KEY POINTS:
A game-ending melee, over-weight players and a huge upset grabbed this week's headlines in Auckland secondary schools rugby.
The scrap in the first XV game at Sacred Heart, in which the home team was leading Papatoetoe HS 58-0, brought an unfortunate end to a one-sided affair in which Sacred Heart had produced some exciting running rugby.
But when someone ran on and sparked a fracas with just minutes to play, referee Ben Skeen took the safety-first option and called the game off.
Fielding over-weight players in their 6B grade game against Sacred Heart cost Auckland Grammar the points and led to embarrassment for Auckland Secondary Schools Rugby Association secretary Alex Bing.
With his close involvement with the sport at his school and aware three players were considerably over the 56kg weight restriction, Bing had warned the team coach and players not to play. They failed to heed his call and faced censure when the debacle unravelled at halftime in the match at Sacred Heart on Saturday.
"In my position, I'm always looking for fair play," said Bing. "There is no place for things like this."
It was not a great day for AGS with their first XV beaten 13-10 by Tangaroa College - a result which has thrown the 1A championship wide open.
Basketball
KBHS won the battle of the west beating Avondale College 105-60 in premier boy's action.
After a close first half, Dilworth stormed home to beat MAGS 75-56. Miah Makavilitogia led the scoring with 22 points for Dilworth.
MAGS sprang a minor surprise with their 75-72 win over Northcote.
The much-anticipated clash between AGS and WBHS has been held over to be played as a curtainraiser to the NBL game between the Harbour Heat and Waikato Pistons on June 13.
A lacklustre effort from Massey HS in premier girl's action had them trailing Avondale College by 16 points at halftime but after some harsh words from coach Sherrol Paalvast, they lifted their game after the break and scraped home 60-58 with Genevieve Lauaki providing the spark - and 17 invaluable points.
Northcote overpowered EGGS 122-26.
Conference
The "no study, no game" policy encompassed by Wellington's St Catherine's College and presented by Di Jordan will be the closing address at the two-day Activate Secondary School Sports Conference in Auckland this week.
Jordan will explain how their policy is linked to both the basketball and academic successes at the school and is certain to attract much interest for the more than 165 sports co-ordinators and physical education staff who will also hear from keynote speakers Lester Levy (on authentic leadership), Allison Mooney (personality profiling) and Spencer Willis, who will speak on a subject dear to many in sport - "how to keep youth in the game".
The conference will be held at Waipuna Hotel tomorrow and on Friday.
Curling
Defending champions AGGS made a sold start to the defence of their girl's title on the opening night of the new season, beating Baradene No 2 8-2.
AGGS No 2 also had a good night beating Baradene 3 8-0 while Brittany Taylor skipped Henderson High to a tense 7-5 win over the Nick Lambert-skipped Long Bay Mixed.
Blake Steele led Long Bay Boys to a 6-2 win over newcomers Massey High Ramrod. The Birkenhead teams will make their first appearance in second round action tomorrow night.
Lawn bowls
The myth that bowls is a game for those in their twilight years was further blown apart at the Epsom BC yesterday.
Among the place-getters in the Auckland SS championships were a 12-year-old girl and 14-year-old twins who won the pairs title.
Jamie and Kerryn Etika (Waiheke HS) won all three games, and finished with a +56 differential to claim the pairs title from Marcel Le Leivre and Lacey Beadley (Howick) by eight shots.
Chloe Harding-Sheeth (Massey) won the singles crown from Emma Baxter (Pakuranga) with 12-year-old Megan Graddon (Corran) third.
The boy's pairs was an AGS benefit as they scooped the top three places.
John Taiaroa and Morgan Mardell successfully defended their title in winning their three games and finishing with a massive +79 differential - 20 shots better than runners-up Ciaran MacElvanna and Jose Hamber.
New Zealand SS singles champion Greg Ruaporo (St Peter's) was always ahead as he claimed the boy's single 21-18 from 15-year-old Scott Cottrell (Waiheke) in a keenly-contested final.
