Happy New Year to you all and I hope that you have enjoyed a fulfilling Christmas and New Year break. I have started this earlier than in previous year’s with school only just returning because there seems to have been so much going on in what has traditionally been a quiet time for news. Again I make the plea if there is news you would like to share please pass details on to me on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Events
Your Association Committee is yet to meet this year but will shortly do so and develop a range of events following a similar pattern to recent years. I hope that with early notice we will see increasing numbers supporting the Association by getting along to our various functions.
Our Annual Dinner and Sports Day has been increasingly popular and so at the end of last year I looked to organize a cricket match for Old Boys with Rugby, Football, Basketball, Volleyball & Hockey using all the facilities in September a match then had not been possible.
On Sunday January 19th more than 40 ex-1st XI players assembled at Ian Craig’s private ground at Matapihi for 2 T20 matches and a BBQ lunch cooked by Max Heimann. Some of the cricket was impressive with those present including first TBC captain Mike Sandlant and more recent skippers Eddie Hudson, Andrew Burn & Shane Cunliffe. Coaches of the teams there included Ian Campbell, Brent Elton, Max and yours truly. The day was an outstanding success and it looks like this will become an annual fixture. Check out the www.tbcobaorg.nz website for photos of the event.
Remembered Fondly
Marilyn Hadley passed away after a short battle with cancer. Marilyn had worked tirelessly in the school office since the 1980’s and will be sadly missed. Her two boys Kris and Aaron are both Old Boys of the College.
Old Boy and 1st XI cricketer of the mid 1980’s Robbie Neilson passed away Christmas Day. He was a highly respected accountant who was a Partner in the recently merged BDO firm in Tauranga.
An even more recent sporting Old Boy Blair Kiddle also passed away New Year’s Day while diving at Motiti. Blair was member of the 1st XV and also the volleyball team that won the national championship. After a career in the NZ Police Force Blair completed a law degree and was a Director at Lyon, O’Neale and Arnold.
Old Boys Academic
Michael Hoy is one of TBC’s latest Ph.D. successes but at the very young age of 22. Michael completed his secondary schooling at TBC aged 14 and continued to Waikato University where he graduated with a degree in engineering at 18. Awarded a scholarship to the University of New South Wales Michael has now completed his doctorate and continues to work at the university as a research fellow.
Ben Jackson is beginning a PhD through the University of Waikato about selective laser melting. Ben has been recruited by TIDA (Titanium Industry Development Association) to complete this work and is the first engineering and materials science PhD student to be based in the Bay of Plenty.
Kadin Lucas has just completed an M.Sc. thesis from Waikato University in which he completed seismic surveys of the Taranaki Basin to complete paleogeographic maps of what the area has looked like through the last 65 million years. He begins working for Woodside Petroleum in Perth shortly.
Kurt Payne has just graduated from top Auckland fashion school, New Zealand Fashion Tech and has landed a dream full-time job at The Warehouse working in QA with the women’s fashion team.
Old Boys Sport
Sailing
There have been a significant number of impressive performances/announcements from our sailing Old Boys in the last 3 months.
An 18 strong NZL sailing team for 2014 has been announced which includes 4 Old Boys - Peter Burling, Tom & Jason Saunders and Sam Meech.
Peter Burling (along with Blair Tuke) was named winner of the prestigious 2013 Sailor of the Year Sir Bernard Fergusson Trophy after taking out the Young Sailor of the Year from 2006-8 & in 2011. This was after being awarded the Supreme Award at the Bay of Plenty Sports awards. Since then Peter and Blair have signed on to the Emirates Team NZ for the next America’s Cup and will share skipper duties with Dean Barker.
Cricket
Kane Williamson is enjoying a golden summer with 5 consecutive half centuries in the ODI series against the top ranked Indian side.
Daniel Flynn has led the Northern Knights to victory in the T20 HRV Cup.
Joe Carter and Bharat Popli have both made first class cricket debuts for the Knights in the 4 day Plunkett Shield.
Brett Hampton scored a century in Bay of Plenty’s first defence of the Hawke Cup against Hamilton while Tom Clout did the business with the ball taking 4/45.
Tom MacRury scored a maiden 100 for the BOP against Poverty Bay in the Fergus Hickey Rosebowl.
Cameron Neal has also made his debut for the Bay of Plenty team and is in good touch having just scored a Tauranga cricket record 196 for Greerton against his old team-mates on Nicholson Field.
Murray Jarvis celebrated his 25th season of Premier cricket with the Greerton CC.
The impact of TBC on BOP cricket this century has been significant with all of the following having played for the province this century ….
