College sport: Spence grabs top honours

Rebecca Spence's golden year continued when she was named the New Zealand secondary schools triathlete of the year, despite missing the last leg of a busy calendar.

Thomas Hahn (St Peter's College, Epsom) took the male award.

Spence, a 16-year-old from Rangitoto College in Mairangi Bay, won the national schools triathlon and duathlon titles and the New Zealand under-20 triathlon championship.

This month, she won silver at the world junior (under-20) triathlon championships. She bypassed last weekend's secondary schools multisport championship to prepare for this Sunday's world duathlon championships in Australia.

Hahn also won the triathlon and duathlon titles but was denied a shot at the trifecta when a puncture early on the cycle leg of the multisport championship in Tauranga meant he did not finish.

Archery

Hannah Reynolds' Avondale College C team did not make it past the quarter-finals of the term-three finals at the Mountain Green Club on Mt Albert summit, but the 16-year-old stole the show.

Reynolds joined the Robin Hood Club when one of her arrows embedded itself inside the nine-point arrow of Auckland Grammar's Harrison Payne, already nestled in the bullseye.

Many of the sport's best never manage that feat. Reynolds now has the evidence - including Payne's arrow - to show she has.

Her effort was all the more meritorious considering the difficult conditions on Sunday morning, as competitors struggled to fire their three arrows in under two minutes.

After finishing top of the qualifying round, Auckland Grammar were a point behind St Peter's College at the halfway stage of the final (after each of the four members had shot three arrows). But Grammar rallied to win by 10 points.

King's College were too strong for Avondale A in the bronze medal match, winning by 28 points.

Lawn bowls

The resurgence of the sport in schools continues.

A new tournament aimed at Year 9 and 10 pupils attracted nearly 120 competitors to the Remuera and Mt Eden clubs.

Pupils competed in mixed pairs, playing three-hour games (about 10 ends), with winners declared after the round-robin games.

Organisers have scheduled another tournament at the same clubs for December 5, and teachers are keen to join their pupils on the greens.

The best bowlers from northern secondary schools will be at the Hakaru Bowling Club, Mangawhai, on Sunday for the regional qualifier, and the top ones will go on to the secondary schools championships at Pakuranga on December 13-14.

Multisport

The sport's expanding popularity was reflected in the number of schools with pupils on the podium at the secondary schools championships at McLarens Falls, southwest of Tauranga, on Saturday.

The best race of the day came in the junior boys, when Taupo-Nui-a-Tia College schoolmates John Glanville and Josh Barnes went head to head. Glanville just got home to add the multisport gold to the silver medal he won in the triathlon championship.

Zoe Anderson completed her set of medals, winning the junior girls' race and silver and bronze in the triathlon and duathlon.

Ryan Sissons (Macleans) came from behind after the kayak and cycle legs to run down Daniel Barry (Nelson College) and Vincent Fletcher from Taupo's Tauhara College.

Sissons, the winner of last year's intermediate title, added the national title to the Auckland crown he won from Thomas Hahn a few weeks ago. The expected repeat of that battle fizzled when Hahn punctured and was forced to retire.

Using her superior kayaking and cycling skills to good advantage, Odette Sceats (Gisborne Girls High) held off the strong Auckland duo of Courtney McConnochie and Sophie Hewitt to take the senior girls' title, one better than last year's silver medal.

Kirsten Montgomery (Rangitoto) did it the hard way to win the intermediate title - her first national success.

After capsizing three times on the opening 3km kayak leg, Montgomery, daughter of South African Rockley Montgomery who won the 1992 Coast to Coast and four world multisport titles, used her running ability to head Tauranga Girls College hopefuls Nicole Rockliffe and Hannah Lowe.

Waiuku's Mark Bowstead comfortably won the intermediate boys' race on the testing course, which included a 4.2km trail run.

Around 180 competitors contested the various categories which included, for the first time, a mountain bike section.

