Year 9 student Theo Goodwin was the youngest member of Cambridge High School’s 1st XI, which competed at the Rankin Cup in Wellington for the first time recently. Theo also played for the school’s top junior boys’ team this season. He is pictured here on attack for U15 Smythe Ltd Boys Gold during their final against St Peter’s Cambridge in Hamilton, which his team won 2-0.
Cambridge High School’s teacher in charge of hockey Glenys Bichan is thrilled with the school’s success this season.
The U18 boys’ team, coached by Cameron Bichan and Michael Atkin, made history in Wellington by competing at the elite Rankin Cup tournament for the first time.
The school gained entry to the competition after winning the Olympic Stick qualifying tournament in Hamilton last year.
Its players finished their domestic season prior to leaving for the Rankin Cup and narrowly missed out on winning the second division of the Waikato-Bay of Plenty A grade after losing the final 4-3 to Bethlehem College in Hamilton.
“The team achieved their goal of gaining re-entry into next year’s Rankin Cup, securing the wins needed to continue in the top echelon of New Zealand secondary school boys’ hockey,” Glenys said.
Meanwhile, the school’s top girls team went home with bronze medals from the Chicha Gilmer Cup in Auckland during secondary school tournament week.
“This was their first ever medal at a tier three tournament,” Glenys said. “Jackie Knobloch, their coach, did an outstanding job preparing these girls who have a great future ahead of them.”
The side played in division 1 of the Waikato A Grade competition for the second year running in 2023 and finished 5th.
The school’s U15 boys’ Gold team, coached by Mark Wood and Karen Hill, won Waikato Hockey Association’s U15 A division, winning their final against St Peter’s Cambridge 2-0.
Earlier this year the side finished ninth at the Tanner Cup, an annual invitational tournament for country’s top U15 boys’ teams, where they were the only public co-ed school competing.
Wood and Hill also coached Cambridge High’s top junior girls’ team, which also made their division A final, losing 2-1 to Waikato Diocesan.
It was the third year in a row the side had made a Waikato final.
Also gaining top three placings this season were boys’ second XI, nd XI, who finished third in the U18 B grade, and the girlsthird team, third in the U18 C grade.
Glenys said a record number of players from the school had made Waikato and New Zealand representative teams this year.
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- Patrick Gordon in action at Gallagher Hockey Centre in Hamilton for U15 Smythe Ltd Boys Gold, which won Waikato Hockey Association’s U15 A division this season.
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- Theo Goodwin congratulates Andrew Coutts (left) on his goal for U15 Smythe Ltd Boys Gold during their A division final in Hamilton.
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- Maz McIndoe on attack for Cambridge High School’s 1st XI during their league final against Bethlehem College at Gallagher Hockey Centre in Hamilton.
