Sports News Term 3, Week 4

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve had so much to celebrate — from individual achievements to team triumphs, whole-school success, and the joy of simply being part of the incredible SMC sporting community.

Our celebrations have gone beyond victories on the scoreboard. We've recognised the wins that aren’t measured by placings or trophies — the moments of pride, teamwork, leadership, and spirit that define who we are.

A perfect example of this was when our hockey girls took on Rangi Ruru in a high-stakes match, with regular-season points, the shield, and quad points all on the line. The turnout was phenomenal — especially from our junior hockey girls, many of whom are coached by the very seniors they came to support. It was inspiring to see these young players cheering on their mentors and role models, creating a powerful moment of connection and community across year levels.

As Emma Hoskins (Y13) headed off for her exciting New Zealand U21 korfball experience, she was joined at the airport by fellow teammate Payton Edmondson (OG 2024) and Nicole Lloyd, an SMC Old Girl, current NZ Korfball player, and teacher.

What an incredible legacy of SMC talent and support in the world of korfball! This is a truly proud moment for our SMC community — past, present, and future.

We were proud to host this year’s winter quad, and the kindness and generosity of so many of our families were on full display as we billeted students from St Hilda’s and Columba. A heartfelt thank you to all the families who opened their homes; your support made this event possible. It was wonderful to see so many happy billets returning each day, excited about the new friendships they’d formed.

With three days of intense competition across badminton, football, netball, and hockey, our girls had a busy and exciting start to the week. Their efforts were outstanding across all sports, with a particularly historic performance from our football team, which won every game and contributed crucial points toward the final tally.

Thanks to everyone’s incredible teamwork and determination, SMC claimed the winter quad trophy for 2025!

Well done to all involved. 

Badminton
Our SMC Senior A Badminton team recently competed in the 2025 winter quad tournament, showcasing outstanding effort and strong growth as a developing team.

Across the three days of competition, the team produced some excellent performances, including strong wins over Craighead Diocesan and St Hilda’s Collegiate. We narrowly missed out on victory against Columba College in a close one-set loss and went down to Rangi Ruru after several tightly contested matches, finishing 3rd overall.

The girls fought hard for every point and displayed resilience, teamwork, and a commitment to giving their best until the very last rally. A special mention goes to Emily Tan, who was recognised for her consistency and sportsmanship, receiving our tournament fair play award.

This experience has been a great stepping stone for our young team, and we are excited to see their continued development. We now turn our focus to the Canterbury Secondary Schools' individual championships during winter tournament week, and wish the girls all the very best.

Basketball
What an exciting couple of weeks it’s been on the basketball court!

Our Friday night teams have had some fantastic games, filled with small victories and big moments. A special shout-out to Ottilie Gibbons (Y10) who scored her first points, an achievement that was joyfully celebrated by her teammates. In the Junior Red team, Jemma Hanna (Y9) found her stride and dominated under the basket in a big win over Avonside, supported by outstanding defensive work from Katherine Beasley (Y9).  Meanwhile, in the Senior Pink team, Lauren McMath (Y12) hit a strong run of shots late in the game to close the gap with Riccarton, followed by an exciting buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Vaali Hocking (Y12), an epic finish.  Our junior A team had a nail-biter of a game against Rangiora on Friday, coming away with a 3-point win. This is great preparation as they gear up for the upcoming South Island tournament in Nelson during tournament week.

Both our competitive and social grades now head into the final two weeks of their Friday night competition.

Not to be outdone, the senior A team claimed a dominant home victory over Villa Maria last Tuesday. With standout performances across the board, their 40-point win was a huge confidence boost as they head into the final stretch of their season. Well done to Izzy Brook (Y13) on a massive 32-point effort and Taylah Davis (Y10) on her 20-point haul.

Well done to all our teams, keep up the great work!