Soccer

Westlake Boys finally had something to celebrate with their victory over Auckland Grammar in the Knockout Cup final on prizegiving day at North Harbour Stadium.

In a game that did not rise to any great heights - it was played just 10 days after the national tournament and key players were missing - Westlake scored a goal in each half to win 2-1.

Captain and central defender Tommy Smith headed home from a set piece to give Westlake their halftime lead. Grammar got back to 1-1 eight minutes from time when Josh Ming scored. But that joy was short-lived, as substitute Tom Kelly grabbed the winner a minute later.

It was a breakthrough for coach Gary Moore, who won the trophy five times while coaching at Kelston Boys. This was his first victory in three attempts at Westlake.

The success capped a good season for Westlake, who earlier finished second behind Mt Albert Grammar in the 1A championship and fifth, after being beaten only once, at the Lotto Sports national premier tournament in Napier.

Volleyball

Players have hit the court in earnest, with 170 teams playing in the junior competition.

Nine premier grade teams from different schools are chasing six spots in November's Auckland junior championships.

Westlake Boys, Avondale College and Rangitoto have made the early running in the boys' competition with two-from-two. In the girls', Mangere College, McAuley High and Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate have 100 per cent records.

In early zone action, Mt Albert Grammar and Diocesan lead Central pool A and Onehunga High and Marist are on top in pool B.

Mt Albert and Mt Roskill Grammar have quickly shown out in boys Central zone action.

In the Eastern zone girls, Macleans, Sancta Maria A and B, Penrose, Edgewater and Elim Christian College had winning starts and Penrose, Tamaki and St Kentigern did the same in boys' games.

Otahuhu College have shown out early in the Southern zone, with their boys and girls away to winning starts.

Long Bay College A and B girls both won twice in North Harbour action.

Rutherford and Waitakere had wins in opening day games in the Waitakere west competition.

COLLEGE RESULTS

ARCHERY

TERM THREE FINALS

(Mountain Green, Mt Albert)

Qualification round.-

Teams: AGS A (M. Goh/A. Guillemin/M. Cho/J. Gong) 1800, 1, St Peters A (B. Castelino/D. Joseph/B. Nicholson/M. Leedom) 1692, 2, Avondale College A (K. Hendry/S. Behrend/T. Yan/C. Woolford) 1680, 3, AGS B (W. Joo/L. Wang/J. Gaffney/O. Town) 1669, 4, Kings A (H. Mao/M. Narula/C. MacLaren/Y. Sekikawa) 1642, 5.

Individual.-

Novice recurve: Goh 469, Guillemin 467, Cho 462.

Recurve: Hendry 434, Gaffney 417, Narula 415.

Compound: Town 389, G. Barnett (Avondale) 339.

Quarter-finals: AGS A 364 Avondale C 286, St Peters 389 Kings B 333, Avondale A 356 Avondale B 331, Kings A 359 AGS B 330.

Semifinals: St Peters 304 Avondale 290, AGS A 313 Kings A 282.

Final: AGS A 201 St Peters 197.

Third-fourth: Kings 210 Avondale 182.

* * *

LAWN BOWLS

AUCKLAND

Year nine and 10 pairs.-

Remuera (A green): Tu Kingi/Ashley Fullerton (Dilworth) 1, Stacy Austin/Youngchi Chansavang (Avondale) 2.

B green: Sam Cooper/Sam Brdyce Lewis (Avondale) 1, Michael James/Blair Stephenson (Howick) 2.

Mt Eden BC: Liam Dobson/Oliver Pownall (Lynfield) 1, Nathan Swaney/James Baker (Kelston BHS) 2.

* * *

MULTISPORT

NZ SS CHAMPIONSHIPS

(McLarens Falls, Tauranga)

Junior under-14 (2km kayak/10km road cycle/3.2km run).-

Girls: Z. Anderson (Chilton St James) 52m 44s, 1, S. Reardon (Taupo-Nui-a-Tia College) 54m 23s, 2, M. Blackett (Strathallan College) 55mm 44s, 3.

