Sports Round Up of the Week

Hockey

U8 Triangular Hockey Match vs King’s St. Alban’s & Hereford Cathedral School

The U8 girls travelled to Malvern for a fantastic afternoon of hockey against King’s St. Alban’s and Hereford Cathedral School.

The triangular fixture provided a great opportunity for the girls to enjoy plenty of match play, build on their previous festival experiences and continue developing their skills in a competitive but friendly environment.

The girls played multiple five-minute matches, giving them plenty of opportunities to put the skills they have been practising in Games lessons into action. Throughout the afternoon, they demonstrated improving positioning, growing confidence and a developing understanding of the game. It was particularly pleasing to see the girls beginning to apply their learning in match situations, working together as a team and showing great enthusiasm for every game.

There were some brilliant individual and team performances from the King’s Hawford girls, with plenty of encouraging moments across the afternoon. The girls should be very proud of their efforts, positive attitudes and continued progress!

King’s Hawford U9 Hockey Festival vs King’s St. Alban’s & Hereford Cathedral

King’s Hawford U9 girls enjoyed a fantastic afternoon of hockey at the U9 Hockey Festival alongside King’s St Alban’s and Hereford Cathedral. With plenty of match play opportunities, the festival provided valuable learning experiences and maximised pitch time for all players. The sunny weather and excellent parental support helped create a positive and encouraging atmosphere throughout the afternoon.

Mrs Butt’s team 

The girls grew in confidence with each of their three matches, showing great determination, teamwork and improving game understanding as the festival progressed.

Iona was a consistent performer throughout, making strong tackles and intelligently releasing the ball into space to launch attacking opportunities. Elizabeth once again demonstrated her versatility, seamlessly moving between attacking and defensive roles, showcasing excellent awareness and understanding of the game. Gracie worked tirelessly in attack and created a number of goal-scoring opportunities with several attempts on target.

In midfield and defence, Mia and Nancy displayed great strength in the tackle, helping to win possession back for the team. Olivia P made several decisive attacking runs into space and linked particularly well with Matilda and Minnow in attack, creating some exciting passages of play.

Special congratulations go to Nancy E, Matilda H and Minnow MP, who were all named Players of the Match by the opposition teams in recognition of their excellent performances.

Miss Haldane’s team

The girls enjoyed a fantastic festival, showing great teamwork, determination and skill across all three matches.

A special congratulations goes to Poppy B, who was deservedly named Player of the Match in all three games. Poppy delivered outstanding performances throughout the festival, working tirelessly for her team and making a significant impact in every match.

In defence, Trixie was a commanding presence. She made a series of strong tackles and crucial clearances, helping to keep opposition attacks at bay and giving her team a solid foundation to build from.

The team moved the ball well through midfield, with Elise and Maha producing some excellent passes to link play and create attacking opportunities. Their vision and distribution allowed the team to play with confidence and maintain possession in key areas of the pitch.

Further forward, Fifi, Florence and Olivia L worked hard to find space and create dangerous attacking situations. Their intelligent movement and positioning stretched defences and helped generate several promising attacks on goal.

Overall, the festival was a very positive experience for the team, with all players demonstrating enthusiasm, teamwork and a growing understanding of the game. Well done to everyone involved on an excellent afternoon of hockey.

U11 vs The Richard Pate School

Miss Lake’s U11 hockey team took to the pitch with fantastic energy and enthusiasm, producing an exciting, end-to-end game full of attacking opportunities and superb counterattacks.

Making excellent use of the wings, the team created some great chances, with Fliss finding the back of the goal twice in the first half. Sylvie added to the scoreline in the second half, capping off an impressive attacking performance.

Rosie and Sylvie both demonstrated excellent stick skills and confidence on the ball, helping to drive the team forward. Defensively, Fearne, Connie and Sylvie all made valuable contributions, working hard to disrupt the opposition’s attacks and protect their goal. Their efforts meant that goalkeeper Nina enjoyed a relatively quiet afternoon!

A special mention goes to Fliss, who was awarded Player of the Match by The Richard Pate School in recognition of her superb attacking play and excellent goalscoring.

