Kids start the ball rolling for Plunket

Photo: JASON OXENHAM

PASSING BY: Even though Ponsonby Intermediate School pupil Jacob Stoddard, 12, is carrying a rugby injury, passing a rugby ball along Ponsonby Rd for Plunket is a “good cause”, he says.

Shop owners and pedestrians on Ponsonby Rd were surprised to see footpaths overtaken by 550 children and 40 rugby balls last week.

Ponsonby Intermediate School students used their ball handling skills to pitch in and raise money for Plunket as part of a Small Blacks initiative called Pass the Ball.

Planned as a practice run leading up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup, where a rugby ball will be passed down the length of the country, Ponsonby Intermediate’s contribution spanned a 3km circuit from College Hill Rd to Franklin Rd.

The first 20 balls were passed as a practice before the next set was filmed for broadcast on Small Black TV.

Assistant principal Nick Smith says the school found out about the promotion in March and pupils prepared for the event by learning ball-passing skills and techniques, as well as how to conduct themselves in public.

"Overall 22,000 ball passes were made in almost an hour with fewer than 10 drops. We think we might have set a world record."

Health and physical education teacher Matt Bennie says the idea to pass the ball along Ponsonby Rd came from Mr Smith as a novel way to bring public awareness to the school’s fundraising cause.

"We wanted the public and everyone to see it and show that we are part of the community too."

New Zealand Rugby Union education adviser Peter Harold says any rugby player under the age of 13 is considered a Small Black and although the main charity it supports is Kidscan, Plunket is just as deserving.

"This is the first year we’ve held Pass the Ball leading up to the world cup. We’ve invited 2300 schools and clubs to get involved in practising for the main event in 2011 to pass rugby ball from the top of country to the bottom."

- © Fairfax NZ News