Kuranui football team aims to strike gold

Kuranui College’s 1st XI Boys football team is aiming to regain the Wairarapa Secondary Schools football title after narrowly missing out in a tight final last season.

The boys held the Wairarapa Secondary Schools trophy in both 2014 and 2015 and are determined to bring it home in 2017. They have already made a great start to this season, securing a number of important wins against strong teams such as Rathkeale and Wairarapa College, and are currently sitting at the top of the table.

To help with their campaign they are taking part in the NZ Secondary Schools football tournament in New Plymouth in September.

“Over the years it’s been a bit of a dream to get the boys to this tournament,” said Kuranui Boys 1st XI Coach Wayne Brasell. “The boys have a fantastic team spirit and enjoy being together. I know they can’t wait to get away and challenge themselves on the pitch against what will be some very tough college sides from around the country.”

The college has implemented a strategic focus around its sporting codes and this has resulted in huge growth in the number of students who have taken up football. For a college of just over 400 students, it now fields three boys and two girls teams.

“Kuranui has been providing us with solid support over recent seasons and that’s been reflected in the results on the field and the number of students now playing the game. We have had to squeeze in another pitch on the college grounds to accommodate the number of boys and girls teams.

“There’s a good bunch of parents and college staff involved in setting the direction of all sports codes at the college so I know that football will keep improving,” added Brasell.

The Kuranui Boys 1st Xl boys squad includes Jordan Blaythwayt, Tyler Brasell, Mason Bretherton, Bailey Edney, Sam Hunter, Brock Loader, Aaron Herrick, Liam Labett, Lincoln Williams, Thomas Watson, Connor Turton, Mack Regnault , Ben Saywell , Jordan Walker and is captained by Sam Locke. The team is coached by Wayne Brasell and Minty Hunter.

The team are looking for sponsorship and fundraising opportunities to help with their trip away. If you can assist: contact Wayne on 0211057088 | bslweq08@xtra.co.nz, or Minty on 0211228903 | minty@nectarine.co.nz