Photo supplied.Sporting teams from South Island secondary schools are setting off on an annual winter week of fun and games this weekend.

There’s a long list of titles up for grabs around the South Island, as the annual winter tournament week gets under way.

All up, Ashburton College has 10 teams taking part in tournaments across five different sporting codes, while Mount Hutt College has two.

Mount Hutt College’s boys’ first XI football team is off to Nelson to play in the NZSS Jim Wishart Tournament, while the school’s A netball team is off to Nelson to play in the South Island Secondary Schools’ netball tournament.

Mount Hutt College will contest the B grade section, while Ashburton College’s A netballers will contest the A grade at the same tournament.

Ashburton College has three hockey teams in action, too, with their boys’ first XI heading down to Invercargill to play in the Johnson Cup tournament, while their girls’ first XI is off to Cromwell for the Jenny McDonald tournament.

Their other hockey team doesn’t have to travel far at all – the boys’ second XI is playing in the Coaches Cup tournament which is being hosted in Ashburton, and played at the Ashburton hockey turf at the Ashburton Domain.

Ashburton College’s girls’ football first XI isn’t far from home, either. They’re heading to Timaru to play in the Gary Sowden Tournament, while the school’s junior boys’ rugby team is heading an hour in the other direction, playing in the Rural Livestock tournament in Christchurch.

The school’s remaining teams heading away are all basketball teams.

The senior girls are off to the AA Secondary Schools Premiership Zone 4 Tournament in Nelson, while the senior boys will also be in Nelson, playing at the AA Secondary Schools’ Non-Qualifying Tournament.

Ashburton College’s junior girls’ basketball side will also be in action this week.

They’re off to Dunedin for the Junior Secondary Schools’ Premiership for zone four.

That tournament gets under way today and runs through until Tuesday, while most other tournaments start either on Monday or Wednesday.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 30 August 2019