National Title wins during the September Holidays

The final Senior Assembly of 2016 gave us all the chance to congratulate those students who had won New Zealand Secondary Schools and Age Group Championships while the rest of us were relaxing during the September holidays.  We also recognised those students who had competed with distinction at their National and Provincial Championships. Golfers James Fellows-Ford (Year 12) and Luke Kidd (Year 10) were part of the Waikato team that defeated North Harbour in Cambridge to claim the New Zealand Under 19 Interprovincial Championship title for the first time since 2011.  Our Chess team of Sivaram Manoharan (Year 13), Krishan Deo (Year 13), Eushin Kang (Year 9) and Alister Teow (Year 13) travelled to Palmerston North to compete in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Chess Competition.  A tough draw saw them hit three top Auckland schools early, but they played very strongly to finish fifth overall.  Alister Teow won the prize for Best Board 4 Player of the Tournament, having won 6 of his 7 games.  Our Year 11 Table Tennis star, and one definitely to watch for in the future, JonJon Zhao, travelled to Auckland to compete in the New Zealand Open Table Tennis Championships and came away with three national titles.  JonJon won the Under 18 Singles, the Under 15 Singles, the Under 18 Mixed Doubles and finished runner-up in the Under 18 Boys Doubles.  The South Island Secondary Schools Clay Target Shooting Championships were held in Christchurch and Blake Murray (Year 11) finished first in the Open Boys Single Rise, with the HBHS A Team finishing fourth in the Team Points Score.  The New Zealand Secondary Schools competition followed the next day, and Blake Murray backed up his win with a third place in the Boys Points Score.  Bradley Parrott (Year 13) finished third in the Single Rise event.  Finally, our Senior Premier Basketball team travelled to Palmerston North having won the right to represent the Waikato Region at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships.  Losses in pool play to Hastings Boys' High School (49 - 60), Palmerston North Boys High School (55 - 75), Selwyn College (77 - 78) and Rosmini College (50 - 81), along with a win over Te Awamutu College (93 - 83) cost them any chance of a title, but they went on to win their three play-off matches over Otago Boys' High School (78 - 75), King's College (79 - 68) and Fraser High School (83 - 64) meant they finished 17th overall.  Congratulations once again to all of these talented athletes and competitors on their efforts.