ORIENTEERING: HB junior beats world champion

It is not very often that anyone can beat a current world champion but that is just what Hawke's Bay's Amber Morrison did over Waitangi Day weekend.
During the National Super Series round at Taupo, Morrison triumphed over Hanny Allston of Australia in the Spa Park Sprint Orienteering event. Allston won the World Championship sprint event in Denmark last September as well as the Junior World Championship classic distance in Lithuania.
The weekend carnival also included a test match against Australia which New Zealand won by 124 points to 92. While technically still a junior, Morrison was part of the winning New Zealand Elite Team, being first Kiwi home in four of the six individual events. She was third in the forest sprint and in the middle distance event behind Allston and the Finn, Heli Jukkola, a sprint specialist who is ranked fourth in the world , and Amber came fourth in the classic distance.
Also contributing to New Zealand's win was her older brother, Ross Morrison, who also won the Spa Park Sprint ahead of former world champion Dane Carsten Jorgensen, now ranked 51st, and Tehro Fohr (Finland) ranked 22nd in the world. Ross backed this up with second placing in the 12km loop event, behind Australian No.1 Julian Dent, and fourth in the forest sprint (first New Zealander).
Adding to the Morrison evening at Spa Park was 15-year-old sister Kate's win in the Under 21 Sprint over the country's aspiring juniors vying for places in a six-person Junior World Champs team. She also placed well in the middle distance event.
New Hawke's Bay club member, Penny Kane stepped up in the last elite event to claim the final event, the loop race. Consistently impressive was Hawke's Bay's 14-year-old Jaime Goodwin in the same grade, who recorded a win in the loop race plus third in the classic. Older sister Rachel was third in the middle distance, and fourth in the forest sprint and the loop race in Under 21.
Scott McDonald and Jack Vincent took second and third respectively in the Under 21 Men's Classic event, with Scott prominent in the Spa park sprint.
Duncan Morrison finished on a high note with third in the Men's Under 21 Loop race.
Sam Eames stepped up well to the top Junior grade with a series of consistent performances, including 6th in the classic.
Brett Sceats won the loop event for Red 2 runners, while his younger brother Craig won all 6 of the Yellow courses on offer, while Katie Eames led the girls home each time she competed.