Sports News Term 4, Week 0 2026

Although the school holidays have started and a number of winter codes have ended, things certainly haven’t slowed down in the Sports Department. In fact, things have gotten even busier. With summer sports trials well underway, there has been plenty happening behind the scenes as we prepare for the next busy season of school sport.

The end of Term 3 saw us celebrate the winter season with our Sports Awards Assembly, recognising our athletes' achievements and contributions throughout the season. We also held a special gathering for our coaches to acknowledge and celebrate the time, commitment and energy they have put in throughout the year to provide our girls with the best opportunities possible.  We are incredibly grateful for our coaching team's dedication and the important role they play in supporting our athletes, both on and off the field.

Over the holidays, our girls took part in Koru Games, representative tournaments, national secondary school competitions, and a number of other events, with students competing across the country and even around the world in their chosen sports.  It has been a fantastic reminder that while the school term may have finished, there is certainly no off-season for many of our athletes.  

As Term 4 and the start of our summer sports season kick off on Monday, it is looking like another busy but exciting term for all our sports teams. Term 4 is largely focused on our junior athletes, with a number of Canterbury and South Island tournaments taking place throughout the term. It is always an exciting and busy time for our juniors as they take to the courts, pool and fields to compete against new teams, and gain valuable experience in tournament environments.

We look forward to another great term of sport and to seeing our girls out there representing St Margaret’s College.

AIMS GAMES

Olivia Guan, Year 7, represented SMC in Golf at the AIMS Games in Tauranga.  Olivia had a busy start with her first 18-hole practice round at 8am, followed by another 18 holes in the afternoon, before heading to the opening ceremony at 6:30pm to register the school flag. The opening ceremony was an exciting experience for Olivia, who was proud to represent St Margaret’s and carry the school flag in front of such a large crowd. 

On Monday afternoon, Olivia’s three days of competition began. After a tough second day, she bounced back strongly on the final day, posting the third-lowest score in the field (74, 2 over par), finishing 9th out of 22 girls and 14th out of 72 competitors overall (boys and girls) in Division One. 

Also at the AIMS Games, St Margaret’s College was superbly represented in the Cross Country competition.  With almost 150 runners lining up in each division to tackle a challenging and hilly course, Isla Foley (Year 7) delivered an outstanding performance to finish 9th in the Year 7 race, while Charlotte Robertson (Year 8) ran brilliantly to place 12th in the Year 8 division.

SENIOR A BASKETBALL – NZSS NATIONALS

The Senior A Basketball team made a proud return to the NZSS Basketball Nationals in Palmerston North, marking only the second national tournament appearance in the school’s history. Thrown straight into competition after travelling from Christchurch, the squad demonstrated plenty of grit, determination and senior leadership throughout a demanding week of fixtures.

Several standout performances emerged during pool play, including clutch shooting under pressure from Year 13 Lucie Davis, who helped force an overtime thriller against Rotorua Girls’ High. The team also secured a dominant victory over Waitaki Girls’ High, setting the tone for a positive tournament campaign.

As the tournament progressed into the playoff rounds, SMC continued to showcase its rapid development and the depth within this young squad. Day 5 highlighted the team-first approach, with Libby Clarkson (Year 9), Grace Millar (Year 11) and Lucie Davis (Year 13) sharing top-scoring honours in a fantastic team effort.

The tournament was particularly significant for our Year 13 leaders, Bronny O’Sullivan and Lucie Davis, who suited up for their final campaign in the red and white. Their secondary school careers culminated in a memorable final clash against fellow Christchurch school Avonside Girls’ High. In a standout performance, Year 9 Libby Clarkson produced a sensational 24-point game – the highest individual scoring performance by an SMC player throughout the tournament.

The result saw the girls finish 16th at the NZSS Basketball Nationals, which is a fantastic achievement for this young and developing team. Their performance strongly indicates the growth of basketball at SMC and the exciting potential within this group as they continue to develop.

