Matt Grice, Director of Sport
Dear Parents and Guardians
Rather than focusing on the obstacle in your path, focus on the bridge over the obstacle. Mary Lou Retton.
Friday night kicked off the weekend with an enthralling volleyball showdown between Cranbrook and Knox in the VCH. Both the 1sts and 2nds matches were played in front of a large and vocal crowd—so loud, in fact, the umpires may have been wishing for earplugs. The atmosphere was electric, and both games were tightly contested from start to finish. Unfortunately, Cranbrook narrowly lost both matches in the final moments. However, the players were truly gallant in defeat, showing resilience, determination, and sportspersonship throughout. A huge thank you to all the students who came out to support, many bringing an eclectic mix of musical instruments, which helped create a vibrant and unforgettable atmosphere. It was a special night for our volleyball community—one that highlighted not just the skill on the court, but also the spirit and energy off it.
It was wet… Let’s not beat around the bush—last week’s weather was difficult to describe in any way other than relentlessly wet. Comments like, “This is not fun” and “Haven’t seen a day like this in a long time” summed up the mood perfectly. In fact, it would have been very easy to copy and paste last year’s sports report into this week, as the rain once again caused havoc across Sydney, with many grounds forced to close. Mr Lewis did everything he could to ensure as many games as possible went ahead. Unfortunately, the ducks won the battle of Dangar. A big thank you goes to the Heads of Sport for organising Saturday drop-in sessions for those students whose games were washed out. It was great to see so many students turn up and enjoy a runaround indoors.
Mr Lewis; Ducks of Dangar; and Saturday drop in Futsal.
Thankfully, despite the weather, Cranbrook were able to host Knox in a number of fixtures.
Knox were the stronger side on the day in the 1sts Rugby and should be congratulated on their impressive win. The 1sts Football team will be disappointed after going 3–0 up, only to have Knox score three late goals to tie the match. The draw does see us hold onto second place, just two points behind Trinity. Congratulations to Zac Crowe on his selection in the CIS 1st XI Football team.
Well done to the 10A Football, 8As Football, 13As Rugby, and our 7D Tennis teams, who were best on ground this week.
This week sees us travel to Death Valley for one of the most exciting rounds of the sports calendar—an away fixture against Waverley. We’re looking forward to seeing a large crowd, as these games on QP1 are always highlights of the year.
Cranbrook’s swimmers delivered another phenomenal performance at the NSW All Schools Swimming Championship last week with all seven students finishing the meet with medals. Five were selected to represent NSW at the national championships:
Thomas Penny (Year 7), Aodhan Taylor (Year 7), Noah Kemp (Year 9), Aidan Park (Year 9), and Tate Sirianni (Year 12).
Year 12 students Oliver Minning and Matthew Alexiou also secured medals as part of the Open Medley Relay team.
Cranbrook concluded the championships with:
- 12 Gold medals
- 5 Silver medals
- 4 Bronze medals
- 3 CIS records
- 5 new school records
- 5 NSW Team selections
Aodhan Taylor, Thomas Penny, Aidan Park, Noah Kemp, Matthew Alexiou, Tate Sirianni, Oliver Minning
The Lewis Report, by Eddie Lewis
It was a week that turned playing fields into lakes and raised the question of “when do we stop measuring in mm and start measuring in litres?” In a repeat of last week, the sun came out on Saturday morning for a beautiful day – unfortunately, the week’s rain had done its damage and forced the cancellation of many of our games.
One winter sport that is unphased by the weather, Volleyball, was able continue with their regular fixtures. This week that was highlighted by a Friday Night Lights for our 1st and 2nd VI. The excitement of the crowd energised our teams. Our 1sts managed to give their opponents, Knox – which has a much larger volleyball program – a real fright, as we took the match the 5 sets, going down by just a few points. A great effort from our team, and our crowd who rose every point with the team.
With Dangar renamed the Dangar Duck Sanctuary for the weekend, all eyes were focused on Hordern as our only home games for Football and Rugby. Kicking things off at 8am was the 10As Football. After a frustrating draw against St Aloysius last week, our team were determined to go one better this week against the formidable Knox. Our team came out strong, with strong defence and a goal from Renzo B bringing the score to 1-1 at halftime.
Not satisfied with a draw, our team found another gear in the second half. A great run up the right wing before a centering ball was finished with a brilliant header by Jackson R to put us in the lead. With 10 minutes on the clock, we managed to control the pace of the game and held on for an amazing win; the first of their season. Congratulations 10As on a brilliant performance at both ends of the pitch.
Looking forward to seeing everyone around the grounds this weekend. Please download this weekend’s fixtures here.
Please note next week there is no Saturday sport for the Kings birthday long weekend (June 7th).
To Note:
- The T2 2025 Co-Curricular and Sport Schedule can be accessed here.
- Rugby Holiday Camp – please find more details and booking here.
- Basketball Holiday Camp – please find more details and booking here.
Sports Resources – contain essential information regarding sports events, schedules and important updates for the year ahead
Looking forward to seeing everyone around the grounds this weekend.
Matt Grice
Director of Sport