Shaun Clark rounds a bend on his way to winning the Run and Walk Ashburton club championships on Saturday. Photo Erin TaskerRunners and walkers put their best feet forward on Saturday when Run and Walk Ashburton hosted their annual club championships.

An impressive field of athletes lined up at the start line in warm conditions on what was the last day of winter, to battle it out over varying distances at the Ashburton Business Estate on the northern outskirts of Ashburton.

Coming out on top in the 8.32km senior men’s race for runners was Shaun Clark in 33.27 minutes, while Jeremy Hayes was the first masters athlete home in 33.57 minutes, followed by Joe Ford in 34.40 minutes.

Ian Broadbelt was the first man home on handicap in 39.45 minutes.

The senior women runners contested a 6.24km race and it was won by Ashlea Mulligan in 26.37 minutes.

She was first over the line and first on handicap, while Tam Grant took the masters women’s title in 28.46 minutes.

The veteran men’s 6.24km race was taken out by Merv Gilbert in 34.00 minutes, followed by Mike O’Callaghan in 49.15 minutes, while Angel Spooner won the 4.16km under-14 race in 18.51 minutes.

A 2.08km distance was also on offer and Jack Hooper won the under-12 title in 11.25 minutes, while Stacey Hooper won the under-13 title in 11.26 minutes and Kathryn Page was the masters entrant home in 20.18 minutes.

The under-10 title was won by Stacey Hayes in 10.30 minutes, while under-6 was won by Jamie Hooper in 19.19 minutes and the under-5 title was won by Addison Page in 20.18 minutes.

For the walkers Rob Beale was fastest across the 6.24km distance, finishing in 41.30 minutes, while Robert Moffitt was first man home on handicap in 47.10 minutes, and Marie Batty was the first woman home in 49.08 minutes.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 3 September 2019

A perfect record in pool play saw Ashburton College’s A netballers top their section at the South Island Secondary Schools’ Netball Tournament in Nelson yesterday.

They beat last year’s runners-up Southland Girls’ High School 29-26 yesterday morning to add to their day one wins – 35-31 over Nayland College, and 41-29 over Marlborough Girls’ High School.

It was just the start the side’s coaching staff wanted, as they eyed a top 16 finish in the 32-team A grade competition, and credit for the big win over Marlborough went to both ends of the court.

Samantha Holden was a menace on defence, gaining multiple tips and intercepts, while shooter Hayley Tallentire shot 35 from 41 (83 per cent).

The Ashburton girls were on fire, racing out to an 8-1 lead over Nayland in their second game, too, but let them back into the match.

Ashburton’s defensive duo of Holden and Mia Pearson created numerous turnovers but the side failed to turn that possession into goals at the other end.

Jasmin Strawbridge entered the fray at goal attack and created more space in the circle and shot with confidence, and eventually Ashburton College came away with the win which put them in a strong position heading into day two, as the only unbeaten team in section H.

They’re now in section V and started post-section play with a narrow 33-32 win over Central Southland College late yesterday, and will now look to keep that unbeaten streak going against Nelson College for Girls this morning and Rangiora High School this afternoon.

Down in the B grade, in section E, Mount Hutt College’s tournament hasn’t gone quite as well so far, losing all three of their pool play games.

They lost to Verdon College and Kaikoura High School on day one, then lost to Timaru’s Roncalli College 32-16 yesterday morning.

Today, Mount Hutt College will play Bayfield High School this morning, and Tokomairiro High School in the afternoon in B grade’s section W.

Meanwhile, but also in Nelson, the Ashburton College boys’ first XI hockey side drew nil-all with Nelson College in their first Johnson Cup game, with goalie Jacob Gray seeing off a Nelson onslaught which included six short corners in the first two quarters.

They then took on Cashmere High School, who they’d played twice already in the Christchurch competition this season, and after coming out with hard flat passes and finding space to slot an early goal in the first quarter, Cashmere went on to win 3-0.

After conceding an early goal in the second quarter too, Ashburton College defended well for the rest of the first half, with Jonty Small doing particularly well to hold Cashmere out.

Cole Aitken came close to scoring for Ashburton College in an even third quarter, before Cashmere landed a late goal to make it 3-0 at the end of the third quarter, and that was the way it stayed.

Yesterday, the Ashburton College boys took on Mount Roskill Grammar School and drew 1-all.

The Ashburton College boys’ second XI, playing in the Coaches Cup tournament in Ashburton, followed up their day one win over Waitaki Boys’ High School on Monday with a 6-1 loss to Roncalli College yesterday morning.

And in Cromwell, the Ashburton College girls’ first XI made it two from two with a 2-0 win over Gore High School yesterday morning, following on from their win over South Canterbury Rural Combined on day one.

Down in Timaru at the Gary Sowden Tournament, the Ashburton College girls’ first XI football team lost 6-0 to Papanui High School on Monday morning and then 1-0 to Dunstan on Monday afternoon, and yesterday they finished off pool play with a 3-0 loss to Kapiti College, to finish bottom of pool C.

That put them into the play-offs for ninth to 16th, where they will today play Timaru’s Roncalli College.

Meanwhile, in Dunedin at the Junior Secondary Schools’ Premiership Zone 4 tournament, the Ashburton College junior girls’ basketball team has finished 12th after losing to Rangi Ruru 80-60 in their final game yesterday.

The day before, they beat Riccarton High School 58-48 in the morning, before losing to Taeri 111-59 in the afternoon, which put them into the play-off for 11/12th.

Today, Ashburton College’s senior boys and girls basketballers start their tournaments in Nelson.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 3 September 2019

Ashburton College’s A netball team got their South Island secondary school tournament campaign off to the perfect start yesterday.

Playing in Nelson, they took on Marlborough Girls’ High School in their opening match of section H in the tournament’s A grade, and did their top 16 hopes a big favour by comfortably taking out the game 41-29.

They then took on Nayland College in their second game yesterday afternoon and won 35-31, putting them in a strong position heading into their next game against last year’s runners-up, Southland Girls’ High School, at 11am this morning.

Yesterday, the Southland side lost to Marlborough Girls’ High School 35-23, meaning Ashburton College finished day one on top in their section.

If they can pick up the victory spoils this morning they will remain at the top heading into cross-section play.

In the netball tournament’s B grade, Mount Hutt College didn’t fare so well in their opening game against Verdon College, going down 48-21, and in game two against Kaikoura High School they again lost, 37-24.

The tournament is one of many being held around the country this week, as part of secondary schools’ tournament week.

In Dunedin, the Ashburton College junior girls’ basketball team started their Junior Secondary Schools Premiership Zone 4 tournament on Saturday with a 57-46 loss to Middleton Grange, despite getting off to a strong start and leading at the end of the first quarter.

On Sunday they took on Kaiapoi High School and picked up their first win, 81-68, before taking on Otago Girls’ High School later in the day.

In that game they started well but tired in the second quarter, and although they launched a comeback late in the second half they fell short, 72-56.

In Invercargill, the Ashburton College boys’ first XI hockey side started their Johnson Cup campaign with a nil-all draw in their pool B match against Nelson College, while at the Jenny McDonald tournament in Cromwell the Ashburton College girls’ hockey first XI were due to take on a South Canterbury Rural Combined team late yesterday afternoon in their opening game of tournament week.

In Timaru, playing at the Gary Sowden Tournament, the Ashburton College girls’ first XI football team started their tournament with a 6-0 loss over Papanui High School.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 3 September 2019