Makayla Mave, left, and Allison Mohi played in the Canada Cup. Photo / Dean Purcell
Aorere College's finest softballers are making their mark on the world stage.
Year 13 students Makayla Mave and Allison Mohi are coming off the highlights of their young careers, last month representing the New Zealand Junior White Sox at the Canada Cup.
Mave is head girl at Aorere, and is a classy second base and short stop. Mohi is a prefect and outfielder with a powerful arm. They play for the same school, same club (Waitakere Bears) and have appeared at rep level for Auckland from Auckland Under- 15s to Under-19s.
"We basically met through softball and we've been in the same school, rep and club teams since year eight," says Mave.
The pair were central to the fortunes of the Aorere girls' premier team, which defended the Auckland division one title this year.
Mohi was Most Valuable Player (MVP), as she was for the national Under-17 tournament in Hastings. The experience of playing with older women in premier club softball, not to mention the strong coaching of Mave's uncle, former Black Sox Dion Nukunuku, has helped their games come on in leaps and bounds, and got them on the plane to Canada. That and a heap of talent.
"It was hard competition over there, but it was the first time a New Zealand team had made the championship round [they placed seventh out of 25 sides]. Still, we could have done better," says Mave. "That would be the hardest level of softball I have ever played. We would have two, sometimes three, games a day."
The heat in Vancouver was searing and not easy to adapt to from a cold New Zealand winter, but at least the locals loved their accents.
"The whole mental side of it was tough, but it was good getting a taste for next year," says Mohi.
Next year the junior world champs are in Oklahoma City.
The intense softball didn't leave much relaxation time for the girls.
"We got one shopping day, just two hours, because they wanted us to relax. It wasn't really relaxing because we had to run around the mall, which was just massive," laughs Mave.
The pair will take a well-earned, but short, break before club softball training kicks in ahead of an October start to the season. They would love to be back in action next year for the Junior White Sox, and longer term the senior White Sox side is a goal. The sport is pushing to be included at the Olympics, and in 2020 they might just be coming into their peak as athletes.
Mave and Mohi have helped lift the profile of the sport at Aorere, and are central to a premier girls' side at the school which has largely stayed together for five years. Aorere are two-time Auckland schools champions, after beating Green Bay in this year's final.
"Softball's quite big here at Aorere, but it doesn't get recognised. [Premier team manager and director of sport] Tania Marumaru recognises it, but other sports overrule us," says Mave.
Maybe that will shift as these girls continue to excel.
Results
Rugby
Auckland 1A round 11: St Peter's 22 Sacred Heart 22, Onehunga 19 King's 11, De La Salle 29 Papatoetoe 10, Otahuhu 28 Tangaroa 5, St Kentigern 29 Auckland Grammar 21, Kelston 19 MAGS 17 (TV game)
