A Thrilling Week of Sport at King’s St Alban’s

Year 3 & Year 4 Hockey v RGS

On Tuesday, the Year 3 and Year 4 girls had an enjoyable afternoon of hockey at RGS, accompanied by bright sunshine and cheerful singing on the bus rides to and from the venue.

Elodie, Poppy, Maddie, and Daisy showcased their impressive progress this term, with several goals scored between them. Poppy demonstrated exceptional grit in tackling and chasing the ball, while Elodie impressed with her ability to dribble into space. Maddie showed determination and a sharp focus on scoring, earning her the well-deserved title of Player of the Match. Daisy was a standout in defense, tackling with tenacity and making crucial clearances by sending the ball wide.

Iris, Tiegan, Savannah, Hibah, and Sophia came tantalizingly close to scoring on multiple occasions, reflecting their growing confidence and enthusiasm for chasing down the ball. Iris played a key defensive role, maintaining a solid backline, while Savannah’s tenacity and effort earned her the honour of Player of the Match. Tiegan and Hibah stepped up to play in the Year 4 team and did themselves proud with some excellent hockey.

The Year 3s started their match very well, scoring a goal within the first few minutes. Olivia was superb in defence saving many goals. Maren was very strong with the ball, taking it up towards our goal on multiple occasions. RGS did manage to get a few goals back against us and they won 4-1. A little more work is needed on using all the pitch and looking up to pass, but all in all a superb game. Well done to Nell who was awarded player of the match.

Overall, it was a fantastic afternoon of hockey, with every player contributing to some spirited and enjoyable games. Well done to all the girls!

Year 5 and Year 6 Inter-House Hockey Tournament

On Wednesday, the Year 5 and Year 6 girls eagerly took part in the much-anticipated Inter-House Hockey Tournament. The event was held on the small astro pitches at Perdiswell, which provided the ideal setting for the competition. The format was a blend of outdoor and indoor hockey, a style familiar to most participants from hockey club sessions. This inclusive setup ensured that all players were actively involved in the games.

The matches were fiercely contested, showcasing impressive skill, teamwork, and determination. Many games turned into thrilling end-to-end battles.

The final results were incredibly close, with Armstrong, Bailey, and Thomas Houses finishing in a three-way tie for second place. A special congratulations goes to Wilson House, who dominated the tournament with three consecutive victories to secure the top spot.

Well done to all the girls for their enthusiasm, sportsmanship, and effort, making the tournament a memorable event for everyone involved!

U9A Rugby Festival at Winterfold

The KSA U9 team brought their trademark energy and enthusiasm to Winterfold for the final festival of the year, delivering an impressive display of rugby against strong opposition. The boys showcased their progress throughout the term with moments of brilliance in both attack and defence, showing off their reputation as a growing force. Try of the Day – was awarded to Jack for a superb display of rugby intelligence. He read the play beautifully, intercepting a pass and sprinting half the length of the pitch to score. His blistering pace and composure under pressure were a highlight of the day. Moment of the Day – belonged to Harvey, who demonstrated incredible determination with a try-saving tackle, bundling the opposition into touch just short of the line. It was a game-changing defensive effort that demonstrated the team’s resilience. The Player of the Day – accolade was deservedly given to Matthew for his all-around excellence. His relentless work in both defense and attack stood out, setting the tone for the team’s performance throughout the festival.

It has been a privilege to watch the team’s development over the term. They have grown into a cohesive and formidable side, playing with skill, heart, and a true love for the game. Well done, boys!

U9B Rugby Festival at Winterfold

The U9 B team travelled to Winterfold School on Tuesday afternoon to represent St. Alban’s in a rugby festival with teams from The Elms, King’s Hawford, Hereford Cathedral, Winterfold, Moor Park and RGS The Grange.

With this festival being the boys’ last rugby event of this academic year, the boys were keen to demonstrate the progress that they’ve made over the past few weeks. All of the boys showed great teamwork, effort and passion throughout the afternoon, and it was great to see the boys playing with such enthusiasm! There were plenty of tries scored by the boys, with strong runs from Bertie, George, Daniel and Max. Rudy tried his best when he received the ball and showed an increased understanding and awareness of the game, which all resulted in some very pleasing team performances in our matches against Moor Park, RGS The Grange and Winterfold School.

Well done to Player of the Match, George, for his darting runs as well as to Daniel, Rudy, Max and Bertie, who all represented the school really well!

