The St Peter’s College hockey team put up a spirited effort but was beaten 3-1 by Mt Aspiring College in the final of the South Island mixed teams tournament on Friday.
Fifteen teams from as far away as Nelson took part in the Gore tournament.
St Peter’s beat Garin College 5-1 in the quarterfinal and St Kevin’s College 12-2 in the semifinal.
In the final, Mt Aspiring opened the scoring and the team was up 1-0 at halftime.
Early in the second half, St Peter’s scored to keep the hopes of the large crowd alive, but Mt Aspiring quickly replied.
St Peter’s had no answer for the tight marking of the Mt Aspiring players, who were quick to rob players of the ball as they tried to dribble their way into space.
St Peter’s captain George Hedley (16) said he was pleased with the team’s performance throughout the tournament.
‘‘We improved every single game.’’
Making the final was a ‘‘big tipoff, really good for the team’s culture’’.
‘‘It was a privilege to represent St Peter’s in a final.’’
The team did not have a long lead-up time together before the tournament.
The atmosphere of the final was ‘‘pretty cool’’, with many supporters on the sideline.
Also taking part in the tournament was Gore High, which finished sixth, and Menzies College at 13th.
