Hi all,
It's only a week now before TBC Cricket departs for its most ambitious tour yet (19 days in the UK & Paris), so looking to get this winter edition done before we head away. The team plays in Durham, Liverpool, Tunbridge Wells and London in the first 2 weeks of July, as well as watching the New Zealanders play England at the World Cup. So, if you are keen to catch them play check out the TBC Old Boys Facebook page for more details: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tbcoba
Obituary
It has been a sad week for TBC as 1970 Head Prefect and 1st XI Cricket Captain Craig McBride was tragically killed in an air accident in the Wairarapa last weekend. Two planes collided on approach to the Hood Aerodrome near Carterton. Craig had attended the 60th Jubilee where he spoke on behalf of the Old Boys. His father Allan was on the Board of Trustees in the 1970s while younger brother Terry (1968-72) was also an Old Boy.
Events
London Old Boys
With the cricketers in London I am taking the opportunity to run an event for TBC Old Boys on Sunday, July 14th. We will meet at the Blind Beggar in Whitechapel from 5 p.m. with the TBC Old Boys providing some finger food and also buying your first drink. Please pass on this message to any Old Boys you know who are in that part of the world.
Hockey Function
It has been decided that the TBC Hockey Turf will be officially named in honour of Logan Gemming, who passed away in a tragic kite surfing accident early in the year. As a 1st XI player, staff member and 1st XI coach Logan made a huge contribution to the school and this will be a fitting way to remember him. We are planning a suitable event on Saturday, September 14th which would involve Old Boys' games and perhaps a BBQ along with an official naming ceremony. The turn out for Logan’s funeral here at school was amazing and I would hope that we can get a large number of Old Boys along for this occasion. More specific details will follow later but please put this date aside now.
Old Boys Dinner
Our committee met this week and the decision was made not to hold a dinner this year. Attendance numbers in 2017 were a little disappointing and so with time running out in this year we've chosen to postpone until 2020.
TBC Sport
Sports Exchanges
With the Winter sports season in full swing there have been a number of exchanges held in recent weeks.
Westlake BHS
Best TBC result against Westlake was an excellent 3-2 victory for our footballers, although a 5 point loss in basketball was a great result against this powerhouse of the NZ game. The 1st XV led into the last quarter but were pipped 17-22 after an intercept try. The squash team won convincingly 7-1, while hockey were beaten 0-2.
Rotorua BHS
This most traditional of fixtures featured a large number of students and TBC came out victors 6 matches to 5. The Senior basketballers won 116-89, while our Juniors were defeated. In football, TBC were convincing victors with the 1sts winning 7-0 and Under 15s by an even bigger 8-0 margin. The hockey sides were winners at 1st XI (4-1) & Under 15 level (7-0) while our golfers were beaten 1-3. In a televised match the 1st XV were competitive, losing 13-29 while the 2nd XV (10-24) & Under 14 sides (22-54) also lost. The Under 15 team ran out winners 24-7.
St Pauls
This fixture is another major event, with matches being played both in Hamilton and at home. TBC dominated in 2019 with the 1st XI football winning 2-1 and the Juniors 14-0.
All three rugby fixtures were won by TBC with quite convincing margins – Under 16s 34-26, Under 15s 51-5 & Under 14s 67-7. In hockey the 1st XI fixture was a 1-1 draw while TBC Under 15s won 1-0. Junior basketball lost 46-51 while chess, debating and theatre sports were all won by TBC.
Super 8 Rugby
The 1st XV has had a loss to Rotorua BHS, draw with Napier BHS & win against New Plymouth BHS to date, with the following matches to come. Start times are all 12pm for the 1st XV:
29/6 Palmerston North BHS @ Home
4/7 Hamilton BHS Away
27/7 Hastings BHS Away
3/8 Gisborne BHS @ Home
Cross Country
The recently completed BOP championships saw TBC dominate the teams competitions, with our Seniors winning the 3 man event, while in the Juniors and Year 9 contests TBC were victorious in both the 3 man and 6 man teams. Individually, Tom Friskney became our Senior champion, Micah Pugh Junior champion and in the Year 9s it was Jackson Jones who won. His father Aaron was a successful member of the school tennis team in his time at TBC.
Table Tennis
Max Henderson has been selected to represent New Zealand at the 2019 Oceania Junior championships in Tonga. In November he will go to Europe for the International Table Tennis Junior circuit in Hungary and Portugal.
Skeet Shooting
Shawn Gwillim has just returned from Australia where he was named Junior Champion of Champions at their championships. He was 2nd in the Junior 20 gauge and 3rd in 28 gauge shoot. He is now trying to qualify for the North Island Open Skeet Championships.
Cricket
1st XI team member Tim Pringle and last year’s wicket keeper Ben Pomare have both been named in the New Zealand Under 19 team that will undertake a tour of Australia next month.
Volleyball
Scott Shipton has continued his success in his chosen sport after winning the national title with TBC and being named in the NZ indoor and beach volleyball squads. He was captain of the BOP Under 17 team that recently won the provincial championships where he was named in the tournament team and MVP!
