LINDISFARNE COLLEGE
The 2017 school year has started well for a number of Lindisfarne College sportsmen.
Director of Sport, Derek Martin, has been impressed with the number of boys who have been competing at national events and bringing back medals.
"For a small school, I feel we punch well above our weight in local competitions and this flows through when our best and brightest head off to North Island and New Zealand Secondary School competitions," Martin said.
Two of our hockey boys gained New Zealand selection. Harry Lawson made the New Zealand under-19 side and and Sam Porter-Samuels the New Zealand Maori under-21 team. Porter- Samuels also won a silver medal in the junior javelin at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Athletics champs in December. Reece Akuhata and Jake Stephens both returned from the National Surf Lifesaving Championships as national champions. Stephens is also a national swimming silver medalist.
Rower Fergus Ritchie returned from the club nationals with a title. Year 8 student Charlie Roil won two gold medals in the 400m and the 800m at the North Island Colgate Games in January. Runners Finn Calder, Ronan Lee and William Kerr won the secondary schools division of the Triple Peaks Challenge earlier this month. Reuben Rorrison returned from the New Zealand Kayaking Champs with three silver medals.
Nine of the school's top athletes have won ECNISSA titles and will be attending the NISSA championships later in the year. Although the boys have only been back this term for a couple of months the school has already played three annual exchanges against opponents from Rathkeale College, St Pauls, Hamilton and Scots College, Wellington.