25 Jun 2021
It is often said that records are made to be broken. However, when that record is something that has meant so much to the school and the local community for such a long time, it can be a little sad. But that is exactly what has happened with the Cumberland interschool visit, with the visitors claiming their first ever victory at Wauchope in the competition’s 46 year history.
To view photos from the three days of competition, CLICK HERE
There was always a certain degree of nervousness about the possibility of a loss in the lead-up to this year’s event, as preparation was hindered through a lack of access to training venues after the floods, and a lack of junior involvement that came about by not having any competition last year due to Covid restrictions. But these things cannot be used as any type of excuse; the fact was that the Cumberland team were hungrier to win than Wauchope was, and the elation that they showed when the realisation of the win became known demonstrated how much it meant to them, both staff and students.
It was still incredibly close. On the first day, Wauchope won the Junior Boys Touch, Open Girls Hockey and Open Girls Futsal, with draws in the Mock Trial and Open Boys Futsal. Cumberland won the Open Boys Soccer, Junior Boys Futsal and Junior Girls Futsal, meaning that the scores were tied at 8-all.
On Thursday, it seemed that Wauchope might establish an unassailable lead during the day as they won the Girls Athletics, Open Girls Touch, Open Boys Touch, Open Girls Softball and Open Girls Netball, but Cumberland came back again, winning the Boys Athletics, Junior Boys Soccer, Boys Tennis and the pivotal Junior Girls Touch, leaving the score at 18-16 going into the night activities.
Basketball has been an area of strength of the Cumberland team for some time now, and this year was definitely no exception, as they were merciless in winning all 4 of the games, despite the best efforts of the Wauchope students. Cumberland also dominated the Boys Volleyball and pushed the Girls Volleyball team to the limit before Wauchope got home 2 sets to 1. These results gave Cumberland a 26-20 lead going into the last day, meaning that Wauchope had to win everything to retain the Parsons Shield.
However, it was not to be. Wauchope did win the Junior Girls Netball and Open Girls Soccer, but Cumberland won the Girls Tennis, with no-one realising that the shield was lost until after the Cumberland Boys also took out an incredibly fast and skilful game of Netball, which prompted the euphoric scenes described earlier. This left the final score at 30-24 to Cumberland.
Neville Parsons came to present the Parsons Shield on behalf of the family and gave a great speech about the importance of the visit to both schools over its long history. The Most Valuable Team Members for Wauchope were Cameron Lloyd and Susie Coster, with Johnavon Manurung and Jocelyn Lay the best for Cumberland.
Although there was no billeting allowed this year, a huge thank you goes out to the Wauchope community for your support in letting the visit go ahead. Every piece of advice from NSW Health and the Department of Education was taken in the days and hours leading to the arrival of the team, and a couple of days difference in timing would have seen the visit cancelled again this year, almost certainly spelling its demise. A win to Cumberland may spark new life into the competition and continue the longevity of the Parsons Shield into the future.
To view photos from the three days of competition, CLICK HERE
