Senior School Sport 

& Co-curricular

Co-curricular Report

Acting Director of Co-curricular, Mr Joe Priest

The finals season has been in full swing over the last fortnight as well as some significant representative and co-curricular events. During this fortnight we have had students experience the highs and lows of the co-curricular program. It has been an extremely busy end to Term 1.

ISA Swimming

Last Tuesday 9 March the Kinross Wolaroi School Swim Team travelled to Homebush. The team competed in the ISA Swimming Carnival on Wednesday 10 March at SOPAC. We had excellent individual results on the day with 20 swimmers qualifying for the NSWCIS Swimming Carnival to be held next term. Well done to Catie Crisp and Oliver McLaughlin who managed the team well as swim captains and ensured our junior swimmers felt comfortable on the day.

In the team results the Intermediate Girls were the standout age division, taking out 1st place. The Senior Boys and Senior Girls competed well all day finishing in 2nd and 3rd place overall. This led to the overall team placings of 2nd place to the girls, narrowly beaten by Barker College and 4th place to the boys, which is a commendable effort against much larger boys’ schools. 

Special congratulations to Oliver McLaughlin who broke the ISA record for the 50m Back setting a new time of 26.93. 

We wish the swimmers well over the next month as they compete at some major events. Hopefully more good news and results to come.

AICES Hockey Carnival

Last Tuesday 9 March the School had 18 hockey players travel to Wyong to compete in the AICES Hockey Carnival. The weather was hot and humid with the girls playing 160 minutes of hockey on the day. Congratulations to the girls who played in the WAS Open hockey team as they took out the championship on the day. They played a hard-fought final game against Hunter Region to walk away the eventual winners. 

Congratulations to the nine students who have been selected to represent AICES at the NSWCIS trials. We wish the players all the best as they continue the representative pathway. 

NSW Athletics Events

Over the last two weekends Year 11 student, Ben Jones, has competed in the NSW Opens & Junior Athletics Championships. He has achieved some truly outstanding results.

At the Open event Ben ran in the 800m. He finished 10th overall after the heats narrowly missing out on the final running against men. This was an outstanding result ranking him as the second fastest U18 year old athlete in the state. 

The next weekend Ben competed at the Junior NSW Athletics Championships in the 400m and 800m. 

Ben won a gold medal in the 400m in an outstanding time of 48.41. He then backed up in the 800m and won a silver medal. An outstanding achievement that is the result of numerous training sessions.

Camerata Competition

On Friday 12th March KWS held the annual Camerata Competition. The adjudicators commented on the number of advanced musicians that KWS has; they struggled to differentiate winners in the junior division. We all look forward to hearing the performances later in the year at the Camerata Concert. Congratulations to the winners and runners up.

Senior Division

Winner:  Elizabeth Kwa (‘cello)

Runner up:  Matilda Hayes (flute)

Junior Division

Joint winners:  Toby Gough (bassoon) and Kelvin Tang (piano)

Joint runners up:  Ivy Hawker (violin) and William Knight (violin)

(Full article - see Senior School Performing Arts page)

U16 Cricket Grand Final

The U16 Scorchers took on Orange City on the weekend in the U16 cricket Grand Final. Scorchers batted first and knocked-up and impressive total of 4-129. Jamie Anderson (30) and Charlie Condon (49*) ensured that the Scorchers set a competitive target.

Tight bowling from Charlie Condon and Hugh Thompson early on kept the pressure on. This enabled Tom Storer to come on later in the game when the pressure to score was mounting and bowl a match winning spell with 3-4 off 2.2 overs. 

Special thanks to Ewan Powell who has been a dedicated coach over a long period of time at the school. The boys were well looked after this season and it really showed in the mature way, they went about winning this game but then the humility demonstrated after winning. 

(Full article below)

ISA Touch Football

The KWS Touch Football squad are to be commended on qualifying 4 out of 6 teams through to the finals. This was no easy feat as the standard of play continues to improve across all schools each year. 

