Nine teams from throughout the district converged on Kaitaia College on Friday to contest the North Zone of the Northland Year 9 and 10 championship with the top three teams progressing to meet the three top teams from the South Zone of the competition.
The final was a fitting climax to the day, a tightly contested affair eventually won narrowly by Kaitaia College A over Okaihau College. The tournament was played in gloomy overcast but warm conditions with organisers grateful the forecast heavy rain pretty much held off for most of the day, before falling in a light drizzle towards the end of the match. Both teams, along with 3rd placed Northland, now progress to the finals where they will meet the three qualifiers from the Southern Zone tournament being WBHS (winners), runners up Kamo High and 3rd placed Dargaville.
The top three teams from each event qualify for the Northland Year 9/10 9-aside Championship, the North-South Challenge Cup, in July.
All up, the other schools contesting the North Zone title were Bay of Islands College, Taipa Area School, Kaitaia Abundant Life, Te Rangi Aniwaniwa, and Kaikohe Christian School, with Opononi Area School being a surprise scratching on the day; while the other three teams to contest the South tournament at Kensington Park last Thursday were Bream Bay College, Tikipunga High and Te Ra Whitiroa.
On behalf of the organisers, RLN spokesman Alex Smits had earlier noted the numbers represented an "amazing growth" in the game compared with 2012 when only four colleges entered this competition.
