Golf
After 56 holes of golf at Timaru GC, some exciting news from the team with King's dominating the two competitions they were in.
Ryan Xie (Year 11, Averill) winner of U16 competition, finishing 8 under par.
Ryan Xie after winning his U16 competition
Xie began the final round a shot ahead of Moore (last years winner) following rounds of 69 and 68 to sit seven under for the championship. He opened his final round with nine straight pars to enter the back nine tied with Moore as the defending champ went out in one under.
Moore made a costly triple bogey seven on the 14th to fall two behind Xie, which he couldn’t claw back. Xie birdied the 16th to pull three clear with two to play and just needed to avoid disaster to claim the title.
The New Zealand Open qualifier learned from his experience last year, where he fell just short, making two solid pars to get over the line.
Xie says he’s exceptionally proud of his effort.
“I played really well today, and I’m stoked to finish the job.
“I focussed on hitting one shot at a time – every time I faced a bit of adversity, I told myself not to panic. I really trusted my game and tried my best right until the very end. It’s incredible to win. I can’t describe it.
“I’ve been working really hard on my game; I’ve been practising a lot and just trying to get better every day.”
Grace Zhan (Year 12, Marion Bruce) overcame a two-shot deficit to win the Under 19 Girls title in clinical fashion.
Grace Zhan after winning her U19 competition
She shot 73 and 72 to trail Amy Han by a couple at one-under-par and shot another 72 today to get the job done.
She immediately made up ground on the leader with a birdie at the first and made eight straight pars to finish her opening nine to take sole possession of the lead, which she would relinquish.
Zhan made further birdies at 12 and 13 but dropped shots at 14 and 15, but steadied the ship with three straight pars to finish.
She says it’s a fantastic feeling to get over the line.
“It’s pretty surreal. Amy was obviously two shots ahead of me, so I made sure I went into today with a chill mindset and took it one shot at a time. I’m glad it paid off for me today.
“It’s a big relief. Especially when my ball landed on the 18th – my heart immediately stopped racing.”
Like Swanwick, she also hit a perfect shot on the fourth for her third ace yesterday.
“I hit a six iron from 168 yards; I actually didn’t see it go in. I just hit it, and I knew it was a good shot, so I looked away. I heard some people yelling and screaming, and they told me it went in. I couldn’t believe it.”
A very special mention goes to Amy Han (Year 13, Marion Bruce) who finished second behind Grace. Congratulations to both girl's on their outstanding results!
These results have meant that the King's College team finished 2nd overall in the country. What an achievement!
First XI Football (Boys)
The King's First XI Football team that played in Napier last week
Day 1:
Day 1 was a very unfortunate and undeserved 1-0 loss to Kapiti Coast College, with the windy conditions having a huge impact on the match.
Day 2:
Day 2 saw us playing a double header. First up, Green Bay from Auckland, we didn’t have a great game. Green Bay was physical and fast, and punished our mistakes, scoring the only 2 goals in an otherwise evenly contested match.
Our second match of the day saw us take on Hasting Boys High. Our team were in very different shape for the match, and were quick to find a lead, only for the referee to call things back for off-side. We continued pressing, winning the ball, and then playing great football, relaxing in possession and playing with a smile. We eventually got a ‘real goal’ a great strike from Johnson Belle (Year 11, Selwyn). Our Year 10s and Year 11s had particularly productive day, with Josh Motion (Year 10, Parnell), Lucca Stredder (Year 10, Parnell) and Jayden Wang (Year 10, Peart) combining through the midfield to create chances. Angus Birchenough (Year 10, Marsden), Oscar Shuttleworth (Year 11, Marsden) and Varnan Pasupati (Year 11, Greenbank) all came off the bench, with Oscar and Varnan adding spice to the attack, and Angus having an outstanding spell at RB. Later in the match, Jack Hernon (Year 12, Selwyn) had a great goal again scrubbed off by the referee, this time due to an apparent offside. With the game still stuck at 1-0, it was Jack again who found the back of the net, this time a brilliant individual effort. 2-0 win full time. With our Boys football side finishing 3rd in their group they are, unfortunately, out of contention for a championship spot.
Day 3:
Our Boys won both their matches today, a resounding 10-0 win vs local side Karamu College with Jack Hernon, Johnson Belle, Josh Motion, Leo Clancy (Year 13, Parnell), and Varnan Pasupati all scoring. This was followed by a 4-0 win vs St Johns College (Hastings) with Hernon, Belle, and Clancy again among the scorers. Highlights of the day include Motion scoring his first goal for Boys 1st XI, clean-sheets in each game for Alex (Year 11, Marsden) and Seb Bhatnagar (Year 12, Marsden), leading by example, a desperate save off the line by Captain Harrison Mancer (Year 13, Major), and some brilliant skillful play from our Year 10s and 11s – the future is bright! Also thanks to Scott Palmer and the 15A Rugby boys for coming to support us in our quarter final.
