Sport Round Up
The Lewis report returns! 10ths Basketball
For the first time in the history of Friday Night Lights basketball at Cranbrook, a third game was added to the evening’s schedule. The ‘Battle of the Hill’ saw our mighty 10ths up against our neighbour and rival Scots College as the curtain raiser for the 2nds in what turned out to be a brilliant game. The battle featured see-sawing momentum changes, and as the crowd grew so did both teams’ energy.
After leading 22-10, our team went into cruise control too early, allowing Scots to come back and level the scores at 24 each with 2 and a half minutes on the clock. The ‘Brookie Boosters’ in the crowd got behind our team, inspiring them to take it up another notch.
With 1:10 remaining we scored a vital bucket. The excitement was short lived, however, after a foul gave Scots 3 free throws with 25 seconds left. As the crowd stood in stunned silence, Scots managed to score 1 of the free throws, putting the score at 26-25. Our possession lasted just 10 seconds before an unlucky turnover had Scots on the attack for the final 15 seconds. Some scrambling defence and a healthy dose of good fortune allowed us to get away with the win, 26-25. Congratulations 10ths!
The low-scoring affair was a highly entertaining curtain raiser for our 2nds, and a brilliant opportunity for our 10ths to play in front of a stand full of their peers. We’d like to thank Scots for accepting our offer to host our first Friday triple-header, and hope to continue this tradition into the future.
Tennis
Saturday saw Cranbrook take on St Aloysius at home. The 1st team were always going to have a tough task against a very strong team. The boys started well in their doubles matches with chances to win some sets but just wasn’t to be. Marc Perilli played some great tennis along with Mickey Chen is their singles with both players just coming up short losing 4-6 in both matches. The 2nd team wanted to improve their overall play from the previous week and they did just that. Special mention to Oli Berger and Josh Yee who both played extremely well in both singles and doubles against some difficult opponents. The team won 7-1 overall. The 3rd and 4th teams both won 6-0 overall with Will Holland the stand out player of the teams winning at tricky singles match 6-1. The 5th team won 5-1 overall whilst the 6th team had a thriller with both teams tying 3-3 and 22 games each.
The Year 10 teams were too strong for their opponents with the A, B and D teams all winning 6-0 overall with special mention to Spencer Tang who showed great resilience to get the wins in both singles and doubles. The C team won 5-1 overall to complete a clean sweep for the year group.
The Year 9 boys followed suit with the A and C teams winning 6-0 with special mention to Doug Murray who played some fantastic tennis. The B and D teams also completed a clean sweep winning 4-2 overall.
The Year 8 boys struggled on the weekend with the A team losing 2-4 overall but not without a great showing from Kailu Kurnadi winning both singles and doubles. The B team were outplayed losing 1-5 whilst the C team lost 0-6.
The Year 7 boys turned things around and showed great determination to get the wins this weekend. The A, C and D teams all won 4-2 overall with special mention to Zachary Foo who played some extremely mature tennis and outsmarted his opponent. Also to Bailey Mckee who won both singles and doubles which would have given him alot of confidence after a tough previous week against Barker. The B team won 6-0 overall with the boys showing good team work in their doubles matches.
Overall it was a good weekend of tennis for Cranbrook winning 78% of all matches played.
Cricket
Round 7 saw several teams returning to winning form with improved performances across the board. The only setback was for the Year 9 team, who faced challenges without their captain, Mr. Yetton, who fell ill on the morning of the game.
1st XI
The 1st XI delivered an impressive performance, scoring 259/6. Chris Harris shone brightly with his first century, scoring 109, and was ably supported by Tim Molnar, who contributed 75 runs. After a few early wickets from Mann and Pelly, Ed Neal tightened the game with a disciplined bowling spell, taking 1 for 23 off 10 overs. The match swung in our favor following pivotal wickets from Alex Greenhill and Noah Nassar, securing a 50-run victory.
