Senior School Sport

Another fortnight of College sport has seen the young men engaged in MCS Summer semi-final action, MCS Winter sports trials and the Senior College Swimming carnival.

Many thanks to the Parents and Carers who have completed the 2021 Senior College Permission form. Participation in all College carnivals, MCS competitions, College Representative teams and Thursday sports programs will be permissible once completed.

A reminder to all parents, there are to be no spectators at these MCS sanctioned sporting events. This guideline will be applied through all MCS Summer semi-finals and upcoming MCS Winter trials and competitions.

Students are to use College transport to and from the games. Umpires and coaches have been instructed to stop games immediately if parents approach venues/sidelines etc and make contact with student teams/groups. This competition requires all stakeholders to abide by the safety guidelines so all teams in all competitions can continue to see the season out.

A reminder to all involved in the upcoming MCS Winter trials, that students will be required to wear all protective gear to participate. Boots and shin pads are compulsory for football trials. Boots and mouthguards are compulsory for league, while shoulder pads and headgear are encouraged, but not mandatory.

Senior College Swimming Carnival

Sensational weather greeted us at Gordon Fetterplace Aquatic Centre on 12 February for the Senior College Swimming carnival. The serious competitors arrived at 7:30am for the 100m freestyle and 200m IM events and we were not disappointed with the results. 

William Winsor of Year 12 broke a 20-year-old record in the Opens 200m IM performing a blitzing swim of 2:31.46 seconds.  Jaxson Smith of Year 8 also broke a 17-year-old record in the U14 200m IM with a swim of 2:29.09 seconds. Looks like Jaxson might be preparing for an assault on the record books in the future.

As the students arrived at the pool, we prepared to move into the 50m freestyle participation races. Mass participation in these events from all age groups kept the students busy and engaged as they challenged each other for vital House points.

We moved through to the Championship stroke events which saw Jaxson Smith break another record in the U14 50m Butterfly, touching the wall in 28.61 seconds, once again adding his name to the College record books.

With restrictions on chanting and House cheers, the Year 12 students got creative and, with their personal masks on hand, indulged in a bit a friendly banter across the pool. Year 12 did a great job at dressing up in the “Best Dressed” competition with some of the boys putting on a show for head judge Mr Nelson.

As we headed towards the end of the day, participation in the Championship events hindered our progress to complete the Age Relays. We did, however, complete the following relays:

Champion of Champions Relay – the fastest 50m freestyle swimmer from each age and each House created a 7-man relay. Each age group swam their respective legs against each other culminating in the Open’s swimming the final leg. 

It was such a close relay, so close it ended in a photo finish. Donovan first in with a time of 3:47.73 over Molloy (3:47.89), Laurentian (3:48.98) and Kilian (4:07.22). 

Congratulations to Cooper Clugston, Jaxon Colman, Andrew Nothdurfter, Luke Cutajar, John Dimech-O’Connell, Tom Ferro and Thomas Grant for winning the Champion of Champions relay for Donovan.

The second of the relays was a Year 12 contest. Dubbed the “Battle of the Codes” as swimmers from College Basketball, Cricket, League and Football teams, represented each House in the 4 x 50m relay. The race was full of energy as Year 12’s engaged in their last ever race at the College representing their respective Houses. Having a mixed bag of athletes swimming, cheers from the remaining spectators boomed across the pool. Eventually, Molloy touched first with a time of 2:14.71 over Laurentian (2:22.17), Donovan (2:22.99) and Kilian (2:26.44).

Congratulations to the following students who culminated the most points in Age Groups to win the Age Champion.

The Champion House will be revealed at the next College Assembly along with acknowledgement of our 2021 College Swimming Age Champions.

MCS Reports

1st XI Cricket (0/76) defeated Greystanes (6/75)

Round 6 saw Andrew Salian and Jared Elphick receive their baggy cap from Luke Morrissey and the announcement of Manoj Weerasingham as Captain. A slow scoring Greystanes reached 6/75 off 20 overs. Andrew Salian took his first wicket with a tidy spell of 1/7. Isaac Gasson and Manoj Weerasingham made quick work of the run chase, Manoj smashing 51 off 24 balls. St Greg's reached the target at the end of the 5th over. 

