2023 Linwood Tournament - Logan Park Dunedin

Day 1, Dunedin. We arrived to sleet and hail. Fortunately the weather improved and, although it was still cold, we did see the sun. It was an early start with our first game at 9am. We came up against a strong Trinity Catholic College team, but the boys played really well to hold them to 0-0 at halftime. The final score was 2-0, however, Cooper Phillips kept the score low with some fine saves. In the afternoon we played a spirited Dunstan High School side. Unfortunately we conceded 3 goals in the first half, however, the boys played hard to the end and didn’t concede any further goals - final score was 3-0. MVP went to James Duncan who battled hard throughout the game. Tired, but still in good spirits, the boys looked forward to day two.

Day Two: We had the morning off, so the boys enjoyed a sleep-in.  A trip to St Clair Beach allowed us to stretch our legs before we had to get back to business. Our game in the afternoon was against a very strong Burnside High School’s 1st XI. Our boys played hard to the end giving it their best. MVP was Alex Barber who made his first appearance after returning from injury.

Day 3. We had two games. In our first game we faced Roncalli - a team the boys new well. Roncalli proved too strong for us, winning 5-0 and looked like final contenders in the process. After lunch we played South Otago High School needing a win to restore some pride. The team played well, scoring before half time. We couldn’t add to the score in the second half, but we were happy to have our first win. MVP went to Dekan Ryan for a strong performance at centre back.

Final Wrap!   Last day of the tournament the boys faced Cromwell College.
10 minutes in and we were awarded a penalty. Dekan stepped up and slotted it for a one goal lead. Cromwell came back with two goals of their own. We equalized in the second half with a goal from Pranit Singh. Unfortunately Cromwell scored again to take the game 3-2. MVP went to Pranit. Boys disappointed but in good spirits.

Thank you to Jackie, Phillipa and team who helped get this team to tournament.
And finally a special thank you to the coach/manager, Trevor Barge and Tina Duncan, who did an awesome job of making this a great week for our boys!