Football
Our 1st XI has qualified top school in the region for nationals, which suggests a strong side. Several have been selected for representative football, with Harry Donald and Stan Rust named in the Under 19 NZ Secondary Schools squad and Jordie Toy in the Under 16 side. Riley Bidois has been picked in the New Zealand Under 17 training squad.
Hockey
The 1st XI hockey team has three members who have been selected into the Midlands Under 18 representative side and a further 2 who were in the team last year who have left school. They are Matt Pinkerton, Sam Britain and Felix Creighton-Syme, while Ethan Larsen and Connor Garner were Year 13 in 2018.
Old Boys Sport
Canoe Slalom
Callum Gilbert has begun the ICF World Cup canoe slalom event in the Lee Valley near London in fine style, placing a creditable 5th in the final.
Football
After playing 6 games for the All Whites in 2014/15 Tyler Boyd has changed his allegiance to the United States, which he can do through his American mother. He has been selected to play in the Concacaf Gold Cup tournament and scored 2 goals against Guyana in a 4-0 victory.
Bowls
Alex Reed has been selected to represent the North Island in upcoming competition against the South Island.
Rugby
After playing in the winning BOP Under 19 side Leroy Carter and Cole Forbes were selected in the Under 20 All Black team to compete in Argentina. After losses to South Africa and Wales the team will play off for 7th place. The competition at this level is becoming much stronger with the 5th to 8th placed teams including England, Ireland, NZ & Wales.
Aaron Carroll was brought into the Chiefs squad as injury cover late in the season joining fellow Old Boys Aidan Ross, Sam Cane and Nathan Harris. Aaron was named the Development Player of the Year at the Chiefs awards evening.
England has just named its squad for the Rugby World Cup in Japan and Sevens convert Ruaridh McConnochie has been included. Ruaridh was a Gappie at TBC in 2010/11, playing for Rangataua at fullback and since then has gone on to win a silver medal at the Rio Olympics with the Great Britain team. He gave away the Sevens game to play for Todd Blackadder’s Bath side – a move which seems to have been a very good one!
Triathlon
Lachie Haycock has had a successful year in Triathlon. He won the New Zealand Junior Sprint in February before placing 2nd in the Junior Division at the Oceania Championships in Tasmania. He has been selected in the New Zealand Junior team to compete in Switzerland later in the year.
Speedway
The 2018/19 speedway season at BayPark was done and dusted some time ago but they have just had their prizegiving, where Trent Amrein cleaned up. He was 1st in season points, 1st in the highest feature points and also won the Bay of Plenty Championships.
Sailing
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are back in their 49er boat in Europe looking to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and it has not taken them long to get back to winning ways. In just their third event they won the European Championships in Weymouth, with all of the top sailors competing. Old Boy Trent Rippey and Josh Porebski placed 12th in the same field. In the Nacra 17 Jason Saunders and Gemma Jones placed 2nd in the medal race to finish 7th overall.
Sam Meech is currently the #1 ranked Laser sailor in the world, after collecting silver medals in all 3 events he’s competed in this year, which included the European Championships in Porto.
League Touch
The NRL Touch Premiership has begun this year, with the Warriors entering men’s and women’s teams. TBC Old Boy Carlos Savage has been included in the Warriors squad for this inaugural competition.
Rowing
Jordan Parry claimed a bronze medal in the Quad at the World Rowing Cup in Poznan, Poland this week, while Mahe Drysdale & Hamish Bond rowing in the 8 claimed a fourth in a very successful event where NZ won 4 gold medals.
E-Sports
Old Boy Ryan Holt is studying for a Bachelor of Computing and Mathematical Science at the University of Waikato, where he has just been awarded their inaugural 2 Degrees E-Sports Scholarship, which is worth $5,000.
TBC Arts
Super 8 Cultural Festival
A large group of TBC students traveled to Palmerston North for this annual event and the boys came back with a significant number of good placings. Our Junior Theatre Sports group and Peter Gedye in Junior Oratory both secured Super 8 titles, while the Big Band in Group Music and the Senior Drama groups placed second. Our relatively new Pasifika group and chess team both placed third, while Junior Debating were 4th.
Hip Hop
Our Hip Hop crew Apollo has gone from strength to strength and this year came away from the BOP regional competition as winners.
Manu Korero
Our annual competitions saw the following students win their respective sections.
1st in Senior English - Paatua Harawira
1st in Junior English - Hemi Tulemau
1st in Junior Maori - Tupaea Mika
Production
The TBC / TGC annual production is on the last week of June, with TBC responsible for the production of Oliver. A large and talented group of youngsters have been working tirelessly throughout the term and before to produce what I’m sure will be an exceptional show.
Old Boys Academic
Blair Shepherd (2011 Head Prefect and Arts Dux) completed a Law and Politics Degree at Otago University before working for lawyers Holland, Beckett here in Tauranga. He has just won a scholarship to complete a Masters of Laws in Legal Studies at Duke Law School in Durham, North Carolina, where he will be the only New Zealander in a class of 102 students from 41 countries around the world.
If you are not a member of the TBC Old Boys Facebook page look to sign up for more details of what our Old Boys are up to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tbcoba.
Also if you have friends who are not on our database (ie. don't get these e-mails) it would be great if you could drop me a line on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
All the best for now,
Rob Leslie
