Little Leagues Report – Round 7

It was a fantastic week of sport for Cranbrook Junior School, with students giving their all across a range of activities. In tennis, the A Team faced Barker in a competitive match, and though the team narrowly lost, they displayed great resilience and determination. The B Team, meanwhile, secured a decisive 11-1 victory over Grammar Edgecliff, showcasing strong doubles play and excellent sportsmanship.

Cricket saw a successful weekend as well, with Year 6A gaining valuable experience on turf at Dangar and Will W earning selection for the NSW U12 team after a stellar performance in the CIS tournament. The sailing program kicked off with exciting practice races, and our basketball teams continued to shine, with dominant wins across both Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 competitions.

We also wish our students competing in the NSWPSSA Athletics Championships this week the very best of luck. Special mention to Will S in the 11 years 100m, as well as our senior relay team: Sebastian D, Oscar R, Jasper M, and Will S. We’re all excited to see their hard work and talent on display.

Yours in Sport,

James Roughan
Head of Sport & PDHPE

Tennis

A TEAM vs Barker
4-8 (lost)
On Saturday, October 19th, Cranbrook excitedly kicked off the second half of the tennis season with their first match against Barker. Despite the looming threat of rain, the students put forth their best efforts but ultimately fell short, losing 4-8 in matches, although they won 35-33 in games.

Match highlights included Ricky C, who, despite being in Year 3, managed to win his singles match 3-2. He landed several important serves to win key points and showcased his agility by running down every ball. His partner, Jayden B, also put up a fierce fight in both doubles (3-4) and singles (2-3) matches against Barker, demonstrating the enthusiasm and determination that all tennis players should strive for.

Riley T and Blake H nearly secured a win in doubles against Barker’s No. 1 and No. 2, showing resilience as they came back from a deficit. Josh M played against Barker’s No. 5 and won decisively, utilising long, deep forehands to push his opponent back and drop the ball short, showcasing a masterclass in tactics to win 5-0.

Niko D, playing up a position, highlighted the team’s depth and strength. In a friendly match against the No. 1, he managed to win several rallies with his developed forehands, giving Barker a tough challenge. Shai L and Matthew Z displayed excellent teamwork in doubles, fighting back from tough positions to secure key games for Cranbrook.

Although the outcome favoured Barker that day, it was a strong start for the team as they embark on the new season.

B TEAM vs Grammar Edgecliff
11-1 (win)
Saturday saw the B team play Grammar Edgecliff away at Rushcutters. The students got off to a great start with the team winning three out of the four doubles matches with special mention to Hugo B & Rory M playing an outstanding doubles match. Nate S-W & Tomek O played a great game with great tactical awareness to win 6-1 in their doubles.

Harvey C brought his A game to his singles match to win 5-0 in style along with George Y also putting in a solid performance.

The Cranbrook coach was extremely impressed with the boy’s tennis as well as the sportsmanship and how polite the students were to their opponents. It was also great to hear that all the students were keen to do the post-match speech too.

Well done to both teams on a good start to the Summer season. We have a very strong depth in our teams with many players in development group who are all keen and working extremely hard to move up.

Ben Higgins
Head of Tennis

Cricket

It was a lovely weekend to play cricket and a positive start to the second half of the cricket season with only one loss which occurred in the Year 3A game. Year 6A played on turf on Dangar which was a great learning experience. Most teams had dominant victories apart from the Year 4 A who won a close game by 6 runs.

Year 4

Year 5A

Year 5B

CIS cricket
Last week the Prep School CIS team headed to Armidale for the NSW Schools festival, and we had two students representing Cranbrook in the CIS team – Jimmy C and Wiil W. Both Jimmy and Will had a great week away of playing tough cricket on grass. Will Watson scored a 50 and took 4 wickets in a game. His strong performances lead to him being selected in the NSW U12 team which is an outstanding effort.

Ben Staunton
Head of Cricket

Sailing

Saturday saw the first of our weekend sailing sessions, with the students rolling into the shed bright an early for a great session on the water. Year 4 and 5 got out with our race group doing some races against Scots College as a practice fixture before we head into the summer rounds from next week. They performed well, and it was a great hit out for our group who head to Canberra for the first major regatta of the season next weekend.

Year 6 had a brilliant session, fully integrating into the senior school group that they will be joining from Term 1 2026. In a first for our sailing program, they will be mentored by our older sailors and compete in an interschool competition with Scots, Ascham, and Sydney Students HS. The students dropped seamlessly into the group. I look forward to watching them develop over the next 6 months.

Tom Brewer
Head of Sailing

Basketball

The Junior School basketball teams had an eventful weekend, with a mix of hard-fought wins and close losses. In Year 5/6, the A team pulled off a strong 45-37 victory against St  Aloysius, thanks to Sebastian D’s dominance on the boards, while Ollie H and Kiran J anchored the defence. The B team followed suit with a 28-16 win, driven by Henry C-S’s standout performance on both ends, alongside Jacob B and Spike T’s unstoppable play. Despite narrow defeats, the C and D teams showed immense energy and determination, with Gus T’s relentless hustle and Austin M’s sharp shooting for the C team, and Hugo S leading the D team with impressive defence. Although the E, F, G, and H teams faced tough losses, players like Charlie D, Liam S, Jonathan H, and Rafferty L displayed resilience, continuing to develop their skills and teamwork.

Meanwhile, the Year 3/4 teams delivered a dominant showing against Kings. The A team secured a 45-30 win, with Wolf T’s aggressive offense leading the charge. The B, C, and D teams also claimed solid victories, showcasing excellent teamwork and strong defence throughout. In the Blue 1 team’s 42-2 win, Michael L and Bailey K put on a scoring masterclass, while James A excelled on defence. Bear and Sebastian G’s relentless play helped the Blue 2 team to a 16-11 win. The White 1 and White 2 teams capped off the weekend with their own victories, playing strong defence and showing continuous improvement as they controlled their games.

Year 3 & 4A

Year 3 & 4B

Year 3 & 4 Whites

Year 5 & 6 A-Ds

Basketball C & D

Water polo

Year 5 & 6

Multisport