MVP: Manoj Weerasingham (Donovan)

1st XI Cricket (2/107) defeated Eastwood (4/104)

Eastwood's opening batsmen put them in a strong position for their 20 overs. Our bowling was a little lacklustre, hopefully, the fire in the belly will return for the Grand Final. Manoj Weerasingham and Mathew Canellis made a strong start, however, the run chase wasn't easy and St Greg's managed to reach the total required of 105 in the 19th over. A little too close for the nerves of Mr Morrissey and Mrs Farias. 

MVP: Manoj Weerasingham (Donovan)

Mr L. Morrissey

2nd XI Cricket (10/98) were defeated by Eastwood (3/99)

In our last game of the season, we travelled to Eastwood for a play-off to make the semi-finals. After being sent in to bat we began steadily before a flow of wickets began and partnerships were hard to build. We scratched our way to 98 with Marcus Zapirain top-scoring with 18. Eastwood came out aggressively and our bowling was far from our best, after 11 overs Eastwood had chased down the total and the season came to an end.

MVP: Marcus Zapirain (Kilian)

Mr S. Bullock

3rd XI Cricket 5/65 were defeated by Parramatta Marist (2/67)

St Greg’s won the toss and batted first. After a slow start, St Greg’s ended up on 67 after their 20 overs. Parramatta was able to chase it down in the 9th over with 2 wickets down. 

MVP: James Sykes (Kilian)

3rd XI Cricket 5/85 defeated Fairfield (10/66)

St Greg's 3rd Grade stepped up strongly when they took on the top team from Patrician Brothers, Fairfield in the semi-final of the Second Grade division. St Greg's batted first and challenged by a very slow outfield managed to reach 5/85. Top run-scorers were Kian Boyne (30) and Brodie Roth (23). With the knowledge that runs were tough to come by, 3rd Grade worked hard with the ball to limit the run-scoring off their bowling. Accurate bowling at the wicket and an alert field restricted Fairfield to just 66 runs for the loss of 9 wickets off the 20 overs. Notable bowling came from Matthew Levi (3/7), Brodie Roth (2/8) and Sam Shortland (1/12). 

This win sees the 3rd Grade side progress to the Grand Final.

MVP: Kian Boyne (Molloy)

Mrs Julie Sligar

9/10 A Cricket (7/109) defeated Greystanes (9)

The 10A’s had a strong win against a depleted Greystanes side. A late arrival to the ground with only seven players but a win of the toss saw Greystanes elect to bowl the opening innings. With assistance in the field from St Greg's boys, all seven members of the Greystanes team took the ball as the 10A’s reached 7/109. Notable scores were Blake Truman whose three sixes added nicely to his 26 runs, Ben Gregory, 23 and Daniel Canellis with a stylish 18 before being run out. The Greystanes innings started with a first-ball wicket as Lachlan Stanley bowled their opening batsman. The lack of players was felt keenly at this point as the Greystanes team managed just 9 runs before running out of batsman. Notable bowling was Jack Spragg (2/2), Lachlan Stanley (1/4), Coby Holland (1/2), Tim Saunders (4 maidens) and Jai Garvin who took the final wicket on his first delivery. Blake Truman's wicket-keeper skills also added to the quick demise of the Greystanes line-up. The 9A’s are to be commended on their quality sportsmanship in supporting the Greystanes side. A number of 9A’s fielded for Greystanes to assist them to make a good game despite their low numbers. I was extremely proud of the respect shown to the opposition by this group of fine young men. 

MVP: Blake Truman (Donovan)

Mrs J. Sligar

9/10 B Cricket had the bye in Week 3

9/10 B Cricket (4/112) were defeated by Parramatta (128)

St Greg’s won the toss and bowled first. A good opening partnership from Parramatta Marist put them in a strong position and with limited wickets falling, Parramatta finished their innings on 128 after their 20 overs. St Greg’s in response built a few good partnerships that lead them to 4-112 after their 20 overs leaving them 16 runs short. 

