Sports News Term 3, Week 6a

Last week marked the end of the regular season for most of our winter sports teams, and what a season it has been. This week, we take a moment to celebrate their hard work, determination, and achievements, and to look ahead with excitement as several teams head off to compete in winter tournament week events.

Representing SMC across the country are:

Basketball – South Island Juniors - Nelson

Equestrian –  South Island Secondary Schools - McLeans Island

Badminton – Canterbury Secondary Schools - Christchurch

Netball – South Island Secondary Schools - Dunedin

Hockey 1st XI – Fed Cup - Wellington

Hockey 2nd XI - Chris Arthur Cup - Ashburton

Football – Lotto Sportswear Cup -Timaru

Rugby 10’s – Westport
 

We wish all of our teams the very best of luck as they represent SMC with pride and passion. Go well, and fly the SMC flag high.

Badminton
The 2025 badminton season at St Margaret’s College has been an outstanding one, with 12 teams showing commitment, progress, and strong sportsmanship. Players have trained with focus each week, developed their skills, and enjoyed building connections both on and off the court.

Our Senior A and B teams both smashed their way into the finals. Senior A fought hard but fell just short against CGHS, while Senior B powered through to take the win over Hornby HS. Meanwhile, our SMC Net Flicks team brought the drama in a nail-biting clash with STAC, finishing dead even on games and points, so both teams shared 3rd place in their grade.

A brilliant way to head into the Canterbury Secondary Schools Individual Championships during tournament week. All the best, girls. 

My thanks go to our dedicated staff supervisors, Mrs Jack, Mrs Coakley, Mrs Baker-Sherman, Miss Stocks, Ms Gray, Mrs Fogarty, Mrs Godfrey-Chatterton and Rev Steph for their consistent support, and to Alicia in the Sport Office for her fabulous coordination and organisation throughout the season.

Congratulations to all players on representing SMC, you were all brilliant.
We look forward to another strong season in 2026.

Ms Hardy

Basketball
Friday marked the final round of basketball for our 11 senior school teams, who have been competing throughout the term. Many of these teams were social, resulting in a mixed bag of results, but one thing remained consistent: the teams had fun and brought great spirit to the court each week.

Our Senior A team also played their final game on Tuesday, taking on a strong Rangiora side. While the result didn’t go our way, the team delivered a determined performance, closing the score gap significantly compared to their earlier matchup, a clear sign of their growth over the season.

Congratulations to Lucie Davis for being named in the Whelan All Star Girls Team for 2025.

A huge thank you must go out to our parent volunteers who managed both our social and competitive teams. Your support is invaluable and truly appreciated. We are also incredibly grateful for the dedication and hard work of our coaches. Their passion, expertise, and commitment have guided our basketballers through a fantastic season of growth and development. We’re very lucky to have such a talented group leading our teams — thank you.

Heading to Nelson this week is our Junior A basketball team. It has been six years since SMC last competed in this tournament, and the team is excited to represent the school once again. With a 6th place finish in the Friday night junior premiership, the girls are in a strong position and ready to take on the challenge.

Best of luck, girls.  Play hard, support each other, and have a fabulous time in Nelson.

While the senior season wraps up, our junior school teams still have a few more weeks of competition ahead. We wish them all the best as they aim to finish strong.

Year 5/6 Basketball:  Our SMC Magic team had a great day out at the Rolleston Sports Centre.  The girls had some tough opposition in pool play and ended up playing for 9-12th position.  They rose to the challenge in the play-offs to come away with a 9th equal placing out of 19 teams.  Well done, girls, and a huge thank you to their coach, Sydney Alva.
 

Cycling
Good luck to Emma Crawford (Year 11), who is competing in the New Zealand Secondary Schools, Southern Cycle Tour in Blenheim during tournament week.

Equestrian
We’re excited to have 17 riders heading to McLeans Island during tournament week to compete in the South Island Secondary Schools Equestrian Championships. This large-scale event brings together riders, parents, and horses from across the region at the fabulous and extensive McLeans Island grounds.

