Rangiora High School set a promising tone as 10 players made their debuts. Wins against Christchurch Boys’ High School, Lincoln High School, Middleton Grange School, and St Andrew’s College, a draw against St Bede’s College, and a loss to Cashmere High School were more than enough to qualify for the top eight and the National Premier Tournament for the fourth consecutive year. With the competition splitting, the games got a bit harder in the second half of the season. A 1–2 loss against Shirley Boys’ High School (SBHS) was a great contest. However, College conceding a poorly timed foul led to SBHS claiming the winning goal. College dropped points in a 2–2 draw against a nine- man Burnside High School, before tipping over competition favourite Cashmere High School 2–0 in an epic performance. A scrappy 1–0 win over St Bede’s College, a back and forth 3–3 draw with St Thomas of Canterbury College and 3–0 wins over Christchurch Boys’ High School and Lincoln High School
resulted in Christ’s College finishing second on the premiership table. Facing Cashmere High School in the semi-final was always going to be an exciting battle, given both the previous win and loss. With the score 1–1 at half-time, it was anyone’s game. Unfortunately, College lost its composure – along with a key player to injury – disrupting the team’s rhythm. Cashmere capitalised, scoring two late goals to finish College’s league season with a 1–3 loss.
losing on penalties. College lost 1–3 to St Patrick’s College Wellington, beat Nelson College 3–1, lost 3–4 on penalties to St Peter’s Cambridge after a 1–1 draw, and lost 5–6 on penalties to Wellington College after being 2–2 at full-time. It was a disappointing result, but there were a lot of positives during the week, including team captains Lewis Whiteside and Nick Wilson playing their 50th games for the 1st XI. JUNIOR XI For the Junior XI, the 2023 season was nothing short of exceptional, marking a memorable year for the special group of highly talented Years 9–10 players. Competing in the Wednesday inter-school competition, the boys fought with unwavering tenacity, reaching the final against Shirley Boys’ High School. The showdown was an exhilarating battle between two evenly matched, attack- minded teams. College faced an early setback as it conceded a goal in the opening three minutes. Undeterred, the boys remained focused and fought resiliently to turn the tide in
With the Premier National Tournament being held in
Christchurch, the College team did not have to travel far. However, it was a tough week, with the team drawn in the same pool as current national champion Tauranga Boys’ College, Rosmini College, and Rathkeale College. Three consecutive losses – 1–4, 1–2, 1–4 – meant College would play in the bottom 16 for the rest of the week. While producing some good spells, defensively, College made too many mistakes and paid the price, giving up two leads late in games and then
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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