Summer tournament success

Athletics - WaiBOP Championships

A team of 32 students from St Paul's competed at the WaiBOP Athletics Championships with the following results:

• Chris Burr - 1st 3000m by 4 seconds in a time of 10 minutes 21 seconds
• Kristian Tiffany - 1st Senior Boys Shot Put by over a metre, throwing 13.77m
• Reilly Bennefield - 1st Senior Boys High Jump clearing 1.80m
• Reilly Bennefield, Sam Hull, Fred Coxhead and Guy Charteris - 1st Senior Boys 4x100m relay
• Sam Hull -  2nd Senior Boys 110m hurdles and 300m Hurdles
• Grace Walters - 2nd Senior Girls 110m hurdles and 300m Hurdles
• Guy Charteris - 3rd Senior Boys 400m
• Quin Hagan - 3rd Intermediate Boys High Jump
• Jasmine Davis - 3rd Intermediate Girls High Jump
• Mikaela Speake - 3rd Senior Girls High Jump
• Ella Smith - 3rd Senior Girls Shot Put
• James Waddell - 3rd Senior Boys Discus

Athletics North Island Championships 

Two students competed at the North Island championships held at Palmerston North. 

• Kristian Tiffany - 4th in the Senior Boys Shot Put 
• Ella Smith placed 5th in the Senior Girls Shot Put

Tennis - Waikato Championships

St Paul's had a great showing at the Waikato Championships for singles and doubles tennis.

• Under 18 Boys Doubles B Grade: Winners - Harry Flexman and Shodai Kagawa
• Under 14 Boys Singles A Grade: Winner - Paxton Maling
• Under 16 Boy's Doubles A Grade: Runners-up - Theo and Paxton Maling
• Under 18 Girls A Grade: Runner-up - Rosie Phillps
• Under 18 Girl's Doubles A Grade: Runners-up - Rosie Phillips and Isla Robinson
• Under 16 Girl's Doubles B Grade: Winners - Caroline Gretzinger and Rosie Wilson
• Under 18 Boy's Doubles A Grade: 3rd place - Finn Prior and Johnny Van Leewen

Summer Tournament week

Golf: There were great golf scores from Liam Hill (82), Ben Seattle (83), Ben Brown (86), Liam Parker (90) and Boston Clark (93). Liam Hill played in the First Division Plate Semi-Final where he placed third. 

Tennis: Paxton Maling won 2-0 against Wellington College. Rosie Phillips and Isla Robinson won a gutsy tiebreak in the doubles. James Barton won his singles match against Fielding and Paxton and Johnny won their doubles match. 

Water polo: 

For the first time ever, St Paul's sent water polo teams to both the Girls' and Boys' North Island Divísion 2 Competition. 

Results 

Senior girls 

• St Cuthberts 13-5 (win)
• Takapuna Grammar 16-4 (win)
• Wellington East Girls 14-5 (win)
• Queen Margaret 8-11 (loss - quarter-final)
• Mt Albert Grammar 7-13 (loss - positioning game)
• Whangaparoa Kingsway 6-5 (win - playoff)
• Final placing 7th

Senior boys

• HBHS Black 8-9 (loss)
• Mt Maunganui 5-7 (loss)
• Glendowie (eventual winners) 2-19 (loss)
• St Peter’s Auckland 4-18 (loss)
• HBHS Red 8-9 (loss - positioning game
• Cambridge Mixed 7-4 (win - playoff game)
• Final placing 19th 

Both teams will be competing at the Nationals in Auckland in the first week of the holidays.

Cricket - Gillette Cup: 

On the first day of the competition, St Paul's First XI cricket faced Hamilton Boys' High School in a highly anticipated match. After winning the toss, St Paul's bowled first hoping to take advantage of the overhead conditions and make the ball dance. Unfortunately, rain interrupted play, and the match was eventually abandoned with Hamilton Boys at 117/3 with 20 overs left to play.

