Sydney University Colleges rose over $2,000 for Glebe Youth Service at the Annual Intercol Sparring Night held on Wednesday 17th October, a record for the annual event.
In what is rapidly becoming a great spectacle in Intercol sport, a 500-strong crowd packed into Manning Bar at Sydney University to watch 26 students from St Paul’s, St John’s, St Andrews, Wesley, Sancta Sophia, and the University faculties box.
Sydney University Boxing Club (SUBxC) assisted all competitors to prepare for the event by providing them with boxing training in 2012.
For the third year in a row, the night was organised by willing volunteers from St Paul’s College and SUBxC.
Principal organisers Nick Murphy and Dilshan Seneviratna of St Paul’s College said that they wished to “acknowledge the good work undertaken by Glebe Youth Service and are happy to contribute to assist their programs.”
The Glebe Youth Service, in Glebe Point Road, offers support for young people aged 12 to 24 who live, work, study or play in the Glebe area. Glebe Youth Service, with the assistance of many partners (one of which is Sydney University), delivers the Glebe Education Pathways Project which enables Year 10 students complete their studies.
Keiran Kevans, Glebe Youth Service Coordinator, stated, “The funds are welcome as we have current shortfalls in programs due to increased demand in Glebe”.
The top floor of Manning Bar was transformed for the night with a 20 foot raised Olympic boxing ring, lights, music and smoke machine providing an atmosphere of intensity and excitement that reached fever pitch for some of the night’s most fiercely contested bouts.
The night saw the return of inter-faculty matches with old rivals Law taking on Medicine, with Tommy Tran from Medicine taking a points decision over James O’Neill of Law in the welterweight division.
Major awards presented on the night included the Dr Evan Whitton Flynn Trophy for “Best Novice Boxer” to B J Edwards of St Andrews in the Heavyweight division; Dr Doug Tracey Trophy for Best Middleweight to Same Payne of St John’s College; Dr Toby Bowring Trophy for Best Boxer of the tournament to James Robinson; Dr Tony Collings trophy for Best Heavyweight to Blake Bardon of Wesley College; and the Tony Cunningham Trophy for Most Successful College in Inter Collegiate bouts to St Johns College.
St Paul’s students Nick Murphy and Dilshan Seneviratna said “The colleges have always had a competitive rivalry and boxing is the ultimate in challenging both the individual and the college.”
One of the novice boxers, Henry McMahon of St Paul’s College, stated “I learnt a lot from just the training. It certainly took me out of my comfort zone of the library and desk. I had to learn how to stay in mental and physical control while under pressure at the same time. And at the end we all had respect for our opponents. I found it’s not just a sport but a science, you have to be physical but you also have to outthink your opponent.”
The organisers also wished to thank “Sydney University Boxing Club for providing training facilities and training the individuals and Mitch Doherty and Manning Bar for their sponsorship and providing the venue, and of course thanks to all the boxers who spent months training to compete on the night”.
