|
Waikowhai Primary School pupils Cewade De
Thierry, Sam Pau and Seli Fuimaono won the
Auckland Allschools Petanque Championship,
beating Westlake Boys High School in the final.
They thought they might win one game, but
together Waikowhai Primary School students
Cewade De Thierry, Sam Pau and Seli Fuimaono
beat the lot.
The 10-year-old boys are revelling in the glory
of being the youngest team of triples to win the
annual Auckland All-Schools Petanque
Championship.
The popular game, which originated in France in
the early 1900s, involves throwing metal balls,
or boules, as close as possible to a target
ball, or coche.
The regional petanque competition, now in its
15th year, is open to all schools but until this
year only secondary and intermediate schools had
taken part.
With a roll of only 200, Waikowhai Primary's
entry into the competition was spurred by
Cewade's father Walter De Thierry, an
experienced player for the Vikings Petanque
Club.
Principal Fintan Kelly says he assumed the
tournament was just for primary school kids when
he was approached by Mr De Thierry. "It was a
surprise, very much like David and Goliath to
take on secondary schools.
"We're immensely proud. It's one of those things
where we should never underestimate our
children," he says.
The all-day competition was organised by
Alliance Francaise for 53 teams from 17 Auckland
schools.
The teams, divided into eight pools, played
three games each to decide their ranking. From
that, the top eight teams, including Waikowhai
Primary in sixth place, played a further three
games in the final.
The Hillsborough school beat Whangaparaoa
College and two Westlake Boys High School teams
to come out on top and got a standing ovation as
they collected their trophy, medals and prizes.
The win also means they will be invited to play
in a youth tournament as part of the annual
Trans-Tasman Challenge against teams from
Australia in May.
Auckland Petanque Association secretary Jean
Parley says the young trio were outstanding.
"There were some very close games but they did
an excellent job. Some of the teams they beat
were 17-year-olds."
Cewade, who has been playing petanque for six
years, says although he had the advantage of
experience, he picked his team mates based on
their abilities.
"It was hard because they were tall," says Seli.
"We thought we might win one game if we were
lucky." Sam says.
"It was nerve-wracking. I hadn't played before
but it was pretty cool, the shooting and
winning."
Carly Tawhiao
"Central Leader"
9.4.10 |