2nd XI
Continuing their successful campaign, the 2nd XI claimed a 100-run victory. Zac Bogg’s rapid 73 set the stage for a strong total of 194/6 off 30 overs. The bowling unit maintained pressure, with Copping and Bogg each taking 2 wickets, standing out in their performances.
10 A
The 10 A team returned to winning form, led by excellent batting from Copping and Charlie Girle. Hugo Helyar was the star with the ball, dismantling the opposition’s lineup with his leg spin, claiming outstanding figures of 5/12.
Year 8 Teams
Both Year 8 teams secured easy wins, highlighted by impressive performances from Jayden Cohen and Emile Ghosn, who both retired in the 60s. Their efforts laid a solid foundation, before the bowlers executed aggressive spells to dismiss the opposition for just 18 runs.
7A Team
The 7A team faced a nail-biting finish, hampered by scoring discrepancies that led to a tightly contested match, ultimately resulting in a 2-run loss.
7B Team
In contrast, the 7B team engaged in a fun contest but suffered a batting collapse that proved costly, resulting in a 30-run defeat.
Overall, it was a promising round for most teams, showcasing their resilience and capability to bounce back and deliver strong performances. The focus now is on building this momentum and addressing any issues as we move forward in the season.
Ben Staunton
Head of Cricket
Touch Football
1s Report
Newington defeated Cranbrook 6-2 in a hard-fought match that remained close until the final moments. Despite Cranbrook’s solid line defense, intercepts and turnovers led to runaway tries for Newington. Cranbrook kept it tight for most of the game, but Newington pulled away in the end.
2s Report
To say that I am immensely proud of these young men is an true understatement.
This was their best performance in the entire season to date, even in the 5-4 loss.
The game was played at unrelenting pace and both sides through some slick attacking play and aggressive defence at each other.
Ethan Sackar and Tom Harnett were the clear stand outs with ball in hand, whilst captain Cruz Cronan and new student Sifa Oldfiled were unrelenting in defence.
The drama of the day literally went down to the final play. With the siren sounding from the bottom field, the spectacle was tied at 4-4.
Newington got their speedster on the ball at the most crucial of times and he found the smallest of gaps to dive in and score the winner.
HUGE effort by all and even greater learnings. Fine margins is all it takes.
3s Report
The sign of a good team is one that scores soon after conceding. Oliver Murphy led the charge in turning a tight game in our favour. Scoreless at halftime, the boys showed great intent to score 4 tries in the second. Training during the week set the boys up to execute drive systems along with understanding of roles within defence structures. More urgency needed to start better but overall a pleasing mornings work.
Final score 4-2.
Peter Dumbleton
Head of Touch Football
Basketball
Round 7
Cranbrook Basketball were scheduled against St Aloysius in Round 7 of the CAS season. Cranbrook and St Aloysius have had a long history of Basketball battles over the years and Saturday was no exception. This Round also saw the Friday Night Lights games reach a new level. A triple-header was scheduled with the 1sts & 2nds vs St Aloysius and the Open 10ths vs Scots. The place was jammed with people, all Schools well represented and the VCH was jumping. Arguably the biggest turn out for a FNL game in Cranbrook Basketball history.
1sts
Friday Night Lights, big crowd, exciting Cranbrook 1sts team and the game delivered. It was a battle, a real grind for both teams, a defensive game. Both teams put a heap of defensive pressure on each other and scoring was challenging. Cranbrook played hard, smart and together. All Cranbrook players contributed at both ends of the floor, they looked like a team and played like a team. There were ebbs and flows for both Schools, St Aloysius head a slight lead for most of the game, but Cranbrook would not go away. Cranbrook fought until the last final buzzer but it wasn’t quite enough.
Cranbrook 1sts 40 – St Aloysius 52
H.Rosen 9 pts; C.Mactavish 8 pts; Fenton 7 pts.
2nds
Cranbrook 2nds played great basketball against St Aloysius. After losing by 40 points in Round 2, Cranbrook began strong and created a lead, they continue to build though the game. St Aloysius came back but Cranbrook held on for a memorable win.
