17/11/2016
Champion of Champions - Hockey
It's been a big year for New Zealand's up and coming hockey players, with some high quality action at the NZSS Secondary School and age-grade representative tournaments throughout New Zealand. Five players that have impressed College Sport Media are below:
Reuben Andrews (St. Paul's Collegiate) - St. Paul's Collegiate won the Rankin Cup for the first time and in the final against Wairarapa College Andrews was a hero. Down 3-2, Andrews had to score with the last penalty corner and duly delivered to extend the game. Andrews scored a leading 15 goals at the Rankin Cup to finish the season with 66 goals in 29 games. He played 144 games for St. Paul's Collegiate First XI and scored 138 goals. He has been a National age group representative and impressed with his inspirational leadership. Maddie Wotton (Villa Maria) - The Villa Maria First XI won the Federation Cup for the first time this year and Wotton was an integral part of the success. She scored 10 goals at the Nationals and her all-around excellence drove her teammates to further excellence. Wotton is in the New Zealand system and regularly appears for the Canterbury U18 and U21 sides. She also scored four goals for her senior club side Marist in a 7-3 victory over Southern United, a performance that caught the attention of the Christchurch Press. Gus Wakeling (Wairarapa College) - The Junior Black Sticks midfielder was an outstanding leader for Wairarapa College guiding his team to the Rankin Cup final where they were beaten 4-3 in extra time by St. Paul's Collegiate. Wakeling boasts an-all round game regularly scoring goals and creating several with his superior running and passing. He is also a resolute defender. Hattie Jones (Kristin School) - The youngest member of the NZ Junior team, Jones at the age of 17 is one of the most accomplished age group defenders in the country. Jones’ outstanding play saw her nominated for an Auckland Secondary Schools sports award. Jones regularly competes above her age and was a regular starter for North Harbour who finished second in the National Hockey League. Bella Greig - The Iona College first XI went undefeated at the Hockey NZ Chica Gilmer national tournament in Pukekohe in 2015 to be promoted to the national first division. Greig was the leading goal scorer, putting 10 in the back of the net at that tourney. This year Greig proved she belonged in the top flight by scoring a tournament leading 17 goals at the Federation Cup. The 15-year-old accounted for over half of her team's goals and the next leading scorer netted 11. Greig is a regular in the Hawke’s Bay reps and may soon push for National honours.
28/10/2016
Hockey: Junior Black Sticks NamedCongratulations to the Junior Men and Women Black Sticks for their selection for the 2016/2017 representative season. JUNIOR MALE STRIKERS Zane ANDERSON Midlands Jonathan BATES Auckland Mark BELL-KAKE Auckland Caleb BOOTH Southern Daniel EASTON Auckland Hamish FINDLAY Canterbury Hadley GREENHAIGH Northland Moss JACKSON Canterbury Kalyan JERAM Auckland Hamish McKECHNIE Northland Keegan RUSSELL North Harbour Morgan TAYLOR Capital Henry WILL North Harbour MIDFIELDERS Malachi BUSCHL Southern Kailan DAYAL Capital Callum DEMPSTER North Harbour Garrick DU TOIT Midlands Cameron GLADDING Central Travis GOOD North Harbour Xavier GUY Auckland Ken HENDRICKS North Harbour Zac LITCHFIELD Northland William MACE-COCHRANE Canterbury Timothy NEILD Midlands Ross STEMBRIDGE Midlands Gus WAKELING Capital DEFENDERS Bronson BAKER Northland Te Hiraka CHASE Midlands Laurence DARLING Canterbury Benji EDWARDS North Harbour Connor GREENTREE North Harbour Xavier