Sports Round Up of the Week

Hockey

U8 Hockey Festival

On Tuesday afternoon, the U8 girls travelled to Winterfold School for their second hockey festival of the term. They played five seven-minute mini matches against teams from Winterfold, King’s St Alban’s and RGS The Grange, with the focus firmly on enjoyment and putting their developing hockey skills into action.

There was a fantastic buzz around the festival, with plenty of spectators cheering the girls on. They played with great enthusiasm, confidence and determination, and it was wonderful to see so many of them using the skills they have been learning in training during their matches. In particular, there were some excellent examples of roll outs being used effectively in game play.

Mrs Halpin, Miss Lake and Mr Bulbulia would like to give a special mention to Shanaya, India-Rose and Joan, who stood out with their performances across the afternoon.

The girls should be incredibly proud of the way they represented the school. Their enthusiasm, teamwork and willingness to put their skills into practice made for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon, and it was fantastic to see how much they are continuing to develop.

 

U10 vs Richard Pate School

Miss Lake and Miss Haldane’s U10 teams enjoyed an exciting away fixture at Richard Pate School in Cheltenham. The teams alternated matches, resting at half time while the other team took to the pitch.

Miss Lake’s team produced a dominant display, with Alice, Bella, Rosie and Martha forming a formidable attacking quartet. Rosie put on a fantastic display of spacial awareness, using the right wing effectively and scoring three excellent goals. Bella and Alice worked brilliantly through the centre of the pitch, both adding a goal to the scoreline. Tanith and Aoife were equally impressive, working hard in defence and then confidently swapping into midfield. Their excellent work meant goalkeeper Sadie had a relatively quiet game. Bella was awarded Player of the Match by Richard Pate for her outstanding contribution.

Miss Haldane’s team played with energy and determination throughout. Lily and Syrenna formed a good defensive partnership, taking hit-outs with increasing speed and confidence. Mia-Bella and Bonnie showcased their impressive pace, while Indie and Jessica made valuable contributions across the pitch. Goalkeeper Bonita-May was tested in the final half by a strong attacking trio. Even when the opposition scored, she kept her determination high, quickly resetting and continuing to give her all. She was deservedly awarded Player of the Match by the opposition.

U9 vs Malvern The Downs

Mrs Butt’s Team

King’s Hawford produced a spirited performance in a highly competitive fixture against The Downs, playing four high-intensity quarters packed with end-to-end action. The girls demonstrated excellent determination and resilience throughout, rising to the challenge of a strong opposition.

Poppy was influential in midfield, using her strength to win possession and distribute the ball effectively to her teammates. In defence, Trixie and Elizabeth worked tirelessly, making a number of strong tackles and helping to keep the opposition at bay. Out wide, Olivia P, Matilda and Iona used the available space intelligently, creating several promising attacking opportunities and driving the team forward.

The standout moment came from Fifi, who celebrated her birthday in style with an outstanding all-round performance. She came agonisingly close to finding the back of the net and was deservedly nominated as Player of the Match by the opposition. It was a challenging and valuable match from which the girls learned a great deal, continuing their development as a team.

Miss Haldane’s Team

Miss Haldane’s side delivered a fantastic performance, showcasing the significant progress they continue to make each week. The team played with confidence and determination, creating numerous chances and working hard across the pitch.

Mia rose to the occasion with an impressive two-goal display, while Olivia L and Minnow brought tremendous energy and enthusiasm throughout the game. Elise and Nancy combined well to create a number of attacking opportunities, keeping the opposition defence under pressure. At the back, Gracie and Florence were strong and composed, making solid tackles and providing a firm defensive foundation.

Maha was outstanding in every area of the pitch, contributing both in attack and defence with excellent all-round play. Her superb performance earned her the Player of the Match award from the opposition, capping off another excellent team display from a squad that is growing in confidence and strength with every fixture.

 

U11 King’s Hawford vs Solihull Prep School

Mrs Butt’s Team

The girls have been building in confidence over the last few weeks, and this match against Solihull Prep School was a fantastic example of the progress they are making. From start to finish, it was an excellent team performance, full of determination, teamwork and positive attacking play.

Although Tilly was not called into action frequently, she remained focused throughout and dealt confidently with everything that came her way, making some solid saves and clearances when required.

In defence, Elise, Simi and Ffion were outstanding. They worked brilliantly together to keep the opposition at bay, with Elise producing several well-timed tackles and important clearances to ensure King’s Hawford remained in control.

Vivienne was a commanding presence in central midfield, holding her position with strength and composure. On the wings, Aurelia and Ellie H worked tirelessly, contributing in both attack and defence and providing excellent support across the pitch.

