The 2018 First XI Girls hockey season began early this year with team bonding and Saturday morning runs around Hagley Park.

The 2018 First XI Girls hockey season began early this year with team bonding and Saturday morning runs around Hagley Park. We welcomed four new members to the team - Sarah Burton, Emma Burton, Emily Jackson and Mya Te Aho making a total of five sets of sisters - again!

The girls worked incredibly hard, under coach Scott Anderson’s guidance, throughout the school competition and played some fantastic hockey. Highlights included beating St Andrews twice and a hard-fought draw with St Margarets. Charlotte Lambie filled in for injured Emily Jackson most of the season, and thoroughly earned her place in the team to attend tournament when Emily’s injury prevented her from attending.

For Winter Tournament this year the team participated in the Audrey Timlin Trophy in Invercargill - with the goal of winning. Their dedication and hard-work throughout the season paid off with the girls securing top of their pool, beating Southland Girls’ High School, Otago Girls’, St Hilda’s Collegiate and St Mary’s Ponsonby. By the end of pool play the girls had scored an incredible eighteen goals and conceded only one.

This placed Burnside in the semi finals against Lincoln High School, where they were victorious once again, leaving them in the finals against St Mary’s Ponsonby, whom they had already beaten in pool play. It was a physical, nail-biting game with Ella McLeod scoring in the first half but St Mary’s coming back with an equalizer. The match went down to extra time and drop offs, and in the final five minutes Payton Anderson set up a beautiful goal for Kelly Newlands to score the winning point. The girls did it! They won the Audrey Timlin Trophy and secured their place at the Federation Cup and Marie Fry Trophy tournament for 2019.

As well as winning the trophy, Payton Anderson was top goal scorer of the tournament (9 goals) and Kelly Newlands a close second (8 goals). The team as a whole has a lot to be proud of - they drained their batteries every single game, they worked together as a team and showed grit and determination at all times. Both on and off the field they were a family, and it was this bond that helped them reach their goal.

Sadly, the team farewelled four incredible year thirteens - Bayley Anderson, Neve Marshall, Kerryn Owens and Sarah Burton; their skill and leadership will be missed.

Thank you to all of the supporters throughout the year, especially to the parents - you fueled their bodies, you transported them to games and practices and you supported from the sideline. Thank you especially to Shelley Anderson, who again did an incredible job feeding the girls throughout tournament.

Thank you to Scott for the dedication you put in to developing the team both in skill and team spirit. Everybody appreciates the hard work and time you have given up throughout the season.

As manager of the team, it has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside such a talented group of girls. Bring on next season!

Rebekah Moreno