HEY Canterbury Harrison LAWSON Central Paraone MURU Midlands Lachlan PATON Capital Max RASMUSSEN Southern Tim SCHULPEN Capital Jordan WARD Southern GOALKEEPERS Sean CROOK Central Jesse DRAKE Southern Matthew LEPUPA North Harbour Matthew PAPESCH Capital Max RUFFELL Capital Matthew VAN AARDT Auckland JUNIOR WOMEN STRIKERS Ailsa CONNOLLY Auckland Madison DOAR Auckland Acacia KELSEN Midlands Charlotte LEE Canterbury Holly PEARSON Central Hope RALPH Central Tori ROBINSON Midlands Olivia SCOTLAND Midlands Margot WILLIS Canterbury MIDFIELDERS Jessica ANDERSON Canterbury Tonya BOTHERWAY North Harbour Cory CAMPBELL Central Crowley CASEY Central Lucy COOPER Capital Ellie DUNCAN Southern Kelsey LEWIS Midlands Annalise LOCK North Harbour Georgia MACKAY-STEWART Canterbury Amelia MARLOW Auckland Clodagh McCULLOUGH North Harbour Sophie MORRISON Northland Jessica PILMER Northland Samantha POLOVNIKOFF Northland Ella POOLE-CROWE Auckland Emma RAINEY Central Casey-Mae WADDELL Central Madison WOTTON Canterbury DEFENDERS Sarah BARNES Northland Millie CALDER Canterbury Lauren HARRIS Auckland Kate IVORY Auckland Alexandra LUKIN Midlands Estelle MACADRE Capital Emma MOSCRIP Northland Geneva OVERWATER Northland Megan PHILLIPS Central Nicola PREBBLE Auckland Lydia SHIRLEY Southern Bayleigh STIRLING Midlands Matisse ULIUILELATA Capital Kiriana WAIRAU-HUNTER Capital GOALKEEPERS Ashleigh COOKE Auckland Aleysha ELMER Midlands Shannon ENGLISH Capital Julia GLUYAS Capital Sophia HOWARD Auckland Mia NEVILLE Southern Iona YOUNG Canterbury
7/9/2016
Federation Cup and 10 TrophiesLike the Rankin Cup the girls Federation Cup hockey in Auckland produced ample excitement. A Jessie Anderson goal in extra time gave Christchurch's Villa Maria College their first national secondary schools title. Villa Maria beat Auckland's St Cuthbert's College 2-1 in the final in on Saturday, with Anderson's winner coming in the second period of golden goal extra time, when the drop off rule reduced each team to seven players. Earlier, Maddie Wotton gave Villa Maria a 1-0 lead in the first half, before St Cuthbert's equalised. The win also gave Villa Maria the Pat Barwick Shield, which St Cuthbert's won off Villa Maria in their third and fourth playoff match a year ago. Villa Maria only lost one game all season and beat St Margaret's College in the Christchurch schools premier league final this season. Villa Maria scored 29 goals in the Federation Cup. Maddie Wotton with 10 goals was Villa Maria's top goal scorer in the tournament. There were 32 teams competing and 112 matches played. Villa Maria Results
Top Goal Scorers
Winter Tournament Week girls’ hockey tournaments. Eleven schools won hockey silverware in Winter Tournament Week, these trophies and winners were: Federation Cup: Villa Maria College Marie Fry Trophy: Hamilton Girls’ High School Chica Gilmer Trophy: Baradene College Jenny Hair Cup: Samuel Marsden College Audrey Timlin Memorial: Waimea College Eveline Hankers Memorial: Mahurangi College Kate Trolove Cup: Orewa College Jenny McDonald Cup: Cromwell College Mary Clinton Cup: Taupo-nui-a-tia College Rosemary O’Brien Cup: Feilding High School Chris Arthur Cup: Rangi Ruru Girls Second XI Looking for USA Scholarships? Check out USA CONNECT CLICK HERE Looking for $40000 University of Waikato Study Scholarships CLICK HERE Looking for Sport Exchange Opportunities to Australia CLICK HERE "We kept on trying hard. We never gave up. I was 70/30 confident I could score, but you never know," Reuben Andrews recalls of the moments prior to his last-play penalty corner goal to level the Rankin Cup final between St. Paul's Collegiate and Wairarapa College on Saturday.
