Sports News
May 3
Watch out Jacko Gill – here comes Spencer Kirk.
The Aquinas College student has won the right to compete in both shot put and discus at the national secondary schools’ athletics event for athletes with disabilities.
Spencer – who falls within the intellectual disability category – finished second in discus and third in shot put at the North Island athletics event.
While he may show prowess in shot put, it is not his favourite event – he much prefers discus and swimming.
Spencer started discus, shot put and swimming while at primary school and still swims twice a week at Baywave. Shot put and discus he practices at college.
He was a recent competitor in both freestyle and backstroke at the Bay of Plenty secondary schools’ swimming competition. He was the only competitor with a disability, and received rousing support from a receptive audience.
Spencer’s mother, Maree Kirk, says being active in the sporting arena is very important for his general feeling of being involved.
It is good to acknowledge that athletes with disabilities can also be considered budding elite sportspeople, she says.
April 25
Aquinas College is currently celebrating success on the basketball, waterpolo, tennis and cricket fronts.
In basketball, Courtney Wilson has been included as a member of the NZU18 Girls’ Bastektball squad.
In tennis, Taylah Stack - and 4 other girls - was selected by Tennis New Zealand to compete in the New Zealand Nationals Tennis 14's team for Tennis Waikato Bays Region. The team scored gold.
Meanwhile, in the pool, of the six Aquinas waterpolo teams, three finished first in their grades, and the others all in the top three. The Year 7/8 Gold team won the A grade competition, the Year 10-11 Gold Boys’ team won the B grade, and the Year 9-11 Girls’ team won their B grade competition.
Also impressive are recent cricket results, with the Girls 1st XI team progressing further than ever before in the NZCT competition. The team got through to the grand finals in their competition recently, facing hot favourites Matamata College and going through to be declared the winners. The Aquinas girls are now through to the next round, which will be held in October when they will play Waikato Diocesan for Girls.
The successful Aquinas team consists of: Tia Robinson, Joanna Taris, Charmaine Lees, Macy Adams, Jessica York, Morgan Schuler, Annabel Anderson, Kelsey Russell, Sammy Schuck, Meg Johnston and Rebecca Brebner. For a number of these girls it was their first experience at Aquinas Girls Cricket.
This cricketing achievement is hot on the heels of success enjoyed by the Aquinas College Year 7 and 8 boys’ team that faced Tauranga Intermediate cricketers in the NZ Cup recently – and won. This means Aquinas has ended up top of the BOP final round with Tauranga Intermediate School second. Aquinas now goes through to finals day to play the top two Waikato schools. It is a knock-out competition so winners progress to the final and the winner of that match then heads to the National finals later in the year.
The wider squad is: Brendon Fletcher, Callum Aubrey, Dominic Crombie, Jackson Fowler, Jarod Schneebeli, Jason Jacobson, Joel Willis, Louis Grindrod, Louis Robinson, Reuben Fitzgerald, Ryan Young, Sam Wylie and Sean Dykes (captain.)
This too was a real milestone for Aquinas and reflects the growing strength of the college’s cricket base.
April 4
It could well be described as a “watershed moment”.
When the Aquinas College Year 7 and 8 mixed boys’ cricket team faced up to Tauranga Intermediate’s cricketers in the NZ Cup (previously knows as the Milo Cup) competition recently, not many would necessarily have expected Aquinas to come out on top.
But, for the first time in the College’s sporting history, that is exactly what happened.
The challenge was an intermediate grade cricket competition played across the cricket regions in term one to determine regional winners. The regional winners then go on to the national finals in term four to decide who is crowned National Champion. Making the Aquinas win all the more impressive this year was the fact that Tauranga Intermediate was the 2011 national winners.
This was a real milestone for Aquinas and reflects the growing strength of the college’s cricket base.
But, that’s not the end of the Aquinas cricketing success story. After defeating Tauranga Intermediate the Aquinas boys then had to face the other local pool winners – Te Puke Intermediate. Once again it was victory for Aquinas.
This means Aquinas has ended up top of the BOP final round with Tauranga Intermediate School second. Aquinas now goes through to finals day to play the top two Waikato schools. It is knock- out competition so winners progress to the final and the winner of that match then heads to the National finals later in the year.
The Aquinas Intermediate NZ Cup Squad was formed in early February and consists of a mix of year 7 & 8 boys. All the boys play for either the Aquinas Intermediate Black or White Teams in the WBOP Cricket Association Intermediate Premier Grade Saturday competition.
The squad has been selected and managed by the respective Black & White team coaches, trained by talented Dutch cricketers from the Ben Williams Academy - and coached on game days by Warren Presley.
