Oram leads Westlake to collegiate cycling success

Westlake Boys had the wood on their cross-harbour rivals Auckland Grammar in the North Island Secondary Schools cycling championships in Ngaruawahia today.

They proved too strong in winning the team time trial at nearby Gordonton on Saturday with Auckland Grammar while their star performer James Oram took out the senior boys’ road race, holding off Daniel Gate (Auckland Grammar) and his teammate Daniel Cross in the sprint finish.

Brittany Thompson stepped up after winning the under-17 honours last year to win the senior girls’ under-20 title but her Waikato Diocesan School had to be content with runner-up to St Cuthberts (Auckland) in Saturday’s time trial.

The championships just beat off the oncoming inclement weather today with 500 riders competing around a circuit off River Rd in Ngaruawahia, just north of Hamilton.

Oram, who won the king of the mountains at the Australian Junior Tour in Canberra in February, managed the flat course in the Waikato today in the 43km race.

An initial bunch of 13 riders went clear before five broke off the front – two each from Westlake and Auckland Grammar along with Ben Park from Rangototo College.

Oram controlled the sprint best to win in 48min 37sec ahead of Gate and Cross, who were given the same time. Sam Morreau (Auckland Grammar), the national under-16 triathlon champion, was fourth ahead of Park just behind the leading trio.

The under-20 girls’ race was a tighter affair with no-one able to break away over the 32km race around the same circuit.

The 25-strong peloton could not be broken with Thompson, the national under-15 champion last year, moving up to the senior ranks for the first time. She managed to edge the rest in the bunch sprint to win in 33:29, ahead of Laura Gretton (St Peters Cambridge) and Danyela van der Sande (St Cuthberts) who recorded the same time.

The other winners in the boys’ races were Sam Brothers (Auckland Grammar) in the under-17, Chad Elliston (St Peters Auckland) under 16, Fraser McDonald (St Kentigern) under 15, Sam Dobbs (Hamilton Boys) under 14 and Matthew Manning (St Kentigern) under 14.

The girls’ winners Racquel Sheath (Whangaparaoa) in the under-17s, Robyn Hacker-Cary (Waikato Diocesan) under-16, Madi Farrant (Waikato Diocesan) under 15, Jemima Wasson (Westlake Girls) under 14 and Neve Doak (St Cuthberts) under -13.

Results:

Boys, time trial, senior: Westlake Boys HS 21:53.50, 1; Auckland Grammar 22:10.35, 2; Massey HS 22:11.56, 3.

Junior: Takapuna Grammar 23:18.02, 1; Sacred Heart 23:50.06, 2; Hamilton Boys 23:50.13, 3.

Under-20, 43km: James Oram (Westlake) 48:37, 1; Daniel Gate (Auckland Grammar) same time, 2; Daniel Cross (Westlake) same time, 3.

 Under-17, 43km: Sam Brothers (Auckland Grammar) 29:51, 1; Tobias Dalton (St Kentigern) at 1 sec, 2; Alphonse Dunand (Sacred heart) same time, 3.

Under-16, 32km: Chad Elliston (St Peters Auckland) 30:21, 1; Dan Pavis (Auckland Grammar) same time, 2; Mark Findlay (Palmerston North Boys) same time, 3.

Under-15, 20km: Fraser McDonald (St Kentigern) 23:51, 1; Fintan Nelson (Auckland Grammar) same time, 2; Lewis Stevens (Massey HS) same time, 3.

Under-14, 15km: Sam Dobbs (Hamilton Boys) 16:23, 1; Matthew Roets (Westlake) at 1sec, 2; Jack Snodgrass (Auckland Grammar) same time, 3.

Under-13, 15km: Matthew Manning (St Kentigern) 18:13, 1; Campbell Stewart (Palmerston North) at 1 sec, 2; Chris Denholm, (Palmerston North) at 4 sec, 3.

Girls, time trial, senior: St Cuthberts 25:04.82, 1; Waikato Diocesan 25:50.15, 2; Epsom Girls 26:20.27, 3.

Junior: Waikato Diocesan A 26:37.39, 1; Waikato Diocesan B 27:02.20, 2; Diocesan School 27:51.10, 3.

Under 20, 32km: Brittany Thompson (Waikato Diocesan) 33:23, 1; Laura Gretton (St Peters) same time, 2; Danyela van der Sande (St Cuthberts) same time, 3.

Under 17, 32km: Racquel Sheath (Whangaparaoa College) 29:01, 1; Danielle McKenzie (Rangitoto) same time, 2; Helena Jackson (St Cuthberts) same time, 3.

Under-16: Robyn Hacker-Cary (Waikato Diocesan) 29:06, 1; Steffie Holcroft (Hillcrest) at 1 sec, 2; Sophie Dickson (Waikato Diocesan) same time, 3.

Under-15: Madi Farrant (Waikato Diocesan) 17:12, 1; Stephanie Henderson (Sacred Heart) at 1 sec, 2; Jordyn Crouch (Waikato Diocesan) same time, 3.

Under-14: Jemima Wasson (Westlake) 16:26, 1; Sophie Pulford (St Francis) same time, 2; Nia Kenny (Diocesan) at 1 sec, 3.

Under-13: Neve Doak (St Cuthberts) 18:14, 1; Jessica Read (Cambridge Middle) same time, 2; Aimee Forbes-Brown (St Kentigern) at 13 secs, 3.