Andrews had to score to extend the match and duly delivered in an eventual St. Paul's victory. December 14, 2012, Whitehall School closes its gates. The primary school 40 minutes south-east of Cambridge has a roll of 17 students. Andrews is a former pupil and recalls hockey was the only choice of sport. "I started playing in Year 5 in five-a-side games. We weren't big enough to have a rugby team," he laughs. Andrews made quick progress. At St. Peter's Cambridge he played representatively at the Hatch and Collier U13 tournament and there was a clamour for his college services. "The coach of the rep side was a teacher at St Paul's so he convinced me to come to St Paul’s. It was an easy decision really because a lot of my mates were going there," Andrews recalls. Andrews debuted for the First XI in Year 9, but success was initially hard to come by. Hamilton Boys' High School was the powerhouse hockey school in the Waikato, winning the Rankin Cup in 2013 and 2014. "For a while there was a perception if you were any good at hockey you had to go to Hamilton Boys.’ They had exceptional sides, all the big names in New Zealand Secondary School hockey. We lacked belief, but once we gained experience and started to get more competitive things changed. Our coaches Craig Hardman and Matt Rees-Gibbs have been amazing," Andrews says. In 2015 St Paul's beat Hamilton to claim the Waikato Secondary Schools title for the first time in several seasons and finished fourth at the Rankin Cup. Andrews scored 56 goals in 32 games during the year and was selected for the Junior Black Sticks. St. Paul's won the Pitu Shield, Midlands intercity competition and Matt Allen trophy en route to the Rankin Cup. Reaching the quarter final was a breeze, but the quarter-final against Wellington College required more than good fortune to be won. Andrews explained what happened. "Wellington College was a really tough game. With about five minutes to go we scored a goal which shouldn't have been allowed. I watched the video afterwards and the ball was lifted into the circle and hit the body of one of our players. It should have been called a dangerous ball, but the referee said play on and we got a goal. We were lucky. I felt for Wellington College." In the semi-finals Rangitoto College was afforded no mercy and were dispatched 5-2. By contrast St. Paul's stared the final in shaky fashion. What was said at halftime? "It wasn't the greatest first half. We struggled to get our game plan into action. Our coaches were really calm at the break. They told us to be patient and do the things we had been doing all year and the result would look after itself," Andrews reflects. St. Paul's pushed ahead 2-1 with Andrew's scoring twice. Wairarapa responded to reclaim the lead 3-2. "It was an amazing game of hockey. Wairarapa were such a great side. They kept on pushing. We had to hold our nerve. The boys get on so well and that was such a big part of this success," Andrews says. Andrews scored a leading 15 goals at the Rankin Cup to finish the season with 66 goals in 29 games. He played 144 games for St. Paul's Collegiate First XI and scored 138 goals. "It's been an incredible season. I will most likely remain in the Midlands program which is strong and study business at Waikato University. I might seek a scholarship elsewhere because hockey in New Zealand is not very lucrative, but I would love to go to the Olympics one day. I love the game," Andrews enthuses. Andrews’s parents run a farm and butchery in Cambridge. In the summer Andrews plays First XI cricket and enjoys golf. He plans to study in 2017. Looking for USA Scholarships? Check out USA CONNECT CLICK HERE Looking for $40000 University of Waikato Study Scholarships CLICK HERE Looking for Sport Exchange Opportunities to Australia CLICK HERE St. Paul's Collegiate have won the Rankin Cup for the first time following an extraordinary 4-3 extra-time victory over Wairarapa College. As a sporting contest this match was as good as it gets. With 15 seconds left St. Paul's trailed 3-2 and won a penalty corner. On the fulltime siren captain Reuben Andrews blasted the ball into the goal to extend the match an extra five minutes. Two and half minutes into the first additional period, St. Paul's hurried up field from a Wairarapa turnover and Maks Wyndham-Smith blasted an angled drive into the goal to complete an improbable comeback. Andrews illustrated his quality from the outset with two weaving runs that forced Wairarapa into retreat. Wairarapa opened the scoring after nine minutes when Hugo Wakeling ventured into the circle and linked with an unmarked Wills Taylor to tap in. Wairarapa was unlucky not to double their advantage in the 18th minute. Wakeling belted the ball towards goal, but it hit his own teammate Ethan Butcher as it was sailing in. Wairarapa's defensive pressure was excellent and St. Paul's appeared rattled. Two of the three penalty corners St Paul's did earn were dispatched into the surrounding hills. In the final five minutes of the first-half Michael Brewster fired narrowly wide and Frank Dickson rattled the post as Wairarapa finished strongly. St. Paul's returned from the interval with better energy and