Team sails to victory

Proving  being brainy is lots of fun is the Mackenzie College team of (from left) Sally Laurenson...
Proving being brainy is lots of fun is the Mackenzie College team of (from left) Sally Laurenson (14), Peggie Barnes (13) and Ashley Davies.
Showing  two heads are better than one is the Mountainview High School team of Stefan Offen (14,...
Showing two heads are better than one is the Mountainview High School team of Stefan Offen (14, left) and Gillan Harris (15).
Poring over the Otago Daily Times  in search for an answer are the Opihi College team of (from...
Poring over the Otago Daily Times in search for an answer are the Opihi College team of (from left) Emily Scannell (14), Holly Dungey (15) and Emily McBride (14).
Enjoying the limelight after finishing third in the years 9 and 10 section of the  current events...
Enjoying the limelight after finishing third in the years 9 and 10 section of the current events quiz are the Ashburton College 6 team of (from left) Tom Ravenscroft (14), Cameron Jopson (13) and Gareth Hunt.
Finishing as runners-up in the years 9 and 10 section of the Central South Island  current events...
Finishing as runners-up in the years 9 and 10 section of the Central South Island current events quiz are the Ashburton College 1 team of (from left) Matt Parker, Scott Kelland and Harry Fleming (all 14).
Delighted at winning the years 9 and 10 section of the Central South Island Otago Daily Times...
Delighted at winning the years 9 and 10 section of the Central South Island Otago Daily Times Extra! current events quiz are the Ashburton College 2 team of (from left) Millar McLauchlan (14), Jaime Pitt-MacKay (14) and Robert Wilson (15). Photos by...

An Ashburton College team managed what Team New Zealand couldn't do by taking the lead early and holding on to win when it competed in the Central South Island Otago Daily Times Extra! current events quiz in Timaru yesterday.

The school's No 2 team of Millar McLauchlan, Jaime Pitt-MacKay and Robert Wilson established a lead after the first couple of rounds and held on to score 95 points out of a possible 100.

The trio led the way for a memorable trifecta for Ashburton College, with the school's No 1 team of Matt Parker, Scott Kelland and Harry Fleming ending the quiz only a point astray to finish second.

Completing the school's traditional stranglehold on the annual current events quiz was its No 6 team of Tom Ravenscroft, Cameron Jopson and Gareth Hunt, who finished third on 92 points.

They were among more than 180 years 9 and 10 pupils from secondary schools throughout Mid and South Canterbury who packed into Timaru Boys' High School's Hogben Hall. Quiz co-ordinator and Extra! editor Ivan Behrnes said the 60 teams made it one of the largest turnouts for that age category.

The 10-round quiz tested pupils on topics such as national and international current events, history and geography.

Winning team member Jaime Pitt-MacKay said his team had worked out a way of working together ''without bickering or dispute''.

Jaime attributed the long-running success of Ashburton schools in the quiz to the fact their pupils were drawn from a wide area and range of backgrounds, so tended to have good, all-round general knowledge.

Nearly 400 school children from years 5 to 10 have taken part in the two-day quiz at Timaru Boys' High School.

It was the last of four regional quizzes, held throughout the lower South Island, which are part of the Otago Daily Times' Class Act project. Extra! is a monthly educational publication produced by the newspaper for senior primary, intermediate and junior secondary school pupils.

 

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