The girls involved in the program had a day of heartache. Leaving early in the morning to travel to Sydney with hopes and aspirations of an elusive Grand Final win, the girls lost all four games, with two of these games going into drop off. The Touch Football Squad are all to be commended on their sportsmanship and camaraderie in accepting what was a tough day in Sydney. Well done to all girls involved and hopefully next year we can get our hands on one of the elusive ISA Touch Football shields.

Well done to the Senior A team who turned a 13-0 loss against Barker three weeks ago into an 8-6 loss after being all tied up at 4-4 during the half time break. A fantastic turn around in form. 

We wish the girls who have been selected to trial at ISA Touch Trials the best of luck as they continue the season in the representative scene.

(Full article below)

ISA Tennis – Doubles and Singles Championships

Over the last two weekends our ISA tennis team has been competing in the Doubles and Singles Championships against St Stanislaus' College and Scots All Saints College. Congratulations to Kaydn McLachlan and Hayden Ferguson who made it through to the Cup final in the doubles and won convincingly in a final score of 6-2. In the Singles Championships, Kadyn McLachlan and Abbey Tyrwhitt both won their way through to the singles finals. Despite their best efforts they both finished the day as runner up. Well done to the ISA tennis team on a successful season. 

(Full article below)

Rowing – Head of The River

Well done to all the students involved in the Head of the River events on 13 -14 March. The school was well represented over the course of the weekend. This Regatta is arguably the most important event on the calendar for the year in school-based rowing programs.

After a tough and rigorous term of training it was fantastic to hear about the results and see the smiling relieved faces back at school. Well done to the Schoolgirl VIII for reversing the order from State Championships against Queenwood and bringing home the gold medal this time. Congratulations also to the Schoolgirl IV who won gold, taking out the race by a massive 13 seconds. 

Good luck to the team as they head off to Nationals in Tasmania. 

(Full article below)

Cattle Team - Blayney Show

The Cattle Team attended the Blayney Show on the weekend of 6 - 7 March. This is the first event for the Cattle Team since Blayney Show last year. It was a busy day with excellent results.

Junior Judging Day:

• Tom Patton Champion Wool Judge
• Ollie Mendham 1st place 14 years Wool Judging
• Mack Mitchell 2nd place 14 years Wool Judging.

Show Day:

• Taylah Hobbs Red Angus Steer Reserve Champion
• Taylah Hobbs Reserve Champion Parader overall
• Hugh Wilson, Molly Corcoran, Mem Younghusband and Tom Patton all placed in their parader heats.
• Hugh Wilson placed 3rd in 15 – 18 years final.

Interschool Snowsports

If you are interested in your child competing for Kinross Wolaroi in the Northern NSW and Queensland Interschool Snow Sports Events and/or the State Interschools Snow Sports Events please contact Mr Joe Priest. The details are as follows:

Northern NSW and Queensland Interschool Snow Sports Event – Monday 28 to Friday 2 July

The following events are on offer in three divisions.

Alpine GS, SBGS, SX, SBX and Moguls

State Interschools Snow sports Event – Monday 23 to Friday 27 August

Alpine GS, SBGS, SX, SBX and Moguls – Must qualify from the above event.

Nominate directly for – Cross Country, Slopestyle Ski and Slopestyle Board. 

Upcoming Events

Wednesday 17 March: KWS vs Canobolas High School – Round 1 of the NSW Junior Chess League

Friday 19 – Sunday 21 March: Music Camp at KWS

Tuesday 23 March: WAS Netball Trials

Wednesday 24 March: KWS Cricket Presentation

Thursday 25 March: Da Vinci Decathlon at Scots All Saints College

Thursday 25 March: KWS Cross Country Carnival

Thursday 25 March: Open Mic Night  - Year 7 & 8

Friday 26 March: ISA Touch Trials

Week 10: Camps Week

2021 NSW Head of the River Rowing Success

Our Schoolboy Head of the River on Saturday was a very hot, humid day - something we aren't very used to out here in Orange. The boys were fantastic, a huge congratulations to our Year 8 and Year 9 crews who continue to surprise us. 

BRONZE - Our Year 8 3rd Quad came 3rd in the final, after not being aware the start had actually started these boys performed a miracle! What an excellent achievement for Charlie Hall, Henry Hunt, Mitch Coleman, Nick Tancred and Max Blair. 