MVP: Patrick Salecich (Molloy)

7/8 A Cricket (1/38) defeated by Greystanes 35

St Greg’s won the toss and elected to bowl. Bowling highlights included Matthew Fitzgerald’s 1-6 off 4 (2 maidens), Aidan Richards’ 0-6 off 3, Ashton Haycock’s 2-8 off 3.3, Oscar Saunder’s 1-9 off 4, Jacob Malvern’s 4-1 off 3 and 2 caught and bowled by Oscar and Ashton. Batting highlights included Jacob Malvern’s 9 n.o. and Joshua Vella’s 23 n.o.

MVP: Jacob Malvern (Donovan)

Mr G. Bingham

7/8 B Cricket had the bye in Week 3

7/8 B Cricket (70) were defeated by Parramatta (2/157)

This round of MCS cricket the St Gregory’s College 8B team were facing off against Parramatta Marist here on our own turf at St Greg’s. We won the toss and decided to change it up by electing to bowl first. However, this played right into the opposition’s hands with their opening batsmen putting up an amazing 90 runs and 47 runs respectively. The visitors ended their innings for an excellent knock of 2/157. Determined, the St Greg’s boys went out swinging and played good overall cricket, but couldn’t put up the total required, as the oppositions bowling squad was quite strong. We ended the day all out for 70 runs. Next week St Greg’s will definitely be more eager to win and I’m sure will put on a stellar performance.

MVP: Oliver Tannous (Laurentian) 

1st Grade Basketball 64 defeated Greystanes (34)

It was obvious that this was the first game of the year after over 8 weeks of no competition - fumbles and ill-timed passes a prominent feature. At times our defence was broken too easily which kept St Paul's closer on the scoreboard than they should have been. During the second half, we started to take control and make better choices both offensively and defensively. It was great to have Billy Pay back on the court taking some strong rebounds. Mason Hunter played up and showed great enthusiasm on the court. Chris Seton was outstanding on the offensive rebounds enabling great opportunities for those essential put backs. Riley Anderson's leadership on and off the court was as always amazing. Solid effort by the whole team to secure the win for the first game of the year.

MVP: Chris Seton (Kilian)

1st Grade Basketball (58) defeated Dundas (47)

During the course of this match it was obvious that when we are at the top of our game, we are unbeatable. Unfortunately, when we are not on our game our turnovers are the highest statistic, making bounce passes through heavy traffic. We walked away with a win but will need to shake this week off if we are going to give ourselves the best opportunity to make the final match of the competition. Semi-final match vs Blacktown next week.

MVP: Kohen Prenter (Molloy)

Mrs Giles

2nd Grade Basketball (34) defeated Greystanes (26)

A slow start to the game as expected after the holiday period. Players then moved into a rhythm of sound defence and powerful rebounding to record a great win.

MVP: Connor Rochester (Kilian)

2nd Grade Basketball (53) defeated Dundas (36)

The best game we have played to date. We needed the win to be in contention to make the semi-finals. The boys played an exciting brand of basketball. Strong rebounding and fast breaks crushed our opponents.

MVP: Dylasnher Khera (Kilian)

Mr Perna

Year 10 Basketball (45) defeated Greystanes (31)

The boys played brilliantly in Term 4 last year and we were looking forward to getting back into it. We scored the first basket of the game but were very sluggish in the first 15 minutes. Our defensive press, normally our calling card, was sloppy and our shot selection was poor. St Paul's were shooting the ball well and deserved their lead. Jake Wright at the free-throw line and some impact rebounding and scoring from Archie Berthon kept us in at halftime as we eventually drew level 21 all. Some home truths in the halftime huddle and an adjustment to a 3-2 zone defence reaped benefits. The boys’ attitude in the second half was excellent and they defended and rebounded strongly allowing us to score easy baskets in transition. Isaac Puse was brilliant in the first 10 minutes of the second half and Jake and Archie continued to play strongly. We won the second half 24-10 and took the victory. Some good lessons learned by all involved, on to next week! 