U8 Rugby Festival at RGS

The U8 rugby team travelled to The Grange for their final Rugby Festival of the year, showcasing significant improvement since the start of the season. The team can be proud of their efforts, as they demonstrated strong running skills from players like Charlie, Gabe, and Archie. At times, they also started to embrace the concept of using multiple passes to create space on the field, which marks a big step forward in their development.

Hugo stood out with excellent awareness, consistently following the ball carrier and capitalizing on opportunities to score a couple of tries. Overall, it has been a successful first year of matches against other schools, with plenty of progress and potential for the future.

U10 Rugby v RGS The Grange

U10s played against RGS The Grange on Wednesday. A chilly afternoon at Cinderella became a lot warmer after the pace of the first 10 minutes. Captain Zack L enjoyed running through the defence and performed some great offloads to put Martha and Henry in to space. Ben D marshalled the troops and got the ball through the hands of the team to score. Josh B-R secured his first ever rugby war wound by sustaining a bleeding lip in the second half which he seemed delighted by after making a brilliant try saving tackle! On to the last game of the season next week as we take on Winterfold and Hawford!

Martha was named player of the game after a super debut game! Her work rate, tackling and enthusiasm lifted the whole team and made a real difference.

U11A Rugby v RGS The Grange

The U11 A team made the short journey up the A44 to play their eagerly anticipated match against RGS The Grange on Wednesday afternoon.

After a disappointing performance in their previous match, the boys recognised that this match against our friendly rivals was an opportunity to put things right. And they certainly didn’t disappoint as they put in the best team performance of the season! Without regular starter Charles and any substitutes, the boys knew that they would have to start strong, avoid making careless mistakes, and make the most of every opportunity. They certainly did this when the ball was passed through the hands out wide to Archie, who ran the majority of the pitch to put St. Alban’s into an early lead. RGS The Grange capitalised on some clever ‘dummy’ passes to score a couple of tries of their own, before Will, who also hadn’t been feeling 100% all day, ran in a couple of well taken tries to put St. Alban’s back into the lead, before half time. Knowing that they still had another 20 minutes to play, and without the luxury of having substitutes in order to have a quick rest, the boys put in another really dedicated and passionate performance in defence. Further tries followed for both teams, with tries for St. Alban’s coming from Uriah, Ben, Will, Archie, Harry, Luca and Jake.

The boys were challenged to deliver a strong performance, regardless of the result, before the match and it was an absolute pleasure to watch the boys play with a new-found confidence and determination. The rugby that the boys displayed was very pleasing and showed how much progress they have made as a team and exactly how effective they are as a team, when they all play at their best for each other and the team.

It would be unfair to single out a try/moment of the match, as there was so many excellent tries scored from running rugby, along with some effective, defensive tactical kicking and chasing, as well as some solid tackling in defence. This was a proper team performance that the boys should be extremely proud of and look to build on in their final fixtures of the rugby season next week, against King’s Hawford and Winterfold School.

Well done to captain and Player of the Match, Ben, who led the team impeccably by example, from start to finish, as well as to the rest of the team; Archie, Arlo, Harry, Jake, Leo, Luca, Uriah and Will, who all played exceptionally well! Thank you very much to all of the spectators who came along to watch and support the boys – your support, as always, was very much appreciated.

U11B Rugby v RGS The Grange

On a crisp Wednesday afternoon, the KSA U11 rugby team traveled to RGS The Grange for an exciting fixture. Freddy H captained the side superbly, leading by example with clear instructions and continuous encouragement for his teammates. The standard of rugby on display was exceptional, showcasing just how much the team has developed over the term. Every player brought energy and determination to the game, contributing to an exhilarating match. The try of the day was undoubtedly scored by Crispin, who executed a moment of brilliance. As a high ball soared through the air, Crispin positioned himself perfectly to take a difficult catch under pressure. He then drove straight through the RGS defence, sidestepping from the touchline before diving over the line for an outstanding score. Oscar also had a great game, showing incredible progress for someone so new to rugby. His defensive work was commendable, with a huge tackle winning back possession for the team. This pivotal moment led to him scoring his first-ever try, running powerfully over the line. Henry S was a standout performer and deservedly named player of the match. His tackling was relentless, and his pace and agility made him a constant threat. He scored several tries, demonstrating both skill and determination.

The match was closely contested, with RGS The Grange pushing hard throughout. However, a series of decisive tries towards the end of the game gave KSA the edge, securing a hard-fought victory. A big congratulations to the entire team for their effort and teamwork. Well done, boys!