Sport
Cricket - 2026 Boys First XI Cricket Tryouts
Preparations are underway for the 2026 Boys First XI Cricket season, with tryouts scheduled for Thursday, 20 November at lunchtime.
Next year, the College First XI will compete in two one-day matches against Monivae College and Ballarat Grammar, with dates to be confirmed early in the new year.
Tryouts are open to students currently in Year 9 and above who are interested in representing the College in the First XI. Players are asked to attend in full PE uniform and to bring their cricket gear to the school cricket nets. Any student unable to attend the tryout due to other commitments is asked to notify the Cricket Captains in advance.
Angus Heazlewood and Grace Potter
Cricket Captains
Netball
It was a cold start this week for our Saturday morning netball players, with our Year 9 – 12 College Vixens taking on Monivae Orange. It was a great win, beating them by 11. The College Vixens worked well together, with many nice passages of plays throughout the court. The other Year 9 – 12 netball team, the College Thunderbirds, took on Baimbridge. This was another good win for College overall, winning by 15. An outstanding player in this game was Felicity Rentsch, who gathered up many intercepts and turnovers in our defence line up, which was then scored from by our shooters of Bella Holmes and Pepper Bowes. The team worked more effectively with one another this week, increasing our support and communication on and off the court.
One of the Year 7 and 8 College Mavericks, coached by Mrs Haldane, went head-to-head with Monivae. Despite a loss, there were many excellent passages of play. Overall, it was Monivae’s effective and useful turnovers that won them the game. An outstanding player was Elodie Cochrane, who worked super hard to keep her team scoring, as well as Leila Robertson, who was a key player in the centre of the court. The other Yr 7 and 8 team, the Firebirds, coached by Ms Dixon, had a great win. They welcomed Annika Fitzsimmons back from injury, and she linked strongly with Evie Templeton to keep the scoreboard ticking over regularly.
The Year 5/6 College Sapphires took on the Coleraine/Dunkeld netball team but, unfortunately, went down by only 9 points. The players are still learning but they are performing really well as a team and getting around one another. This week was one of the better weeks for our College Rubies, especially with the circumstances of not having a bench player and the rain didn’t hold off. The girls showed great improvement from where they started only four weeks ago. Honourable mentions go to Chelsea for her three outstanding goals in GA and to Daisy for her lovely goal in GS. Other valuable players for the Rubies were Rosie and Eloise, for making space around the court and getting countless intercepts. Each player showed determination and teamwork all whilst having big smiles of their faces - showing that they are a team full of fun, learning and great sportsmanship.
Thank you to all the umpires each and every week and thank you to all coaches, team managers and especially parents for getting your kids there every week, it is very much appreciated.
Isabella Malseed
Netball Co-Captain
College Rowers Shine at Dimboola Regatta
College rowers proudly showed off their new zoot suits last weekend, with the new design making waves at the 135th Dimboola Regatta on Saturday, competing alongside more than 180 athletes on the Wimmera River.
Crowds lined the riverbanks to cheer on the 750-metre sprints, where both College and Hamilton Rowing Club crews had an awesome day of racing and plenty of strong results.
The Year 8 and 9 boys’ quad scull was unstoppable in the Male Beginner Coxed Quad Scull, leading from start to finish. Stroked by Henry Horne and backed by Max Malseed, Heston Small and Lachie Oldfield Mann, with Jack Oldfield Mann coxing, the crew held off both the Melbourne Argonauts and their own Year 7 teammates to take the win.
The Year 7 beginners, who have only been rowing for a few weeks, rowed a near-perfect race that impressed everyone watching and showed huge potential for the season ahead.
Max Malseed later joined forces with Teddy Dabernig in the Male Under 15 Double Scull. Despite strong winds, the pair stayed calm and powered home to beat Bendigo’s Everton and Kauter by a narrow margin.
In the singles, Mhairi McDonald kept up her amazing form with a big heat win before facing her younger sister, Louisa, in an exciting final. Mhairi came out on top for her second single win of the season.
The College girls also had a great day on the water. Billie Carmody and Hannah Young took down Richmond to set up an all-Hamilton final against Jacinta Williams and Pippi Mellington from Hamilton Rowing Club, just managing to grab gold. Hannah and Billie then teamed up with Mhairi McDonald and Elsie Brown for double victories in both the Female C Grade and Female Beginner Quad Sculls.
The senior girls' sweep team showed an impressive heat time, flying down the course. After swapping the symmetry of sculling for the rhythm of sweep rowing, the crew has embraced the challenge of rowing as one — each athlete powering a single oar in harmony with their teammates. Well done, Georgina Russell, Belle Wallis, Sophie Hill and Phoebe Baker.
More medals came from the Male C Grade Quad Scull, where Teddy Dabernig, Finlay Hunt, Rupert Merrin and Archie Young, with Camilla Dunstan as cox, rowed a strong race to claim another win for College.
The younger schoolboys’ quad also showed plenty of fight, pushing their older teammates early before the senior crew’s experience helped them power through the finish.
Joining their coaches to round out the day with a big win in the Mixed Division 4 Quad Scull, featuring Claudia Cochran, Paul McDonald (coach), Ben Young (coach) and Jacinta Williams (Class of 2013), coxed by Jack Oldfield Mann, who held off Carrum to take the title.
Next up, College rowers will head to Ballarat for the Schools Regatta, while Male C grade Coxed Quad scull will join Hamilton Rowing Club and take on the heavyweights at the Head of Melbourne on the Yarra this weekend.