Another Australian Open Tennis tournament has been run and won. The travelling troupe has left Melbourne in search of more prizemoney, and Melburnian TV viewers must be content with the return of the pablum puking My Kitchen Rules and Married at First Sight.

On a brighter note, pre-season training began for the Old Xavs last night, with hordes of young men and women rolling out on the green fields of Xavier College to resume preparations for season 2019. Numbers were up on the last December training session. Up? They blew them away, with 60+ seniors, 60+ U19s, 40+ women and and a good smattering of Thirds players too.

Rob Grey ordered a 2k time trial and most obliged, turning in excellent times. Chris Margin led the senior boys home, with Cauley Beetham and Seb Knox filling the minors in a very strong field. Scott Mollard burned it up as usual, torching many much-younger athletes with his long strides. The U19 2k followed, with 57 doing the distance in a startling first night performance.

A few new faces, particularly with the U19 squad, with over half being XC ‘18 graduates, surely a great sign for success at that level this season and for senior teams in the near future.

Training continues each Tuesday and Thursday at Xavier until the end of March.