22 Jul 2024
Eighty-nine students, seven staff and Brutus the mascot made the big journey to Sydney to contest the 49th Wauchope Cumberland Interschool Visit and try to regain the Jack Parsons Shield after three years of wins from the Cumberland team.
Find more photos here!
A greeting which included a classical band, a COLA full of cheering students and a bit of banter from the Cumberland team captains was the prelude to the competition starting. The massive construction work occurring at the school forced all of the games to be played offsite, and the rainy weather forecast called for the surface to be synthetic, so local councils could not close the venue.
Both teams travelled to Bernie Mullane Sports Centre in Kellyville, as well as the Northern Districts Hockey club. The first games were the Open Girls Hockey, which ended in a Nil-all draw, Junior Girls Basketball won 32-6 by Cumberland, Junior Boys Touch won 11-4 by Wauchope and Open Boys soccer won 7-0 by Cumberland. Aylia scored two of the three baskets in the Junior Girls game, while Riley scored a hat-trick in the Touch. Kayden was the general, marshalling his troops and organising both attack and defence.
A quick stop at the accommodation at Valentine Sports Park, and it was on to the Futsal night at James Ruse High School. The Junior Girls scored first with a goal to Eden, but went down 3-1, the Junior Boys were brave in going down 4-2, the Open Girls also lost in a close 2-0 result and finally the Open Boys staged a late comeback but were finally defeated 9-4. At the end of Day 1, this made this overall score 13-3 in favour of the hosts, leaving Wauchope with plenty of work to do.
The wet conditions over the previous days meant that the Athletics competition could not occur, so the first events on Thursday were Open Girls Soccer and Open Boys Touch at Bernie Mullane. The Girls game was hard fought, but Cumberland scored a late goal to take the match 2-1. The Wauchope Boys were dominant in the Touch, winning 12-3 on the back of excellent teamwork from each of the middle players, with Kayden again being a standout. Rodney scored a hat-trick on the wing, showing his delight with each touchdown.
Junior Boys Soccer and Junior Girls Touch followed next, with our new crop of Year 7 players on display in both matches. They immediately commanded respect from their Cumberland opponents, helping our teams to a 2-all draw in the Soccer (Coby scoring both goals) and a 4-2 win in the Touch (Aylia scoring 3 tries). Tennis was played throughout the day, with Cumberland proving too strong in each match contested. Suraya and Emily performed best in their doubles match, taking a couple of games from the Cumberland girls.
The final day match was the Open Girls Netball, which was a thriller for three quarters. Unfortunately, some late errors gave Cumberland momentum, and they took the game in the final few minutes.
A mingle at the school, and some food provided by Cumberland set us up for the second night of games at James Ruse. The Open Boys and Girls Volleyball matches were perhaps the highlight of the entire competition, as the standard of both teams and the closeness of the scores throughout kept spectators on the edge of their seats.
In the Boys game, Cumberland took the first set before Wauchope came roaring back to claim the second after an early deficit. The third set was nail-biting, but Cumberland again proved too strong on home turf. The Girls started in the opposite fashion, with Wauchope winning the first set and Cumberland the second. In a familiar pattern, pressure in the final set took its toll on the understrength Wauchope girls, and Cumberland were able to snatch another victory.
The Cumberland Open Girls Basketball team had too much experience and skill in their ranks for our girls to contend with, so they cruised to a comfortable win. The Boys game was much closer, with strong performances by Jack, Dominic and Rodney, but Cumberland were able to avenge their loss from last year.
The final morning of competition was split between Bernie Mullane and Cumberland High. The Junior Boys Basketball was a very competitive match, with Matt strong on the boards as well as being the leading scorer, but Cumberland prevailed through the efforts of their diminutive Year 7 point-guard.
The Open Girls Touch was one-way traffic for the Wauchope Girls, winning the game 9-0. Josie was outstanding in scoring six tries and having a hand in the rest.
Cumberland were too polished in both the Junior Girls and Open Boys Netball matches, which ended the competition, as the Softball had to be called off due to the dangerous state of the field.
The final overall points for the Parsons Shield were 36-11 to Cumberland, their fourth win in succession. Despite the result, Wauchope had many things to be optimistic about, particularly the performances of the Year 7 students. There were also improvements in a number of areas, which hopefully bodes well for the future.
The Most Valuable Team Members for Wauchope was Jack Tijou for the boys, whilst the girls was shared by Marney Raymond and Josie Boys. These three students were terrific both on and off the field over the three days. There were also strong performances from Kayden, Coby, Connor, Kurtis, Rodney and Flynn and then Nakita, Lucy, Suraya, Chloe, Shelby, Aylia, Pamela, Eden and Kali.
The team were a pleasure to take away to Sydney, as they proved excellent ambassadors for their families, school and town. The level of sportsmanship and behaviour was fantastic, and the majority made firm friends with their Cumberland counterparts, which is what the whole visit is all about.
As always, thanks to the Parsons family for their ongoing support of this competition. It all started when Neville was School Captain and brought Father Jack on board to sponsor the event. The visit would not exist without the contributions of the family over the 49 years.
Another huge thanks go to our school media team, led by Lucy and Lana. Not only did the girls compete over the three days, but they took photos and uploaded them for the school’s Facebook and Instagram sites. They were congratulated on the content produced and the speed at which the information was made available, particularly by the Cumberland ex-students and staff. For more scores and photos, you can go to either platform.
Finally, next year marks the 50th anniversary of the visit. Plans are already starting to take shape for the biggest celebration yet. Watch the Heart of the Hastings for more information as the time draws nearer, as well as the Wauchope High School social sites.
