Colours Awards

Colours are awarded to elite sportsmen at Auckland Grammar School on an annual basis. The sportsmen who cross stage have achieved considerable success in their chosen code or codes during this academic year.

We have seen many impressive performances throughout the year from individuals and teams alike. To perform at the highest level requires a dedication and commitment to excellence which is what each of today’s recipients have exhibited.

We respect that in team sports it takes a team to win, but the colours process does not purport to celebrate team success, or team leadership, rather it acknowledges individual sporting prowess.

The Colours Committee made up of senior staff with extensive secondary school sporting knowledge receive and discuss nominations from Premier coaches before voting occurs using the following criteria:

• The student must represent Auckland Grammar School in a competition or event(s).
• Where applicable the student should have gained representative or regional selection and Under 17 or Under 19 level.
• The student’s attitude and discipline on the field during the season has been exemplary.
• The student has performed to the best of his ability in the classroom and has been a role model around school at all times
• The student has maintained an acceptable and justifiable attendance record
• In exceptional circumstances the Colours Committee do consider an applicant who does not qualify from the above criteria on an individual basis.

Students awarded Colours are awarded a Colours tie in their first year of an award.

2023 Colours Recipients

H. C. Aspinall for Hockey

Playing in his third year in the 1st XI Hockey team, Aspinall was a critical member in the team’s success in 2023 and was named as vice-captain.

The team won both the Auckland and Super City competitions before securing the Bronze at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships during Winter Tournament Week, otherwise known as the Rankin Cup.

In July he represented Auckland at the National Under 18 tournament.

Aspinall is also a member of the Premier Golf team.

J. H. T. Choi for Table Tennis

Choi is the Number 1 player in the Premier Team winning all his games throughout the College Sport Auckland Schools competition, alongside being the National Schools Under 19 Individual Champion.

The Premier team won all the team competitions including the Auckland Knock-out Cup, Premier A Grade Team competition, the Auckland Regional Team competition and the National Secondary Schools title throughout 2023.

At the Representative level, he is the North Island Open Men’s Singles and Doubles Champion and the North Island Under 19 Singles and Doubles Champion.

Internationally at the TTA TOUR Canberra competing in the Under 17 and Under 19 Singles categories, Choi was runner-up and at the TTA Tour Geelong Open he was the Under 21 Singles Champion.

He is a New Zealand ITTF Oceania Championship Representative and in 2024, Choi will be vowing for New Zealand qualification for the Paris Olympics.

Choi also the winner of the College Sport Auckland Young Sportsman of the Year award for Table Tennis.

E. P. Craddock for Disc Ultimate

Craddock is a member of the Premier Disc Ultimate team which won the Auckland Outdoor, Indoor and National Championships in 2023.

He is a member of the New Zealand Under 20s Men’s Disc Ultimate team who competed in the Trans-Tasman Series against Australia and Japan in late September and will attend the World Youth Disc Ultimate Championship in the United Kingdom in 2024.

Craddock was also a finalist for Disc Ultimate in this year’s College Sport Auckland Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards.

L. K. Dodunski for Water Polo

Dodunski has been a member of the Premier Water Polo team for 4 years.

He is a hard-working player who was rewarded with selection as the youngest player in the New Zealand Under 20 team to compete at the World Aquatics Men’s World Championships held in Romania in June.

He was also a member of the New Zealand Under 17 team who competed in the Australian State Champs in September.

Dodunski was the winner of the College Sport Auckland Male Water Polo Player of the Year and a finalist in the overall Sportsperson of the Year.

M. M. Duder for Water Polo

Duder has been a member of the Premier Water Polo team for three years and this year he was named as captain, leading the team to third in Auckland, fifth at the North Island Secondary Schools Championships and eighth at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships.

He was a member of the New Zealand Under 17 team who competed in the Australian State Championships in September.

S. W. L. Fisher for Rowing

In his role as Coxswain, Fisher is a leader within the Grammar Rowing programme.

At the Auckland Secondary Schools Championships, he was part of the crew that placed second in the Boys Under 18 Coxed Four and third in the Boys Under 18 Coxed Eight.

At the North Island Secondary Schools Championship, he led the Under 18 Coxed Four to third place.

Fisher’s ability was recognised with selection into the Under 18 North Island Team and the Mainland Interprovincials Auckland Team.

D. J. Freeman for Golf

Freeman has been a member of the Premier Golf team for all five years at Grammar.

He represents Remuera Men in the Auckland Interclub Championships.

He is an Auckland Representative and was an integral part of the Auckland Junior interprovincial team that won the National Championships

At the New Zealand Open Amateur Championships, Freeman made the top eight.

T. R. Howse for Yachting

Howse has been a member of the Grammar sailing team for all five years at Grammar.

This year the team finished second at the Regionals and third at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships.

At the New Zealand Youth Championships, Howse finished second in the 29er, building on what was a successful return from injury.

R. S. Hunt for Basketball

Hunt was the Premier team captain in 2023, leading the team to third in the Auckland Premier Grade, third at the Northern Regional Tournament and sixth at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships.

