College sport: Experience matters as Auckland topple champs

Led by their international Gracie Keown, Auckland Girls Grammar broke through for their first national lacrosse championship at West Auckland's Parrs Park.

Their 13-2 win over Whangarei GHS in the final was just reward for the team who finished third behind joint winners Whangarei and Westlake GHS last year.

With four new players in their 16-player squad, AGGS had plenty of experience.

The championships, in their fifth year, have been dominated by Whangarei who won the first three before sharing last year's title.

A sport open to players of all ages, lacrosse is becoming more popular, with the Whangarei girls in particular showing the close correlation between hockey and lacrosse skills.

A strong, well co-ordinated athletic team, the northerners were on course for another victory until clashing with the AGGS team which included the Keown sisters Gracie, Annie and Esther, who also continue to make their mark in winter cross-country and road races.

After wins over St Dominics (17-0) and Avondale (14-0), AGGS were well-prepared for the final which was played over two 20-minute halves, rather than the planned four seven-minute quarters.

With places in the national under-19 team at stake, the final was a fast and furious affair, with AGGS getting home comfortably, despite conceding their only goals of the tournament.

Basketball

Corey Webster scored a match-high 33 points as Westlake BHS made no race of their all-Shore clash with Takapuna Grammar.

Ahead throughout, WBHS won 117-33 with Tony Wallburton (31 points/20 rebounds), Warwick Siddall (23 points) and Thomas Abercrombie (23 points/12 rebounds) backing Webster in the one-sided affair.

In another all-Shore affair in the girls competition, Northcote College led Westlake GHS by 17 points at the end of the first quarter and simply pulled away to win 98-56.

Cycling

Record numbers of cyclists put their wheels on the line in the hard-fought North Island championships in Ngaruawahia on Sunday in a busy day's racing.

With a record 88 teams contesting the time trials, an 8am start was necessary in the almost perfect conditions, with Auckland teams quickly showing the benefits of their regular Sunday morning waterfront racing.

St Cuthberts headed Diocesan and Epsom Girls Grammar in the junior girls race to claim a clean sweep for Auckland schools.

The junior boys race was won by Auckland Grammar who edged ahead of Westlake BHS who in turn held off Havelock North HS for second.

The senior girls race produced another Auckland sweep with Diocesan heading Macleans College and EGGS who again had to settle for bronze.

St Kentigern took their good winter form south to beat AGS in the senior boys race, with Palmerston North BHS grabbing third and showing the Auckland teams can expect some hot competition at the national championships.

The individual races produced some exciting contests with the junior grades racing around a tight 2.5km course and the older riders sent out on a new country circuit. Auckland schools found the competition tough, winning only two of the eight individual titles.

Auckland Grammar's Logan Hunn took the senior (under-20) race over 45km and Myron Simpson (St Kentigern) dominated the under-16 boys race over 32km.

Simpson's winning time, 53m 08s, was more than two minutes faster than the winning time in the under-17 grade.

Hunn launched several attacks on the undulating circuit before eventually taking it in a sprint finish from Shem Rodgers (Cambridge HS).

The senior girls race was won by Kerri-Ann Torkler (New Plymouth GHS) who broke way early in the 32km race and held on to head Odette Sceats (Gisborne GHS) and Ashley Stone (Waikato Diocesan).

Hockey

Westlake BHS scored a convincing 5-2 away win over Mt Roskill Grammar in second round inter-city action.

Goals to Tim Cox (2), Brad Cachopa, Mark Nicolson and Joseph Bartholomew paved the way for Westlake's win.

In a closer affair, Massey HS, 2-0 at halftime, had to work hard before edging Pukekohe HS 3-2. Raynesh Smith scored Massey's first-half goals. Dion Naran got one back for Pukekohe early in the second half before Massey re-established their two-goal advantage. A late goal from Vijay Hari closed the gap but it was as close as the southerners got.

Auckland Grammar continued their flying start. They were ahead 6-0 over Waiuku when the lights blew out. In their two games thus far, AGS have scored 11 without conceding.

In an amazing coincidence, the three games in the girls intercity were all won 4-0.

Kartsports

The big guns will roar into action on the refurbished 608-metre track at Waitara this weekend in the third national schools championships.

With entries well up on the 100 individuals from 50 schools who contested the inaugural championships in Auckland, organisers are preparing for a busy championship.

Around 140 entries, from 90 schools, have been received, with a number of last year's winners in Nelson back to defend their titles. Whangarei's Caine Lobb is favoured to defend his Rotax Max Light crown.

The team's title is always hotly contested. Rangitoto College won in 2003, taking first and second, but they were headed last year by St Kentigern College, with Nelson's Waimea taking the intermediate title.

St Kentigern will again be the team to beat. With a team of seven, the biggest of any school and headed by last year's winners Dominic Storey and Andrew Waite, they will start warm favourites.

Their biggest challenge could come from Palmerston North BHS, who have four drivers, including 15-year-old Brendan Hartley who is considered one of New Zealand's most promising single-seater drivers.

