Sport

Girls Cricket – Northern Metro Region Championships

On Friday 6th November, our girls cricket team travelled to Chelsworth Park to compete in the Northern Metro Region Championships after their fantastic achievement of winning the Banyule Division Final.

The girls were drawn in Pool A alongside Kismet Park Primary and Gilgai Plains Primary. Their opening match was against Gilgai Plains, who had received a wildcard entry into the competition. With the winner earning a bye and the losing team required to back up and play Kismet Park, there was plenty riding on the first match.

Unfortunately, the girls went down in a close contest, 136–156, meaning they needed to defeat Kismet Park in their second match to keep their hopes of reaching the grand final alive. They also needed Kismet Park to defeat Gilgai Plains, with percentage then determining who would progress. Despite another fantastic batting effort, the girls were unable to get over the line, going down 127–177.

While the results didn't quite go their way, there were plenty of positives to take away from the day. The girls batted superbly throughout the championships, recording their highest team scores of the season and showing they could compete against some very strong opposition. Unfortunately, some costly bowling proved the difference in the end.

Regardless of the results, every player should be incredibly proud of what they have achieved this season. What makes their journey even more impressive is that only one player in the team plays cricket outside of school. The remaining players had just nine games of cricket experience under their belts before heading into the Regional Championships!

To progress all the way to the Northern Metro Region Championships with such limited experience is a fantastic achievement and a credit to the girls' willingness to learn, improve and work together as a team. They have represented Heidelberg Primary School with great pride and should hold their heads high after a wonderful season of cricket.

Girls Softball – Northern Metro Region Championships

On Wednesday 11th November, our girls’ softball team travelled to the Mill Park Softball Diamonds to compete in the Northern Metro Region Championships.

The girls had a bye in their opening round, giving them the opportunity to watch their opposition and get a feel for the competition before taking the field against Coburg North.

The girls couldn't have asked for a better start, batting superbly to score 8 runs in the opening innings before producing some outstanding fielding to restrict Coburg North to just 1 run. Carrying that momentum into the second innings, the girls added another 7 runs to set a challenging target. Coburg North improved with the bat, but our girls held their nerve to secure a convincing 15–7 victory.

Next up was Pascoe Vale North, who had a couple of powerful hitters in their line-up. Winning the toss, our girls elected to bat first but struggled to find space in the field, finishing the innings with just 2 runs. Pascoe Vale North took advantage, but some excellent fielding kept the margin to just 3 runs. The second innings saw an improved batting performance, with HPS adding another 5 runs while restricting their opponents to just 2. Heading into the third innings, HPS held a narrow 7–6 lead.

The girls were fired up and ready to finish the job. They produced an excellent third innings, scoring 7 runs out of a possible 12 and setting Pascoe Vale North a target of 9. With just four outs needed to secure victory, the girls delivered in style, claiming all four outs within the first five pitches! A fantastic team effort secured their place in the grand final against Viewbank Primary School, the same team they had defeated at District level.

The grand final started brilliantly, with Keira finding the outfield with a superb hit, allowing all runners on base, including herself, to make it home. HPS finished the opening innings with 6 runs and looked to have established an early advantage. Their fielding was again strong, but a costly mishap on the final ball allowed Viewbank to score 3 runs, giving them a narrow 7–6 lead.

The second innings was a little quieter with the bat, but HPS still managed to add another 5 runs to their tally. Once again, the girls looked to have restricted Viewbank to just a couple of runs, but two unfortunate fielding errors late in the innings allowed their opponents to finish with 6 runs and take a 2-run advantage into the third innings.

With time running out, the girls had to rush through their final batting innings. Unfortunately, this affected their performance, and they managed just 3 runs, setting Viewbank a target of 14 to win. Viewbank found the runs they needed within their first three batters, bringing the grand final to an end.

A couple of costly fielding errors ultimately proved the difference in the grand final, but that takes nothing away from what the girls achieved. They competed brilliantly, showed great determination and teamwork, and came incredibly close to a place at the State Championships.

What made their performances even more impressive was the commitment they showed over the past four weeks. Every player took home a softball, glove and bat to practise with, and the improvement in their skills, confidence and understanding of the game was evident throughout the championships. Their attitude towards training and willingness to learn was fantastic.

Congratulations to all the girls on a fantastic campaign. You should be very proud of finishing runners-up in the Northern Metro Region and how brilliantly you represented Heidelberg Primary School!