Wednesday 24 June 2026
King's College 12 vs 0 Pakuranga College
On Wednesday 10 June, in only the second home game this season, our Boys’ First XI Hockey team comfortably beat Pakuranga College 12-0. Once the deadlock was broken in the 9th minute it was all one way traffic from then on. An encouraging sign was the younger players getting a lot of game time which will boost their confidence as we approach the latter part of the domestic season and Rankin Cup in Term 3. With a lead of 5-0 at half time, the coaches were able to experiment with different personnel in midfield and the strike line. Freddy Abeysekera (Year 12, Major), Miller Lash (Year 11, Selwyn) and Jack Harper (Year 13, Marsden) featuring amongst the scorers as well another good performance from Henri Lem (Year 11, School) in midfield.
Near the end of the game goal keeper Ben Woodhams (Year 13, Selwyn) pulled off two good saves from penalty corners to keep Pakuranga scoreless.
King's College 5 vs 0 Mount Roskill Grammar School
On Wednesday 17 June, the team once again dominated the opposition playing some sublime hockey with the first goal being the best of the season. In the 7th minute a superb passage of play from our own backline involving quick passing and moving into space created the chance for Oliver Stewart (Year 12, Marsden) to open the scoring from close range.
At the end of the first quarter Ed Mitchelson (Year 13, Marsden) got his first goal of the season when he was on hand at the far post to put the ball into the goal from a penalty corner. Further goals from Tarquin Johnson (Year 13, School) – a PC and a field goal made it 4-0 early in the 3rd quarter. Henry Fletcher (Year 12, Major) also got his first goal of the season after he found himself in space in the circle and rifled the ball past the Mt Roskill goalkeeper to make it 5-0 with one quarter to go.
In the final quarter, although we controlled much of the possession and dictated play, we probably didn’t create as many chances inside the circle as our dominance deserved. Anticipating a step up in competitiveness at Rankin Cup, we will be looking to improve our decision making in the final elements of the game.
King's College 5 vs 3 Westlake Boy's High School
On Wednesday 24 June, the Boys’ Hockey First XI fought back from 2-3 down going into the final quarter to beat Westlake Boys’ High School 5-3. Tarquin Johnson(3) and Oliver Stewart (2) were the two goal scorers on the night.
The team knew it was going to be a challenging encounter with Westlake who were keen for points to keep alive their hopes of making the final. The first quarter was evenly fought with Westlake bringing their usual fast and skilful game and particularly threatening on the break.
Oliver Stewart opened up the scoring in the 7th minute of the second quarter with a reverse stick shot which gave the goalkeeper no chance. However, not to be outdone Westlake equalised 3 minutes later and started to control the midfield and frequently getting in behind our defence. Although King’s regained the lead in the third quarter with another Oliver Stewart goal, the side did struggle with keeping possession and Westlake took the lead with two quick goals – a penalty corner and a field goal.
Fortunately for King’s, Westlake missed a great opportunity to go 4-2 up at the end of the third quarter with a shot from close range hitting the side netting. So going into the final quarter the message from the coaches was ‘back to basics’ and be patient in the build-up.
In the second minute Tarquin Johnson made it 3-3 with a penalty corner strike and not long after he made it 4-3 with a field goal. This prompted Westlake to take off their goalkeeper and add an extra striker to their forward line. Desperate to get back into the game, Westlake pushed forward looking for an equaliser but were always exposed at the back with no last line of defence. Subsequently when King’s were awarded a penalty corner in the last minute Tarquin Johnson completed his hat trick.
Freddy Abeysendra, Henri Lem and Charlie Middleton (Year 13, Averill) deserve a special mention for their work rate in the midfield after being down one player for the majority of the game.
Overall it was a great advert for schoolboy hockey and full credit to Westlake who played an entertaining game and could have easily come away with a victory.