Blue Mountain College
Taine Rarere from Blue Mountain College was selected to attend the South Island under-18 Maori rugby training camp and was then picked for the under-18 Maori team. Congratulations to year 13 pupil Ashleigh Nathan, who has been selected in the wider training squad for the Otago Spirit women's rugby team. In hockey, year 9 pupil Liam Criglington was in the under-15 Southland boys' hockey team which travelled to Wellington. Nikita Peterson-Solomon, from year 8, was in the Eastern Southland Collier Cup hockey team and was named the most valuable player of the tournament. Year 12 student Ben Rea gained selection in the Southland under-17 cricket team that finished second in a recent tournament in Oamaru.
Bayfield High School
Congratulations to the following who are Bayfield High School's top sporting achievers.-Best all-round junior sports boy: Ben Hayward. Best all-round junior sports girl: Rata Latton. Best all-round boy in sport: Travyl Korewha-Park. Best all-round girl in sport: Faaoosala Lale. The Leighton Cup for best individual sports performance: Alice Cuthbert and Shannon Hope.
Special mention was made of Ben Hayward, who was congratulated on being presented the following awards: year 9 boys junior championship in athletics; year 9 boys best contribution to team in basketball; Bayfield High School Cup for year 9 boys in cross-country; Young Cup for junior boys hockey; sporting blue surf life-saving.
A special mention also to Shannon Hope and Alice Cuthbert who were jointly awarded the Leighton Cup. This is in recognition of their placings on the world stage. Shannon was 34th internationally for mountain biking and Alice was ninth internationally for duathlon. Congratulations to all those awarded sporting blues. These were given across 15 sports to 30 students. A total of 35 sporting blues were gained, which is a great achievement for the school's students.
Bayfield High School continues to grow its sports participation. It has two new volleyball teams in term four. Bayfield is also fielding a junior girls cricket team and a junior boys cricket team in 2015. The school looks forward to entering all of its year 9 pupils in junior tournament week. This is a great way for all of them to finish the school year well and, at the same time, complete their junior diplomas.
Queen's High School
Ella Hjertquist and Ella Cameron competed in the rhythmic gymnastics nationals. Ella Cameron competed in level 8 and Ella Hjertquist was second overall at level 9. This placing was the culmination of second in hoop, ribbon and rope and first in clubs.
Shani Ayson was fifth in the under-16 grade at the surfing nationals in Gisborne as a member of the Otago-Southland scholastic surfing team.
Zoe Thomas and Lara Wall represented Otago in football during the most recent holidays. Zoe was in the 14th-grade team which was second at the South Island tournament and Lara played in the under-17 team which won its grade. Lara has also been selected for the Football South National Women's League squad, which is the top women's team for the lower South Island. Juniors are looking forward to playing softball, volleyball, tennis and touch during junior tournament week.
Columba College
Columba College held its annual sports awards evening on October 28. This event is always a highlight on the sporting calendar. The guest speaker was former All Black Jon Preston, who gave an inspiring presentation. The awards recognised excellence in sport, contribution, coaching, refereeing, commitment, leadership, blues, service and inspiration in sport. Three new students were inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame: Claudia Carruthers (touch), Caitlin Deans (swimming), and Maddy Spence (athletics)
Student, coaching and refereeing awards were very impressive. Fifty students gained badges and there were a record number of Otago representatives this year. Blues in one sport were awarded to 34 sportswomen and five gained two blues.
Sports personality of the year: Kate Guildford. Team of the Year: Junior 4x100m junior relay team of Meg Breen, Ellie Duncan, McKayler Moore and Chenoa Metua who won the silver medal at the national secondary schools athletics championships. Cup for sportsmanship and commitment to sport: Maddy Spence. The inspire and excel cup: Kate Guildford. Sports Council scholarship: Bailey Saville. Sports Council award for commitment to coaching: Brett Dailey.
Congratulations to Tyla Toheriri-O`Neill, who was selected after a strong performance in the Maori tournament at Labour Weekend in the under-21 Maori hockey team.
Congratulations to Georgia Hamilton who has been picked in the New Zealand waterski team for the third year. She will compete against Australia early next year.
South Otago High School
South Otago High School is continuing to provide students at school with many opportunities to represent the province, and at a national level, too. Rory van Vugt has just been named in the Touch Blacks which, as a school pupil, is a major achievement. Atawhai Hotene has been selected for the Otago open women's team, and 11 students have been named in age-level Otago teams. Ella-Rose Lawrence and Lilly Paterson have been picked for the Otago country secondary schools cricket team while Ashton Tourell, Luc Thomson, Connor Smith and Caleb Carson have made the boy's team.