Beyond the competition, the week provided plenty of opportunities for team bonding, including an evening quiz night hosted by Basketball New Zealand and Massey University. The adventure even extended unexpectedly beyond the final whistle when flight cancellations left the squad stranded in Wellington. While some team members made early emergency arrangements to get home, those who remained made the most of their bonus time exploring the capital together!

With plenty of individual growth, valuable tournament experience and exciting potential on display, the squad returned home with heads held high and plenty to look forward to in the seasons ahead.

A huge thank you to Stacey Hickford for her amazing effort coaching the team this season. We really appreciate the time, energy and commitment she has put into supporting the girls, as well as sharing her extensive knowledge and experience to help them continue to grow and develop as players.

A big thank you also to Alicia Davis and Amanda Clarkson for giving up your time to travel to Nationals and support the team. Your contribution was greatly appreciated.

NZSS CYCLING – ROAD

St Margaret’s College cyclist Emma Crawford put on an extraordinary display of dominance at the recent South Island and National School Track Cycling Championships in Invercargill. Competing across an action-packed two days, Emma clean-swept the Under-17 Girls division, taking top honours in every event, including the standing 250m, 4000m scratch, 6-lap Keirin, and the 5000m Tempo Points race, where she claimed a remarkable 10 out of the 15 possible points. 

Showing fantastic versatility and teamwork, Emma also joined forces with riders from other schools to form a composite Under-20 Girls squad, going on to capture titles in both the 3000m Team Pursuit and the 750m Team Sprint. Her relentless determination and phenomenal results across a gruelling schedule make for an outstanding achievement. Emma was the U17 Girls South Island and National Champion and was awarded the 2026 Most Outstanding National Female Track Rider across all age groups. 

CRICKET

Summer is just around the corner, and it’s time for our cricket teams to get underway, with lots happening in Term 4.  It is always great to see the girls back on the field, enjoying their cricket and making the most of the opportunities the season ahead brings. From our youngest girls picking up a bat and ball in Junior School through to our 1st XI competing for a place at Nationals, there is plenty to look forward to over the coming weeks.

Our 1st XI will play their postponed Regional Final against Christchurch Girls’ High School on Monday 19 October at 11am at the Nursery Ground. The winner will go on to represent Canterbury at the National Secondary Schools Tournament at Lincoln University in December. We wish our girls all the very best. Our 1st XI will also play their annual Willows fixture against Otago Girls’ High School on Sunday 29 November at the Willows in North Loburn.

There is plenty happening across our younger age groups too. Our Junior School Skills sessions will run throughout Term 4, with our Senior girls getting involved as coaches and helping our younger girls develop their cricket skills. Our Year 5/6 girls have some friendly fixtures lined up with Selwyn House, while our Year 7/8 girls will play Saturday morning cricket in the Division 3 Hardball competition. They will also take part in a two-day CJCA festival in November, as well as competing in their Smash 5 competition on 26–27 November. Our Year 9/10 girls will also be in action at the Smash 5s tournament on 19–20 November.

Most of our Senior girls are representing their clubs in the local Canterbury Cricket Premier and Division 1 competitions, which is fantastic to see and gives them valuable opportunities to keep developing and challenging themselves outside of school cricket.

We have also had some fantastic individual achievements to celebrate. A huge congratulations to Year 13 Ciara Hartland, who has secured her maiden Magicians contract and has also been selected in the New Zealand U19 wider squad. We are incredibly proud of Ciara and all the hard work that has gone into reaching this point, and we wish her all the best for a busy season ahead.

A big congratulations also to Lexie Boon and Daisy Thake, who represented New Zealand at the U18 World Indoor Cricket Championships in South Africa over the holidays, winning a silver medal. What an awesome experience and achievement for both girls.

With so much cricket happening across the school, it’s going to be a great term ahead. We love seeing our SMC girls get involved at all levels, have a go, support each other, and, most importantly, enjoy the game.

