College Sport: Lindisfarne lads excel

Top Job: Lindisfarne College's 1st XI cricket team captain Oscar Crichton (right) is congratulated by his Scots College counterpart Angus Liddell. Photo/Supplied

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.

Competition is played in cricket, tennis, athletics and golf and Lindisfarne has won all three of the exchanges. In the latest the 1st XI cricketers beat Scots College by 9 wickets in the 3 day fixture with batsman Fergus Whyte scoring 71 and seam bowler Ben Frame securing match figures of 7 for 74 off 30 overs.

As a small school you need everyone pitching in and doing their bit to ensure we can remain competitive in sport. One in four Lindisfarne students represent Hawkes Bay or higher in their chosen pursuits. This is something that as a school we are extremely proud of.

By Lachlan Cairns (Sports Prefect - Hawkes Bay Schools Triathlon Champion 2017).

College Rugby
Ten Hawke's Bay teams will be in action when eight matches are played during College Rugby Day at Napier's Park Island on April 2.

The event, which is being organised by the Saracens, will be staged for the first time for several seasons. Saracens stalwart and former Hawke's Bay Rugby Football Union president Blair Furlong said they are hoping it will be an annual event again.

Entry will be by gold coin donation and proceeds will go to the New Zealand Rugby Foundation. The draw is:

Ground One: Taradale High School v St John's College 2nd XV 10.30am; Lindisfarne College 2nd XV v Palmerston North Boys' High School 2nd XV 12noon; Lindisfarne College v Palmerston North Boys' High School 1.30pm; Napier Boys' High School v Aorere College 3pm.
Ground Two: Ahuriri v Flaxmere College 10.30am; Hastings Boys' High School Development XV v Wairoa College 12noon; Havelock North High School v Freyberg College 1.30pm; Te Aute College v Central Hawke's Bay College 3pm.