MVP: Archie Berthon – Laurentian

Year 10 Basketball (45) defeated Dundas (30)

We were a bit shorthanded this week as four of our ten players were absent. Our six remaining players got the job done eventually but not without a little drama. Maidchi Lane was fouled out in the second half and Jake Wright sprained his ankle. We were looking at finishing a significant portion of the second half with four players. Jake managed to shake off his sore ankle and contributed nicely to our eventual win. Steven Moran-Briggs had a fantastic game on the defensive end. He had so many steals it was easy to lose count. It wasn't the prettiest display of the season but ultimately, we got what we came for, which was the win, and a 5 and 1 record going into the Semi-Final. Really looking forward to testing ourselves under pressure in our next game.

MVP: Steven Moran-Briggs (Kilian)

Mr Limbrey

Year 9 Basketball (20) defeated Greystanes (0)

Due to only two courts at the venue, it was determined that Year 9 were in the best position on the competition ladder and we would accept a forfeit from the home team, to allow the games to be played for competition points. As per usual the young men in the team took it extremely well even though they were keen to play.

Year 9 Basketball (72) defeated Dundas (30)

Being the last game of the season and in equal first position with Penrith, the team were instructed to play hard and get as many points as possible and limit the scoring of the other team. We welcomed back Chayseton Mulholland to the side with the absence of a few players. It was a dominant performance at both ends of the court even though they had the tallest player on the court. Hopefully this solid win places us nicely in the bid to go back to back for the Championship trophy.

MVP: Mason Hunter (Kilian)

Mrs Giles

Year 8 Basketball (33) defeated Greystanes (30)

Facing a size difference that intimidated the boys from the get-go, the game was dominated in the air by the opposition leading to an 18-9 score in the first 10 minutes. A St Greg’s timeout was called to re-group and focus on our strengths and game plan of dominating through the midcourt using our quick passing game. This saw us draw the game at half time. We entered the second half with renewed energy and tackled our false perceptions that we were not up to the size difference. Lead by an increased offensive game plan with rebounding being dominated by Mitch and Lucas and very clever build-ups by Kai and Ethan, we were able to scratch out a gritty win. 

MVP: Ethan Antala (Kilian)

Year 8 Basketball (79) defeated Dundas (22)

Coming off a great win the previous week, the boys were pumped for another tough well-earned win. That wasn't to be. We faced a side that was not at their best with many players missing. That being said, the boys remained steadfast on playing respectfully, keeping to the game plan and pushing themselves to be their best. Special mention to our twins (Kody and Cooper) who really showed skill and grit throughout the game. Mitchell showed great attack and defence supported by our trusting power forward Lucas. Hustling around the court by Leon and Sam picked many stray passes by the opposition which helped the score climb to 79. The steady hands of Kai, Ethan and Noah rounded out a solid performance by the whole squad, all be it against a weaker side. Semis here we come!

MVP: Koby and Cooper Parker (Donovan)

Mr Ivancic

Upcoming Sport trials - Winter Season

Winter is coming. Information regarding the upcoming trials for winter sports has been emailed and advertised on Daily Notices. Students are required to attend meetings and register for trial. Trials may be held after school – please ensure you follow announcements.

Please see the information below.

Latest Sport Information – 2021 NSW CCC calendar dates

To ensure you remain up to date with the latest sports news, please use the following link to access the Catholic Schools NSW Sport website.

Trial dates for several sports are already confirmed for 2021 and I would recommend you investigate the dates and venues for your respective sports.

Student registrations for some events are closing shortly. Please act now.

CSNSW website - https://csnsw.sport/

School Sport Australia website - http://www.schoolsportaustralia.edu.au/blog/2020/03/23/ssa-announces-cancellation-of-2020-championships/

Jamie.Cook@stgregs.nsw.edu.au

Yours in Sport,