KEY POINTS:
Rangitoto College emerged victorious for the first time since 2003 when they edged arch-rivals Westlake BHS 11-7 in the final of the North Island junior water polo championships on Sunday.
Hopes of a double for Auckland schools were dashed when Sacred Heart (Lower Hutt) pulled away in the final quarter to beat Epsom GGS in the girls' final.
MVP Tom Kearns spearheaded Rangitoto's early blitz in the tournament finale at West Wave in Henderson when he scored three goals and helped his team to a handy 6-2 lead.
Scott Kennedy, Lewis Vos and Thornton Munro were also on the scoresheet in that first quarter.
Rangitoto, coached by former head boy Michael Buck, were never seriously challenged and won well to give Kearns his second national secondary schools title of the year after earlier helping the college to win the senior title.
In the bronze medal match, St Kentigern scored three quick goals to apply early pressure but Wellington College edged their way back and took control in the third quarter to win 8-6.
The girls' final was tight for much of the game but when one of the Epsom players was excluded for her third major foul, much of their fight went too and Sacred Heart took over. Led by the tournament's most valuable player, Caitlin Duffey, the southerners went on to win 11-7.
CRICKET
Auckland
In a round of generally low scores, Westlake BHS and Rosmini College led the way as the only schools to get beyond 200.
Batting first on a well-prepared pitch, Westlake hit 218 in their 50 overs with useful contributions from Elliott Power, Brad Cachopa and Beaumont Schoeman.
In reply, Mt Albert Grammar offered little - bundled out for 88 with Liam Weaheans the best of the Westlake attack in taking 3-25.
Anthony Langton, Alexander McDuff and Josh Tasina-Jones chipped in with two wickets each.
Rosmini piled on 223/4 against Macleans with an unbeaten 93 from Shaun McCann and Matt Young's 51. In reply, Macleans batted their 50 overs but managed only 162/8 as James Murray and Cam Saunders bagged seven wickets between them.
After winning the toss and batting first, Kelston BHS managed only 109/9 after being 59/2 at one stage. Rangitoto were in trouble at 82/6 in reply but a 28-run partnership between Rowan Bezuidenhout and Mike Tillett got them home with four wickets and one over in hand.
Avondale won the toss and batted against Sacred Heart but were skittled for 100 as Kyle Wright picked up 3-20 from his 10 overs.
Led by Brad Chemaly's 57 not out, Sacred Heart reached the target in the 27th over with five wickets in hand.
Waikato
Beaten midweek by the Hamilton BHS 1st XI in their Gillette Cup clash, St Peter's School bounced back to thrash St John's by 143 runs.
But it was not as one-sided as the scores suggest as St Peter's were in trouble at 40/4 after 12 overs with Sean Patterson and Trent Te Wharau taking advantage of the favourable bowling conditions.
A middle-order recovery led by Josh Nelson and useful contributions from Ben Stinson (28), Scott Mongston (29) and Alistair Lawrie (42 not out) turned things around.
But for some effective spin bowling from Cameron Smith, St Peter's might have piled on even more runs.
In reply, Stinson continued his good day in skittling St John's. He finished with 5-23 from his 10 overs as St John's folded to be all out for 84, which meant St Peter's continue their hold on the Dave Hoskin Trophy.
Hillcrest HS made the most of home advantage in beating Matamata College by eight wickets. Batting first after winning the toss, Matamata began strongly with handy efforts from openers Toby Hawes and Brad Smith.
That momentum later fell away and the innings ended at 138 in the 34th over after William Kokaua and change bowler Chris Jamieson picked up three wickets each.
In reply, Hillcrest lost Jamieson early but fellow opener Rhys Whiting and captain Bryce Reed produced the match-winning partnership in the face of some steady Matamata bowling.
It was much closer as the Hamilton BHS Development team got home by one wicket over Cambridge High School.
Electing to bat first at home, Cambridge lost Jeremy Clayton early and needed some dogged resistance from Jake Bezzant and Keenan Adlam to lay the foundation. Useful lower-order efforts from Brad Cook and Stephen Ross, who shared a 51-run ninth-wicket partnership with Sean Keeley, got them through to 168.
Hamilton BHS made a solid start in reply, reaching 43 before Cambridge struck twice in the 13th over.
But, in a strong reminder of the "catches wins matches" edict, Cambridge threw their hopes away by dropping four catches as Hamilton won with one wicket in hand in the 47th over.
A strong match double for Andrew McLean was not enough to get Fraser HS home in their match in Morrinsville.
McLean took 4-26 to help restrict Morrinsville College to 166. That score was better than looked likely at one stage thanks mainly to a productive eighth-wicket partnership between Jason Neal (28) and Chris Armstrong (27).
Fraser HS lost two early wickets and needed a face-saving knock from McLean (55) batting at three to prevent a complete disaster.
