conditions, College battled out a close encounter, but a late penalty to Nelson saw them make the kick to take a 15–12 win. The next day the team played two shortened matches against the other two teams. First College were again involved in another tight game, losing 7–10 to John McGlashan, but finished the tournament in a positive manner with a win over St Andrew’s. During the School holidays, two groups of College rugby players toured Japan. The U16 team played a number of matches, while a small group of senior players returned to the Robbie Deans- coached Panasonic Wild Knights for an experience of professional rugby. Football The 1st XI competed in the Jim Wishart tournament during winter tournament week and finished as top qualifier in their pool heading in to the quarter-finals. In pool play, the team had wins over Trident High School and Garrin College, and a great 2–1 win over Otago Boys’ High School, having lost to the same team in June by 9–1. In the quarter-finals, the team was involved in a tight battle with Middleton Grange. Each side created a few chances, but College could not convert any and lost the match 1–0. College lost the last two games, finishing 8th in the tournament. This was a very positive finish to the season for the team after struggling to find consistency during the premier competition in Christchurch. The Junior XI are involved in an equivalent competition to that of the 1st XI, which is played midweek. Last year the team lost in the semi-final of this competition and were keen to go further this year. Bad weather meant a number of matches had to be cancelled, but things improved and the performances of the team
were impressive, with wins over top football schools. The team qualified for a home semi-final against Shirley Boys’ High School, and came from behind to win 2–1, thanks to goals by Charlie Cameron and Daniel Metherel. In the final, they faced Cashmere High School, the only team to beat them over two seasons. In very cold conditions, College dominated possession and territory but could not convert, and it was not until the second half that a great strike from deep by Alexi Georgiou beat the keeper to secure the team a 1–0 win and the Junior XI championship. The College football club had seven Saturday teams competing in the Mainland Football competition. The 14 Black and 14 White sides played each other in their divisional final, which saw Oliver Butler score for the Black side to claim victory. The 14A side had a very good season and won promotion to Division 1, where they finished third. The 15A and 15B sides also finished third in their respective divisions, which
was a common theme for College senior teams, as both the Ravens and 2nd XI finished 3rd in their division. The season finished with the tour to the USA and Canada during the October holidays. Basketball The Senior A was a young team this year, and all players will return in 2019. In the local Thomson Trophy, the side was competitive in most games, finishing 7th overall. At the SISS championships, the team simply aimed to compete and learn from the experience. They played eight games in four days and finished with a four win, four loss record. In pool games, the team had wins over Lincoln High School, King’s High School, and a great 77–73 win over Otago Boys’ High School. The two teams had met earlier in the year, with OBHS winning very easily, so this was a great turnaround. In knock-out matches, the team had two losses before winning their last game against Marlborough Boys’ College
College Issue 35 2018
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