The wider squad is: Brendon Fletcher, Callum Aubrey, Dominic Crombie, Jackson Fowler, Jarod Schneebeli, Jason Jacobson, Joel Willis, Louis Grindrod, Louis Robinson, Reuben Fitzgerald, Ryan Young, Sam Wylie and Sean Dykes (captain.)
Some of the highlights of games this term are as follows:
Beat Rotorua Intermediate. Aquinas 193/1 after 20 overs. Batting – Sean Dykes, 79 and Reuben Fitzgerald, 58. Bowling – Louis Robinson, Joel Willis and Brendon Fletcher each got a two wicket bag.
Beat Katikati Intermediate. Aquinas 195/2 after 20 overs. Batting – Jarod Schneebeli, 62, Sam Wylie, 58, Sean Dykes, 53. Bowling – Ryan Young, three overs, two wickets, seven runs.
Beat Tauranga Intermediate. Aquinas 130/1 after 20 overs. Batting – Sean Dykes, 58, Jarod Schneebel, 41. Bowling – Brendon Fletcher, 4 overs, five wickets, 18 runs.
28 march
Basketballer Courtney Wilson and gymnast Joshua Healy-Ormrod have very good reason to be celebrating their sporting success of late.
Courtney attended the NZ Under 18 basketball team trials recently and was named as first reserve for the team. Joshua has been named in the 2012 Men’s Artistic Development Squad for New Zealand. This means he is training to be part of a national team competing internationally.
Aquinas students are also excelling in the fields of athletics, judo and swimming.
Results from the Waikato Bay of Plenty Athletics meet saw Aquinas bring home five top placings. Dana Welten was third in the junior girls’ 800 metres event, Anneke Grogan finished first in the intermediate girls’ 1500 metres race and Alice McFall first in the senior girls’ 2000m steeple chase. Scott Doney was third in the senior boys’ discus, while Spencer Kirk was third in the athletes with disabilities shot put event.
In judo, Riley Maguire won silver in the senior boys’ under 50 kilos division when representing Tauranga Judo Club at the East Coast Judo Championships last weekend. Riley also scored a bronze in the senior boys’ open, while Jackie Hwang won gold in the under 73 kilo cadets.
Meanwhile, it was a big day at the pool for young Alice Williams competing at the BOP Zone Swimming Championships last week. This Year 7 student scored three first placings, and four third placings. In the same age group event, Kayla Dew took home a second place in the 25 metre freestyle event.
Lochlainn O’Connor, Leon Castle, Sam Wylie and Ryan Young also achieved highly at the championships. Leon brought home a third placing and Ryan both a first and second in his events. Sam achieved five first placings and one second; while Lochlainn scored four first placings, three second placings, and two thirds.
21 March
Aquinas College siblings Kathryn and Matt Stewart clocked up a weekend of winning at the National Surf Lifesaving Championships in Gisborne.
Kathryn came home with three impressive placings from the Under 19 division where she won the Taplin Relay, came second in the board relay and second in the board rescue.
Meanwhile, Matt did his big sister proud, scoring a first in the board relay, and first in the board race in the Under 16 division.
It was also a big weekend for Dannielle O’Connor. Dannielle, who is Aquinas College Sports Committee co-leader, scored a second and two thirds in her Under 19 events. Dannielle was second in the Taplin Relay and third in both the surf race and board rescue. She is also a member of the NZ Development squad.
Georgia Childs and Grace Eglinton also gained top placings, with Georgia third in the sprint relay and Grace second in the tube rescue.
14 March
A contingent of 17 Aquinas students has earned the right to compete at the Waikato BOP Athletics Championships this weekend.
Some of those students have qualified to compete in multiple events, and these athletes are: Caitlin O’Toole, Alice McFall, George Cortesi, Dana Welten and Anneke Grogan.
The other students who have qualified to compete are: Nathalie Guernier, Cayne Dew, Cameron Street, Ryan Foord, Ethan Black, Scott Downey, Mathew Strong, Charlotte Skelton, Chelsey Cameron-Empson, David Randrup and Adam O’Connor. (Adam, however will be unable to compete, as he will be battling it out in Gisborne this weekend with other Aquinas students attending the National Surf Lifesaving Championships.)
Aquinas will be represented in long jump, high jump, shotput, discus throw and the 100, 200,400, 800, 1500 and 3,000 m distances.
Meanwhile, Aquinas College will also be represented at the NZ Secondary Schools’ Rowing Championships, also known as the Maadi Cup, later this month.
A place in the A finals at the recent North Island Secondary School Championships qualifies both Gavin Powell and Rosie van der Velden to compete at the Maadi Cup event.
22 February
Aquinas College student Kevin Egging has been selected to represent New Zealand at the World Equestrian Teams’ Championship in Wales this year.
The Year 11 student – who is the only Tauranga Equestrian selected – will be travelling to Wales to compete in July. He is the youngest member of the New Zealand squad.