Otumoetai College placed second overall which was an awesome result from four swimmers.
Josh Pickett won silver medals in the both 13yr old boys 50 and 100m breaststroke. Damien Potts, Rhianna Maxwell and James Mercer faced tough competition in the 14yr age group but achieved top eight finishes in some events.
Our Junior Boys B Basketball team played Katikati College in their final of the local competition. OTC were sitting at the top of the table going into the final.
OTC were leading at the end of the first quarter, and then Katikati were up by four at halftime and the game was all tied up at the end of the third quarter.
The boys stepped it up in the final quarter to win by five points. They all played well and a credit to their Yr 13 coaches Ruby Mills and Jack Stewart.
Winter tournament week was the fantastic experience that everyone was expecting.
Basketball senior boys have qualified for nationals after ousting the favoured Hamilton Boys team in a double overtime thriller match.
This playoff for fifth/sixth followed four convincing wins by the boys against Te Puke, Trident 111-48, Hauraki Plains 94-53 and Cambridge beaten by 35 points. St Johns game was tough with a 35-35 tie at halftime, the boys lost by 12.
Playing Fraser we lost by 19 but still made the top eight with a playoff for the spot at Nationals. A brilliant game with Theo Johnson excelling and all team members playing apart it was an exciting game.
Down by two points with 10 seconds to go, Alex Schipper missed his layup but got the ball back and squared it all up. We were three points up near the end of the first overtime period but Hamilton Boys got a three-pointer right on the buzzer.
In the second period of overtime the cool heads of this team, who have put in a massive amount of training and good game build-up, came away with a three-point win 110-107.
Securing a spot at nationals is bittersweet with only three weeks until the 24-team Tournament in Nelson. We will be working hard to make it happen somehow.
Thanks to coaches Tod Sharland/Andy MacKay and Manager Paul Braddock.
The basketball senior girls have gained valuable experience attending this tourney after missing the past two years.
Securing some good game time against some top teams, the girls were placed eighth. Thanks to coach Tim Ebeling and manager Josayne Ebeling.
The football girls first XI narrowly lost their semifinal and had a hard fought game against Nayland losing 2-1.
Their game against Scared Heart for a bronze medal was hard fought but we lost and came fourth. Thanks to our coach Libby Bevin and Manager Brendon Honey and Helen Goodall.
The Football Boys won 3-1 and played off for fifth securing that spot the same as last year.
Thanks to coach George Hylton and manager Murray Jamieson.
Due to injury and illness the Netball Prem 1 team's line-up was significantly impacted a week prior to tournament week.
With three new players including two new shooters (Michalea Isaac, Paris Holloway and Jasmine Tawa) the aim for the first four games was to develop new combinations, a very challenging and testing experience for all involved.
Pleasingly, the team was competitive keeping the margins tight between 7-9 goals. Game 5 saw the pendulum swing with a draw against Pakuranga 29-29.
From here our team grew in confidence winning their remaining three games, with all players stepping up. Howick won 38-20, Onehunga won 31-25, Te Aroha won 48-25 placing us first in the crossover pool.
Playing Mt Roskill we lost 25-42 with a final convincing win against Onehunga 42-21 placing the team 27th in the B Grade.
We are proud of the team's efforts and the manner they represented our college, under very challenging circumstances the players never gave up and remained positive and competitive.
A lot of this can be attributed to Abi May's successful leadership as captain. Thanks to coach Megan Lacy and manager Mary Ann Braddock.
Hockey boys first XI lost to Waiopehu 1-4 but bounced back against Francis Douglas for their 11th/12th playoff. After losing to them previously 3-5, they turned it around to win 3-1 and took 11th spot. Thanks to coach Hamish Ashton (Bay Physiotherapy) and manager Neal Bennett.
Hockey Girls first XI - Hoping to maintain their position in this graded Marie Fry Tournament with this young team - mission accomplished. A loss to Tauranga Girls' 0-1 and Waimea 2-3 still placed our girls eighth. A great effort. Thanks to coach Alan Galletly and manager Leeann Smith.
Hockey girls second XI. A reminder for you all - This is a second XI team playing first XIs. A good win over Papatoetoe 5-1 and then onto Te Puke which was tough. The Girls finished 10th in their grade. Special thanks to coach Ross Hamlyn and manager Jo Tisch.
Mt Maunganui
Congratulations to Ben Johnston who was named in the NZ Development Surf Life Saving team to compete at World's in Adelaide in November. Ben had fantastic pool champ results at Eastern region champs and in Australia Pool champs to deservedly get a place in the team.
