Sports Round up of the week

Swimming

On Thursday, Mr Hodgkins and Miss Lake took twenty-three excitable children from Years 3 and 4 to King’s St. Alban’s to compete in their second swimming gala of the year, which marked the first competitive event where swimmers scored points for their teams based on which position they finished in. All swimmers showed great resilience and sportsmanship, competing strongly against the hosts and RGS The Grange.

Tilly C and Emily G both excelled in the breaststroke events, while Maddie P triumphed also in the U8 girls’ backstroke. Other stand-out performances included Fearne B in the freestyle, Rupert T in the backstroke and Cassian W in the freestyle, all of whom finished in second place.

The relay teams also shone, demonstrating excellent teamwork and support. A special mention goes to the U8 girls’ medley relay team (Alice H, Georgina N, Aoife W and Fearne B) and the U8 girls’ freestyle relay team (Alice H, Tanith H, Aoife W and Emily G), both of whom clinched first place in their events.

After some incredibly close races, the two King’s Hawford teams earned 92 and 35 points – a commendable result. A huge congratulations to the swimmers, and thank you to the parents who came to cheer on the teams.

 

Netball

U8 & U9 Netball – Winterfold

Ten U8 girls travelled to Winterfold School for their first netball match . The girls were really thrown into the deep end, playing in positions and on a full-size court. After a short introduction to positions from Miss Lake and Miss Odam, our girls were ready to face their opposition. Alice’s team started strong, with Alice’s quick movement and Tanith’s smart positioning leading to two early goals; fantastic, accurate shooting from Alice.

 

Emily and Bella’s speed across the court supported the team in making quick passes into our D. Winterfold managed to claw back a goal in the second third, but resilience and fantastic determination from King’s Hawford led to a strong finish. Emily was named player of the match by the Winterfold team.  Lily’s team gained confidence as the afternoon went on. By the second third, there was more end-to-end play on show. Sadie and Syrenna found space well, while Lily’s defensive skills improved before Miss Lake’s eyes! Isla’s vocality helped her team, and she was awarded player of the match.  Both teams showed great effort and teamwork, marking a promising start to their netball journey.

U10 And U11 Netball – KH/KSA Foundation Event

On Wednesday we received King’s St Alban’s year 5 and 6 girls for our annual Netball Foundation Event. This consisted of 63 girls, 9 teams, 144 minutes of Netball, 46 goals scored and a lot of fun!

Each court saw some action-packed play and was another great opportunity for the girls to get to know each other before they step up to Big King’s together.

Miss Lake was particularly impressed with Ariana and Abi who were standouts on her court; they launched some great attacks up the court and adapted to different positions well. Abi made excellent interceptions and Ariana found space well leading to some fantastic, quick match play from her team. Georgia made some important interceptions and fought for every ball. It was pleasing to see India using the space well and Izzy was highlighted by Mrs Clark as having played some lovely netball.

Mrs Butt enjoyed a great standard of Netball on her court. The girls linked up really nicely in their teams despite not playing together regularly. Sophie W was exceptional in the middle court area, losing her marker and putting into practice what we had been doing on Mondays training session. Rosie H and Chloe T made numerous interceptions in all three games and continued their work rate right to the final whistle. Overall, a very enjoyable afternoon of Netball with all the girls getting plenty of court time.

Miss Holtham was very pleased with efforts on her court and also commented on how well the girls played alongside their KSA teammates. Positions were rotated at every half time and they girls made sure that everyone on their team had an opportunity to play in attack, defense and middle court. Some standout players included Zara O for the Green team, Iza MP for the Red team and Florrie W for the yellow team.

 

Netball Festival Report: KSA & KH –
Mrs Beech & Ms Holtham

Our Year 3 and 4 girls recently participated in an exciting netball festival between KSA and KH, where they had the opportunity to develop their skills, build confidence, and enjoy the game in a friendly and supportive environment.

A total of five games were played, with both teams demonstrating enthusiasm, teamwork, and determination throughout. The festival was a fantastic learning experience, allowing the girls to improve their understanding of the game while having fun and engaging in healthy competition.

One of the main focuses of the event was learning how to move into space, an essential skill in netball. Players also practiced and applied different types of passes, helping to improve their overall gameplay. The matches saw lots of goals scored, showcasing the growing confidence and ability of the players.

Beyond the scores, the festival was about building confidence and teamwork, with all participants showing great progress and sportsmanship. It was a valuable experience for everyone involved, and we look forward to more opportunities to develop skills and enjoy the game in the future!

U9 Girls’ Netball v Winterfold

Mrs Butt’s Team 1

Ellie H Captained the team and led them through their practiced warm-up. Ellie started the game as Goal Shooter paired with Aurelia as Goal Attack. The girls made a solid start with some excellent movement and some even better shooting putting three goals away in the first session of the game. Amelie was brilliant in her shooting positions and made some fantastic mid court play too, breaking down the Winterfold advances and linking nicely with Persie and Connie to build the attack. Persie and Aurelia’s shooting combination put every single shot on target and extended the score line making it difficult for Winterfold to get into the game. Overall, it was the teams consistent and slick shooting that won them the game making a fantastic start to the U9 Netball season. Player of the match was Persie D.

Mrs Butt’s Team 2

As the next U9 team took to the court Elise performed her Captain duties perfectly securing the first centre pass. Elise and Ffion were tasked with shooting in the first session of their game and following on from the previous team they managed to put a solid three goals on the score sheet. Tilly was excellent at Centre, distributing the ball brilliantly through the court and finding Alanna and Eleanor to progress up the court. Each of the girls gained great experience in a number of different positions on the court and were passing the ball around nicely. Tilly’s shooting and finishing was on point, she scored a number of goals but she managed to score one from right near the circle edge that was particularly impressive. Overall, a very well-rounded performance and another great win to start the season. Player of the match was Tilly C.

Football:

U10 Football – Winterfold and KSA

On Wednesday afternoon, the King’s Hawford Under 10 football team hosted a triangular football fixture involving Winterfold and King’s St Alban’s. Mr Cook’s team started against a well drilled Winterfold team. The game was finely poised throughout with Charles H and Austin R constantly probing in attack and Jack J steadfast at the back. Frustratingly for both teams, half chances were not finished but the quality of the football impressed the many parents who had come to watch. The second fixture against King’s St Alban’s was a more open affair with Will G putting on a masterclass from his deep lying midfield role. The quality of passing was outstanding throughout as Hawford were able to dominate possession and territory. There has been a marked improvement in the performances of the Under 10 boys since the start of term and I am sure they will continue to go from strength to strength.

U11 Football

On Wednesday afternoon the U11 boys travelled to the Cinderella sports ground for a triangular fixture with King’s St Alban’s and Winterfold. Mr Hodgkins’s team started with a strong performance in their match with their peers from KSA. It was great to see the Hawford boys dominating possession of the ball and applying this week’s target of using triangle formations to create passing options for teammates on the ball. The impressive decision making and clinical passing was evident every time the team attacked and, as a result, several excellent chances were crafted and ably converted by Charles C and George PW.

Next up, the Hawford team faced the challenge of taking on Winterfold. This was a much tighter match with both teams working hard to retain possession and break through their opponent’s defences. The boys demonstrated excellent teamwork and shape in defence following an early goal that Jude R finished off following an accurate cross from George PW.

Mr Hodgkins was delighted by the team’s performances throughout the afternoon and was especially pleased with the effective passing and moving in attack. Arthur A was names as player of the match having set the tone with his performances in the middle of midfield.