focus. Arthur Rasmussen won a penalty corner and Andrew's forced goal keeper Jake Woolford to concede another corner when he sandwiched ball between his pads. Andrew's unleashed a thunderbolt with take two and St. Paul's had restored parity. In the 49th minute Andrew's smashed the ball into Alex Hare from another penalty corner to earn a penalty stroke. Andrew's converted by rolling the ball underneath the outstretched right glove of Woolford. Wairarapa rallied and in the 63rd minute Brewster levelled from a penalty corner which rebounded off goal-keeper Lane Tims's pads. Dramatically Rasmussen had been removed from the defensive wall after jumping early. Wairarapa was now firmly on top and seized the lead in the 67th minute with a stunning goal. Wyndham-Smith surged forward for St. Paul's, but surrendered possession to Elliot Hoare. Hoare dashed inside the circle and distributed to Taylor who beat a diving keeper for a second time. St. Paul's pressed again and Andrews delivered when it most counted. He ended the tournament as the leading goal-scorer with 15 goals. Cruelly Wairarapa lost the Rankin final by a single goal to Hamilton BHS in 2014 and was beaten in extra-time in this seasons Wellington final. In the playoff for third Rangitoto College beat St. Andrew's College 3-1. Palmerston North Boys' High School won the India Shield for the first team since 1980 trouncing Hastings Boys' High School 7-0 in the final. Palmerston North won six out of seven games this week, but missed out on the Rankin Cup on goal difference in pool play. St. Paul's Collegiate - Rankin Cup Run Pool Play: St. Bede's College, 14-2 Pool Play: Lindisfarne College, 12-2 Pool Play: Christ's College, 5-4 R16: Tauranga Boys' College, 4-0 Quarter Final: Wellington College, 2-1 Semi-Final: Rangitoto College, 5-2 Final: Wairarapa College, 4-3 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 St. Paul's Collegiate eliminated Wellington College with a tense 2-1 win. A controversial goal to Richard Bloor with about five minutes remaining was the telling difference. Arthur Rasmussen retrieved a long ball and accelerated into the circle. His shot was saved by Wellington keeper Sam Dearsly, but the rebound hit an unmarked Bloor in the upper chest region and settled onto his stick with an open goal ahead. Quite why the goal was allowed is a mystery given the ball is not typically allowed to touch any part of the body? Earlier Dearsly had pulled off three spectacular saves to keep Wellington level. Maks Waydham-Smith had a thumping reverse-stick drive punched away. Rasmussen was denied by a diving Dearsly with no other defenders in sight and Reuben Andrews had a penalty corner shot blocked. Andrews was a pivotal figure for St. Paul's. The captain was a steady presence on defence in the back third of the pitch and his piercing passes engineered several promising attacks. Fittingly he opened the scoring after about 20 minutes from a penalty corner. Kailin Dayal was busy for Wellington College, but they created few chances to score in the first-half. Early in the second-half Dearsly was forced to smother another Rasmussen assault on goal. Wellington's Devanand Bhikha started to find space on the flanks and a 30-metre surge earned a penalty corner. Marco Brown scored and it was 1-1. Wellington captain Tim Schulpen and St Paul's Garrick Du Toit were outstanding for their respective teams. St. Paul's had more circle entries and the better record prior, but the match might be better remembered for the head of Bloor. An extra time goal by Captain Matt Cummins propelled St. Andrew's College into the semi-finals at the expense of Whangarei Boys’ High School. On the siren in regulation, St. Andrew's keeper Balthazar Ruscose was forced to parry away a Whangarei penalty stroke headed towards goal. The nine on nine period in extra time was a stalemate, but the deadlock was finally broken when each side was reduced to seven players. Cummins muscled into the Whangarei circle and unleashed a reverse-stick shot. The ball was partially checked by a Whangarei defender, but had enough velocity to dribble into the vacant goal. Cummins was the first to strike for St. Andrew's after five minutes, but Whangarei equalised in the second-half when Luke Trigg deflected in a penalty corner. Whangarei keeper William Stainton made a number of outstanding saves to keep his side in it. Midway through the second-half there was a series of three kick saves in less than 30 seconds. Zac Litchfield and Hamish McKechnie were always threatening for Whangarei, Joseph Yoon was particularly was resolute in defence for St. Andrew's. In the other quarter-finals Rangitoto College beat King's High School 2-0 and Wairarapa College eliminated Christchurch Boys' High School 2-0. In tomorrow's semi-finals, Rangitoto College tackles St Paul's Collegiate and St. Andrew's College faces Wairarapa College. 