Sports round up – August 2026

Adventure Racing

Students and their families competed in the South Island Secondary Schools’ Adventure Racing Championships in Kaikōura across three, six, and 12‑hour race formats. Those to reach the podium were:

• Three-hour Preparatory School team: Archie Gordon, Cole Gordon-Glassford (both Y7), Jackson Cutts, Benji McBride (both Y8) – first Boys Championships;

• 12-hour Mixed school team: Amelia Blockley (Y13) – first Girls Youth;

• Six-hour Year 10 team: Isla Marshall, Jackson Morrow, Ashton Cody, Alice Glover – third Mixed Championship.

The Senior Adventure Racing team, comprising Abigail Scott‑Douglas, Iona Garrett, Amelia Blockley, Joshua Morrow, Toby Wilson, Cohnor Walsh (all Y13), Marija Filipovic, Luke Cleugh (both Y12), competed in the Hillary Challenge six‑hour race, completing a running and cycling rogaine across Hansen Park, Rapaki Valley, and Bottle Lake Forest. The team cleared both courses, recording maximum points in the running stage and the third‑fastest time in the cycling stage to qualify for the Hillary Challenge Final in Tongariro National Park in October.

American Football

Harrison White (Y11) and Adam Beaman (Y13) were both selected to represent New Zealand as quarterbacks in Ironblacks age-group American football teams at the Festival of Football in a series against Australia in mid-July. Harrison made the 16U side and Adam the 18U side.

Archery

Jacob Schouten (Y11) competed at the Australian Archery Youth Nationals in Tasmania, alongside approximately 150 competitors. He won all the events in the U16 division, receiving four gold medals and winning a further non‑medal category.

Following selection to represent New Zealand, Jacob travelled to Auckland to compete at the World Archery Oceania Championships, where he contested the U18 division and recorded two silver medal finishes.

Artistic Swimming

Arielle Swartz (Y8) and Ottelia Mattson (Y9) competed for Canterbury at the South Island Artistic Swimming Championships with their team winning gold in Dolphin Combo, and qualifying for the nationals in September. Arielle was second in Figures for 12 and Under.

Badminton

At the South Island Secondary Schools’ Badminton Championship, the Premier Girls’ team placed second and the Boys’ team was fifth.

Basketball

Ava Jones (Y13) has committed to Santa Clara University in the USA, after accumulating accolades on the regional, national, and international stage. She captained her New Zealand age-group team to both the FIBA Oceania and Asia Cup finals, with the FIBA U17 World Cup taking place mid-year. Ava will be joining the team as a redshirt freshman in January 2027.

Benjamin Marsh (Y12) made his NZNBL debut for the Canterbury Rams, recording three points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in Rapid League play.

Two St Andrew’s teams competed strongly at the Basketball New Zealand Secondary Schools 3×3 Nationals in Wellington. The Boys’ team progressed to the final and finished as national runners‑up with a 7–1 tournament record. The Girls’ team finished sixth overall with a 5–3 record. Benjamin Marsh (Y12) was named in the Basketball New Zealand All‑Star Four at the conclusion of the tournament.

Ava Jones, Nadia de Thierry, Eva Jeffries (all Y13) and Emilia Ainley (Y12) were members of the Canterbury U20 Women’s team which won a national title at the Basketball New Zealand U20 National Championships.

Canoe Polo

At the South Island Canoe Polo Championships, Luke Cleugh (Y12), playing for Wolf Pack, claimed silver in A Grade; Isabella Davies (Y11) and Mila Lovelock (Y10) represented the only female team at the tournament securing bronze in B Grade; Nate Randall and Maxim Taylor (both Y10) were part of the Enforcers team, which won gold in C Grade.

Cross Country

Five students represented St Andrew’s at the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Cross Country Championships, against fields of up to 200 runners.

Results were:

• Tayla Ford (Y10): 19th (Junior Girls), 2nd (Team Relay);

• Diesel Mackie (Y9): 40th (Year 9 Boys);

• Dylan Cooper (Y10): 58th (Junior Boys), 6th (Team Relay);

• Cohnor Walsh (Y13): 66th (Senior Boys), 9th (Team Relay);

• Samuel Hall (Y13): 98th (Senior Boys), 11th (Team Relay).

Fourteen students represented the College at the Canterbury Cross Country Championships, with outstanding performances by Tayla Ford (Y10) who was second in the Junior Girls’ race, and Diesel Mackie (Y9) who was third in the Year 9 Boys’ event. Additional top 10 finishes were recorded by Olivia Copland ninth and Isabelle Tull (both Y9) tenth in the Year 9 Girls’ race; Ashton Harris fifth and Dylan Cooper (both Y10) sixth in the Junior Boys; and Tabitha Ferreira (Y10) eighth and Alyssa Blackman (Y11) tenth in the Junior Girls.

