A premier season of summer sport

The summer season of sport was a great success for Wesley, not least because this time last year, there was no sport.

This season will go down as one of our most successful, with numerous achievements across courts, fields and rivers. In our collective return to sport and competition - after multiple disruptions to the season in the pandemic - Wesley College students have participated with a renewed sense of gratitude and joy in the simplicity of simply being able to play. Joy was perhaps an understatement we  saw the Girls First VIII win the Head of the River for the first time since 1987.

Adding to our list of rowing milestones, the Boys Year 10A XVIII also won the Year 10 division for the first time ever in the history of the event. They also went on to win the Australian title at the Rowing Australia national championships.

Four of the girls from the First VIII subsequently represented the College in the Coxed Fours at the National Championships and won the title. The Girls First VIII came a narrow and competitive fourth in their final. The last time Wesley had national champion crews was 1983.

On the courts, the Girls Firsts tennis went on to win the premiership in convincing fashion, sweeping all before them in an outstanding season. They have won 7 of the last 10 premierships, a truly dominating performance.

The Wesley Softball Girls Firsts secured their premiership, sharing it with Yarra Valley Grammar. The final game of the season was put to rest by a brilliant triple play and a well-deserved victory from a very good team.

Table Tennis were runners up and were highly competitive against a Haileybury team that have won 24 of the last 25 premierships!

A change of format in senior APS cricket saw the introduction of back-to-back games of 20 / 20 and limited overs combined with traditional two-day games to complete a full season in Term 1. All were brilliant on the field, finishing the season in fourth place. As in rowing, there were historical moments too, when Meika King became the first girl in Wesley history to play on our Firsts XI cricket team.

Most importantly, on the grounds every Saturday there were Wesley girls and boys enjoying their sport, and competing proudly for the College in badminton, cricket, diving, futsal, rowing, softball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, touch football and volleyball.

Congratulations and acknowledgement must also go to our junior teams, many of whom have donned the purple and gold to compete for Wesley for the first time, our returning students who have no doubt relished the opportunity to compete and participate with their teammates and peers once again, and last but not least our coaches who are at the core of Wesley College Sport.

Thank you and well done to all. With winter well and truly on the way who knows what the coming season of winter sport may bring!

Go Lions!

Dan Church is the Head of Sport at Wesley College.

Find out more about sport and other cocurricular activities at Wesley.