SILVER - The Year 8 1st Quad came home with a Silver Medal - well done to Lachie Watts, Tom Day, Ollie Smith, Oscar Cleary and Henry Baker. 

SILVER - The Year 10 Eight was a highlight of the day! These boys have only been in their 8 together for a few weeks, their excitement, attitude and morale pushed them over the line to receive a 2nd place medal. Huge effort from these boys! A very exciting future ahead for them all. Congratulations to Zach Annett, Henry Molloy, Willow Carter, Harry Maslin, Magnus Cleary, Fletcher Smith, Ethan Shaw, Will Chamberlain and Taylah Hobbs. 

GOLD - Our Year 9 boys had an excellent day of racing. The Year 9 1st beat their PB by 2 seconds which is fantastic. Our super Year 9 boy Angus Croft managed to pull so hard he snapped an oar! It's nice to see the boys get off the water still smiling. Well done on a great season to all those boys. The Year 9 3rd Quad was most impressive - bringing home a GOLD medal! Congratulations to Jack Lane, Clancy Lawler, Harry Hazelton, Gus Peterson and Ollie Smith. 

BRONZE - Our Schoolboy Four - Alec Hoskin, Charlie Neville, Nick Brown, Harry Houghton and Lucinda McCarten came 3rd in their final. We look forward to seeing these boys in Tasmania next week!!

BRONZE - Last but not least - the race of the day was our Schoolboy Eight. A very emotional race for many of our Year 12 Rowers. For what was suppose to be an enjoyable experience - our boys managed to bring home a BRONZE medal. Awesome job by all boys, Congratulations to Louis Maxwell, Oscar Harding, Alex Brown, Sterling Graham, Harry Houghton, Nick Brown, Charlie Neville, Alec Hoskin and Lucinda McCarten. 

Sunday was another HUGE day of exciting races. The hot weather disappeared but the rain was coming all day long...

The Schoolgirl HOTR was one of the most successful in history! We walked away with the Overall Senior Point Score Trophy, Schoolgirl 1st VIII Trophy and Schoolgirl Four Trophy!

GOLD - Our Schoolgirl Eight made history! The first Schoolgirl 1st VIII to win the Head of the River at KWS. I am sure all of those who were there can agree it was a very exciting race to watch, down to the very last minute. I look forward to seeing what these girls can achieve next week in Tasmania at Nationals. A big congratulations to Sally Carter, Ella Kirby, Lucy Scammell, Lucy Searle, Annabelle Woods, Hannah Richardson, Freya Neville, Bella Scammell and Georgia Robson. 

GOLD - The Schoolgirl Four won their race by a mile! A huge effort, and an incredible season for all these girls. This trophy hasn't been won by Kinross in nearly 10 years - very proud of all their efforts. Congratulations to Georgia Sweetapple, Liv Fredriksson, Ayla Ryan, Audrey Gill and Cailan McKay. 

Our Year 8s were superb in the morning. The rain was torrential but no matter what they managed to keep hold of their oars! (most the time). ALL Year 8 crews made the A final which is an incredible effort. 

GOLD - Congratulations to our mighty 4th quad, Issy Loyd George, Hannah Jones, Liv Martin, Georgie Lawson and Georgie Zatta. An incredible two races placing 1st in both!

SILVER - Congratulations to two fantastic races completed by Sienna Wilkin, Liv McColl, Lulu Clinton, Tessa Wong and Izzy Pearce. 

Our Year 9s had some of the toughest competition of the day. Congratulations to two of our crews who were competing against each other in the final! A race of the season from the Year 9 1st Quad winning the B Final - congratulations to Tessa Lawson, Tara McCormack, Hannah McKay, Phoebe Neville and Zoe Bird. 

Kinross girls shine at Orange Running Festival

Well done to Mercede Cornelius Feltus, who finished 3rd in a time of 24.28, and Lucy MacMaster, who finished 4th in a time of 24.56 (1st and 2nd in their age category) at the Orange Running Festival on Sunday 7 March. The race was 6km – three laps of Gosling Creek Reserve with 142 female competitors.

