George Rookes competed in the South Island schools MTB championships in Methven, along with a small team of College riders. George rode a great race in the U17 cross country event to finish 6th. Polo Two College polo players, Edward Davidson and Winston Hutchinson, played in the South Island schools’ team against their North Island counterparts at the end of last year. They won the close match 3–2 and then travelled north to play the same team, convincingly claiming the return fixture 7–1. A New Zealand schools’ team was subsequently selected, with Edward named team captain and Winston team reserve. Playing an invitational team, they lost a very close match by half a goal. This term, the College polo teams had two tournaments. In February, the top team of Edward Davidson, Henry Lassen, Henry Bowmar and Matthew Geddes enjoyed a successful day with wins over Medbury School, St Andrew’s College in a run down, and a final 4–0 win over a Christchurch combined side. The second tournament in March was very similar, with wins over Medbury and Christchurch combined teams, and a draw against St Andrew’s College. However, this time the opposition
won the run down to place College A 2nd on the day. Two other College teams competed in the B and D grade, notching a few wins, some close matches and a good deal of improvement. Rowing At the start of the term, the rowing club ended its training camp with the South Island Club Championships. In great conditions, the College crews finished with four South Island titles. The U17 coxed four, U19 coxed four, and U16 coxed eight all won their races. The top College eight had two very good races to claim the men’s premier eight title, beating a men’s crew from Picton and the top St Andrew’s College crew. College also claimed two silver medals. College had a group of 52 rowers at the National Schools Regatta. Entering the finals, 45 boys were in either A or B finals. At the end of two days of racing, College had achieved bronze in U16 four, U17 four and U18 four, silver in U16 eight and U17 eight, and gold in the U18 eight to claim the Maadi Cup. In the premier U18 eight event, College had three crews racing. The College 3rd crew was 6th in the B final, while the College 2nd crew lined up against the top boats in the country in the A final (along
with the College top eight) and finished a superb 5th. Christ's College reclaimed the U18 eight title, last won in 2018, with crew Archie Batchelor, Gus Orr, Liam Alexander, Louie Bethell, Johnny Lee, Angus Wynn-Williams, George Trolove, Thomas McEwan and Hamish McCulloch (cox). The crew won by over six seconds ahead of Auckland Grammar School and StAC. College has won the Maadi Cup three times in the last five years, finishing a close 2nd to Christchuch Boys’ High School and StAC the other two years. The Maadi Cup hails from World War II, where two New Zealand Engineer Force members based at Maadi Camp in Egypt raced in regattas on the Nile against the Egyptians. The Kiwi oarsmen beat the Cairo River Club in 1943 to win the Freyburg Cup, which was then gifted back to the Cairo River Club. In return, Youssef Baghat presented the Kiwi crew with a cup. At the end of that year, the cup was offered to the New Zealand Rowing Association as a trophy for an annual boys’ eight- oared race between secondary schools. It was then that it was renamed the Maadi Cup. From this regatta, both South Island and New Zealand junior rowing trials have been named.
Christ’s College Canterbury
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