College Sport: It's MAGS over AGS in soccer final

Mt Albert Grammar completed the Auckland premier league/cup double with a nail-biting 1-0 win over long-time rivals Auckland Grammar at North Harbour Stadium.

The match, played as a curtainraiser to the Chatham Cup final, was dominated by Mt Albert, but not until 3m 20s into extra time did Steve Gulley get a vital foot in to score the winner.

Despite their domination, Mt Albert almost handed Auckland Grammar a gift goal in the opening seconds of the second spell when they botched a back pass, giving Chris Hatten a scoring opportunity. He miskicked and Mt Albert were able to clear.

Mt Albert should have taken the lead on the hour when substitute Geoff Strickland was brought down by Jeremy Kenealy but Faid Ibrahim booted his penalty attempt too close to Auckland Grammar goalkeeper Aidan Kenealy who saved.

The match-winning goal, in the first of two 10-minute spells of extra time, came when Mt Albert broke strongly on the right. The ball was played in and amid a scramble Gulley broke the deadlock.

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Multisport

More than 100 competitors will be kayaking, cycling and running around the Wairoa River bridge area near Tauranga this Saturday with the hosting of the New Zealand championships.

Entrants are from all regions. Much interest in the senior ranks will focus on world-ranked duathletes Anna Hamilton from Rangitoto College and Bruce Hunter from Macleans College. The pair are ranked third and 17th in the world in duathlon at the under-20 level. Hunter will not have it all his own way, with Auckland Grammar's Tim Macintosh and Thomas Hahn from St Peters College (Auckland) likely to be hard on his heels.

Hamilton will have tough competition for the title from Howick College's Jamie-Lee Reynolds.

The three key athletes in the intermediate girls race should be Kate Mitchell (Rangitoto), Courtney McConnachie from Diocesan and Hauraki Plains College student Alyce Pulford, who was third in the junior girls last year.

Mathew Midenhall (Auckland Grammar) and Reilly Gee from Whakatane's Trident High are favourites in the intermediate boys'.

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Basketball

National titleholders Church College ruled the Mid-Northern secondary school championship in Tauranga when they took out both the girls' and boys' titles.

While both the Church College teams were victorious, it was in contrasting circumstances.

The boys had a real battle with fellow Hamilton team St Johns College before they prevailed 74-67. The girls' final was one-way traffic with the Church College girls always in control against Manurewa High.

A 42-27 halftime score was increased to 61-38 at the end of the third quarter.

Manurewa dug deep in the final spell and reduced the deficit to four points but Church eventually clinched the match 87-70.

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League

Northland College of Kaikohe will have to cause a major upset if they are to make the final of the Lion Foundation national secondary school champs.

They trounced Nelson College 30-16 in the quarter-finals but now face league school Aranui from Christchurch this afternoon in Christchurch.

Tomorrow Kelston Boys' face old foes St Pauls College in the semifinal. The game is scheduled for 4pm at Unitec. The last time the two teams met, St Pauls won 14-12 in the final of the Auckland secondary schools competition.

The final will be 11am at Ericsson Stadium on the Bartercard Cup grandfinal day, Sunday, September 19.