Day 4:
Final update from Rex Dawkins Cup, hosted in a very pleasant Napier. Boys 1st XI were successful in our Plate Final vs Taradale, winning 5-1 with 2 goals to Jack Hernon, and one each for Leo Bamfield (Year 12, Major), Charlie Balle (Year 12, Greenbank) and Lucca Stredder. That late finish from Lucca was threaded through the keepers legs, and was Lucca’s 1st goal for the 1st XI, and good reward for his efforts this week.
Winning the Plate Final means we finished 9th overall here at Div 2 Nth Island Nationals. Counting the 24 teams at Premier Nationals in Christchurch and the other top 8 teams from Sth Island Div 2 Nationals, means we technically finished 41st in the country… Cool achievement for our very young side, given the season our boys have had. Most importantly for me as coach and Head of Football, is the younger boys have more than held their own – playing great football and dominating teams full of Year 13s which is great for the future.
There were some individual performances to acknowledge, Jack Hernon finished as joint top-goalscorer (Golden Boot) with 8 goals from the week, and Leo Bamfield was named in the Tournament Team as the King’s College MVP.
I also want to publicly acknowledge a huge contribution from Robyn Wright. She’s been incredible again as Team Manager, and I know the boys love having her around.
First XI Football (Girls)
Day 1:
Game 1 vs Whangarei Girl’s High
The nerves were high, a little unsure what all this was going to turn out like. The game started and the girls instantly settled into their game and began playing their own game and passed and moved around the park comfortable. Some good searching runs by all with loads of opportunities created. The attacking movement was very positive with plenty of forwards movement by all. Defensively, very efficient at tidying up by all four players, Ella Mayston (Year 12, Middlemore), Ivy Stokes (Year 11, Middlemore), Lily Double (Year 12, Taylor) and Sophia Hoffman (Year 11, Marion Bruce) and they had the composure and the confidence to play it out and feed the midfield. Like the whole season, we were devastating out wide and when Maggie Meyers (Year 13, Marion Bruce) found a little bit of space she took a long shot that was a bit too high… but a freak gust of wind held it up and it dropped in over the keeper!!! 1-0, good beginning. Level heads of Billie McKessar (Year 13, Taylor) and Arki Hunter (Year 11, Middlemore) controlled the centre of the field forcing the opposition wide or having to play through balls, both of which were easily tidied up by the defence.
A great play from deep in our own half fed the ball centre and then wide for Maggie to run onto and expertly pick it up and attacking the wing. A loud call had the ball played back to Eva Pleciak (Year 12, Taylor) who received well and created space for Lucy Hawes (Year 11, Middlemore) to slot it past the keeper… 2-0. Somewhere in here Frankie McMurtrie (Year 12, Middlemore) was able to finally pick up the ball for the first and only time in the game and kick a massive ball out wide to Maggie. Shortly after Eva, Maggie and Lucy teamed up again to make it 3-0. The opposition has no answer for these three. Stella Lamb (Year 12, Middlemore) had a great time out running her opposition on the right wing and continuously put great long balls across into the middle for many chances to be taken. Another move forward through the team and there was a strike on goal which was saved, but Maggie was there to tidy up.
Half time: 4-0
Second half saw 4 fresh players on who all just slotted into the game perfectly. Arabella Boulstridge (Year 11, Middlemore) kept the defence busy with her well timed runs to receive the ball and distribute to the ever present Stella who quickly delivered the ball across the goal. Emma Mowat (Year 13, Taylor) worked hard in the middle making it her own space and being able to use the myriad of options available around her with so many shots on goal from everyone and everywhere. Their keeper kept them in the game by stopping everything we threw at her. Siena Grayson (Year 12, Taylor) worked hard on the left side of the field and consistently got past her defender and creating many opportunities for her team mates including linking well with Sophia Alexander (Year 12, Marion Bruce) in defence behind her to reshape and rebuild the attack. A very forward playing second half, but no score.
Full time. Final score: 4-0 win.
Game 2 vs Carmel College
The game kicked off and Carmel College was quick to pounce and dominated early. They clearly have the benefit if girls playing together from Year 9 as they instinctively knew where each other were, a very tidy display of football. A nice pass to one of their strikers saw a very good goal scored, 0-1 down… oh well reset and fight back. Unfortunately the girls deflated a little after such a high this morning and took time to react to Carmel’s swift passing game and spent a lot of their time chasing.