Our SMC riders will be competing in a range of events throughout the week, kicking off with the competitive trail ride on Monday, followed by dressage, show jumping, arena eventing, show hunter, and the newly added mounted games.

As you can imagine, an event of this scale takes a huge amount of preparation, not just for the riders, but also for their horses. The commitment, time, and care that go into getting ready for this championship are immense, and we’re proud of the effort our team has put in to be ready.

We wish the team all the very best of luck. May you have great weather, memorable rides, and a fantastic week of fun and competition.

Football
What a season it has been for St Margaret’s football. This year, we have had two football teams, with both the First XI and Second XI putting in some fantastic results. 

Our First XI team has had a very successful season, winning all but one game due to player unavailability. Last Wednesday, the girls competed in the Division 1 final against Marian College. This was one of our toughest games so far, but we managed to defeat them on penalties, making us champions of Division 1! Special mention to Jemima Huston (Year 10), who played amazingly in goal, saving a couple of the penalties. The first XI also won the Quad tournament a few weeks ago, going undefeated across all four games. These are amazing results, especially considering the team is still very young. Now, we are off to Timaru to compete in the Lotto Sportswear tournament and hopefully finish the season on a high

The SMC Second XI has also had a really positive season and was able to reach the semi-finals of Division 2. Their success is a testament to how much football at St Margaret’s has grown over the past couple of years. Overall, it has been an amazing year for SMC football, and we’re excited to see this momentum continue over the next few seasons! 

Report by: Trelise McEwan

A huge congratulations to Trelise McEwan (Year 13), who has been selected for the Canterbury Pride Youth Squad for the 2025 Girls’ Youth National League football competition starting in September. This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to her hard work and talent. Well done, Trelise.
 

Gymnastics
It’s been a huge few weeks of competition for Lulu Pearse, and her results speak for themselves — an outstanding string of performances across regional and school championships.

Southern Champs – Wanaka

Day 1: 1st – Bars, 2nd – Beam, 2nd – Vault. Day 2: 1st – Bars, 2nd – Beam, 1st – Vault

Central Champs – Wellington

Day 1: 5th – Bars, 2nd – Beam, 6th – Vault. Day 2: 2nd – Bars,  5th – Beam, 4th – Vault

Canterbury Secondary Schools Championships / Canterbury Champs

Day 1: Step 10 Canterbury Secondary School Champion - 1st Overall. Day 2: 1st – Bars, 1st – Beam, 1st – Vault

Lulu’s consistency, strength, and grace across multiple apparatuses have been phenomenal. A massive congratulations on such an impressive run of results — we’re so proud of you, Lulu!

Hockey 
As the Wednesday night hockey season wraps up, here are the final results from our teams:

2nd XI: Lost 0–2 to CGHS 2nd XI
Finished 2nd in SSL Division 1
 

Red Team: Lost 0–1 to Rangiora 1st XI
Finished 2nd in SSL Division 2
 

Green Team: Won 2–0 against Rangi Ruru Kahurangi
Finished 2nd in SSL Division 3 (round-robin format, no playoffs)
 

White Team: Won 3–0 against Cashmere Development
Finished 3rd in SSL Division 3 (round-robin format, no playoffs)
 

Silver Team: Won 1–0 against Burnside 2nd XI
Finished 5th in SSL Division 4

We had high hopes of taking home some championship titles, but both our 2nd XI and Red team were narrowly beaten by strong opponents. Despite the disappointment, we know valuable lessons will be taken into tournament week — and we're proud of the effort and commitment shown across the board.

A special shoutout to our 1st XI team for being incredible sideline supporters — your energy and encouragement made a huge difference!

To everyone involved in another fantastic Wednesday night season — players, coaches, managers, supporters — thank you. Your contributions make all the difference and help SMC hockey continue to grow and succeed across all divisions.

The 1st XI were backed by an incredible SMC crowd on Friday night as they took on a strong St Andrew’s College side in the premier final at Nga Puna Wai.