Final standings/points: St Kentigern 48, Auckland Grammar 42, St Peter's 42, Sacred Heart 40, Otahuhu 31, King's 26, MAGS 23, De La Salle 21, Kelston 18, Tangaroa 10, Onehunga 8, Papatoetoe 5
Auckland 1B championship: Dilworth 34 Edgewater 0, Macleans 15 Aorere 6, Liston 23 One Tree Hill 18, Southern Cross 12 Mangere 12
Auckland 1B plate: Tamaki 48 Sir Edmund Hillary 12, Botany Downs 34 Marcellin 12, Pakuranga 23 Mt Roskill Grammar 7, Avondale 10 St Paul's 7
North Harbour 1A round 12: Rosmini 84 Takapuna Grammar 14, Westlake BHS 50 Massey 10, Orewa 19 Rangitoto 8
Final standings/points: Westlake 47, Rosmini 44, Massey 34, Orewa 22, Rangitoto 21, Takapuna Grammar 5
Counties Manukau premier semifinals: Wesley 66 Rosehill 0, Manurewa 12 Alfriston 0
League
CRL Plate final: Southern Cross 22 (Kapa Konu-Tepi, Amini Latu, Junior Saumani, Tevita Vaitama tries; Jan Sepuloni 2 goals, Junior Saumani goal) Aorere 20 (Tyler Mohi 2, Lene Pialia-Tiito, Frost Mikia tries; Aluji Pange 2 goals)
CRL Cup final: Kelston 22 (Charlie Kaipati, Austin Masiutama, Sam Feleti, Peter Scanlan tries; Zion Ioka 3 goals) St Paul's 16 (Xavier Rice, Vasi Leota, James Manoa tries; Beau Cordtz 2 goals)
Badminton
Counties Manukau
A grade: Alfriston Aces 6 James Cook One 0, Rosehill One 5 Rosehill Two 1, Strathallan Aces 5 Manurewa One 1
B grade: Manurewa Eight 4 James Cook Three 2, Papakura One 5 James Cook Two 1,
Alfriston B1 6 Manurewa Two 0, Alfriston B2 5 Strathallan Minions 1, Rosehill Three 6
Manurewa Three 0, Otahuhu B1 5 Strathallan Olay 1
Auckland premier
Top 4 playoffs: Macleans One 4 Auckland Grammar Two 2, Auckland Grammar One 6 Pakuranga 0
Bottom 4 playoffs: Macleans Two 3 EGGS 2, Auckland Grammar Three 3 beat King's 3 (166-157)
Netball
North Harbour
Premier championship: Rangitoto 28 Carmel 23, Westlake GHS One 28 Kristin 27, Westlake GHS Two 29 Whangaparaoa 28
Premier flight: Albany 35 Takapuna Grammar 19, Carmel Two 28 Orewa 27, Long Bay 37 Rangitoto 16
Open A championship: Wentworth 34 Long Bay Two 24, Pinehurst 35 Rangitoto Three 20, Northcote 31 Whangaparaoa Two 26
Open A flight: Orewa Two 34 Rangitoto Four 18, Mahurangi 39 Kaipara 27, Takapuna Grammar Two 21 Carmel Three 20
Auckland
Premier: EGGS 39 McAuley 27, Diocesan 34 Massey 19, MAGS 43 Avondale 19, St Kentigern 48 St Mary's 24, Baradene 32 Botany Downs 28, Aorere 34 AGGS 30
Senior A: Howick 35 St Kentigern 33, MAGS 40 King's 29, Waiuku Gold 39 Onehunga 35, Macleans 30 Marist 26, Baradene 36 Sancta Maria 23, AGGS 32 St Cuthbert's 31
Counties Manukau
Premier championship: Pukekohe Gold 35 Wesley 23; Rosehill 47 Strathallan Navy 10; Manurewa defaulted to Alfriston; Tuakau 42 James Cook Puutake 26
Football
Girls' APC Knockout Cup
Premier division 1 (U19): MAGS 9 Diocesan 0; St Kentigern 8 Macleans 0; Takapuna Grammar 1 Rangitoto 0; EGGS 6 St Mary's 0; Onehunga 1 Rosehill 0; Massey 1 Westlake GHS 0
Premier division 2 (U19): Whangaparaoa 1 Avondale 0; Botany Downs 1 Pukekohe 0; Green Bay 2 Western Springs 0; Baradene 1 Pakuranga 0; Marist 2 St Cuthbert's 1; Long Bay 4 Glendowie 1
