Nine in a Row for HBHS Football
Last Saturday the Hamilton Boys’ High School 1st XI Football team broke its own record yet again, by winning the Waikato Secondary Schools Football Premier League Championship for the ninth consecutive year. The hard fought 1-0 win over fierce rivals St Paul’s Collegiate was a fitting end to a season that gone right down to the wire.
St Paul’s had the better of the first half, dominating the centre of midfield and growing in confidence as the game continued. Both sides had their share of chances, but St Paul’s coach Mike Groom could sense an upset and must have gone into the break thinking this was St Paul’s year. But HBHS Coach Dave Edmondson put in place a game plan that took the game completely away from the hosts after half time.
Outside midfielders Jordan Shaw and Josh Margetts tucked inside to offer more support to their central partners, and when the whole team shifted up a gear in intensity in the second half, wave after wave of HBHS attacks resulted in the inevitable goal. Adam Wallis, enjoying his new role as part of two-man striking force, latched on to a perfectly weighted through-ball from Owen Ivins and calmly slotted the ball into the back of net. St Paul’s were naturally devastated by the goal, as they would now have to score twice. This looked less and less likely as the game drew to its conclusion, with the superior fitness of the defending champions coming into play during the last twenty minutes. The left hand side of the park proved a powerful outlet for HBHS – Jordan Shaw and left back Matthew Gibbons enjoying the lion’s share of possession.
The HBHS 1st XI squad travels to Nelson next week to compete in the National Secondary Schools Football Premier Lotto Tournament. Improving on an outstanding second place in 2008 will be a huge task, but the team is certainly looking forward to the challenge!
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