PNBHS 1st XI Hockey Team Win Secondary Schools Competition

The final was against Rathkeale College, who qualified by beating Feilding High School in their semi-final. Although the 1st XI had beaten Rathkeale College twice in the round-robin competition, they knew that finals hockey could be quite a different story. They knew that they would need to bring their A-game to secure the title.

The 1st XI started the match well, playing good structured hockey. Rathkeale signalled their intentions early, using their counter-attack to their advantage. However, both teams could not manage to put the ball in the net. The second quarter saw some excellent hockey as the struggle to break the deadlock eschewed. It was the 1st XI who managed to strike first through a penalty corner drag-flick from Ben Havord. This was closely followed by goals from Connor Managh and Hael Pritchard.

With a 3 – 0 lead at half-time, the 1st XI continued to mount pressure in the second half. The third quarter remained scoreless as Rathkeale countered the PNBHS attack. The 4th quarter saw some extremely scrappy hockey; however, PNBHS gained some ascendency as the game opened up, allowing Zach Carline and Macca Williams to score.

The final result of 5 – 0 was a good result for the 1st XI and meant that they remained unbeaten in the Intercity Secondary School Competition.

To the following young men who are leaving this year, we wish you all the best for your future endeavours, both on and off the field. Thank you for your service to PNBHS Hockey: Solomon Kaihe, Connor Managh, Hael Pritchard, Macca Williams, Blake Rhodes-Robinson, Perry Smith, Flynn Underwood, Josh Campbell, Ben Havord.