ICCES Winter Tour

The ICCES Winter Tour is, quite rightly, the biggest sporting event on the school calendar and something that both staff and students eagerly anticipate each year when the new dates are announced.

This year’s annual trip to Shepparton will go down as one to remember – not only because it was the largest group of students BMG has ever taken on tour, but also because of the outstanding performances from our individual teams and the school’s overall success.

Basketball

After completing a clean sweep of the Basketball divisions in 2025, the pressure was certainly on our students to perform again this year.

While we were unable to repeat last year’s clean sweep, our Basketball program once again demonstrated its strength by winning 3 of the 4 divisions:

• 1st – Junior Girls
• 1st – Senior Boys
• 1st – Senior Girls

A special mention must go to our Junior Girls who finished runners-up at the VSSC Championships earlier in the same week before backing up to claim the ICCES title – a remarkable achievement.

Football

In previous years, BMG has struggled to find consistent success on the football pitches in Shepparton. With 5 of the 13 divisions on offer, significant time and effort was invested this year to give our students the best possible opportunity to succeed.

By the conclusion of the tournament, BMG had been competitive across all 5 divisions, with students showing tremendous resilience while battling both quality opposition and the challenging Shepparton weather. Their hard work was reflected in some excellent results:

• 1st – Junior Girls
• 3rd – Intermediate Boys
• 3rd – Senior Girls

This marks the first time BMG has won the Junior Girls Football division – a fantastic achievement and a testament to the team’s hard work, dedication and performances throughout the tournament.

Hockey

Hockey continues to grow in popularity at the ICCES Winter Tour, with this year featuring the largest number of participating schools across any of the 13 divisions. This resulted in a demanding schedule for our students, with quick turnarounds between matches.

Despite these challenges, our Hockey team produced some excellent performances throughout the tournament, earning a well-deserved podium finish:

• 3rd – Open Mixed

Netball

Netball is always one of the most fiercely contested sports, with every match proving highly competitive. This year was no exception, with our teams displaying outstanding determination, teamwork and resilience throughout the tournament.

At the conclusion of play, BMG claimed 1 of the 3 available division titles:

• 1st – Senior Girls

This is also the first time BMG has won the Senior Girls Netball division at the ICCES Winter Tour.

After two tiring, wet, but thoroughly enjoyable days of competition, BMG returned home having won 5 division championships, placing the school in a strong position to challenge for the overall title.

It is with great pride that we announce BMG finished with 51 points, 3 points clear of our nearest rival, to be crowned 2026 ICCES Winter Tour Champions for the 5th time in the school’s history.

I would firstly like to personally thank every student who represented BMG across the two days. You consistently displayed our school values through your respect, leadership, confidence and ambition. This achievement is a direct reflection of your commitment and efforts.

Secondly, a heartfelt thank you goes to all our coaches for the countless hours they devoted throughout Terms 1 and 2 to trialling, training and preparing our students. Your commitment laid the foundation for this outstanding success.

I would also like to acknowledge Mr A. Perks and Mr C. Perks for their logistical support throughout the tour, along with Nurse Jo, Ms Majewski and Mr Panczel for their invaluable assistance and care across the 2 days.

Sport at BMG continues to go from strength to strength, and we look forward to building on this success as preparations now begin for the ICCES Summer Tour.

Matt Harris – Head of Sport (Maddingley)

Maddingley

BMPSSA Winter Sports Day

A total of 145 Year 5 and 6 students proudly represented at the annual BMPSSA Winter Sports Day held across Bacchus Marsh in Week 8 of Term 2. Throughout the day, students competed in AFL, Football, Hockey, Netball and Tee Ball, displaying outstanding skill, teamwork and sportsmanship. It was fantastic to see so many students embrace the opportunity to represent the school with pride while enjoying a great day of interschool sport.

AFL

Our AFL teams enjoyed an outstanding day, with both the Mixed Boys A and Mixed Boys B teams winning their respective divisions.

Football

Football was another major success, with the Mixed A, Mixed B, and Girls teams all crowned champions in their respective divisions.

We would like to extend our appreciation to the three Year 9 Elite Sport students who generously gave up their time to assist with refereeing throughout the competition.

Hockey

Both our Girls and Mixed hockey teams claimed victory in their respective divisions after excellent performances across the day.

Netball

Our Girls netball team produced a terrific display to win their division.

Tee Ball

Our Mixed Tee Ball team also enjoyed a successful day, winning their division with a series of impressive performances.

At the conclusion of the day, BMG claimed an outstanding 9 Division Championships from the 11 divisions contested, a remarkable achievement and a testament to the hard work, commitment and improvement shown by both students and staff throughout the House Sport program during Term 2.

Congratulations to all students who represented the school with pride and enthusiasm. A special congratulations to those teams that have qualified for, or have already competed in, the Western Ranges Division Finals.

A sincere thank you to all staff involved for their coaching and dedication throughout the term, preparing the students so well for competition.

We wish all qualifying teams every success as they continue their representative journey and thank all staff, coaches and students for contributing to another memorable and highly successful BMPSSA Winter Sports Day.

Matt Harris – Head of Sport (Maddingley)