Youth Sports Team of the Year
Open to any team of secondary school students that have achieved a high standard of participation in any sport.
Rathkeale College 1ST XI Football Rathkeale finished a very creditable 14TH at the 2019 Lotto National Football Tournament – the premier tournament for secondary schools throughout New Zealand. Rathkeale topped their pool with two wins and a draw. In the round of 16 they were beaten 1-0 by Nelson College, ending any chance of a top eight finish, followed by a 3-1 loss to HIBS. Rathkeale defeated Hastings BHS 3-1, but lost 2-1 to Napier BHS for a respectable 14TH in their first entry in the top competition.
St Matthew’s Collegiate School 1ST XI Cricket St Matthew’s have exceeded expectations with two top three finishes at the Gillette Venus Cup national playoffs over the past two cricket seasons. St Matthew’s finished third at the 2019 tournament, but bettered that at the 2020 tournament. They won four of their five games in round-robin play to Christchurch Girls High School. The two teams met in the final, with Christchurch GHS coming out on top. St Matthew’s qualified for the 2021 finals, by winning the Central Districts playoffs for the third consecutive year.
Wairarapa Pony Club Mounted Games Team The Wairarapa Pony Club Mounted Games team, representing the Wellington-Wairarapa region, won the NZPCA Mounted Games Championship, held at the Solway Showgrounds in March 2021. The team of Jeremy Thurston, Alex Anstis, Madeleine Percy, Lucy Marshall, and Manaia Papworth are all Wairarapa-based, as is coach Dani Adamson. Wairarapa qualified second in the preliminaries behind Canterbury for the five-team final. Wairarapa turned the table in the final, scoring 42 points, to take the title by four points from Canterbury.
Wairarapa United U19 Football Wairarapa United won the satellite tournament at the National U19 tournament in Napier in October 2020, going through unbeaten. The team, comprising players from Kuranui, Rathkeale, and Wairarapa colleges, played three games a day over three days. They won all pool games, scoring 24 goals without conceding a goal. In the quarterfinals Wairarapa United beat Manukau 3-1 to set up a semifinal against Taradale, which they won 3-0. The final with North Wellington finished at 1-1, with United winning the penalty shootout 5-3.
WHERE FASHION MEETS SPORT Proud to sponsor Youth Sports Team of the Year
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12 | WAIRARAPA TIMES-AGE SPORTS AWARDS 2020-2021
