Boys' hockey team compete in Worner Shield
Game One:
The St Paul’s Collegiate School 1st XI hockey boys landed in Christchurch on the evening that the Worner Shield began. A quick turnaround from landing to game time really tested the boy's ability to switch on! An excellent first quarter saw St Paul’s take a 1-0 lead over Christ’s College through Ben Allen. A poor second and third quarter saw Christ’s take a 4-1 lead into the last quarter. Christ’s extended their lead again before Cameron Bird linked well with Tom Scanlon, who finished off a classy goal. Final score 5-2 to Christ’s College. Player of the Day – Javahn Jones.
Game Two:
The St Paul’s hockey boys came up against Christchurch Boys’ High School (CBHS) the next morning. A tight game right the way through. The score was opened with a fantastic solo effort from Ben Scanlon in the first quarter. A tough umpiring call saw CBHS equalise early in the second quarter through a penalty corner deflection. A handful of opportunities for both teams in the second half were created, but none taken, which meant that the end result was 1-1. Player of the day went to the lone St Paul’s scorer – Ben Scanlon.
Game Three:
The second game of the day saw the St Paul’s boys play against St Andrew’s College (STAC). A very close game saw a goalless first half. STAC took the lead midway through the third quarter after a goalmouth melee. St Paul’s boys fought back hard and dominated possession. A well-worked penalty corner variation finished with Sam Lints slotting past the keeper. The STAC keeper was forced to make two more last-minute saves to force the 1-1 draw. A solid all-round performance from the boys in the bumblebee strip. Player of the day was Jai Fitzwalter. Also, a special mention for Ethan Bidois for keeping two clean sheets today.
Game Four:
The last game of the Worner Shield saw St Paul's boys come up against Whangarei Boys’ High School. boys started slowly, conceding two quick goals midway through the first quarter. The boys pulled themselves together and started to gain control of the game. Sam Lints managed to score a strong forehand hit on the stroke of half-time to bring the deficit to one. A continued strong performance in the third quarter gave Javahn Jones the chance to weave his way through a number of Whangarei defenders before calmly sweeping the ball past the keeper. With plenty of confidence, the boys pushed for the win. A well-executed transfer allowed Will Potter to drive a crash ball into the circle, which ended up popping out for Harrison Bond to skillfully knock the ball into the net on the far post. St Paul's held on for the last five minutes to claim their first victory of the season. A well-deserved result. The final score was 3-2 to St Paul's. Player of the day went to Cooper Robinson and a special mention to Nick Parrott for not conceding any goals while he was on.