St Paul's faced Mt Maunganui College. Max Makeham was the standout performer with the ball, taking three crucial wickets. Tom Yetsenga and Kalen Lake also chipped in, taking two wickets each. Once we had broken through their top order, we were able to put the brakes on their run rate, and eventually bowled Mt Maunganui out for a total of just 111 runs. During batting, Lucas Hale and Reilly Benefield punished anything loose from the bowlers and quickly put 43 runs on the board. Mt Maunganui fought back strongly in the middle overs, taking a few quick wickets to put the pressure on us. We were able to hold our nerve and eventually limp over the line, losing eight wickets in the process. It was a hard-fought victory, but we were pleased to come away with another win in the competition. 

The team next faced Aquinas College; we got off to a shaky start, losing wickets early on, which put us under pressure. Jay Benefield stepped up to the plate and played a fantastic innings managing his nerves and scoring an impressive 72 runs. His contribution was invaluable in pushing our total score to 180 all out.

In response to 180, our bowlers kept the pressure on, and we picked up wickets at crucial moments, which ultimately helped us to secure the victory in the 43rd over. Although we were disappointed to have missed out on a place in the final stages of the competition, we were proud of our fighting spirit and determination to finish on a high.

On the final day of the tournament, the team faced Tauranga Boys' High School (TBHS), the second-placed team from Pool A. Right from the first ball of the game, our bowlers showed their intent and determination to dominate. Will Voigt-Price set the tone by taking a wicket on the second ball of the innings, and from there on, we never looked back.

Tom Yetsenga and Campbell Soanes each took three wickets to keep TBHS batsmen in check. Despite a few missed opportunities in the field, we managed to restrict them to a total of 167 in the allotted 40 overs.

In reply to TBHS total of 167, we got off to a shaky start. However, captain Michael Robinson, playing in his final Gillette Cup, stepped up to the occasion and anchored the innings with a gritty knock of 60 runs off 123 balls.

In support of Robinson, Tom Yetsenga continued his good form from the previous game, scoring freely at the other end and contributing 30 runs off 29 balls. However, once both Robinson and Yetsenga were dismissed, we found ourselves in a bit of trouble.

Despite some tense moments and a few close calls, Ferrar and Makeham showed great composure and technique, playing with a straight bat and denying any chance to the opposition. In the end, we reached the target in the 43rd over, securing a third-place finish in the tournament.

Waikato Secondary Schools Senior Boys Touch

The St Paul’s Senior Boys Touch Rugby team had an exceptional season, winning all but one of their games. Led by their outstanding captain, Taine Moeke, the team played with dedication and determination throughout the season. With strong teamwork and skillful plays, they dominated their opponents game after game. In the final match of the season, the team faced off against St John’s College in a closely contested match. 

The game was a thrilling back-and-forth battle, with both teams giving it their all. However, the St Paul’s side emerged victorious with a final score of 5 to 4, securing their place as champions of the Waikato Secondary Schools Senior Boys’ competition. Captain Taine's strategic thinking and calm demeanor under pressure helped guide the team to victory time and time again.

Waikato/Thames Regional Touch Rugby Tournament

In a thrilling finish to the Waikato/Thames Secondary Schools Regional Touch Rugby Tournament, St Paul’s Senior Boys emerged victorious on Friday, 31 March. The team played three pool matches, beginning with a draw against Fraser High School, before recording two more wins to finish top of the pool. In the final, St Paul’s faced a formidable opponent in St John’s College. The game was closely contested throughout, with both sides displaying impressive attacking and defensive skills. 

In the end, St John’s College managed to score a late try to take a 7-6 lead in the final play of the game. However, the result was later overturned due to St John’s College not following the tournament regulations and fielding additional players. As a result, St Paul’s Senior Boys were declared the winners of the tournament. The team can be proud of their efforts, having played some excellent touch rugby throughout the day and ultimately emerging as worthy champions.