DARTS: Sharp with a dartboard

ANENDRA SINGH
Whatever the politicians' views may be in the Beehive about what makes students tick academically, Hawke's Bay's Henry Heather and Tawa Paikea have given the single-sex campaign a boost.
The Hastings Boys' High School pair yesterday teamed up in the New Zealand Youth and Junior Darts Championships to register the first victory for the province.
Heather and Paikea defeated Taranaki's Kelvin Phillips and Ricki Dean 3-1 in the youth pairs at the Hastings Darts Association clubrooms during the second day of competition.
On Sunday, only one Bay mixed pairing of Heather and Letitia Hokianga made the last eight while the remaining combinations among the 16 provincial players bowed out prematurely.
Yesterday, Paikea and Heather fought back from one leg down after Paikea led a revival in the second leg with a high of 135. The second highest finish in the section went to Nelson's Sean Dawson with 101.
In the youth girls' pairs, it was an all-Hutt Valley affair as Toni Toka and Atawai Manuel beat Cassandra and Mihi Awatere 3-1.
In the junior boys singles, Keela Huaki, of Hutt Valley, who has been turning heads with a "flower or statue of liberty" hairdo, last night waxed the flights on his darts but it wasn't smooth enough to beat Mosgiel's Ryan Smith.
The 13-year-old intermediate student succumbed 2-1 despite a high finish of 101 and two 180s.
In the junior girls' singles event, Aucklander Marie Sivaele prevailed 2-1 over Jasmine Waititi, of Capital (Wellington).
Hutt Valley's Jonathan Tata had the highest finish of 141 followed by Auckland's Lawrence Oltaches on 115 and Karli Paget, of Dunedin, with 106.
Others who recorded 180s last night were Canterbury's Tukina Weko and Palmerston North's Justin Hinga. The only other junior to score 180 was Auckland's Junior Metuangaro. The 150 field play the youth singles and junior pairs before the teams' clashes on the final day today.