Matthew Drake (left school 2000), Scott Steward, Dan Hill, Dan Flynn & Tavita Levao (2002), Richard Rice (2003), Dale Swan (2004), Tim Clarke, Amandeep Singh & Steven Rae (2005), Dane Sorrenson, Matt Golding Pete Drysdale & Ben Christensen (2006), Shane Wineti (2007), Brian Jurisich, Mitch McCann, Brett Hampton, Bharat Popli, Kane Williamson (2008), Tommy Clout, Sean Davey, Joe Carter, Campbell Thomas (2010), Cameron Neal (2011), Tom MacRury & Alex Oakley (2012) & Ben Musgrave (2013).
Surfing
Matt Hewitt who is now ranked in the world’s top 150 surfers – latest result 5thin the Taiwan Open – is back home and looking to compete in the 2014 Surf Lifesaving Nationals in Gisborne.
Canoe Slalom
The NZ Open canoe slalom champs were held near Palmerston North and Ben Gibb placed second in the C1 with a single touch costing him top placing. He was followed in 3rd by current student Patrick Washer and 2013 leaverCallum Gilbert also came 4th in the K1 event.
Mike Dawson picked up one of the most important wins of his career at the weekend when he blitzed the top-ranked field at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium to win the Australian Open K1 title which doubled as a NZ selection race for the upcoming World Cup & World Champs.
Aussie Rules
Old Boy Adam Simpson has captained the Auckland Hawks to victory in the AFL New Zealand NPC which was contested by teams from Otago, Canterbury, Wellington as well as Auckland. He also plays for the New Zealand Hawksafter taking up the sport 5 years ago.
Football
Tyler Boyd has been making more of an impact with the resurgent Wellington Phoenix scoring his first A-League goal in his sides recent good run.
Rugby
Two players from last year’s 1st XV (Dan Hollinshead & Aidan Ross) have been signed for the BOP Steamers.
Old Boys Arts
Melbourne-based group Bonjah which includes Tauranga lads Glenn Mossop, Regan Diggelman & Dave Morgan were back and played the Okere Falls festival near Rotorua.
Kelly Ballard has just completed his first year at the NZ School of Music in Wellington (A+ for performance) and has been awarded the Jann Medlicott Arts Award by the Acorn Foundation through Creative Tauranga. During the year he has regularly played with The Duke Wellington Big Band.
TBC Arts
Ballroom Dancing
Year 13 student Reece Ratcliffe competed in the Australian Open Championships where he placed in the top 25 dancers.
Talent Quest
Siblings Elijah & Leilani Taula competed in the Talent Quest at the Parachute Music Festival which they won.
TBC Sport
Golf
In his final year at school Charlie Hillier begins as North Island Under 19 champion after already playing for the Bay of Plenty in the men’s interprovincial.Year 12 student Tyler King will look to defend the South Island version that he won in Timaru in 2013.
Sailing
The conveyor belt that is TBC yachting continues to churn out the champions.
Cole Rippey (14) has just won the 90th sailing of the National P class Tanner Cup against the top U 17 yachties from around the country. He came second in the Tauranga Cup. Cole also won National Youth Laser Radials in Nelson.
Team-mate Dylan McKinlay won the 2014 Starling Class National Match Racing Championships and the Caltex Cup for interprovincial sailing.
Fellow student Sam Barrett (with Zac Merton) travelled to Australia where they sailed against 42 other crews in their 420 Nationals which included many of the best sailors from around the world. They placed 3rd overall & 2nd male youth crew in a borrowed boat.
Athletics
TBC gained the silver medal in the 4x100m Senior Relay at the NZSSChampionships. Team members were Ryan Carroll, Johnny O’Donnell, Ollie Ranby & Connor Fifita.
Ethan Holman competed in the Colgate Games in Wanganui which featured the top U 14 sprinters from around the North Island. He won the 100 m. in a time of 11.47 seconds and also silver in the Junior Boys 200 m.
Hockey
Hamish McGeorge has been selected to tour Australia in February with theTiger Turf Under 18 men’s team.
Cricket
The 1st XI is off to play their Super 8 competition for the year with skipperGareth Wallace having played for the Northern Districts under 18 Development team in January. Gareth is grand son of NZ great Merv Wallace.Last year’s captain Ben Musgrave played for the ND under 19 side against the 5 other 1st class Associations and has also made his Senior debut for Bay of Plenty.
Lawn Bowls
Talor Duncan has been selected for the NZ under 18 trans-Tasmancompetition to be held in Melbourne in March.
Volleyball
The Senior A team travelled to the Australian National Championships where they placed 3rd. Individuals competing in the NZ Beach championships wereThomas Reid (gold Under 19) & Caleb Aperahama (silver U 19).
That’s it for now but I’ll be back again before too long with details of how the 2014 school year has begun which will feature external examination results.
All the best for now,
Rob Leslie.