At the Canterbury Primary Schools’ Cross Country Championships, Franklin Rahman (Y7) was first in his race, with additional top‑10 finishes from Theo Nelson (Y6), sixth; Clara Jones (Y7), seventh; and ChloeAnn Botha (Y8), tenth.

Equestrian

Grace Roy (Y11) represented New Zealand at the KRA Cup – CSIJ‑B Seoul, an international event supported by Equestrian Sport New Zealand. She finished seventh overall in her opening round following a formal international opening ceremony.

St Andrew’s College placed ninth out of 19 schools at the Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Showjumping competition. The highest placed individual rider was Amelia Brockhurst (Y10) who was third in the 85cm Showhunter.

At the 2026 New Zealand Dressage Awards, Everley Gilmore (Y10) won the Pony Medium and Above Section of the AMS Pony Rider League and was named National Pony Rider for the series across all levels. Everley was also named Canterbury and national champion in the Pony Elementary to Advanced Medium Section of the Pony Rising Stars League; was champion Level 4 Pony at the Canterbury Championships; and was the highest scoring pony rider at the South Island Championships.

Flag Football

Five students were selected to represent New Zealand at the USA Football Summer Series in Los Angeles in June, competing against international opposition in their respective age groups. Preparatory School teacher and Flag Football

Co-ordinator, Mason Shaw, was appointed Head Coach for the New Zealand U15 Girls’ team. Students selected were:

• U17 Boys: Dustin Shaw (Y12), Toby Park (Y13);

• U15 Boys: Austen Fraser (Y9), Levi Currie (Y10);

• U15 Girls: Olivia Quane (Y10).

Ten Year 9–10 students represented St Andrew’s at the Canterbury NFL U15 Flag Football Championships, winning their competition and qualifying for the national tournament where they finished as national runners-up, in a match decided in overtime in the dying seconds. Levi Currie (Y10) was named Offensive Player of the Tournament.

Golf

Tristan Bi (Y7) won the 2025/2026 Canterbury Golf U13 Order of Merit.

Ice Hockey

Lucas Johnston (Y9) was selected for the New Zealand U16 Men’s ice hockey team.

Inline hockey

Ming Macarthy (Y7) was selected for the U13 Kiwi Blacks inline hockey team.

ISSA Basketball

Preparatory School basketball teams performed extremely well at the ISSA Basketball Tournament playing a fast-paced short-format game. The Year 7–8 Girls’ A team were outstanding, finishing the tournament undefeated in first place, with the Year 5–6 Boys and Year 7–8 Boys both finishing second, and the Year 5–6 Girls third.

ISSA Cross Country

After competing at the ISSA Zone Cross Country the following students qualified for the Canterbury Primary Schools Cross Country Championships: Zoe Johnstone, Liam Botha, Flynn Cutts, Toby Wilson (all Y5), Theo Nelson (Y6), Clara Jones, Arizona Wallace, Franklin Rahman (all Y7) and ChloeAnn Botha, Indi Haydon‑Uren, Matteo Gibbons (all Y8). Franklin Rahman (Y7) placed first in his age group.

Judo

Rowan Weaver (Y7) won gold in the U40kg division at the Canterbury Open Judo Championships.

Karate

Ethan King (Y7) won gold in both Kata and Kumite in the Year 7–8 division at the South Island Schools’ Karate Championships and gold in both Kata and Kumite in the 12–13 Years category at the Canterbury Cup. Ismay Bi (Y4) also enjoyed a successful competition, winning a gold, silver, and two bronze medals across both events.

Kartsports

Louis Smith (Y11) was 34th overall out of 60 competitors at the Australian Karting Championships, featuring some of the top drivers in Australia, qualifying in the top 40 to make the final. Louis was invited to race in Townsville over the July school holidays. Louis also won the Sunbelts Championship, a South Island competition. Maxwell Bird (Y4) was first among 15 competitors in the Kartsport Canterbury Enduro race competing in the Cadet Rok category for 6 to 10-year-olds in their 50 lap race.

Motorsport

Georgia Lewis (Y13) was third out of 25 competitors in the season points championship in her first season in the three-quarter midget class at Ruapuna Speedway. She was also awarded the prestigious 2025–2026 Rookie Driver of the Year at the Christchurch Speedway Association’s prizegiving.

Netball

The Senior A Girls’ netball team made history by achieving promotion to the Premier 1 Senior Netball competition for the second half of the season, securing the Premier 2 title with a 43–34 win over St Nicholas B.

