Wairarapa College will go into the semi-finals of the Wellington secondary schools girls and boys premier one hockey competitions on September 11 as top seeds. The girls team, coached by Willie Schaefer, secured their number one spot with a comprehensive 2-0 victory over the powerful Samuel Marsden side in the lastof their preliminary round games. An early goal to Georgia Burton from a penalty corner was just the tonic required for Wairarapa College to produce some of their best hockey of the season and victory was sealed with an April Campbell goal. It came after versatile sportswoman Shakira Baker marked her return to the Wairarapa College team after a busy rugby season by collecting the ball inside the opposition half and beating three defenders before laying the ball unselfishly off to Campbell to tap in at the far post. The benefit of finishing top of the points table gives the Wairarapa College side-coached by Willie Schaefer- a semi-final against fourth-placed Wellington East while then other semi will feature St Matthew's Collegiate up against Samuel Marsden. The Wairarapa College boys confirmed their first seeding for the semis when they won their last preliminary round game against Wellington College by default They had been playing some variable hockey in the two weeks before that, an outstanding 10-1 win over Hutt Valley High being followed by an average and flattering 3-2 win over cellar dwellers Scots College. A highlight of the win over Hutt Valley was the four goals scored by Benedict van Woerkom while Aaron Oakly secured a hatrick. Captain Bryden Henson also got himself onto the scoresheet as did Jason Buick and Dane Davidson-Trotter. The Wairarapa College boys, coached by Kim Henson, will face Wellington College in the semis to be played at the National Hockey Stadium Both them and the girls team will certainly be match hardened by then, having played this week in the two major secondary schools tourneys, the boys in the Rankin Cup in Dunedin and the girls in the Federation Cup in Wellington.
