College – Issue 42

sporting codes. However, it’s equally important to see that the boys have done as well as they can in their chosen sport and that they want to carry on with that sport after leaving school – that’s success. “While Rugby and Cricket remain the largest winter and summer

winning in 2017, 2020 and 2021. The appointment of a dedicated Master-in-Charge for Rugby and Cricket – former Canterbury and Leinster player Stephen Dods – at the end of 2015 has been crucial to a Rugby renaissance. The Rugby evolution – driven by Stephen with support from a committed parent community – has reignited the code’s spirit, enabling a strong development environment thanks to top coaches, a strengthening and conditioning specialist and greater sponsorship. The College Cricket 1st XI has claimed the Premier one-day and two-day titles at regional level last summer, along with a third place at nationals for the College Colts in 2021. Among the other College teams, the Clay Target Shooting side has climbed performance ranks, winning the New Zealand Secondary School Points Score team event for the first time in College history in 2021. College was also named the 2021 Canterbury Clay Target Point Teams’ Champion. College Volleyball players have

taken their first-ever trip to the nationals, while the school skiers annually secure top finishes in both the Canterbury and South Island events. In 2022, as the summer season peaked, College claimed titles in Cricket, along with standout performances in Mountain-biking, Tennis, Athletics, Sailing, Surfing, Polo and Rowing – including runner-up in the premier Maadi Cup. In 2021, as the winter sports season drew to a close, College teams were in regional title contention in four major sports – Basketball, Hockey, Football and Rugby – for the first time in more than 170 years. The Christ’s College 1st XI won the Canterbury Secondary Schools Premier Hockey Championship for the second time in a row while the College A Basketball team lifted the Thomson Trophy also for the second consecutive season in a row. Both the top Football and Rugby sides narrowly missed out on their premier titles. Today, College is competitive across many sporting codes, with many recent Old Boys featuring nationally and internationally.

sports at Christ’s College, boys have many different

sporting opportunities. We have worked hard to ensure that all programmes build to a level which allows boys to achieve success. However they define that. “The strength of our success in a variety of sporting codes shows that we are doing something right,” he points out. At College, the demand for spots on Basketball teams has soared, along with more boys opting to play Volleyball, jump on a mountain-bike, hit the waves or head to the range. Christ’s College is again a leading Rugby school, drawing the Crusaders 1st XV Championship final in 2018 and just falling short in the 2021 final. College is also a force in the annual clash with Christchurch Boys’ High School,

COLLEGE 2022

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