King’s got off to the worst start when they conceded a scrappy penalty corner goal in only the seventh minute but showed resilience and determination to get control of the game from St Paul’s.
Oliver Paterson equalised in the thirteenth minute when he latched onto a through pass from Xavier Guy and he rocketed home a ferocious reverse stick shot. The rest of the match was tight and competitive with both sides pushing hard for victory. No further goals were added in the second half to send the match into sudden-death drop-off extra-time. There were no goalkeepers and nine-a-side for five minutes. In a fiercely-contested battle, King’s proved the more determined and Xavier Guy scored the decisive goal four minutes into extra-time when he flicked the ball home after great defence from the King’s team and a quick counter-attack. Guy’s dramatic goal gave the King’s team a 2-1 victory.
In the final, Westlake Boys beat St Andrew’s College 1-0 to win the trophy.
The King’s team comprised Max Ruffell, Harrison Langrell-Read, Nic Hamlin, Xavier Guy, Keiran Patel, Zander Fraser, Max Rasmussen, Arthur Rasmussen, Daemon van Riele, Oliver Paterson, Shaan Kesha, Daneel Ovtcharenko, Jordan van Riele, Daniel Bayly, Daniel Easton and Ben Goodwin. The team was coached by Keith Rowley and Cameron Gibbons with Mark Johnston and Allan Robertson carrying out the managerial duties and Gappie Oliver O’Gorman the video man.
- Keith Rowley
