WaiCol end season with thrilling final

Wairarapa College first XI girls' hockey team completed a hugely successful season when they beat arch rivals St Matthew's Collegiate 1-0 in the final of the premier Wellington secondary schoolgirls competition at Clareville.

In a busy 2012 programme which saw them play some 28 matches overall, Wairarapa College suffered just the one defeat and that was in the final of the Federation Cup national secondary schools tournament, also at Clareville, where the defending champions were beaten by Auckland's St Cuthbert's College.

Having Wairarapa College and St Matthew's play off for the Wellington title is pretty much the norm and this year's result was a reversal of that of last season when it was St Matthew's who won an extra time thriller.

While Wairarapa College had the better of possession, territory and scoring opportunities, they were kept honest by a plucky St Matthew's combination. The only goal came late in the first half when Emma Smith netted for Wairarapa College.

"To be honest I wouldn't think either side would be totally happy with the way they played," Wairarapa College coach Willie Schaefer said.

"Obviously the scoreline kept it interesting but it got a bit scrappy at times."

Reflecting on a season in which his side not only won the Wellington title but also the Dunce Cup, which is played annually between Wairarapa College and St Matthew's, Schaefer paid tribute to the consistency and resolve shown by his players.

"Obviously winning the Federation Cup again was the major goal and it was disappointing to lose that final but you have to be happy when you look at the season as a whole, to lose only once says a lot about how the girls applied themselves."

In the nine championship round matches they played, and won, on their way to taking out this year's Wellington title, Wairarapa College scored 36 goals and conceded only three.

Full results:

Wairarapa College

Preliminary round: beat Samuel Marsden 7-0, beat St Matthew's 2-1, beat Wellington East 4-0, beat Paraparaumu 8-1, beat Queen Margaret 3-1, beat Wellington Girls' 3-0, beat Sacred Heart 5-0. Semifinal: beat Wellington Girls' 3-0. Final: beat St Matthew's 1-0.

St Matthew's Collegiate: Preliminary round: lost to Wellington Girls' 0-1, beat Paraparaumu 5-1, lost to Wairarapa College 1-2, drew with Sacred Heart 2-2, drew with Wellington East 0-0, beat Samuel Marsden 2-1, beat Queen Margaret 5-0. Semifinal: beat Wellington East 1-0. Final: lost to Wairarapa College 0-1.

Meanwhile, a 4-3 deficit in a penalty shootout held after two periods of extra time stopped Wairarapa College from making it to the final of the Wellington secondary schoolboys premier competition.

Their semi with HIBS was all even at 3-3 at the end of ordinary time and that scoreline remained unchanged after extra time, the first period of which saw the teams reduced to nine players and then to seven players in the second period.

Championship results for the two Wairarapa colleges in that competition were:

Wairarapa College

Preliminary round: beat St Pat's Silverstream 5-2, beat Wellington College 4-1, beat Rathkeale College 5-1, lost to HIBS 1-2, lost to Scots College 2-3, drew with Hutt Valley High 2-2, beat Rongotai 13-0. Semifinal: lost to HIBS 6-7.

Rathkeale College

Preliminary round: drew with Hutt Valley High 4-4, beat Rongotai 9-0, lost to Wairarapa College 1-5, lost to HIBS 2-3, drew with Scots College 2-2, lost to Wellington College 0-5, beat St Pat's Silverstream 5-0. Playoff match: beat Rongotai 7-0.