By middle of the first half we were 0-3 down. Clear calls from all on the sideline to track and close down players and start playing our own game. The girls rallied and started to look like they were playing themselves back into the game. Some good searching runs through the middle and out wide on both sides. Maggie was marked as the ‘danger’ person and seemed to have 4 Carmel players marking her everytime she ended up with the ball.
Half time 0-3
Easy words from me… slow down our mental panic, regain our own game back and when the opposition has the ball, lets try to close them down a little earlier. Kick off and Carmel showed they were not going to relent their attack. This time we managed to put pressure on the right people and Frankie even had to do some work saving a few key chances and keeping us in the game. A tighter defence and better possession saw a few more chances for those up front. Lucy unlucky a couple of times. Maggie finds herself tangled with a Carmel player and stander her ground and earns a free kick. This happens a few times until the opposition player releases some frustration and openly just pushes Maggie. Referee steps in and gives their player a chat. Well done Maggie for not buying into the niggle… great strength of character shown.
The whole team lifts their effort in the dying stages, a few chances are close but their goal keeper makes a couple of very good saves. Defensively we have stopped all the leaks and regained our confidence in slowing them down. We are starting to gain the upper hand and the final whistle goes.
Final Score: 0-3 loss.
Although it was a loss, the girls played very well and did not get caught up in the shirt pulling, arm pulling etc that had clearly been coached into the opposition to try to milk free kicks. I was very proud of the King’s girls who did themselves, their parents and the College amazingly proud. What a first day… there are some tired bodies, time for a shower and a refresh, then dinner and an early night sleep.
Day 2:
Game 3 vs Kristen College
We instantly dominated the field and controlled the ball well. We camped in the opposition’s half where the entire team played an outstanding style of football. We were having fun, passing the ball around, taking shots but nothing dropping our way. Suddenly, against the run of play, Kristen counter attacked and found a gap and surprisingly beat our central defence to take a stab at the goal from close range. Frankie got her finger tips to the ball but just not quite enough to keep it out. 0-1 down.
A different response from yesterday, this seemed to fire up the girls to play stronger and better. But no luck this half.
Half time: 0-1 to Kristen.
Second half, Kristen kick off and we take if off them easily and regain control early. We once again set up camp in their half and run at them continuously. Unfortunately, they absorbed everything we were throwing at them and cleared all of our attacks. A few changes made and we adapted to the different play style of our subs well and they got involved quickly. Creating great chances over and over, the opposition keeper working hard.
As time ticked on, the pressure started to show and a few decisions became a little rushed and the forward momentum started to falter. The ball began to be passed to where we hoped our play would be rather than looking first that caused us to have to defend the most we had in the whole game. A tight defence kept us in the game, and we started to move forward again. The opposition were tired and we pressed them, now we were in the last third of the field for the last 15 minutes of the match… alas we could not find the back of the net… Full time whistle sounds… 90% of the possession and losing 0-1
Full time: 0-1 Loss
Oh well, that football, the girls should be very proud of the quality of football they have been playing. Home for lunch and getting changed into the home it for this afternoon’s game… bring the goals girls!!
Game 4 vs Aquinas College
Kick of… the girls jumped into top gear and ran their legs off and were rewarded with some great play around the team for the ball to finally be slotted into the net by Eva!!! GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!! 1-0.. great start. Total domination is what followed, the opposition was chasing us continuously around the park, and to their credit they held us out for a good long time before Eva was in the right spot again and took a shot… it was luckily saved but rebounded out for Lucy to pounce on the opportunity with a nice side foot pass into the back of the net!
Half time: 2-0 ahead
A couple of the more ‘aggressive’ girls in the team were getting frustrated with some of the referees calls and there was a fair bit of dialogue happening before I shut it down and brought them back to what the score was and how well they were playing. Chatter stopped and a very clear message was given… let the referee run the game and answer any misguided tackles and pushing with quality football. Second half… straight back into the battle for a good result… passing, running, jumping all at 110% effort, more than they have given yet. They were digging deep and putting on a great show of football.
Congratulations must to to Aquinas College for their determined defence that turned away wave after wave of our attack. They were rewarded with a well-structured run, passing through our whole team to take a great shot at goal. 2-1, still ahead… my stress levels are on the way up… There were a few subs made late in the game as the legs were tiring… the concrete was slowly filling their shoes and their running was looking a little slow… but determination, and grit was paid out in full when the final whistle went.