Other drivers to watch include Michael Burdett (Auckland), Joshua Burgess (Christchurch), Ben Dallas, Nick Cassidy, Mitchell Evans and Arie Hutton (all Auckland).

The Bruce McLaren KartSport Award will again be at stake, with the winner(s) getting a drive in a 150hp Formula Challenge single-seater after they have completed a project on McLaren. The award will be presented by McLaren's sister Jan McLaren-Storr.

Rugby

The cut and thrust at the top of the 1A championship shows no sign of abating. AGS went to the holiday break a point clear of Kings following their comfortable 34-0 romp against old rivals MAGS.

Kings kept pace but were not nearly as convincing in securing a dour 6-0 win over Tangaroa who remain in fourth place and, like the teams above them, well on course for the semifinals.

A 21-12 win over Sacred Heart kept Kelston BHS in third place.

In another hard-fought encounter, Otahuhu, 7-0 ahead at the break, got up to beat Tamaki, who stormed back to take an 8-7 lead midway through the second spell. The deadlock was broken in the 27th minute when Otahuhu captain Benson Auvaa scored a splendid try, which Sione Tongia converted.

Soccer

Mt Albert Grammar continue to set the pace at the top of A1 championship but again results confirmed just how close the teams are.

MAGS, a goal down at halftime after conceding an own goal, fought back with goals from Byron Paulus and Cook Islander Tuka Tisam, a halftime substitute, to beat Rangitoto College 2-1 to retain their five-point lead over Westlake BHS.

WBHS, who have a game in hand (against St Peters), picked up three valuable points with their 1-0 away win over Kings.

In a rare one-sided affair, AGS took the walk to neighbours St Peters and went away 7-0 winners.

Next month will find the championship winner, which must be known before the national tournament, and the finalists in the KO Cup.

* Results

BASKETBALL

AUCKLAND

Boys: WBHS 117 TGS 33.

Girls: Northcote 98 WGHS 56, Manurewa HS bt Diocesan by default.

* * *

CYCLING

NORTH ISLAND SS CHAMPIONSHIPS
(Ngaruawahia)

Boys, under-14 (15km): C. Hollandy (Taupo Nui A Tia) 1, J. Northey (WBHS) 2, H. McLean (Strathallan) 3.

Under-15 (20km): S. Joyce (Havelock North HS) 32m 42s, 1, J. Barnes (Taupo Nui A Tia) 2, P. Bevin (Taupo Nui A Tia) 3.

Under-16 (32km): M. Simpson (St Kentigern) 53m 08s, 1, J. Richards (Wanganui HS) 2, A. Howie (Tauranga BC) 3.

Under-17: S. Mullinger (PNBHS) 55m 20s, 1, J. Brown (PNBHS) 2, C. McMurray (St Kentigern) 3.

Under-20: L. Hunn (AGS) 1h 11m 18s, 1, S. Rodgers (Cambridge HS) 2, M. Torkler (NPBHS) 3.

Girls, under-15 (15km): S. Williams (Te Awamutu Col) 26m 25s, 1, S. Prosser (EGGS) 2, A. Shirtcliffe (WGHS) 3.

Under-17 (32km): E. Patterson (Te Awamutu) 58m 40s, 1, E. Crum (St Cuthberts) 2, N. Macic (Manurewa HS) 3.

Under-20 (32km): K. Torkler (NPGHS) 58m 00s, 1, O. Sceats (Gisborne GHS) 2, A. Stone (Waikato Diocesan) 3.

Time trials, junior boys: AGS 1, WBHS 2, Havelock North HS 3.

Senior boys: St Kentigern 1, AGS 2, PNBHS 3.

Junior girls: St Cuthberts 1, Diocesan 2, EGGS 3.

Senior girls: Diocesan 1, Macleans 2, EGGS 3.

* * *

HOCKEY

INTER-CITY

Boys: AGS 6 Waiuku 0, WBHS 5 MRGS 2, Massey HS 3 Pukekohe HS 2.

Girls: St Cuthberts 4 Pukekohe HS 0, Diocesan 4 Kristin 0, Rangitoto 4 Rosehill 0.

* * *

LACROSSE

NZSS CHAMPIONSHIPS
(Parrs Park)

AGGS 17 St Dominics 0, AGGS 14 Avondale 0. Final: AGGS 13 Whangarei GHS 2.

* * *

LEAGUE

AUCKLAND

Finals day at Ericsson Stadium washed out. Finals will now be played in the third term.

* * *

RUGBY

AUCKLAND

1A: AGS 34 MAGS 0, Kings 6 Tangaroa 0, Otahuhu 14 Tamaki 8, KBHS 21 Sacred Heart 12. Points: AGS 38, Kings 37, KBHS 34, Tangaroa 30, St Pauls 24, MAGS 22, Tamaki 21, Sacred Heart 16, Otahuhu, De La Salle 13, St Peters 5, Macleans 0.

* * *

SOCCER

AUCKLAND

Senior A1: Kings 0 WBHS 1, AGS 7 St Peters 0, MAGS 2 Rangitoto 1.