Sport News
Intermediate Boy's Cricket
On Monday 28 October the intermediate boy's cricket team headed out to Aspendale Gardens Reserve to play their much-awaited regional semi-final against Koo Wee Rup.
Upon inspection, the ground appeared like a batter's paradise with the pitch looking like an absolute highway accompanied by a lighting fast outfield. Our team unfortunately lost the toss and was put into bowl. From the first ball, the Koo Wee Rup top order made their intentions clear, trying to score quickly and fast.
Despite this, we were able to pick up some valuable early wickets from our quicks Adit and Josh thanks to some outstanding fielding efforts including a diving catch by Mahin to get us going. Even though wickets were flowing early, so were the runs with Koo Wee Rup scoring 80-4 after 10 overs. The game was evenly poised, then what we witnessed was nothing short of a spinners masterclass, with Koo Wee Rup going from 80-4 to all out for 87. Aiyaan and Anmol picked up wickets before Yevin promptly cleaned up the tail. From here on out we never looked back, as our top order got us off to a flyer with Aiyaan making a quickfire 23 and Vidj finally hitting the six he promised to coach Nayeel. Adayat and Yevin then finished the job with Nossal winning by 6 wickets and 6 overs to spare.
As we won the semi-final, our next game, which was the southern metro regional final, was right after this on the opposite ground. Once again, the ground was looking like another nightmare for the bowlers with similar conditions as the ground we played on for the semi-final, only this time wind from Port Phillip Bay was hitting your face as you bowled making the quicks work for their wickets. After having time to wait and rest from our last game, we were finally informed we were playing Patterson River SC in the final.
We won the toss this time around and elected to bowl as it had been working for us thus far in the tournament. However, we quickly met our match when the Patterson Rivers openers came out and played excellent cricket shots without slogging and losing wickets. After 10 overs Patterson River was 86-1, with our team left to rue early missed chances to get this duo of premier cricket lefties out, such as a wicket off a no-ball and dropped catches. Our lone great bowler during this period was Adit, who despite the conditions refused to stray away from a great line and length.
Despite this, our spinners fought hard yet again to get us back into the game with Aiyaan finally getting the breakthrough we needed and Rishith and Yevin picking up 3 wickets each with Dev and Rudra taking clutch catches.
Despite our hard work thus far, Patterson River kept on piling on the runs as even mishits would travel on this pitch as the opposition ended up on 8-159. Regardless of the runs we needed, our openers understood the mountain we needed to climb to get us back into this game. What we witnessed soon after was nothing short of a batting masterclass. Making the most of the favorable conditions, Rishith and Aiyaan piled on the runs sensibly but at rapid speed. In the blink of an eye, we were 140-0 after 16 overs! With Aiyaan and Rishith eventually making match-saving knocks of 77 and 59no each! The running between the wickets was electric and the shot selection was just about perfect throughout their entire partnership. After this, it was smooth sailing as Yevin and Rishith finished the job for us with a whole over to spare. Spirits were high within the team as it was the first time a Nossal cricket team had made it to the state quarterfinals, with our captain Yevin receiving the southern metropolitan region championship flag at the post-match celebration.
The team is now preparing to head to Yarragon to play in the state quarterfinals next Wednesday in the hopes of making Nossal proud yet again.
By Joshua Jansen and Anmol Singh.
Intermediate Table Tennis
Southern Metropolitan Region Finals
24 October 2024
A misty morning marked the start of the regional intermediate table tennis final on 24 October. Arriving early, the intermediate girls' team warmed up with rallies and practice games as students slowly filtered into the Dandenong Table Tennis Club. Prepared to play the strongest team first (MacRobertson Girls High School), nerves were high within the team as we began our matches. After the singles games, we were tied with two wins for each school, leaving the doubles matches to determine the result. Fortunately, we brought home wins for both games, the final matchup leaving a nail-biting finish with a 11-9 final set score and resulting in a 4-2 victory for Nossal.
As we rejoiced in celebration, the gloomy weather lifted outside revealing rays of sunshine.
With a newfound sense of resilience, we played our remaining matches with Mt Eliza Secondary College, Carrum Downs Secondary College and Keysborough College. Each game was eventful with a few smashes and chop shots, as our teamwork and skill shined through, bringing success against every school.
However, something I would like to commend is the incredible sportsmanship displayed by not only my teammates but all the other schools, creating a motivating and positive environment for all players. Going forward I hope we can channel our potential and hopefully bring home another victory at state!
After a flawless victory in district, the Nossal High School Intermediate male table tennis team progressed to the next big stage: Regionals. Nossal started their regionals journey against Kambrya College, as their top four players, Trevin Tirikawala, Harry Zhou, Do Hoang, and Dhiira Slade, won their singles in straight sets and promisingly delivered in the doubles as well starting the day off with a comprehensive win, and set the stage for their remaining matches.
After a well-deserved rest, Nossal went head to head with Dromana Secondary College, where our A1 unfortunately lost his match 3-1; however, our A2, A3, and A4 players delivered a well-deserved win, followed by Nossal's A5 and A6 who promisingly clean swept their doubles, allowing Nossal to progress to their next competition, Frankston High School. Nossal's top four flawlessly won all of their matches to finally progress to the grand final against the one and only Melbourne High.
After hours of suspense building, Nossal was now finally up against their arch-rival. Nossal's A1 unfortunately lost an exhilarating match 3-1, backed by Nossal's A2 and A4; however, Nossal's one and only A3, Do, played a historical match to win his singles and boost Nossal for a chance to beat their all-time rivals.
As the Intermediate girls' team cheered on the sidelines, Melbourne High's coordination, shot selection, and experience were just too much for us to overcome, grasping a 5-1 win against us, marking the end of Nossal's table tennis road at second place.
A huge thank you to Mr. Armistead, who organized countless training sessions, provided constant reminders, and cheered us on from the sidelines, match by match, we were grateful for the opportunity. Best of luck to the girl’s team at the state final!
by Sara Qaium and Arjun Parikh