Hutt International Boys’ School (HIBS’) have successfully defended the Trevor Rigby Cup, edging Wellington College 1-0 in the Premier Youth First XI football final. Played under lights in front of a large and vibrant crowd at Petone Memorial Park, Wellington lost its third straight decider as round-robin leaders. The winning strike happened midway through the second-half. A spectacular goal was scored by Blake Sinden . Lacking support and with apparently nothing on, Sinden lashed a fierce and angled drive from 10-metres outside the box into the roof of the net. In the first-half both teams struggled to create genuine chances. Ben Waine was lively for HIBS’ with his piercing runs through midfield and narrowly nudged the ball wide of goal in first ten minutes. HIBS’ keeper Andrew Heaps was forced to make a save off his feet, foiling a Seth Ward shot with his chest, but the game was mostly tight and nervy. HIBS’ used the long ball to good effect at times, while Wellington looked to create with superior passing, but lacked patience. The second-half threatened to open up, but followed a largely similar pattern. Wellington’s Jacob Masseurs collided heavily with the HIBS’ keeper while trying to snaffle an equaliser from a through ball. HIBS’ nearly doubled their lead when a corner by Ethan Findlay was fisted away by Wellington keeper Ellery Peters. Waine was the catalyst for much of HIBS’ attack, but Wellington defender Ollie Petersen kept him mostly in check. Hayato Takada was always busy and occasionally threatening for Wellington. With about 15 minutes left HIBS Jaiden Moir weaved past two defenders and blasted narrowly wide of the target in an exciting burst. HIBS’ supporters removed the boards separating them from the field as time expired. In referee’s time a free-kick was awarded to Wellington. From about 25-metres out, Ward cleared HIBS’ defensive wall, but Heaps parried the ball out and HIBS’ celebrated widely. Wellington striker Baqer Ali and HIBS’ sticker Simon Belcher were the co winners of the Golden Boot – for the most goals in the Premier Competition with 10 each. Baqer’s brother Mehdi Ali was also a Golden Boot winner in 2011. It’s the first time according to known records that brothers have both won this prestigious trophy. In the Youth Division I final, St. Pat’s Town accounted for Rathkeale College 3-2 in a penalty shootout. Previous Premier Youth Winners 2015: HIBS 2014: Hutt Valley HS 2011-2013: Wellington College 2010: St. Pats Silverstream 2005-2009: Wellington College 2004: St. Pats Town 2002-2003: Tawa College 1999-2001: St. Pats Silverstream 1993-1998: Wellington College 1992: St. Pats Town 1990-1991: Wellington College 1988-1989: Rongotai College 1987: St. Pats Town 1986: Tawa College 1985: Rongotai College 1984: Wellington College 1983: Rongotai College Previous Premier Youth Division I Winners 2015: St. Pats Silverstream 2014: Wellington High School 2013: St. Bernard’s College 2012: St. Pats Silverstream 2011: Wellington High School 2010: St. Pat’s Town 2009: St. Pats Silverstream 2008: Onslow College 2007: Rongotai College 2006: HIBS 2004-2005: Wellington High School 2003: St. Pats Silverstream 2002: Paraparaumu College 2001: Hutt Valley High School 2000: Wellington High School Looking for USA Scholarships? Check out USA CONNECT Looking for $40000 University of Waikato Study Scholarships CLICK HERE Looking for Sport Exchange Opportunities to Australia CLICK HERE
22/8/2016
NZ Football name U20 squadThe New Zealand squad that heads to Vanuatu next month looking to qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup will not be short of experience after coach Darren Bazeley named a set of players that are largely no stranger to wearing the silver fern. Bazeley will take 18 players to the OFC U-20 Championship, which takes place in Port Vila and Luganville from September 3 to 17, and the squad includes three senior All Whites, two from the previous U-20 campaign and nine who have represented their country at U-17 level. “It’s been a long process getting to this point but we’re very happy with the squad we’ve named,” Bazeley says. “We’ve been monitoring, scouting and watching lots of games for nearly a year now and it’s been very hard this time around. There’s a lot of very good footballers that have missed out and we’ve got plenty of depth.” While Bazeley endured many sleepless nights in making his final selection, there were some players whose claims simply could not be overlooked. Clayton Lewis, Moses Dyer and Logan Rogerson have all been capped at senior level and were named by All Whites coach Anthony Hudson in the squad for June’s OFC Nations Cup. Lewis and Dyer are also the only returnees from the team that performed heroics to reach the Round of 16 at the FIFA U-20 World Cup last year on home soil while Rogerson and eight others did likewise at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile last October. The degree of talent in that U-17 group is underlined by the fact that Danny Hay’s New Zealand side came within a whisker of getting a result against heavyweights Brazil, only exciting the tournament after missing a penalty and then conceding one at the other end with literally the last kick of the match to lose 1-0. It was an astonishing outcome given the gulf in footballing resources and pedigree between the two countries and bodes well for Bazeley as he looks ahead to the U-20 event in Korea Republic next May and June. “I think there’s 11 players that have put the shirt on before which is great, it means we’re going to have that experience before we step onto the pitch. When you look through the squad, we’ve got some good, exciting players in there and some real leaders.” The All Whites’ trio would certainly fall into that category and Bazeley is looking to them to act as role models for the others. “I’m hoping they bring experience and leadership. They’ve been to the islands recently and have played in that environment which will also be a help.” Most of the squad is based domestically but there are a handful of players in professional environments – either on the books of the Wellington Phoenix or at overseas clubs – and Bazeley says that will be of great benefit. “We’ve got a few coming in from offshore and we need players in those environments getting fulltime football – it’s exactly what we want,” he says. “Myer Bevan is at the Nike Academy in England, which