Wanganui Collegiate School had a sporting exchange to forget yesterday after they were roundly beaten by New Plymouth Boys High School in three codes.
The exchange is a traditional annual event that dates back as far as memory serves and while there is no trophy up for grabs, the schools are just as hungry for pride and bragging rights.
Yesterday Collegiate hosted the visitors on the rugby, hockey and football paddocks with each school fielding their first teams. Collegiate was thoroughly dealt to 4-0 in the hockey, 3-0 in the football and 38-20 in the rugby.
Collegiate director of sport and special character Barry Touzel agreed there would be no bragging rights this season for the home side and conceded they were trounced in each code. "In recent years we have had good battles on the hockey and rugby fields while they are traditionally strong in football. We simply didn't play well," Touzel said yesterday.
"If we had played up to our usual standard, especially on the rugby field we would have matched them, but we didn't after a long season."