Without their Captain Mitchell Ottow due to illness, the Westlake 1st XI Hockey team were on the bus to Hamilton early Saturday morning. The team arrived at St Paul’s and after a quick team talk prepared to take on rivals Tauranga Boys. Westlake managed to keep Tauranga’s influential players at bay and were soon ahead after a sneaky tackle by Ben Williams led to a one on one which he calmly slotted away. Goals in the second half were well taken by Jord Glandorf (2) and Benji Edwards to give Westlake a slightly flattering 4-0 score line.
For their fine efforts the boys were rewarded with an evening activity of Go kart racing – Ben Williams getting the fastest lap (parents beware, he’s got faster driving skills than Messrs McCracken and Meredith).
On Sunday, Westlake did not talk about the chance to bring home two important trophies but instead the team focused on tactics and how to beat a very good St Paul’s hockey outfit. With both teams missing their captains, it was Jord Glandorf who opened the score for Westlake with a well taken goal. Keegan Russell, Sachin Chhiba and Peter Felstead managed to add one more each resulting in a 4-0 win and two trophies, the ‘Pitu Family Shield’ and the ‘Bartholomew Cup’.
The Pitu Family Shield is awarded to the best team over the weekend and the Bartholomew Cup, one that is very close to Westlake’s heart, is the school boy hockey equivalent of the Ranfurly Shield, a prestigious national Challenge Cup for New Zealand Secondary Boys School Hockey. The cup is named after the hockey-passionate Bartholomew family who have put hundreds, if not, thousands of hours into Westlake Boys and New Zealand hockey and whose three sons Westlakers Samuel, Joseph and Elliot went through Westlake Boys. Since the inaugural Bartholomew Cup match was played during the annual Winter Sports Exchange against Tauranga Boys College in 2013, only three schools have held the cup so far. Westlake delighted and proud to have the Bartholomew Cup back where it belongs.