Final Score: 2-1 win
Team talks before game
Day 3:
Game 5 vs St Mary’s College
Whistle goes, and this St Mary’s team knows they also need to win to stay in the top 8… and they came out fast and hard at us… relentless defending for us in the first 5 minutes and they slipped a well taken shot at goal past us… 0-1 to St Mary’s… did they really give a cash bonus to their planted spy to give them an easy run in? We will never know…. We get to kick off and we play well and push forward… passing, moving to space and supporting each other all over the park. We look to be getting on top of them, but just cannot put the ball past their keeper.
A massive through ball by St Mary’s puts their striker ono on one with Frankie who bravely runs out of her goal with lightning pace and saves the day!! Outstanding goalkeeping. A lot of back and forth attacking from both sides, both defensive lines holding very tight and not allowing anything through.
Half time: 0-1
A tense chat, rich up our game, keep passing to feet and play our game… just let the referee run the game and keep our heads clear… lets get out there and leave nothing in the tank… Second half kicks off and we are running at them, they are starting to tire and we are looking good… I have no hair, I now have less than no hair and terrible nails… Lucky the Senior Ball has been… The second half was relentless attacks from both teams, just like the first half… their coach is pacing, their subs are sitting in silent anticipation… we are fighting so hard for a goal to at least draw… the longest 30 minutes of football I have had to watch, but probably the best 30 minutes of football in terms of effort and attitude, from both teams… both desperately trying to get the result they want… Frankie made some great decisions this half too, controlling the long balls from St Mary’s by confidently covering her 18 yard box. A top goal keeping display. Defence, midfield and forwards were all starting to run out of gas, the 4 previous games starting to show… but not a single one gave up and left everything on the field.
Full-time: 0-1 loss
Some very sad faces, but they all knew there was nothing more they could have given on the field. The results of the other games slowly coming through… the top team in out pool, Carmel College seem to have thrown their game against Aquinas College and taken a draw to ensure they are unbeaten, but also ensured the worst possible outcome for us. To be playing for a win to play off in the top 8 to then find out we are playing in the bottom 8 because of another completely unbelievable result is heart breaking. The girls are frustrated and tired… emotions are bursting through the surface in places and expectations all over the place.
Day 4:
Bowl Quarter Final: Game 6 vs Hamilton Christian School
TOTAL DOMINATION is the best way to describe what happened… the opposition just had absolutely no chance of getting the ball anywhere near our goal… I think at some point Frankie had to casually walk out to pick up the ball… that was the opposition’s best half. Oh yeah, somewhere in there Ella managed to slot the ball between the keeper’s legs for a goal… Still a way off her predicted 10 goals for the tournament…
Half time: 1-0 ahead.
Tired legs started to hinder our quality passing, reactions were slowing down and the opposition goalie was amazing!! We battled and battled and battled. Running mostly in the same direction and still attacking well we press and taking shots the whole time… winding the time down… just not enough energy left to shoot at goal with any purpose…
Final score: 1-0 win.
Bowl Semi-Final: Game 7 vs Papatoetoe High School
Whistle goes… slow start to the game… sun is out and we are now playing football at Tikipunga Football Desert, scorching conditions… temperatures reaching somewhere upwards of 47 degrees… everyone was desperate for water for the whole game… Mr Mitchell must apply sun cream to head… okay done… some amazing passing going on all over the field, the opposition just don’t know what to do… Eva makes a run… flying towards the goal… a ball is put across by Maggie, Eva stumbles, SHES GOING DOWN…. On the way however, she gets some bodily contact on the ball and it ricochets past the keeper… GOAL… 1-0… Some quick subs made, the legs seem to be lasting about 10 minutes before needing a rest now… taking advantage of the rolling subs, some of them and only roll now… no more running available… People begging for water like the slightly warm from the sun water bottles are an oasis of grand proportions… The sun is affecting everyone, hot thirsty and desperate for more goals…
Half time: 1-0 ahead
Second half starts and the shots come flying thick and fast, some amazing runs by everyone, the sideline shout out to one of the girls with braids to remind her we changed direction at half time… this heat, the exhaustion of playing so many games… and Ella gets the ball passed across about 875364 yards out from the goal, some little voice in the back of her mind say shoot at goal… the fury is unleashed and the ball flies high, fast and straight over the keepers outstretched hand and… GOOOAAAALLLL. 2-0 in front… Everyone celebrates… delirium is definitely kicking in as muscle memory kicks in and Lily is spotted busting out her ‘floss’ moves from years gone by… Subs being made every few minutes to cycle the remaining energy left to last out the 10 minutes… faltering girls on both teams are still battling it out all the way… credit to Papatoetoe High School for never giving up all the way to the end. We never looked like losing… we had so much confidence that Frankie bent down to pick up the ball but fooled us all by just letting roll through her legs and out for a goal kick. Such confidence for a goal keeper to know exactly where their goal is it rare and very impressive.
