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Senior Boys’ Hockey Win Leinster Trophy Final

The Senior Boys’ Hockey team had a fantastic win in their Trophy final against Kilkenny College this week, bringing home some well-deserved silverware to the College.

The 3-2 victory saw the team win the Leinster Trophy for the first time since 2014 and the third time since its inception in 2010.  The team dominated the first quarter, scoring two goals as well as creating a number of other chances but some excellent saves from the Kilkenny goalkeeper kept them in touch going into the second quarter.  The first goal was a well-taken short corner by Christoph Geyer with a well-directed slap. The second goal came from a good cross into a crowded circle. Joon Schultheis received the ball and manoeuvred himself into space to shoot evading the attention of a number of Kilkenny defenders. He finished with an excellent flick past the keeper and into the net.

In the second quarter, Columba’s were a bit flat, perhaps thinking that the job was done. They still looked the better team but they were not passing the ball around as fluently as they had in the first quarter. Kilkenny took advantage of a few lazy mistakes which gave them the opportunity to attack the Columba’s Circle.  One of these attacks came down our right-hand side and a neat ball into a free Kilkenny player on the penalty spot left Benedict Huessen too much to cover as the ball was directed past his left foot.  Kilkenny were back in the game and began to play with a bit more confidence and forced more mistakes from the Columba’s players.

Columba’s came out after halftime playing the ball around a bit more like they had in the first quarter and this led to an early goal from Edvard Zujest who got an excellent deflection from a dangerous cross in front of the keeper. Down by two goals, Kilkenny had nothing to lose and threw themselves into every challenge.  This limited the time that Columba’s players had on the ball leading to more mistakes.  In the final quarter, Kilkenny really piled on the pressure and eventually, it paid off for them clawing back one of the goals.  It was a nervy final 10 minutes with only the one goal separating the sides but the Columba’s players kept hold of the ball for longer periods and were able to exert pressure on Kilkenny rather than having to defend. It led to a few more chances for Columba’s but again the Kilkenny keeper kept them in it.

It was certainly a well-earned win for the team who have worked incredibly hard all season.  They were very unfortunate early on in the season to have missed out on qualifying for the All Irelands and the Senior Cup but they turned their season around by remaining unbeaten in all competitions since October. A special mention must go to Grant Glutz, the Senior’s coach, who has transformed the squad into a formidable team capable of competing against the best teams in the province.

Senior Boys' Hockey Trophy Final March, 2023
Senior Boys' Hockey Trophy Final March, 2023
80 photos
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Junior Girls’ Hockey Win League Decider

Congratulations to the Junior Girls’ Hockey XI who last week won their league final in emphatic fashion, with a 3-0 win over Santa Sabina at Three Rock Rover HC. The match’s first goal came one minute before halftime, Rachel Pollock choosing the perfect time to score, and it served to settle the team’s nerves. They came out much more confident in the second half, playing more fluidly with linking passes resulting in a quick second goal for Rachel. Santa Sabina continued to fight to the end; still, with the St. Columba’s team growing in confidence and the defensive line pushing up to the halfway line putting the Santa Sabina midfield & defence under a lot of pressure, the third goal came ensuring the win. That third goal completed a superb hat trick for Rachel Pollock. The team celebrated and so they should; it was a fantastic team performance and they thoroughly deserved their win.
Team:
S. Walker
S. Pollock
R. Pollock
G. McCarthy
A. McCarthy
D. Murray
T. Larke
P. Pringle
C. Penwill
S. Dobbs
H. Moffett
H. Robertson
D. Brady
G. Trolese
N. Bradley Brady
Coach: Stef Haughton
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Rugby Tour to Italy – Report & Photos

During the February midterm break, a group of St. Columba’s College junior and senior rugby players travelled to Naples to play a series of games against Amatori Napoli Rugby Club. The group arrived in Rome on the morning of Friday 17th and then travelled south to Naples by bus, where they were based during their trip, and were straight into action the following day. With a playing squad of 43, they played their first two matches against Amatori Napoli Rugby Club with the Junior team winning 40-29 and the SCT winning 29-19. After the games, Amatori Napoli hosted a spread of Italian food and the boys socialised and watched Ireland’s Six Nations match against France at the clubhouse.