McLean's was the ninth wicket to fall - bowled by young Tom Arnold who ended the innings in the same over at 124 - 42 runs shy of Morrinsville's tally.
WAKA AMA
Ninety-five teams from 18 schools will take to the water on Saturday in the Auckland SS junior regatta.
The teams of six paddlers will race over 300m on the Orakei Basin course with competition in boys, girls and mixed classes in first and second divisions.
Racing will start at 8am with finals from 1.30pm.
COLLEGE SPORT RESULTS
CRICKET
Auckland
1A
WBHS 218 (E. Power 44, B. Cachopa 35, B. Schoeman 34) bt MAGS 88 (L. Weaheans 3-15).
Rosmini 223/4 (S. McCann 93no, M. Young 51, P. Coleman 47; J Murray 4-35, C. Saunders 3-24) bt Macleans 162/8.
KBHS 109/9 lost to Rangitoto 110/6.
St Kentigern 126 bt TGS 123.
Avondale 100 (K. Wright 3-20) lost to Sacred Heart 101/5 (B. Chemaly 57no).
Waikato
1ST XI
Division one, round four
Matamata 138 (W. Kokaua 3-38, C. Jamieson 3-30) lost to Hillcrest HS 139/2 (R. Whiting 51no, B. Reed 59).
St Peters 227/9 (J. Nelson 61, A. Lawrie 42no; T. Te Wharau 3-32, C. Smith 3-37) bt St Johns 84 (B. Stinson 5-23, Lawrie 3-22).
Morrinsville 166 (D. Lowe 42; A. McLean 4-26, T. Salvatierra 3-25) bt Fraser HS 124 (McLean 55; T. Arnold 4-22).
Cambridge 168 (S. Ross 38, J. Bezzant 35, B. Cook 30; H. Blake 4-33) lost to Hamilton BHS 171/9 (S. Weal 41; D. Woodcock 3-33, Cook 3-12).
Points: St Peters 16, Hillcrest, HBHS Development, Cambridge 13, Morrinsville 10, Matamata 7, St Johns, Fraser 4.
* * *
WATER POLO
NORTH ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS
(Auckland)
Boys
Division one
Semifinals: Westlake 9 Wellington College 6, Rangitoto 10 St Kentigern 6.
Final: Rangitoto 11 WBHS 7.
3rd-4th: Wellington College 8 St Kentigern 6.
5th-6th: Kristin 9 Sacred Heart 1.
7th-8th: MAGS 12 Glendowie 7.
9th-10th: St Johns 7 KBHS 4.
11th-12th: St Pats (Silverstream) 7 Scots College 4.
13th-14th: AGS 4 Kings 1.
Division two
Semifinals: Tauranga BC 8 Rongotai 5, Church College 7 Long Bay 5.
Final: Church College 7 Tauranga 3.
3rd-4th: Long Bay 7 Rongotai 5.
5th-6th: Northcote 6 Avondale 5.
7th-8th: Otumoetai 16 MRGS 7.
9th-10th: Hutt Valley HS 10 TGS 7.
11th-12th: Liston 9 Kaipara 9.
Girls
Division one
Semifinals: Sacred Heart (L Hutt) 5 Diocesan 4, EGGS 4 Samuel Marsden 2.
Final: Sacred Heart 11 EGGS 7.
3rd-4th: Samuel Marsden 4 Diocesan 3.
5th-6th: Rangitoto 6 WGHS 5.
7th-8th: Massey HS 7 John Paul College 5.
9th-10th: Waikato Diocesan 4 MRGS 3.
11th-12th: St Cuthberts 6 Queen Margaret 4.
Division two
Final: Tauranga GC 4 Marist College 0.
3rd-4th: St Marys 4 Carmel 2.
5th-6th: St Kentigern 7 St Dominics 5.
7th-8th: Corran 15 AGGS 5.
9th-10th: MAGS 11 Sacred Heart (Hamilton) 5.
11th-12th: Avondale 8 Te Puke 8.
13th-14th: Aquinas College 9 Hutt Valley HS 5.
COMING UP
Today: Cricket, girls premier (all 4pm), Avondale v Macleans, Avondale; EGGS v Baradene, Melville Park 5a, MAGS v Diocesan, MAGS.
Friday: Table tennis, Gillies Ave (3.45pm), B grade, AGS 4 v Parnell 1, AGS 5 v AGS 6, AGS 7 v AGS 9, AGS 3 v AGS 8. C grade, AGS 10 v AGS 13, AGS 11 v AGS 14, AGS 12 v MHMS 3, MHMS 2 v Onehunga 5.
Saturday: Cricket, Auckland (11am, home team first), 1A, pool A, KBHS v MAGS, Rangitoto v St Kentigern, TGS v WBHS. 1A, pool B, AGS v Rosmini, Macleans v Avondale, Kings v Sacred Heart.
Waka ama, Auckland SS junior regatta, Orakei Basin 8am-3pm (finals from 1.30pm).