Final Score: 2-0 win
Day 5:
Bowl Final: Game 8 vs Pukekohe High School
The whistle blows and we attack hard and I relaxed back into the game as we looked to be the stronger team. Great passing throughout the team from the defensive line all the way to the front giving Eva some very good opportunities in front… tired legs unfortunately took all the punch out of her shots and they were tidied up by their goal keeper. Oh… ‘Flossy’ gets the ball and runs…. Finds so much space… plays for an amazing through ball miskicks it terribly and….. GOOOAAAAALLLL for Lily… 1-0… More pressing attack made… putting Pukekohe under relentless pressure we have had all the possession and so many opportunities, but only one goal so far… An amazing cover by Sophia Hoffman, who has controlled the backline with such ease this year, to play the ball wide through Sophia Alexander who beats three players and passes off to Maggie… Maggie knocks the ball past her opponent and runs onto it and plays a super ball in for Billie to run onto… 50-50 ball with the keeper, who is getting there first… time slows down… a good fair challenge made… Billie vs Keeper… Billie goes down, keeper goes down… keeper lands on Billie, and keeper gets up… oh no… tragedy… Billie is not in a good way… substitution made, medical attention sent for and the pain of Billie’s face and I know she is off for the game…
The tide is turning… we are slower to get to the ball… Pukekohe is digging super deep for any chance and eventually rewarded with a goal… 1-1… Back and forth attacks and defence from both sides… no real chances for anyone… 22 tired sets of legs trying to run after the ball that would have been an easy thing on Monday… tired girls physically and emotionally start to get frustrated… difficult to encourage each other without offence being taken by team mates…
Half-time: 1-1
Hardest 30 minutes of football to come… who wants it more… who is willing to run the extra 15% that what they think they have left… the teams are now so well matched, there are no fine motor skills left, some are struggling to remember what we are actually playing. No criticism, more of a comment on the week’s commitment, our girls have given everything and are running now with empty tanks… glycogen stores are well used up, half time lollies did nothing to boost energy… They take a few shots, we take a few shots… a draw is looking more and more likely… please not penalties… My voices is gone, my articulation of words is gone, I feel like I have played all the games with them and are also mentally exhausted…. So encouraging sounds are directed at the girls to dig deep, try to steal the game away… Tickity tick goes the clock…. Frankie does not want to be keeper for penalties so a quick sup of some people and Lily puts on the gloves.
Full time Score: 1-1
Okay… who wants to take a penalty… 1 or 2 tentative hands go up… so the first 5 are chosen… Teams set up on half way… Lily makes her way to the goal to defend the first penalty…
Pukekohe player steps up and places the ball, steps back and shoots… Lily shuffles right and makes a comfortable save…
No names given of our penalty takers…
We step up place the ball and take the hardest penalty, the first one that will put us ahead… the ball is struck well but unfortunately a little low on the ball, it skims over the top… 1 miss each
Pukekohe step up shoot low and wide, Lily dives and gets her fingertips to the ball but not enough to stop the ball hitting the net… 0-1
We shoot, we score!! 1-1
They shoot they score. 1-2.
We shoot, keeper saves it 1-2.
We need to save this one or we lose… the ball hits the net…. Game over.
Final Score: 1-1 after full time. Lost 2-4 penalties. Finished 18th overall.
So proud of the girls… those that missed are not feeling too good… sent the girls to debrief and bond and farewell Maggie, Billie and Emma. By the end they are laughing… WHAT A WEEK… some very tired and sore bodies… lets pack up the bus and get home…
First XI Hockey (Girls)
1st XI Girls Hockey
Day 1:
Our first game was against Lincoln High who have done very well this season in their regional competition. It was a tough, physical match and was close throughout the whole game, with a great stroke save by goalie Sasha Gabriel (Year 13, Taylor) keeping us in the game but opened up near the end resulting in a tough 4-1 loss.
In our second game we were up against Fed cup silver medalists from last year, St Margaret’s. It was a great game with plenty of Canterbury enthusiasm, with a score of 0-0 at half time, but two great goals saw us go down 2-0 in the last quarter. A tough way to end the first day but plenty of positives to take away from today.
Day 2:
We had our final match of pool play, a good old Auckland battle versus Carmel College from the North Shore. It was a must win match to retain our spot at third in the pool. On a nice hot day we came out firing with Victoria Jagusch (Year 13, Marion Bruce) scoring twice off penalty corners, a well-executed stroke from Kate Illerburn (Year 12, Middlemore) and a stunning team goal finished by Jemma Nesdale (Year 11, Middlemore). Overall 4-1, a great way to end pool play. We are eagerly anticipating our match against Craighead Diocesan School tomorrow.
