Sport

We began Term 3 of the GPS competition by hosting round one home games. Chess kicked off the season with an exceptional number of wins on Friday. On Saturday, Brisbane Grammar was a fine opponent, and the clear winter skies were a magnificent backdrop to the scene that would unfold for the blue and grey to be victorious in both our rugby and basketball programmes. This week we look forward to travelling away to verse Gregory Terrace in what will be another competitive GPS round.

2025 Cocurricular Selection Showcase Day

We are excited to welcome all new 2025 Years 5 to 12 students and current Years 4 and 6 students to Churchie’s 2025 Cocurricular Showcase Day on Saturday 27 July.

Information regarding the event will be communicated via Churchie’s Admissions office.

Our amazing cocurricular programmes and their support groups will be available to answer any enquiries from new families and current Years 4 and 6 students.

Please find below a summary timeline for the 2025 cocurricular selection process:

• Saturday 27 July (week three): Showcase Day event for new 2025 Years 5 to 12 students and current Years 4 and 6 students only (11 am to 12:30 pm)
• Monday 29 July (week 4): Cocurricular Selection Information Evening (6 to 7 pm) with the selection portal live and available from 7:30 pm
• Sunday 18 August (week six): Selection portal closed to all families from 6 pm

Basketball

Round one showed the success we have worked so hard to maintain across the programme against Brisbane Grammar. As seen in the results on the Churchie Basketball Scoreboard on the myChurchie Basketball page, Churchie had 35 games against Brisbane Grammar, winning 30 of these games.

The First V game was a sign that the team, when healthy and playing to their strengths, will be a force in the GPS. It was a rocky first quarter, with the ball ending up in our opponent’s hands a little too much. Some missed free throws resulted in a half-time score of 47–46 to Churchie in a much closer game than anticipated. In the second half, some key runs, improved ball security and fast-paced play saw the team add to Captain Oskar Olechnowicz’s points tally. Multiple three-pointers from Kai Summerfield, Noah Kirk and Nash Harding brought the final margin to 108–91. The boys have a lot to put in place to take on Gregory Terrace and Nudgee over the next few rounds.

In the wider programme, some notable performances by teams are below.

• From Year 9 down to our Year 5 teams, we only had one narrow two-point loss; all other teams had strong victories.
• Our Year 11 teams, once again, had a clean sweep, and this age group has been extremely strong during their four previous years of GPS Basketball.
• The 9E team had one of the day’s strongest results, with a 91–16 victory.
• The 5C and 6C boys both took out their game 64–6 in two amazing defensive performances.

Thanks to all parents, coaches, boys and volunteers for an amazing start to the GPS season. We look forward to the support continuing to grow around the courts against Gregory Terrace and Nudgee over the next two rounds.

Aaron Harding
Director of Basketball

Chess

Churchie Chess began its 2024 GPS title defence with a convincing victory over arch-rivals Brisbane Grammar School last Friday. Our first round saw 52 young men play chess for Churchie in The Centenary Library in what is traditionally our most challenging round of the season. Our Premier team won three and a half of their four games. There were some impressive wins showcasing the depth of our programme, notably from the Junior, Open E and Open G teams. This year, we have more than 85 students as part of our GPS squads, far more than any other school.

Round two is this Friday at Gregory Terrace. Students and staff will travel to Spring Hill on a bus, and parents will be able to pick their sons up from the venue after their games. Larissa Guy will contact the Prep School parents when their sons’ games have finished. Further details on travel and playing arrangements will be posted on the myChurchie Chess page this week.

I thank our parent volunteers, who were vital in managing Opening Moves and the food for round one, and our coaching staff.

It has been a great holiday of chess, and we look forward to seeing how our Churchie Chess boys perform this term in GPS competitions.

Max Condon
Director of Chess

Rugby

Round one of the GPS Rugby kicked off spectacularly with Churchie hosting Brisbane Grammar School. With fantastic conditions and large crowds, it was a cracking day of rugby.

The men in blue and grey didn’t disappoint, producing a convincing set of results right across the programme. Overall, 12 games were played between the two schools, with Churchie recording 10 wins and 2 losses. Our U11s participated in the round one Gala Day carnival hosted by Gregory Terrace, with each team playing four 20-minute games against a variety of opposition.

This weekend we are playing Gregory Terrace away, in a full match-up. Further details will be provided later in the week.

First XV report

The First XV ventured out on Main Oval for round one, where we hosted Brisbane Grammar School in fabulous weather conditions. Our side was full of confidence coming off some pleasing performances in our Term 2 trials. The first five minutes saw BGS apply plenty of pressure to the Churchie defence. This resulted in BGS capitalising on the bounce of the ball after a stray kick in the middle. This led to BGS taking an early seven-point lead. 

The Churchie attack slowly started to take shape, spearheaded by Max Blanch. With space opening in behind the Grammer defence, some smart tactical kicking resulted in Churchie getting on the scoreboard, making it 5–7.  

It wasn’t long before Churchie scored again. Some quick ball movement out wide set off Will Bloxham on a run where he smartly set up Treyvon Pritchard. This made the score 12–7. A penalty conversion soon after took the score to 15–7. Churchie remained camped inside the Grammar 22 leading up to halftime but failed to convert the pressure into points. 

The second half kicked off in windy conditions. The Churchie players picked up where they left off and piled on the pressure in the Grammar half. Thomas Hatzifotis picked out Harry Solofa with a wonderfully timed pass seeing him sprint over for the score making it 22–8. Churchie produced a well-worked try but, unfortunately, it was disallowed for foul play. 

Some heavy Grammar pressure saw BGS score a pick and go try through their forwards making it 22–15. Churchie were soon awarded a penalty, which was successfully converted, making it 25–15. 