Boys: J. Glanville (Taupo-Nui-a-Tia College) 47m 32s, 1, J. Barnes (Taupo-Nui-a-Tia College) 47m 35s, 2, T. Gunman (Westlake BHS) 47m 43s, 3.

Intermediate under-16 (3km kayak/15km road cycle/4.2km run).-

Girls: K. Montgomery (Rangitoto) 78m 49s, 1, N. Rockcliffe (Tauranga GC) 80m 28s, 2, H. Lowe (Tauranga GC) 85m 45s, 3.

Boys: M. Bowstead (Waiuku) 61m 18s, 1, B. Aldrich (Westlake BHS) 65m 01s, 2, S. Lake (Mt Maunganui College) 65m 52s, 3.

Senior under-19 (4km kayak/20km road cycle/5km run).-

Girls: O. Sceats (Gisborne GHS) 96m 13s, 1, C. McConnochie (Diocesan) 98m 08s, 2, S. Hewitt (Diocesan) 105m 15s, 3.

Boys: R. Sissons (Macleans) 81m 32s, 1, D. Barry (Nelson College) 82m 15s, 2, V. Fletcher (Tauhara College) 82m 28s, 3.

Juniors under-14 (2km kayak/5km mountain bike/3.2km trail run).-

Girls: L. Jesse (Taupo-Nui-a-Tia) 48m 32s, 1.

Boys: A. Pulford (Hauraki Plains) 42m 05s, 1, Z. Martin (Otumoetai) 43m 04s, 2, K. Graham (Trident College) 44m 01s, 3.

Intermediate under-16 (3km kayak/7km mountain bike/4.2km trail run).-

Girls: A. Pulford (Hauraki Plains) 80m 09s, 1, S. Clark (Whakatane HS) 85m 25s, 2.

Boys: A. Beard (Mt Maunganui) 63m 25s, 1, J. Law (Rotorua BHS) 70m 53s, 2.

Senior under-19 (4km kayak/10km mountain bike/5km trail run).-

Girls: S. Hamilton (Waiuku) 78m 49s, 1, M. Brown (Waiuku) 87m 33s, 2 .

* * *

SOCCER

AUCKLAND

Knockout Cup, final at North Harbour Stadium: Westlake BHS 2 (T. Smith, T. Kelly) Auckland Grammar 1 (J. Ming). HT: 1-0.

* * *

TABLE TENNIS

AUCKLAND

A grade: Auckland Grammar A 7 Auckland Grammar B 0, Macleans A 6 AGS C 1, Macleans B 6 Rutherford HS 1, St Kentigern A 7 St Kentigern B 0.

Final standings: Macleans A 1, AGS A 2, St Kentigern A 3, AGS C 4, Macleans B 5, St Kentigern B 6, AGS B 7, Rutherford HS 8.

Coming up

Thursday-Sunday: Curling, North Island secondary schools championships, Paradice, Avondale.

Friday-Sunday: Badminton, NZ schools team's finals, Wellington.

Saturday-Monday: Cycling, schools time trials, Palmerston North.

Sunday: Lawn bowls, Northern (Far North, Northland, North Harbour, Auckland) secondary schools regional qualifier, Hakaru Bowling Club, Mangawhai, 9.30am. Rugby, regional schools tournament, Pukekohe Stadium, Northern B v Hurricanes schools noon; Northern A v Southern schools 1.30pm.

Monday-Friday: Yachting, girls' fleet racing, Auckland.

Tuesday: Rugby, schools regional tournament, Waitemata Rugby Club, final 10.30am; 3rd-4th, noon.

Wednesday-Thursday: Table tennis, national secondary schools championships, Christchurch.

* College Sport takes a break for two weeks and will be back on October 12.