Day 3:
We had a good game against Craighead Diocesan on day 3 in Timaru, coming away with a good 2-0 win and securing our place in Federation Cup and Marie Fry trophy for next year. It was a great game with a great resuzieerse from Suzie Kennelly (Year 13, Middlemore) in the second minute of the game. Followed by a deflection by Victoria Jagusch in the second quarter. Overall a great game by the girls!
Day 4:
We played Hamilton Girls High. Suzie Kennelly yet again had a blinder, scoring 2 beautiful solo goals, rocketing us into the semifinal for the second year running. An insane game to watch!
Day 5:
We had an AWESOME game, beating Dio for the first time in our history. Suzie Kennelly started off the game strong with a tight angled reverse shot to put us in front, but this was closely followed by Dio coming back with 2 goals. The girls persevered and scored with 4 minutes to go, taking us to shootouts. Sasha Gabriel saved every single shootout thrown at her and our girls converted theirs as we won 3-0 in shootouts. Looking forward to facing old foes St Paul’s Collegiate in the final tomorrow, hoping to one better our finish from last year.
Day 6:
In a fiercely contested hockey game between Kings College and St. Pauls Collegiate, both teams battled relentlessly throughout the match. The game remained at 1-0 to St Paul's until the final quarter, where tension reached its peak. In a nail-biting ending, a crucial goal was scored by King's just before the buzzer, levelling the score at 1-1. As regulation time ended, the teams prepared for a dramatic shootout to determine the winner. St. Pauls Collegiate ultimately emerged victorious in the shootout, securing a hard-fought victory and took the gold.
While we hoped to take the win this year, all our girls were proud of making it into the final and fighting until the last second.
2nd XI Hockey (Girls)
Day 1:
Day 1 of the tournament involved 2 games - 1 draw and 1 loss. The girls were absolutely gutted to not have converted after having dominated both games. The first game entailed a game against Christchurch Girls High school who scored off counter attacks after the girls had been in the attacking 22. The second game was against Villa Maria College and the same problem continued. The girls again dominated the game but shots kept going past the post. Gemma McGill (Year 12, Marion Bruce) and Islay Boyes (Year 12, Taylor) were players of the day for great distribution, passing and strong body positioning whilst tackling.
Day 2:
On day 2 we had our final match of pool play, a good old Auckland battle versus Carmel College from the North Shore. It was a must win match to retain our spot at third in the pool. On a nice hot day we came out firing with Victoria Jagusch (Year 13, Marion Bruce) scoring twice off penalty corners, a well-executed stroke from Kate Illerburn (Year 12, Middlemore) and a stunning team goal finished by Jemma Nesdale (Year 11, Middlemore). Overall 4-1, a great way to end pool play. We are eagerly anticipating our match against Craighead Diocesan School tomorrow.
Day 3:
The coin flipped on day 3 with a win of 5-0 over Craighead. The girls finally started converting goals and showed oodles of team work. Some highlights were the passing through the back and mid-field to get around the defence to score from the spot. Along with this, some strong leading on the field and getting in front of the defender particularly from the strikers and midfield. All goals were a fabulous team effort and as a first timer, it was fantastic to watch them.
Day 4:
Day 4 was another great day on the turf, with the girls winning 5-1 against St Hildas Collegiate School. Highlights include our strikers using the width of the field, namely Te Aria Nathan (Year 11, Marion Bruce) and Sadie Hunn (Year 11, Middlemore). Both of whom used their speed and great stick work to get around the defence fantastically. Our defence set up lovely attacks by transferring the ball out of congestion and into space. Specifically, there was lovely aggression and fight all round from Claudia Spencer (Year 12, Marion Bruce), Ione Eadie (Year 11, Middlemore) and Sammi Edgar (Year 11, Middlemore). Mia Olsen-Blood (Year 12, Taylor) played in every position and showed exceptional aggression and adaptability to all positions on the field. All round great win and great effort again today.
Day 5:
We come to you for the very last time from sunny Ashburton. The girls are in great spirits after another more exciting and nail-biting win of 6-4 over St Andrews College.
The game began with a dominant lead over STAC 3-0 in the first quarter. Goals came from Sammi Edgar (wonderful shot from the top), Sophie Stening (Year 12, Middlemore) (field goal – beautifully positioned), and Sadie Hunn (came off a penalty corner). The second quarter saw King’s score again by Frankie Wright from the post – a hit from half way straight through the defenders. Then STAC came to the party in the last half of the game in a big way scoring 4 goals overall putting us at 5-4 in the last quarter. In the last quarter both teams were full steam ahead throwing the ball back and forth with equal possession. Sophie Stening had a break away and strategically passed it onto Milly Humphreys (Year 11, Middlemore) at the last minute to push it into the goal.