is a fulltime, professional environment and they play against some great teams. Michael Woud is coming in from Sunderland and we also have the boys at the Phoenix.” While there is no doubt about the level of talent in the squad, they will have their work cut out to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, who blazed a trail by becoming the first New Zealand team to progress past the group stages of the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Bazeley was also in charge of that side, who ultimately suffered heartbreak in the Round of 16 by conceding a last-gasp goal to lose 2-1 against Portugal – the senior team of which recently won the UEFA European Championship. “There’s a big challenge lying ahead in the islands to get through these qualifiers. We’ll make sure the players are ready and they’ll know how hard this is going to be,” he says. “It’s been proven now over the last few years that these aren’t easy tournaments to go and win. The island teams are getting better and it’s difficult in their conditions. But we’ve got a great belief in this squad that they’re a talented group who can be successful.” New Zealand squad for OFC U-20 Championship Vanuatu, September 3-17 Goalkeepers Michael Woud (Sunderland AFC, ENG) Cameron Brown (Waitemata FC) Defenders Hunter Ashworth (University of San Francisco, USA) Luke Johnson (Saint Kentigern College/Western Springs AFC) Sean Liddicoat (Coastal Spirit AFC) Nando Pijnaker (Western Suburbs FC) Jack-Henry Sinclair (Wellington Phoenix FC) Charlie Thomas (Western Springs AFC) Reese Cox (Western Springs AFC) Midfielders Joe Bell (Wellington Phoenix FC) Moses Dyer (Onehunga Sports FC) Clayton Lewis (Onehunga Sports FC) James McGarry (Wellington Phoenix FC) Sarpreet Singh (Wellington Phoenix FC) Forwards Myer Bevan (Nike Academy, ENG) George Debenham (Western Springs AFC) Lucas Imrie (Sacred Heart College/Western Springs AFC) Logan Rogerson (Wellington Phoenix FC) Looking for USA Scholarships? Check out USA CONNECT Looking for $40000 University of Waikato Study Scholarships CLICK HERE Looking for Sport Exchange Opportunities to Australia CLICK HERE
11/8/2016
Goals Galore, Lucas ImrieSacred Heart College have won the Auckland First XI football premier league for the third consecutive year with two rounds remaining. Sacred Heart have never been through an entire season undefeated, but if they draw or win their next two fixtures against Mount Roskill Grammar School and Auckland Grammar School in the next fortnight they will achieve an historic first. In 2015 Sacred Heart were National runners up. A big reason for their success was the prolific goal scoring of New Zealand U17 rep Lucas Imrie. Imrie netted 20 goals in all competitions, but was hungry for more this year. “I am an attacking player so the more often I put the ball in the back of the net the better it is for my team. I wanted to score more goals this year being a senior player,” Imrie says. Imrie has already scored 20 goals in 2016, including 18 goals in 12 Premier League games. He bagged the winner in the 1-0 victory over Westlake BHS last weekend which sealed Sacred Heart the title. In the previous match between the two schools’ he scored four goals in a 5-1 victory. Choosing his favourite goal this season is a tough task, but a relatively easy finish against St. Kentigern College was particularly sweet. “St. Kent’s are a tough side. They held us to a 2-2 draw in our first game and will be a big threat at Nationals because they have so many good players. The second time we played them we beat them 2-0 and that was really satisfying. It was a real team performance and the goal I finished was from nice work,” Imrie recalls. Imrie also scored in the 3-2 win against Mount Albert Grammar School, a match in which Sacred Heart had to rally from two down to win. Mount Roskill in third and Auckland Grammar in fourth separate Sacred Heart from an unbeaten season. Any thoughts of easing up with the league already in the bag are unlikely Imrie warns. “Both matches will be tough. Mount Roskill have a lot of Year 13 players and were really tough to beat last time. We won 2-0, but it was a real tough and scrappy game. The atmosphere was amazing. We beat Auckland Grammar 3-1, but that to was close. It took us about 70 minutes to finally break them.” There are about seven returning players from the Sacred Heart team who lost the National final to Nelson College last year. Imrie believes the desire to reverse that result has been the driving force behind such imperious form in 2016. “It’s been amazing so far. Everybody has really stepped up. I might have scored a lot of goals, but it’s been a great all-round effort. People are putting me in great positions,” Imrie enthuses. Imrie plays his senior football for Western Springs. He is hoping to make the New Zealand U20 team for the Oceania Championships in Vanuatu in September . The winner of that event advances to the FIFA U20 World Cup. At last year’s FIFA U17 World Cup, Imrie scored a memorable winner against Uruguay to help New Zealand reach the second round for the first time. The Pools, draw and wildcard places for the National Secondary Schools’ Lotto Premier Boys football tournament have been confirmed after a meeting of the New Zealand Secondary Schools football council in Tauranga last night. Westlake Boys’ High School, New Plymouth Boys’ High School, Napier Boys’ High School and Tauranga Boys’ College will join 13 other teams in the top 16 section of the draw after earning a wildcard. Tauranga had the strongest case. Not only are they hosting the tourney, but they have only suffered one interschool defeat this year while accounting for New Plymouth BHS and perennial contender Auckland GS and Napier BHS who are all in the main draw. Tauranga have been a top 16 team for over a decade and were runners up in 2002. Westlake BHS join five other Auckland Schools in the top 16. In the fiercely competitive Auckland Premier League, Westlake are fifth having achieved four wins and a draw in 11 games.
New Plymouth BHS won the 2015 Super 8 title and have continued their improvement. They held Auckland GS to a draw and have a strong team. Nelson College are the defending champions while Sacred Heart College are the favourites topping the Auckland Premiership by seven points with three games to play. |
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