Kayaking: Gilbert leads Bay paddlers to glory

Bay of Plenty paddlers featured strongly at the New Zealand whitewater kayaking championships in Kawerau.

Callum Gilbert (Tauranga Boys') took out the prestigious Phil Dooney Cup for overall excellence across four under-18 disciplines, wining the C1, K1, Downriver sprint and Classic.

Gilbert's senior K1 performance was particularly noteworthy, clocking 77.22secs and finishing more than 7secs in front of rising Australian Christopher Fegan.

Fegan was part of an 18-strong contingent from the Australian national talent squad, joining more than 20 New Zealand schools at the championships at the weekend.

Gilbert's C1 margin over Nelson's Tommy McDowell (Nayland College) was much closer, finishing in 97.46, just 2.5secs ahead of McDowell.

Tauranga Girls' College star Haylee Dangen won the Heather Jull trophy for overall senior female excellence, although she had to bow to Deahna Shearer (Dunstan High) and Jessica Bailey (Mt Aspiring College) in the senior girls' K1.

Bailey had the fastest time, a slick 90.86 in her second run, but picked up a couple of two-second time penalties to drop her behind fellow South Islander Shearer, who won with a 93.83 effort.

Dangen comfortably won the C1, however, with a clear run of 113.36, putting her 2.24secs head of Australian Alexandra Broome, with Kaydi O'Connor-Stratton (Mount Maunganui College) a further 17secs back in third.

Gilbert's schoolmate Patrick Washer won the TBC Cup in the under-16 division, while Alexandra's Kensa Randle clean-swept the under-16 girls division to win the Ella and Jane Nicholas Trophy.

The under-14 classes were dominated by entries from new schools to the competition. Bethlehem College's Claudia Paterson won the girls division while Okere Falls' Zack Mutton, who is at correspondence school, was too strong in the boys division.

Tauranga Boys' College picked up enough points in the male ranks to wrest back the overall Top School Trophy, heading off Nelson co-ed college Dunstan High School.