Calendar
Today, tomorrow: New Zealand kayaking, Waipori.
April 11: Otago netball camp, Alexandra; age-group golf, Alexandra.
Cromwell golfers excel
The Cromwell College golf team played in the recent Otago intercollegiate championships in Oamaru.
Cromwell performed well to finish second in the teams' event.
Most members of the team were playing the course for the first time, making good scoring difficult.
Despite this, Franzeska Sessler won the girls' section by seven shots, an outstanding effort given the conditions and the standard of the opposition.
Team captain Joshua Kahukura won the under-17 division, earning him a trip to the national finals in Gisborne later this year.
Two Cromwell College pupils attended the Southland districts multi-style martial arts karate championships in Tapanui.
Jacinda Morton won silver in kata and kumite, while Abby Holden won gold in kumite.
Jacinda and Abby joined with a Queenstown pupil to win bronze in team kata.
Success for Mt Aspiring
Mt Aspiring pupil Jessica Bailey competed in the recent South Island slalom kayak championships.
Jessica won the under-18 K1 class and was third fastest woman overall.
The school's first XI has completed a successful cricket season, winning all three Central Otago zone games.
The team will now play a final against the winners of the northern zone to determine the Otago Country cricket champion.
King's High School update
Hayden Fleury and Caleb Gray have been selected for the New Zealand under-17 rugby training squad.
Both were inaugural members of the rugby academy established at the school four years ago.
With summer sports coming to an end, it is worth noting that Tom Dixon and Regan McCormack were selected to play for the Otago under-17 cricket team, Gifford Henry and Andrew Pauling were selected for the Otago under-17 development squad and Felix Page was selected in the Otago under-15 team.
Athletics
Recently, 800 athletes representing 88 schools competed at the South Island secondary schools athletics championships at the Caledonian Ground.
Bella Bloomfield (Otago Girls) improved her personal best time by 5sec to win the senior girls' 800m in 2min 23.53sec.
Bella demonstrated grit and determination in the last 200m, where she outsprinted Rosa Allison (Rangi Ruru ).
Chris McNoe (Otago Boys) won the under-14 boys 800m in 2min 8sec, breaking the existing Otago record by more than 1sec.
Dunstan runner Rhian Ward finished second in 2min 11sec.
The senior boys' 100m final saw a class field of sprinters assembled, with five or more likely to make the final of the New Zealand secondary schools championships later this year.
Otago Boys' sprinter Toby Flett was beaten into second place by Christchurch Boys runner Scott Walker, who ran an exceptional time of 10.98sec.
Toby had his revenge in the 200m with the finishing positions reversed.
Queen's High School showed its hand as an emerging athletics school with head girl Nicole Bradley winning the senior girls' discus (33.28m), Lauren Wilson winning the senior girls' 100m (12.43sec) and 200m (25.31sec) double, and Danielle De Caigney winning the under-15 girls' 400m in 61.45sec.
North Otago athletes continued the strong form they have shown all season with Brad Costello (Waitaki Boys) winning both the under-14 boys' long jump (5.58m) and high jump (1.74m, a record), Megan McPhail (Waitaki Girls) winning the under-16 100m (12.64sec) and 200m (25.75sec) and Jamie Robb (Waitaki Boys) winning the under-16 boys 400m (52.45sec).
The Otago Boys senior relay team, which won gold at last year's national championships, fought off a strong challenge from Christchurch Boys to win in a record time of 43.08sec.
A strong Columba College claimed both the senior and under-14 girls' relays, while Waitaki Boys won the under-16 boys' relay title.
Otago Girls' success
Dayna Turnbull has made an outstanding start to her sporting year.
In January, Dayna travelled to Australia as a member of the New Zealand under-18 Koru basketball team and was then selected for the New Zealand under-18 team.
She has a passion for basketball and has been a member of the Otago Girls High School senior A team since year 9.
She continues to represent Otago age groups and is also a keen referee.
In addition, Dayna recently represented Otago at the national touch tournament in Auckland.
She impressed the national selectors and was named in the New Zealand under-21 squad.
She has been a member of the Otago Girls senior A touch team since year 9 and will be looking to lead her team at the upcoming South Island tournament in Christchurch.
Interschool cricket
Bayfield High School and Kaikorai Valley College played a two-day cricket match over Otago Anniversary weekend.
Bayfield won the toss and chose to bat.
Opener Ethan Keenan showed great concentration to bat for more than three hours to score a patient 49, with captain Tom Murphy scoring 61 at No 3.
Down the order, Keegan Houlihan scored a determined 42 to help Bayfield post 257.
Kaikorai Valley collapsed to 45 for five before Jonte Paterson countered with a fine 63.
Kaikorai Valley was dismissed for 153, narrowly failing to avoid the follow-on.
Blake Acklin (4/22) and Jonte Marshall (3/35) were the best of the Bayfield bowlers.
Kaikorai Valley's second innings was similar to its first, finishing on 154 with Jonte Paterson again leading the way, with 42.
Blake Acklin, bowling an excellent line and length, took six for 22.
Requiring 51 to win, Ethan Keenan again batted well for 29 not out, helping Bayfield to a nine-wicket win.
It is intended to make the game an annual event as it was in the 1990s.
Orienteering
The Wednesday summer series that has run in the first term has seen Amy Carrick (Bayfield High School) and Erin Batchelor (Queen's High School) consistently challenging each other for top spot in the senior girls' grade.
However, at the Otago schools championships recently, it was Erin who managed a trouble-free round, beating Amy by 6min.
Third was Sarah Hawker-Lawrence, of Otago Girls High School.
The championships were held at Waikouaiti, where the varied terrain of forest, sand dunes and paddock allowed more challenging courses than those of the evening series.
The senior boys' race was close, with Lex Fulton (Bayfield) winning from Lane Savell (King's) and Bernie O'Sullivan (Tokomairiro).
Sam Littleton (Logan Park) had been the outstanding competitor in the weekly competitions, but only managed fourth at Waikouaiti.
Charlie Ruffman (Logan Park) won the junior championship from Michael Baker (Otago Boys) and Jack O'Leary (Kavanagh).
Disappointingly, there were no entries in the junior girls' championship, but beginner Toroa Scott-Fyfe (Queen's) was first on the junior girls standard course.
The Wednesday evening series, held at a variety of parks and reserves around town, was extremely popular this year.
Top individuals were Anna O'Leary and Hamish Prince, both from Kavanagh College, and Sam Littleton, from Logan Park.
Trophies for total senior points in the evening series were presented to Queen's and King's.
At the junior level the top schools were Queen's (girls) and Kavanagh (boys).
Bowls
Regional trials for the team to play at the national championships were held in Oamaru recently.
The region covers from South Canterbury to Southland, each contributing six girls and six boys.
A full team from Dunedin travelled to Oamaru.
The boys' team was very experienced, made up of pupils from King's, Otago Boys and Kavanagh College.
The boys' pairs competition was of a high standard, so it was pleasing to see Oliver and Elliot Mason, from Otago Boys, finishing second.
The boys' singles was also strong, with four of the competitors having won places to play in Auckland at Easter in the Kittyhawk under-20 tournament.
Congratulations to Cameron Craik, from Otago Boys, who came second.
The national championships this year are to be held in Dunedin in December.
The summer league, held on Mondays, has been very successful, with 44 young bowlers playing pairs over a five-week period.
Otago Girls has recently introduced a 10-week course as part of its physical education programme, which will undoubtedly grow the sport in that school.