Hoskin breezes to win inter-school championships

At the start of the boys Year 7-8 race, Jaden Madams (right) leads from Riki Wainhouse and Connor Hoskin. PHOTOS/STUART MUNRO

The tall autumn trees of Harakeke Park played host to nearly 100 school children for the inaugural running of the Wanganui Mountain Bike Club's Inter-School championships yesterday.

Split into three age sections to compete across the day, the largest group was in the Year 7-8 intermediate grade, with more than 21 boys heading off in the singles race, followed shortly afterwards by about 15 girls.

The young riders had to judge their lines on the singles track carefully, as one St Anne's lad discovered when he came back grimacing from the tumble.

Wanganui Intermediate had the biggest turnout and, after completing the first lap of the 2km course in around 13 minutes, WIS's Connor Hoskin breezed through to the finish, closely followed by St Anne's Catholic School's Riki Wainhouse.

"Quite slippery, but it gave you good traction on the sand base," said Hoskin.

He had been in a tight battle among the top four riders on the first straight.

"Then out from the single track and that was pretty much it - led from there," he said.

The riders then went back out, joined by other students, for the team racing in groups of two-three, with WIS again dominating.

In the older grades, the Year 9-10 had a mix of different school riders in the top three, with Collegiate dominating the girls grade while Wanganui High School were strong in the team's race.

It was a similar story in the Year 11-13 senior grade, with City College and Cullinane riders doing well, but WHS being the strongest teams.

The event was a collaboration between the club and Sport Whanganui, wanting to strengthen the link between mountain biking activities offered in primary and intermediate, to those available when students move on to secondary school.

Around 10 schools had riders represented.

Results

Year 7-8 " Boys: Connor Hoskin (WIS) 1, Riki Wainhouse (St Anne's) 2, Scott Emerson (WIS) 3; Girls: Genna Maples (WIS) 1, Taylor Brunger (WIS) 2, Ara Molin (WIS) 3; Teams: WIS 1, St Anne's 2, WIS 3.

Year 9-10 " Boys: Hunter Gilbertson (Cullinane) 1, Kyle Hoskin (Collegiate) 2, Joseph Loveridge-Hills (WHS) 3; Mia Gemmell (Collegiate) 1, Kate Wells (Collegiate) 2, Libby Abbott (Collegiate) 3; Teams: WHS 1, City College 2, WHS 3.

Year 11-13 " Boys: Finn Williams (City College) 1, Lachie Steadman (WHS) 2, Hayden Nicoloff (WHS) 3; Girls: Gabrielle O'Connell (Cullinane) 1, Emma Rainey (WHS) 2, Mikal Terry (WHS) 3. Teams: WHS 1, WHS 2, Cullinane 3.