Water Polo Report 

A lot has been happening in the world of water polo this term.

Captain of Water Polo

Hugh Squire has been elected Captain of Water Polo. Hugh has been playing water polo since he started at Kinross Wolaroi a few years ago. He is enthusiastic and skilled and is respected by his peers in the Open Division. Hugh is ably supported by the many other seniors who also demonstrate great leadership, with some seniors being rostered on to skipper their respective teams on each round.

Try-Sports

We have enjoyed running sessions for most Year 7 students this term, introducing them to some basic skills and a sense of what the game is like. A huge thank you must go to the senior players who helped out with these sessions, especially Sam Durkin and Lara O’Brien who ran multiple sessions.

Water Polo Skills Clinics

An U18 skills and coaching clinic was held earlier this month with approximately 15 Kinross Wolaroi players attending the two days of workshops and games. The players were coached by former Olympians Nikita Williams and Alicia McCormack, who both live locally. It was a great opportunity to hone their technical skills and to learn some new techniques, particularly in the area of goal-shooting and counter-attack. All players improved their skills noticeably over the weekend, and their positive attitude and desire to learn was commented on by the leaders and other coaches. 

We were also very fortunate and grateful to have three members of the local Jets club attend one of our senior training sessions recently. Michelle and Bec worked with our female players to help them develop their skills and confidence in defence, while Gav worked separately with the male players on their defensive skills. Jets are the current competition leaders and have some highly experienced players who have played at high levels in the Sydney club competition as well as representing their state and country. It was very generous of these players to volunteer their time to help our players and coaches.

Representative Opportunities

Two of our intermediate players, Brad Kildey and Gordon Suthers, will be travelling to Sydney during the Easter break to play with a Southern Highlands team at the U16 State Water Polo Festival. We are also hoping to continue some training over winter in the hope of sending a team to AICES in Term 4.

Finals

This week is our final round of games before the finals in Week 9. At this stage it looks like we will probably be contesting finals in the Junior, Intermediate and Open B divisions. At this stage it is too close to call in the A Division. We wish all our players the very best in this ‘pointy end’ of the season.

ISA Touch Football Report 2021 Finals 

ISA Touch Football Report 2021 Finals 

What a successful season it was for the KWS ISA Touch Football program. With four out of our six teams making the ISA finals. Congratulations to all the students that were involved in both the program and in the finals series. Results and match reports are below:

Senior Division 1

KWS: 6 – Barker: 8 

Match Report:

Senior A’s played a fast and physical match against a tough Barker outfit in the heat of Western Sydney. The scores were locked at 4-4 at half time. With the skills of all the girls on full display in the first half! The girls started the second half in full flight, but the speed of the game and the heat of Western Sydney unfortunately saw the Senior A Team give up four tries in later stages of the game. Each girl gave tremendous effort in both defence and attack for the entire game. The girls should be very proud of their effort and attitude! 

Senior Division 2

KWS: 2 – Redlands: 3 

Match Report:

Senior B’s were on fire on Saturday at Western Sydney. The girls took the first half to find their groove after adapting to the humid weather conditions, seeing them only score two tries to be even with Redlands. The second half was full of fast paced exciting touch with multiple tries scored off the back of some brilliant quick plays. At full time the score was drawn, seeing the girls going into a drop off where unfortunately they lost 3-2. Each girl played a brilliant game and should be super proud of their performance.

Junior Division A

KWS: 3 – St. Paul’s: 5

Match Report:

A very early 5:30am start for all Kinross teams travelling to Sydney on the weekend didn’t stop them from bringing the energy to their games. The Junior A team were down two tries very early in the first half to SPGS but this did not stop them from hanging in there and fighting back on the score board. In the second half they 'found their groove' and got the score back within one try and, for a good 10-15 minutes the score stayed at 4-3 and it looked to be anyone’s game. With five minutes left SPGS broke the Kinross Wolaroi defence and took the lead with 5-3, holding on to get the win.  Losing a semi-final is truly difficult for anyone to take but the Kinross Wolaroi juniors have learnt from this game and are keen to get back next season to train harder than ever for the next grand final.