Amanda Hardy
(Proud SMC) Cricket Convenor

HOCKEY

An SMC Hockey calendar highlight coming up ..... Come and support the 1st XI Girls take on an SMC Old Girls game on Sunday 1st Nov at Nunweek #2 turf, at 11am.  This is always a great spectacle of skill, smart hockey and competitiveness.

If you are aware of any Old Girls keen to play, please ask them to register their interest by completing this form

KORU GAMES

While many students were enjoying a well-earned holiday break, our Year 7 and 8 athletes were busy competing at the Koru Games, a multi-sport festival held across Rolleston and Lincoln.

The competition got underway following the Opening Ceremony, with both our hockey and netball teams making strong starts to pool play. The hockey team recorded dominant early wins over Waimate High School (7–0) and Darfield High School (8–0), before a narrow 1–3 loss to Waihi School.

Our 8A Netball team also got off to an impressive start, securing back-to-back victories over Belfast School (18–4) and Waimate High School (18–4), along with a closely fought 9–11 battle against Waihi School. As pool play wrapped up, both teams progressed into the finals bracket, battling not only their opponents but also some freezing temperatures and chilly winds! On the final day, the netball team faced Craighead in their quarter-final, fighting hard through to the end to finish 13th overall.

Meanwhile, the Year 7/8 Green Hockey team faced an all-boys John McGlashan side in their quarter-final and completed a strong tournament campaign, finishing 7th overall.

Congratulations to all of our Year 7 and 8 athletes for representing St Margaret’s College; it’s wonderful to see our younger athletes embracing the challenge and making the most of the opportunity to compete at the Koru Games.  A big thank-you to coaches Owen (Hockey) and Lani (Netball) for the time and energy they put into their teams across the week, and of course our wonderful SMC supporters.

KORFBALL

Term 4 is set to be another busy one for our Korfball players, with a five-week competition getting underway on 16 October at Nga Puna Wai. SMC will have four senior teams and three junior teams competing, with most teams combining with students from Christchurch Boys’ High School.  Our Junior Korfball players will also have the opportunity to compete at the Junior South Island Secondary Schools Tournament over the weekend of 31 October–1 November, also at Nga Puna Wai.

There is plenty more to look forward to as the term progresses, with some of our students trialling for Mixx NZ teams over the coming weeks; we hope to share some exciting news following those trials.  It is also fantastic to see our coaching staff continuing to be involved at an international level, with two of our coaches set to represent New Zealand in Malaysia in December.

NETBALL – NZSS NATIONALS

Our Senior A Netball team are currently away in Auckland competing at the NZ Secondary Schools Netball Nationals. Qualifying for this tournament is an achievement in itself, and the competition brings together the best secondary school teams from around New Zealand for four days of tough, physical, and highly competitive netball.

The girls have stepped up to the challenge and shown why they deserve to compete at this national level. After some tough results in closely fought matches, the team are now competing for their final placing in the second half of the draw and will finish their tournament on Friday.

The tournament is also a particularly special one for Year 13 Lucy Farrell, who is playing in her final tournament for SMC. Lucy has been a standout contributor to the team throughout the season and, as goal shooter, has played a vital role in the team's success. Her commitment, skill and consistency have been a huge asset to the team, and we are incredibly proud of everything she has contributed.

We wish the girls all the best for their final games.

TENNIS

This Term 4, we are bringing our tennis programme in-house at SMC. This follows a frustrating Term 4 in 2025, with a number of players getting only 1 game due to weather, defaults, and a busy Term 4 schedule. We have decided to take the opportunity to organise our own coaching and games for our tennis players this term, creating a more consistent and engaging experience for our girls.  We are fortunate to have the coaching expertise of Gemma Pepper, who will run our Wednesday after-school coaching sessions, supported by some of our senior students. These sessions will give the girls the opportunity to develop their skills, work on different aspects of their game and then put those skills into practice with games at the end of each session.