This year has provided many sporting highlights for staff and pupils. The school has seen an increased range of sports being offered to all pupils including two additional basketball teams in the weekly competitions. Other highlights are the first XV result in the Otago competition and then narrowly losing the South Island co-ed final to St Andrews as well as the under-15 rugby team winning back-to-back co-ed tournaments. The school had two pupils compete at the NZSS swimming meet (Ella-Rose and Trent Dickie) and one at the NZSS indoor bowls (Daniel Cook). Another great highlight was Callum Paul winning the South Island motocross champs. The school has been very grateful having the generosity of its community in terms of coaching and support time.
Mount Aspiring College
Mount Aspiring College students have had success in several regional, national and international championships over the past two months. Three cyclists from the school have represented New Zealand in their various disciplines. In track cycling, Ellesse Andrews (16) won two gold and two bronze medals in the under-19 grade at the Oceania track cycling champs. Mikayla Harvey competed at the junior UCI world championships and Paul Wright competed at the junior world mountain biking championships. All three riders gained valuable experience competing at such a high level in international competitions.
In skiing, Blake Hartley and Ben Richards won the under-16 and under-14 age-groups respectively in the New Zealand youth ski racing championships. At the national junior freeski and snowboard champs, Mount Aspiring College won the overall secondary schools trophy and had some outstanding individual performances. Age-group winners included Finn Bilous, Maggie Little, Molly Thomsson and Zoi Sadowski-Sinnott.
At the NZSS trapshooting champs, Ruth Bennie (13) won the national title of high overall ladies, an amazing performance in her first year of competition. Another year 10 student, Holly Wigg, returned from the Commonwealth karate championships in India where she won silver medals in both kumite (fighting) and kata (form).
In tennis, Ines Stephani was first and Jake Nicholson runner-up in their age-groups at the Otago junior spring open. Ines went on the win the girls 14 and under at the Auckland junior championships.
Mount Aspiring College won the overall schools trophy at the South Island secondary schools mountain biking champs in Dunedin, a reflection of the sport's growth in Wanaka.
Otago Boys' High School
Since qualifying for the Gillette Cup finals for the fourth time in the past five years, OBHS senior cricketers have been hard at work preparing for the longest test in secondary school cricket - five games in five days against the top first XIs from throughout New Zealand.
Getting the season off to a flying start was a 10-day trip to Sydney for five games on successive days against Sydney school teams. The first game against Sydney Boys' High School was not played because of ground conditions, but Waverley College, Cranbrook School, St Ignatius and The Scots College all provided stern opposition. The best performance was saved for the last game when the team chased down an imposing total of 285 for the loss of just three wickets. Jarryd Taig led the way with an impressive score of 174 not out.
This was followed by another title in the McCullum T20 competition at the start of this term. This is the fourth year in succession OBHS has won this event.
Preparations have continued apace this term with the annual Willows fixture resulting in another successful run chase against quality opposition bowlers at the picturesque Loburn ground in North Canterbury.
Over the next month, the 1st XI will be involved in a series of Otago under-19 trial games each Sunday, as well as contesting the Promo X Series knockout competition. This will pit the team against the top senior club sides in a hard-fought competition that results in finding a team to represent Otago-Southland at the national club finals next April. With many of the OBHS team having already played senior cricket in recent seasons, the senior knockout will be good preparation for the Gillette Cup Finals at Lincoln from December 7 to 11.
The high performance cricket programme led by Adam Miles is certainly paying dividends for this school's cricket. The team is: Taine Bayly (captain), Sam Angus, Will Hunter, Jamie MacDonald, Jarryd Taig, Cameron McAuslan, Gus Wood, Jackson Miller, Declan Su'a , Hunter Kindley, Max Chu, Jack Pryde.
Kavanagh College
Kavanagh College held its senior sports awards recently. Suzie Bates was the guest speaker. Outstanding contribution awards are awarded to years 11-13 students for high level of leadership, performance, and contribution to the development of sport at Kavanagh College. Excellence awards are awarded to years 11-13 students who have excelled in sports not offered by Kavanagh College. The blues award is awarded to years 11-13 students who have reached an elite level in a sport offered by Kavanagh College and sanctioned by the New Zealand Secondary Schools Council. The school awarded 18 blues in eight different sports: athletics, badminton, basketball, cross-country, football, futsal, hockey and rugby. The Principals Trophy for student coach of the year was awarded to Theresa Cordtz Kata for the second year in a row. The Gallaher Family Trophy for team of the year was awarded to the boys first XI football team. The McLaughlan Trophy awarded to the student who has shown the highest level of contribution to sport during their time at Kavanagh College was awarded to Theresa Cordtz. The Bishop Len Boyle Trophy for sportsperson of the year was awarded to Benjamin O'Farrell.
• These articles are compiled by the Otago Secondary Schools Sports Association (OSSSA) which is proudly sponsored by Perpetual Guardian.
