College sport: Schools running out of space for teams to play

Manurewa Girls win their Waka Ama semifinal heat at Orakei Basin over the weekend. Photo / Greg Bowker

Sending your children to school to play sport? Maybe not.

A paucity of available space is proving a major handicap for many Auckland secondary schools who don't have or can't find enough sporting fields to meet the demands of their sports-loving pupils.

At present about 55 per cent of schoolboys and girls play sport but if more fields were found that number would quickly go over 60 per cent.

Sandra Coney, chairwoman of the Super City's Parks, Recreation and Heritage Forum, has recommended the Auckland Council invest more in developing sports fields.

"Increased funding for sports fields is a must," said Coney. "Across the region, sports teams - especially young players - are missing out. We need to meet rapidly increasing demand and provide playing surfaces that stand up to high use and Auckland's wet winters."

The problem is a major concern for North Shore schools.

Harbour Sport chief executive Toni-Maree Carnie said most schools were struggling to meet the demands.

Westlake BHS, the largest boys' school on the Shore, is one desperate for more space.

"Westlake have 25 soccer teams and only two fields. They also have 15 rugby teams and again only two fields," said Carnie. "Likewise, KingsWay School in Silverdale will be restricted to only four soccer teams next year again because of the lack of space.

"Girls' cricket can't even get a look in at KingsWay due to dire restrictions of field availability in the community. Their boys train at Orewa College who have, thankfully, made their practice nets available to their neighbours."

KingsWay said they would be prepared to drive up to an hour to play cricket but found there was nothing available to meet that request.

Plans for Metro Park - a big sporting area in the new Millwater Estate - have been put on hold with suggestions it might be 10 years before being ready.

Carnie said it appeared other areas in Auckland, particularly Central and South, were seen as a priority over the North Harbour region.

It is estimated in the next 10 years the shortfall in sports field capacity across the region will reach 2216 playing hours a week primarily affecting training.

And it is not only playing fields that are in high demand.

With many schools now doing without swimming pools, the demand on pool time at public pools has reached breaking point.

"Schools have found it is cheaper not to have a pool," said Carnie. "But that has led to a huge shortage which public pools can't meet."

CRICKET

AUCKLAND: King's remain on course to defend their national Gillette Cup title following an emphatic nine-wicket win over St Kentigern in the Auckland final.

Batting first after winning the toss at Lloyd Elsmore Park, St Kentigern made a reasonable start in reaching 17 before Ben Horne made the breakthrough in the eighth over. Thereafter wickets fell all-too-regularly as St Kentigern struggled in slumping to 23/3 and then 50/6.

It was not until the 19th over that a St Kentigern batsman was able to find the boundary. At drinks they were further in the mire at 70/8 from 34 overs.

In an amazing effort with the ball, Simon Hickey was hit for a four and a six from two of his 60 deliveries. His remaining 58 balls produced four wickets at a cost of just seven runs.

Harrison Nash was almost as dominant in picking up 4-14.

Demoralised by their inept batting, St Kentigern were up against it.

Horne and Cameron Gibbons, aided by a number of extras, put on 34 for the first wicket.

After surviving an early scare, Hickey took control and with Gibbons saw King's through to their target without further loss.

Two massive Hickey sixes in the 15th over put St Kentigern out of their misery and booked King's their place in the finals at Lincoln early next month.

Saturday's first day of the final round of the two-day championship was disrupted by the weather.

In their first meeting of the weekend between the same two schools, St Kentigern, after winning the toss, managed a reasonable 204/8 without any batsman posting a really big score.

They rode their luck early reaching 22/1 in the 12th over and 46/2 in the 21st. At lunch St Kentigern, after 35 overs, were 88/3.

Soon after lunch King's Horne trapped Chris Barnett leg before to reduce the visitors to 90/4. The batsmen then had their turn in the limelight. Harry Lyford pounded 36 before falling to Horne in the 51st over.

Continuing the momentum, Travis Sherlock helped take the score beyond 200 before the bowlers took control again to leave St Kentigern at 204/8 before the rain brought an early end.

After electing to bowl first, AGS wasted no time in sending the Sacred Heart batsmen packing.