The next day, the group climbed Mt. Vesuvius, had pizza for lunch, and explored historic Pompeii. They also had downtime before dinner at the hotel. On Monday, they had a walking tour of Naples with lunch at a local restaurant before heading back to Amatori Napoli for the second round of matches. They were two more competitive games but the hosts atoned for their losses in the first matches. This time, the Juniors lost narrowly 28-29 and the SCT lost 21-5, but everyone had a good time and friendships were made.

Amatori Napoli was very hospitable and the boys enjoyed the food and gifts they received. On Tuesday morning, the group packed up and travelled back to the airport to return home. Overall, it was a pleasant and memorable experience for the St. Columba’s rugby players. We’d like to thank Mr Cron for his efforts in organising the trip, Mr Havenga for his work on the ground and to all the staff that travelled with the pupils. Below is an album of photos from the trip, courtesy of Rev Owen.

Italy Rugby Tour 2023
Italy Rugby Tour 2023
137 photos
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Sebastian Dijkstra – An Update from Glenwood High School, Durban

Sebastian Dijkstra, a pupil in Form IV, is spending his Transition Year at Glenwood High School in Durban with the aim of improving his cricket and expanding his horizons. He sends a report from South Africa on how his year has been going so far.

The journey began on the 8th of January in Terminal 2, Dublin Airport. After arriving at the terminal, I first met Senan Reid from Clontarf CC who was going to Muir College in the Eastern Cape. Then at 10 pm, we boarded the plane off to Dubai. We were lucky enough to be travelling with the Irish men’s cricket team on their way to Harare to play against Zimbabwe. A couple of the players went to South Africa during their TY year and it was nice to get some feedback from their experience.

Eventually, after 20 hours of travelling, we landed in Durban. Two days after we arrived, we met the head of cricket at Glenwood, Mr Bux, and Mr Duncan, the head of Gibson House. Mr Duncan gave us a tour of the school and where I would be staying. The next day was the annual pre-term High-Performance Camp. It was an immense change training in 30-degree heat after just coming out of winter. HP camp started with a team meeting inside along with a presentation and what we would focus on throughout the day. Then outside, we took part in specific fielding drills, along with target bowling and batting drills. After four days of intense training, school had begun.

On the first day of school, I had a session with Ben, the first team Biokineticist, as I was recovering from a broken arm. Later on in the day, I had my first u16A training session.  The first few training sessions consisted of technique and fitness. Unfortunately for the first week, I was only allowed to do recovery in the gym along with lighter cricket training as my arm was still weak. Ben was a significant help as he set me up with a full rehabilitation plan. Towards the end of the second week, I had my first full, intense training session. Not long after, I played my first match against Kearsney. We bowled first restricting Kearsney to under 250. We then fell a few runs short after accurate bowling from Kearsney.

The following week saw the launch of the academy. This involved training sessions from 7 to 8:15 am every Tuesday and Thursday. Along with that, Mr Bux organised the U16A’s to use the nets from 6 am each day where we could focus on our technique. It also allowed us to hit 300 extra balls each week which grew our confidence leading up to Saturday. Throughout the week, we completed target bowling, flat catching along with boundary work, as well as a net session on the square. This expanded my knowledge of the Durban pitches which helped me to adjust my game. On Friday, our rest day, Mr Bux organised all the ‘A’ squads to go to the new SA 20 competition at Kingsmead stadium.  We watched the Durban ‘Super Giants’ play against the ‘Sunrisers’ Eastern Cape. This was a great opportunity to watch first-class cricket at the top level especially before our game the next day. On Saturday we played Clifton at Delta Cricket Club, a premiere league ground. After a full effort from the team, Clifton, unfortunately, came away with the win. However, with a 100-ball game on Thursday and a 50 over game against Maritzburg College, we have a chance to redeem ourselves.

I would like to thank Cricket Leinster and Glenwood High School for making this trip possible and I am looking forward to the weeks ahead.

