Senior School Sport &
Co-curricular
Tennis report
Round 10 – 21 February
It was a great morning in Orange as our KWS Odds team played SASC Odds and KWS Evens played SSC Evens. Across both singles and doubles matches, all players showed excellent sportsmanship and Tennis etiquette. This round was an important day for the Tennis season, with the playoffs determining which school would win the ISA competition. KWS Odds had a very strong day, winning 13 sets to 6 sets and taking home the title of ISA Tennis Champions for 2026.
Special mentions go to:
- Ollie Fitzgerald- who had a convincing win against his opponent in singles 4-0, 4-0.
- Chloe Badgery – who had a strong win her singles 4-3, 4-0.
- Milli Mackay and Lucy Baldwinson – who both had outstanding performances in their doubles match winning 4-1, 4-2.
- Sam Balcomb and Frankie Mitchell – who had very close sets in their doubles, had a victory in their deciding tie-breaker.
Overall the result from Round 10 was a huge success – well done!
Round 11 – 28 February
The Doubles Championships took place in Bathurst this year with Kinross putting forward two of their strongest teams; Ollie Hyde and Ollie Fitzgerald and Lucy Baldwinson and Milli Mackay.
Each team was placed in a pool, where a round robin style competition was played. Ollie Hyde and Ollie Fitzgerald had great matches in their pool, particularly against SASC 2 team which saw a close 6 all tiebreakers being played out and won.
Lucy Baldwinson and Milli Mackay also had a good start in their pool, having a convincing win over SSC 2 team, 6-2.
The top two from each pool then advanced to the semi-finals. Both Kinross teams made it to the semi-finals which is an amazing feat and put up a good fight in their semi-finals. We look forward to seeing KWS supporters this weekend in Orange for our last matches of the season, finishing with the Singles Championships.
Captain of Tennis – Ollie Hyde
Rugby Courses and Preseason Updates
On Wednesday, 25 February twenty four senior students participated in a highly engaging Rugby Referee Course, strengthening the foundations of the Kinross Wolaroi rugby program by developing leadership, game knowledge, and service opportunities. The course enhanced students’ Rugby IQ, accrediting them to support game days by filling essential refereeing roles, and provided an inclusive avenue for those unable to play, actively stay involved in the sport. It also aligns with the Duke of Edinburgh Award, contributing to students’ service requirements while fostering confidence, community involvement, and a more cohesive rugby culture. Well done to our new student referees.
General preseason training began on Saturday, 28 February, with an excellent turnout from the boys’ program. We highly encourage more girls to come along to future sessions. Preseason is welcoming, supportive, and far less daunting than many expect. While we train hard, we also have a lot of fun. Players and coaches have already demonstrated strong enthusiasm and commitment.
With the School Fair taking place this weekend, General Preseason will resume on Saturday, 14 March. However, Opens Girls (Coach Waterson) and the Selective Summer Squad (Coach Dyer) will train Friday afternoon. Boys U15s (Coach Cleary) will continue their regular Monday schedule. An ongoing reminder: Please ensure players are fulfilling their preexisting commitments and communicating with all staff effectively.
On Saturday, 28 February and Sunday, 1 March, the School proudly hosted Central West Rugby and NSW Rugby for Level 2 Coaching and Refereeing Courses. Congratulations to Kinross Wolaroi staff members Mr Lachlan Barrett and Mr Will Waterson, both earning Level 2 Coaching accreditation. In addition, around 40 regional club representatives also met on campus to review Match Day Guidelines for the 2026 season, highlighting the strength and collaboration of rugby across the Central West.
Kinross Wolaroi School extends its sincere thanks to Jarrod Simpson, Matt Tink, Lamarn Ma'a, Owain Roberts, Central West Rugby, and NSW Rugby Union for the delivery of the recent courses but more importantly for their ongoing expertise and support.
Finally, Kinross Wolaroi Rugby would like to congratulate Triathlon, Touch Football, Cricket, and Rowing programs on their outstanding recent achievements. Your commitment and success inspires the Two Blue rugby community.
#Bluebeforeyou
Mr Angus Brotherton
MIC of Rugby
Triathlon
After more than six months of training for our triathletes over the past two terms, the pinnacle of the triathlon season took place last week when thirty of our students travelled to the Sydney International Rowing Centre in Penrith for the NSW All Schools Triathlon event. After much preparation in the weeks prior, we set off on our travels down to Sydney on the Tuesday afternoon to stay the night before the biggest few days on the Triathlon calendar.
On the first day we had the individual triathlons, with 22 triathletes competing in their own respective solo triathlons throughout the day. The morning began with the six seniors who completed a 400m swim, 10km bike ride and 1.6km run. We had challenging conditions, with a hot and humid day, with the heat setting in early. Our athletes remained resilient, and we finished with some great results, with all our senior athletes finishing in the top 30 for CIS. Next were the intermediate and junior races, which were in the heat of the day. We had many personal bests, and some sprint finishes towards the end, with the highlights being Sam Commins coming 8th in CIS for Intermediate boys and Max Horne coming 10th in CIS for Senior boys. We finished off the day with a trip to Penrith Westfield where everyone grabbed some lunch before senior athletes went to the movies to watch 'Crime 101' while the junior athletes went tenpin bowling.
