Baywide Season Wraps up and Secondary Begins
Photo: Jenn Slattery-Coffin
One Season ends and another begins.
The 2026 Baywide competition has come to a close after an exciting final round this weekend. It’s been a strong inaugural season full of goals, developing combinations, and plenty of memorable moments for our Bay of Plenty teams.
Final Round Results
Men’s Competition
Mount Maunganui claimed the Baywide Men’s title with a strong 4-2 victory over Tauranga Old Boys United.
BOP Indians defeated Rotorua Aces Men 4-1 to clinch Intercity qualification. Well done to the Indians on a big result when it mattered most.
Otūmoetai Blues defeated Whakatāne Men 2-0 in the battle to avoid the wooden spoon.
Women’s Competition
Whakatāne Women signed off as well deserved champions with a perfect record, enjoying the bye in the final round.
In the two local derbies:
Mount Maunganui pipped Omanu Premier Blues 2-1 in a tight Tauranga clash.
Rotorua Aces Women finally got the win they’ve been building towards, beating Hepi Sports in Rotorua with a goal in the last quarter.
Congratulations to Whakatāne Women on a dominant season and to Mount Maunganui Men on taking out the title. A big thank you to all teams, players, coaches, and volunteers who made the first Baywide competition such a success!
Secondary Hockey Underway
This week also marked the start of the Bay of Plenty Secondary Hockey Competition.
Boys A Grade saw last year’s front runners Rotorua Boys High School (RBHS), Ruamata, and Trident all pick up solid wins, while a young Tauhara side got off to a great start with a win over Lakes.
Girls A Grade was equally competitive, with John Paul College (JPC) and Ruamata securing victories, while Trident and Whakatane played out an entertaining draw.
Full results and standings are available on PlayHQ: Bay of Plenty Secondary Competition 2026
Match of the Week
The standout game was the local derby between Trident High School and Whakatāne High School in the Boys Grading Round.
Trident ran out 4-2 winners, led by captain Riley McConnell, who scored two goals and controlled the midfield brilliantly. However, the moment of the match belonged to Whakatāne’s Ben McPherson, who scored a brilliant tip-in right on the post. We’re told the crowd went wild, well done Ben, what a way to light up the derby!
A huge congratulations to all our secondary school players who took the field this week. It’s fantastic to see so much young talent coming through in the Bay of Plenty Region.
Thank you to everyone involved in the Baywide competition this season. We look forward to building on this even stronger in 2027!
See you on the turfs for the rest of the winter season!
Head to our events page for more upcoming fixtures as well as other BOPHA events or Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know when registrations open, see team announcements, and keep up with the latest happenings.