Soccer: The girls first X1 have had an epic season finishing second in the local competition behind Tauranga Girls' first X1. At tournament week the girls played eight games, won six, drew one and lost one. They scored 32 goals with the closest team to this scoring 19 goals, MMC conceded only four goals in the whole week. With these stats they would have finished top in any of the pools but they had the two top teams in their pool play, and these were the games that resulted in the loss and draw, hence missing the top eight. The girls, although gutted, rose to the occasion and finished their last three games with two 4-0 scores and the final 2-0 against Manurewa to finish ninth. Ella Golding won Golden Boot award for the tournament, scoring 13 goals and was also named the MVP for MMC. Thanks to Holly Moczydlowski and Joel Dorrington for coaching this team to this success this season.
Hockey: The girls first X1 played locally at Mount Turf and they finished their tourney week in seventh equal position with Aotea College. The girls posted a draw and two wins in pool play with Sophie Millar scoring three goals, Maia Bryant one and Danika Hotham one. This left them second in their pool going into quarter-finals and semis. With two losses to Long Bay and Bream College the team played off for seventh and eighth. They drew to Aotea College in their final match 2 -2 with Sophie Millar and Sasha Turfey scoring.
Netball: MMC One proved they could match it with most teams across the Upper North Island last week. A series of close games in pool play resulted in two narrow losses, one to the top team Thames in the pool by two goals. Some convincing wins against Kamo College and Otamatea and two wins against Katikati College showed some good combinations working down the court. Torrential downpours throughout games also added an element of challenge to the games. The team won six out of their 10 games and finished 23rd out of 98 teams. With the majority of the players in their first year of playing premier, and with all but three returning next year MMC One is looking strong for the future.
Golf: The boys golf team of Bailey Smith, Tawera Williams, John Campbell, Jordan Golding and Josh Rookes won the BOP region's secondary school golf title and was away in Waipu representing our district in the National Champs in Waipu. The competition was held in gale force winds and was reduced from a 36-hole competition to an 18-hole with MMC finishing in eighth place.
Bethlehem
For many teams, last week was the highlight of the season with Winter Tournament Week.
Despite the atrocious conditions on the first day, all teams had an enjoyable week and we are very grateful for all the coaches, parents and supporters who helped make the week so memorable.
At Papamoa, at the Maurice Hulme cup, the first XI girls football had a number of close losses at the beginning of the week and finally finished 21st in their tournament with good wins against Upper Hutt College and in the final game against Paraparaumu College.
The first XI boys football had similar results initially at the Malcolm Cowie tournament in Papakura, but with good wins against Tauroroa College and Al Madinah managed to end the tournament in 18th place. Their captain William Jordan was the team's player of the tournament.
The Open A netball team who were competing in the Upper North Island secondary school tournament (UNISS) were placed 22nd. They found the higher standard in the top division challenging, but ended the week strongly to gain the second highest placing for a Bay of Plenty team.
The first XI boys hockey team also found the competition tough. In pool play, two narrow one-goal losses and a draw saw them finish bottom of their pool with a challenging crossover game to stay at the India Shield. Against Rangitoto College, it could hardly have been closer with the game going to strokes after 1-1 score at fulltime. Sadly we lost the stroke off 3-2. To the team's credit, they continued to try hard and finished strongly with good wins against Burnside 2-0 and John McGlashan College 5-3 to end the tournament in 13th place.
The most successful team at the tournament were the first XI girls hockey team, who were playing at the Marie Fry tournament for the first time and finished third, which means the team will be going up to the top division for next year's tournament. This is the first time that any Bethlehem College hockey team has achieved this level. It was gained by good wins in pool play against Hillcrest 7-2 and Hastings Girls 2-0, before a crucial quarter-final victory over local rivals Otumoetai College 2-0. We lost the semifinal to eventual winners Carmel College, but came back strongly on the last day to beat Wanganui Collegiate 1-0 to claim third place.
The AIMS competition for intermediate students has been running this week around Tauranga. Our top year 7 and 8 athletes will be competing in various sports including, hockey, netball, basketball, football, badminton, gym-sports, cross country, rugby, swimming, multisport, tennis and bowls. - Kelsey Randrup, Sports Captain
Aquinas
Two Aquinas football players have been identified as being among the cr?me de la cr?me of New Zealand's young football talent.
Jarod Schneebeli and Reuben Fitzgerald were both offered the opportunity of a National Talent Centre trial. They are among only half a dozen football players from the Waikato - Bay of Plenty Talent Centres selected to trial. Trials were held over the weekend in Auckland and the two are waiting to hear if they have been selected. If so, they will be in a squad with the best of the best from the various federations.
Jarod and Reuben, both Year 8 students, play for the Aquinas Milan (Grade 12/13) team that is currently sitting second on the league table for the Western Bay region.
Both boys are also in the Waikato-BOP Federation Talent Centre squad. Reuben is a striker, while Jarod plays central defender/midfield.
Meanwhile, in squash news, brothers Luke and James Cooper have both been selected to represent the Bay of Plenty in the Under 19s teams even at the New Zealand Junior Nationals. The event will be held in Palmerston North in October.
