A long-standing multi-sport competition will ignite The Armidale School’s playing ovals, tennis courts, gymnasium and rifle range this Friday and Saturday (9-10 May), when it hosts 255 students and 15 staff from Sydney Boys’ High School for 19 fixtures.
Competing for the Hannon Harris Cup, narrowly retained by TAS last year in the final clash of the day, students from both schools will go head-to-head in volleyball, basketball, shooting, tennis, football, rugby and a running relay.
Serving up the first contest on ‘High Weekend’ will be Opens volleyball in the TAS gym from 6:00pm on Friday, followed by basketball at 7:00pm (Years 9/10) and Opens at 8:00pm.
Shooters will fire up at 8.30am at the Meadowfield Small Bore Range in competition for the Tank Shell Shield. Junior and Senior tennis IVs will take to the Belfield Courts at 9.30am, and Adamsfield at the front of the school will be the venue for three football games – 14s at 10:00am, Opens at 11:00am and the 16s at 12:00pm.
Throughout the day there will be eight games of rugby, starting with 13s and 15Bs fixtures at 10:00am and culminating in the First XV clash at 2:40pm on Backfield – also the first round of the GPS Third Grade competition.
Preceding the main game will be a rugby relay event featuring five runners per school in each age division.
It will be the thirteenth time the two schools will compete for the Hannon & Harris Cup, however the two schools have frequently met in various sports, including in rugby, shooting and athletics for more than a century.
TAS Principal Ray Pearson said the competition was always a highlight on the sporting calendar.
“This long-standing tradition continues to be a real highlight on our co-curricular calendar. Apart from contests in a wide range of sports, including kicking off this year’s GPS rugby season, it’s a great way to show some New England hospitality to a school with whom we have shared a long association. We warmly welcome the students, staff and parents, particularly of the High Year 7 students, whose visit has also become somewhat of a tradition and thank them all for making the trip north.”
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