Some fantastic forward play inside the Grammar half led captain Max Blanch crashing over, taking the score line to 32–15. Shortly after this, Max Blanch again made a line break kicking the ball deep into the Grammar half. Hugh Rylance was the fastest to react, kicking it over the try line and smartly touching it down, making it 37–15. A last-minute BGS comeback saw them score with the final play, bringing the final score to 37–20. 

Andrew Moloney
Director of Rugby

Strength and Conditioning

Churchie GPS Sport Triage Screening Service

We would like to remind you of the great opportunity that is offered by the Churchie Strength and Conditioning and Integrative Physio Centre (IPC).

The primary aim of these sessions is to offer our student athletes additional support through comprehensive physiotherapy assessments. This includes initial assessments, injury assessments, injury observations, referrals, modifications to the Churchie Strength and Conditioning programme (conducted by our expert staff), and adjusted field/court training. The process follows a systematic approach to facilitate a safe return to training and play, with the option for further in-depth assessments during off and on-site clinic times.

This collaborative effort is designed to elevate the standard of care provided by the Churchie Sports department. Our goal is to offer prompt, direct, and specific assessments; recommendations; and rehabilitation exercises; ensuring our student athletes can remain actively engaged in their desired sporting pursuits.

Key details about the Churchie GPS Sport Triage Screening:

• Who: Senior School GPS Sports students
• Where: Medical room of the Sir John Pigeon Sports Centre (SJPSC) foyer
• When: Monday mornings from 6.30 am to 8 am
• Arrival: Students seeking assessment must be in the SJPSC by 7 am to ensure sufficient time for screening.
• Supervision: Churchie Strength and Conditioning staff and physiotherapists from IPC

We are pleased to announce that the Monday morning assessment is free of charge to the community. However, follow-up appointments will need to be covered by private health insurance, with charges at a reduced rate compared to private clinic fees.

For those interested in learning more about the programme, please feel free to reach out to Jarrad Boswell, Director of Athletic Development, at Jarrad.boswell@churchie.com.au.

To explore further information about IPC, visit their website: https://integratedphysiocentre.com.au/#about

We are enthusiastic about the positive impact this service will have on the well-being and performance of our student athletes. Thank you for your support.

Jarrad Boswell
Director of Athletic Development

Sporting achievements

Congratulations to the following students for their success in the following sporting pursuits.

Chess

During the Term 2 holiday, some of our chess players performed wonderfully in various competitions. In the last week of school, the Prep School boys competed in the Brisbane Primary School South Interschool Tournament, which attracts the best primary-aged chess players in the South Brisbane region.

In the A grade, the Churchie 1 team, consisting of Zeqi Xing, Owen Shen, Yuwei Wang and Austin Li, achieved an exceptional score of 23.5/28, securing first place. The tournament also saw Churchie 2 and Churchie 3 place second and fourth, respectively, in A grade. Owen Shen delivered the best individual performance in A grade with a perfect score of 7/7, earning first place individually. Matthew Jia and Austin Li tied for second place with scores of 6/7. In the B division, the best-placed Churchie team was Churchie 5, consisting of Roy Luo, Avraj Singh, Quinton Cheung, and Harvey Nguyen, who placed third overall.

Additionally, some boys competed at the Gold Coast Open and Queensland Juniors successfully. At the Gold Coast Open, Sravan Renjith, our board 1, placed third overall with a score of 6.5/9 in the Premier division. During the event, he defeated his first top 100-rated player in the world, a remarkable achievement for a 16-year-old. Well done, Sravan! Premier chess members Zerui Xing and Jayden Ooi also performed admirably, placing 20th and 29th, respectively, in the Premier division.

Finally, we congratulate Matthew Jia, Zeqi Xing, and Ryan Liaw on winning the under 8, under 10, and under 18 Queensland titles, respectively, at the Queensland Junior Chess Championship last week. Congratulations also to Azaan Bansal, who placed second in the under 8 division behind Matthew Jia.

Rugby

Treyvon Pritchard (Year 11) and Jye Crothers (Year 12) were selected for the Queensland U18 Red team.

Duke Thallon (Year 10), Hamish Russell (Year 10), Tamwoy Tuviyah (Year 9) and Angus Hughes (Year 10) were selected for the Metropolitan East U15 team.

Zac Griggs (Year 12) was selected for the Queensland Schoolboys U18 boys touch football team. He will be playing in the national championships in Coffs Harbour in September.

Table tennis

Owen Jin (Year 9) secured the silver medal for the U15 Boys table tennis doubles and bronze for the U15 Boys team at the National Table Tennis Championships in Mandurah, Western Australia.

Hockey

Riley Wondergem (Year 11) represented the Queensland Gold team at the Australian Under 18 Men’s Hockey Championships at the Gold Coast from 3 to 11 July. 

The team finished 7th out of 12 teams.

Cross Country

Last weekend, seven Churchie boys represented the Met East region at the Queensland Schools Cross Country Championships at St Pauls School, Bald Hills.

All boys competed very well, with special mention to Lachlan Moore, who won the gold medal in the 16 years state championship. Lachlan added the state championship to his GPS Championship win to conclude a wonderful Queensland cross country season. Lachlan now turns his attention to the National Cross Country Championships on 31 August.

• Lachlan Moore, 1st, 16 Years
• Winton Rogers, 7th, 11 Years
• Andrew McConnel, 8th, 14 Years
• Daniel Lane, 17th, 12 Years
• Freddie McDonnell, 20th, 15 Years
• George Chandler, 42nd, 11 Years
• Archie Ellis, 56th, 10 Years

Trent Goodrick
Head of Cocurricular