This places St Andrew’s as the only school team competing in the adult Premier 1 league.

Race Walking

Alysa Brown (Y12) represented New Zealand at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Brasilia, Brazil, competing in the U20 grade against experienced athletes from 22 countries. She recorded a season-best time and finished 38th overall.

Road Race

St Andrew’s students recorded multiple top ten finishes at the Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Road Race held in Hagley Park. Students to make the top five were:

• Junior Girls team: first overall in Teams event.

• Junior Girls: Tayla Ford (Y10) – second;

• Junior Boys: Ashton Harris (Y10) – fourth;

• Senior Boys: Cohnor Walsh (Y13) – fourth;

• Senior Girls: Sophie Lampe (Y12) – fifth.

Rugby Club Day

Rugby Club Day on Saturday 13 June was a fantastic occasion, bringing together teams from across the College, with Preparatory School and Junior teams playing in the morning and Secondary School teams in the afternoon. A full programme of fixtures was played on site, providing a centralised day for the wider community. Highlights included a nail-biter 2nd XV win over Christ’s College and a 1st XV victory over St Thomas of Canterbury College.

Rugby

In April, a group of 24 Year 11–13 students represented St Andrew’s in the annual Presbyterian Schools’ Rugby Quadrangular Tournament hosted by Scots College, competing against teams from Lindisfarne College, Saint Kentigern College, and Scots College. The team defended strongly and recorded a comfortable 54–7 win against Lindisfarne College. The final match against Saint Kentigern College was closely contested, with St Andrew’s leading 17–5 at half‑time. Momentum shifted in the second half, and Saint Kentigern secured a 29–22 result.

Secondary School and Preparatory School Cross Country

The annual Secondary School Cross Country and Preparatory School Cross Country events were held in perfect conditions on the College campus on Thursday 14 May, with competitive racing across all year levels. The Boys’ and Girls’ Year Group Champions were:

• Year 4: Cooper Haydon-Uren, Alexandra Harrison;

• Year 5: Liam Botha, Zoe Johnstone;

• Year 6: Theo Nelson, Georgia Blyde;

• Year 7: Franklin Rahman, Clara Jones;

• Year 8: Montgomery Fox, ChloeAnn Botha;

• Year 9: Diesel Mackie, Issabelle Tull;

• Year 10: Ashton Harris, Tayla Ford;

• Year 11: Felix O’Byrne, Hayley Stowell;

• Year 12: Hugo Lewis, Sophie Lampe;

• Year 13: Cohnor Walsh, Abigail Scott Douglas.

Secondary School Sports Exchange

St Andrew’s hosted John McGlashan College and Columba College for the annual sports exchange, with fixtures in rugby, football, hockey, basketball, and netball. St Andrew’s had a three win, two loss, and two draw result with John McGlashan College, with three wins, two losses, and a draw against Columba College.

Squash

George Reynolds (Y11) was selected for the Canterbury squash team which retained its South Island title after winning a Quadrangular Tournament against Midland, Otago, and Southland. George won all three of his matches in straight games and was named the Leading Male Junior for the tournament.

Swimming

Kelicia Purcell (Y9) competed in both speed swimming and artistic swimming at national and international events. At the New Zealand Age Group Swimming Championships, she recorded six top‑ten finishes, including a third placing in the 200m breaststroke after improving her personal best by 7.52 seconds. Within 24 hours, she travelled to Sydney to compete at the Australian National Artistic Swimming Championships, recording her highest scores to date across Figures and Routine events, including a routine completed without penalties.

Twenty Secondary School students represented St Andrew’s at the Canterbury Secondary Schools’ Swimming Championships achieving nine top‑three individual placings and two relay podium finishes.

• First placings: Keira-Leigh Watt (Y10): Girls’ 14 year 50m backstroke; Hunter Donnithorne (Y9) Boys’ 13 year 50m backstroke; Edward Garbutt (Y10) Boys’ 14 year 100m freestyle;

• Second placings: Millicent MacIntyre (Y11), Ada Searle (Y10), Catherine Shao (Y11), Keira-Leigh Watt: Girls’ 14 year 4×50m freestyle relay; Millicent MacIntyre, Kelicia Purcell (Y9) Catherine Shao, Keira-Leigh Watt Girls’ Open 4×50m freestyle relay;

• Third placings: Jackson Wallace (Y10): Boys’ 14 year 50m backstroke; Joshua Exon (Y12): Boys’ 16–18 year 50m breaststroke; Kelicia Purcell Girls’ 13 year 50m butterfly and Girls’ Open 100m butterfly; Elliotte-Rose Kesseler (Y9): Girls’ 13 year 50m freestyle; Millicent MacIntyre Girls’ 14 year 50m freestyle; Millicent MacIntyre, Ada Searle, Catherine Shao, Keira-Leigh Watt Girls’ 14 year 4×50m freestyle relay; Millicent MacIntyre, Kelicia Purcell, Catherine Shao, Keira-Leigh Watt Girls’ Open 4×50m freestyle relay.

