College sport: Fall unlikely to curb top rider's passion

Chloe Kennedy will be in a wheelchair for another month but her mind will be on getting back in the saddle. Photo / Natalie Slade

Chloe Kennedy admits she has enjoyed better school holidays but is happy that she at least made it home for the term break and was again mobile even if confined to a wheelchair.

Kennedy, 16, is back at school - Papakura's Strathallan College - this week, five weeks after a fall from her horse at the Puhunui Equestrian Centre which left her with a badly fractured pelvis and sore shoulders.

It was Kennedy's worst accident in 10 years in the sport but it has not dampened her enthusiasm.

"I didn't think it was so bad. No one expected the x-ray to show five major breaks," said Kennedy, who last year took the equestrian honours at the ASB College Sport Young Sportsperson of the Year awards. "I don't remember her [a friend's horse called Jay] falling. I never felt anything."

Of the tumble at the second to last of 23 fences in the intermediate level cross-country discipline, Kennedy said she remembers feeling at the time that "we got in too close but I was confident we were going to make it".

They didn't and crashed, with Kennedy trapped under the horse. She doesn't remember falling but her mother Sharron certainly does.

"I have never run so fast as I did in racing down to that fence. We were fortunate that there was immediate assistance available and she was well looked after."

Kennedy will be in a wheelchair for another month and will then need time to learn to walk but the driving force at the back of her mind is getting back in the saddle.

Her enforced absence left the school without a team at the recent New Zealand SS team event in Hawera.

In other major competitions, Kennedy was the individual winner of the Oceanic leg of the Junior FEI World Challenge and also won the dressage and eventing disciplines at the New Zealand junior championships.

NETBALL

Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick (St Cuthberts), Emma Weenik (Wellington GC), Rangi Ruru's Sophia Fenwick and Kirsten Hurley (St Kentigern) will provide the much-needed experience in the New Zealand team who will compete at next month's International Schools' Challenge in Adelaide.

The quartet were members of last year's victorious team. Tone-Fitzpatrick and Weenik are also in New Zealand under-21 squad while Fenwick and Storm Purvis (Diocesan) are in the national emerging talent accelerant group.

The 12-strong squad to go to Australia for the May 24-27 tournament were selected by Netball NZ's emerging talent selectors after 24 players attended trials and a training camp in Christchurch last week.

The other competing teams will include School Sport Australia, Aotearoa, Indigenous School Sport Australia, Bukit Jalil Sports School (Malaysia) and the Pacific Rim Secondary School Team.

NZSS coach Adrienne Morrin was very impressed with the calibre of talent at the camp/trials.

"The depth of talent made for difficult decisions as we had a great mix of players and an array of different combination options." Morrin said. "This is a short campaign and we could easily see many of the 24 trialists having a long term future in the game."

New Zealand SS team: Tera-Maria Amani (MAGS), Jessica Bourke (Marist College), Kelsey Ashworth (Ashburton College), Sophia Fenwick (Rangi Ruru College), Kirsten Hurley (St Kentigern), Brooke Leaver (Tu Toa), Stacey Peeters (St Peter's College, Southland), Erikana Pedersen (MAGS), Storm Purvis (Diocesan), Harley Smith (Trident HS), Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick (St Cuthberts), Emma Weenink (Wellington GC). Peeters' selection subject to medical clearance.

Non-travelling reserves: Tamsin Moala (Waitara HS), Sarah Hayman (Rangiora HS), Sian Telfer (Whangarei GHS), Lyddia Moke (Rotorua GHS), Greer Patterson (NPGHS), Toni Rinckes (Pakuranga College).

RUGBY

Defending 1A champions Mt Albert Grammar face a tough first-up test in the defence of their crown when they travel to play traditional rivals Kings College in the feature game of Saturday's opening round.

AGS, warming up for the first televised encounter against MAGS a week later, are away to promoted Otahuhu College in what promises to be another interesting opening day clash.

Otahuhu won their place in the 1A grade by edging St Pauls 26-24 in a tight promotion-relegation clash while Tangaroa were given an even bigger fright before retaining their place in the top grade, drawing 17-17 with Onehunga High in another promotion battle.

Tangaroa face another tough test this week with their trip to play Kelston BHS.

Onehunga open their 1B campaign at home to Mangere College while St Pauls are at home to Sir Edmund Hillary College.

The North Harbour 1A championship kicks-off on May 1 but a full round of 1B matches will be played on Saturday at Kaipatiki Park.

SOCCER

Is the MAGS bubble about to burst?

Winners of the senior A1 - now premier - championship for the past six seasons, Mt Albert Grammar go into most seasons as if not the hot favourite at least a very warm one.

But, says long-serving coach Kevin Fallon, MAGS will be fully stretched to retain their title this winter.

"It's backs to the wall for us this year," said Fallon. "We have lost a lot of key players - 10 of the 16 we had at the nationals last year have gone. I'm not happy with the balance of the side so far. It doesn't look as balanced as in the past."

The team will be led by Matthew Rowland with Nikko Boxall another player key to any success. Fallon is also awaiting Jordan Vale's return from trials at Birmingham City.

