■ Once again, the Eastern Bay has continued to punch well above its weight on the sporting field. Locally, regionally, nationally or internationally, the region continues to produce standout athletes who always do their province proud.  There were plenty of proud moments for the province, one of the smallest in New Zealand. Beacon sports reporter Brayden Lindsay highlights some of the top teams from 2025

■ Ōpōtiki winning the EBOP rugby competition
Ōpōtiki began training early and called upon the services of David Te Moana to help their young coaching team, which included his cousin, Tuterangi Te Moana.

They formed a formidable team as they got all the players on board and suffered just one defeat on their way to winning the EBOP premier title. They were the best team all season and had a good group of supporters at every game. Look out for the team this year as they take on a new challenge.

■ Whakatāne High School netball
What a year Whakatāne High School netballers had, winning the EBOP Premier competition with a thrilling win over crosstown rivals Trident High School. They backed that up with an impressive win at the Upper North Island Secondary School Championships in Auckland by taking out the B grade – an honour that earned them automatic promotion to A grade in 2026.

It was an outstanding year for the Al Fenwick-guided team. Expect plenty more in 2026.

■ Trident High School netball
Yes, they may have lost to Whakatāne High School in the local EBOP premier competition, but that fuelled the fire for an impressive finish to the netball season.

They qualified for the national secondary schools championships in Wellington after making the top six at UNISS. The team then proceeded to produce their best showing at nationals with a fourth-placed finish. They will be hoping to at least make the top four of UNISS again in 2026.

■EBOP senior cricket men’s team
It was a season to remember for the senior men’s team as they claimed the 40-over Lakelands competition. The EBOP side were a step above all season and rarely challenged as they played some outstanding cricket. The one-day title is the team’s major target every season and after falling short in the T20 final they would have been chuffed to win the main final. They’re in the hunt again in the 2025-26 season. Don’t count the side out.

■ Trident senior girls’ touch
For the second successive year the Trident High School girls' touch team made the top five at the National Secondary School Touch Nationals in Rotorua.

With more teams than ever before in their division, the girls were faced with more games, and a couple of tight losses were all that stood in their way of finishing in the top four.

Their performance was one to be proud of considering their limited build up.

■ Whakatāne Town Women’s football
This team were a class above all season and simply could not stop scoring goals. They were dominant in their Baywide women’s league, going through unbeaten with only a couple of teams really challenging them. Whakatāne played some incredibly exciting football, and it allowed the likes of Abby Brogden and Emma Owen to shine, scoring close to 20 goals each.

The side featured some up-and-coming young players, and it will be interesting to see how they perform in 2026.

■ Trident High School boys’ hockey
For half of the senior boys’ team, winning the Mayhill Cup during tournament week was the perfect way to go out.  It was a fitting reward for a team that had been strong throughout its secondary school competition.

Playing an attacking style of hockey saw captain Ethan McConnell earn New Zealand under-18 selection. It will be interesting to see how they go in 2026.

■ East Coast Old Girls and Boys Volleyball
Volleyball is a sport that is incredibly popular in the Eastern Bay, especially at high school, and the emergence of the East Coast Old Boys and Girls Volleyball Club has seen high school stars able to play alongside and against some of the best adults in the country.

The creation of this club has seen former players return to represent their home province and it paid off in 2025 as both teams managed to qualify for the national club championships and made the top eight.

Expect something similar in 2026 as volleyball continues to be a popular sport in 2026.

■ Whakatāne women’s hockey
After being pipped in the final the previous year, the Whakatāne women’s team managed to claim the 2025 final in what was a dominant campaign.

They went through the Baywide competition unbeaten and then carried that momentum into the Intercity competition, which featured teams from Taupō.

Whakatāne showed their ability to play together as a team, which proved crucial in their run to victory. Hopefully, the team are back in 2026 and can do it again.

These are but a few of Eastern Bay’s sporting teams who performed exceedingly well in 2025 and will no doubt do the same this year.