Earlier this week we hosted St Andrews College from Christchurch for our annual Winter Sports Exchange. Hockey, football, netball, basketball, and trapshooting were played in the spirit of keen competition and friendly rivalry.

With this highlight on the sporting calendar ,our athletes were eager to gain an insight into the competition they will be facing later on in the year during Winter Tournament Week. STAC arrived in the early afternoon on Sunday 21 May and events began shortly after. 

Basketball was up first for our annual exchange and while STAC brought a young development team this year, some great skills and impressive plays were seen across both days of the exchange. Columba was strong, and posted convincing wins in both their games. Game one on Sunday ended with a solid 67 - 31 win to Columba after a fairly strong start by STAC, while Game two proved to be a more dominant 88 - 43 win to Columba. Supporters lined the walls of the gym, and the atmosphere was fantastic. MVP for Columba Basketball was Millie Mackenzie. Great work team!  

Following the basketball, it was time for our Senior B Netball to take the court. This was the first time they had been involved in this exchange and they were not out of place competing in two very closely contested matches. Sunday's game ended in a 25-25 draw, before Columba claimed a 7-goal victory in game two on Monday with a 42-35 scoreline. Not much separated these two teams and that was evident from the get-go with both teams dressed in Navy and only recognisable from the yellow and maroon bibs separating them. The Senior B Netball was a welcomed addition to this exchange and something we will aim to keep for the coming years.  MVP for Columba Senior B Netball was Taylah Ruxton - Amazing! 

The final match of the evening was a real crowd-pleaser. After a slow start due to numerous other commitments that day, STAC took an early lead in the first quarter, which they held for the majority of the game. Early in the 4th quarter, Columba had tied things up and the seesaw match continued through the final 8 minutes. 26-26 with around ten seconds remaining, Columba forced a turnover down their attacking third, and the cool, calm, year 12 sharp-shooter, Lucy, stepped up to swish an incredibly difficult shot with just 2 seconds on the clock. WOW! An incredible finish to an amazing game. This was just day one and the close encounter made it a thrilling game for all spectators. After news spread about the night before, the gym was packed for period one on Monday morning as Columba was determined to get on the scoreboard early. Columba pulled ahead from the beginning and led comfortably throughout the entire second game. STAC made an exciting comeback to get within 2 goals early in the 4th but our classy Columba Senior A team kept their composure to claim an 8-point victory 41-33.  MVP for Columba Netball was Holly McRae, huge congratulations! 

Hockey braved the cold conditions for both their games. Taking a narrow 3-2 loss on Sunday, while missing a couple of senior players to a representative clash, was a real highlight. Then backing up that performance on day 2, they fought hard for a 2-2 draw at the final whistle in a real nail-biting game to watch. This was a truly outstanding effort against a highly renowned hockey school.  MVP for Columba Hockey was Hannah Cormack, as she displayed very impressive skills and teamwork! 

Trapshooting was welcomed into the exchange this year and were very fortunate with the weather, a bit of sunshine even! STAC put up some great competition and it was a surreal experience for our shooters, as it was their first time in this exchange. The results were as follows; STAC Girls (201) vs Columba (223). In the mixed competition - North = STAC (156) vs South = Columba/McGlashan (188). Well done to both Laura and Kate, and we look forward to having you involved again next year.  MVP for Columba Trapshooting was Laura Moore who had an excellent shoot, well done! 

Our First XI Football savoured the chance to battle against one of Canterbury’s top-ranked secondary school football teams, with the key aim of getting stuck in and maintaining a never-give-up attitude after last year going down 7-1. The girls did just this and even led for parts of the match before eventually ending in a 2-4 scoreline, although this did not reflect how close the game really was. All players continued to have smiles on their faces and it was a delight to see the camaraderie between all team members. This was a most valiant effort by our Columba First XI Team and great preparation for our Winter Tournament - MVP for Columba Football was Aliya Drake who lead from the front! 

We would like to thank all our athletes who represented Columba with pride during this annual exchange, and our Columba families who were so incredibly supportive on the sidelines. A huge thank you to all our volunteer staff, coaches, management, and officials for giving up your time to be part of this event. It was fantastic to see the high sportsmanship and friendly competition within the sports arena. The STAC exchange is always a favourite in our school calendar and we look forward to these exchange opportunities in the future.