Junior Division C

KWS: 2 – Barker: 3

Match Report:

Junior C girls played a hard-fought game against Barker. The girls did extremely well with the score 1-0 at half time to Barker. The girls dug deep and got two tries for the lead. With 3 minutes to go, Barker evened the score, causing the game to go into a drop off. This was a very hard game that the girls defended very well. It got down to three players on the field, Daisy, Erika and Sarah, all fighting hard, when unfortunately Barker scored to win 3-2. Each girl should be very proud of their 2021 season! 

Farewell to our Year 12 students

We would like to bid a fond farewell to India Krause and Kate Dowd, our two Year 12 students who have been a part of the program ever since joining the school. We have enjoyed watching you progress and hope touch football remains a part of your future.

We look forward to seeing the ISA Touch Football program grow from strength to strength again next season. We are very proud of how much the girls have learnt, progressed and dedicated their time and effort in improving their touch football skills and knowledge of the game. 

Cricket Report

All results, scores, draws and ladders can be found here: http://kinrosswolaroischool.nsw.cricket.com.au/ 

The 2020/21 cricket season finished on Saturday with the success of the U16 KWS Scorchers winning the grand final against Orange City. It was a fitting end for the team who were on top of the ladder for the majority of the season. A full match report is found below but a special mention to coach Mr Ewan Powell who has coached our cricket teams for many years and has been a huge positive influence. Well done Ewan and students.

The Centenary Cup KWS White team missed the semi-final by 0.05 of a quotient point. This narrow result typifies much of the cricket played this summer with close results in both the win and loss column from the 1st XI to the U13 Sixers. Given the season started while we were under COVID-19 restrictions, we are grateful that a full, uninterrupted season took place in strong ODJCA, ODCA & BOIDC competitions.

The Wiburd Shield team lost to Northern Beaches CS last week after travelling to Terrey Hills Oval for the quarter final. The team were excellent ambassadors for the school and played with spirit against a talented opposition. Along with the Douglas Shield, the Wiburd Shield exposes our cricketers to a variety of opposition and plenty of playing days (1437 in total across all competitions) to improve their skills.

A huge thank you goes to parents for your support at across the season. Those parents that volunteered their time to score, umpire or even run a coffee are immensely appreciated. Thanks is also due to our School Administration staff that help arrange transport, accommodation, prepare pitches and other logistics to make the season run smoothly. Mr Yeo, Mrs Adams, Mrs Heta, Mr Priest, Ms Anthony and most crucially Mr Wes McDonald and his Grounds Staff have done a tremendous job. Without doubt the most important cogs in the wheel are our coaches. Thanks to the following people for all they have done to help throughout the season:

• Mr Walter Prowse – 1st XI
• Mr David Hunter – 1st XI
• Mr Stuart Crisp – 2nd XI
• Mr John Giuffre – Centenary Cup Blue/T20 Colts
• Mr Matthew Smedley - Centenary Cup Blue/T20 Colts
• Mr Tom Nock – Centenary Cup White
• Mr Tim May – Centenary Cup White
• Mr Ewan Powell – 16 Scorchers
• Mr Cameron Rasmussen – 16 Heat
• Mr Tom Ward – 14 Royals
• Mr Jimmy Maurice – 14 Royals
• Mr Bruce Kerridge – 13 Sixers
• Mr James Larkin – 1st XI & Club Coach
• Mr Rohan Wilson – Club Coach
• Mr Andrew Litchfield – Club Coach

A reminder that the Cricket Presentation Night is on Wednesday 24 March, 5.30pm in the DPA. Invitations have been sent to parents and nominated guests. RSVP is Friday 19 March. We look forward to celebrating the season in full with individual and team awards.

