College sport: Unbeaten teams in first encounter

By DAVE WORSLEY

Rugby

The first big clash in Waikato/King Country first XV competition hits the field this weekend as Church College and St Paul's go head to head.

Both schools are unbeaten this season and with Hamilton Boys High are expected to be in the top three throughout the competition.

The match will be played at St Paul's at 11am.

Tricolour Trophy holders Hamilton Boys continue their dominance after a 74-6 victory over Cambridge in the latest round.

On Saturday, Hamilton Boys, led by hooker Adam Duhig, have a home game against St John's at 11am.

AUCKLAND

Auckland Grammar put paid to De La Salle thinking that life would be easy as defending 1A first XV champs.

Grammar came away 27-8 winners to be the front-runners in the competition after two rounds.

Also scoring their second win of the season was St Paul's, 29-5 over St Peter's. Kelston got back on the winning ledger with a 24-10 victory over Onehunga and Macleans scored their first win, beating Tangaroa 24-22.

NORTH HARBOUR

Rosmini and Takapuna Grammar will meet in the top-of-the-table match this Saturday at Takapuna Grammar at 1pm.

Grammar beat Glenfield 32-17 in the latest round and Rosmini had a bye. Third-placed Rangitoto scored a narrow 13-6 win over Kaipara and have a bye this Saturday.

Girls Rugby

In Monday's Central Zone competition Epsom Girls beat Glendowie 39-4 and Kelston Girls beat Avondale College 10-5. Onehunga lead the table after beating Tamaki 19-14. Waitakere beat Pakuranga 29-12.

In the Counties Manukau zone Papatoetoe beat McAuley 40-5, Otahuhu beat Mangere 24-10 and Adventist defeated Pukekohe 15-5.

After three rounds Papatoetoe and Otahuhu lead with three wins each.

Netball

Not surprisingly Hillcrest lead their pool at the Waikato/King Country premier schools competition at the Waikato Netball Centre.

The Monday night league has produced numerous National Bank Cup representatives and the odd Silver Fern squad member such as Laura Langman.

Hillcrest are unbeaten in Pool A with nine points after their latest win, 54-30, over Church College.

Pool B is led by Hamilton Girls with nine points, ahead of main rival Te Awamutu on six.

Pool C is the closest as Diocesan and Cambridge are equal first on six points after two wins and a loss each. In the latest round, Cambridge managed a 39-37 win over Dio on Monday evening.

Ngaruawahia scored the biggest win of the night, 72-48 over Sacred Heart in Pool D, which puts both sides on six points each.

Cycling

It seems problems with transport are never very far away from Auckland City Mayor John Banks, or in this case 70 school road teams who were racing in the first event of the season around the waterfront on Sunday morning.

One member of the public made an aggressive approach to a marshal in Kohimarama, wanting to know what right the cyclists had to block the road. This gentleman has threatened to ring John Banks and complain.

The Diocesan A team decided that complaint or no complaint they would take full advantage of the perfect conditions to smash the record for the course.

The team of Alice King, Paddy Walker, Ella Brogan, Antonia Restall and Jaqui Seebold scorched over the 16km in 23m 30.3s to break the old record by 15s and win the race by more than a minute from Diocesan's B team. Its C team were third and D team fifth.

A record was also posted in the boys' junior division where St Kentigern A (Matt Burgess, Cameron McMurray, Myron Simpson, Tom David) rode 23m 32.2s to slip under the previous best and establish a commanding lead over the field. The closest race occurred in the senior boys, where Auckland Grammar had a narrow win over Westlake Boys, with the two St Kentigern teams well within striking distance. Grammar needed to record the third fastest time in the event's history to hold out Westlake.

Coming up

Today: Cross Country, Auckland Champs, St Kentigern. Netball, Counties Manukau

Friday: Basketball premier league, various venues.

Saturday: Rugby, first XV, North Harbour (home team first, all 1pm start) Takapuna v Rosmini, Glenfield v Northcote, Kaipara v Westlake 2 at Helensville Rugby Club, Westlake 1 v Massey, Birkenhead v Massey 2.

Auckland 1A rugby (home team first, all matches at 2.30)

Onehunga v Macleans, Kings v Kelston Boys,

Otahuhu v Sacred Heart , Mt Albert v St Paul's, St Peter's v De La Salle, Auckland Grammar v Tangaroa .

Soccer: first XI (home team first, all start midday) Auckland Grammar v Avondale, Kelston Boys v St Peter's, King's v Westlake Boys, Rangitoto v Mt Albert

Sunday: Curling, secondary schools first round, Avondale

Orienteering, Auckland Secondary Schools, Waiuku Forest

Monday: Golf, Auckland Secondary Schools regional stroke play champs, Pakuranga Golf Club.