Solid sports performances from our Prep pupils

U9 Football Festival at RGS The Grange

Tuesday afternoon saw ten girls and boys from Year Four travel to RGS The Grange to take part in an Under-Nine Football tournament. The team had the opportunity to play four matches against some really good teams from schools across the Midlands, including Blue Coat, Warwick, The Elms and the hosts, RGS The Grange, amongst others.

The team put in a strong performance in their opening match against Blue Coat School and were rather unlucky to lose 1-0 after putting in a really good defensive display, led by Thea at the back. Henry showed some great positioning in goal to prevent Blue Coat from scoring on several occasions, whilst Romi, Nell, Ben, Charlotte and Alban all tackled well and worked hard to win and keep the ball. Pip, Zack and Jasper tried hard to get the ball into the opposition’s goal. Despite trying their best to contain a strong RGS team, we were undone by some well-worked team goals, before a narrow loss to Northwick. A change of positions allowed the boys and girls each to gain some useful experience playing in a different position, with Thea, Henry and Ben leading by example with some powerful runs against The Elms.

The afternoon proved to be a valuable opportunity for all of the children to play some more football matches as a mixed team on some large pitches, whilst also having fun representing St Alban’s. Well done to everyone in the team, who all tried their best and represented the School so well, and thank you very much to all of the parents who came along to cheer on the team!

U8 Football Festival at King’s Hawford

Tuesday afternoon was a massive learning curve for the U8 Football Team, who came across a number of U9 and U8 teams from Blue Coat, Winterfold, RGS, King’s Hawford and The Elms. The boys struggled to keep possession of the ball and make passes to their team mates in space. It was a tough afternoon, but the boys didn’t give up and they gave their all for the entirety of the competition. It would have been easy for their heads to drop but this isn’t what happened. Dylan made his first competitive game for the School, and really impressed with his positional sense and his skills on the ball. We look forward to next week’s fixture against The Downs.

U11A Football v Winterfold

On Wednesday this week, the U11A Boys’ Team played away at Winterfold. The conditions, including Winterfold’s sloping pitch as well as a gusty wind, made this a difficult fixture for the boys. Winterfold were rapid out of the blocks and, although KSA conceded two quick goals very early in the game, the boys didn’t let their heads drop and battled hard to find a way back. Had it not been for the woodwork, which denied Rook’s outstanding effort, KSA would have found themselves back in the game before the half-time break. However, a flurry of goals in the second half resulted in a 9-2 defeat, which wasn’t really a fair reflection of the game as a whole. Ultimately however, the boys should be proud of their battling approach in a tough fixture and difficult conditions. Congratulations to Rook and Monty for two outstanding individual goals.

U11B Football v Winterfold

A real stellar performance was put in by the B Team in a convincing 8-2 victory against Winterfold B. After a tight first few minutes, KSA showed some excellent individual skill and teamwork. This was a theme that was displayed throughout the impressive display. TJ was a constant source of energy in midfield, with many mazy runs and a real desire to win the ball back. Joshua, Otto, Aaron linked well and combined for several goals, as the Winterfold defence was overrun by numbers and slick passes. Will and Joel defended will real maturity and both made a series of vital interceptions to keep the Winterfold attack at bay, and Harry was alert throughout, making some important saves. This was a brilliant display of teamwork, of which all the children should be proud.

U11C Football v Winterfold

The U11C team were involved in a tightly contested match against Winterfold on Wednesday afternoon. The sloped pitch gave the home team the advantage in the first half and they made this pay. Everyone on the pitch thoroughly enjoyed their time and it went right until the final whistle. Every player had many touches on the ball and played some good football throughout the afternoon.