Year 6 Enjoy Exciting Tenth Tour to Cardiff

Last week, children from Year 6 excitedly embarked on the annual sports tour.

The annual tour is always a memorable part of the school calendar, bringing together the excitement of competition, the chance to visit new places and the opportunity to build lasting friendships. This year, for the tenth year running, our destination was Cardiff, where the children enjoyed a packed weekend of sport and activities.

We left school on Friday morning full of anticipation and made our way to the picturesque town of Monmouth for our opening fixtures against Monmouth Prep School.

The boys faced a strong Monmouth rugby side who played with real physicality and organisation. Hawford responded brilliantly, matching their opponents’ intensity while demonstrating excellent defensive resolve. In attack, the boys ran with purpose, showed impressive skill and made thoughtful decisions under pressure. Their determination and teamwork made for a thoroughly encouraging start to the tour.

Meanwhile, the girls took to the astroturf for two exciting hockey matches. They combined disciplined defending with confident, flowing attacking play, creating opportunities and scoring some excellent goals. Their communication and support for one another were particularly pleasing to see.

Following a friendly post-match tea with our hosts, we continued to Cardiff Castle for an engaging guided visit. The children heard fascinating accounts of the castle’s history, architecture and role in protecting the city from invaders. Trying on replica medieval armour and handling replica weaponry proved a real hit, and the group explored the castle with curiosity, asking thoughtful questions throughout.

After a full and enjoyable first day, we made our way to our accommodation, where the children were ready to relax and enjoy some time in the swimming pool.

Saturday started early with breakfast before we set off for our fixtures against Llandaff Cathedral School, the main sporting event of the weekend. The matches were played in an excellent spirit, with both sides showing energy, commitment and a real appetite to compete.

The girls produced another pair of commanding performances on the University of Cardiff astroturf. Their skill and determination were evident throughout, while their tactical understanding, teamwork and clinical finishing earned particular praise from Mrs Butt and Miss Lake.

The boys also carried their strong form into the second day, playing adventurous, attacking rugby with pace and confidence. Llandaff posed a physical challenge and battled hard, but the Hawford boys’ work rate, resilience and speed helped them take control of the games. Mr Cook and Mr Hodgkins were especially pleased with the effort and courage shown by the team.

Our fixtures with Llandaff are an important part of the tour, and it was a pleasure to reconnect with a school with which we have built such positive sporting relationships and friendships over the years.

Once the matches had finished, we headed to the Principality Stadium for a behind-the-scenes tour of one of Wales’s most famous sporting venues. The children discovered more about the stadium’s impressive design and engineering, including its retractable roof, and were fascinated to learn that closing the roof makes it the world’s second-largest indoor venue.

The visit offered a glimpse into the world of professional sport. The children explored the press conference room and team changing areas, walked through the players’ tunnel and emerged pitchside to the sound of a virtual crowd. A look inside the stadium’s hospitality areas, including the Royal Box, rounded off a memorable experience, and many took home a souvenir of their visit.

Throughout the weekend, the children represented King’s Hawford superbly, both on and off the field. Congratulations to Rosie J and Rupert T, who received the Players of the Tour awards for their outstanding contributions to the sporting programme. Edward R was named ‘Best Tourist’ in recognition of his exemplary behaviour, helpfulness and positive attitude – particularly special as the tour coincided with his birthday weekend!

We are very grateful to our hosts at Monmouth Prep School and Llandaff Cathedral School for their generous hospitality. Thank you also to Mrs Butt, Mr Cook and Miss Lake for their encouragement, coaching and support throughout the weekend.

The tour was a wonderful blend of competitive sport, new experiences and shared memories. We hope the children will look back on their time in Cardiff with real pride and affection for many years to come.

Mr Hodgkins

Director of Sport, Head of Boys’ Games