Despite our enthusiasm to get into the softball season this year, we had a challenging start in Term 1 due to last minute defaults from other schools

However this did not dampen our spirits and both the boys and girls teams had an enjoyable season. Both teams were made up of players with a range of skills and experience, with several new junior players joining the squad. Through guidance from the coaches and the more experienced players, the juniors gained skills and quickly picked up the intricacies of the game. Players within each team gelled, creating positive team spirits. The Christchurch competition was a mixture of boys, girls, and mixed teams. The girls team finished 5th overall while the boys team finished a respectable 3rd in the local competition.

The highlight of the season was both teams competing in the South Island Secondary Schools Tournament which was held in Ashburton at Argyle Park. We were always going to be up against it with both teams having no specialist pitchers and only a handful of regular club players.

The Boys' Team showed great guts and determination throughout some very tough games. They played well, learnt a lot, and they kept their head in the game for the duration. They enjoyed the challenge of the ball hurtling down at them when batting, and scored some very good home runs, in particular, playing very well against Rolleston College. The tournament allowed the team members to play in a variety of positions and gave a number the chance to pitch; something that rarely happens during Wednesday games. We saw some amazing catches, the boys got two double plays against slick opposition and against Southland Boys High (The tournament winners). We got three outs in five pitches. The boys' fielding improved over the course of the tournament, along with batting and base running. It was a great experience for the boys and their game has developed from the opportunity. They managed to score runs against formidable opposition like Southland Boys High School, St Thomas of Canterbury and Dunstan High School - many of which play representative softball in their regions.

The Girls’ Team managed to get a couple of large wins against Buller High School and held Southland Girls High School very close. They were competitive in every game for a number of innings and by the end of the tournament were a very close and cohesive unit.

Both teams played extremely well and gained a lot from playing at this level. Whilst the scores were not in our favour most of the time it was a great experience. The Girls’ and Boys’ Teams finished 4th and 7th respectively.

Congratulations to Hana Allan and Nathma Kalubovilage on gaining MVP for both teams.

Travelling together and competing in this tournament, was both fun and a valuable learning experience. Highlights included Will making the front page of the Ashburton Guardian, swimming at Lake Hood. and Ms.Townsend’s visit to the sock factory. Big mihi to Mr. Sandes for supplying some kai for the tournament. Thanks also to Grace Houston for scoring and managing the team. Special thanks to NZ Community Trust for financial assistance.

The success of this season was due to the extra time and effort that Ms.Townsend and Mr.Findlay, our coaches gave us, for which we are very grateful.