School sport: Younger generation doing Otago proud

The Otago Daily Times looks back on the year in secondary sport by naming our top 10 athletes and others who excelled.

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THE TOP 10

Duncan Croudis (golf)
Otago Boys High School

Grant Waite, Craig Perks, Michael Long. . . and now Duncan Croudis.

The Otago Boys High School pupil joined some elite company when he became the first Otago winner of the Cobham Cup at the New Zealand under-19 championships at the North Shore club in September.

Croudis shot 70 in the last round to win the tournament.

He went on to represent New Zealand at the Aaron Baddeley International Junior Championship in China, where he shot a 69 on the final day to finish second in the 17-year-old division.

Croudis then scurried home to play for Otago in the men's interprovincial tournament, where he was unbeaten and helped his province finish fifth.

Sophie Williamson (cycling)
Dunstan High School

Pedal power runs in the Williamson family - and the youngest member is a star on road, track and dirt path.

Sophie Williamson continued her rise in cycling with a busy year highlighted by her performance at the national track championships in Invercargill in March, where she won the under-17 points race and finished third in the scratch.

She added a gold medal in the under-17 time trial at the national club championships near Nelson in October, won the under-17 section of the Cycle NZ junior selection tour, and won the road race and the criterium at the Australian Capital Territory provincial championships.

Williamson also won the three-day Te Awamutu junior tour and was third in the under-17 section of the junior Tour of Southland.

Samara Gallaher (basketball)
Kavanagh College

She plays many sports but Samara Gallaher has looked most at home on the basketball court this year.

Gallaher, the daughter of Basketball New Zealand president John Gallaher, was remarkably plucked out of school to join the Tall Ferns squad to prepare for the Oceania championships.

She was also in the New Zealand under-21 team and captained the New Zealand under-18 team.

Gallaher was also involved in netball, volleyball and athletics.

She was named Kavanagh's sportsperson of the year, and will be the school's head girl in 2010.

Rebekah Greene (athletics)
St Hildas Collegiate School

Records are made to be broken and Rebekah Greene has smashed dozens this year.

The tenacious runner won a 3000m silver medal and was the best-performed Otago competitor at the Sydney Youth Olympic Festival in January.

She won the 3000m at the Pacific Games and the New Zealand secondary schools championships, and broke Otago and South Island records in several age grades.

Greene was third in the national schools cross-country championships and a member of the St Hildas team that won both the three-man and the six-man titles.

In April, she will run for New Zealand at the world schools cross-country in Slovakia.

Phoebe Williams (swimming)
St Hildas Collegiate School

Things just keep getting better for Phoebe Williams, the queen of Otago swimming.

Williams made big waves when she broke the long-standing Otago senior 1500m freestyle record in 17min 3.12sec in Christchurch in August.

She competed in the transtasman series and finished with a silver medal in the 800m freestyle in Canberra, and she won seven individual titles at the South Island championships in Invercargill.

Williams also won a silver (800m freestyle) and two bronze (400m medley and 200m butterfly) medals at the national age group championships, and won three gold medals in the 16 age group at the national spring championships.

Anna-Lisa Uttley (athletics)
Bayfield High School

Everyone who watches Anna-Lisa Uttley run notes her maturity, her intelligence and her determination.

Uttley had double success in Wellington in March when she won the 16-and-under 3000m at the New Zealand club championships and then broke Otago women's records for 16-18 year olds in winning the aged-16 3000m in 9min 54.06sec at the national athletics championships.

She added the 16-and-under title at the national cross-country championships in Christchurch in August.

Like training partner Greene, Uttley is heading to Slovakia next year to run in the world schools cross-country championships.

Courtney Duncan (motocross)
East Otago High School

She's the fastest thing on two wheels - and she takes special pride in beating the boys.

Courtney Duncan, a pocket rocket, has had an extraordinary year in the intensely loud and dirty world of motocross.

Her highlight was competing in the world junior championships in Taupo in August, where she finished sixth in the 85cc class and was the first New Zealander to the line.

Duncan finished fourth (first girl) at the Australian junior championships, cleaned up the New Zealand Grand Prix and time trial events, and was named most promising off-road newcomer at the national motorcycling awards.

Kane Russell (hockey and athletics)
Otago Boys High School

Whether it is a hockey stick, a javelin or a relay baton, Kane Russell knows how to handle it.

The multi-talented athlete had another fine year in his No 1 sport, hockey.

He again earned national age grade selection, he was a key player in the Otago Boys team that played in the elite Rankin Cup in Dunedin in September, and he made the Southern Men national league side.

Russell was also a South Island schools athletics champion in both the javelin and the 4x100m relay, and found time to play for the Otago under-17 cricket team.

Libby Scott (tennis)
St Hildas Collegiate School

You know a young Otago athlete is talented when she is recruited by an Auckland club.

