Preparatory Sport

Dear Dunstonians

I could not have wished for the Preparatory School Sporting program to emerge from a two year pandemic in a better way than it did in 2022. Our sports began the day that schools returned in January, with athletics practices getting the ball rolling, which then set the tone for the rest of the first term. Our summer season offered our pupils the opportunity to become involved in a full sporting program once again. It was a joy having our fields and courts abuzz with busy bodies who were honing their skills during practices, and executing them during their matches.

Morning sports practices were introduced this year for Swimming, Athletics, Hockey, Rugby and Netball. The opportunity of starting the day with a morning practice, spending time bonding with team mates and coaches before the school day begins was well received by our pupils and paid off in their performance. Our Cricket, Softball, Swimming and Tennis teams managed strong overall performances throughout the season, along with a number of notable individual performances in athletics.

Moving into the winter season, there was tangible excitement around the school, particularly in our senior grades in preparation for the inaugural 3-IN-1 Winter Sports Festival. This excitement grew even more at the sight of rugby posts being erected for the first time on the Preparatory School fields. Our new facilities were certainly put to good use in this festival, as they were graced with teams from all over Gauteng, KZN and Mpumalanga. The vibe created during the 7s Rugby, Hockey and Netball was something yet to be experienced at the Preparatory School, and I look forward to seeing this initiative grow in the years to come.

Our Football, Netball, and Hockey teams did our school proud, with three football teams progressing as far as the Benoni league semi-finals, and our U-11 team, who emerged as league winners. The netball teams were just as successful, as three age groups progressed to the playoffs, which is a wonderful achievement in itself. Our U-10 A-team managed to win their final match and were crowned as league winners. The Girls’ and Boys’ 1st Hockey teams experienced another first for St Dunstan’s, where they had the opportunity to go on our schools first-ever hockey tour. A trip to the Midlands, where they played Hockey against schools from all around the country, as well as Namibia and Zambia, was certainly a highlight of the season. Our 1st Team Rugby, U-13 A and U-12 A Netball teams also enjoyed a wonderful trip to the Lowveld, where they played in the Penryn Festival. The mini-football, -netball and -hockey teams enjoyed various weekly festivals, which culminated in our Annual JP Winter Sports Festival, which is attended by over 1300 pupils.

The athletes took to the track again in spring, with St Dunstan’s fielding our largest team in many years, at four highly successful meetings. This paved the way for our summer sports to commence again, with a highlight of the term being the 1st and U11 Cricket teams’ trip to Uplands College in White River.

Throughout the year there have been a number of individual performances that have earned our pupils various accolades, through school sport and outside of school activities. I would like to congratulate each of these pupils for their achievements. A special mention also needs to be made to pupils who may not have achieved these awards, but who still played with their hearts. Well done to these unsung heroes who turn out for their team and school, purely out of the love of the game.

Thank you to our Headmaster, the PA and Council for their generous support throughout the year. Our pupils would not be able to achieve the success that they do without our parent body. A big vote of thanks goes to all of our parents, for their time spent supporting on the sidelines, transporting players to matches and for hosting visiting teams. Your generosity in this regard is most appreciated. I would like to congratulate all of our teachers and coaches who were involved in the various sporting codes and thank them for their time at practices and matches, and the time that they have sacrificed at weekends and on sporting trips away. We are blessed to have wonderful facilities at St Dunstan’s and I thank the Estate managers and ground staff who work tirelessly on our beautiful grounds.

My hope is that the pandemic that we have all experienced has made us stronger, and that the passion and eagerness to play sports at school has grown, and that it will continue to grow in the years to come. Well done to all of our young sportsmen and women for making 2022 the thriving year it was on the sports fields.

Mr C Tucker
Director of Sport