Sports Wrap 2020

COVID-19 has certainly presented challenges this year, but as a College and the PSA as a collective, to get what we were able to out of the year has been a credit to the many stakeholders involved.

Congratulations once again to our 1st Basketball, Volleyball and Cross Country for taking out premierships in their respective competitions.

As we break for the Christmas period, our 1st Basketball and Water Polo teams sit undefeated on top of the ladder in their competitions, but a lot of work is still to be done in Term 1 in what are very even competitions. 1st volleyball lost a thrilling 5 set match to Hale School in the final round and will need to turn this result around in term one if they wish to retain the Br Carrigg Shield.

Our 1st XI Cricket team have been involved in some thrilling matches this term, with three games going down to the last over, with one win, one loss and one draw eventuating. A win over Hale in the final game sees us well in contention for the Darlot Cup with the extra points of Term 1 cricket on offer. Our 1st Tennis team have faced stiff opposition through the term but continue to show improvement, individually and as a team.

What has been most pleasing is the many acts of good sportsmanship that are witnessed each week across all age groups and all codes. While we must always strive for success, the quest for victory must never come at the expense of fair play. Good people first, good sportsmen second.

On this note, we must acknowledge the 8C Basketball team. The College received notification from Guildford Grammar School thanking the team for the sportsmanship they showed in a recent fixture. The Aquinas team was clearly stronger than the Guildford team, but the Aquinas team, at times, held back their defence to allow the Guildford boys to score and achieve some success on the day.

Our rowers have had some good results through the term, winning the Aquinas Regatta and placing second at the Guildford Regatta after our 2nd VIII’s ran into some difficulties with other crews on the tight circuit. Our Year 9 boys have dominated their age division at all regattas. Competition for spots in crews across the whole boatshed is strong, which continues to drive standards up. Aquinas won all 3000m races at the recent Trinity regatta and will set their sights now to their Albany training camp which will be the platform to prepare for Term 1 regattas and, ultimately the Head of the River.

The swim squad have been training hard and will continue to do so across the school holiday period as we prepare for the 2021 season. Many boys took the opportunity to race at a recent time trial meet hosted by Southshore swim club which was a great initiative.

Thanks to all boys, parents and coaches for your support of Aquinas sport this year. I encourage all boys to maintain their conditioning over this period, and we will provide some running and conditioning programs for the boys to use as a guide over this time. Our boys showed during the shutdown period what they could do to stay fit when not in structured programs, and this experience should help them over the coming weeks.

I wish all families a safe and happy Christmas.

David Gault, Head of Sport