The Ashburton College Senior Girls’ Netball team will need to take in all of coach Angela Mitchell’s (centre) experience in their two semifinal matches this week. Photo Laura BagrieAs the end of the netball season approaches, the Ashburton College girls’ senior netball side are still fighting on two fronts.

The side will play two semifinals in two days, starting off with their clash against St Margaret’s College tonight.

Despite the challenge of playing two intensive games consecutively each week, coach Angela Mitchell said she is really pleased with how the side has performed.

“We have continued to go from strength to strength this season and we are now putting in complete performances in two games,” she said.

“The hard work they have put in is really paying off.”

The side played St Margaret’s earlier in the season, but Mitchell believes it will be a strong test.

“They can win it if they turn up and play as a unit,” she said.

“At the secondary school level the skill and speed is more utilised while in the local competition there is more use of a physical presence,” Mitchell said.

“The girls have learnt over the years to be competitive in both competitions and to be able to play a different style.”

The last time AshColl made the Supernet final was two years ago, where the side played St Margaret’s.

AshColl will play their other semi-final in the Mid Canterbury premier competition tomorrow night, facing off against Hampstead, a side they drew with in their most recent clash.

By Jaime Pitt-MacKay © The Ashburton Guardian - 15 August 2017

The Mid Canterbury Combined Schools 1st XV perform their haka ahead of their clash against Christ’s College earlier this year. Photo Robyn HoodThe Mid Canterbury Combined Schools 1st XV wrapped up their season on Saturday with a 27-8 loss against Waimea Combined, but co-coach Gary McCann was more than happy with the performance from his side, labelling “fantastic”.

“We had five boys for which this would be their last game and the boys really rallied and lifted for that,” he said.

“They are a team that are in the top eight but we were very much in the game throughout.

“As the parents had been saying all this season, these are a group of boys that don’t give up and they proved that with a try right in last minute.”

As McCann has said throughout the season, they always knew this was going to be a building year, with the squad ready to benefit in the coming years.

“There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that these boys are going to be better for the experience that they have had in 1st XV rugby this year,” he said.

“When you are losing only five at this stage out of 24 players, that is a big thing.”

McCann said one of the big aims coming in to this season was to create a great culture amongst the players with it being the first year of a combined team between Mount Hutt College and Ashburton College.

“The culture amongst these boys just gives you goose-pimples, the team is one to never give-up and they fight to the death,” he said.

While they have not had much success on the field, only picking up one win against Roncalli Combined, McCann said there was always a positive attitude from the team, and always good turnouts to training.

Support for the side was strong throughout the year, with Ashburton College principal Ross Preece even flying to Nelson to watch the side play.

“There have been so many happy moment this season but the best things was seeing the joy on the boys faces after getting a win,” said McCann.

“At the last game the boys performed their haka and everybody shivered, it was special.”

While the job of a 1st XV coach is not gifted, McCann said he hoped that him and fellow co-coach Simon Fleetwood had shown enough to carry on next year.

“Simon and I are dead-set keen to be selected next year.

“We have built some huge bricks and it would fantastic to get back at it,” he said.

On top of the win against Roncalli College, a narrow 13-15 loss to Lincoln High School and a 17-39 loss against Christ’s College where Mid Canterbury were leading at half-time were also the sides stand-out performances of the season.

The team eventually finished 13th on the UC Championship ladder, ahead of Roncalli Combined and Burnside High School.

By Jaime Pitt-MacKay © The Ashburton Guardian - 15 August 2017

Ben Thomas with trophy and medals. Photo supplied.Ashburton College pupil Ben Thomas is taking on the big guns in air pistol shooting.

Ben, 15, has been named as New Zealand’s only male air pistol shooter to compete at the Youth Olympic trials to be held at the new Commonwealth Games complex in Brisbane on October 28.

Ben and two girls, both from Whangarei Girls’ College, are New Zealand’s representatives and will shoot it out with representatives from Australasia to try to secure a spot at the Youth Olympics.

Coach Kay Perrett said Ben had worked hard and made history by taking out three of the major titles – South Island, North Island and national, something that had not been done before.

He is the only South Islander to have his name engraved on the North Island and National Junior Men’s air pistol trophies. Both trophies have never come south before.

Ben is in his third year of shooting through the Ashburton College air pistol programme run by the Ashburton Pistol Club, which has been working with the college for 12 years.

Ben is not the first shooter to reach this level. Braden Kell did in 2011 and went on to represent New Zealand at the Oceania Games and won a bronze in the junior men’s event.

Mrs Perrett said that with the records he has set, Ben Thomas is the name for the future and he had a good chance of bringing home gold.

© The Ashburton Courier - 10 August 2017