U11 Netballers impress at IAPS

This week has seen our pupils in action on the netball courts and football pitches as we took part in fixtures against our friends King’s St Alban’s.

 

U10 & U11 Netball vs King’s St Alban’s

On a chilly but sun-filled afternoon, the Year 5 and 6 girls travelled to King’s St Alban’s for an afternoon of netball. It was a chance to play a match before travelling to the IAPS tournament and KSA were a team we would meet in the group stages.

Working out the rotations, the girls were eager to play and had plenty of side-line support from parents and friends.

It was a tightly contested match where we showed great improvement in defence. The whole team fought well for the full five rotations, never letting the opposition run away with the ball. In defence we did a great job in restricting the shooters’ access to goal and we were able to take quick backline passes with ease. In mid-court we remained steady and calm, with only a few ‘loopy’ passes, which the girls quickly realised were not going to be effective against our opposition. Our training paid off as we were able to play swift centre passes, allowing our shooters to receive the ball under the post with support from players around the D.

It was a game where the girls grew in confidence as they played and were able to maintain pressure on the opposition in defence and attack. All in all, it was a great last match for the girls before IAPS.

Players of the Match Awards were made to Erin and Rose.

U8 & U9 Netball v King’s St Alban’s 

As the cold harsh winter winds seemed to have passed, the Year 3 and 4 girls boarded the minibus to King’s St Alban’s on a sunny, crisp, but cool afternoon. Everyone was excited, looking forward to a great game of netball.

After dividing up the teams and working out the Bee Ball rotations, the girls took to the courts with confidence and were desperate to show off some new tactics learnt in club and lessons. The Year 3 girls were very enthusiastic and have been working well on positional play and strong direct passes.

The Year 4s started incredibly strongly, with lots of interceptions from our mid-court players. We have been working on our centre passes and moving into space, which at times, was demonstrated brilliantly.

With exceptional side-line support from family and friends, the girls settled quickly into a rhythm which was not disrupted by the positional changes, meaning we were turning over the ball and sending strong passes into the shooting pair. The dynamic quartet of Millie, Elizabeth, Jess K and Pip P was impressive in mid-court play, supported well by Mary, Thea and Lily in defence.  The girls put excellent effort into their shooting and passing and, although we still have lots on which to work, our game play and motivation was first class! Players of the Match for Year 4s were awarded to Millie B and Mary W.

U11 IAPS Netball 

Early on Wednesday morning, the King’s Hawford girls met early to board the minibus to Rugby. Gone were the tumultuous dark clouds we had seen at training the night before; instead, high, sunlit clouds drifted across an otherwise clear blue sky. It was set to be a great day. The netball girls were off to IAPS.

From the first match we looked strong and confident, and this remained consistent throughout the day. Such spirit and determination saw the team regularly get the ball into the shooting D, despite the games becoming more competitive as the rounds progressed.

Several of our games saw end-to-end netball with Erin, Issie, Rose and Lottie steady in centre-court play and Isla, Poppy and Arya tenacious in defence and mid-court play. With the constant rotations, all players played their roles well and were focused on getting the ball to our shooters. We showed great movement, and the team supported each other well and were fierce on the ball. Our quick side line play and rebound reactions in the D proved successful and showed our competitiveness. As the girls progressed out of the group stages, Mrs Beech and Miss Holtham could not have been prouder. The girls played with great heart and should be proud of their achievements on what was a successful IAPS competition for the Kings Hawford Girls. Erin received the accolade of Players’ Player; Rose was noticed by the Rugby staff for her game play and Lottie was chosen as Player from King’s Hawford by Mrs Beech and Miss Holtham.

U9 Boys’ Football vs King’s St Alban’s

On Tuesday, the U9 boys produced two absolutely outstanding performances on the football fields against King’s St Alban’s. The boys dominated from the first minute and demonstrated impressive use of the ball in possession and effective passing and movement to create lots of goalscoring opportunities. We were especially impressed with the performances of James B and Henry K, both of whom scored fantastic hat-tricks as well as a wonderful Player of the Match display from Arthur A, whose distribution from defence was outstanding. We were also delighted with Elliot C’s efforts in providing a good assist.

U11 Boys’ Football vs King’s St Alban’s

Wednesday’s U11 boys’ football match with King’s St Alban’s was an extremely close and combative fixture, with two evenly matched sides both desperate to secure the win. The game started brightly for the Hawford boys, with several threatening moves down the left-hand side thanks to a series of strong combinations between Freddie M, Hudson M and Jack M. The deadlock was broken by a clever corner routine from Freddie M that led to Hudson M striking home from close range. King’s St Alban’s responded well, and it took some strong defending from Max M and Johnnie T to keep them from levelling the match. The match turned into a bit of a battle in the midfield, with strong challenges going in from both sides. Freddie P and Khaleefah GF rose to the occasion, winning back possession before excellent pressure from Jack M enabled him to double the lead. King’s St Alban’s came out fighting for the second half and put the Hawford defence under pressure. However, Sartaaj G, Oliver B and Barnaby B continued to show commitment both in and out of possession to keep the visitors at bay. Despite this, King’s St Alban’s continued to knock on the door and came close several times, before finally grabbing the consolation goal that they deserved. A super combative performance from the Hawford boys and a great display on the left-hand side of midfield from Player of the Match, Freddie M.