Sebastian Dijkstra, St Columba’s College & Merrion CC

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Half Term Sports Update – February 2023

The fine weather meant few interruptions and a packed schedule of fixtures in all sports. In rugby, the Juniors have continued their fantastic form in the league beating Sandford Park and St. Benildus in the last couple of weeks setting a big game against Templeogue after half-term, which will likely decide who wins the League. The Seniors also have some big games coming after the break with a semi-final of the McMullen Cup and also a semi-final of the new Ian McKinley League. They found the step up to the Vinnie Murray Cup to be a step too far when they met St. Andrew’s in Donnybrook in mid-January. It was great to have over half of the College in attendance in Donnybrook supporting the lads on such a big occasion and they did themselves proud. Our Junior and Senior squads leave for Italy this morning for a rugby tour, playing a couple of matches and visiting Naples, Pompeii and climbing Mount Vesuvius. Our Tibradden rugby players are continuing to develop and build their skills. They have had four very competitive matches including welcoming Elstree School for a very entertaining friendly just before the break.

The best of luck to the College’s equestrian team competing in the Inter-Schools Show Jumping League’s first event at Coilog Equestrian Centre in Kildare this weekend, a competition run by Newbridge College. Patrick Moran, one of the team of parents coordinating, will act as Chef d’Equipe for the team. Our competing individuals are: Oleana Cowan (Form IV), Daniel Moran (Form II) and Carolyn Curry (Form I).

In basketball, our Junior A and Minor A girls teams have been performing very well in the league, Both teams have had comprehensive wins recently, with only one loss to strong Kings Hospital teams. The Junior and Minor B teams have competed well is their games and are improving with every game. Many congratulations to basketball co-ordinator Ms Hennessey, who this year will be inducted into the Basketball Ireland Hall of Fame for her many achievements as a player in the past.

In hockey, our girls’ teams have been competing well in recent weeks and are all in with a chance to progress to the league playoffs, depending on other results.  It has been a busy half-term for the hockey boys, particularly for the Senior and Junior A teams. The seniors won both their league matches against Sandford Park and a strong Wesley second team. They are playing some excellent hockey and seem to be finding the back of the net a bit more regularly than they did last term. They also easily won their trophy quarter-final against Drogheda 8-0. They are due to play Mt Temple in the trophy quarter-final which will be a sterner test. The Junior A team have had a very successful term having qualified for the cup semi-finals with an excellent 3-1 win against Temple Carrig. Their semi-final clash is against Sutton Park after the mid-term break. The minor A’s had a tough cup draw against High School but they put up a great fight in going down 2-1. The u13 A’s have also been handed a very difficult task in their next round of the cup having to take on a very strong St Andrews team. They have been progressing well in their league and played an excellent match against Newpark winning the match in a shootout after a 2-2 draw.

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Half Term Sports Update

Sport plays such an important part in the lives of Columbans, with six days of organised games each week. The traditional College winter sports, rugby and hockey, are complimented by a vibrant basketball programme, a growing archery tradition, the thrills of polocrosse (think lacrosse on horseback) and, this year, a brilliant golf academy.

The Golf Academy, eight weeks in, is already an undoubted success. Twelve young golfers, pictured above, have been given the opportunity to practice or play golf every day. A new driving and pitching range is planned (this term, the cricket pitch has been transformed) and a new indoor golf studio will begin construction soon. Of course, all our pupils have access to the College golf course, which provides a tricky challenge for any golfer. The young golfers are showing amazing progress already, under the watchful eye of our new golf professional Josh Adams PGA. For more information on the Golf Academy click here or follow their progress on Instagram.

Archery has been a sport which attracts those with a keen eye and a competitive edge. These past few weeks have been fantastic in terms of weather, making for great practice sessions. The team has welcomed new archers, and all are progressing very well. Senior archers have worked especially on their posture by shooting blindfolded, which they enjoyed very much indeed! We look forward to honing their skills further, with the help of Madame de Fréin.

Rugby is off to a good start this year with the Seniors competing for the newly established Ian McKinley Cup, in a new format which brings together 7 of our traditional rival schools to compete in a league format. We have played 4 league games and have taken maximum points with good wins over Templeogue, Newpark, De la Salle and, this week, St. Benildus. The Juniors have also got off to a very good start to their league campaign with four wins from five games, including a thrilling 31-30 victory over Sandford Park having come back from 20-5 down at halftime.
It’s been a great term so far for girls’ basketball with some excellent performances from the Senior A and Cadette A teams against Kings Hospital, High School, Sancta Maria and Beaufort. The Senior Girls now qualify for the regional playoffs while the Cadette narrowly lost out on a spot. The Senior B girls’ team played four very competitive games and have shown great improvement over the past few weeks. The Senior Boys’ squads have trained consistently and produced excellent performances recently against Woodbrook College and St. Killian’s, CS. Unfortunately, they did not qualify for the playoffs but will compete in the Plate Competitions after the half-term.
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Sports Day & Sports Dinner 2022