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 A new Rankin Cup hockey champion will be crowned after Wellington College defeated Westlake Boys' High School in the Round of 16 at the National Hockey Stadium in Wellington this afternoon. Wellington College made a blistering start and withstood a fierce fight back as they won through to the quarter finals 4-3. Wellington's hero was Jaylin Dayal who scored three goals, including two in the first ten minutes. Dayal walked through the heart of Westlake's defense and walloped home a ferocious drive to open his account. He then supported a 30-meter break by Hunter Sent to double Wellington's advantage. Hanasaka Ranaweera and Hiren Mani narrowly missed chances to further extend Wellington's margin. Gradually Westlake shutdown Wellington's key attackers and started to win some possession. Netesh Sukha and Joshua Arnott were both denied by Wellington goal keeper Sam Dearsly, but moments before halftime Stefan Wing scored to make it 2-1 at the break. In a repeat of the first-half, Wellington raced out of the blocks and surged ahead 4-1. Dayal and Sent combined initially with the latter scoring and then Dayal completed his hat-trick with a well taken strike. Craig Pollock pulled one back for Westlake with a shot that was briefly suspended in the air and caught everybody off guard when it popped in, 4-2. Westlake Captain Keegan Russell then bounced the ball in, lowering a lifted a pass to make it 4-3. Westlake pulled their goalkeeper desperately seeking an equalizer. Aaron Gillespie had a shot swatted clear by Dearsly. Wellington's discipline wilted and two players were green-carded. Westlake pressed hard, but an inspiring length of the pitch run by Paul Horrocks locking the ball up in the corner at last suppressed Westlake. Wairarapa Stun Grammar Wairarapa College rallied from a 3-1 deficit to stun Auckland Grammar School 4-3 in extra time. Both teams were locked up 3-3 at fulltime so each side was reduced to nine players and the goal keeper removed, accept for penalty corners. Auckland Grammar's Jonny Bates hit the post and Joshua Stephens watched a shot fizz across the face of goal as Grammar went closeted to initially breaking the deadlock. After five minutes both teams were cut further to seven players. Wairarapa won a penalty corner and captain Gus Wakeling drove forcefully in the direction of goal. The ball cruelly rebounded of the keepers front pads and dribbled into the net to give Wairarapa the golden goal required to win. Earlier Grammar controlled the match and leapt ahead 3-1. Callum Coutts opened the scoring tapping in a pass by Devan Narsai. Marshall Wells manoeuvred through traffic to double Grammar's advantage. Wairarapa striker Michael Brewster is an impressive player and he pulled one back with a reverse-stick shot, but Stephens tapped in to make it 3-1. Brewster scored from Wairarapa's first penalty corner to make it 3-2 and with about eight minutes left Ethan Butcher scrambled in a deflected shot to tie the scores. Jonny Bates was very impressive for Grammar as was Alex Hare for Wairarapa. Wairarapa defended stoutly and had the favourable bounce at the end. A cracking match between two really good sides. The quarter final line-up will be resolved by tonight. Click here for results & draws. https://hockeynz.altiusrt.com/competitions/144#summary The balance of power in Christchurch hockey has shifted from St. Andrew’s College to Christ’s College. The 2015 Rankin Cup runners-up had won the Canterbury title for three years in a row, trouncing Christ’s 7-1 in last year’s SPL decider. During the SPL regular season Christ’s accounted for St. Andrew’s twice, 5-2 and 2-1. Captain Rowan Taylor explains the importance of early success against St. Andrew’s. “We played our best game of the season when we beat St. Andrew’s for the first time. It was the first time any of us had been involved in a win against them. It was a really important for building confidence and belief,” he says. The two sides clashed again in the semi-finals last Wednesday night and Christ’s prevailed 4-0 with defender Taylor scoring two goals. On Friday, Christ’s had to back up for the final against Burnside High School. Goals by Henry Phelps, James Donaldson and Sam Blake helped achieve a resounding 3-1 win. “We started a bit shakily, but two goals in the space of a minute helped us relax and play the way we wanted to play. Burnside was the Cinderella story of the competition. They finished fourth in the round-robin and upset Christchurch in the semi-finals. We were a bit relieved to avoid Christchurch to be honest,” Taylor says. Christ’s won 13 out of 14 matches during the SPL season, but the game lost to Christchurch Boys’ was vital Taylor believes. “We took a while to gel and were beaten in our first game against Christchurch Boys’ 3-2. They were up 3-0 and were in control for much of the match. We finally started to play some good hockey in the last 15 minutes and scored two goals. That built some confidence and momentum,” he says. Christ’s beat Christchurch Boys’ 2-1 in their next meeting so they will head to the Rankin Cup in Wellington at the end of this month as genuinely the best team from the Garden City. Providing further reason for optimism is the pre-season win over national powerhouses Hamilton BHS and St. Paul’s Collegiate. “It’s been a real privilege being the captain of this team. There are so many good players and that makes my job easier. There are a lot of good teams in the North Island so I am not sure how we will go at Rankin, but if we play to our potential we should do well,” Taylor concludes. It should be noted that Taylor celebrated his 100th game for the First XI when they beat Shirley BHS 11-1 and is already familiar with national championship success. In April he was a member of the Christ’s rowing crews that won the Springbok Shield (fours) and Maadi Cup (Eights). Christchurch Boys’ High School won the boys’ playoff for third and fourth, beating St Andrew’s College 2-1. Goals came from Angus Keast and Logan McConnel. Matt Cummins scored the only goal for STAC from the stroke spot. 