Awards night
The annual Kings High School sports presentation evening will
be held in the Kings-Queens performing arts centre on
Wednesday, November 4.
This function recognises the achievements of pupils in their
chosen sport in 2009.
Service to sport, fair play and Otago and New Zealand
representation are recognised and school sports trophies and
first team badges presented, with the evening culminating in
the awarding of the Salter Trophy for sporting excellence at
year 13 level.
The guest speaker is Assoc Prof David Gerrard.
A Commonwealth Games swimming gold medallist, sports medicine
specialist, sports administrator and prominent academic, his
vast experience in the sporting world is second to none in
New Zealand and should make for an excellent night.
Fencing
Otago Girls High School year 10 pupil Olive Butler competed
in several fencing events during the recent school holidays.
After fencing at the New Zealand under-20 event, Olive
competed in the Otago foil championships held at the
University of Otago.
The event was a mixed open event and Olive was the
second-ranked woman at the competition and finished eighth
overall.
Prior to this, Olive competed for the New Zealand Under-15
fencing team in Brisbane, with the team gaining third place
overall.
Olive gained a ranking of 14th and her performance earned her
selection in the Oceania team.
Netball star
Vanessa Noble has been a member of the Cromwell College
Senior A netball team for the past three years after having
been selected at age 14.
This year has been a great season for Vanessa, the captain of
the school.
She led her team from the front as Cromwell College competed
in the Central Otago premier grade for the first time in many
years and finished fourth.
The team then went on to win the Otago secondary schools B
grade tournament in Dunedin, followed by a creditable ninth
at the South Island secondary schools tournament in Timaru.
Vanessa was selected for the Central Otago under-17 team,
which she co-captained.
After leading her team well at the secondary schools
tournament, Vanessa was named in the Otago tournament team.
Vanessa was asked by Netball Otago to attend a trial for the
Netball New Zealand talent development programme along with
26 other Otago girls.
After trialling well, Vanessa was selected as one of 12
players identified to have the potential to represent New
Zealand in the future.
Dunstan basketball
The Dunstan High School boys basketball team has just
returned from the national tournament for schools of fewer
than 600 pupils, held in Auckland.
Dunstan finished third, with Thomas Mulvihill and Joe Cooney
being selected for the tournament team.
After qualifying at the South Island tournament in Westport,
Dunstan travelled to the home of the New Zealand Breakers,
the North Shore Events Centre, and stayed nearby at the
Millenium Institute of Sport.
Pool play saw wins against Taumaranui High School (65-51),
Stratford High School (74-71), Nga Taiatea Wharekura (81-64)
and Paeroa College (71-67).
This meant the team qualified for the top three play-offs
against Rotorua Lakes and Nga Taiatea Wharekura.
The first game against Nga Taiatea proved to be a nail-biter.
With three seconds on the clock, Dunstan led by a basket, but
Nga Taiatea scored a three-pointer to seal the match 75-74.
There were tears all round on both sides, with an amazing
haka presented to Dunstan by the opposition.
Dunstan then had to play Rotorua Lakes two hours later and
despite playing well, succumbed 83-66 to finish in third
place.
The team was: Simon Anderson, Josh Benck, Steven Checketts,
Joe Cooney, Leigh Grieve, Sean Moran, Liam Mulvihill, Thomas
Mulvihill, Sam Paulin, Scott Paulin, Lachie Rutherford.