For many, the annual Sports Day is the highlight of the year. The College bristles with colour, energy, fun and (usually) sunshine! This year was no exception as our pupils embraced their competitive team spirit and competed in a range of sporting activities. These ranged from the traditional track and field events to cricket throwing, penalty kicks, tug of war and more. The day’s events culminated, in traditional fashion, with the ‘cloister dash’ – won this year by Thea Clare and Mika Sacolax. Many thanks to Mr Havenga, who coordinated the day, but to all the staff who helped make it such a wonderful occasion. While it isn’t necessarily about winning, the White Team (pictured above) took home the traditional ice cream trophies!

The fun and festivities of Sports Day were followed by the more formal and serene setting of Sports Dinner, our annual celebration of sporting success in the College. Senior pupils who marked themselves out as fully committed to our “Traditional Team” sports are invited to this dinner and award ceremony because they participate fully and contribute above the norm. We were delighted to welcome Old Columban Thomas Chamney as our special guest. ‘Tom’ represented the Irish Athletics Team from 1999 to 2001 at every schoolboy age group. He set new College records at Hill Running, the 800 metres where he won the gold medal in the Leinster Championships in concurrent years and an All Ireland Silver medal in 2002. He was awarded his Athletics Colours in  2000, 2001 and 2002. The year he left school he was awarded a full Athletics scholarship to the University of Notre Dame Indiana 2002-2007 where he studied English and film. During his time there he was honoured with three All American titles for Athletics and All American award for Academics as his grades were in the top percentile and he held Notre Dame’s All-time 800 metre record until very recently. He represented Ireland at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, competing in the 800m event (the last Columban to attend an Olympic Games). Tom spoke of his time at the College and gifted the College a framed singlet that he wore at the games. He then presented the pupils with ‘colours’ to pupils for their outstanding contribution to sport in the College.

Nathan Kutner – Rugby

Matteo Tafi – Rugby

Jack Hayes – Rugby

Akin Babajide – Rugby

Andrew Maguire – Hockey

Rory Flanagan – Basketball

Evie Pringle – Hockey

Thea Clare – Hockey

Mia Deutsch – Hockey

We are also very proud of various individual successes beyond our school teams. 

  • Tom Larke, who represented the Ireland U18 Clubs during the year
  • Ryan Ovenden, who has been selected for the Leinster U16 Metro squad.
  • Abbie Murray represents the Ireland U17 Netball team and her sister Holly Murray is on the Development Squad.
  • Johannes Pabsch won Leinster and Irish indoor hockey men’s titles with Three Rock Rovers, meaning he has a chance of playing against the top German, Dutch, Belgium, English and French teams in Europe next season.
  • Harry St. Leger Captained the Leinster U16s and the Irish U16 hockey team in a five-nation tournament.
  • Isaac and Sebastian Dijkstra on Leinster U15 cricket team.
  • David Chukwueke and David Cron were selected for the Leinster u14 teams that played in an Interprovincial blitz against Ulster and Munster.

The evening was rounded off with the appointment of captains for the 2022 / 2023 season … well done to everyone on their excellent contribution to sport in the College and to Mr Canning (Director of Sport), Mrs Johnson (Head of Girls’ Sport), Mr Havenga (Head of Boys’ Sport) and all the individual Heads of Sport for the amazing sports programme at St. Columba’s.

Sports Day & Sports Dinner 2022
Sports Day & Sports Dinner 2022
235 photos
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Sports Update – Hilary Term 2022

The traditional winter sports of rugby and hockey wrap up their seasons and all the participating teams can reflect on a full and generally successful season overall. In rugby, the JCT squad showed significant potential and the foundation for future senior squads was strengthened. Young players like Ryan Ovenden, a Form II boy who ended the season as captain, and Oran Mann have further years to contribute at junior level. They’ll be joined by some promising talent coming up from Form I, especially the try machine David Cron who excelled for the Ducks this year. The SCT had a disappointing cup run but reached the semi-final of the Shield, losing narrowly to Newpark. On Wednesday last, they played in the semi-final of their league ….. They played without their talisman Tom Larke was has been called up to the Ireland Under 18’s preliminary camp as they prepare for the upcoming Six Nations competition.