At the end of the first session Sacred Heart were 53/3 and by lunch Auckland Grammar had claimed the remaining seven wickets for 27 to end the innings at a paltry 80. The wickets were shared with three bowlers claiming two each while Ganesh RatNasabapathy finished with 3-11 from 14 overs.

In reply the AGS innings started poorly, losing both opening batsmen with only three runs on the board. Shawn Hicks played the stabilising innings scoring 35 not out by stumps as AGS claimed a first innings lead at 82/3.

On a hard and flat pitch at Westlake, MAGS batted first against a WBHS team without two of their strike bowlers but Ashley Martinus and Manaia Harris bowled good lines to make run-scoring difficult. Only 57 runs were scored in the first session and run-scoring was equally difficult in the next session before rain at the tea break forced an early finish with MAGS at 129/5.

WAIKATO: Batting first, HBHS Development X1 piled on a formidable 264/8 in their 50 overs. An excellent run rate was initially undone by the regular loss of wickets with the Cambridge spinners Jason Bateman (2-31) and Mitch Kirkbride (1-48) doing a good job.

Matt Lowe (48), Mitchell East (24) and Maison Carstensen (26) got the innings off to a flyer in the first 15 overs. Shaan Singh-Parhar (44) kept the innings together in the middle stages despite regular wickets falling enabling Danyn Stewart (48) and Jonathan Lush (22 not out) to play freely in the latter stages.

Cambridge were soon on the back foot and were reduced to 4/41 as HBHS opening bowlers Jak Clarke (4-42) and Simon Paris (2-26) - aided by some brilliant catching - made inroads. Hugo Bothma then took to the bowling finishing with 81 after sharing good partnerships with the reliable Jono Feast (39) and Jason Bateman (24).

Jonathan Lush (2-33) kept the pressure on with the match ending on the first ball of the 50th over with Cambridge falling 50 runs short.

Batting first, the St Paul's innings had a slow and steady start against an accurate St Peter's attack. Baxter MacKay was the pick of the St Paul's top order playing some lovely shots as he stroked his way to 54. Lachie Cooper chimed in with a quick-fire 45, but fell at a crucial time just as the late innings charge was beginning.

Chris Swanson batted intelligently for 25 not out, with Malcolm Luman hitting some lusty blows late on as St Paul's reached 189/7. Sam Pullis was the pick of the bowlers with 3-33 from eight overs.

St Paul's then undid a lot of their good work by bowling 17 wides in the first 17 overs and missing their chance to apply real pressure. Scott Finlayson bowled a beautiful spell taking 1-22 from 10 overs while Freddy Walker went for 35 from 10 but the damage was done as St Peter's knocked off the target with three overs to spare as Tim Seifert blasted 92 not out in quick time. He was ably supported by Pullis who completed a great double with 53 not out.

In a run feast at Matamata, St John's maintained their unbeaten record with a 14-run win. St John's amassed a formidable 268/6 with Sam Cooper batting beautifully for 73 and Keagan Faria bludgeoning the attack for 73 not out including six sixes. The Matamata bowling was very generous and these two St John's batsmen cashed in.

Facing this daunting total, Matamata lost three early wickets but then a great 135-run partnership between Jo Freeman (91) and Chanchal Singh (90) gave Matamata a sniff of an unlikely victory. However Sam Cooper came back to wrap up the innings with an impressive 6-61 and Matamata fell 14 runs short.

GRAND OPENING

One of the most innovative sporting complexes in New Zealand will be officially opened this afternoon at Westlake GHS.

Including three artificial turfs comprising a state-of-the-art blue hockey turf, two Fifa standard artificial pitches, a cricket oval, two cricket nets, and three dual purpose tennis and netball courts, the multimillion-dollar complex will be opened by the Minister of Education Anne Tolley.

The blue hockey turf has been constructed by the Australian firm, STI, who built turfs for the Sydney, Beijing and London Olympics and the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

The new complex will not only provide splendid facilities for the school's students but, as the first blue turf in Australasia, the Black Sticks are keen to use it for their Olympic preparation. The complex, alongside the Northern busway, was built with money the school earned as compensation for that motorway development.

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