College sport: Award breaks ground for Westlake Girls

Lynlee Smith of Westlake Girls High School is Young Sportswoman of the Year. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Lynlee Smith broke new ground in being named the Young Sportswoman of the Year, but Simon Child joined his Auckland and New Zealand team-mate, Ryan Archibald, as the second hockey player to take the sportsman award.

The ASB College Sport awards night again produced a glittering array of stars, with many already full internationals in their sports.

In taking her award, Smith is the first student from Westlake Girls High School to be so honoured. She is also the first water polo player, male or female, to take an award.

Child was the first Kings College student to be voted as the Outstanding Young Sportsman since Kyle Brown (cricket) won the inaugural award in 1991.

Smith, 18, stumbled into water polo when she went along to watch her brother playing for Rosmini College and was hooked.

A better-than-average swimmer - she clocks about 29s for 50m freestyle - she has been playing water polo since her form one year.

This has been a whirlwind year for Smith, who began 2005 at the junior world championships in Perth and was later selected for the national side for the world championships at Montreal, where they went close to a top-eight finish.

With her high school days behind her, Smith, who plays right driver or right-wing, will take up a five-year scholarship at the University of Hawaii in August.

Before that she will play in the Commonwealth tournament at Perth, the world league finals in Europe and, early in 2007, the junior world championships at Athens.

Smith, who also dabbles in dragonboat racing, netball and touch, played a key role in helping WGHS into third place at the secondary school water polo championships.

She says she wasn't expecting to win the big award. "It was awesome."

Child has also finished his school days and is contemplating a full sporting year with the Melbourne Commonwealth Games beckoning.

A key member of the Kings College first XI - he was vice-captain under fellow hockey finalist Hitesh Daya - Child helped the team to triumph in the Rankin Cup at Wellington.

From a hockey-mad family, Child, 17, plays for the Southern Districts Club where his mother (a former international) is secretary and father chairman.

Selected for the national side - he debuted this year against Malaysia as a striker - Child played the pivotal centre-half role for Kings but still emerged as the top goalscorer at the Rankin Cup.

"In age-group tournaments, I like to dominate so playing centre-half suits me," he said. "But for New Zealand I'm happy to play up front." Child is still awaiting his elusive first goal at the highest level.

With the Black Sticks to be based in Auckland next year, Child will juggle his hockey commitments with studies at Auckland University.

Among other outstanding award recipients at the ceremony was John Akavi (KBHS), who was recognised as outstanding touch player for the third successive year.

Akavi led his school to victory at the national championships.

He also captained the New Zealand under-19 team to victory in their world championship.

Akavi is also a member of the national squad.

Thomas Abercrombie (Westlake BHS) took the awards in basketball and volleyball and must have pushed Child for overall honours. Abercrombie led his school to victory at their national tournament to cap an unbeaten season.

He, like Smith, is US-bound, preparing to take a up a full scholarship at Washington State University.

Rebecca Spence continued a good night for North Shore schools in taking the triathlon award. The winner of the junior title at the world duathlon championships and second in the triathlon, Spence won the Auckland national titles in both disciplines.

Thirty-one teams were acknowledged for their success in their respective sports at national secondary schools championships.

Auckland Grammar led the way with six such titles.

Overall finalists

Boys: Thomas Abercrombie (WBHS) basketball, John Akavi (KBHS) touch, Simon Child (Kings) hockey, Daniel Lamb-Hunt (MAGS) softball, John Zulch (Rangitoto) swimming. Winner: Child.

Girls: Sharon Ahn (Northcote College) golf, Dianne Maliukaetau (Tangaroa) rugby, Jessica McCormack (Northcote) basketball, Kelly Newcombe (Kristin) swimming, Amanda Preston (AGGS) softball, Petria Rennie (Avondale) soccer, Lynlee Smith (WGHS) water polo, Rebecca Spence (Rangitoto) triathlon, Niall Williams (Avondale) touch. Winner: Smith.

Individual award winners (boys first, followed by girls)

Athletes with a disability (both boys): Kelly Dobbyn-Dodunski (Papatoetoe HS), Joshua Woollen (The Manurewa HS).

Athletics: Mathew Mildenhall (AGS), Nneka Okpala (Diocesan).

Badminton: Henry Tam (WBHS), Danielle Barry (Massey HS).

Basketball: Abercrombie, McCormack.

Cricket: Tim Southee (Kings), Katie Perkins (WGHS).

Cycling: Logan Hunn (AGS), Aimee Fowler (Macleans).

Diving: Kaitlyn White (EGGS).

Distance running: Mildenhall, Grace Keown (AGGS).

Equestrian eventing: Loren Wadsworth (St Cuthberts).

Golf: Samuel Shin (Wentworth College), Sharon Ahn (Northcote).

Gymnastics, artistic: Patrick Peng (AGS), Alice Barnett (WGHS).

Gymnastics, rhythmic: Teegan Metcalfe (Diocesan).

Gymnastics, aerobics: Michelle Barnett (MAGS).

Hockey: Child, Katie Glynn (Diocesan).

Lawn bowls: Mark Shine (KBHS), Keitha Heta (James Cook HS).

League: Scott Jones (St Pauls).

Mountain-biking: Mike Skinner (Northcote), Katherine O'Neill (Kristin).

Netball: Cathrine Latu (Massey HS).

Orienteering: Simon Jager (MRGS), Nicola Peat (St Cuthberts).

Rowing: Hamish McQueen (WBHS), Rebecca Ryall (Kings).

Rugby: Christopher Smith (WBHS), Maliukaetau.