The boys’ hockey season has not been the most successful in terms of qualifying for finals and silverware but there have been some good results.  The senior team qualified second in their pool behind a strong High School team.  There were four pools and the top team from each pool qualified for the A-League whilst those who came second qualified for the B-League.  In the B-League our seniors would play against Newpark, Sandford Park and Templecarrig.  Two wins and a narrow loss to Newpark placed them second in the league and 6th in the province.  With many of the players still here next year they have a good opportunity to improve on this position.  The team captain, Andrew Maguire, led his team extremely well and it was fantastic to see their progression through the season.  Other standout players included Johannes Pabsch, Jurre Chukwueke and Harry St Leger.  Harry, who is only in third form, was selected as Captain for the Leinster U16 team and is part of the Irish U16 training squad to play in a five nations tournament in the Netherlands in April.  They will be playing against England, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium.  It should be a fantastic experience for him.

The U14 boys also had a strong season.  They qualified for the A-League after topping their pool and were pitted against St Andrew’s, Wesley and King’s Hospital.  They lost both their matches against St Andrew’s and Wesley but had a strong outing versus King’s Hospital, comfortably winning 3-0.  This placed them third in the province.  Two key players in this team, David Chukwueke and David Cron were both selected for the Leinster U14 training squad.

The girls’ hockey season also concludes at the end of this term and it was a very solid season overall, with lots of promise on show. The traditional end of season inter-house match (Potty Match) was won by Clonard in their first time competing in it. There was some great skill on show, as well as laughter and colour.

Attention now turns to the summer games programme: cricket, athletics, tennis, golf and more.

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Warden’s Blog, March 2022

The Warden writes (10th March 2022):

I haven’t blogged much this year, perhaps because there is a limit to how often people need to read my thoughts about coping with the pandemic and life has been dominated by that for so long. Now, of course, just as life is returning to normal, we are facing even more serious challenges in Ukraine and the world seems like a rather dark place. Ironically, from a school point of view, there is much to look forward to as Spring arrives and the daffodils begin to add colour to the campus. However, it is hard to be too upbeat when so many are suffering so much elsewhere.

Let me stay off the politics and the pandemic…it is that time of the year when I remind the school that my father scored the only try of the match for England v. Ireland at Twickenham in 1952 in what must go down as the most absurd game of rugby in history. The match was supposed to have been played in February but was postponed, for the first time ever, because King George VI died. It was rearranged for the end of March and so had to be played then regardless of the conditions. In those days, there was no such thing as health and safety or concern for player welfare and matches never got called off!

A few years ago I found the footage from the match on YouTube. In fact I found two different versions of the same match. Both are magnificent. The older among you will remember that when those leather balls got wet they swelled up and become like a bar of soap, which helps to explain the chaos that you see. The commentary of the shorter is wonderful, while the longer one has more footage and ends with an Irish player trying to start a snowball fight.

You can watch the two clips below.

Sport is not real life, but it can provide a great distraction in tough times. I hope this cheers everyone up!

In case you are confused, a try was only worth three points in those days, hence the final score of 3-0. Oh, and good luck to Ireland on Saturday. It is always a great occasion, but I hope you will not be too disappointed by the result.

 

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Sports Update – February Half-term

The Senior Rugby team have had a couple of very strong performances since the Christmas break, narrowly defeating a spirited St Mary’s side in a tight contest in the Forster League and beating De La Salle by 40 points in the Plate competition. It has been great to see what this group are capable of when they have their full squad available. The Juniors have continued to impress despite a string of injuries and illness, causing them to play with a much-changed side in a thrilling 26-26 draw against High School. They also ran out comfortable victors over De La Salle in their second league game which was marked by try-scoring debuts for Form I pupils David Cron and Gonzalo Gutierrez. We also had a very strong performance for a mixed Form I and II team against Templeogue, losing narrowly in a great display of running rugby. We will have a very busy few weeks after half-term with the Juniors and Seniors both well placed in their leagues and shield competitions.

