Sport
Primary Selwyn Basketball Competition
The 2023 Primary Selwyn Basketball Competition has wrapped up for the year in Rolleston.
The three Ellesmere College teams played hard and fast for the last 12 weeks improving with every game they played. All three teams displayed amazing skills and sportsmanship when on the court! The teams were fully supported with loads of family and friends cheering from the sideline.
Ellesmere College basketball is in a great place with our junior school with loads of talent to pass into our senior programs. A big thanks to all the supporters and coaches that helped out along the way.
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Andrew Morton
Senior B Netball
It has been some time since Ellesmere College has had a Senior B or Mixed Netball team playing in the Canterbury School Sport Senior Competition but this year the tide had turned and the Senior B team came together training with the Senior A team under the guidance of Charlotte Lemon and Deb Johnson. The team consisted of William Johnson, Gemma Johnson, Jaiden Van Der Westhuizen, Lexus Prendergast, Chloe Gollan, Ava Dakers, Bella Rose Pua and Mikayla Reid.
The team was entered in the Mixed Open Grade and each provided a mixture of opposition strengths as junior mixed teams (Yr 9/10) were also put into the same grade. A variety of results were achieved:
EC Mixed Senior B 11 Lost to TAHI Tuakana 29
EC Mixed Senior B 36 Beat MAIR Mixed 14
EC Mixed Senior B 44 Beat Hagley Junior Mixed 3
EC Mixed Senior B 27 Beat Riccarton Mixed A 8
EC Mixed Senior B 35 Beat EC Mixed Junior C 9
EC Mixed Senior B 12 Lost to TEAC Year 10 30
EC Mixed Senior B 45 Beat Rolleston Blue 5
EC Mixed Senior B 28 Beat Riccarton Mixed A 7 Semi Final
EC Mixed Senior B 16 Lost to TEAC Year 10 38 Final
Team spirit was high each week and the team adopted Willie the Lamb Mascot to attend the games. Making the final for the Mixed Open Grade was the ultimate reward for the team efforts. The team fought really hard and it wasn’t until the last quarter that the TEAC team pulled away with the win.
This didn’t dampen the spirits of the Ellesmere team who enjoyed the season experience. A big thank you to our team coaches Charlotte and Deb, Carey Barnett for managing, fill-in coaching and umpiring not to mention our supporters and the netball college staff Ms Morton and Ms Martin who helped with the player organisation. A special thanks to Abi Jackson and Hollie Steven who filled in at short notice.
Senior A Netball
The Senior A Netball Team has had a very successful end to its Canterbury School Sport Wednesday season winning its B2 Grade final against St Margarets College (SMC) Lightning.
After arriving at Hagley Courts the team was met with heavy showers of rain, a very wet court and really cold conditions. However, with some of the team having already played in similar conditions this season they were up to the task and backed themselves to cope.
The team had lost one and won one against this team in earlier rounds and was keen to win the grade decider. With Caitlin Barnett and Paige Robertson unavailable for the final, the team reshuffled its normal positions with Honor Barnett releasing her goal attack duties to Gemma Johnson and taking over the role of Centre.
Both players slotted in nicely, connecting well with Alishia King at Wing Attack and Caitlin White at Goal Shoot. The reshuffle at the attack end seemed to go seamlessly in the first quarter with the phase finishing with EC up 9-4 at the break after great shooting by the shooters.
Hoping to build on the lead, the second quarter brought some solid defence to keep the SMC team at bay who was starting to warm into the game. Marieka Geerts (Goal Defence) and Jeanette Manumanuniliwa (Goal Keep) teamed up nicely to take rebounds and shift the ball back up the court with Kate Inwood (Wing Defence).
Half time saw the lead out to 19 -10 with Jaiden Van Der Westhuizen coming on at Goal Keep and Jeanette moving out to Wing Defence.
The excellent ball skills in the trying conditions carried on with the changes made at the break; the score 28-16 at the end of the third quarter. With the rain easing the team worked steadily to the end of the game spurred on by the Senior B team supporters and parents present; coming out the winners 35-26.
This was a super end to the season even if it was a bit wet. Everyone was thankful to make it back to the warm bus. This was the perfect lead-in for the team as it prepares to travel to the South Island Secondary Schools Tournament in Invercargill at the end of the month.
A big thank you goes to coaches Deb Johnson and Charlotte Lemon for all their commitment to the team again this year, manager Carey Barnett and umpires Jennifer Barnett and Kerryn Jackson who have once again made the season possible. Not to mention the assistance from the netball teaching staff Ms Morton and Ms Martin.