Overall, a great game to watch and leaving us finishing at 9th overall and leaves us wondering what would have happened if we were put in a different pool.
First XI Hockey (Boys)
The Boys First XI Hockey team in Wellington for Tournament Week
This year’s venue for Rankin Cup the premier secondary school competition was held in Wellington and provided a wonderful opportunity for the next rising stars of NZ Hockey to show off their wares.
Playing under expectations as historically the most successful premier team sport at the college this young King’s 1st Xl had a significant job on their hands. Saddled with “the pool of death” in addition to losing star midfielder Ben Wigmore (Year 12, Marsden) confirmed with a broken leg 5 days before departure the task was going to prove one step to far.
The first day of play with losses against St Bede’s (Christchurch) and Te Kura (Bay of Plenty) determined their fate. Moving into the India Shield segment of the tournament was a bitter blow. However, the team successfully managed to lift their heads for the remaining 5 days to forge a path to the India Shield final where they lost on sudden death shoot – out despite dominating both possession and territory during regulation time.
Co-captains Scott Illerbrun (Year 12, School) and Tom Migounoff (Year 12, St John) played superbly through the week and were aided by Tim Hamilton (Year 12, Marsden) who toiled for large chunks of time in the strike line. Also worthy of mention were GK Harry Gordon (Year 12, Marsden), Tarquin Johnson (Year 10, Parnell) and James McGuire (Year 13, Averill).
The teams final tally: played 7 won 3, lost 3, drew 1 (loss on shoot out) was well above satisfactory to avoid the dreaded relegation zone. One of the benefits will undoubtedly be 90% of the team will return next year wiser for the experience.
Coach: Mr S Norton
Manager: Mr M Johnstone
Videographer: Mr B Boreham
|
St Bedes |
0-3. |
Loss |
|
Te Kura |
1-5. |
Loss |
|
St Andrews |
2-6. |
Loss |
|
Taradale HS |
5-0. |
Win |
|
Fielding AHS |
4-2. |
Win |
|
Waimea C |
3-2. |
Win |
|
Rongatai C |
2-2. |
Loss after S/O |
Premier Badminton
The King's badminton team in Porirua, Wellington
Day 1:
Monday we played two games:
King’s versus Rangitoto – King’s Won 6 – 0
King’s versus Wellington – King’s Won 5 – 1
Day 2:
On Tuesday, we played another two games.
King’s versus Hutt Valley King’s Won 5 – 1
Finally we played an important game against Pinehurst which would determine our playoff future as we need to finish 1st or 2nd in our box to make it to the playoffs for a medal.
It was a tough, tightly fought game, a real team effort was needed by all. Special mention to Zar Heather-Rau (Year 11, St John’s) who played in an earlier game against Hutt Valley allowing some of our players a crucial rest before the important match which set us in good stead to put up such a fight. Alex Wu (Year 13, Major) and Oscar Wu (Year 9, Peart) had outstanding matches and pushed their opposition to three sets in a fantastic doubles spectacle and Oscar played outstanding singles also pushing his opponent to 3 sets. Dylan Naera (Year 13, Parnell) won his singles in 3 sets and Jamie Cheng (Year 13, Parnell) won his singles and doubles with Dylan convincingly. These results gave us a 3-3 draw so the result would be decided on sets/points. Thanks to all of our members of our Premier Badminton team giving their all in every single game/point we came out with the win.
This now means that we play two games tomorrow/Wednesday against Macleans and Auckland Grammar to determine if we will be playing in the Gold/Silver final on Thursday morning or the Bronze medal final.
Day 3:
Our Kings students played fantastic on Wednesday. First up we met a strong Macleans team and managed to put them under pressure straight away by winning both our doubles matches (thanks to Jamie Cheng/Dylan Naera and Alex Wu/Oscar Wu) which meant we were up 2 – 0. We then picked up 2 more singles wins from Dylan Naera and Oscar Wu which meant we won the overall tie 4 – 2. The team was buzzing knowing that they had won our box and now had to play Westlake knowing the outcome of this match would mean we would be either playing a Gold/ Silver playoff or playing for a bronze medal on Thursday.
We knew this match was going to be tough but we started off well and we won the number two doubles and marginally lost our number 1 doubles. This meant we were 1 – 1. Jamie Cheng played well and won his singles we only needed one more game to push for a countback and have a chance at the top playoff game. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be as we narrowly lost our next singles game in a three set thriller that went to setting.
