School Competition News

8 Oct 2021 – After a season of frustration with Covid-related delays, the South Island Secondary School Championships were held on the weekend of 2-3 October.

The competitors responded with a fantastic weekend of curling, demonstrating some great skill levels, and the growth shown over the weekend was outstanding.

Unfortunately, both the North Island and NZ tournament were canceled by Covid Delta lockdowns. The Auckland Schools league was also abandoned, leaving this event as the only school competition to be completed this year.

1 Oct 2020 – Eleven teams contested the NZ Secondary School Curling Championships during the first three days of the September break at MCI Naseby.

The Girls' competition was a double round-robin topped by Otago Girls High School and Maniototo Area Schools. Both times dropped just one of their preliminary games, winning one and losing one of their meetings against the other.

They both won their respective semi-finals to set up a decider again in the final, and it was the Otago Girls combination of Rachael Pitts, Ailie Muldrew, Ella Williams, Emma Campbell and Caitlin Elkins who won the title 8-4. Kavanagh College took the bronze medal.

Grace Apuwai-Bishop skipped her Kavanagh College team to its third NZ Secondary Schools title. Photo NZ Curling / Janyne Fletcher

8 Oct 2019 – Kavanagh College won their third consecutive Girls' title at the NZ Secondary School Curling Championships in Naseby last weekend.

Kavanagh and top qualifiers Maniototo Area School had met twice in the preliminary double round robin, securing a win apiece.

As top qualifiers, Maniototo qualified directly to the final. The Kavanagh side first played St Hilda's Collegiate in the sole semi-final, winning 7-2.

Maniototo made a big start in the Championship final, scoring three in the first end. However the Kavanagh side – sisters Grace and Temika Apuwai-Bishop, Lucy Armstrong and Elizabeth Audas – came right back to score five in the second end, followed by two consecutive steals.

Mt Roskill v Long Bay Black in the Boys' Final. Photo Auckland Curling / Liz Matthews

7 Sep 2019 – 7:00 am starts on the Monday and Wednesday mornings of Winter Tournament week did not deter the 12 teams who entered the North Island Secondary School Curling Championships this week.

After Thursday evening's finals, Lynfield College had achieved the 'double double' by winning the Mixed title to back up last year's success, just a week after completing the 2018 and 2019 double in the Auckland School finals.

Harsh Sharma, Rachel Barrowman, Elena Smith, Nene Matsuki and Giordi Gambassi finished at the head of the Mixed teams in the combined Boys / Mixed pool and then went on to beat Mt Albert Grammar 10-2 in their final.

EGGS Knockout vs Papatoetoe High School. Photo Auckland Curling / Liz Matthews

30 Aug 2019 – Long Bay College won the Boys and Girls titles at last night's Auckland Secondary School Curling Championships, while Lynfield College Green prevented a Long Bay clean sweep by claiming the Mixed title.

The Boys Final saw Long Bay's Luka Katavich, Harrison Burns, Kyle Sowry, Sam Roe and Yannick Lange come from behind in their final against competition newcomers Mt Roskill Grammar, winning 7-4 to defend their 2018 triumph.

Lynfield Black beat Lynfield Blue 10-3 in the playoff for third

Otago Boys HS plan their quest for gold. Photo © NZCA / Janyne Fletcher

12 Aug 2019 – Despite the bone-chilling Dunedin weather there was a great turn out for the weekend's South Island Secondary Schools curling tournament.

After a break in 2018, this tournament returned in full force with the organisational help of Peter Becker.

It was very encouraging to see a number of new players and great team spirit in the Mixed competition. In the end, the Mya Miller's Bayfield Burlers came through, closely followed by Maniototo Area School.

Girls winners Kavanagh College L-R: Grace Apuwai-Bishop, Temika Apuwai-Bishop, Elizabeth Audas and Emily Armstrong. Photo Janyne Fletcher

1 Oct 2018 – Kavanagh College took the major honours in last weekend's NZ Secondary Schools Championship, taking home the Girls and Boys trophies.

The Kavanagh Girls side of Grace Apuwai-Bishop, Temika Apuwai-Bishop, Elizabeth Audas and Emily Armstrong-Sagvari were unstoppable on their march to their title.

Remarkably, they did not concede a single point throughout their four pool games. Maniototo Area School came closer than anyone in their semi-final, restricting Kavanagh to a 6-1 margin.

An emphatic 12-1 victory over Otago Girls #1 in the final sealed an outstanding tournament for the Kavanagh Girls.

Papatoetoe High School in action during the round robin. Photo NZCA / Liz Matthews

28 Sep 2018 – Three weeks ago Long Bay College Black, Epsom Girls Grammar Knock Out and Lynfield College Red won the 2018 North Island Secondary Schools Championships.

They followed that up with wins in the Auckland Schools Boys, Girls and Mixed competitions respectively at Paradice Avondale last night.

Long Bay and Lynfield Grey teams were level as they started the final end of the Boys final, but 4 points broke the deadlock in style for Long Bay to take the title 8-4. Luka Katavich, Harrison Burns, Kyle Sowry, Sam Roe and Yannick Lange lost just one game during the season, their first on the ice.