Action-Packed Week of Sport

This week has been full of sporting excitement for our pupils, with teams from across the year groups representing King’s St Alban’s in rugby and hockey fixtures and festivals. With plenty of highlights, improvements, and memorable moments, it has been a week to be proud of both on and off the pitch.

Tuesday 30th September U9 Rugby Festival at KSA 

On Tuesday 30th September, excitement was in the air as the Year 4 boys made the short walk to the KSW playing fields at Slingpool Walk for their second St. Alban’s contact rugby festival of the term — and their first ‘home’ festival. With four matches scheduled against Moor Park, The Elms, The Downs and Blue Coat School, it was a fantastic opportunity for the boys to put their developing tackling skills into practice in real match conditions. 

Throughout the afternoon, the boys demonstrated determination and commitment as well as some pleasing teamwork skills. Each game gave them valuable experience and the chance to grow in confidence. 

The boys showed great enthusiasm in their opening match against Moor Park, before finding themselves less assured in their second fixture against The Elms. A timely team talk from Mr. Jenkinson helped them to reflect on what had gone well – notably their ability to score individual tries – as well as highlighting areas to improve, such as committing fully to tackles, tackling lower, and passing the ball more effectively to create team tries. Inspired by this advice, the boys returned to the field with renewed energy and focus. 

From the very first whistle of their remaining matches against The Downs and Blue Coat, the team played with real intent. They tackled with greater commitment, worked together more cohesively, and began to show how strong they could be in attack. Hugo, in particular, demonstrated excellent strength and determination, powering through to score a number of well-deserved tries. 

There were many highlights across the matches. Magson, Hugo, Archie M and Charlie impressed with their strong attacking and defensive contributions, while Gabriel, Milan, Archie H, Finley M and Akshay all tried hard and demonstrated an improved understanding of the game whilst representing St. Alban’s. 

Overall, it was a rewarding and successful afternoon for the Year 4 boys, full of effort, progress and enjoyment. Well done to Akshay, Archie H, Archie M, Charlie, Finley, Gabriel, Hugo, Magson and Milan for their performances, and thank you to the parents and relatives who came along to lend their support.  

U8 Rugby v Hereford Cathedral School

This week the U8 boys played their second tag rugby fixture, against HCS. We played three sessions and were looking to put in to practice the things we had learned from our first festival. We continued our theme of good evasive running, from last week, with Ben getting a well worked try. Xander and Rory were also able to make good passes, putting their teammates into space. Mikaeel was able to lead the way with some good tags and our defence in general showed improvement from last week. Overall, another great performance and we look forward to taking our learning into the next fixture. 

 

U9/8 Hockey Festival at Winterfold 

Year 4 had a wonderful afternoon at the hockey festival hosted by Winterfold. The girls were split into two mixed teams and played a rotation of matches against Winterfold, Moor Park, and The Downs. It was a fantastic opportunity to experience competitive play in a friendly and supportive environment. Despite the warm weather, the girls showed incredible determination and energy throughout, playing over an hour of hockey with enthusiasm and teamwork. Olivia stood out for her tireless effort, constantly running up and down the pitch to support both attack and defence—excellent! Every player contributed brilliantly, showing great sportsmanship and resilience. The festival was a lovely celebration of hockey, and the girls should be extremely proud of their performance and attitude. A big thank you to Winterfold for hosting such a well-organised and enjoyable event. 

Wednesday 1st October U11/10 v Hereford Cathedral School, Moor Park

On Wednesday 1st October, the Year 5 and 6 boys from St. Alban’s joined forces once again with their counterparts from King’s Hawford to form a combined U11 team. They made the short walk down to the KSW playing fields at Slingpool Walk to play two rugby matches against sides from Moor Park and Hereford Cathedral School. 

The afternoon began with a tough opening fixture against Moor Park. From the first whistle, the boys showed admirable determination, trying hard in defence and putting into practice their developing understanding of the game. At the breakdown, they were disciplined in how they committed players to the ruck, and when in possession they looked increasingly confident running with the ball. The match proved to be an evenly contested affair with tries scored at both ends 

A team talk from Mr. Jenkinson and Mr. Hodgkins (K.H.) between games helped the boys reflect on their performance and set clear goals for the next match. With a focus on tackling lower and committing fully to the tackle, the team went into their second fixture against Hereford Cathedral with renewed purpose. Adjusting quickly to the slightly different rules adopted for this match, the boys showed good resilience, composure and teamwork. After steady early exchanges, they grew in confidence, which helped lead to some well-deserved individual tries. 

The St. Alban’s Year 6 boys played particularly well, with Pip and Joshua leading by example, while Jack J, George, Max M and Rudy represented Year 5 well, with their commitment in both defence and attack. Several of the Hawford boys crossed the line for tries, ensuring a deserved victory for the combined King’s team. 

Overall, this was a very successful afternoon of rugby. The matches gave the boys valuable opportunities to develop their skills, whilst also showcasing the spirit, determination and teamwork that they bring to the game. Well done to George, Jack J, Joshua, Max M, Pip, Rudy and all of the King’s Hawford boys on their improved team performance. A big thank you also goes to the parents and relatives who came along to cheer the boys on. 

 

U10 v Hereford Cathedral School and King’s Hawford 

This week we welcomed Hereford Cathedral School and King’s Hawford for an afternoon of U10 rugby. 

We faced King’s Hawford first and the boys started strongly, showing confidence in attack and moving the ball with pace. Dylan and Matthew both scored some excellent solo tries, spotting gaps and finishing with determination. In defence, Haadi and Eli stood out with some brave tackles and relentless effort, helping to keep the opposition at bay. It was a solid all-round performance that set the tone for the day. 

Next up was Hereford, and once again the team played with energy and commitment. Jeremiah impressed with a number of powerful runs and showed great awareness with his offloads at the right moments. Monty led from the front, working tirelessly and encouraging his teammates throughout. 

Across both matches, there were plenty of positives, with strong running, good teamwork, and moments of real quality. Going forward, we’ll continue to focus on getting into the right shape more consistently and maintaining concentration at each breakdown and free pass. 

A big well done to all of the boys, lots of encouraging signs and plenty to build on for next week! 

 

U11 Hockey tournament at RGS

The U11 hockey team delivered a fantastic performance at the recent tournament, finishing as proud runners-up after a series of thrilling matches. In the group stage, the team showed great determination and skill, securing victories against Winterfold and Moor Park, and earning hard-fought draws against Beaudesert and RGS The Grange to top their group. 

Millie and Elizabeth were rock-solid in defence, consistently breaking down opposition attacks and distributing the ball with confidence. Nell controlled the midfield with composure and vision, linking play beautifully between defence and attack. Up front, Hannah, Romi and Thea were relentless, creating chances and applying pressure throughout. 

In the semi-final against Bromsgrove, the team played with heart and precision, securing a well-deserved win to reach the final. Martha was outstanding in goal, making crucial saves to keep the team in contention. The final against Bluecoat was a nail-biter, with the team narrowly missing out on the top spot but finishing as runners-up with heads held high. 

Bella, Kasvi, Cerys and Flo all made valuable contributions as impact players on the pitch and were equally supportive of their teammates.