Tauranga Boys‘ College secure historic win

The TBC side won the NZ Secondary Schools Premier title for the first time in Napier on Friday. Supplied photo.

The impressive depth of football talent in Tauranga was abundantly clear last week as Tauranga Boys' College First XI won the NZ Secondary Schools Premier title for the first time in their history.

TBC achieved the impressive first-time accolade in Napier on Friday afternoon, overcoming Hutt International Boys' School 1-0 in a tense final.

The journey to success, at the first Nationals tournament since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, began with a clean sweep of wins in the group stages - 5-0 v Nelson College, 3-1 over St Kentigern College and 5-1 against Christ's College. Striker Alex Searle was the star of the pool stages, his four goals taking his season tally to 38 in total.

Those results saw TBC qualify for the final 16, where they swiftly dispatched of Westlake Boys High School 4-0.

Next up came arguably the standout performance of the entire tournament, as Tauranga City AFC first-team youngsters Mirko Brinkmann, Nathan Rostron and Jonty Bidois starred in a 9-0 romp over regular contenders Mount Albert Grammar.

Xavier Maddox then scored the winner in a tight semi-final triumph over St Paul's Collegiate School, setting up their first national final in 20 years.

Bidois got the ball rolling early, giving TBC the lead with a well-taken header. However, despite a plethora of chances, including a missed penalty, TBC could not stretch their lead.

In the end, they were indebted to the heroics of goalkeeper Troy Taylor, who himself kept out a HIBS penalty, to ensure team captain George Brown lifted TBC's first ever Premier title in the competition's 45-year history.

The win follows the team's Super 8s and Waikato/BOP schools titles and caps a remarkable season in which they have won 20 of their 22 fixtures.

It is only the sixth time a side from outside Auckland has achieved national supremacy but the win will come as no surprise to any football followers in the region who have been tracking the pathways of this group of players - who are ably coached by Alex Bryant and Neil Howard, both teachers at the college.

Both coaches, who have been working together for nine years, were effusive in the praise of their team's achievements.

'We have nothing but praise for the application and dedication of the whole squad on and off the field.

'The support they received from parents and old boys has also been excellent and they were overwhelmed with messages of congratulations in the wake of the win.”

The First XI's win was ably backed up by the TBC 2nd XI winning their NZSSFA Final against New Plymouth Boys High School in Taranaki - highlighting the current Tauranga talent pool.

-Article originally published by Mathew Nash/Match of the Bay.

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