Undefeated

The Middle A Basketball team capped a 9-0 season by winning the pennant against Pembroke. I spoke with the Pembroke Girls’ Sport Coordinator prior to the game and they were expecting a close contest. With a final score of 48-9, our girls were in another league. Great season girls, and coach Jacob Dickson.

No ‘perfect 10’

Unfortunately, the volleyballers from Concordia College spoiled a good headline. For our Girls’ Volleyball team, the tenth win of the season and the IGGSA Volleyball Shield slipped away in the final minutes of the match on Saturday. Our girls hadn’t lost a match all year, but they were not at their best for the 8.00 am start and they lost the first set. They woke up and played Westminster volleyball, winning the second set. Could we have won the third set? We’ll never know. A time limit in the rules worked against us; when time ran out, less than halfway through the third set, Concordia were two points in front. Game over. Congratulations to CC – they played inspired volleyball!

Intercol Schedule

Summer Intercol doesn’t receive the fanfare of the winter version. Matches are spread out rather than on the same day, which may dilute the vibe. However, the rivalry is just as hot and the competition is often fierce. Tennis played their intercol on Saturday 17 November, taking a loss from Pembroke. Here is the schedule of remaining Intercol matches. All games are at Westminster.

Boys' Badminton - Saturday 24 November, 8.00 am
Boys' and Girls' Volleyball - Friday 30 November, 4.15 pm and 5.15 pm respectively
First XI Cricket - Friday 7 to Tuesday 11 December, 10.30 am to 5.30 pm

Tennis

If you arrive early to school in Terms 1 and 4, it’s likely you have seen our Senior Tennis players practicing. There are three groups of Senior Tennis players: Boys, Girls, and a mixed “Drive Team”. Drive Team play in the SAAS Elite Competition. Traditionally, matches were played at Memorial Drive, hence the name of the team. Much tennis training is in the mornings because of the availability of great coaches. Sam Wall coaches our Drive players, and James Calder and Rob Calder coach our Girls’ teams and the Middle A Boys’ team. What you will notice when you look at tennis practice is the structure, the pace, and the enthusiasm. What I have noticed this year is the incredible improvement in our tennis players. The standard this year in girls tennis, from commencement in Term 1 to now, is night and day. The young Drive players have greatly improved as well. Chris Graham and Brian Nielson do a great job with the Senior Boys in the afternoons. It is enjoyable to watch the coaches hitting with the Senior Boys (and a bit of banter, as well). Nothing is more motivating than realising improvement. Thanks to our coaching and the players’ enthusiasm, there is a lot of that happening in our tennis teams.

Mike Martens
Head of Sport, Senior School