Students not put off by wet slog

POWERING THROUGH: The senior girls start their 4km race at the Wanganui Collegiate grounds on Thursday. PHOTOS/STUART MUNRO

THE WEATHER didn't want to make up its mind but the results on the Collegiate golf course circuit were more consistent during the Whanganui Secondary Schools Cross-country on Thursday afternoon.

With the inclement weather constantly switching from dry to monsoon-like rain, around 150 runners from Collegiate, Nga Tawa, Wanganui High School, Cullinane, Taihape Area, Ruapehu College and Wanganui Girls' College tackled the circuit across six age and gender divisions.

Other events kept the likes of the Rangitikei and City colleges away.

"It largely went the form book, but there was a few little surprises," said organiser Alec McNab.

"Horrible conditions - they performed well in it."

With the biggest entry list of 58 runners, Collegiate won five of the six individual titles and 10 of the 12 team titles for first 3-to-score and first 6-to-score.

Not surprisingly, Collegiate's New Zealand representatives in cross country - Christian Conder and Jane Lennox - won the senior boys and girls respectively.

Conder had a 20 second advantage over training partner Louis Hogan (WHS), with 800m specialist Oliver O'Leary coming third.

Lennox had a wide margin over schoolmates Alice Bird, making a comeback, and Jazmin Phillips.

In the Under-16 boys, Jack Gay won a wet race by a wide margin from WHS's Loris Knigge and Travis Bayler, just 14, as dominating the Top 5 meant WHS won the team awards in this race.

The Under-16 girls was expected to be a tight tussle between Collegiate's Caitlyn Alabaster and WHS's 1500m Rebecca Baker, but Alabaster opened up a gap on the hill section as was not headed by her rival, with Collegiate's Mia Gemmell coming third.

In the Year 9 boys, WHS's Connor Hoskin broke the Collegiate monopoly with his victory, with Cullinane's Tamasi Connors coming second and Collegiate's Adam Lennox in third.

And in the Year 9 girls race, it was a convincing win for Collegiate's Sarah Matthews, with Tayla Brunger in second and Cullinane's Miakaia Matthews getting up for third. All of the top three runners from each event are automatic selections for the regional Whanganui team, with two more runners to be added.