At last - Collegiate seniors win the relay

ATHLETICS: It's taken a long time, but when it came, it was done in style.
That was Wanganui Collegiate's first senior title in the annual Round-the Lake Relay yesterday, with the senior boys thrashing all opposition by a large margin.
It was the school's first senior win in 27 years of hosting the event. It had been a case of many times second, but never first.
Earlier Wanganui's St Georges had taken its second successive intermediate boys' relay title to out the local schools on the map, but Collegiate's hopes of a senior girls' title fell at the hands of a sharp Tauranga Girls College team.
Thus it was left to the Collegiate senior boys, with the big whisper that Tawa College was the major problem, including as it did an outstanding running prospect in Tim Hodges ? third in the national road running championships.
In fact there did seem a problem for Collegiate when its recent top runner Hugo Beamish was just beaten across the line in the first lap by Napier Boys High's Daniel Wallace - but there was a large gap to third, and the remaining Collegiate boys soon took care of Napier.
Sean Lance immediately overtook his opponent and took off, handing over to the less experienced Geordie Wilson with a lead of 16 seconds.
Collegiate coach Alec McNab had little to worry about. Wilson ran a superb leg, giving Ben Osborne the tag with a massive lead of 51 seconds.
Napier made little headway, and Osborne looked as fresh as a daisy when he reached the line, winning by 46 seconds, with Hodge producing an imcredible burst for Tawa to race into third after starting with many teams in front of him.
"We've been second a lot of times ? it's great to get the win," McNab said.
The Collegiate senior girls actually finished third but were promoted to second because Wellington College's Mariana Alletson ran twice to make up for the absence of an ill Katie Fenton ? the school's best runner.
Members of the St Georges intermediate winning team wereDaniel Herrman, Charles Porter, Sean Cummins and Lachie Watson.
One hundred and seventy two teams took part in the contest.