Term 4 will also see our junior players compete at the Canterbury Secondary Schools Tennis Tournament, where we will look to defend our Year 10 Singles and Doubles titles from last year.  

VOLLEYBALL

Volleyball gets straight into action in Term 4, with competition starting on the very first afternoon back at school. With 12 teams representing SMC this term, it is set to be another busy and exciting term of volleyball.  This term provides some fantastic opportunities for our junior girls to gain valuable tournament experience and continue their rapid development. Our Year 9A and Year 9B teams will compete at the Canterbury Secondary Schools Championships, while our Junior A and Junior B teams will take on the South Island Secondary Schools Tournament in November.

Our senior teams will also be looking ahead to next year, with their Term 4 competition games counting towards valuable seeding points for the 2027 NZSS Nationals. With plenty to play for, we'll focus on development and build towards another national campaign.

In mid-December, five pairs of our senior players will head to Tauranga to compete at the NZSS Beach Volleyball Nationals. This will be a fantastic opportunity for our Year 13 girls to have one final hit-out representing SMC after such a successful time in the programme.

We also currently have some of our SMC players and coaches away competing for their clubs at the NZ Volleyball Championships in Auckland. Best of luck to you all, and we look forward to some great results here too.

There is plenty to look forward to, and we are excited for another great term of volleyball at SMC.

ZONTA SECONDARY SCHOOL SPORTS AWARDS

At the end of Term 3, SMC submitted 21 nominations for individual athletes and teams for the 2026 Zonta Secondary School Sports Awards.

For more than 30 years, the Zonta Club of Christchurch South has held these prestigious awards to recognise and celebrate local secondary school athletes' achievements. Each October, hundreds of young sportswomen and sportsmen are recognised for their sporting achievements, dedication and commitment over the previous 12 months, with the event proudly supported by School Sport Canterbury.

We are incredibly proud of the 21 SMC nominations and the recognition this provides for our students and teams across such a wide range of sporting codes. Congratulations to all our nominees, and we look forward to celebrating their achievements at the awards.

We are proud to announce the following girls and teams have been selected as FINALISTS in their category:

Contribution to Sports Administration

Elizabeth Cooper Netball Umpire

Bronny O'Sullivan Netball Umpire

Most Outstanding Achievement in One Sport

Lexi Boon Indoor Cricket

Deliah Brown Volleyball

Emma Crawford Cycling

Ciara Hartland Cricket

Tracey Hsia Table Tennis

Abbey McCormack Young Water Polo

Julia Mitchell Volleyball

Daisy Thake Indoor Cricket

Best All Rounder

Ciara Hartland Hockey and Cricket

Most Outstanding Team

Senior A Netball Netball

Senior A Volleyball Team Volleyball

St Margaret's College 1st XI Cricket

CELEBRATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

INDOOR CRICKET – LEXI AND DAISY

Lexi Boon (Year 11) and Daisy Thake (Year 12) have been enjoying a fantastic campaign in South Africa at the Junior Indoor Cricket World Series, helping their team win a silver medal after a strong tournament in which they dropped only a handful of games.

What an outstanding achievement for Lexi and Daisy, competing on the international stage and representing SMC with such distinction. We are incredibly proud of their efforts and this fantastic result!

DIVING – ANNABEL DUTTON

Over the holidays, Annabel (Year 12) competed in the three-day National Diving Skills Competition at Level 4, competing across all three boards – 1m, 3m and 5m.

Annabel produced an outstanding performance, achieving the highest individual scores on both the 1m and 3m boards. Her combined results across all three boards gave her the highest overall aggregate score, earning her a well-deserved Gold Medal.

What makes this achievement even more impressive is that Annabel only started diving in January this year. Progressing so quickly and achieving the highest overall score at a national competition in such a short time is phenomenal.

5KM TEKAPO RACE - SASCHA MITCHELL

Well done to Sascha Mitchell, who has continued her blistering form over the holidays, taking out the Tekapo 5km Road Race.

Another impressive result from this SMC superstar! Congratulations, Sascha, on a fantastic achievement.

