Scotch College

Scotch Soccer Tour 2002

On Saturday the 29 of June, fifteen Scotch College 1st XI soccer players and two coaches arrived at the Virgin Blue terminal of Melbourne airport to board a plane for our long awaited trip to Adelaide. The reason for us going to Adelaide was to play for a shield contested by Scotch College and St Peter's College, Adelaide.

The shield, for which we play annually, is the John Roe Perpetual Shield, and for the honour of holding it, many a close fought contest has been staged since its inauguration in 1979. This year was to be no different as the stage was set for a titanic encounter between the two friendly schools.

The second day of our stay saw Scotch clash with the current South Australian school league table leaders Blackfriars College.

From the outset of the game Blackfriars established themselves as a tremendously well integrated unit and a force to be reckoned with. They were adept ball handlers with good skills. They broke through our defence and scored an early goal to set the scoreboard at 1 - 0.

Yet the Scotch determination, which has typified this team throughout the season, kicked in immediately we saw ourselves a goal behind.

The courageous Scotch boys matched and even outplayed the talented opposition, doing all but score a goal. The game ended at 1 - 0. The game was followed by more sightseeing and a dinner, attended by members of both the Scotch 1st XI and the St Peters 1st XI. This was a good opportunity to further acquaint ourselves with our opposition before we played the next day. Following the dinner we turned our focus onto the World Cup final taking place the night before our big game -purely coincidental!

St Peters began by displaying the cohesiveness we now associate with Adelaide football, yet Scotch countered this with the courage that St Peters and Blackfriars will now associate with Melbourne schools. Scotch managed to score first, with a remarkable Todd Mitchell (Year 10) cross finding the towering head of Chris Jewitt (Year 9) inside the box, lobbing the ball off his head over the keeper to score an amazing goal. As the lunchtime bell sounded, St Peters supporters arrived in their hundreds. In front of a jubilant crowd, St Peters managed to get past our defence and equalise. The half time whistle blew shortly afterward.

The outset of the second half saw both schools fighting for the lead. St Peters found this through an unstoppable shot from their striker,

who blasted the ball precisely into the top corner from the top of the box. We were 2-1 down, but not out. Scotch lost Branko Ananijevski from defence shortly after due to a calf injury caused by his billet, but David Heaton stepped up to take his place with an outstanding performance in defence, alongside the impenetrable Nick Cruickshank and the superb Hari Wimaleswaran.

Our comeback was spurred on by our refusal to give up, personified in the middle by Oscar 'Intensity' McLennan (Year 12), who displayed the heart and guts we lacked in midfield for much of the season, and Ben Yiu (Year 12), who dropped back in defence to produce some awesome tackles.

Our equalising goal came by means of a magnificent header from a corner by centre back David McIntosh (Year 11) in the dying minutes of the game, quietening the crowd.

A fitting end to a contest that encapsulated the best qualities of the game, and a match played in the friendliest of spirits. Yet unfortunately for Scotch, the shield remains in Adelaide, as St Peters are the current holders. The ascendancy of younger team members during this trip will leave an optimistic feeling for next year when the two teams meet on Scotch soil.

Soon after the final whistle blew, Scotch was at the Adelaide airport, ready to fly out. What we took with us from this tour was more than luggage, however, as many of us had forged friendships with our opponents, many of whom will be returning to defend their trophy next year. Thanks must go to Coaches Casey and Riedler who accompanied the tour party and made the tour possible and enjoyable. Special thanks must also go to Teacher-in-Charge of soccer Mr Zannoni. The trip proved to be an example of sportsmanship and friendship, and all who went will testify that it was a rewarding and beneficial experience. Well done to all.

Branko Ananijevski (C), Nick Cruickshank (VC), Arrian Savvas, Ben Yiu, Chris Jewitt, David Drummond, David Heaton, David McIntosh, Hari Wimaleswaran, Jamie Garantziotis, Michael Care, Michael Lin, Oscar McLennan, Rhys Braithewaite, Todd Mitchell, Mr D Casey, Mr W Riedler.