Media Release: Hilton vs Michaelhouse

Hilton College squared up against their traditional rivals Michaelhouse this weekend in a derby day that has more than a century of tradition. The schools fielded 21 rugby teams and 9 hockey teams, a depth of talent and participation that few schools can manage.

The 1^st team hockey match was a hard-fought struggle. In the first half Hilton took a 2-0 lead through strokes by Hilton's Nick Spooner after a slide tackle and then later the goalkeeper illegally protecting the ball. Hilton threatened to further extend their lead but near misses by Louis Taylor and Ross Chaplin seemed only to inspire the Michaelhouse team. With their spectators in full voice they took the upper hand and scored two superb penalty corner goals by Clinton Panther and David Zwemke and dominated play for twenty minutes. Possibly, the effort to level the scores took its toll and Hilton was allowed back in the picture. Rory Murtagh became the hero of the day when two minutes from time he found himself unmarked in the circle and in a cool and collected manner rounded the keeper and slapped the ball into an empty net. The final score was 3-2- to Hilton. 

The match was umpired by two internationally experienced and qualified umpires, John and Peter Wright. They never put a foot wrong and ensured an incident-free, free-flowing match of superb hockey that kept spectators on the edge of their seats until the final whistle. Our thanks in particular must be extended to Mike du Plessis for making it possible for John and Peter to take charge of this important fixture. Umpire manager Clive McMurray also attended the match and gave both the Michaelhouse and Hilton First teams a briefing on the Friday evening regarding how the umpires would approach the match. This certainly played its part in the great game that was played on the Saturday.

Hilton's Rory Murtagh punching through the defense on his way to score the deciding goal.

Hilton's Rory Murtagh faces a determined Michaelhouse goalkeeper Jake Traehaven.