Sport in schools is big business as this week's national secondary schools volleyball championships in Palmerston North attests.
The six-day competition which started on Sunday attracted 145 teams and more than 1800 participants plus many coaches, managers and supporters. It is estimated the championships will boost the local economy by
around $1.8 million.
While volleyball is one of the bigger sports on the calendar, there will be big turnouts elsewhere this week at events in the National Summer Tournament Week and again at the similar winter tournament later in the year.
All major championships - either national or North and South Island - are run under the auspices of the NZ Secondary Schools Sports Council - an incorporated body now run by former Hurricanes and Junior All Blacks team manager Garry Carnachan, virtually from his Taranaki home.
"We have a staff of one," joked Carnachan on a trip to Auckland this week. "And some very part-time administrative assistance."
Carnachan picked up the reins as executive director when long-serving Peter Sharp stepped down after effectively setting up the organisation while working at the old Hillary Commission in 1992.
The council is run by a board comprising, in the main, secondary school principals.
They oversee a vast array of sports with Carnachan's key focus being a bridge between national sporting associations and schools. The council oversees 150 events annually. They set the rules, check the financials, ensure all events are run safely and are the general sounding board when new sports want to entry the fray.
Funding is by way of student levies, from Sparc and principal backer, The New Zealand Community Trust.
Last year almost 140,000 pupils represented their schools at sport - down from 147,000 in 2004. Figures also show 37 per cent of teachers are involved in school sport - down from 46 per cent in 2000.
Soccer showed the greatest rise in participation last year - up 18 per cent to 22,900 while cricket dropped 26 per cent to 13,100. Netball and rugby fell 4 and 5 per cent respectively to 28,500 and 29,100.
"The growth sports are multisports, cycling, Waka Ama and rowing," said Carnachan. "But we do all we can to ensure that every kid in New Zealand who wants to play sport can.
"Over the next five years we would like to see increased support from central Government. Greater resources would lead to increased participation. We already receive $6 million from the Government through Sparc and their Sportfit programme."
The most contentious issue - the "poaching" of pupils by one school from another - will again be debated at next month's annual meeting, with Carnachan pointing out that there are "no rules against poaching" but it is covered in the "new to school" criteria and the waivers which allow that.
CRICKET
Auckland
What should have been a match-winning effort from Matt Selby counted for nothing in the end as MAGS beat St Kentigern by 13 runs on the first innings on the last day of the 1A two-day championship before the winter break.
Selby scored 47 and then an unbeaten 60 as St Kentigern set MAGS a winning target of 199. After taking 3-40 in the MAGS first innings, Selby picked up another three in the second but with MAGS reaching 115/7 at stumps, they survived and picked up the points.
A remarkable last wicket stand between Vivek Taylor and Andrew Cowell earned WBHS an unlikely first innings win over Kings.
Chasing the 123 scored by Kings on the first day and resuming at 34/4, Westlake continued their slide to be precariously placed at 76/9 before Taylor and Cowell came together and somehow mustered 49 runs for the 10th wicket to get WBHS home by two runs.
AGS also picked up first innings points over Rangitoto but failed in their bid for an outright win.
After declaring their first innings two runs ahead and then dismissing Rangitoto for 124 in their second innings, AGS needed 123 for outright points but with Travis Brown and Richard Raven, who had earlier made proven useful with the bat, claiming three wickets each, AGS never got on top and ended the day at 78/7.
Sacred Heart and Rosmini scored outright wins in the plate contest, with Justin Vallely outstanding for Rosmini in their 24-run win over St Peter's.
Waikato
The stage is set for a top-notch final to the division one 1st XI term one championship.
Favourites St Peter's School, who won through with a dramatic one-wicket win over Cambridge HS, will play new boys Te Awamutu/Otorohanga at St Peter's in Saturday's final.
Batting first after winning the toss in the derby match at St Peter's, Cambridge began circumspectly needing 27 overs to reach 68/4 before some much-needed middle-order impetus as Nik Boyle and Michael Tomsett added 53 and then Boyle and Shaun Bax put on a further 49, taking their side to 188/6.
Led by Kurt James, who raced to 50 from just 49 balls, St Peter's were handily placed at 122/2 in the 25th over.
Cambridge chipped away and at one stage had St Peter's reeling at 170/8. They lost Alex Parker to a run out two runs later before Garth Christie was dropped at square leg. Minutes later he hit the winning run.
Te Awamutu/Otorohanga cruised home by 103 runs over Hillcrest High in winning through. Not for the first time this season, Ricky Palacio played the winning hand.
After posting a healthy 208 on the back of captain Cameron Forsman's half century, it was up to the combined team's bowlers to finish the job.
Brendon Flegg batted most of the Hillcrest innings for 46 but he lacked any support and Palacio eventually finished with 7-34 including a hat-trick to end the innings.
Te Aroha posted an impressive 279/6 in beating St Paul's by 49 runs in a high-scoring play-off match with Ryan Waite providing the individual highlight in scoring 106 in a maiden century at this level.
Regional girls
Twelve teams chased two places in the National NZCT Championship in a hectic three days of Twenty/20 then, in the crucial semifinals, 40-over matches at Keith Hay Park.
Top teams EGGS, St Cuthberts, Baradene and WGHS played seeding matches on the first day while in the other two pools teams played round-robin Twenty/20 matches with the top two teams from each progressing to the quarter-finals.