Hunt represented West Auckland at the Under 17 level and through hard work and dedication, he was selected for the New Zealand Under 17 Men who competed at the FIBA Oceania Under 18 tournament in Papua New Guinea.

T. C. Jones for Cricket

Jones was the captain of the 1st XI Cricket team in 2023, leading the team to 2 traditional wins and third in the Premier competition.

He represents Auckland at the Under 19 level and was selected to represent New Zealand in June, to qualify the Under 19 men through to the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa in 2024.

As a batsman, Jones was a major contributor with an impressive 102 against Indonesia and notable contributions of 92 against Vanuatu and 72 not out against Papua New Guinea.

Jones also won the College Sport Auckland Young Sportsperson of the Year Award for Cricket. 

J. J. Kennard for Swimming

Kennard has continued to impress in the pool.

At the Auckland College Sport Auckland championships, he was part of the team who won Gold in the 4x50m freestyle and Silver in the 4x50m Medley.

At the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships, he gained Silver in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke, along with two Bronze medals in the 50m breaststroke and 200m medley events respectively.

At the New Zealand Short Course Club Championships, Kennard placed first in the 200m Breaststroke Final for 17-18 year olds in a time of 2:11.88, breaking the New Zealand record by 1.4 seconds. This was backed up with a second placing in the Open Final for the same event, racing much older swimmers.

Additionally, he placed first in the 50m Breaststroke, second in the 100m Breaststroke and third in the 200m Individual Medley.

Kennard was selected to represent New Zealand in the Tri-Series in September and will compete in Australia in December.

R. J. Kensington for Yachting

Kensington has had a phenomenal year on the water.

In the 29er, he won the Auckland and the National Championships before finishing an impressive 11th at the World Championships.

In other boats, he helped Grammar to second place in the Regional Team sailing, third in the National Teams Sailing and first in the Harken Keel Boat National Championships.

By winning the Youth Championship for 2023 at the New Zealand Youth trials in the 29er class alongside his brother Sean, Kensington will go to Brazil in December to represent New Zealand at the Youth World Championships. 

Kensington was also a finalist for Yachting in this year’s College Sport Auckland Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards.

S. W. Kensington for Yachting (pictured above)

Alongside his brother Rowan in the 29er, he won the Auckland and the National Championships before finishing an impressive 11th at the World Championships.

In other boats, he helped Grammar to second place in the Regional Team sailing, third in the National Teams Sailing and first in the Harken Keel Boat National Championships.

By winning the Youth Championship for 2023 at the New Zealand Youth trials in the 29er class alongside his brother Rowan, Kensington will go to Brazil in December to represent New Zealand at the Youth World Championships.

Kensington was also the winner for Yachting in this year’s College Sport Auckland Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards.

Y. R. Khushal for Hockey

Playing in his third year in the 1st XI Hockey team, Khushal was named captain and he led the team to both the Auckland and the Super city titles before securing the Bronze at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships during Winter Tournament Week, otherwise known as the Rankin Cup.

In July he represented Auckland at the National Under 18 tournament.

Through his performances, he gained selection into the New Zealand Under 18 Men’s squad.

H. P. Klouwens for Swimming

At the Auckland College Sport Auckland Championships, Klouwens won Gold in the 50m Freestyle and Gold in the 4x50m Freestyle Relay.

At the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships, he was first in the Under 19 50m freestyle qualifying him to represent New Zealand for the Youth Commonwealth Games and and also compete at the Queensland State Championships in December.

At the Youth Commonwealth Games, he was fifth in the 50m freestyle and fourth in the relay.

Klouwens is also a member of the Swimming New Zealand silver squad.

L. J. D. Lepionka for Rugby

Playing in his third year in the 1st XV team, Lepionka was named as captain and he led the team to third in the 1A competition in 2023.

He represents Auckland in the Under 18 category and was part of the Blues Under 18 team, starting at openside flanker. Lepionka is ranked in the top 2 for Number 8 and 7 and was nominated for the New Zealand Schools watchlist which represents the top 60 players in New Zealand.

Lepionka has recently signed with Southland Rugby to continue his rugby development in 2024.

B. J. Li for Snow Sports

Li is a talented Snowboarder. At the Auckland Snowboarding Championships, he won Gold in the Slopestyle and Silver in the Dual Race competitions.

At the North Island Secondary Schools Snow Sports Carnival, he won the trifecta of Gold medals in the Snowboard Race, the Snowboard Dual, and the Slopestyle, to be named the top snowboarder of the competition.

Li was also a finalist for Snow Sports in this year’s College Sport Auckland Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards.

S. N. Lyne for Snow Sports

Lyne is a talented skier and this year at the Auckland Secondary Schools Championships, he won Gold in the Ski Dual and Silver in the Ski Race.

At the North Island Secondary Schools Snow Sports Carnival he won Gold in both the Ski Dual and Ski Race events.

His results, along with his teammates, led to Auckland Grammar winning the top school category for both events.

Lyne was also a finalist for Snow Sports in this year’s College Sport Auckland Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards.

J. A. Mora for Athletics and Cross Country

In 2023, Mora earned National recognition at the Under 20 level in both Distance Running and Cross Country.