By Ben Ronald (MIC Cricket)

Results

1st XI

Round 13: KWS 125 (J Rasmussen 34) & 57 lost outright to City Colts 134 (M Webster 4/36, W Prowse 2/29, G Cumming 2/31) & 3/50 (M Webster 2/21)

2nd XI

Round 19: KWS 8/86 (H Thompson 25no) defeated Centrals Black 85 (H Forsyth 2/6, J Anderson 2/6, S Crisp 2/14, H Priest 2/19)

Round 20: KWS 89 (S Gee 36) lost to Cavaliers 9/95 (A Tancred 3/12, S Crisp 2/18)

Centenary Cup Blue

Round 14: BYE

Round 15: KWS 127 (A Haling 41) lost to Cavaliers 153 (F Marais 4/18, O Nuthall 2/20, F Doyle 2/37)

Centenary Cup White

Round 14: KWS 83 lost to Cavaliers 3/85 (H Nock 2/17)

Round 15: KWS 90 (J Anderson 28) lost to CYMS 95 (H Nock 5/17, C Slack-Smith 2/11)

16 Scorchers

SF: KWS 8/154 (T Storer 50no, A Pengilly 36, C Condon 28) defeated CYMS Green 111 (H Thompson 3/8, H Nock 2/12)

GF: KWS 4/129 (C Condon 49no, J Anderson 30, H Thompson 25no) defeated Orange City 59 (T Storer 3/4, L McKenzie 2/6, A Baldwinson 2/20)

16 Heat

SF: KWS 69 lost to Orange City 93 (H Priest 3/12, M Johnston 2/7)

14 Royals

SF: KWS 9/108 lost to Orange City Warriors 119 (H Brazier 4/12, T Maurice 3/13)

Match Reports

1st XI v City Colts

Captain George Cumming won the toss and elected to bat in the final regular round of the BOIDC versus Bathurst City Colts. Openers Luke Hunter and Mr Prowse fell cheaply, then Mac Webster (15) got a start before chipping to mid-on. A few single figure scores followed, before the tail wagged with Nelson Shepherd (12), Jono Rasmussen with a run-a-ball 34, and number eleven Arnie Tancred a fighting 19 runs. Dudley Shepherd finished on an impressive unbeaten 20. 

That brought City Colts to the crease needing 126 to win the first innings. The Kinross bowling attack started magnificently, with opening bowlers Cumming and Nelson Shepherd morphing from their customary spin into fire breathing pace bowlers. And it worked, each taking an early wicket to have Colts reeling at 2/16. Then it got better, with a wicket to Tancred, 3 to Webster and 2 to Mr Prowse (including one on the final delivery of Day 1) leaving Colts at an uncomfortable 7/45. 

Hence the KWS 1st XI arrived for Day 2 at Main Oval needing just 3 wickets for their first win in the BOIDC First Grade competition for season 2020/21. KWS hopes soared after Mr Prowse then Webster took a wicket each and the Colts number 11 came to the crease, still 43 runs shy of Kinross’s 125. That No. 11 however proved no fool with a bat, taking risks and belting boundaries in equal measure. Four catches, none of them straightforward, were dropped and with them went KWS’s hopes of victory. City Colts overhauled the target before Cumming snared the final wicket, all out for 134. 

After staring at their shoes for a while the KWS boys lifted their spirits, despite having little to play for, and decided to head out for their 2nd batting innings in an attacking frame of mind. This was heartening to see as they were aware this was the last time this team would play together, in what was perhaps the final appearance in KWS colours for Cumming, Nelson Shepherd and Tom Kiss. This approach was entertaining to watch, with lower rung batsmen enjoying elevation up the order. Sam Gee slashed his way to 10 runs, Dudley Shepherd was unbeaten on 7 and Webster finished on 24 as KWS set a modest target of 48. The match finished with the much-anticipated debut bowling of James Glasson (who’d handed keeping duties to Rasmussen, who despite frequent appealing was denied any caught behind decisions...). Glasson later conceded the 6 hit off his second ball to end the match was a cracking shot!

The team plus parents gathered that evening at the Ophir Hotel to mark the end of the season. Captain Cumming presented coach Mr Prowse with a team gift, plus thanking Dave Hunter, Andy Lichfield, Stu Crisp and James Larkin for their coaching/playing contributions. Mr Prowse in turn thanked all the players for their efforts and improvement over the season. He particularly complimented Cumming on his conduct as Captain, and his contribution to Kinross Wolaroi cricket in general. Winning one and almost another two Bonnor Cup 20/20 matches and being in a winning position in three BOIDC matches really is a record to be proud of in a team of mostly 15-18yr old students playing in Men’s First Grade.  