Close games in those pool matches resulted in three teams in one pool ending on the same points and
needing a countback on runs-wickets differential to find who go through.
The quarter-finals were close with St Cuthbert's beating MAGS on the last ball of their match.
The other matches too were tense affairs.
St Cuthberts then went on to easily beat EGGS in one semifinal and WGHS beat Diocesan by 27 runs in the other. WGHS and St Cuthberts will now meet in the term four final with both teams qualifying for the national final.
GOLF
After a summer of top-class golf, the final between the best from Auckland and North Harbour secondary schools at the Pupuke GC on Monday was more of the same.
In a battle royal which went to the last hole and then beyond, St Kentigern College prevailed over Kristin School in a tense matchplay final.
Kristin's James Beale had to sink his putt on the 18th hole to force a play-off. The No 1 and No 2 players from both schools then headed down the first hole in a sudden death playoff. The first play-off hole was halved by the respective No 2 players and it was left to Scott McAlpine to sink his birdie putt to win the match for St Kentigern.
The respective team members, handicaps and clubs: St Kentigern:
Scott McAlpine, 0.0 (North Shore GC), Oscar Sachs 1.0 (Whitford Park GC), Raysen Jiang 2.8 (Whitford Park GC), Jeff Kim 3.6 (Howick GC).
Kristin: Rica Tse 0.4 (North Shore GC), James Beale 1.6 (North Shore GC), Anthony Cope 2.8 (North Shore GC), Julitta Lam 4.2 (Muriwai GC).
KILIKITI
Fifty-six teams from 38 Auckland secondary schools chased the honours in the annual A and B grade tournaments at the Auckland Domain.
The hotly-contested boys A grade final was a classic, with the well-drilled and totally disciplined De La Salle College beating KBHS.
McAuley High were outstanding, and unbeaten, in the girls' A grade.
The B grade girls' competition was just as exciting, with newcomers St Kentigern College, debuting in the tournament, also going through the day unbeaten. The
well-prepared side comfortably out-batted McAuley High in the final.
The B grade boys' section was won by Onehunga High School who called on their first XI skills to get an edge on their opposition, including Sir Edmund Hillary College in the final.
TENNIS
In a minor surprise Mt Albert Grammar teams finished on top of the senior points tables in the boys and girls championships after the postponed round was played on Saturday.
In an upset result, MAGS beat St Cuthberts 7-2 in the final round which saw the two teams finish equal on points. They will be joined by Macleans and Rangitoto in the top four championships play-offs in term four.
MAGS headed WBHS by a point to finish top in the senior boys and AGS won the intermediate and junior boys' round-robins.
COMING UP
National Summer Tournament Week continues
Rowing, NZSS Maadi Cup regatta until Sunday Lake Karapiro.
Softball, North Is SS division 2, tomorrow-Sunday, Tauranga. NZSS division 1, until Friday, Fraser Park, Lower Hutt.
Tennis, NZSS teams finals, ends today, Scarbro Tennis Centre, Glen Innes.
Volleyball, NZSS, until Friday, Arena Manawatu, Palmerston North.
Waka Ama, NZSS regatta, until Friday, Rotorua,
Water polo, NZSS boys, tomorrow-Sunday, Lower Hutt.
TODAY: Cricket, Auckland premier girls (4pm), Avondale v Diocesan, Avondale, EGGS v St Kentigern, Melville 5a, MRGS v St Cuthberts, Mt Roskill Intermediate, WGHS v Baradene, Melville 4a. North Harbour open girls (4pm, home team first), Birkenhead v Kristin, Long Bay v Rangitoto, Orewa v Northcote, TGS v Carmel.
Orienteering. League four, Avondale College.
TOMORROW: Cricket, WBHS Twenty/20 tournament, final/3rd-4th play-off, teams tba, WBHS 1pm. 5th v 6th/7th v 8th, Onewa Domain 1pm.
Diving, Auckland SS championships, West Wave 9am.
FRIDAY: Cricket, Gillette Cup semifinal, St Kentigern v AGS, St Kentigern 10.30am.
SATURDAY: Cricket, Auckland, Gillette Cup semifinal, Kings v WBHS, Kings 10.30am. Waikato (10.30am, home team first), championship final, St Peter's School v Te Awamutu/Otorohanga (reserve day Sunday). 3rd-4th play-off, Hillcrest v Cambridge. Plate final, Hamilton BHS v Matamata. 7th-8th: Morrinsville v St Johns. Bowl final, Te Aroha v Thames. 11th v 12th: Melville/Fraser v St Paul's.
SATURDAY-SUNDAY: Athletics, North Is SS championships, Newtown park, Wellington.
SUNDAY: Mountain-biking, cross-country championships, Riverhead.
Netball, Auckland SS pre-season tournament, Auckland Netball Centre.
SUNDAY-MONDAY: Cricket, Auckland SS v Canterbury SS, two-day match, Melville Park, 10.30am.
TUESDAY: Cricket, Gillette Cup final, teams tba, Melville Park 10.30am.
Sport in schools is big business as this week's national secondary schools volleyball championships in Palmerston North attests.
The six-day competition which started on Sunday attracted 145 teams and more than 1800 participants plus many coaches, managers and supporters. It is estimated the championships will boost the local economy by
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