On the second day we had a complete change of conditions with wet and windy weather rolling in becoming a new challenge for the team to overcome during events. We had three junior, four intermediate and three senior teams competing, with a total of 30 athletes giving their all out on course. Even with the difficult conditions, Kinross Wolaroi still finished strong and came home with many great results, with the highlights including the Junior girls relay with Anna Clunas swimming, Elsie Godfrey-Ryall cycling and Jess Childs running coming 10th in CIS. Followed by the School's highest position over the events being the Senior girls relay team who came 7th in CIS with Georgia Clunas swimming, Anna Childs cycling and Skye Napier running.
We’d like to thank Ms Anderson, Ms Flynn, Iain Jones and the over sea gap students Poppy and Rory for all your support, encouragement and organisation of the event and enabling us to go down and have the amazing experience that we had!
Captains of Triathlon – Anna Childs and Ashton Montagliani
Basketball
Mr Lee Taylor, MIC Basketball
I would like to congratulate all the players that tried out and were selected for the Western Associated Schools team to play in AICES trials in Castlehill Sydney. There were over 60 competitors that were trialed on the day all of which showed strong skills and great understanding of the game.
The Kinross Wolaroi School students that will be attending are representing WAS in the their respective year groups are: Hamish Bailey, Louis Blyth, Billy Irons, Ewan Kerridge, Aston Lett, Joshua Brett, Cooper Martin, Oscar Martin, Thalia Brett, Isla Callaghan, Phoebe Wong.
I look forward to seeing how the WAS teams go when they play in Sydney.
I would like to thank all players in the basketball program for the continued commitment to the program and the way in which they are conducting themselves at training and games. Please continue with this until the end of the season.
Hockey
As the hockey season approaches, it is exciting to see the large number of students selecting hockey as their winter sport. It looks set to be another fantastic season for Kinross Wolaroi Hockey!
All hockey matches and training sessions will be held at the Orange Hockey Complex. Students must catch the bus to attend training. The bus will depart from the school bus bay at 3:40pm and return at 4:45pm, ensuring students are back at school in time for pick-up or bus collections by 5:00pm.
All teams will train on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Matches for the 14s, 16s and 18s teams will be held during the week (days to be confirmed). The 1st and 2nd Women’s teams will play their matches on Sundays.
Students wishing to be considered for selection in the Women’s 1st or 2nd Grade teams must complete the Expression of Interest form on the Hub by Friday, 6 March.
Please refer to the Hub for uniform requirements.
Representative Honours
Last week, a number of our players attended the WAS Hockey Trials in Bathurst, with many earning selection in their respective teams:
U15 Girls:
Miller Byrne (Year 9), Josie Curry (Year 9), Laura Klein (Year 8), Isabelle Provost (Year 9), Marley Mitchell (Year 7), Stella Mitchell (Year 8), Ingrid West (Year 9), Emily Wood (Year 8) and Mila Yabsley-Bell (Year 9)
Open Girls:
Phoebe Hunter (Year 12), Chloe Provost (Year 11) and Clare Wood (Year 12)
Open Boys:
Jock Bowman (Year 8), Freddie Mendl (Year 8), Deven Prasad (Year 9) and Harry Yelland (Year 10) Shadow: Jonathon Wilkinson (Year 9)
These talented players will travel to Pennant Hills for the AICES Championships on Tuesday, 24 March. Congratulations to all students on this outstanding achievement and the opportunity to compete at the next level.
We are also pleased to see a large contingent of our players selected in the Orange Representative teams this year.
We look forward to an exciting and successful hockey season ahead.
Mrs Jane Crellen
MIC Hockey
ISA Touch Football Finals
The ISA Touch Football Finals were held last weekend in Sydney (28 February) and marked an outstanding day of touch football, combining commitment, teamwork, and an incredible overall performance for the Kinross Wolaroi girls. With four out of the five teams making it to the finals, and three of those straight into the grand finals, it was safe to say that regardless of the results this was an outstanding effort from all players.
Division 1 played their semifinals against CCGS 1st team which was an extremely nerve-wracking game as last season KWS Div 1 were knocked out of the semis by the same team. Despite the nerves, all girls brought the intensity and scored 5 tries in the first half. This was an outstanding effort from the team, and it was a great game to watch. Special mentions must go to Maddy O’Brien and Clancy Murray for their efforts in line attack and to Lucy Atkinson and Ava Healey who continue to play without a sub. Aside from a few mistakes in the second half, the division 1 team secured their spot in the grand final and won 11 -4. For the finals, the team were up against Barker who remained at the top of the table throughout the season. This was an extremely close and low scoring game which showcased the high skill level of each team. Despite a few close calls in the first half, the score remained 0 – 0. After a half time chat from Captains Katie Ivey and Lucy Carney, the girls were determined to win and successfully scored off an overlap in numbers. Special mentions must go to Essie Mitchell and Ava Healey who had their best defensive game for the season. Special mentions also go to Maddy O’Brien for setting up the try and for Lucy Atkinson for scoring the only try of the match.
