Category: Sports

The first day of the tournament was very tough. The boys playing extremely well in their three games, including playing two of the tops seeds in our pool. Although coming away with three losses (Maeroa 3-2, Tauranga Intermediate 4-0, and Albany Junior High 2-1) the boys have shown that they are willing and able to battle with anybody and put in a tremendous effort both on and off the field.

They ended the day some sore and tired bodies but enjoyed some sumptuous burgers and dessert for dinner prepared by our two camp mothers, Bonnie and Sally, and guest Master Chef, Mr O’Connor – good fuel to prepare them for day 2. The boys are representing the College, their families and themselves well.

Shaayan Sarker year 9
Qualified for the New Zealand Under 14 Indoor Cricket Team
My team and I train for about 2 hours every Sunday and we’re training really hard right now for Tournament which is coming up in 33 days. We’re going to Christchurch to play against a few other teams. I was firstly selected for the Auckland under 14 team and then from there, I went to Christchurch to qualify for the national team in front of professional New Zealand selectors and players. My main goal is to become an outdoor cricket player so indoor cricket is just step one for me. To achieve a place in a higher team I just worked really hard and trained heaps for the position.

Leevy Wells year 10
Qualified for the New Zealand Under 16 Touch Development Team
Training right now consists of lots of fitness tests and play because we go to camp in a few weeks for trials to get into the official national team. Professional New Zealand players will select the final team of 18 out of 30 and then that team gets to go to Australia to play against Australian teams. My main goal is to play Sevens Rugby next year so Touch is a good start. In order to get into the development team I stay focused on Touch Rugby and don’t get distracted by other sports.

Benjamin Morgan year 7
Qualified for the Counties Under 13 Hockey Development Team
We train every Wednesday and Sunday for an hour and a quarter and practice things like fitness, tackling and passing. We also go to Tournaments and play other teams. Soon we’re going to the Bay of Plenty to play. I started playing for local teams and then went to trials where spotters were selecting people for the development team. I went to Auckland to get the final decision for the team I’m in now. Improving my hockey skills is my main goal for now. I got into the development team by training a lot and keeping on trying.

Tom O’Sullivan year 8
Qualified for the Counties Hatch Hockey Team
Training happens every Sunday morning at 8:30 and we do drills and passing skills like ‘follow your pass’. I did three trials to get into the team, one of them was drills and two of them were games. At the first tournament, there were 20 players and a few were dropped. I play hockey for enjoyment and I hope to be doing it even as I get older. I trained a lot with my siblings and in a lot in my free time to get into the Hatch Team.

The Girls Premier Netball team have had an incredible season, making history by defeating teams they have never defeated before. They came away with 8 wins and 2 losses, moving into the Premier Final against a very strong Pukekohe High School Premier team. After a hard-fought match, they trailed by 4, placing second in the Counties Manukau Secondary School Competition but heads were certainly held high. Our new coach Kim told us at the beginning of the season ‘a happy team is a successful team’ and we are most certainly a happy and passionate team, excited for UNISS held at the Mount in early September, with the desire to continue striving for success whilst maintaining a gratifying netball environment.

The 1^st XI football boys have had a hard-fought season in the Counties-Manukau regional competition this year. Although the final result was not as rewarding as we had hoped for, it was evident on the playing field that significant progress has been made throughout the season by each individual to make an overall stronger, better-looking football unit.

Our season did not start to the standard we would have liked and we knew we were missing that little bit extra to change our game completely. After a series of team discussions, we came up with key aspects of the game we would work on. Once these problems were identified the quality of football we were playing increased drastically and is only continuing to increase as winter tournament week approaches.

Despite the exceptionally young team this year, the boys have shown a huge amount of courage and determination. I am very hopeful for the future of Strathallan boys’ football. We are all amped for the tournament and look forward to achieving the goals we have set.

The 1^st XI Girls Hockey team has had an amazing season this year.

We started in term 2 with many returning players and several new, eager members ready to try the sport. Through regular training with our two coaches, John Litchfield and Anneke Wackrow, we developed our skills and learned how to work together. We had a series of challenging matches against schools from the Counties Manukau region and improved greatly, ending term 2 with a strong team.

During term 3 we continued to build on our skills then started to apply them to the game, scoring some impressive goals. Our results improved week after week and resulted in us placing 1^st in the B Grade competition. It was a tough match ending with a draw of 2 all at full time, but the team pulled through after a long series of penalty shoot-outs to secure 1^st place. This win was a sensation for everyone on the team. I am very proud of how well the girls have come together as a unit, on and off the field during this season.

Next week we go to our tournament in Stratford, Taranaki. There are eight other teams in the tournament and we play seven games over the five days. It is going to be a challenging and enjoyable week with the team keen to play some great hockey. The week will be a good chance to display the skills that we have acquired during the year and we expect to be a strong contestant in our pool. We are very excited to head down to Taranaki as it is the first time on a school tournament for many of the girls.

The team is looking forward to a thrilling tournament ahead.

Kayla Sinclair (Captain)

Our First XI Girls Football team have put in the hard yards every game played in the 2018 season, earing many well-deserved results and finishing the season with 4 wins and 2 draws.

The team finished a very creditable second overall, coming away with plenty of battle scars. The girls will now attend winter tournament at Western Springs in September with the guidance of their amazing coach Scot who has been a huge support throughout the season.

The boys 1^st XI hockey team have made a strong start to their season with a number of well-deserved results. Playing in a highly competitive regional tournament with Pukekohe High, Waiuku College and Rosehill College, no game had a goal difference of more than four.

After playing six round-robin matches, the boys came away with three wins, two draws and only one loss. This placed them top of the table, in a great position for the play-offs. One remarkable achievement for the team was beating Pukekohe High in two consecutive games, something that Strathallan’s 1^st XI has never done before. Rosehill College stepped up their game in a very tight semi-final match which tested the boy’s endurance, teamwork and stick-skills. Strathallan secured a 1-0 final score and were through to the finals against Pukekohe High.

Many supporters of both teams came to the turf to spectate the final contest, resulting in a very passionate atmosphere and a bit of nerves in the players. Both teams started the game very strongly. After the first ten minutes, Pukekohe’s left striker slotted the first goal, putting Strathallan on the back foot. Determined to equalise, the boys amped up their ability and began to dominate, keeping Pukekohe locking in their half. Going into half time with a 1-0 setback, the Strathallan boys deliberated on their performance and looked to maintain dominance in the second half. After a very strong second half, the boys were unable to score past a very talented Pukekohe High goalkeeper, despite taking a total of seven shots on goal.

Though their performance was incredible, the boys were disappointed to come away with a loss. The team still remain hopeful as they head into the top division of Midlands Intercity as well as their tournament in Rotorua in early September.