​Big fortnight of water polo for New Zealand secondary school players

Photo: The NZ Youth Women practice against the defending champions USA side. Photos by NZ Water Polo Instagram: nzwaterpolo

New Zealand’s leading secondary school water polo players are in action over the next fortnight in the FINA World Women’s Youth (U18) Water Polo Championships and the Tri-Nations School Series (boys and girls) and Trans-Tasman Schoolboys Tournament.

The action starts tomorrow at the National Aquatic Centre at the AUT Millennium with the third FINA World Women’s Youth (U18) Water Polo Championships, with 11 of the 13 strong New Zealand squad having been at school this year.

World Women’s Youth (U18) Water Polo Championships

New Zealand squad (2016 schools in brackets):
Liana Dance
Bernadette Doyle (St Cuthbert’s College)*
Mikayla Eruera
Emmerson Houghton (Hillcrest High School)*
Malia Josephson (St Cuthbert’s College)
Jessica Marsden (Kristin School)
Morgan McDowall (Westlake Girls’ High School)*
Emily Nicholson (Westlake Girls’ High School)
Caitlin Mary Parker Allen (St Cuthbert’s College)*
Nadia Pavlovich (Westlake Girls’ High School)
Emily Sanderson (Rangitoto College)
Alisha Winstanley (Westlake Girls’ High School)
Antonia Young St Cuthbert’s College)
*At school in 2017
 
Tournament details
 
What: World Women’s Youth (U18) Water Polo Championships
Where: National Aquatic Centre at the AUT Millennium, North Shore, Auckland
Teams: Fifteen teams, from Europe, Asia, the Americas and Oceania. USA the defending champions
Format: Teams split into four groups for pool play, followed by crossover matches and then the final scheduled for 4.00pm on Sunday 18 December.
Coverage: The official tournament website is www.YWCAuckland16.com (all matches livestreamed).
New Zealand’s pool matches: NZ v South Africa 8.20pm Monday; NZ v Spain 8.00pm Tuesday; NZ v Russia 8.20pm Wednesday
 
Profile with New Zealand player Caitlin Mary Parker Allen (Source Stuff.co.nz):
 
There's nothing like a bit of sibling rivalry to motivate a young athlete's sporting career.
 
That is how junior national water polo player Caitlin Mary Parker Allen began her sporting career in the pool three years ago.
At 16 years old she is one of the youngest members of the New Zealand team that will play in the World Women's Youth Water Polo Championship next week in Auckland. The year 11 St Cuthbert's College student won the U16 Outstanding Player award for two years running in the club nationals competition.
Next week, Allen hopes she can prove herself against her older teammates. 
New Zealand is pooled with South Africa, Russia and Spain.
New Zealand take on South Africa in their first pool game on Monday.
Read the rest of the Stuff article about Caitlin here: http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/87387126/caitlin-allen-ready-to-prove-herself-in-the-pool
 
Tri-Nations Schools and Trans-Tasman Schoolboys series
 
Nine of the New Zealand U18 girls squad above, and others – Chantelle Conroy (St Mary's College), Elizabeth Gault (Diocesan School for Girls), Gabriella MacDonald (Saint Kentigern College) and  Evie Mills (Wellington East Girls' College) -  will also be in the New Zealand Schoolgirls team who playing in the Tri-Nations series against their Australian and South African counterparts next week.
 
First this week, the New Zealand Schoolboys and Schoolboys A teams play a Trans-Tasman Schoolboys Tournament at Sacred Heart College, ahead of the Tri-Nations tournament that is being played at the AUT Millennium.
 
The New Zealand Schoolboys and New Zealand Schoolboys A teams for the 2016 Tri-Nations Schools Series was announced in October.
 
The players are:
 
New Zealand Schoolboys
Jake Blundell  (Sacred Heart College)
Sam Cameron  (Auckland Grammar School)
Sam Casey (Sacred Heart College)
Ben Fleming (Saint Kentigern College) 
Bae Fountain (Mount Maunganui College)
Calum de Jager (Auckland Grammar School)
Jake Lockwood (Rangitoto College) 
Matt Morris (Rangitoto College) 
Nick Paterson (Sacred Heart College)
Justin Pickering (VC, Mount Maunganui College)
Dominic Rankin-Chitar (Saint Kentigern College)
Josh de Reeper (Saint Patrick's College – Wellington)
Nick Stankovich (C, Auckland Grammar School)

New Zealand Schoolboys A
Connor Bougen (Mount Albert Grammar School)
Matt Dell (Sacred Heart College)
Ryan McEwen (Saint Kentigern College)
Ben Goodwin (King's College)
Nick Hermans (Sacred Heart College)
James Martin (Mount Albert Grammar School)
Adam Milne (Avondale College)
Jake Parker Allen (King's College)
Kane Smith (Mount Albert Grammar School)
Luke Smith (Burnside High School)
Ben Sterritt (Saint Kentigern College)
Matt Stirling (Saint Kentigern College)
Hamish Sullivan (Sacred Heart College)
Hamish Waddell (Auckland Grammar School)

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