At the New Zealand Secondary Schools Road Race in December 2022, he won the 6km race in a record time of 18.13. He followed this up with winning the Auckland Road Race title and guiding the three and six-man teams to Bronze.

On the track, his record-breaking performances continued winning the 1,500m at the Auckland Secondary Schools Championships in a record time of 3.56.06.

His performances in Cross Country are also impressive, with a fourth place at the the Senior National Championships alongside winning the three-man and Silver in the six-man races.

At the College Sport Young Sportsman of the Year awards, Jamie was a finalist in Athletics and the winner of the Distance Running award.

A. T. M. T. Norman Hewlett for Archery

Norman-Hewlett has continued to dominate the New Zealand Archery scene.

He is the Auckland Individual Compound Champion, the Auckland Teams Compound Champion and the Auckland Compound Match Play Champion.

As a New Zealand Under 18 representative at the Trans-Tasman Challenge, Norman-Hewlett won Gold in the mixed teams Men’s Under 18 Compound Matchplay, Silver in the Men’s Under 18 Individual Compound, and Silver in the Men’s Under 18 Compound Ranking round plus the Trans-Tasman Trophy.

At the 2023 World Archery Oceania Championships, he won Gold in the Men’s Under 18 Compound Ranking Round and Silver in the Men’s Under 18 Individual Compound.

Norman-Hewlett was also the Archery winner at this year’s College Sport Sportsman of the Year Awards.

E. M. R. O’Carroll for Hockey

Playing in his third year in the 1st XI Hockey team, O’Carroll was a critical member of the team and as a senior led the team to both the Auckland and the Super city titles before securing the Bronze at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships during Winter Tournament Week, otherwise known as the Rankin Cup.

In July he represented Auckland at the National Under 18 tournament.

A. M. Patel for Hockey

Playing in his second year in the 1st XI Hockey team, Patel was a member of the team that won both the Auckland and the Super city titles before securing the Bronze at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships during Winter Tournament Week, otherwise known as the Rankin Cup.

Patel is a dynamic Midfield and left defender and in July he represented Auckland at the National Under 18 Tournament.

R. A. Patel for Hockey

Playing in his second year in the 1st XI Hockey team, Patel was a member of the team that won both the Auckland and the Super city titles before securing the Bronze at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships during Winter Tournament Week, otherwise known as the Rankin Cup.

An attacking midfielder and striker, he represented Auckland at the National Under 18 Tournament in July.

G. J. B. Pilkington for Yachting

Pilkington has been an integral part of the Grammar yachting Regionals Teams over his five years at Grammar.

This year, he was a member of the team that came second at the Auckland Secondary Schools Championships, third at New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships and first in the Harken Keel Boat National Championships.

He is the New Zealand Youth Champion in ILCA 6 and will represent New Zealand at the Youth World Championship in Brazil in early December alongside Rowan and Sean Kensington.

H. C. Stewart for Hockey

Playing in his second year in the 1st XI Hockey team, Stewart was a member of the team that won both the Auckland and the Super city titles before securing the Bronze at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships during Winter Tournament Week, otherwise known as the Rankin Cup.

Stewart is a solid defender who established himself in central field to set the tone for his team.

In July, Stewart represented Auckland at the  Under 18 National tournament.

J. A. Thomson for Athletics

Thomson has been a key member of the School’s Athletics team across multiple disciplines.

At the Auckland Secondary Schools Championships,  he won Gold in the Javelin with a through of 43.05m. He then backed it up with Gold as a member of the 4×100 team in a time of 43.49.

He is also the School’s Senior Athletics Champion for 2023.

M. W. Tyler for Volleyball

Tyler has been a member of the Premier team for the past three years and this year captained the team to fifth at the Auckland Secondary Schools Championships, first in the Central/West Zone Championships and into Division 1 at the National Tournament finishing 16th overall.

He is a West-East-Central Auckland Under 19 representative and captain. They placed second and Tyler was selected for the tournament team as the best outside hitter of the tournament.

Through strong performances, Tyler has gained selection into the New Zealand A Beach Programme Squad and the New Zealand Junior Men’s Indoor/Asian Volleyball Championships Squad.

Tyler was also a finalist in the College Sport Auckland Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards for Volleyball.

C. P. Wagener for Cross Country

Wagner has continued to emerge as one of the country’s premier sportsman across a number of codes and disciplines.

For Cross Country, he is the Auckland Under 17 Champion and racing up a grade at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships to finish 10th in the Under 19 grade.

He is also a member of the New Zealand Cross Country team.

Wagener has won multiple titles at the Intermediate grade within Athletics, Multisport and Orienteering.

J. M. Woodward for Disc Ultimate

In his second year as captain, Woodward led the the Premier Disc Ultimate team to the Auckland Outdoor, Indoor and National Championships in 2023

He is a member of the New Zealand Under 20s Men’s Disc Ultimate team who competed in the Trans-Tasman Series against Australia and Japan in late September and will attend the World Youth Disc Ultimate Championship in Birmingham in 2024.

Woodward was also the winner for the second year running of the Disc Ultimate award at the College Sport Auckland Young Sportsperson of the Year Awards.