This week, four busloads and a van of John McGlashan boys and staff headed north at 7 am for one of the most significant events on our school sporting calendar - the winter interschool exchange with Timaru Boys’ High School.
This was a major undertaking, both in time and resources. But as always, the value of interschool sport extends well beyond the scoreboard. It’s about building connections, representing your school with pride, and backing your mates on and off the field.
Timaru Boys’ is a great fit for us, with a shared ethos of commitment, respect, and school spirit. A real highlight of the day was seeing their school community get behind the event. Timaru closed school after Period 2 so students could support their teams, creating a great atmosphere - especially at the 1st XI Football and 1st XV Rugby match, which was played in the superb new Sports stadium. The full-school haka from the Timaru boys on the embankment during the 1st XV game was powerful and memorable.
It’s heartening to see a school recognise the broader value of sport, not just for athletes, but for the culture it builds across the whole school. Exchanges like these help instil pride, promote teamwork, and create lasting memories. They also offer boys the chance to test themselves in new environments and learn from each other.
A huge thanks to all the staff, parents, and coaches who made this happen. Organising and managing McGlashan's 166 boys across a full range of codes is no small task, and your effort is appreciated.
Despite Timaru being twice our size, our boys fronted up across the board, and the final tally was a very respectable 9-3 to Timaru, with two hard-fought draws, and some very close results. 1st Hockey was impressive, as for the last two years, Timaru boys have placed 1st and 2nd in NZ Secondary Schools Nationals.
Results as follows:
Wins:
• Trapshooting
• Junior Hockey
• Chess
Draws:
• 1st XI Hockey
• U14 Rugby
Losses:
• 1st XV
• U15 Rugby
• 1st and Junior Basketball
• Badminton
• Debating
• Hockey 2nds
Well done to all teams. You represented McGlashan proudly, competed hard, and supported each other throughout the day - everything an interschool sport should be.
My personal highlights were Yr8 Tomide describing his Chess game against a Yr 13 as “It was a good loss - I really enjoyed it” and Fergus in Clay target, shooting a magic 50/50, beating a NZU20 competitor.
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