Story courtesy of College Sport Media

Wellington College underwater hockey players Cam Jones (year 13), Dominic Heitger (year 13) and Hamish Wright (year 12) are preparing to represent the New Zealand U19 team at the Age Group World Championships in Malaysia.

The trio have recently been selected in the 12-strong squad that travels to Kuala Lumpur in July, to play against their contemporaries from up to seven other countries, these being: Australia, the United Kingdom, the USA, France and Turkey, South Africa and Columbia (unconfirmed).

Expectations are high - and for good reason.

“There are some big expectations put on us – we are expected to come home with gold medals and the trophy,” the trio’s spokesman Cam Jones told College Sport Wellington.

New Zealand are defending U19 champions, winning the last world championships that were held in 2019 in Sheffield, England.

“That has been the theme of the last few world tournaments, they have gone away and come back with some bling, so we hope so to.”

As well as the three Wellington College players, twin brothers Finlay and Oliver Necklen who are first year our of Wellington High School, are in the team.

Cam said that selection for the U19 team has been an ongoing process.

“The squad initially came together in February last year. We started with about 45 players, leading to a series against three U19 Australian teams in Auckland with about 25 players. From there we have had more camps and the group for the World Championships was selected in early April.”

There are also Women’s U19s and Men’s and Women’s U24 teams (four in total) heading to Malaysia, with Cam’s older brother and former Wellington College student Nick Jones in the U24 side.

In the meantime, the players are preparing for the start of the College Sport Wellington Senior Underwater Hockey league, which starts up next week and runs throughout term two.

This year there will be two Wellington College teams, along with teams from Wellington High School, Hutt Valley High School and Hutt International Boys’ School. In the past, there have also been teams from the two St Pat’s schools and Scots College amongst others, but these have fallen into hiatus at present.

“We have A and B teams representing our school this year, and our A team start the year defending the Solomon Shield.”

The Solomon Shield is a challenge shield that the holders put up in every game. Senior Boys games are on Tuesday nights at the Wellington Aquatic Centre.

There is also a Junior Boys grade that plays on Friday nights. They contest the Arnold Shield, which Wellington High School currently holds.

In Winter Tournament Week starting at the end of August there will be the NZSS Nationals in Tauranga. Wellington College last won Nationals back in 2011, but previously won it regularly throughout the 1990s and again in 2005 and 2006. Auckland’s Glendowie college are the current champions.

Cam Jones, older brother Nick and New Zealand U19 teammates Dominic Heitger and Hamish Wright also play for the Crox club, one of three Wellington underwater hockey clubs. The club is run by noted senior player and Wellington College old boy Nick Healy (class of 2013).

As well as playing locally, they play in the North Island Club Championships on King’s Birthday Weekend and then in the Club Nationals in early October.  

Underwater hockey is similar to ice hockey, except, of course, underwater and along the bottom of the pool as its name suggests. Games are fast and furious and run in 15-minute halves with timeouts and three-minute halftimes. A game can typically last 45 minutes – a lot of time to be swimming underwater continuously.

There are 10 players per team, with six in the water at any one time.

The six players in play at any one time play in formations.

“We play a 2-3-1 formation. This means we have two forwards, two wings, a centre and a goalie,” said Cam.

“The goalie is not like a field hockey or football goalie where they sit in the goal the whole time. They rotate with anyone in that middle line. So whenever those players go up for air, the goalie’s job is to go down and take their place.

“I play everything. For the New Zealand team I play wing, for my school team I am the centre.”

Nevertheless, players have to be fit and be strong swimmers. Contact happens, although it’s a non-contact sport, and players mandatorily where wear mouthguards that fit in the mouthpiece around their snorkel. 

Typically, players new to the sport come from a swimming background, but also from field hockey and other team sports.

The sport in Wellington in particular holds mini-leagues for years six to eight students -  often when and how players first get introduced to the sport. “A lot of players who get good and get the chance to play for New Zealand started from mini-leagues.”

By its nature, underwater hockey is a difficult spectator sport, but many games and tournaments are livestreamed.

Article added: Thursday 02 May 2024