The Mount 1st XI Hockey Boys are the new 2015 Premier Hockey League Champions. They won the finals on Wednesday night, led by captain Reece McKenzie, in an exciting match against Tauranga Boys' White.
The sidelines were filled with a good crowd from both sides. The Whites started off offensively and it looked like the Mount weren't ready for it yet. Mistakes were made. The Whites took an early lead 1-0. Half way through the first half things came together for Mount. They started to penetrate more into the Whites' defence. An equalising goal followed. 1-1 by Blair McKenzie.
The Mount started the second half solid and strong. Chances were created and this was rewarded with McKenzie scoring again for 2-1. The Whites put the pressure on the Mount defence and a couple of times came very close to the equaliser, if it was not for Baily Harman stopping a high-speed ball on the goal line and goalie George Maltby making some incredible saves to keep Mount ahead.
Four minutes before the end Mount made a quick counter-attack to score after a hat-trick by Blair McKenzie. With only seconds on the clock Whites scored from a penalty corner but Mount won the Championship with a 3-2 victory.
Mount Boys lost all three pool matches and were dead last at the bottom of the table five weeks ago. With only two more pool matches to go, a semifinal and a final, the only theoretical chance to become champion was winning four matches in a row. Coaches Daryl Edgecombe and Tony Cowbourne inspired the team each week. Everything came down to working as a team.
Swimming: Olivia Chatfield recently attended the NZ Short Course champs held in Auckland and achieved a great PB in her 50 butterfly race. The NZ Secondary School champs are in Hamilton September 11-13 and our Mount College students Islah Kerr-Aim, Jessica Clark, Grace Elisara and Olivia Chatfield are entering. Good luck to our swimmers and we look forward to hearing about how it all went when you get back to school.
Football: Mount red 1st X1 team finished the season on a high with a hard fought 2-1 win over an older Papamoa team. Mount had the youngest team in the league and finished the season second, 11 points clear of nearest team Whakatane 1st X1. Mount red suffered some terrible injuries this season to key players and also had to deal with two players quitting without any notice, but rolled their sleeves up and dealt with the losses. Many coaches have stated the football they played was of the highest skill and two local high regarded refs have complimented their style of play. The boys have been a credit to the college and next season with a few more additions can really push for the premier title.