Whereas in the past, it has often been a three-way contest with MAGS, AGS and WBHS to the fore, Fallon says "probably six schools are contenders this time. Other teams will certainly fancy their chances".

While Fallon has had a solid pre-season build-up with 12 games including some against Northern Regional clubs, he feels his new-look team faces a real challenge.

And, he warns, the first-up game with Rangitoto College at MAGS on Saturday will be the first of many tough tests.

"I was very impressed with Rangitoto in the play-off with Kelston," said Fallon. "They beat them 4-0 away after playing the second half with 10 men and beat them 2-1 in the second leg."

That play-off was between the team finishing second-to-last in last season's top grade (Rangitoto) and the runner-up in senior A2 (KBHS). In the automatic promotion-relegation, Kristin went up and Macleans dropped down to the now second tier A1 grade.

AGS and MAGS have contrasting starts to their season.

While MAGS will play Rangitoto, Kings and St Peters all at home in the opening three weeks, AGS, who are having problems with grounds following the long, hot summer, will be away to Kristin, Sacred Heart and WBHS before a first home game on May 15 against MAGS.

In promotion-relegation play-offs, Liston, 1-0 and 5-0 winners over Pakuranga, won through to A1 while MRGS claimed their place in A2 by beating Selwyn.

WATER POLO

Auckland schools again dominated the national tournament, with Sacred Heart beating AGS 8-3 in the boy's final and Rangitoto taking the girls' title with their 6-1 win over St Cuthberts.

That victory completed the treble for Rangitoto who had earlier won the North Island Championship, beating Diocesan 6-2 in the final after dispatching St Cuthberts in the semifinals. That was Rangitoto's first North Island title in 13 years. They followed that with the Auckland championship - the 41st occasion the title has been contested - again beating Diocesan, in their purpose-built pool, 7-4.

At the national tournament Rangitoto beat long-time rivals WGHS 10-3 first-up and followed that with an amazing 24-3 win over South Island champions Christchurch GHS. In the first of the semifinals, and another all-too-familiar battle, Rangitoto beat Diocesan 4-3 while St Cuthberts won through from the other side of the draw.

After a close first quarter, locked at 1-1 following goals from Caitlin Lopes da Silva (Rangitoto) and Harriet Lees, Rangitoto ruled the Huia Pool and pulled away to win 6-1.

Diocesan won bronze with their 8-3 win over Queen Margaret. Christchurch GHS won the plate final, beating Marist 3-2 in sudden death overtime.

AGS and Sacred Heart emerged from the pack of 16 teams to win through to the boy's final. Elliot Westgaard opened the scoring for AGS within 30 seconds, but Matt Lewis and Tim Dreadon replied with goals to put Sacred Heart 2-1 ahead. They continued that pressure to dominate the second and third quarters by which time Sacred Heart had an 8-3 lead which they held until the final whistle.

In another classic between old rivals, WBHS pipped Rangitoto 8-7 to claim bronze.

Player awards

* Girls Most outstanding, Danielle Lewis (Diocesan), Pinky Rewi Henry (Rangitoto) and Harriet Lees (St Cuthberts). MVP, Caitlin Lopes da Silva (Rangitoto).

* Boys Most outstanding, Matthew Lewis (Sacred Heart), Callum O'Brien (Sacred Heart) and Tyler Vao (Rangitoto). MVP, Tim Dreadon (Sacred Heart)

COMING UP

SATURDAY: Rugby, Auckland, 1st XV 1A (2.30pm, home team first), De La Salle v St Kentigern, KBHS v Tangaroa, Kings v MAGS, Otahuhu v AGS, St Peters v Aorere, Tamaki v Sacred Heart. 1B (noon), pool one, Avondale v Edgewater, One Tree Hill v Marcellin, Papatoetoe v Dilworth, St Pauls v Hillary. Pool two, Howick v Liston, Macleans v MRGS, Onehunga v Mangere, Waitakere v Botany Downs. North Harbour,1B (all Kaipatiki Park), Birkenhead v Albany Senior High 10am, Hato Petera v Northcote 10am, Kingsway v Long Bay 11.30am, Kristin v Kaipara 11.30am, Whangaparaoa v Glenfield 1pm.

Soccer (home team first), premier league (noon), MAGS v Rangitoto, WBHS v Kings, Sacred Heart v St Peters, Kristin v AGS. Senior A1 (noon), Macleans v Onehunga, St Kentigern v Glendowie, Avondale v Northcote, Liston v KBHS. Senior A2 (10am), Massey v Papatoetoe, Long Bay v Glenfield, Rosmini v TGS, MRGS v Pakuranga. Senior A3 (10am), Howick v Rutherford, Lynfield v Botany Downs, Green Bay v One Tree Hill, Whangaparaoa v Selwyn. Senior A4 (10am), Otahuhu v Birkenhead, Sancta Maria v Parnell, Dilworth v Waitakere, Mahurangi v Henderson.

MONDAY: Badminton, North Harbour boys (all 4pm, North Harbour Badminton Association), WBHS 1 v Glenfield 1, WBHS 4 v Rangitoto 1, WBHS 3 v Birkenhead 1, Rosmini 1 v Rangitoto 2, WBHS 2 v Albany 1.

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