July 3-5, Hamilton.