Division 2 advanced straight to the final, where they faced Chev 1sts. Even though the girls were up against a division 1 team, the division 2 team remained composed throughout the match and made little errors. From the outset, they controlled possession and dictated tempo, finishing with a commanding 6–1 win. Their defensive line speed and support play were standouts throughout the match. Not only did Division 2 take out the finals but they were also the only KWS team to remain undefeated throughout the entire season which is a testament to their efforts at training. Division 3 also went directly into the finals, taking on Chevalier College 2nds. Despite playing against a team in a higher division, the division 3 girls kept a fast pace throughout the match. In one of the closest contests of the day, the Division 3 girls edged out a 5 – 4 victory, and all players should be extremely proud of their efforts and determination. The Junior Bs delivered an outstanding performance in their final against SACS Junior A. With sharp ball movement and relentless support play, they secured a convincing 9–3 win, showcasing the strength of the club’s developing talent.
To travel from Orange at 8am, compete across four divisions, and return home at 8:45pm with four grand final wins is an exceptional achievement. A big thank you must go to all players, coaches and supporters for their collective efforts throughout the season. You have all helped set a strong foundation for the future of KWS Touch Football and I cannot wait to see what happens next year!
Emma Sweeney
MIC Touch Football
Rowing
It has been another outstanding and action-packed fortnight for KWS Rowing, with momentum continuing to build at the most important time of the season.
In the second-last weekend of February, a 47-strong Kinross Wolaroi squad competed at the prestigious NSW Rowing State Championships, the largest in the event’s history, with more than 2,000 athletes racing. KWS delivered an exceptional performance, finishing 8th overall on the medal table and claiming the title of top performing school for the fourth consecutive year.
Across the regatta, KWS secured eight medals — three gold, four silver and one bronze which was a remarkable achievement against the strongest school and club competition in the state.
A major highlight was the dominant victory of the Schoolgirl 1st VIII, with Captain of Boats Lucy Reidy stroking the flagship crew to an impressive gold medal performance beating out the recent National record holders Pymble Ladies College in a thrilling race. In the Year 9 Coxed Quad division, two KWS boys’ quads finished 1st and 3rd, outperforming strong GPS heavyweight crews including Shore and King's. This was particularly special as this is the first time Kinross has had two crews on the rostrum in this event.
Another standout result came in the Under 19 Pair A Final, where Captain of Boats Toby Buckland and Hamish Searle produced a composed and powerful performance to claim victory over highly credentialed crews, including Swan River Rowing Club and Sydney University Boat Club.
While racing was unfortunately impacted by lightning delays and cancellations, the squad has responded with renewed focus and determination as preparations intensify for the NSW Schoolboy and NSW Schoolgirl Head of the River in mid-March, followed by the National Championships in Tasmania.
Our sincere thanks go to the outstanding staff who supported the campaign: Coaches Gannon, Roach, Fessey, Stanley-Davies, Pierce, Lee and Mulveney; Head of Sport Ms Reynolds: Gap Staff Mr Rist and Mr Dunnington; our much-loved “Rowing Mum” Ms Caro; and Director of Co-Curricular and Learning Mrs Litchfield. Their professionalism and commitment ensured the 2026 State Championships were a tremendous success for our students. Another shoutout to our bus driver Mr Richard Gallard, who in the chaotic weather snap drove the KWS 28 seater bus up the side of the course to save and transport athletes who got caught in the wicked lightning storm at the start line.
It was also a special moment to welcome Headmaster Mr Kelly to Sydney International Regatta Centre for the first time, with our medallists proudly receiving their awards and sharing podium photos alongside our school leadership.
The squad now turns its attention to the final two regattas of the season, carrying confidence, momentum, and a deep sense of pride in representing Kinross Wolaroi.
We extend our best wishes to all KWS summer sporting teams in their upcoming fixtures, and a special congratulations to Miss Sweeney, her coaching staff and players on their recent success in the Touch Football Finals.
Mr Ben Watt (MIC Rowing)
NSW Waratahs Under 18 Development Squad
Maddy O’Brien and Tiari Delaney represented the NSW Waratahs Under 18 Development Squad on Saturday at Eric Tweedle Stadium, where they took on a touring Canadian club side, the Calgary Saints. The team delivered a convincing victory, with Maddy captaining the squad from number 7 and Tiari starting in the hooker role. Congratulations Girls!
