Orienteering: HNHS siblings stand out

Will Tidswell, Carolyne Nel and Jenna Tidswell will represent New Zealand in the Southern Cross Challenge of orienteering from late September. Photo / Steve Armon

Siblings Will and Jenna Tidswell, of Havelock North High School, and Carolyne Nel, of Napier Girls' High, are the three Hawke's Bay orienteers selected in the national secondary school team to compete at the Australian School Championship.

The team of 16 were picked after the New Zealand School Championship at St Peter's School in Cambridge at the weekend.

They will compete against six Australian states and ACT for the Southern Cross Trophy from September 24 to October 2 as part of the Australian School Championship in Queensland.

The team announcement capped a very successful nationals for the Bay schools who won three of the six sprint titles - Harriet Holt (NGHS) senior girls, Jenna Tidswell (HNHS) intermediate girls and Will Tidswell (HNHS) junior boys.

They also won four of the six long course titles - Ronan Lee (Lindisfarne College) intermediate boys, Jenna Tidswell, Will Tidswell and Tessa Burns (Woodford House) junior girls.

The Tidswell pair were the only double title winners at the champs.

Adding to the Bay bonanza were Napier Boys' High successes in both the senior and intermediate boys' relays while the Havelock North intermediate girls finished an agonisingly close second.

NBHS and NGHS won the top school trophies based on all the grades and the relays.

In the premier school competitions for the best orienteer in each of the individual championship grades, NGHS took the girls' while HNHS and NBHS shared the boys' bragging rights.

In all, a staggering 13 of the 22 trophies on offer had to be squeezed into the Bay vans for the journey home.

St Peters School's adjoining farm provided challenging courses for Thursday's sprint and Saturday's relays.

The long course championship was held on a rocky farmland map at Wharepapa South, familiar sort of terrain for Bay runners.

Steve Armon