Auckland Grammar and HVHS win NZSS Ultimate Championships

Action from the Open Division final between winner Auckland Grammar School and Hutt Valley High School. PHOTO CREDIT: Janine Doile

,Auckland Grammar School (Open Division) and Hutt Valley High School (Girls Division) won the annual NZSS Ultimate Championships held in Taupo this week.

Auckland Grammar won their final over Hutt Valley High School boys 12-10, while HVHS defeated Gisborne’s Lyttton High Scool 10-6 in their final in the tournament at Owen Delany Park on Monday and Tuesday.

AGS had earlier wins in the tournament against Wellington High School (13-3), New Plymouth Boys’ High School (12-5), Lytton High School (13-4), HVHS (13-9, first meeting), Green Bay High School 2 (13-0) and Westlake Boys’ High School (13-3).

HVHS defeated Lytton High School (7-6, first meeting), lost to Epsom Girls’ Grammar School (3-9), beat Takapuna Grammar Schoool (13-2), before beating Lytton again in the final. 

The closeness of the Girls competition was a feature of the tournament. After the opening round, EGGS had beaten HVHS, who beat Lytton High School, who beat Epsom.

In the Open division Wellington High School (mixed teams with three New Zealand U20 Kahu girls in it - Abi Liddell, Amelia Mance and Sophie Mance) beat finalist Hutt Valley High School. Although this was not to have a bearing on the overall outcome.

NPBHS' result was very good given they are a new team of Year 13s based around their two New Zealand representative U20 Katipo Boys Graydon Scott and Luke Rabe, who only started playing last year.

Also of note at this note at this NZSS event was the opportunities for youth leadership being offered and taken up. Tane Rolfe, Emma Doile and Beth Thompson (members of the NZ U20 teams who are now at university) all came with teams as coaches. Anna Crosby (Kahu Captain) was there as a tournament volunteer and the tournament was organised and run by ex-Kahu player Julia Forde, who is 21 and this was her 5th NZSS Ultimate Championships as the tournament director.

Results

For full results go here http://nzssuc.ultimatecentral.com/e/2018-nz-secondary-school-ultimate-championships/schedule
 
Final standings
 
Open Division:
1st Auckland Grammar School
2nd Hutt Valley High School 1
3rd Hamilton Boys High School
4th Westlake Boys’ High School
5th New Plymouth Boys’ High School
6th Wellington High School
7th Onslow College
8th Takapuna High School
9th Lytton High School
10th Green Bay High School 1
11th Hutt Valley High School 2
12th Green Bay High School 2
 
Winner of the Spirit of the Game Award: Wellington High School
Most Valuable Player: Hamish Forde (Westlake Boys’ High School)
 
Girls Division:
1st Hutt Valley High School
2nd Lytton High School
3rd Epsom Girls’ High School
4th Takapuna Grammar School
 
Winner of the Spirit of the Game Award: Hutt Valley High School
Most Valuable Player: Katja Neef (Takapuna Grammar School)
 
New Zealand U20 teams preparing for World Junior Championships

The World Junior Ultimate Championships are in Waterloo, Canada from 19-25 August. New Zealand will be represented in both the Under 20 Men's and Under 20 Women's divisions.

New Zealand will be part of 19 teams contesting the U20 Men's division in Canada, while 16 teams will participate in the U20 Women's division.

New Zealand also competed at the last WJUC event in 2016 in Poland where Katipo (NZ U20 Men) finished 13th out of 20 teams and Kahu (NZ U20 Women) finished 6th out of 20.

Girls and Boys who were named in the National Junior Teams who attended this week's tournament were:

Katipo 
Jack Doile
Josh Driscoll
Hamish Forde
Angus Horan
Sean McKeown
Luca Mercer
Luke Rabe
Graydon Scott
George Skinner
Russel Syder

Kahu 
Helen Cvitanovich
Bridget Forsyth
Abi Liddell
Amelia Mance
Sophie Mance
Hillary Sheridan
Nicole Svendsen
Georgia Taylor

Hutt Valley High School - Girls Division winners. PHOTO CREDIT: Janine Doile.