PSA Sport

In a year where the PSA competition continued to expand, Trinity College has maintained its reputation as a College that strives not only for excellence, but one which also places a high value on participation and sportsmanship.

Mr Stephen Leahy Director of Sport

This year we were able to field 136 teams representing an additional eight teams compared to 2015. Another 150 boys were involved in the rowing program and over 100 boys represented the College in each of the swimming and athletics teams. While it is easy to be pleased with these figures, there are also concerns which need to be addressed. In some sports such as basketball, we have so many boys wanting to play that each week some miss out on a game. In other sports, the low number of participants makes it difficult to field competitive teams and it becomes disheartening for the boys who do play, to be soundly beaten most weeks.

Our senior teams won five trophies from a possible 15—an outstanding achievement by the boys. Over the summer season, the Rowing Club won the Hamer Cup which represents overall strength in rowing for the tenth time since 2002. The 1st VIII crew won the Challenge Cup, and the 1st VI Volleyball team won all their games to retain the Brother Carigg Shield for the fourth consecutive year. The 1st V Basketball team won the Blackwood Cup with a thrilling one point victory over Wesley College, with the result still in doubt with less than a second left in the game. Our 1st VIII Tennis team had their most successful season for many years, losing only two games and finishing third in their competition.

During the winter season, the cross country team was undefeated and won the Moyes Trophy in a dominant display, after being runners-up for the previous five years. Our soccer and rugby teams were prominent and were both in contention to win their respective competitions leading into the final two games. Ultimately the rugby boys were beaten by an excellent Scotch College team and the soccer team, despite being in a commanding position midway through the season, disappointingly did not field a full strength team in about five games resulting in a second place finish behind Christ Church Grammar School.

The Trinity College Sports Centre opened in Term 4 and is an outstanding facility with three volleyball courts, two basketball courts and six badminton courts. It also hosts a climbing wall and four classrooms overlooking the river. The retractable seating allows for the facility to be used for College assemblies and was the venue for the 2016 Graduation assembly. Original plans had been to convert the Foley Centre to a Learning Centre but recently it has been decided to retain it as a gymnasium to meet the heavy demand for facilities required by the PSA and Physical Education programs.

There are yet to be finalised plans for more work to be done at Waterford, with the possibility of a demolition and rebuild, or a major renovation of the clubrooms and change rooms. In our developing relationship with the WACA, the College has provided increased access to our on-site training facilities, gymnasium, pool and the grounds at Waterford, in return for our increased access to the WACA for training, as well as the WACA providing support for improving our grounds and facilities at Waterford and at the College.

Two of the College sporting facilities were officially named this year. At the start of Term 3, the main oval at Waterford was named Montagu Oval in recognition of the contribution made to Trinity Football by Mr John Montagu (’74) who has coached the 1st XVIII for 12 years and been involved in seven Alcock Cup victories — six as a coach and one as a player. In Term 4, the cricket pavilion on Mann Oval was named the Simon Katich Pavilion, after Old Boy Simon Katich (’92) in recognition of his contribution to Trinity College cricket, where in Year 12 he averaged 111 runs per innings including a score of 205 not out against Guildford Grammar School and then to Australian cricket where he played 56 Test matches, 45 One Day Internationals and three T20 matches.

My sincere thanks are extended to everyone involved in the College’s sporting program: the ground staff, College administration staff, parents, teaching and coaching staff, the boys of Trinity College and the Year 12 students who have given great service, in the majority of cases, over six years. Without your support, we would not be able to maintain the high standards we strive for at all times.

Mr Stephen Leahy (’78)

Director of Sport