Rob Webster

Wiburd Shield QF v Northern Beaches CS

A group of 12 students travelled to Sydney to take on last year’s premiers in Northern Beaches CS at Terrey Hills Oval. After plenty of fast food for sustenance and a refreshing dip in Narrabeen Lagoon, KWS won the toss and thought the synthetic pitch looked like a quality strip for a bat. Almost immediately this proved not the case. The NBCS attacked did not let up, bowling very tightly and making it almost impossible to score through the cow pasture outfield. After some cheap wickets, Charlie Condon (24) and Dan Hunter (18) built the first real partnership with some sensible strokes that found gaps over the slip cordon and through mid-wicket. Unfortunately there was not much support for these two and KWS limped to 82 off 37 overs. 

Knowing immediate wickets were needed, Harry Priest duly delivered with a nasty delivery that took out all 3 stumps in the first over to the NBCS opening bat. Things were looking good. Then the defending premiers knuckled down, defending patiently and dispatching anything short. KWS fought hard and made scoring difficult but bowled one bad ball an over that was dealt with. NBCS made the target after 21 overs, ending the KWS tilt at the Shield. 

Ben Ronald 

16 Scorchers v Orange City (Grand Final)

It was a bleak day that had already caused the match to be moved from Riawena Oval to Max Stewart Park. The sky was grey and it was hard to know what to do if we won the toss. As it happened, Captain Archie Baldwinson called correctly and decided to bat. It was hard to know what would be a good score but it was also the idea that runs on the board in the Final would be good.

The outfield had long grass which limited the scoring in contrast to the two regular season games between these top of the table teams which were high scoring affairs. We’d been getting used to good starts so when Tom Storer was dismissed in the first over, in contrast to his half century in the semifinal, we had to build an innings. We lost another wicket soon and Jamie Anderson and Charlie Condon built a partnership to give us a platform. Jamie was dismissed for 30 having seen off the new ball and built the run rate to over 3 ½ an over and we were 3/63. The running between wickets was excellent and showed the communication was also working well with the opposition coach particularly noting twenty to thirty runs were added by great running. He did seem slightly jealous and I don’t blame him.

We have a huge range of options for batting because all players can play a role depending on the game situation. We have players who guard their wicket, players who build an innings and players who can hit quick runs so we had numerous players, at various stages, padded up to come in next. Tom Patton added a few and then Hugh Thompson came in and put on 55 with Charlie to finish out the 30 overs. 4/129 felt like a good total and on another field was likely to be worth 180.

It was unfortunate that this was the first game of the season where we had 13 players, so someone would have to not participate with bat and ball. Depending on the game situation, there were several options here and, as it happened, Cale Slack-Smith was that person. Cale did however play his role exceptionally well by supporting batsmen and was on the field for the whole Orange City innings. His enthusiasm, work rate and encouragement of bowlers and other team members was fantastic and added to the outcome for the team.

We talked about saving every run to put pressure on. This worked so well that Orange City didn’t score a run off the bat until the seventh over and the score was already 2/4. The first wicket was in the third over when the pressure enticed the batter into a big shot which was skied to fly slip where Will Kerr, looking to the sky, was turned left and right but kept his eye on the ball and took an outstanding catch of a spinning ball.

After 8 overs, following their partnership with the bat Hugh Thompson (1/5) and Charlie Condon (1/2) had City reeling at 2/8. Charlie Tink, as keeper, combined with Hugh to take the vital wicket of Angus Cornish for a duck. Charlie also took two more catches with the one to dismiss Tynan Southcombe being particularly good.

The fielding generally was of a very high standard with a great low catch by Tom Storer in gully, a reflex caught and bowled by Archie and catches to Charlie Condon, Tom Patton and another to Archie in gully. The pressure also forced a runout with Tom Patton pouncing on a ball at short mid-wicket for Charlie Tink to affect the dismissal.