Further forward, Amelie and Sylvie both made a real impact in attack. Amelie’s work rate was particularly impressive as she constantly put pressure on the opposition defence, creating opportunities and helping her team maintain momentum.

The goals were a fitting reward for the girls’ efforts and teamwork, all three clean strikes from Vivienne securing a well-deserved victory for King’s Hawford.

Player of the Match was deservedly awarded to Vivienne by the opposition in recognition of her influential performance in midfield.

Mrs Butt was delighted with the team’s display and, in particular, the continued progress they are making as a squad. With the Cardiff Sports Tour and the IAPS competition fast approaching next week, this performance provides plenty of confidence and encouragement for the exciting challenges ahead. Well done, girls!

Mrs Halpin’s Team

The girls have been working really hard over the last few weeks on using the full width of the pitch and making sure their passes and tackles are strong, and it was great to see this coming through in their match against Solihull.

Solihull certainly put our defence to work, giving Nina a good workout in goal! Fearne and Fliss worked brilliantly together in defence, making some strong tackles and clearing the ball well out to the wings. Rosie worked her socks off in centre midfield, battling past players and helping to move the ball into the attacking D.

Ffion and Sylvie came across to lend a helping hand when tired legs started to creep in, and it was lovely to see all the girls working together and supporting one another.

Overall, a great team performance with some fantastic tackles, passing and teamwork. Well done, girls, and good luck this weekend on the Cardiff Sports Tour!

Rugby

U8 Tag Rugby Festival at King’s Hawford

King’s Hawford hosted a fantastic afternoon of U8 tag rugby on Tuesday, welcoming our friends from King’s St Alban’s, RGS The Grange and Winterfold for an enjoyable round-robin festival.

The focus throughout the afternoon was firmly on enjoyment, participation and learning, with all the boys encouraged to develop their skills, make progress and represent their schools in a brilliant way. It was wonderful to see so much enthusiasm, teamwork and sporting spirit across all four schools, making it a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon of rugby.

Mr Hodgkins was particularly impressed with his King’s Hawford team, who played with great enthusiasm and an eagerness to listen, learn and improve. Charlie, Sammy and Luca were strong runners with the ball, while Henry was a consistent and committed tackler in defence. Luke showed superb decision-making in possession, regularly making excellent passes to create opportunities for his teammates to score tries.

Well done to all the boys who took part for their fantastic effort, enthusiasm and sportsmanship. A brilliant afternoon of rugby!

U10 Rugby vs King’s St Alban’s

King’s Hawford U10s faced a tough challenge against King’s St Alban’s on Wednesday afternoon, but despite the result, the boys can be incredibly proud of the character, perseverance and never-give-up attitude they demonstrated throughout the match.

The team suffered an early setback when Frank was unfortunately injured during the warm-up, which inevitably affected the team’s cohesion and organisation. However, the boys responded brilliantly, with others stepping up and taking on additional responsibility for the team.

William C and Billy K were outstanding in their commitment and tackling, putting in some superb defensive efforts throughout the afternoon. Chester L also continued to impress with his strong and positive running, consistently looking to make ground and move the team forward.

King’s St Alban’s had several athletic runners who proved difficult to contain and used their pace and strength effectively to take control of the game. However, the Hawford boys never stopped fighting. They remained united, continued to support one another and worked incredibly hard right through to the final whistle.

Mr Hodgkins was hugely proud of the boys’ efforts and, most importantly, their character. The final team talk focused on the importance of resilience and perseverance – qualities that matter not only in sport, but in life too.

Photos of this fixture can be viewed here

Cross Country

Cross Country Competition at Winterfold

King’s Hawford’s U12 cross country team produced a fantastic display of determination, effort and resilience at the cross country competition at Winterfold School on Monday.

All thirteen children represented the school brilliantly, competing in unseasonably warm conditions against fields of up to 66 runners from 10 other schools from across the region. Every member of the team showed great commitment throughout the races, pushing themselves and supporting one another to achieve their very best.

There were some particularly impressive individual performances. Vivienne C ran an excellent race in the girls’ competition, finishing in a very respectable 15th place. Cassian W also excelled in the boys’ event, securing an outstanding third-place finish and a well-deserved medal. There were also several impressive performances from the year 5 children who were selected to race alongside year 6s.

As ever, the achievements of the whole team deserve recognition. The determination and resilience shown by all thirteen runners, particularly in such warm conditions, was fantastic to see. They should all be extremely proud of their performances and the way they represented King’s Hawford.