St Paul’s Collegiate School’s 1st XI hockey team took home the title of Midlands intercity secondary school champions on Wednesday night after defeating local rivals Hamilton Boys’ High School 3-1 at Gallagher Hockey Centre.
St Paul’s hockey coach Craig Hardman said the team played well, created good chances in extremely poor weather conditions and were the first team to score.
Reuben Andrews was quick to move through the opposition circle from a rebound and put the ball past their goalkeeper, which allowed Arthur Rasmussen to touch the ball into the goal.
“Scoring early in an intense game like this helped create momentum and build the team’s confidence as they fought-off a title hungry Hamilton Boys’,” Hardman said.
Early in the second half Hamilton Boys’ showed they weren’t out of the game just yet after getting through St Paul’s tight defence to score a goal that bought the game to one all.
“The boys regrouped and pushed forward to hold Hamilton Boys’ off from advancing any further. Their sound defence, quick passing and strategic game play resulted in two more goals – one from Bede Higgens and another from Garrick du Toit.”
Both teams now head into the top-ranked national tournament – the Rankin Cup – next week where they will face off for the national title. St Paul’s under-15 team will contest for the Tanner Cup next week also, which hosts some of the top under-15 school teams in New Zealand.