Premier division 3 (U19): Howick 2 Northcote 1; Pinehurst 3 Waiuku 2; Lynfield 1 Rutherford 0
Counties Manukau boys premier
Championship: Rosehill 2 Pukekohe 1; Strathallan 1 Aorere 1
Plate: Manurewa 3 Al Madinah 1; Edgewater 0 De La Salle 0
Auckland boys
Premier league: Sacred Heart 4 Kelston BHS 0; St Kentigern 2 Westlake BHS 1; Auckland Grammar 6 Glendowie 1; Macleans 2 MAGS 1
Senior A1: Kristin 1 Rosmini 1; St Peter's 5 Rangitoto 2; King's 2 Liston 1
Senior A2: Western Springs 2 Papatoetoe 0; Mt Roskill Grammar 1 Rutherford 1; Avondale 2 Long Bay 1; Northcote 3 Pakuranga 2
Senior A3: Albany Senior High 4 Waitakere 1; Green Bay 3 Howick 0; One Tree Hill 0 Lynfield 0; Kingsway 4 Botany Downs 2
Senior A4 Top 5: Selwyn 4 Pinehurst 2; Parnell 3 Massey 1
Senior A4 Bottom 4: Orewa 2 Whangaparaoa 0; Glenfield 3 Sancta Maria 0
Basketball
Premier girls: Massey 70 Westlake GHS 63; MAGS 68 St Kentigern 38
Premier boys: Westlake BHS 111 Rosmini 59; Auckland Grammar 73 Liston 69; Onehunga 92 St Kentigern 64
Cycling
Teams time trial race 5:
Junior boys: Takapuna Grammar A 22:41.80; Auckland Grammar A 23:16.16; St Kentigern 23:57.00
Junior girls: St Kentigern A 27:50.51; Baradene A 28:16.82; Diocesan A 28:26.80
Senior boys: St Kentigern A 22:06.31; Auckland Grammar A 22:41.03; Westlake BHS A 22:52.83
Senior girls: Baradene A 25:51.18; Diocesan 26:15.72; St Kentigern A 26:38.39
Underwater hockey
Senior girls: Diocesan 6 Howick 5, MAGS A beat EGGS B by default, Howick 13 Glendowie 0, EGGS A 7 MAGS B 0, Diocesan 16 MAGS B 0
Senior open
A grade: Glendowie 6 Mahurangi A 3, MAGS 5 Mahurangi A 1, Glendowie 5 Howick 2
B grade: Avondale 4 Mahurangi B 2, Northcote 5 Mahurangi B 4, Avondale 4 Macleans 0
Hockey
Boys' one: Kristin 2 MAGS 0; King's 3 Rangitoto 0; Westlake BHS 2 Rosmini 1; St Kentigern 3 Auckland Grammar 1
Boys' two: Westlake BHS Second XI 3 Mt Roskill Grammar 1; Kingsway 2 Pakuranga 0; Takapuna 3 King's Second XI 1; Sacred Heart 3 Macleans 2
Girls' one: Westlake GHS 2 Diocesan 2; EGGS 3 St Kentigern 3; Kristin 5 Rangitoto 1; St Cuthbert's 3 Carmel 0
Girls' two: St Mary's 2 Northcote 0; Botany Downs 2 Rangitoto Second XI 1; Westlake GHS Second XI 4 King's 0; Baradene 2 St Cuthbert's Second XI 0
Lacrosse
Auckland SS girls' championships:
Division 1: MAGS 1 9 Whangaparaoa 4; Diocesan 2 Western Springs Gold 1; EGGS 4 Avondale 3
EGGS 3 Diocesan 2; MAGS 3 Western Springs Gold 2; Avondale 6 Whangaparaoa 1
MAGS 3 EGGS 1; Diocesan 2 Avondale 2; Whangaparaoa 3 Western Springs Gold 2
EGGS 6 Western Springs Gold 1; Diocesan 2 Whangaparaoa 0; Avondale 3 MAGS 2 Diocesan 3 MAGS 1; Avondale 4 Western Springs Gold 2; EGGS 8 Whangaparaoa 1
Final placings
Division 1: EGGS 1, Avondale 2, Diocesan 3, MAGS 4, Whangaparaoa 5, Western Springs Gold 6
Division 2: Westlake GHS 1, Pinehurst 2, MAGS 3
Table tennis
Auckland SS champion of champions:
Girls' grade: St Cuthbert's 1, Westlake GHS 2
Boys' premier: Westlake BHS 1, Macleans 2
The move comes after Burling and Team New Zealand parted ways earlier this year.