That's what happened this year to Libby Scott, Otago's brightest tennis prospect since Dianne Hollands, when she was picked to play for the Parnell club in Auckland's professional Caro Bowl.

Scott dominated local tennis in 2009, winning the Otago Open and playing at No 1 for both Otago and Southern teams.

She also won four of her five games at the national 16 and under teams event, and was third in the national junior championships in April.

Matt Faddes (rugby)
South Otago High School

The most promising outside back to come out of the South since Jeff Wilson? That might be stretching it, but Matt Faddes has certainly grabbed people's attention this year.

The talented 18-year-old played for the Otago Country senior team, made the preliminary New Zealand Schools squad and inspired his school's First XV to an outstanding year in the inaugural Highlanders competition.

Faddes, whose progress will be monitored closely in Dunedin next year, also played for the Otago under-18 cricket and touch teams.

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THE NEXT 10

Jessica Todd (Columba) wrestling
Charlotte Kelly (Taieri) cycling
Regan Wilson (Kings) ice hockey
Charlotte Newbold (St Hildas) skiing
Joe Latta (Otago Boys) rugby
Toby Flett (Otago Boys) athletics
Ben Mackay (Kings) basketball
Finn Butcher (Dunstan) kayaking
Mikey Austin (Mt Aspiring) freeskiing
Kate Godfrey (Otago Girls) swimming

 

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HIGH ACHIEVERS

Aerobics: Annelise Lowther (Queens)
Athletics: Biddy Skerten (Columba), Amelia Kinnaird (St Hildas), Campbell Garry (John McGlashan), Megan Manson (St Kevins), Lauren Wilson (Queens), Gavin Stark (Blue Mountain), Toby Batchelor (John McGlashan)
Basketball: Renee Johnson (Kaikorai Valley), Oliver Smith (Bayfield), Zoe Cadzow (Columba), Damon Cleverley (Logan Park)
Bowls: Lanah Craik (Waitaki Girls)
Boxing: Bridgette Sefton (Kavanagh)
Cricket: Chris Ware (Waitaki Boys), Tessa Hopkinson (St Kevins), Ash Simpson (John McGlashan)
Cycling: Brad Evans (Taieri), Dylan Kennett (Waitaki Boys), Emma Sutherland (Queens)
Equestrian: Brittany Whelan (Kaikorai Valley), Pippa Lucas (equestrian)
Fencing: Olive Butler (Otago Girls), Finn Butler (Logan Park)
Futsal: Sam Muirhead (Otago Girls), Grace van Turnhout (Otago Girls), Codey O'Hagan (Mt Aspiring), Fraser Hunter (Mt Aspiring), Ashleigh Brewer (Logan Park)
Gymnastics: Kendall King (Kavanagh), Mikaela Walsh (St Hildas), Nicole Herron (Waitaki Girls), Sarah Morrison (Queens)
Hockey: Nick Elder (Otago Boys), Samara Dalziel (Columba)
Ice hockey: Stephanie Patchett (St Hildas)
Ice skating: Morgan Figgins (Logan Park), Dominic Shogimen (Otago Boys), Rose Gleeson (Logan Park)
Kayaking: Jessica Bailey (Mt Aspiring)
Kickboxing: Cleve Falanitule (Logan Park)
Motorsport: Sam O'Callaghan (Cromwell), Adam McCutcheon (Kaikorai Valley), Mark Taylor (Lawrence)
Multisport: Reubyn Bisschops (St Kevins), Alex Dodds (John McGlashan)
Netball: Stacey McCaw (East Otago), Tessa Bekkers (Taieri)
Orienteering: Ryan Cambridge (Kings)Rowing: Johannah Kearney (St Kevins)
Rugby: Leyhana van Vugt (South Otago), Rowan Tumai (Roxburgh), Rachel Ovens (Taieri)
Skiing: Olly Allen (Mt Aspiring), Micheal Jolly (Mt Aspiring)
Snooker: Sam Bond (Waitaki Boys)
Softball: Sophie Johns (Dunstan)
Squash: Cara Raal (Kaikorai Valley)
Swimming: Emily Poon (Columba), Zac Aitken (St Kevins)
Table tennis: Emma Paton (Waitaki Girls), Lisa Yue (Kavanagh)
Taekwondo: Jayde Cohen (Kavanagh)
Touch: Tyron Pelasio (Kaikorai Valley)
Water polo: Tori Hall (Columba)
Wrestling: Nico Bloemsaat (Kavanagh)
Yachting: Chris Harris (Bayfield)

 

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TEAMS THAT SHONE

Queens aerobics - New Zealand champion
Columba water polo - South Island champion
St Hildas cross-country - Won two gold medals at the national schools championships in Nelson
St Kevins under-15 girls rowing eight - Won gold at the Maadi Cup

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