Cranbrook 2nds 60 – St Aloysius 45
Milo Serfontein 14 pts; J.Loucas 11 pts; H.Bongardt 7 pts
In the Spotlight – Open 10ths
The first ever FNL triple-head with the Cranbrook Open 10ths and it was a cracker. Cranbrook Open 10ths vs Scots with both teams playing hard and passionate basketball. Cranbrook held an early lead but Scots should great determination to fight back. It came down to the last defensive possession for Cranbrook scores 26-25. Cranbrook held there cool and locked in defensively to come away with the victory. The whole team played well following the grit and passion from Cranbrook Basketball stalwarts Darcy Richardson and Marley Farrar.
Cranbrook Open 10ths 26 – Scots 25
the Brookie Bear.
Stephen Whitehead
Head of Basketball
Summer Volleyball
Cranbrook’s Volleyball teams delivered an outstanding performance over the weekend, securing three impressive victories against St Aloysius.
The 1st VI set the tone for the day with a commanding 3-0 win. From the first serve, Cranbrook controlled the match .
The 2nd VI mirrored the 1st team’s success, also winning in straight sets (3-0). Their consistent serving and well-executed game plan was too much for St Aloys, highlighting the depth of talent within the squad.
The 3rd team added to the day’s success, claiming a hard-fought 2-1 victory. After splitting the first two sets, they showed resilience in the decider.
Despite the overall success, the 4th team was unable to make it a clean sweep, falling 0-2 in a tough contest.
With three wins from four matches, it was an excellent day for the Cranbrook Volleyball program.
Ben Rollison
Head of Summer Volleyball
Water Polo
We took on our uphill rivals Scots College and we really wanted to prove how far we have come since the opening of the Murray Rose Aquatic Centre. Once again, we put up some great performances in the junior age groups U/13’s & U/14’s who won well. The 1sts and 3rds fought hard but just went down by 1 and 2 respectively, while our 16A’s couldn’t hold on late for the win and had to settle for a 5-5 draw.
Cranbrook won 3, lost 4 and drew 2 v Scots, while our 2nds lost to Riverview (which is actually there 1sts team) and our 15B’s defeated SBHS.
1st – Loss 9 – 10
In a thrilling showdown between Cranbrook and Scots College, the game went down to the wire, with Scots securing a hard-fought 10-9 victory. Cranbrook came out strong, with Felix Sheldrick at centre-forward scoring 2 quick goals from assists Ethan Negrin. Unfortunately missed opportunities in attack allowed Scots to counterattack and get back into the game to go ahead 3-2.
The second quarter was much the same with us fighting hard to score goals through Felix and Ethan, but once again 4 very scoreable opportunities were muffed from poor final passes or decision making with shots. Scots would then score an easy goal the other way and went ahead 6-4 at the half.
The 3rd quarter was like watching the 1st two quarters and our inability to convert extra man situations really hurt us and allowed Scots to go to the final quarter with an 8-5 lead. We changed our defence to try and create counterattack opportunites in the last quarter and while we done this, we would score a goal but from the throw off Scots would score an easy goal through lack of awareness in defence. To the boy’s credit they kept fighting and reduced the score to 9-10 but unfortunately time would run out.
Ethan Negrin 4 goals, 3 in the last quarter, Felix Sheldrick 3 and Jack Whitehead 2 were the goal scorers.
This was a game that we created enough opportunities to win but unfortunately our lack of converting in Extra man cost us the game. We can’t rely on the same people to score each week as the opposition just press them and try to keep them out of the game. It is up to our other players to have better body position, with and without the ball, awareness of space and other players and good ball skills to help score these opportunities. We have 2 games left, next Friday nights lights v Trinity at Trinity, then Shore at home. Let’s see if we can work on these things and make the Bronze medal match.
2nd – Loss 5 – 10 v Riverview
The 2nds were unable to defeat a strong Riverview team (which is their 1st grade team). Riverview had to much experience, speed and strength and were in control of the game from the 2nds quarter on. The boys tried hard with Lucas Crabb grabbing 3 goals while Sach Edwards and Thomas Caldwell got one each. The fight the boys showed in the 3rd quarter to draw 3-3 was very pleasing, but as the game went on Riverview controlled the game.
