Howick College have made school history by winning the Premier 1 grade of the Shakespeare Orthodontics Secondary Schools Competition at Auckland Netball Centre for the very first time. Howick defeated reigning champions Avondale College 40-37 on Wednesday night in front of a lively and excited crowd in St Johns.

This year was another fantastic season in the Premier 1 competition with plenty of games going down to the wire and the very best local Secondary School talent on display each week. Led by expert coaches and supported by their school and whānau, these teams have battled it out through 11 tough rounds of competition to reach the final.

Four members of the New Zealand U21 Squad took the court in Wednesday’s final - Priscilla Rasmussen and Lillian Henare-Vaihu representing Avondale College, and Avah Sila and Charlie Lindsay for Howick College.

Howick and Avondale dominated the Premier 1 grade in 2024, both racking up a total of 10 wins and putting on an exciting 38-38 draw when they met each other in the penultimate round.

With the best defensive record in the competition, Howick College impressed all season with their through court pressure and ability to slow down the opposition play, and it was no different against Avondale in the final.

A tight opening quarter saw Howick lead by two goals after the first break. Avondale answered strongly in quarter two and - credit to the sharp shooting of captain Priscilla Rasmussen - found themselves trailing by just one goal at half time. In the second half a few errant passes gave Howick the edge and they stormed into the final quarter with their noses in front. Dynamic defensive duo Avah Sila and Eseta Waqaira gave their fans a show in the last quarter, and despite Avondale nipping at their heels, the smart Howick College players were able to run down the clock in the final minutes to seal the deal.

Rachel Rasmussen, Avondale College Head Coach, said:

“It was an awesome game, we always knew that Howick were going to come out really strong and they are a beautiful team. I think just a couple of personal errors on our behalf was the telling factor in the end. We’ve got four juniors in our mix and only three from last year so I’m really proud of them for getting here from where they started. Bigger picture – we want to qualify for Nationals so that’s our next thing. We would have loved a three-peat but it wasn’t to be – Howick were just too good on the day.”

Adelita Sotutu, Howick College Head Coach, said:

“I am speechless actually after that win. We’ve never won the Shakespeare Orthodontics Secondary Schools competition at Auckland Netball and we’ve only made the final twice so it’s been a longstanding goal of ours to be here and win it. I’m so proud the girls. I think we maybe just wanted it a little more, because we’ve never won it. The girls were all on the same page, they are connected, they are good mates, and they train hard. For the girls who are in Year 13 to win this is amazing, we’ve had some girls who have been here since Year 9, so for them to finish their season supporting the young players and bringing them through, and winning the Auckland Netball Competition for the first time is pretty special. Next for this team we would love to be in the final again for UNISS next week. We won it last year for the first time so the final will be our goal again.”

Both Howick College and Avondale College will play at the Upper North Islands Secondary Schools Netball Tournament next week, an intense five-day competition being held this year at Netball Waitākere from Monday 2^nd – Friday 6^th September.

Photo credit: Michael Bradley Photography

Article added: Thursday 29 August 2024