Silva New Zealand Secondary Schools Orienteering Championships

Wellington Secondary Schools orienteers headed the results lists at the 2010 Silva Championships, held at Woodhill Forest, Auckland on 16 and 17 July, with Napier schools hot on their heels.

Laura Robertson (Chilton Saint James) completed her set of Schools titles at all age classes by winning the Senior Girls individual race by an impressive seven minutes from Selena Metherall.

Robertson had been competing for New Zealand just a few days previously in the Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC), where she made an excellent debut finishing 33rd in the Sprint distance and anchoring the Girls relay team to 13th placed nation.

"It was one of the best runs I've ever had!" Robertson commented after her emphatic individual win.

Other Junior Worlds Championships representatives Selena Metherill, Jula McMillan and Jaime Goodwin also brought their European competitive experience back to the New Zealand forests, filling out the next three placings.

Nick Hann (Onslow College) was at his best in the Senior Boys, pipping in-form JWOC runner Duncan Morrison (Napier Boys) by 63 seconds.

2010 has been a year of big improvements for Hann, following up a superb relay leg for Wellington Orienteering Club at the Easter Nationals with personal bests in a number of Wellington cross-country races.

His fitness was put to the test on the anchor leg of the Schools Relay where he attempted to claw back the six minute lead held by Napier Boys High School over Onslow College.

Running the fastest relay leg of the day by 61 seconds, Hann should have caught and passed any of the other Senior orienteers, any that is, except for one - Duncan Morrison - who kept his cool to stay in front of Hann and give Napier Boys the relay victory.

Chilton Girls Laura Robertson, Pippa Halliday and Jula McMillan had a close victory in the Senior Girls relay by just 33 seconds from a composite team which include JWOC teammate Selena Metherall.

While Wellington school orienteers headed the Senior results it was almost a clean sweep of the Intermediate and Junior titles by Napier Boys and Napier Girls Schools.

Pearson Williams was a clear winner in Intermediate Boys for Napier Boys High School, but younger school mates Callum Herries, Devon Beckman and Ieuan Edmonds had to be content with the minor placings behind Joshua Campbell (Shirley Boys High) who won the Junior Boys individual race.

In a similar fashion Lauren Turner (Samuel Marsden College) had an excellent race to prevent Napier Girls' Holly Edmonds from winning the Intermediate girls, while Brianna Massie and Monieka Scott were first and second for Napier Girls in the Juniors.

An unofficial Sprint distance race was also conducted at the Silva Secondary Schools Champs, and was won by Seniors Laura Robertson (Chilton Saint James) and Cameron Massie (Napier Boys).

Results
2010 Silva New Zealand Secondary Schools Individual Championships

Senior Girls Championships 5.3 km
1 Laura Robertson CHIL 34:43;
2 Selena Metherell UNLM 41:54;
3 Jula McMillan CHIL 44:00;
4 Jaime Goodwin HAVE 44:36;
5 Renee Beveridge STDO 48:46.

Senior Boys Championships 6.5 km
1 Nick Hann ONSL 39:40;
2 Duncan Morrison NAPB 40:43;
3 Benjamin Reynolds WTLB 41:09;
4 Alistair Richardson RSCH 41:57;
5 Cameron Massie NAPB 45:46.

Intermediate Girls Championships 4.0 km
1 Lauren Turner SAMU 33:45;
2 Holly Edmonds NAPG 35:39;
3 Hannah Sampson SAMU 36:17;
4 Rebecca Gray STCU 36:39;
5 Helena Barnes DIOC 36:56.

Intermediate Boys Championships 4.8 km
1 Pearson Williams NAPB 32:39;
2 Ryan Batin RSCH 35:18;
3 Thomas Eatson TAUP 36:40;
4 Kieran Woods MTAL 37:43;
5 Tane Moore MASS 38:18.

Junior Girls Championships 2.7 km
1 Brianna Massie NAPG 20:36;
2 Monieka Scott NAPG 20:52;
3 Helayna Ogden STDO 21:02;
4 Sara Reidie NAYL 21:16;
5 Lauren Holmes DIOC 22:25.

Junior Boys Championships 3.3 km
1 Joshua Campbell SHIR 21:09;
2 Callum Herries NAPB 22:10;
3 Devon Beckman NAPB 23:07;
4 Ieuan Edmonds NAPB 23:27;
5 Craig Sceats LIND 24 :36.

2010 Silva New Zealand Secondary Schools Relay Championships
Senior Boys
1 Napier Boys High Schools 1: Cameron Massie, Bradley Ivory, Duncan Morrison 1:17:31;
2 Onslow College: Shamus Morrison, Matthew Turner, Nick Hann 1:22:53;
3 COMP Ryan Batin, Kyle Higham, Alistair Richardson 1:29:32

Senior Girls
1 Chilton Saint James: Jula McMillan, Pippa Halliday, Laura Robertson 1:18:49;
2 COMP Selena Metherell, Erin Paterson, Kate Hewitt 1:19:22;
3 PUKE Sjan Wijdeven, Cosette Saville, Kayla Caudwell1:42:32.

Intermediate Boys
1 WTLB: Matthew Tier, Cameron Tier, Benjamin Reynolds 51:21.

Intermediate Girls
1 NAPG 2: Naomi Anderson, Georgia Lindsay, Holly Edmonds 57:39.

Junior Boys
1 HAVE Harrison Gregory, Mitchell Webber, Nick Wilkey 45:57

Junior Girls
1 NAPG 3: Monieka Scott, Katherine Rybinski, Brianna Massie 51:25