In Girls’ Hockey, the 1st year league will begin after half-term; prospects of a successful campaign are high as Form I have been working hard since September. The Junior As will continue their plate campaign after half-term, playing the semi-final against Temple Carrig on Wednesday, March 2nd in Columba’s; support would be most welcome. It’s been a mixed term for boys’ hockey although there are good signs in our under-13s and Minor teams that the future is looking bright.

In Basketball, the Junior A girls are currently top of their pool while our Minor girls are very competitive with two games left before the play-offs. Our plucky, young Senior boys team are improving their skills all the time.

On an individual level, congratulations to Kjell Laudon (pictured) on his achievements in the Leinster Schools’ Swimming Championships recently: he won bronze in the 100m Back Stroke with a new personal best time, and also came 4th in the 400m Free-Style, also with a new personal best.

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St. Columba’s Launch New Golf Academy

St. Columba’s College is delighted to announce details of our new Golf Academy. The Golf Academy programme will provide the opportunity for elite junior golfers to take part in a structured golfing programme, making use of the excellent golf facilities at St. Columba’s, while also attending Ireland’s leading boarding and day school. The College is already home to our fantastic and challenging 9-hole golf course – the home of Kilmashogue GC – but will also be providing a full indoor trackman and putting studio, as well as an outdoor wedge range. We’re also delighted to announce a collaboration with our neighbouring course Stackstown Golf Club, home to three-time major winner Padraig Harrington. Members of the academy, limited to a maximum of 12 pupils for 2022, will automatically have junior membership to Stackstown GC and can play in their weekly competitions. In addition, the College is surrounded by some world-class golf courses, including Grange GC. The programme will be coordinated by PGA Golf Professional Josh Adams, who has extensive experience with young golfers at Golf Ireland’s National Academy, Stackstown, Woodbrook and Rathfarnham golf clubs. We’re delighted to receive an endorsement from former Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley also:

”I love to see the endeavour, progress and investment that St Columba’s College has made with their golf programme. Golf is a very important and necessary tool in today’s world, with its opportunities for networking and building relationships, which are key to any success.”

We are extremely excited about the potential for our Golf Academy in the years to come. For more information on golf at St. Columba’s and the Golf Academy visit our dedicated page here.

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End of Term Sports Report

Despite the difficulties, the sports programme in the College continues at full pace, with additional coaching and measures in place to ensure safe participation. The school timetable is adjusted over the winter months to maximise the opportunity for afternoon sport. There have been plenty of rugby, hockey and basketball fixtures over the past few weeks while pupils were also able to play golf, tennis, cross-country running, archery and attend the gym in the afternoons.

Form V pupil Tom Larke returned from representing the Irish under-18 Clubs Rugby squad in an international fixture against Italy, over half-term, to help the Senior boys continue their solid season to date. While unfortunately they were eliminated from the cup by a strong Gorey side, the Seniors are now building for their league campaign in the new year. It has been great to see 35 players representing the 1st XV this term, showing the depth they are building. The Juniors were very unlucky in the quarterfinal of the Duff Cup losing a very tight game against St. Conleth’s (their first loss of the season). They will now concentrate on their league quarter-final after Christmas. The Form I boys have continued to grow in confidence and have had some great performances and results including beating De La Salle and Newpark in a blitz just before the end of term. They’re pictured above after defeating their “arch-rivals” Headfort School. Many thanks to Mr. O’Herlihy, the Head of Rugby, and all the teachers and coaches who help ensure our teams are enjoying the sport while also being competitive in their respective leagues.

The hockey seasons continues at an extraordinary pace, with weekly fixtures for both boys and girls, across the age range. The girls’ squads have had great success with notable wins for Senior XI against Kilkenny College and the Minor A’s against Mount Sackville, courtesy of a goal from Clara Seeling. The boys’ squads have also been playing well. The Minor XI had some great performances of late, including a great win against Wesley Bs. The Junior boys’ had some tight matches, unfortunately finishing on the losing side in recent matches. The Senior XI secured second place in their league after two excellent play-off wins against Mount Temple (1-0, goal by Andrew Maguire) and Wesley B (2-1, goals from Antonius Kruse, Johannes Pabsch).