Soccer: Tommy Smith (WBHS), Rennie.

Softball: Lamb-Hunt, Preston.

Squash: Justin Sayes (AGS), Hayley MacDonald (EGGS).

Swimming: Zulch, Newcombe.

Table tennis: Binbin Zhu (AGS), Sophie Shu (Diocesan).

Tennis: Andrew Allan (St Peters), Shona Lee (St Cuthberts).

Touch: Akavi, Williams.

Trampolining: Jack Hammond (Rangitoto), Chloe Green (Rangitoto).

Triathlon: Thomas Hahn (St Peters), Spence.

Underwater hockey: Andreas Marwick (Howick), Jenny Marwick (Howick).

Volleyball: Abercrombie, Leone Samu (Avondale).

Waka Ama: Tukutahi Happy (Rutherford), Sieda Tureia (Edgewater).

Water polo: Andrew Seiprath (AGS), Smith.

Weightlifting: Jonathan MacFarlane (Macleans), Chantal Lambrechs (Glenfield).

Wrestling: Mala Tavita (KBHS).

Yachting: Paul Snow-Hansen (TGS), Olivia Powrie (St Cuthberts).

All-rounders (excellence in three or more sports).

Boys:

William Curtayne (St Kentigern) athletics, cycling, triathlon.

Ryan Sissons (Macleans) athletics, crosscountry/road race, triathlon.

Girls:

Faanati Aniseko (AGGS) rugby, touch, volleyball.

Chante Botica (Kristin) athletics, netball, touch.

Service to Secondary School sport

Graeme Brownsey, hockey.

Colin Nairn, rugby.

Peter Pearce, volleyball.

Nathan Samu, volleyball.

Simon Toon, cricket.

Cricket

The weather disrupted the last scheduled round. Fortunately, these matches had no bearing on finding the two teams who will meet in Tuesday's final at Cornwall Park.

MAGS warmed up for that final (against Kings College) with a comfortable win over Rosmini in a match reduced to 40 overs a side.

Rosmini, with 45 runs from both Alan Plant and Patrick Coleman, should have done better than the 154/7 they managed.

Led by captain Elliott Boock, MAGS hit off the runs with five wickets and three overs in hand.

Jeet Raval cashed in again, scoring an unbeaten 60 as Avondale College beat Sacred Heart by 10 wickets.

Waikato cricket was hit hard by the weather, with the semifinals in the first XI championship postponed. They will now be played tomorrow and Friday, with the final as scheduled for Saturday.

Rosmini, 40 overs, 154/7 (A. Plant 45, P. Coleman 45; T. Kerins 3-20) lost to Mt Albert Grammar 155/5 (E. Boock 35, R. Krian 33).

Sacred Heart 94 (C. Thorpe 6-25, S. Hyndman 3-8) lost to Avondale College 95/0 (J. Raval 60no).

St Kentigern 301 beat WBHS 2nd X1 84.

KBHS 118 lost to AGS 119/2.

Touch

Massey High School (boys) and Papakura High School (girls) will defend their titles at the Greater Auckland junior championships at Mt Wellington Memorial Reserve tomorrow.

Two teams from each of the six zones will play three round-robin pool games before the quarter-finals, semifinals and finals in a busy day's play that starts at 9.30am and ends with finals at 1.45pm.

Teams qualified.

Boys: Orewa, Rosmini (North Harbour), Massey HS, KBHS (Waitakere), Western Springs, St Pauls (Central), Sacred Heart, Dilworth (Eastern), Tangaroa, De La Salle (Southern), Pukekohe, The Manurewa HS (Counties).

Girls: WGHS, Mahurangi (North Harbour), Massey HS, KGHS (Waitakere), central to be confirmed, Howick, Pakuranga (Eastern), Tangaroa, McAuley (Southern), James Cook HS, Papakura HS (Counties).

Kilikiti

Thirty-nine teams from 27 schools will make it a colourful day out at the Auckland Domain on Friday in the annual Milo junior secondary schools championship.

After a Samoan blessing at 9am, it will be all on as teams dressed in school-coloured lavalavas and T-shirts do battle.

Kelston GHS will defend their A grade title and can expect hot competition from last year's runners-up Auckland Girls Grammar. Aorere College won the boys' A grade last year from Auckland Grammar.

The B grade was dominated by Sir Edmund Hillary College last year, with the girls finishing second behind St Dominics, while the boys edged The Manurewa High School to win.

Waka Ama

There will be action-aplenty at Orakei Basin on Tuesday as 50 teams from 18 schools contest the Auckland SS junior championships.

Raced by six-person crews over 250m, the competition promises to be intense.

Crews from Kelston BHS, Tangaroa College, Onehunga High and McAuley HS are expected to dominate. The regatta starts at 9am, with the finals scheduled for 2pm.

Coming up

Today: Softball, ASS junior one-day tournament (23 teams) Rosedale Park 9am (finals from 1.45pm).

Tomorrow: Touch, Greater Auckland junior championships, Mt Wellington War Memorial Reserve, Dunkirk Rd. Cricket, Waikato, Hillcrest HS v Cambridge, Hillcrest.

Friday: Cricket, Waikato, St Peters v Matamata, St Peters. Kilikiti junior tournament, 9.30am (finals 2pm) Auckland Domain.

Saturday: Cricket, Waikato 1st X1 final, teams, venue tbc (after semifinals on Friday).

Tuesday: Cricket 1A (MAGS v Kings) and 1B (Rangitoto v Howick College), Cornwall Park. Waka Ama, junior championships, 9am (finish 2pm) Orakei Basin.