National School Challenge: Trinity Grammar and Pymble Ladies College claim thrilling wins

Published Tue 12 Dec 2023

12 December 2023

National School Challenge: Trinity Grammar and Pymble Ladies College claim thrilling wins

Pymble Ladies College’s two wins this year make them the most successful school in the 30-year history of the National Schools Challenge. They won the Junior and Immediate Girls competitions, while Trinity Grammar won a thrilling Junior Boys event. Meriden School and Knox Grammar also placed on the podium.

Pymble Ladies College and Trinity Grammar long-term success at the event

The Australian Schools Challenge commenced in 1991 with Pymble Ladies College claiming their first title in 1996. The competition continued over the next three decades, except the two COVID years of 2020 and 2021. Pymble have been very strong in the last seven years of the event (since 2016) winning 12 titles, including a clean sweep of three titles in 2017. Their total of 13 titles, take them past the previous leaders with 12 titles, Queensland’s Fairholme College who last won a title in 2002.

Trinity Grammar, with their win in the Junior Boys, claim their tenth title and become the fourth most successful school at the event. Trinity won their first title in 2013 under coach Andrew Murphy and also had equal outstanding success in 2019 when they clean swept all three boys titles.

Junior Girls

Despite placing fourth in the final event the 4x200m relay, Pymble Ladies claimed a safe victory in the Junior Girls by 6.5 points from Moreton Bay College, with Strathfield’s Meriden School a further point back in third. Burwood’s MLC, relatively inexperienced at this level, were also competitive in fifth place.

Pymble claimed maximum points in the 100m, 200m, 800m and long jump. Meriden were strong cross the events scoring 13 or more points except in just one event. They continue to improve at this level and are surely within reach of a title soon. MLC scored 14 or more points in six events, also outstanding.

Pymble Ladies College 133
Moreton Bay College 126.5
Meriden School 126
St Aidan's Anglican Girls School 116.5
MLC School 115

(9 schools competed)

Junior Boys

NSW Schools dominated the Junior Boys competition with three placing in the top-4. Just five points separated the top-3 as the competition was decided in the last event, the 4x200m relay. Eventual winners Trinity Grammar placed second in the relay, but it would be sufficient for a one point win over Brisbane’s Nudgee College 118-117. Third in the relay, Knox Grammar were a close third with 113 points. The story of the win was about consistency. Nudgee won four events to place second and Trinity won no events, but claimed the title. Trinity was particularly strong in the 200m, relay and field events. Another Sydney school, Barker College were fourth with 99 points, with strength in the sprints and throws.

Trinity Grammar School 118
St Joseph's Nudgee College 117
Knox Grammar School 113
Barker College 99

(8 schools competed)

Intermediate Girls

The Intermediate Girls was the closest overall competition with 11 points separating the top-5 teams. The final event, the Swedish relay, decided the competition. Ahead of the relay, Pymble Ladies and Moreton College were equal on 175 points, but a relay win by Pymble and a fifth place by Moreton would be the four-point difference at the end 195 to 191 points. Strathfield’s Meriden were a close fourth and very strong across the events, highlighted by the field, 400m and 800m events. The final event, the Swedish relay, was a thrilling race between Pymble and Meriden on the final 400m leg, with Pymble prevailing.

Pymble Ladies College 195
Moreton Bay College 191
St Margaret's Anglican Girls Schools 186
Meriden School 185
Perth College A 184

(10 schools competed)

Intermediate Boys

The Intermediate Boys was a runaway win for Ipswich on the back of star sprinter Gout Gout. Knox Grammar were fifth, Trinity Grammar seventh and Barker College eighth.

Ipswich Grammar School 253
Wesley College 214
St Joseph's Nudgee College 206
Trinity College 190
Knox Grammar School 176
Caulfield Grammar 168
Trinity Grammar School 166
Barker College 162

(11 schools competed)

Senior Girls

The Senior Girls competition was a comfortable victory for Queensland’s St Peters Lutheran College, with Pymble Ladies third. Sydney’s Ravenswood School, a regular at this competition, were seventh.

St Peters Lutheran College 173
St Rita's College 144
Pymble Ladies College 142
St Aidan's Anglican Girls School 133
Peter Moyes Anglican Community School 128
Caulfield Grammar 123
Ravenswood School for Girls 81

(8 schools competed)

Senior Boys

The Senior Boys competition was a very close battle between The Geelong School and Sydney’s Trinity Grammar, with just four points the different at the end. Geelong scored maximum points in the jumps and relay, while Trinity were strong in the distance, relay, throws and jumps. In fifth were Sydney’s Knox Grammar, not far off the podium.