Preparatory School students competed at the Primary Schools’ Canterbury Swimming Championships, with all swimmers finishing in the top ten in their events. Liam Botha (Y5) secured gold in the Years 5–6 Boys’ 50m butterfly and silver in his 50m freestyle and 50m breaststroke events. Marcel de Wit (Y5) was third in the Boys’ 50m backstroke. In team events, the Years 7–8 Mixed Medley Relay team of Bozan Wang, ChloeAnn Botha, Jack Blyde, and Leona Smart (all Y8) won their event. Bozan Wang added silver the Boys’ 50m breaststroke.

Arielle Swartz (Y7) and Leona Smart (Y8) were selected to represent Canterbury at the New Zealand Artistic Swimming South Island Competition.

At the Wharenui Winter Olympics, Liam Botha (Y5) broke the meet record for Boys’ 10 and Under in the 100m butterfly, previously set in 2006, and the Canterbury record for Boys’ 9 and Under in the same event, which was previously set in 1982. Liam also broke the Canterbury U9 200m backstroke record this season.

Tae Kwon Do

Alexander Mazey (Y7) won gold in the Male Cadet U37kg division at the Kukkiwon Cup in Tae Kwon Do.

Tennis

Juan Lee (Y9) represented the New Zealand U14 team in the ITF World Junior Team Competition Asia/Oceania Final Qualifier in Malaysia. The team recorded ties against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Juan won two of his four singles matches, with a narrow tie‑break loss in his match against Hong Kong.

Marija Filipovic (Y12) was awarded the Canterbury Tennis Grand Prix for Senior Premier Tennis, recognising consistency across the season. This is a significant achievement for a school-aged student playing against adults.

A small group of students represented Canterbury in a Tier 2 tennis tournament in Wellington over Easter Weekend, achieving the following results:

• Juan Lee (Y9): winner Boys U14 singles and finalist, Boys U14 doubles;

• Zoe Kelso (10): winner Girls U16 singles;

• Tom Dawson (Y10): winner, Boys U16 doubles; finalist Boys U16 singles;

• Elina Wang (Y9): winner Girls U14 Sportsmanship Award;

• Juan Lee, Elina Wang, and Yicheng (Raymond) Yan (all Y10): runners-up, U14 team event.

Zoe Kelso (Y10) won the Women’s singles and doubles titles at the Edgeware Club Championships and was named Most Improved Female player.

Timaru Sports Exchange

St Andrew’s hosted Timaru Boys’ High School for the 97th annual winter sports exchange on Tuesday 2 June. Across the 17 fixtures, including rugby, hockey, football, basketball, and badminton, St Andrew’s recorded five wins, two draws, and nine losses, with a range of closely contested fixtures.

Touch

Rosie Gaffaney (Y12) was a member of the Canterbury U21 Mixed touch team which won the national title. She was also named the team’s Most Valuable Player at the Touch Canterbury Opens and Masters prizegiving.

Triathlon

Sophie Lampe (Y12) has had another great season, finishing third overall and first in the U19 category at the Marra Sprint Triathlon at Mount Maunganui, racing against elite competitors over the sprint distance. Earlier in the season, Sophie won the Triathlon New Zealand Junior Series U20 title, securing qualification for the Triathlon World Championships later this year in Spain. She is also currently ranked the top female athlete for Youth Olympic selection, subject to New Zealand securing a qualifying place.

VEX Robotics

More than 100 students from 30 teams competed in the Canterbury Challenge Finals, where the Preparatory School team, The Kitten Klan, comprising Jack Blyde, Zongze (Aaron) Li, Vitek Mencl and Wyatt Petre (all Y8) were second in the VEX IQ Division, and the Senior team, Syntax Error, of George Bissland, Alex Manson, Luke Manson and Hannah Withers, (all Y13) paired up with a Burnside High School team, placing second after a 32–33 final.

Volleyball

Three students were selected to represent Canterbury at the New Zealand Inter‑Provincial Volleyball Championships, with Hamish Bilton (Y11) competing in the Boys’ U17 team, Ana Sloane (Y13) in the Girls’ U19 team, and Riley Blackler (Y13) in the Boys’ U19 team.