Thursday 4 June 2026
Our King’s College hockey juggernauts rolled into the “Tron” on Tuesday to face St. Paul's Collegiate, capitalising on an exeat day for both schools. This annual fixture is hotly contested amidst great friendships between the teams.
Along with the pre-season Anzac festival, the New Zealand Schools U15 Tanner Cup and our annual fixture, St Paul’s Collegiate is a pleasant and regular haunt for King’s Hockey teams.
Girls' First XI
Our First XI girls have had a difficult start to the local inter-city season. Their playing depth is severely tested with Auckland College Sport's new rules. Annual fixtures like this outside the influence of these rules give opportunities to new players to exhibit their skills at First XI level.
This was a replay of the teams’ final Federation Cup match last year where King’s won 3-2.
The match started well with King’s dominating the early passages of play. From one such attack, Charlotte Ray (Year 13, Taylor) finished off a backline move from a pass by Alexis Tree (Year 12, Taylor). This was soon followed by another great goal, courtesy of Saffron Moaveni (Year 13, Marion Bruce), and we went in to the break leading 2-0.
In the second half St Paul’s snatched one back, but Zoe Driscoll (Year 13, Middlemore) turned provider for Molly Davidson (Year 12, Middlemore) who restored the two goal advantage with a well-executed finish. St Paul’s never gave up, and from a spectacular run by their central midfielder notched another to close the gap to 3-2.
What could have been a nervous finish was made comfortable when captain Luca Morton (Year 13, Taylor) scored from close range to ensure the final minutes were played out without any stress.
Final score: 4-2
Boys' First XI
The boys' First XI used this annual fixture opportunity to put the Bartholomew Cup on the table. In rugby speak, this is the equivalent of the Ranfurly Shield. We are the current holders, having defeated Hamilton Boys' High School last year for the trophy.
The match against St Paul’s was a largely one-sided affair, although our opponents did provide a few headaches and contributed to an entertaining match for parents and supporters.
The scoring was opened by Oliver Stewart (Year 12, Marsden) in the 6th minute who then turned provider for Niko Huljich (Year 12, Marsden) shortly after. Niko’s sharp deflection goal was the first of his hat-trick on the day. His most spectacular strike came in the final quarter of the match when he blasted one into the top corner from the edge of the circle.
The 4-1 half time score included a lapse in defensive concentration, which St Paul’s were quick to capitalise on.
In the second half, Oliver continued to cause headaches for the St Paul’s defense. His two-goal tally on the day was just reward for the countless opportunities he provided for others.
Co-captain Tarquin Johnson (Year 13, School) found his drag-flick power and accuracy at penalty corner time and contributed two fine goals. Other goals came from Miller Lash (Year 11, Selwyn), and a stunning tomahawk shot from the edge of the circle by Will Downing (Year 13, School) in the final minutes.
This win was a performance made memorable by the contribution of all players. International German midfield-maestro Max Muller (Year 12, Selwyn) and Henri Lem (Year 11, School) played key roles in the absence of the team’s regular midfield engine Charlie Middleton (Year 13, Averill), currently out with a broken hand.
Final score: 9-2
Congratulations to both teams on their outstanding efforts, and fantastic success on and off the field!