Cross Country/Road Race
Over the weekend, five of our SMC girls proudly competed in the New Zealand cross-country championships held at Hagley Park in Christchurch.  In the U18 women’s 5km, Elsie Seeto (Y11) represented Canterbury, while in the U16 girls 4km, Elza Harrington (Y9) and Angel Shaw (Y9) competed for their club teams. Sascha Mitchell (Y9) also competed in the U16 girls grade, representing Canterbury. Charlotte Robertson (Y7) competed in the U12 mixed 2000m race. The challenging course, set across the golf course at Hagley Park, had runners tackling mounds, sand traps, hurdles, and soft muddy ground, truly testing their endurance and grit.

A huge congratulations to Sascha Mitchell, who delivered an outstanding performance to win the U16 girls race, earning the title of New Zealand U16 girls cross country champion! What an incredible achievement.

We are so proud of all our athletes for representing their teams and our school with such determination and excellence.

Dance/Hip Hop
Neave Hyslop (Y8) and Lucy Hawkins (Y8) had a great day at the Canterbury Primary Schools AIMS aerobics and hip hop competition in Christchurch.  Neave placed 1st in the Y7&8 category, which is an incredible achievement, especially as this was her very first solo performance.

Football
Football 1st XI Crowned Winter Quad Champions.

Winter quad saw the incredible rise of our football 1st XI as they claimed the winter quad championship in a dramatic and inspiring four games.  The journey began with a brilliant opening win on Sunday morning against a higher-ranked Rangi Ruru side, giving the team a big confidence boost. Monday brought a nail-biting match against St Hilda’s, which went to penalties—clinched by superb saves and some cool, composed kicking. That afternoon, they faced Craighead, who had struggled against the other teams. While the girls didn’t quite fire on all cylinders in this match, they still walked away with a solid win to keep their unbeaten run alive.  Tuesday morning brought the decider: SMC vs Columba, with both teams undefeated and everything to play for. Pre-game nerves quickly faded as the match began, and SMC dominated the first half with strong possession and a tailwind advantage. The second half flipped the pressure, with the girls defending hard into a strong headwind.  At full-time, the score remained 0–0, taking the game to yet another penalty shootout. A stunning save from Jemima Huston (Y10) sealed the win—with one penalty still to be taken—triggering a moment of pure joy as the team realised they were officially quad champions!

Special congratulations to Trelise McEwan, who led the team with a positive, encouraging presence throughout the final and was awarded the SMC quad football award for team play.

Well done to both our 1st and 2nd XI, who now head into the Wednesday School Sport Canterbury semi-finals this week. Good luck—we’re behind you all the way!

Golf
Olivia Guan (Y6) has been away competing in California, America at the 9/10 girls, USWING MOJING Junior World Golf Championship & FCG World Junior Callaway Golf Championship.  This was Olivia’s first time competing in international golf tournaments, playing alongside top junior golfers from over 50 countries. It was an unprecedented experience for her.  Throughout the competition, she had to constantly adapt her strategy and maintain a positive mindset, a true challenge for a 10-year-old. Despite the pressure, Olivia placed in the top 20 in the world, which was a remarkable achievement and a highlight of her golfing journey.

Hockey 
Our Quad hockey tournament was held in perfect weather conditions, providing the perfect backdrop for a memorable few days. It was a fantastic opportunity for our team to spend valuable time together, fine-tuning skills, cementing key plays, and continuing to strengthen our team culture. With the business end of the season fast approaching, the timing couldn’t have been better. We came away with some great results and, more importantly, continued to build momentum and confidence. The tournament finished on a real high with a big win against Columba, leaving the team energised and excited for what lies ahead.

Netball
Quad comes at a valuable time of the season, in the lead-up to the South Island Secondary Schools tournament, which is being held this year in Dunedin. Including the four quad games, plus regular competition games, the girls consolidated their game plan and produced some brilliant performances over the week. With tough games against both Columba College and St Hilda’s Collegiate, it came down to small margins and moments of play to determine the result. Always chasing the overall title, we had a narrow win over Columba and a narrow loss to St Hilda’s, placing second in the netball. The standout player was Lulu Inglis, leading her team from the front and being named as the player who displayed the greatest levels of effort, fair play, and team spirit.

