Orienteering: Backyard wisdom helps youngsters

Lockie Moriarity, a Year 7 Havelock North Intermediate pupil, consults his map at Tamatea High School, Napier, on day one of the three-day North Island schools' orienteering championship. Photo / Warren Buckland

They may have had home advantage but they still had to do the business. Do it they did.

Orienteers from local schools excelled at the Hawke's Bay-hosted North Island secondary school champs yesterday, taking three of the eight titles on offer and six other podium placings.

Yesterday's sprint championship races on the Tamatea map provided fast racing around complex school buildings and the more open but challenging terrain of Anderson Park. There were over 400 entries.

The senior girls' race provided a local victory for Harriet Holt. Holt edged out her teammate Claudia Layton by 18 seconds while the probably most favoured of the three Napier Girls' High girls in Georgia Creagh ran fifth some 14 seconds further back.

While not winning, a local trio all ran close up in the intermediate girls' race. Jenna Tidswell (Havelock North High) placed third, just one frustrating second behind Sofie Safkova (Takapuna Grammar) and 12 seconds away from Jessica Sewell (Diocesan). Woodford's Monique Way was fourth and Napier Girls' Carolyne Nel fifth

The junior girls' race was anything but close: Woodford House's Tessa Burns ran away to win by 2mins 9 secs.

In the senior boys' championship the lead seesawed among a group of seven or eight with never more than 40 seconds covering them all. Locals David Rawnsley (Napier Boys') and Dylan Kirk (Havelock North High) were always prominent but had to settle for second and fourth respectively. Only eight seconds covered the top three at the line.

Local favourites Ronan Lee (Lindisfarne) and Bayley Stephens-Ellison (Napier Boys') made the intermediate boys' podium, second and third. Napier's Kingston Webb was sixth.

Havelock North High's Will Tidswell was the dominant winner of the junior boys' race, beating Napier Boys' Adam Barron by 1min 32secs.

Tomorrow's action moves to the complex farm and forest terrain of Waipoapoa in the Maraetotara valley for the long-course championships. And on Saturday the team relays conclude the championships at Te Awanga.

- Story supplied by Steve Armon