Season of sport draws to a close

Tuesday 28^th November

U8 Rugby Festival at RGS The Grange

The King’s St Alban’s U8s travelled away for a tournament at RGS The Grange on a cold and muddy afternoon. They participated in five games, which was a lot of game time, but the boys stuck at it very well. They were competitive in every single game, with great attacking sets and some very good defensive ones, including many brilliant covering tackles. A special mention goes to Daniel, who scored a hat-trick of tries, and to Max, who managed to score a try with his face! Bertie, Matthew and Rudy were full of energy and made some great runs across the five games. While George and Jeremiah were both struggling with injuries, they still managed to come onto the pitch and really give the team a helping hand in the later stages of the games!

U9 Rugby Festival at King’s St Alban’s

There was a great deal of excitement for the six Year Four boys on Tuesday afternoon. Not only was it their last rugby festival of the term, but it was also their ‘home’ festival. They were all keen to put on a good show for their spectators…and they didn’t disappoint! Alban set the bar high from the very first whistle, when he scored in the first phase of play in our opening match against RGS The Grange. Further tries followed from the rest of the team, which resulted in a convincing opening win. The boys were eager to put in another good performance against their friends from King’s Hawford, and it wasn’t long before Ben opened the scoring to put St Alban’s ahead. Hawford responded quickly to level the game, before both teams exchanged several more tries, until strong runs from Henry, Alban and Jasper ensured another victory for the team.

Confidence was high amongst the boys, along with the standard of rugby that they were playing. The team then faced a strong side from Hereford Cathedral School, and had to work extra hard in defence. Pip demonstrated fantastic effort and teamwork when organising the defensive line, and Ben, Henry and Zack continued to tackle hard and run well with the ball in hand. The whole team showed great resilience and determination in order to secure another hard-earned win!

Desperate to remain unbeaten throughout the festival, the boys knew they would have to tackle hard in their last match, once again against RGS The Grange. And so they did. Ben, Henry, Pip, Zack, Jasper and Alban all showed amazing commitment and good tackling technique throughout this match, before Zack settled the match with another one of his powerful runs, which resulted in him scoring the winning try.

It was a fantastic afternoon of rugby, with the team putting in their best performance of the term. The boys were a pleasure to coach and referee, and it was very rewarding to see just how much progress they have made in a relatively short amount of time. There are still areas to be improved, but based on the way they played together this afternoon, the future looks promising for this team!

Wednesday 29^th November

U11A v RGS The Grange

There was a noticeable difference in the Year Six boys’ focus and attitude after lunch on Wednesday (29th) afternoon. It was immediately apparent that the boys were particularly excited about the opportunity to play their counterparts from RGS The Grange. Many of the boys from both schools are friends, as they play on the same teams as each other outside school, which adds to the healthy but good-natured rivalry!

After a thorough team warm-up and motivational team talk before the start of the match, it became clear from the first whistle that the boys were definitely up for the match! A long kick from Rook, with a great chase from the rest of the team, immediately paid off, as the boys from RGS The Grange initially struggled to make any ground. Both teams carried the ball well in attack and demonstrated good tackling technique in defence. Neither wanted to concede territory, which resulted in a fast-paced start to the match. Ethan, Reuben, Henry and Otto all ran hard at the defence with ball in hand, and Theo, Tom, Rook, Francis and Monty all showed great strength around the rucks.

The first five minutes of the match were played at a frantic pace, but it was Monty who broke the deadlock with the opening try. RGS The Grange continued to show good commitment in defence, but it wasn’t long before a darting run from Francis led to a second try for King’s St Alban’s . Confidence was understandably high amongst the boys but, after a quick reminder about being over-confident, the boys showed they had made good progress since their loss at The Downs a few weeks earlier and ensured that their defence remained firm. Reuben seemed to be everywhere on the pitch again, and Theo was instrumental in turning the ball over at the ruck, which led to Monty scoring his second, and the third try of the match. The boys passed the ball well through the hands, offloaded well in the tackle and, after some good phases of play, Francis finished off a really well-worked team try to ensure that he also finished with a brace of scores himself.

However, after what appeared to be an innocuous tackle, the match was immediately halted when one of the boys from RGS The Grange went down injured. With all of the children’s safety being paramount, the match was subsequently abandoned. Both teams showed great maturity, respect and compassion towards each other, and I was very impressed with the way that all of the boys from both schools behaved and dealt with a particularly difficult situation; all credit to them.

I am very happy to report that the boy from RGS The Grange who was injured is okay and has now returned to school. I would also like to take this opportunity to pass on our best wishes to him, as well as thanking the members of staff from RGS The Grange and their supporters for their support.

Although it was a shame that the match didn’t finish, it proved to be a good opportunity for the boys from both teams to see that the health and safety of all children is our first priority, and more important than a game of rugby. I hope this experience will have helped to develop the boys’ understanding of other, equally important, life skills further, including Teamwork, Respect, Friendship, Maturity and Compassion, to name a few.

U11B v RGS The Grange

The King’s St Alban’s B v RGS B game was very competitive from the start, with clear competitiveness shown by both teams. The game was end-to-end, with both teams putting in excellent defensive and attacking sets. The most pleasing thing about this game was the defensive work rate from the whole team: everyone was getting stuck into a very good RGS side on a cold and muddy day. There were high levels of determination, great runs, and a very successful day across the board. The boys had a great first half, with the scores being level at half time. RGS then managed to squeeze the win, with some good attacking moves in the second half. It was a brilliant game of rugby, with all the boys putting in a massive shift for the entirety of the game.