The rest of the bowling completed the work started by Hugh and Charlie with Archie (2/20 off 2 overs), Liam McKenzie (2/6 off 4) and Tom Storer (3/4 off 2.2) all taking wickets to not give City any chance to build partnerships. Liam and Tom were particularly good at bowling full and straight and where Tom showed great pace, Liam was very good at mixing his pace to keep batters uncomfortable. It was such a good performance that the wily wicket taking spin twins of Will Fuller and Will Kerr were not needed. Harrison Nock, Angus Pengilly and Tom Patton all added to the pressure with their bowling without taking wickets.

Boundaries were hard to come by so the out fielding by the whole team to reduce runs was great to see. There were often three players running to a ball in the outfield and plenty of people backing up the throws.

It was a comprehensive win and a great way to finish what has been a very good season. It was ‘the stuff of life’ experience and a day that the players are likely to remember for many years to come. To cap it all off, Charlie Condon was named and presented with the trophy for the ODJCA Young Player of the Year. Well done Scorchers! 

By Mr Ewan Powell (Coach)

Swimming

On 14 March three swimmers from KWS club travelled to the Sunshine Coast to compete in the National Open Water Championships 5km event (biggest Open Water team KWS has ever sent to Nationals); Tommaso Cornelius-Feltus, Mercede Cornelius-Feltus and Thomas Pell.

Tommaso moved up the National ranking to place 22nd in the 5km. Thomas was right behind Tommaso moving up 9 places to place 23rd in Australia! Both finished the 5 km in approximately 1 hour 9 mins.

Mercede also moved up the National rankings by 8 places to swim into 18th in

1 hour, 11 mins, 17.18 secs!

A very successful first National Championship for our rookie Open Water team

- Congratulations!

WAS Tennis Championships 

Doubles Championships

Our KWS WAS Tennis representatives travelled to Bathurst on the 6 March to participate in the ISA Doubles Championships against St Stanislas College and Scots All Saints College. The Junior doubles teams were Kaydn McLachlan and Hayden Ferguson, and James Ashton and Dougald Hook. The Intermediate doubles teams were Logan Usher and Max Reidy, and Ollie Churcher and Ollie Wong. The Senior doubles teams were Abbey Tyrwhitt and Grace Birmili, and Will Rawson and Bill Ridley. 

The Junior double teams had a tough start to the draw going up against each other in the first round. Kaydn and Hayden were successful in this match and progressed through to the next round of the cup while James and Dougald went into the Plate competition. The boys fought hard to make the Plate final and sadly lost in a close final score. Kaydn and Hayden made it through to the Cup final and won convincingly in a final score of 6-2. 

Our Intermediate teams had a successful campaign during the competition. Our number one doubles team Logan and Max made it all the way to the Cup final and played against tough St Stanislaus opponents. They came runners up in the Cup final, narrowly losing in a tiebreaker. Ollie Churcher and Ollie Wong also had a successful campaign, winning convincingly in their Plate final. 

The Senior doubles team had very tough competition during the tournament. While both teams played close matches in their respective rounds, their competitors pipped them at the post to make the finals. 

Singles Championships

Our WAS Tennis representatives travelled to Bathurst on 13 March to participate in the ISA Singles Championships against St Stanislaus' College and Scots All Saints College. The Junior representatives were Kaydn McLachlan and Hayden Ferguson. The Intermediate singles representatives were Max Reidy and Ollie Wong. The Senior representatives were Abbey Tyrwhitt and Grace Birmili. 

Our juniors had some good competition during the day. Our number one player Kaydn, made it through to the Cup competition, a massive achievement considering he is only in Year 6. He unfortunately fell short of the final. Hayden progressed through to the plate final for the singles competition and narrowly lost in the final 3-5.

Our intermediate players Max and Ollie gave their best during the competition. Max showed great sportsmanship during his games and only just missed making the Cup final. Similarly, Ollie fought his way into the Cup side of the competition, a great achievement in itself, and unfortunately went down in a close game just before the final. 

Abbey and Grace showed great tenacity on court and put in a great effort for their final WAS tennis competition. Grace showed her ‘never give up’ attitude during her games and had some close rallies but unfortunately missed out on making it to the Plate final. Abbey had a successful singles campaign. She conducted herself with great poise and sportsmanship on court during her matches, making it to the final of the cup where she came runner up.