Sports News Term 4. Week 4

Two weeks ago, we celebrated our Major Sports Awards Evening — a fantastic event recognising the outstanding sporting achievements of our students, teams, coaches, and supporters. It was a night that truly showcased the depth of talent and dedication within our College community, as well as the success of SMC Old Girls who continue to make their mark in the sporting world.

As we reflect on the year that’s been, seeing all that has been achieved laid out in black and white is nothing short of remarkable.

This year, St Margaret’s College has achieved:

3 National titles – in Hockey, Rowing and Volleyball 

18 New Zealand representatives

6 students selected in New Zealand squads or development programmes

63 Canterbury or South Island representatives

26 students with top 3 placings in national competitions outside of school events

28 top 3 placings (team or individual) at South Island School Events

At the Canterbury level, SMC teams and individuals have continued to shine, claiming multiple championship titles, individual honours, and tournament successes. With our junior teams set to compete in Junior tournament week, we’re excited to see even more success added to this incredible list.

The numbers are truly staggering, a testament to the talent, hard work, and passion of our athletes, coaches, and supporters.

Congratulations to everyone involved.  What a phenomenal year for SMC Sport.

Cricket

We are thrilled to announce the playing 12 who will represent St Margaret’s College at the New Zealand Cricket 1st XI Girls Cup this December. This marks an exciting milestone, the first time our College will compete at this prestigious National Tournament.

Congratulations to our selected players: Pippa Bocock, Lexie Boon, Izzy Brook, Maisie Diver, Jessica Gearry, Sophie Gibb, Ciara Hartland, Elza Harrington, Jemima Nation, Millie Spear ©, Lily Young ©, Stella Valentine

We wish the team all the best as they prepare for Nationals with the following fixtures:
30 November - Willows Fixture vs OGHS

1 December - Fixture vs St Hilda’s 

10–14 December  - National Girls’ 1st XI Cup

Good luck to our players and coaches as they make College history — we can’t wait to see you take the field.

Golf

Congratulations to Olivia Guan (Year 6) on her outstanding golfing achievement! Olivia was selected to play in the prestigious Pollock Cup for the Russley Golf Club, and her team went on to win the competition. The Pollock Cup is Canterbury’s premier interclub women’s golf competition. Olivia was part of the six-player Russley team, which placed third after five rounds of competition before going on to win both the semi-final and final to claim the title.

A highlight of the event was Olivia winning both of her matches and achieving a personal best, an incredible accomplishment, especially as she was the youngest competitor in the entire event.

Over the summer, Olivia will be preparing for the Lydia Ko Open Junior Tournament in Auckland, which will be held in January next year. This event is one of New Zealand’s top junior golf competitions. Olivia will compete in the Under-13 age group, which will be a fantastic challenge for her — especially as she is only 11 years old.

Korfball

This weekend, our Junior A Girls are teaming up with CBHS to compete in the South Island Secondary Schools Junior Championships at Ngā Puna Wai. We are lucky to have the team coached by Tayla Hardy (Old Girl, 2021) a current New Zealand Korfball representative.

Best of luck to our girls and the Boys’ High boys for what’s sure to be an exciting weekend of competition

Rugby Sevens

The Senior Sevens team played in the Condor qualifying tournament last week at Nga Puna Wai on an extremely windy and hot day. The team, made up of a few experienced Year 13s and a lot of new Year 11 players, faced a tough draw playing both Christchurch Girls and Craighead Diocesan. Both of these teams played off in the final at the end of the day. Our girls battled extremely well and made both teams work hard for the tries they scored and put them under pressure for long patches of the game. Although we were unable to win the games, the performances by both the new and experienced players were an impressive feat. Billie Williams and Molly Ginnever were outstanding in both defence and attack. They were able to dominate the tackle, and their offload ability was at times beyond belief.

The second half of the day saw the team battle against Villa Maria and Kaiapoi. The weather and injuries took a big toll on the team, and while we played admirably, we were unable to catch a break on the scoreboard. Throughout the day, there were many outstanding performances from the team, and it was a great way to send off the Year 13 players who have contributed to the sevens team over the last 5 years. It was also great to have Lucy Jenkins, ex-SMC rugby player and Black Fern, help the team with the nuances of the game.