U11C v RGS The Grange

The U11 Cs played a very good rugby match, with great teamwork and communication. They took charge of certain situations, organising defensive lines and helping their teammates, which was fantastic to witness. The boys used their skills and teamwork to score an impressive number of tries, and celebrated each other’s successes with great spirit, not just for themselves but for the opposition team too. Overall it was a fantastic afternoon’s worth of rugby and all the boys from St Albans and RGS alike had a lot of fun. Well done to all!

U10s v RGS The Grange

The U10 boys made the trip over to RGS The Grange to play in two very competitive fixtures against a good, well-organised outfit. The progress they are making every Friday in games has really started to show during their recent fixtures. The U10As started strongly, and produced some fantastic attacking phases. Archie demonstrated just how quick he is, with some brilliant solo runs around the outside of the opposition defence. Ben J was as strong as ever; he was everywhere on the pitch, making tackle after tackle and being KSA’s first man at most of the rucks. Will B demonstrated great resilience and determination to continue the game after getting a knock in the first minute. He also made the tackle of the season, running the entire pitch to make a last ditch tackle to save an otherwise certain try. In the U10B match Mr Kent was proud of the effort that every boy in the squad made, and how supportive they were of one another. Uriah was brilliant all over the pitch, strong in the tackle and always looking to make crucial carries and thereby make important ground for his team. Freddy put in some strong runs, along with Crispin and George, who both put in a few mazy ones.

Overall, it was a fantastic afternoon of rugby and once again we were proud of the effort, enthusiasm and skill that was on display from both squads

U8 A and B Hockey v RGS The Grange

Both teams had great matches on Tuesday up at The Grange. They both played two games of two halves, swapping the team they played against after the first match. Their improvement is evident and the girls are now more able to tackle for the ball and push it up the field towards our goal. Well done! We look forward to seeing your progress over the next year.

U9 Hockey v RGS

The girls made a very excited trip to RGS The Grange on Tuesday. This was their last hockey fixture for the term and we are so pleased for them to go out on a high! Both teams played some very impressive hockey and the progress they have all made over the past couple of months was clear to see. The A team were dynamic going forwards, with long, hard passes which sent the ball out of defence into attack. In the first half we scored three excellent goals and went into the half-time break feeling comfortable. In the second half, we had numerous chances on goal, which we unfortunately failed to convert, and RGS scored two, which meant it finished up as a close victory.

Our B team impressed with their confidence, as strong tackles went in from all the girls and they chased every ball with real determination. Martha was solid in defence, with Hannah and Cerys chasing to score goals and Greta battling in midfield to distribute the ball wide. They had a 3-3 draw, with which they should be very pleased.

U10A Hockey V RGS The Grange

The girls had wonderful afternoon at RGS, despite the weather being a little on the cold side. The first half was excellent, with some good saves by Madie in goal and, once we had the ball, Yifei hit it out to the wing for Zara and Skye to take down to our attacking end. We had a few attempts at goal by Charlotte, but unfortunately we didn’t convert so, at the end of the first half, the score was 0-0. In the second half, the weather was a lot colder, and the girls did struggle to get back into it. There were some brilliant moments, but it was RGS who had the ball in their attacking end. We were excellent in defence, and Maddie saved some fantastic goals. However, RGS got a few goals past us and were the eventual winners. Well done girls, on a bitterly cold afternoon, and a particular well done to Charlotte, who was awarded Opposition Player of the Match.

U10 B Hockey v RGS The Grange

It was a cold afternoon on the hockey pitch, but the U10 B team demonstrated great resilience and teamwork. The King’s St Alban’s players all worked tirelessly and tackled well: Tilly and Ariya worked particularly hard in midfield, making strong tackles and accurate passes. There was a clear improvement in our positioning, passing and tactical understanding compared to earlier in the term. In the second half, KSA had greater possession in their attacking half and were unlucky not to score. It was an exciting game to watch and wonderful to see how far they’ve all come with their hockey skills this year.

U11 Hockey v RGS The Grange

We played three Year Six teams against RGS The Grange on Wednesday, and it was great to see all the girls get a game. We knew our A team had a battle on their hands against a well-drilled RGS team, but in open play the girls really held their own and grabbed some pleasing chances in front of goal. Unfortunately, RGS had a super striker for their short corners and, regardless of Laura’s impressive run out, they scored two goals from her strikes. It was very pleasing that our girls battled to the end, and Millie was able to score in the second half. The B team also put in an impressive battle. Unfortunately, they were very cold when it came to playing their second half, but Shreya and Ruqayyah battled in defence to get the ball out to Emily S, Lottie S and Sienna, who all worked hard to get the ball into the attacking circle. Lily G was solid in goal, taking on players and making some super saves. Our U11A impressed with their determination on the pitch. Evie R was superb, running forwards with the ball and making a number of attempts on goal. Alice W played tenaciously in the midfield, making tackles one after another, then off loading the ball to Evie. Well done to Suzzie H, who made some pleasing saves as goalkeeper.