Rainbow Tournament

St Margaret’s College was proudly represented by 9 of more than 110 junior teams who gathered on Sunday 3 August at the Hagley Netball Courts for a tournament to remember.

Our Year 3–8 teams dressed up, played netball, and had a fantastic time together—creating memories, showing team spirit, and enjoying a wonderful day of sport and connection.

Congratulations to Angel Shaw for gaining her Gold Whistler Award.

Rugby
The team played a couple of very tough games this term, coming up against strong St Andrew’s College and Avonside Girls teams. Both games were physical, and our team showed a lot of spirit and determination to compete against more experienced players. Strong performances from our experienced players like Ellie Scotland and Savena Fagalima helped the rest of the team learn the game and stay in the fight. With those two losses, we ended up 4th in the regular season.

In preparation for the upcoming Buller 10s tournament, our team has also played a game with our friendly rivals from down the road. Played on a very wet and muddy day, both teams played exceptionally well in trying conditions, and while we went down by one try, there were exceptional performances by the whole team and especially by the younger players as they came up against more experienced opposition. Special mention must go to Grace Lindley in Year 9, who has improved every week. Grace has shown great determination and a complete lack of fear when taking on players much older than her.

Swimming
Outstanding swimming success at NZ Secondary Schools National Swimming Championships

We are incredibly proud of four of our talented students—Kathy Gai (Y9), Olivia Vivian (Y10), Sydney Alva (Y11), and Millie Bell (Y12)—who recently competed at the NZ Secondary Schools national swimming championships in Hamilton.

Kathy Gai won 1 gold and 2 bronze medals.
Olivia Vivian earned 2 silver and 2 bronze medals.
Sydney Alva delivered strong performances, with a top placing of 4th.
Millie Bell took home 2 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal.

A special highlight saw Olivia and Millie team up to represent SMC in the 2x50m open age group freestyle relay, where they claimed silver in a thrilling and closely contested race.

Congratulations to all four swimmers for their outstanding efforts and for representing the school with pride on the national stage!

Well done to Millie Bell, who has had an outstanding year (to date) in the pool, and this was rewarded with her selection to the New Zealand tri-series team to represent NZ in a week-long swim competition in Ballarat, Victoria. Millie travelled to Ballarat during the July school holidays as part of a 30-member NZ squad and proudly wore the silver fern for the first time to compete against leading age-group swimmers from Victoria, Western Australia, and NZ. She was also named captain of the NZ team.  Excellent stuff Millie!

Tramping/Walking
Finally, the walking/tramping club made it up Mt Herbert.  After two rained-off attempts, a group of enthusiastic and determined walkers climbed the highest peak on Banks Peninsula. After a cold start, a trip on the ferry from Lyttleton to Diamond Harbour, where the girls could watch the sunrise, they made the big climb to the top. At the peak, they enjoyed a rest and the view, along with some lunch, before starting on the journey back down.  An excellent day was had by all.

Old Girls 
Tayla Hardy (OG 2021) made the Christchurch Press recently for her amazing efforts in korfball.  Tayla has been an integral part of SMC korfball as an old girl, coaching both junior and senior teams.

Check out about TAYLA HARDY and her Korfball success

Upcoming Events

9th & 10th August - Canterbury Secondary Schools artistic gymnastics

10th August - Canterbury Secondary Schools netball development tournament

13th August - Last week of Wednesday sport (for most teams)

14th August - Canterbury Secondary Schools ski and snowboard championships

15th August - Last week of Friday night basketball

15th August - Hockey finals

16th August - Canterbury Secondary Schools adventure race

16th August - Netball semi finals

20th - 24th August - NZSS short course swimming championships

24th August - 30th August - WINTER TOURNAMENT WEEK

Apologies, the link we included in last week’s newsletter didn’t work. This has now been fixed, and we are looking forward to your updates.