SWIMMING – NEW ZEALAND SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Lyla O'Sullivan, Charlotte Dunne (Year 9), Kathy Gai (Year 10), Lily Dunne and Olivia Vivian  (Year 11) all competed at the New Zealand Short Course Swimming Championships, held in Christchurch for the first time at the city’s new aquatic facility.

All five girls swam extremely well over a busy week of racing, competing against some of New Zealand’s top swimmers and gaining valuable national-level experience.

Olivia Vivian enjoyed an outstanding championship, winning two Age Group bronze medals in the 200m Breaststroke and 400m Individual Medley, as well as an Open bronze medal in the 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay. Olivia also helped set a new Canterbury Open Record as part of the relay team.

Charlotte Dunne also had a fantastic meet, claiming two Age Group bronze medals in the 50m Freestyle and 100m Freestyle.

Olivia’s busy few weeks continue, as she heads off to the Swimming New Zealand Youth Development Camp for another five days of training and development.

RUGBY LEAGUE – MORGAN AND MILA

Mila Rule and Morgan Lowe were selected for the Canterbury Bulls U14 Girls Rugby League team, competing in Nelson from 3–4 October at the One NZ Warriors South Island U14 Tournament.  The team went through the tournament undefeated, showcasing some impressive rugby league along the way.

Adding to the celebrations, Mila Rule was named in the Tournament Team, recognising her outstanding individual contribution throughout the competition.

Congratulations to Mila and Morgan on a fantastic tournament and a great achievement representing Canterbury. 

EQUESTRIAN – SPRINGSTON TROPHY

Over the holidays, seven SMC Equestrian girls represented their individual clubs at the prestigious Springston Trophy, held across Rakaia and Ashburton.  Although the girls competed for their own clubs, plenty of SMC spirit was still on display, with the girls supporting one another and celebrating each other’s successes throughout the weekend.

Well done to Bella Cook, Molly McKenzie (Year 9), Emi-Lee Elvy, Ruby Lemon (Year 10), Lexie Patchett, Sophie Gibb and Alice Hawkins (Year 12) on a fantastic weekend of riding. It was wonderful to see so many of our equestrian girls competing at such a high level and proudly supporting one another along the way.

CANTERBURY U16 HOCKEY – NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

During the holiday break, six SMC students represented Canterbury at the U16 National Hockey Tournament in Christchurch. This new event on the Hockey New Zealand calendar gives our young players an exciting opportunity to gain valuable tournament experience and compete against some of the best U16 players from around the country.

Representing Canterbury were Maisie Diver, Kaia Hartstonge and Isabella Slattery-Shannon (Year 10), along with Grace Jones, Lily Taylor and Jessica Gearry (Year 11).

The team finished top of their pool and continued their strong form throughout the tournament, securing a place in the final. They were the only South Island team to make the top four, an outstanding achievement in a highly competitive national tournament.

The team went on to claim a silver medal, capping off a fantastic tournament and recognising the players' hard work, commitment and effort throughout the week. A fantastic achievement for our SMC girls and an exciting opportunity for them to continue developing their hockey at a high level.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

12th October - Monday night Volleyball starts

21st October - Sports Awards Evening

22nd October - Year 0-6 Athletics - St Margaret’s Field

29th October - Zonta Awards

1st November - Hockey - SMC Old Girls game 

6th - 8th November - Volleyball - Junior Canterbury Championships

10th/11th November - Cricket - Year 7 & 8 Festival

17th - 19th November - Volleyball - Junior South Island Championships - Christchurch

18th & 19th November - Tennis - Junior Canterbury Championships - Wilding Park

19th - 22nd November - Water Polo - Junior South Island Championships - Christchurch 

25th November - Year 7 & 8 Athletics - Canterbury Primary Schools

29th November - Cricket - Willows Cricket match

15th - 17th December - Beach Volleyball - NZ Secondary Schools Nationals - Mt Manguanui