Swimming

Congratulations to Phoebe He (Year 7) on her incredible success across two national competitions! Phoebe competed at the New Zealand National Championships in Artistic Swimming held in Wellington, her first time at this prestigious event, where her team achieved an impressive second place in the Dolphin Group category.

No sooner had the competition ended than Phoebe travelled to Auckland to take part in the Irish Dance National Championships, where she continued her remarkable form, placing second in the 9–13 age group for the 4-hand competition and fifth in the 6-hand division.

What an amazing display of talent and dedication across two demanding disciplines. Well done, Phoebe.

Tennis

Wednesday competitions have been a bit of a mixed bag as wind and strike action have hampered our competition.  The SMC girls will have two weeks of in-house competition instead of the regular competition.  

Tramping/Walking

The tramping club had an awesome trip to Arthur's Pass two weekends ago. They were expecting rain, so they packed lots of games and treats for a day inside at Paterson Lodge, but were treated to blue skies! They hiked up the side of Mt Lyndon, and had great views over Lake Lyndon, Trig M and Foggy Peak.  Making sure not to miss out on our treats, when they arrived at Paterson Lodge, we made a "candy salad", s'mores and hot chocolates, and played games, performed skits and did matching hairdos. On Sunday, we explored the Castle Hill rocks on the way home, and of course - stopped for an ice cream - it is tradition.

Volleyball

Our Senior A Girls team continue their outstanding form, remaining unbeaten in the Premier Division 1 of their Monday night competition. This success forms an important part of their qualification pathway for the 2026 Nationals next year.  Our Junior A Girls faced Kaiapoi in the Division 1 quarter-final on Tuesday and showed great determination and teamwork, and came away with a win to head to the semi-final next week. These experiences are valuable steps toward qualifying for Division 1 at the South Island Championships during tournament week.  Next Monday marks the final week of games for our senior teams, rounding off what has been a whirlwind few weeks of competition. A huge thank you to all the parents who have supported the teams as managers and drivers. Your help is greatly appreciated.  This Sunday, our Junior A and 9A teams will take part in a mini one-day tournament that we are hosting. This event will give our girls valuable tournament experience ahead of the upcoming Canterbury Champs and South Island Champs.

Upcoming Events

30th October - Zonta Awards

1st & 2nd November - South Island Junior Korfball Championships

1st & 2nd November - SISS 7’s Cup - Timaru

2nd November - SMC Volleyball Tournament

7th & 9th November - Canterbury Junior Volleyball Championships

18th - 21st November - South Island Junior Volleyball Championships - Invercargill

18th & 19th November - Canterbury Junior Tennis Championships

20th-23rd November - South Island Water Polo Championships - Blenheim

26th November - Canterbury Primary Schools Athletics

27th/28th/29th November - SMC Senior Volleyball Tournament

27th/28th/29th November - Eastern Junior Volleyball Tournament

29th & 30th November - Condor 7’s Champs - Mt maunganui

5th/6th/7th December - NZSS Athletics Championships - Hastings

7th - 13th December - Australian School Volleyball Championships

Under Pressure: How to Help Your Child Thrive in a High-Pressure Youth Sport World

With over 20 years’ experience working with developing athletes, coaches, and families, Craig is one of New Zealand’s leading voices on helping young people thrive in sport. His work blends cutting-edge research in long-term athlete development and child psychology with real-world stories from schools, clubs, and academies around the country.

Why share this with your community?
Because too many of our kids are dropping out, burning out, or getting hurt — and parents are desperate for guidance that actually helps. This is a rare chance for them to hear simple, practical ways to build confidence, protect wellbeing, and create positive sporting environments that last.

Event details:
Black Box Theatre
Monday 1 December | Doors & bar open 6.30 pm | Keynote 7 pm
Limited tickets — $35 pp via Eventfinda
There’ll also be time for audience Q&A at the end.

This will be Craig’s only Christchurch event this year, and seats are already being snapped up. 

Here’s the link for tickets and more information about Dr Craig Harrison.

https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2025/under-pressure/christchurch