College Sport: Diocesan eight eye top prize

By JENNI RUTHERFORD

Waikato Diocesan have their eyes fixed on winning the Levin Jubilee Cup for the under-19 girls eights at the New Zealand secondary school rowing championships.

Any hiccup at the North Island championships this weekend would be taken on the chin, said the school's director of rowing Simon Hoadley.

"We are aiming for New Zealand titles, we're not too worried about North Island ones," he said.

For a college with a relatively barren record at the New Zealand secondary schools championships that is a big call.

But the young crew have already turned heads at recent regattas, winning the under-19 eight at the national club championships last weekend to remain unbeaten from seven regattas this season.

They were the surprise package at the recent Head of Harbour regatta in Auckland, taking a dominant Auckland Diocesan unawares, and at the Te Awamutu regatta two weeks ago Waikato crews won the under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-19 eights.

"We needed to generate some self- belief, that's why we've been to so many regattas. It helps prove to the girls that they can win," said Hoadley.

Meanwhile, St Paul's Collegiate will use the North Island championships to gauge where they sit against the Auckland "big four" of Auckland Grammar, Kings College, Westlake Boys' High School and St Kentigern College.

St Paul's showed they were on form at the recent national club championships, beating an under-strength but always dangerous Wanganui Collegiate crew by 14 seconds and the second-placed Union Wanganui full of ex-Wanganui Collegiate Maadi Cup 2001 winners.

The New Zealand championships are at Lake Ruataniwha starting on March 18.

SAILING

Kerikeri High School gained some confidence before the New Zealand secondary schools teams racing regatta at Whangarei from March 18-23.

The national championships are raced only in Sunburst yachts and Kerikeri scooped the top three places at the Northland secondary schools individual racing regatta.

The crew of Jarrod Coxhead and Bradley Farrand won the Sunburst class, ahead of James Gell and Hannah Walker, and Jeff Clarke and Blair Tuko were third.

The successful sailing college is eager to regain its national supremacy, after losing the title to Westlake Boys' last year, and will hold off until the last minute before naming their team of eight.

Murdoch said the team were wary of all the competitors expected for the national event and would not just be eyeing up Westlake and other heavyweights Mahurangi College as their main opposition.

"You can't discount Auckland Grammar or even the provincial centres like Marlborough, and Christchurch can be strong," he said.

ATHLETICS

Seven records fell at the central zone one championships in Hamilton yesterday.

Katherine Olsen from Hamilton's Sacred Heart Girls College rewrote the junior girls 70m hurdles record, while schoolmate Simone Butcher smashed the junior girls javelin record by nearly 5m.

Hamilton Girls High School's Sarah Hockley won the intermediate girls 400m in a time of 58.2s, bettering the old mark of 60.5s.

Aimee Lynch of Fairfield College and Simon Moore of Hamilton Boys' set records in the senior girls and intermediate boys 100m and Moore's schoolmate Sean Maitland managed a 36.70m discus throw, 30cm better than the old mark.

At the Mid Island championships in Taupo yesterday there were plenty of good results and one record was broken.

Rotorua Boys High School's Viliame Waqafeduadua smashed the senior boys triple jump by 45cm with his 14.12m leap.

CRICKET

The top eight teams for the zone three Gillette Cup competition have been found with all the winners progressing by large winning margins.

St Peter's School of Cambridge will meet Otorohanga College following their 195-run win over Hamilton's Fraser High School. Otorohanga were too strong for Putaruru High School, making 356 for five from their 50 overs before bowling Putaruru out for 113.

St Johns will take on St Paul's Collegiate, last year's third place-getters, at the Gillette Cup finals, after their 85-run win over Church College.

Matamata College will meet Hillcrest High School after their 104-run beating of Thames High School. Te Awamutu, who beat Morrinsville College by 10 wickets, will play Hamilton Boys' in the other quarter-final.

THIS WEEK

* Today:

Bay of Plenty: Bay of Plenty secondary school athletics championships.

Eastland: Hawkes Bay-Poverty Bay volleyball qualifying tournament, Friday and Saturday.

Waikato: Central zone two secondary school athletics championships.

Northland: Secondary school athletics championships.

* Tomorrow:

Bay of Plenty: Equestrian - showjumping.

Waikato: Thames Valley secondary school athletics championships.

* Friday:

North Island secondary school rowing championships, Lake Karapiro (until Sunday).

Bay of Plenty: Bay of Plenty top 12 volleyball championships, Tauranga, (Saturday and Sunday).

Waikato: Girls tennis.

Northland: Northland secondary school volleyball finals, mid north teams sailing racing trials.

* Saturday:

Northland: Far North team sailing racing trials.

* Sunday:

Northland: Girls Leef Cup cricket.

* Tuesday:

Bay of Plenty/Eastland: zonal tennis, Rotorua.