LEAD STORY: 200 in school brawl

STAFF REPORTERS
Inter-school rivalry between Hastings Boys High School and Flaxmere College boiled over yesterday in an after-school brawl involving 200 students.
Two police officers were assaulted after they initially stepped in to break up a fight in the park at 3:30pm.
A police source told Hawke's Bay Today the injured officer, Constable James Mason, was ``king hit' from the side, which forced a tooth through his cheek requiring stitches.
``It's one of the biggest callouts I've attended,' the source said.
Thirty officers and 10 patrol cars took an hour to break up the fight and clear onlookers.
Police believe the fight had been organised, possibly by text message.
Acting Senior Sergeant Cory Ubels said the brawl could have been sparked from an earlier conflict between the two schools on Monday.
``A large number of police officers were called in from around the area in order to control the students and bring the situation under control,' he said.
``[It's] taken a lot of resources for a bunch of idiots who took the law into their own hands to deal with an incident that happened the day before. It's a waste of police time and a waste of police resources.'
Hastings Boys' High School principal Robert Sturch said offensive gestures between the students were common as the bus went past Flaxmere College daily.
There was some ``ill-feeling' between students from both schools but this was the first time the situation had led to violence, he said.
The day before, a bus with some of his students on board had its window broken by a chain thrown from the direction of the other school.
He believed yesterday's altercation was a direct follow-on from the incident, although it involved different students. He arrived at Flaxmere Park as the altercation turned into an ``out-of-control melee' of about 10 ``stupid idiot young kids' scuffling with police.
``I don't want people to think it's a spiralling problem. What's really disappointing is the number of onlookers who didn't have the sense to walk away.'
Both principals met today to discuss the incident. Flaxmere College principal Nigel Hanton last night described the fight as ``a very rare and unusual event'.
Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said it was frustrating to see an incident like this occur when so much was being done to curb violence in the Hastings suburb.
A 14-year-old boy appeared in Hastings Youth Court today charged with assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly behaviour. He was remanded on bail until October 21 without plea.
Six other pupils aged between 13 and 15 were arrested and charged with disorderly behaviour likely to cause violence, including a 13-year-old boy found in possession of a chain.