With thanks to student reporters, Arden Ongley and Ben Humphries

The 1^st XI Cricket Team and the Tennis 8 were very privileged to have been given the opportunity to embark on a tour to Christchurch to play three matches against Medbury School, St Andrew’s College and Waihi School.

A rather sleep deprived cricket side turned up for their first game against Medbury straight off the plane! Due to the boys playing club cricket on the Sunday prior, they had a very early start to catch the plane. The end result was a disappointing 25 run loss to an in-form Medbury team.  Gabe Ross bowled particularly well in the match and had figures of 3 for 18 off his 8 overs.

After the game we were billeted by Medbury on Monday night. We woke in anticipation of an exciting ‘rest day’ ahead,   four hours of surfing at Sumner Beach! The boys loved it as they ‘wiped out’ and got some good rides in the chilly South Island water. It was indeed, an enjoyable day away from the cricket fields and tennis courts. It also gave us an opportunity to see the sights of Christchurch and, sadly, to see some of the lingering devastation caused by the earthquake around the Sumner area.

The next day, we all arrived at St Andrew’s ready for more cricket and tennis, and to also play against the billets that we had stayed with the previous night. The final result this time swung in our favour. Both teams did well, and the cricketers bowled them out for 47 and won by 8 wickets.  Jett Robertson bagged 3 for 12 and Gabe Ross 3 for 11. Nathan Robinson scored 29.  The tennis team also won their games without dropping a single game throughout their matches.

The third and final school that we faced was Waihi School. We started play in the morning mist and by the time the sun had burnt it off, the cricketers had posted a formidable 251 runs after 40 overs.  Max Dudson had a great innings and finished with a very classy 93.  Josh Stephan scored 42 and Will Bason 40.  Bowling highlights included Louie Whata claiming 2 for 10 and Ben McCutcheon 2 for 2. The tennis team won all their games and the overall result was a very definitive win for Saint Kentigern. 

Some of us had an action packed two nights with our Waihi billets. Staying with rural families, some boys went shooting rabbits, driving motorbikes and swimming in freezing irrigation ponds!

As we headed back to the airport, after what had been a great tour, we made a surprise stop at the Cookie Time Factory, where excited boys stocked up on cookies.  

We arrived back in Auckland to see our families waiting for us at the gate and we had plenty to tell! It was a great tour and we think we presented ourselves very well, always displaying our true Saint Kentigern values, on and off the field or court.

Special thanks go to our coaches, Mr Aspinall and Rev Hardie and especially to Mr Grant for organising such a great tour for us.

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