Day 4:
Thursday was always going to be difficult for us as our team would be short a player due to one of our talented badminton players now leaving to compete in the Rugby 1R Tournament in Wellington, however, we were up for the challenge. The games did not go away despite our reserve Zar Heather-Rau putting up a great fight in the doubles we lost 1 – 5, which meant we were out of medal contention, finishing in 4th overall.
This group of boys have such talent and were a pleasure to take away for this competition.
Cycling
The Cycling Team competing in Auckland over the weekend
Over the weekend 14 of our road cyclists competed in the Northern Tour. This was a two-stage event comprised of:
- Saturday morning – 600m timed hill climb up Mt Wellington
- Sunday – age-group based criterium around a street circuit in East Tamaki
Both events were awarded points (based on time and/or finishing place) to establish the “General Classification” for each age group.
The King’s squad performed well with some excellent results in the GC as follows:
Under 15 B Boys – Seb Mills (Year 10, Peart) 2nd place
Under 15 A Boys – Cole Feringa (Year 9, Peart) 3rd place
Under 16 B Boys – Harrison Victor (Year 10, Parnell) 1st place
Under 17 B Boys – Will McAteer (Year 11, Major) 1st place
Under 17 B Boys – Joe Stephenson (Year 11, Greenbank) 2nd place
Under 17 B Boys – Ashton Gormly (Year 11, Marsden) 3rd place
Under 20 A Boys – Oliver Scott (Year 12, Peart) 1st place
In summary a very satisfying haul of results including the remarkable lock on the podium in the 17 B Boys division. I have enclosed a photo of Oliver Scott crossing the line to win the 20 Boys crit yesterday.
The squad have a further 2 and a half weeks of training ahead of them in preparation for National Championships which are over the last weekend of term in Manawatu.
Premier Netball
The Premier Netball team had a great time in Hamilton this week. We were lucky enough to have sunshine all week and the girls really did us proud with their hard work and determination throughout the tournament.
It was tough week physically for the team, particularly our main core, but the girls still came out of the 10 games with big smiles after giving it their all.
Our scores for the week were as follows:
Day 1:
King’s 24-26 Pukekohe
King’s 32-28 Bay of Islands
Day 2:
King’s 19-27 Pakuranga
King’s 29-22 Matamata
Day 3
King’s 28-18 Kerikeri
King’s 40-32 Aorere
Day 4
King’s 28-17 Tauhara
King’s 30-14 Kaipara
Day 5
King’s 28-24 Kaitaia
King’s 40-32 Aorere
These great results mean that we have held our place in B grade for next year, placing 17 out of the 32 in the group.
The Premier Netball Team in Hamilton
The team:
Lulu Graham (Year 13, Marion Bruce)
Piper Plummer (Year 13, Marion Bruce)
Jasmin Kearns (Year 13, Taylor)
Louise Makin (Year 12, Middlemore)
Kate Anderson (Year 12, Taylor)
Leela Baker (Year 12, Marion Bruce)
Jaya Stanley (Year 12, Taylor)
Charlotte Baker (Year 12, Marion Bruce)
Ava’aulii Clifford-Kaulima (Year 11, Marion Bruce)
Sasha Nichol (Year 12, Middlemore)
Tia Salmon (Year 11, Taylor)
Tinihuia Lee-Lemon (Year 11, Marion Bruce)
Antonia Vlasic (Year 11, Taylor)
An extra congratulations to Lulu Graham and Louise Makin who were selected for the UNISS Tournament team from all the students in B grade. A great achievement, we are very proud of them.
A big thanks to Lea Salt (who makes all this happen), Hayden McNulty (Master of the ice bath) and Leah Morrison (physio extraordinaire) for their amazing hard work to make this week, and season, a success for the girls. Also a big thank you to all the staff and their whānau for the support we received. We truly appreciate it.
The team are now back and refocused for their mock examinations over the next two weeks.
Table Tennis
Joanna Yang (Year 12, Marion Bruce) represented King’s College at the NZ Secondary Schools U19 Girls Singles Table Tennis competition.
First match she played Macleans College winning convincingly 11 – 2, 11 – 2, 11-3.
In the next round of the draw Joanna played Burnside High School, where she won 11-7, 11 – 5, 11 – 2.
Next she met Rototuna High School and kept her winning form by taking the match out 11 – 6, 11 – 5, 13 – 11
Avondale was next and Joanna won 11 – 8, 11-3, 11 – 6.
Joanna met another competitor from Macleans College where Joanna won 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 which meant Joanna advanced to the final.
Macleans College table tennis strength showed as Joanna met another competitor from the school. This time Joanna went down narrowly, losing 11 – 6, 14 – 12, 11-8 to be runner up in the 2023 NZ Secondary Schools U19 Girls Singles Table Tennis Competition.