In basketball, the Senior boys continued their league campaign with matches against Blackrock, Temple Carrig, Woodlands College and Avondale, with mixed fortunes. They are a young team and improving all the time. The girls’ squads have been playing well in their respective leagues. The Cadettes (under-16) had good wins over Loreto Dalkey, Coláiste Ráithín and Temple Carrig in recent weeks while the Seniors fell to the same opposition in tight matches.

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Half Term Sports Update

It has been wonderful to see the full sports programme return this term, with the necessary regulations being followed carefully to ensure a safe yet enjoyable experience for players and coaches. It’s been an extremely busy eight weeks for our young athletes. The full games programme is now up and running with daily training for the traditional College sports (rugby, hockey, basketball) being supplemented by our excellent AGC (Athletic Gymnastic Conditioning) programme, tennis, polocrosse and golf.

In hockey, the red, white and green jerseys are back on the field with over 40 competitive girls hockey fixtures completed already. It’s been similar number of fixtures in the boys game, with plenty of potential from all our young athletes. The senior boys were unlucky to lose their All Ireland qualifier recently to Newpark Comprehensive. They battled back to score at the death, forcing a shoot out, but narrowly lost. Many congratulations to Form III pupil Harry St. Leger who captained the Leinster Under 16 squad during their inter-provincial series. The basketball season took a little longer to get going, but training did take place in the September sunshine before going indoors when the restrictions allowed. There have been a number of friendly fixtures played to date with competitive league games beginning after half term. In rugby, the senior squad have had a good start to the season with convincing wins over De La Salle and St Conleth’s and a close loss to Templeogue College. The senior development side played a very competitive fixture against Clongowes earlier this week but came out second best to a well drilled side. The junior squad are off to a dream start with three wins from three and are showing amazing potential. The Form I and II boys have played some very good matches against De La Salle and Mount Temple also and will look forward to more games after half term. More individual honours: congratulations to Form V pupil Tom Larke, he has been selected to represent the Ireland Under 18 club team against their Italian counterparts (in Italy) over half term.

Experienced horse riders have been the opportunity to play polocrosse (a mixture of polo and lacrosse) and the fine autumnal weather has provided plenty of opportunity to play tennis and golf (on our excellent and challenging nine hole golf course). There are some exciting developments being announced soon about our golf programme – stay tuned!

The best place to find details on our sports fixtures, and their results, can be found on our Twitter feed.

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Tom Larke Selected for Ireland U18 Rugby International

Congratulations to Form V pupil Tom Larke who has been selected as part of the IRFU U18s Clubs rugby squad for the upcoming international match against Italy U18s on 30th October in Treviso. Tom will train with his squad during the half term break before travelling to Italy.

Tom’s success emanates from his recent involvement with the Leinster Rugby U18 Club side, where he twice started at out-half for Leinster in the interprovincial series against Munster, Connacht and Ulster. He is a key player for the Senior squad and plays his club rugby with Old Wesley RFC.

The whole school is extremely proud of his achievement.

 

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SCT Rugby ‘Jerusalema Dance Challenge’

The Senior Rugby Team took a break from non-contact training last week to take on the ‘Jerusalema Dance Challenge’, made famous recently by the Springboks. They were choreographed by Mr. Havenga. Great work boys #StaySafe

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Virtual Sports’ Day Film

While we couldn’t maintain the traditions of a normal Sports’ Day this year, we did move it online… check it all out in this film.

Sincere thanks to Mrs Johnson for organising the day, Ms Thompson for putting the film together, Reverend Owen for lots of photographs, and all pupils, parents and staff who participated.

 

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Results of Sports’ Day 2020

Mrs Johnson thanks all who participated in the first-ever SCC Virtual Sports’ Day on Wednesday. It was great to see so many contributions from the Columban community (including family members) from around the world.

A film of the day is being put together, and will be available here before long.

(featured photo from last year, of course).

Meanwhile, here is Mrs Johnson’s announcement about the winners…

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Girls’ basketball awards

The senior girls basketball team wrapped up the season a little differently yesterday and said farewell to the Sixth Formers, Captain Calina Sacolax, Avouka Assebian and Abbie O’Brien.

It was great catching up with the team and we would like to congratulate the following

  • Most Valuable Player – Charlotte Moffitt
  • Most Improved player – Maybelle Rainey
  • Defensive player of the year – Raphaela Ihuoma.

The team is excited and looking forward to building on their skills for next season.

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