College Sports: Young wrestlers pin down national titles

By DAVE WORSLEY

Four members of the successful New Zealand wrestling team which competed in the Australian Youth Olympic Festival, reinforced their credentials with gold medal performances at the New Zealand secondary schools championships at Te Rapa.

Lee Calder (Kelston), Sami Werder (Hawera), Hamish Chrisp (Dilworth) and Raymond Winslow (Dilworth) were all in the team which finished second to China at the festival and all overcame strong rivals to cement their places as New Zealand champions.

In one of the most intensely competitive tournaments for several years, Kelston Boys High School, with a long wrestling tradition, finished as boys' champion team.

An under-strength Dilworth, champions for seven years, performed well above expectations to finish a close second. Rotorua Boys' High School was third.

Pukekohe High School backed up their Auckland performances to take the girls' title.

BADMINTON

Auckland won the North Island 18s teams championships, narrowly heading off Hutt Valley and North Harbour.

Northland finished in fourth place after some consistent results.

Counties Manukau were fifth, Auckland 2 sixth and Waikato seventh.

Auckland were led by Australasian U17 champion Michelle Chan, 16, who with Alan Chan, 15 (no relation), helped the side to victory.

RUGBY

Christchurch's Aranui High School scored a golden try to beat Auckland champions De La Salle College in the final of New Zealand's premier sevens tournament in Taupo.

It was Aranui's first victory and the first by a South Island team in the event's 18-year history.

* St Pauls Collegiate of Hamilton defended their quadrangular title by winning the tournament at Palmerston North against Tauranga, Westlake Boys and Palmerston North Boys High.

St Pauls beat Tauranga 28-8 - with tries from Te Ahu Davis, Ben Hurrell and Nathan Straker - in what was effectively the final.

SOCCER

Only three games were played at the weekend. Mt Albert Grammar trounced Kelston 9-0, Auckland Grammar were 3-1 victors over Rangitoto College, and Onehunga High School and King's College picked up their first points of the season when they fought out a 2-all draw.

In the Chatham Cup on Monday, Mt Albert College beat Oratia 4-3 to go through to the third round where they will play University Mt Wellington. Auckland Grammar fell to a 5-1 defeat at Waitakere City.


NETBALL

The New Zealand secondary schools team dominated the transtasman challenge in Auckland last week.

The team comfortably won their matches against Aotearoa Maori and Niue, and in their two tests against Australia had a 28-23 win on day two and a 29-26 win in the final match of the tournament.

Hillcrest High School students Casey Williams and Laura Langman were named defender and midcourter of the tournament, respectively.

CROSS COUNTRY

The Northland secondary schools championships will be held tomorrow at Tikipunga Park in Whangarei.

Around 200 runners are expected to take part.

Kane Smith from Pompallier College is expected to be one of the favourites, and Erin Montgomery from Dargaville College is expected to be a title contender for the senior girls' title.

BASKETBALL

Top-ranked Avondale College will take on bottom-placed Rosehill in a premier schools match as the curtain raiser to Saturday's national league game between the Auckland Stars and Taranaki at Unitec.



This week:

Tomorrow: Northland cross country, Tikipunga Park, Whangarei

Friday:Basketball, girls and boys, various venues.

Saturday: First XV, North Harbour, Auckland and Counties Manukau, various venues

Netball: North Harbour, Onewa Domain; Waitakere, Te Pai Park; Auckland, Windmill Road.

Sunday: Cycling, team time trials, Tamaki Drive

Monday: Rugby, girls first XV, various venues.