Following the event, 10 bowlers were named to go to Australia next month for two tests against NSW and to attend a training camp.
Bevan Beckham (Pukekohe HS) capped a long unbeaten run with a decisive 16-8 win over Papakura's Brad Laughton in the final of the Counties Manukau SS boy's singles at the Pukekohe Cosmopolitan BC.
The championship attracted more than 30 entries from seven schools with all players having three section games of 45 minutes or 21 shots.
Eight players won through to the quarter-finals with three wins each from which brothers Brad and Ben Laughton won through to one semifinal and Beckham and Mathew Pulman the other.
Ben won the early battle of the brothers but Brad chipped away to tie it at 12-12 going into the last end on which he drew the shot with his last bowl.
Beckham beat Pulman 16-6 with some superb draw play. He took that form into the final and was always in control, racing to 16-7 and holding three shots on the last end before Laughton ran at the head to take shot.
Netball
After their unbeaten start to the Collegiate 1 race in the North Harbour premier championship, Orewa College were shocked back to reality in going down 34-26 to Carmel College.
Carmel and Orewa are now in third place with Kristin, Northcote and WGHS - four points behind Rangitoto and Mahurangi, who made it four-from-four with clear-cut wins over Pinehurst and Long Bay respectively.
The closest game was between neighbours Northcote and Birkenhead Colleges. Northcote led throughout but a late charge by Birkenhead enabled them to close to within two points at 28-26 thus claiming a valuable bonus point.
Rugby
De La Salle's 52-0, eight-try romp over St Peter's, spearheaded by impressive first-five Kelelolio Hifo and man of the match Michael Harvey, carried them five points clear at the top of the table with three bonus-point wins.
The scrap for second place is intense with AGS, King's, MAGS and Sacred Heart locked together five points back. AGS lost 13-10 to Tangaroa College. Early mistakes cost both teams scoring opportunities.
MAGS got their season back on track with their 16-15 win over previously unbeaten St Paul's after St Paul's had led 8-0 at halftime.
Kelston BHS kick-started their season with their first win - a hard-fought 10-6 effort against King's.
Tamaki College scored their second win and picked up a bonus point in beating St Kentigern 27-13 after leading 17-3 at halftime. St Kentigern scored two second half (unconverted) tries.
Across the bridge, WBHS battled back from 3-9 at halftime to beat TGS 18-9.
Spearheaded by a massive 41 points from wing Moele Taufa - 18 conversions and a try - Wesley College raced to a 138-3 win over Papakura High in the Counties Manukau SS competition.
In a day of big scores, the Wesley second XV beat Waiuku 39-3, Pukekohe HS got home 45-24 over James Cook High and Manurewa swamped Rosehill College 62-3.
Soccer
Auckland and Mt Albert Grammar warmed up for the early clash of the season with big third round victories.
In a game played midweek, to allow MAGS to play their Chatham Cup game on Saturday, WBHS failed to capitalise on home advantage going down 5-1 - their first loss of the season.
An in-swinging Skye Parmenter corner was deflected home by Mark Withers for the 25th minute opening goal.
The home side got back to 1-1 with William Ward scoring after working a neat one-two with Chris Green. It was the first goal conceded by MAGS this season.
MAGS went to the break 2-1 ahead when Milosh Nicolic scored virtually from the restart hitting home for the edge of the penalty area.
Second half goals to Nicolic, Zane Sole and Pomare Te Anau - after he had set up the first two - made certain of the points.
After leading 3-1 with 20 minutes to play, injury-hit Macleans conceded late goals to King's College and ended level at 3-3 after King's captain John Niyonsaba settled it with a cracking freekick.
Table tennis
Macleans A and St Kentigern remain unbeaten after three rounds following clear-cut wins over Manurewa HS and Macleans B respectively.
Whereas Macleans again won without dropping a game in winning 7-0, St Kentigern were held 5-2 by a gritty Macleans combination.
MRGS also won without dropping a game, beating Avondale College 7-0. AGS were almost as convincing with their 6-1 triumph over MAGS.
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