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 The Midlands Men and Auckland Women have taken out this year’s titles at the National Under 18 Tournament in Palmerston North. The men’s final between Midlands and North Harbour was on a knife edge for the entire game with neither side able to score a winning goal in regulation time, ending with a 0-0 draw. In the shoot-out, Midlanders Tim Neild, Garrick Du Toit, Zane Anderson, Reuben Andrews and Kalpesh Morar netted while goalkeeper Alexander Hasselman-Black ensured the crucial miss from Harbour. In the men’s bronze medal match, Auckland defeated Central 3-1 thanks to goals from Jonny Bates, Xavier Guy and Shae Iswar. Reuben Andrews was named Men’s Most Valuable Player for the tournament, while he also finished joint top goal scorer with four penalty corner conversions. In the women’s final, Auckland overcame Central with a 3-1 shoot-out victory after the score was deadlocked 3-3 at fulltime. Ailsa Connely scored a double for Auckland while Kate Ivory added her side’s third goal, while Central recovered from a two goal deficit to equalise with Megan Phillips, Emma Rainey and Casey Crowley finding the back of the net. In the shoot-out Auckland goalkeeper Sophie Howard forced three misses from Central to lead her side to the gold medal. Canterbury secured the bronze medal with a tight 2-1 result over Capital thanks to a double from Emily Wium. Wium finished top goal scorer at the tournament with nine field goals while Auckland’s Amelia Marlow was named Women’s Most Valuable Player. Men’s Final Standings 1. Midlands 2. North Harbour 3. Auckland 4. Central 5. Southern 6. Capital 7. Northland 8. Canterbury Women’s Final Standings 1. Auckland 2. Central 3. Canterbury 4. Capital 5. North Harbour 6. Midlands 7. Northland 8. Southern The Auckland Grammar School First XI hockey team were runners up in the India Shield last year, a result that didn’t accurately reflect their ability 2016 captain Will Stables says. “We were disappointed to be honest. We finished third in our group at Rankin Cup which meant we went into the bottom half of the draw. We recovered well to make the final, but ended up losing to Timaru Boys,” he says. Grammar won the Auckland Championship, a feat they have repeated this year. In the round robin of the Auckland Championship they thrashed St. Peter’s College (7-0), St. Kentigern College (3-0) and MacLeans College (9-0). In the semi-final they battled past Mount Albert Grammar School (1-0). The final against King’s College proved to be a real cracker. “It was a really good final. There was a big crowd and it was a tough game. We started well and got ahead 2-0. We then conceded a card and they pulled one back. King’s started to pressure us and it soon became 2-2. With about five minutes left we won a penalty corner and Marshall Wells, our drag flick specialist, put us in the lead,” Stables recalls. The ability to defend is a real strength of the Grammar outfit in 2016. The majority of the defensive until from 2015 has been retained. “Were quite an experienced team this year. We look to play balanced hockey with an emphasis on attack, but obviously the ability to defend for long periods is important. To only concede goals in the final was a great effort,” Stables says. The top four teams in Auckland now combine with the top four teams in North Harbour for the Super City competition. Matches are played on a Wednesday night and Stables believes Grammar are in good shape to make a real tilt for the title. “I think we got ahead of ourselves at times last year. We didn’t bring the same intensity every week and suffered for it. I think we have learned not to take anything for granted. Westlake, the Rankin Cup winners, were only third in Harbour this year so the Harbour teams are looking strong. In Auckland MAGS and King’s were tough games,” Stables says. Stables is an experienced campaigner. He has played over 50 games for the First XI since 2013 and occupies the central midfield space when his excellent passing skills and leaderships helps coordinate Grammar’s offense. In addition to his school duties, Stables plays for the Somerville Seniors on Saturday and has been an Auckland Under-18 representative. “Hockey season is pretty busy and exciting. I love the challenge of playing with seniors and marking current and former Black Sticks. School hockey is good, especially the games against Kings. I think it we can stay in the right head space this season it’s going to be a good one,” Stables concludes. |
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