3rd – Loss 6 – 8
The 3rds went down in a very tight contested game. Cranbrook started well with Angus Messiter scoring 3 of his 5 goals in the 1st quarter. This had them ahead 3-2 at the end of the 1st. The 2nd quarter Scots clawed won back to go 3-3 while in the 3rd quarter Scots crept ahead 6-5. This set the scene for a nail-biting last quarter and despite a goal from Louie Adams, Scots converted 2 opportunities. Cranbrook kept trying to claw their way back, but Scots were able to hold on for a 8-6 win.
16 A – Drew 5-5
Cranbrook’s 16A started strongly and lead 3-1 at half time. The 2nd half to many exclusions from Cranbrook in defence allowed Scots to get back into the game and win the final quarter 2-1 forcing a 5-5 draw. Hugo Miocevic scored 4 goals playing in the field while Kai bogg grabbed the other. As one of the parent’s said to me, “How good it is to see the huge improvement in the boys over the last 3 years. Last time I watched them I think we lost 28-0 to Scots”
16 B – Loss 10-12
In another very tight game from start to finish Cranbrook and Scots went at each other with the lead changing numerous times. The scores were 2-2, 6-6 and 9-8 at the end of the 1st 3 quarters. Could Cranbrook hold on? Unfortunately, Scots came out very strong and won the last quarter 4-1 to win the game 12-10. Jack Landman 5 goals, Archer Bull 3, Jake Shrimpton 1 and Fred Neal 1 were the goal scorers.
15 A – Loss 2-10
Unfortunately, Scots were way too strong for our 15A’s and dominated from start to finish. Cooper Falzon and Ashton Newey were the goals corers.
15 B – Win 8-3 v SBHS
The 15B’s took out their Sydney Boys opposition with a convincing win 8-3. They lead from start to finish with Dhylan Patel 4, Krish Mahtani 2, Darcy Wyer 1 and Monte Smith 1 the goal scorers.
14 A – Win 11-0
Cranbrook’s 14A are unstoppable presently and from the 1st quarter 4-0 kept the pressure on Scots in each quarter to run out a 11-0 win. While we scored 11 goals the most pleasing thing is how hard the team works together in defence and to keep a team like Scots scoreless is a great effort. Takuma Yamada in goals leads the defence which allows the team to counterattack for many of their goals. Charlie Crocker was welcomed back from injury after missing last week’s game and scored 5 goals while Carter McGee and Tom Learmonth each grabbed 3 goals. These boys are undefeated with 2 games to go in the season.
14 B – Win 7-4
The 14B’s led from start to finish in a closely fought match. Scots had some strong players but Lucas James in defence kept their main attacker quite in the 2nd half. Scots got within 1 goal at the start of the 4th quarter but the boys maintained their composure and scored 2 late goals to secure another victory. Kai Flekser scored 3, Jack Demsey 2, Hugo Fowler 1 and Jackson Potter calmly slotted a penalty to secure the win.
13 A – Win 10-3
Cranbrook’s 13A had another outstanding win to go 2 from 2. Scots were expected to be a tough game, and it was only 5-2 at halftime. Cranbrook’s fitness and speed showed in the 2nd half, and we ran out comfortable 10-3 winners. Aodhan Taylor was strong in offence with 7 goals while all boys contributed strongly in defence to continually thwart the Scots offence. Thomas Penny, Felix Cooper and Rylan Hedley all scored.
13 B – Drew 5-5
Cranbrook’s 13B team showed plenty of fighting spirit to come back from 3-5 at end of 3rd quarter with Thomas Blain scoring 2 goals in the last quarter to take his tally to 3. The last 2 minutes had everyone on their feet yelling for both teams as desperate defence kept both teams from scoring as they were both rewarded with a 5-5 draw. Felix Bull and Louie Bongardt both scored.
Greg McFadden
Head of Water Polo