And in cross-country news, Anneke Grogan competed in Adelaide late last month with the NZ school cross-country team at the Australian Cross-Country Championships. A highlight for Anneke was competing in a road relay - she was part of the winning NZ under-20 team.
Anneke was selected as part of the NZ contingent at the games after the NZ Secondary Schools' Cross Country event where she finished in ninth place with two more years in the senior grade ahead of her.
Tauranga Girls'
The first week of September was very full on for all of our top sportswomen, as we had many teams travelling across the country to compete in the National Secondary Schools Winter Tournament Week.
The first XI football team played in Taupo at the Premier tournament, and gained a silver medal which is a great achievement. The team consisted of Kate Heaphy, Jacinta Coleman, Jordanne Bates, Brittany Marshall, Jaclyn Grant, Rose Brettel, Whitney Banfield, Emma Cawte, Tayla Forward, Sophie Johnston, Maddy Fryer, Jamie Carpenter, Jessica Lawrence, Bailey Coster, Hannah Paulini and Sophie Steward-Hobbs who was named MVP for the team.
The second XI competed at the Maurice Hulme Tournament in Papamoa, placing a notable 8th out of 24 teams. This is an impressive placing considering they were the only second XI in the tournament, playing against all other first XI teams.
The senior Underwater Hockey team competed at the Nationals in Wellington and also gained a silver medal, with a very close game in the final. In the team were Megan Burrows, Courtney Coughlan, Shannon Joyes, Alana Moss, Freya O'Sullivan, Kate Potaka, Genevieve Saunders and Kelly Saunders. For the seniors, Courtney, Megan and Kelly were named in the tournament team . The junior Underwater Hockey team placed fifth in their National competition with Georgia Coughlan being named in the tournament team.
The first XI Hockey team placed fifth in the Marie Fly tournament in Whangarei.
The senior Basketball team competed at the zonal qualifying tournament and placed fourth, which means they qualify to attend Nationals which will be held in Nelson in October.
The League 1 Netball team placed 27th in the Upper North Island Secondary Schools Competition.
Congratulations to Erin Conway, who was a member of the Waikato team that came first at the Junior Girls North Island Cross Country Relay. Erin was also in the Tauranga team that came first in the Youth Division of the Redwoods Cross Country Relay, with Jessica Bitcheno, Casey Blackwell and Stella Marshall.
Tauranga Boys'
Welcome back to all the athletes that were away at winter tournament week. There were many pleasing results that continue to suggest we are one of the best boys schools across a range of sports in the country.
The first X1 hockey competed in the Rankin Cup, NZ's premier Hockey tournament.
The goal for the week was to retain a spot in the tournament for 2013 by finishing in the top 12. The team started the week extremely well, beating Auckland Grammar for the first time ever at Nationals. The score was 4-1 and the lads were happy to get a win under the belt. The second game was against Westlake BHS and it was always going to be difficult. The boys started the game poorly and we were 2-0 down after six minutes, to the boys' credit they did not drop their heads and fought back to 2-all, unfortunately they conceded a goal with two minutes to play. The final result was 3-2. Westlake went on to play in the final.
A loss vs Napier in the final pool-play round meant the team were competing for ninth-16th place. Wins against Nelson College and Palmerston North BHS saw us finish 10th.
The first X1 football competed in the Premier boys tournament the Lotto Cup. Placed in a pool with effectively the strongest sides from the three major cities in the country; Mount Albert Grammar School, Christchurch Boys' High School and Wellington College and the team had to step up. Victory over Christchurch, a draw vs Wellington and a narrow 1-0 loss to eventual winners Mt Albert saw the team make the top eight. From here, all games were incredibly tough and losses to last year's winners Sacred Heart, St Kents and Palmerston North BHS saw us finish eighth.
The U15 Rugby team competed in the national invitational tournament and defeated Wellington College, Massey and suffered losses to St Pat's Wellington, Otago BHS, and Hastings BHS. The U14 team competed in the Colquhoun Shield. Wins against Hastings BHS, Wellington College, Gisborne BHS and Palmerston BHS and a narrow last-minute try loss to Rotorua BHS saw the team finish second.
The Senior A basketball team played in the regional qualifier for NZSS Champs.
The first game was against Gisborne Boys' High School, which the team put away after some second quarter jitters. The next two games against Papakura and John Paul College resulted in convincing victories and the opportunity for the bench players to show their stuff. The last pool game against Fraser High School was particularly tough and the team lost narrowly by four points. The quarter-final saw victory against St Johns. The semifinal on Saturday was against a strong Melville High School team. But TBC were strong too and the opposition never gained the lead. So it was to the final against Fraser High School and though we had the earlier loss, we had beaten this team two weeks ago in the BOPSS tournament. With nothing to lose, the team played with determination and steamrolled the opposition in the end, winning by 22 points. It was an awesome achievement to win this tournament and qualify as the sixth-seeded team in the country for nationals.