StAC came out strong, taking an early 1–0 lead and extending it to 2–0. Despite the scoreline, SMC never backed down; they fought hard and challenged StAC throughout the entire match. With just minutes to go, SMC found the back of the net, reigniting hope and setting the stage for a dramatic finish. In the final moments, with the clock ticking down, SMC pushed forward and took one last shot on goal. The crowd held its breath as it hit the net, but heartbreak followed. The goal was ruled to have been struck after time had expired, and the game ended in a narrow 2–1 loss. While the result didn’t go our way, the heart, determination, and resilience shown by the team were inspiring. They left everything on the field and made the SMC community proud.

A huge thank you to all the supporters who turned out and created such a great atmosphere. Your presence meant so much to the team.

Well done, 1st XI — a phenomenal season, and a final to be proud of.  

Best of luck to the 1st XI as they head to Wellington for Federation Cup and the 2nd XI as they head to Ashburton to defend their title in the Chris Arthur Cup.

Love SMC Hockey!!

Congratulations to Zara Gamble who has been selected into the Future Black Sticks U18 Squad.  The squads will attend the 2025 FBS Super Camp, held at King’s College in Auckland from 29th September to 3rd October.

Rugby
The Combined Girls’ rugby team took to the field in the playoff for 3rd and 4th place in the U18 1st XV competition. While it was a tough day at the office and the team was ultimately beaten by a stronger opponent, the girls delivered one of their best performances of the season. With players ranging from Year 9 to Year 13, and a wide range of experience — from first-timers to seasoned campaigners, what truly stood out was their commitment, resilience, and heart. They gave it everything, and their teamwork and determination were a credit to them and their schools.

The match also marked a special moment as we farewelled our incredible captain, Ellie Scotland, who played her final game. Ellie Scotland (Year 13) finishes her school rugby career with over 50 appearances for the 1st XV and Senior 7s teams, an outstanding achievement and a legacy of leadership and passion. 

Well done to all involved in what has been a hugely rewarding season. You’ve done yourselves and your schools proud.  We look forward to taking the next step and heading to the SISS Buller 10’s during tournament week. 

PHOTO: Rugby First XV

Skiing/Snowboarding
Under perfect bluebird skies, Mount Hutt provided the ideal backdrop for the annual Secondary Schools Ski Championships. Led by head of skiing, Audrey Gibbons, our talented team of Scarlett Taouk, Lexi Gooding, Jess Gooding, Chloe Drinkwater, Keira Fulford, and Tyler Macphail (snowboard)  took on the challenging slalom course with skill and determination.

Each competitor raced twice, aiming for the fastest combined time. The team’s consistent performances earned them an impressive third place overall in the team event. Lexi Gooding claimed third fastest girl, while Tyler Macphail secured a commendable fourth place in the snowboard competition.

A huge congratulations to all the girls for representing us so strongly on the slopes.

Water Polo
Congratulations to Abbey McCormick-Young (Year 12), who has been selected for the New Zealand U18 Water Polo team.  Abbey will be travelling to Canberra in October to play in the Australian state champs.  Way to go, Abbey, we’re so proud of you and can’t wait to see you in action on the international stage.

PHOTO: Abbey NZ Rep
 

Old Girls 
We wish Evie Leeson all the very best as she heads back to the USA to take up a position at a new school in Utah for the upcoming season. Evie has been an incredible support to SMC during her summer break, generously giving her time and energy to help with a range of basketball and netball activities and events. Her enthusiasm and willingness to get involved have made a real difference, and we are so grateful!

Thank you, Evie, for everything you’ve contributed during your time with us. We hope your new school is fantastic, and we look forward to hearing all about your adventures.

Upcoming Events

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

23rd August - Netball finals - Nga Puna Wai

23rd - 24th August  - NZSS Southern Cycle Tour - Blenheim 

23rd - 26th August - SISS Junior Basketball - Nelson

24th - 26th August - SISS Buller 10’s - Westport

24th - 29th August - SISS Equestrian Champs - McLeans Island, Christchurch

25th - 28th August - Lotto Sportswear Cup - Timaru

25th - 29th August - Chris Arthur Hockey Cup - Ashburton

25th - 30th August - Hockey Fed Cup - Wellington

25th - 28th August - SISS Netball - Dunedin

25th - 27th August - CSS Badminton - Christchurch