The Senior A and B Canoe Polo teams travelled to Hastings to
compete in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships over the last three
days. Our A team was the only Manawatū team to qualify in the first division.
Senior B, in a developmental phase, finished seventh in the
second division. Their last match went to golden goal, and they emerged
victorious over Hastings Boys’ High School B.
Senior A started their Friday with a good win against St
Andrew’s College from Christchurch, and a close 2-3 loss to Napier Boys’ High
School.
Saturday saw the day start with a 2 all draw with Havelock
North High School, followed by a 4-1 win against St John’s High School, a 4-3
win against Hastings Boys’ High School, and a 2-5 loss to Karamū High School.
This was enough to put the team in the top four.
Sunday morning started with a semifinal against Hastings
Boys’. The first half was tense, and we were 1 – 0 down and half time, but the
team rallied with three excellent goals from Lewis Orr, Jacob Dawber and Josh
Irwin and we won that game 3 -1. This meant we were in the final, against
Napier Boys’.
The final was a nerve-wracking affair, with no goal from
either team in the first half. Our team had most of the possession and
territory, but the Napier defence was exceptional.
The second half went the same way, with PNBHS dominating,
but unable to slot a goal. Much to our disappointment, in the last thirty
seconds, a loose ball was scooped up by Napier, and they beat our defence to
score in the last ten seconds.
Still, being the second best in the country is pretty
satisfying!
Our top point scorer in the tournament was Sam Hawinkels,
and he was the only Manawatū player to be named in the tournament team.
Team: Sam Hawinkels, Conor McEwan, Josh Irwin, Ryan
Burmeister, Jacob Dawber, Lewis Orr, and Hunter Bretherton.
We are grateful for the support of the families who
travelled to Hastings for the competition, and especially grateful to Graeme
Bretherton and Central Milk Distribution who, once again, supplied the teams
with Primo milk for their recovery. We are also thankful to have Old Boys, and
New Zealand Representative players William Broderick (PNBHS A) and Jonny Orr
(PNBHS B) as coaches for these teams.
