It was the last hurrah for seven Gisborne Boys' High First XI hockey players at the Founders Cup tournament in Carterton. A 7-0 thumping of Tawa College sent them off in style. From left are Ollie Egan, Max Gaddum, Francois Louw, Harry Hayward, Charlie Henry, Tom Fletcher and Austin Fergus. Photo / Bonnie Easterbrook
It was the last hurrah for seven Gisborne Boys' High First XI hockey players at the Founders Cup tournament in Carterton. A 7-0 thumping of Tawa College sent them off in style. From left are Ollie Egan, Max Gaddum, Francois Louw, Harry Hayward, Charlie Henry, Tom Fletcher and Austin Fergus. Photo / Bonnie Easterbrook
Gisborne Boys’ High School First XI returned home from the Founders Cup Tier 3 secondary schoolboys hockey tournament in Carterton with seventh place next to their name.
Out of 18 teams, that’s a decent effort, but coach Wade Manson and hisboys know it could have been different.
Sport can be a game of fractions, and a GBHS side who battled injuries throughout the tournament were on the agonising side of that fine line.
They finished top of their pool, were unbeaten in normal time in every match and had the tournament’s top goalscorer in Ollie Egan (14 goals) - all positives of which to be proud.
GBHS found themselves 2-0 down but fought back to level it 2-2 and were searching for a winner when time ran out.
Rathkeale made no contest of the subsequent penalty shootout, winning it 3-0, and went on to make the final, which they lost 2-1 to St Patrick’s College Silverstream.
Disappointed but determined, GBHS dropped into a fifth-to-eighth-placed semifinal against Havelock North High and were again behind - 3-1 into the latter stages - despite having the lion’s share of chances.
GBHS scored to make it 3-2 and, on the stroke of fulltime, Sam Matthews found the back of the goal to equalise.
The penalty shootout was dramatic and a little controversial, Havelock coming out on top 4-3.
With several players leaving school at the end of this year, GBHS were keen to send them off on a high in their rematch with Tawa in the seventh/eighth playoff.
Carter Easterbrook (pictured in action against Tawa College) will play a lead role for the Gisborne Boys' High First XI hockey team next year. The team will be without at least seven of their 2025 squad. Photo / Bonnie Easterbrook
Despite their injury toll, the lads lifted one last time and blew away Tawa 7-0. Egan appropriately finished his five years in the First XI with a five-goal haul as he limped through the week with knee ligament issues.
Egan and Austin Fergus - another of the team’s walking wounded - have played in the First XI since year 9.
Players get a special cap when they reach 40 games against other school First XIs, and the pair easily surpassed this. Manson estimated that, counting Poverty Bay club games, they would probably have worn the team uniform more than 100 times.
The Tawa game was the last for their school for seven GBHS players: goalkeeper Francois Louw, Egan (who scored more than 60 goals in school and club competitions in 2025), Fergus, Tom Fletcher, Charlie Henry, Harry Hayward and Max Gaddum.
It is understood it was also the last for Susan Egan (Ollie’s mother) as manager extraordinaire. If so, it will be a huge loss.
Manson, who was assisted in Carterton by son Cole, will be back to help GBHS rebuild.
Pivotal to that will be players stepping up from the Second XI, who placed 13th at the Lower North Island boys’ tier 4 tournament, beating Massey 3-1 in their positional playoff.
Gisborne Girls' High players (from left) Pae Taylor-Wilcox, Leah Tupara and Keeley Smiler ended their time with the hockey First XI at the Jenny Hair Cup tournament in Napier.
‘Integrity, passion and resilience’
Determination and courage were words used by first-year Gisborne Girls’ High School (Tūranga Wāhine) First XI coach Kimberly Waititi after their sixth-placed finish out of 20 teams at the Jenny Hair Cup tournament in Napier.
GGHS were beaten 6-3 by Woodford College in the playoff for fifth and sixth.
They placed second in their pool after losing their opener 3-1 to Woodford House, beating Samuel Marsden Collegiate 6-5, including a hat-trick to Brooke Matthews, drawing 2-2 with Karamu High and defeating Queen Margaret College 3-2.
A powerful Mount Maunganui College beat GGHS 8-0 in their quarter-final and went on to beat St Oran’s College 7-1 in the title decider.
GGHS defeated Napier Girls’ High Second XI 3-0 in their fifth-to-eighth semifinal to set up another clash with Woodford for the fifth and sixth placings.
Waititi said they played that game “with integrity, passion and resilience to the very last second”.
It was also the last game for GGHS for Year 13 students Pae Wilcox-Taylor, Leah Tupara and Keeley Smiler - players Waititi said were “amazing” and would be missed.
Waititi said it was her first year coaching the team, and her focus was on “building relationships”, particularly among the players.
“The Jenny Hair Cup tournament presented opportunities and challenges that tested our physicality and mindsets, allowing us to take chances to capitalise on our strengths and reinforce areas for improvement.”
Her personal highlight was the team’s collective determination “to play their best and their courage to push through their struggles”.
“Players sustained injuries from pulled muscles, muscle cramps, ball injuries. However, they played to the best of their abilities, and that is all a coach can ask for.”
The team had “worked hard and tirelessly” with the support and guidance of team managers Jess Williams, Keriana Wilcox and assistant coach Henry Mulligan, Gisborne Boys’ High First XI goalkeeper Francois Louw, parents and supporters.
Sponsors and parents play a vital role when it comes to competing out of town. Both Gisborne Boys’ High and Gisborne Girls’ High teams were extremely grateful for the support they received.