Well done to the whole team for their energy, teamwork and determination throughout the match!

U10 Tournament at RGS The Grange 

The King’s Hawford U10 hockey team travelled to RGS The Grange on Wednesday for a highly competitive tournament, where they found themselves drawn in a particularly strong group. Despite the challenging opposition, the girls produced an excellent display of teamwork, determination and tactical understanding throughout the day.

The tournament began with a hard-fought match against Bromsgrove. King’s Hawford made a superb start, taking a 2-0 lead through well-taken goals from Alice and Bella. The girls showed great resilience as Bromsgrove pushed back in the latter stages, but they defended resolutely to secure an impressive 2-1 victory.

The second game saw the team face a very strong Hereford Cathedral side. Under sustained pressure for much of the match, defenders Aoife, Tanith and Bonnie worked tirelessly to clear danger and protect the goal. However, the standout performer was goalkeeper Sadie, who produced a string of outstanding saves to keep her side in contention. Despite her heroic efforts, one goal managed to find its way over the line, resulting in a narrow defeat.

King’s Hawford responded superbly in their third group match against The Downs, producing arguably their best performance of the tournament. The team demonstrated an excellent understanding of the defensive press they had been practising in training, disrupting opposition attacks and winning possession high up the pitch. Rosie was particularly influential, making several exceptionally timed interceptions that launched attacks on goal. The girls earned a deserved 2-0 victory, with Bella scoring both goals. The first came from a textbook short-corner routine, with Bella reacting after the initial strike from Rosie to deflect it in off the post, before then adding a second with a powerful strike from open play.

Having finished in a strong position within their group, King’s Hawford faced the hosts, RGS The Grange, in a play-off for third place. The match was closely contested throughout and showcased hockey of a very high standard for the age group. Once again, Sadie G was outstanding in goal, while Bonnie W displayed excellent decision-making and timing in defence. Further forward, Martha and Bonita-May made significant contributions in attack. Bonita-May demonstrated a mature understanding of her role, applying relentless pressure to the opposition and making good attacking runs. Martha was equally impressive in midfield, making several well-timed tackles that sparked attacking moves involving Alice, Bella and Rosie. Despite creating a number of promising opportunities, neither side could find a breakthrough and the match ended in a goalless draw.

Overall, it was a fantastic team performance and an extremely valuable learning experience for the girls, who demonstrated growing confidence in both their positional play and tactical awareness throughout the tournament. Special congratulations go to Rosie C, who was named Player of the Match by the opposition in the final game, and to Sadie G, who was deservedly selected as Mrs Butt’s Player of the Tournament for her outstanding performances in goal across the day. The team should be incredibly proud of their efforts and the progress they continue to make.

U11 Tournament at Bromsgrove

Kings Hawford U11 girls got their first major tournament of the season underway on Saturday morning, competing in a challenging tournament at Bromsgrove. With several U10 players stepping up to gain invaluable experience at U11 level, the team embraced the opportunity and impressed throughout the day.

The girls worked tirelessly across all four matches, demonstrating excellent determination, resilience and teamwork. Mrs Butt was particularly pleased with the work rate shown by every player and the way the squad played together so effectively, especially considering many of the girls do not regularly play alongside one another.

Set plays proved to be a real strength, with both short corners and hit-outs looking well-drilled and creating a number of promising attacking opportunities. Kings Hawford produced numerous shots on target through well-timed attacks, with Amelia, Ellie H, Alice, Rosie and Martha all playing important roles in driving the team forward and putting pressure on opposing defences.

At the back, Simi and Ffion formed a strong defensive partnership, making well-timed tackles and crucial clearances to keep opponents at bay. Behind them, goalkeeper Tilly was outstanding throughout the tournament, making a series of brave saves and decisive clearances when her team needed them most.

In attack, Vivienne was in sensational form, scoring several spectacular goals, including some unstoppable strikes into the top corner. Her excellent performances throughout the morning earned her the Player of the Tournament award from the organisers.

It was also a very special opportunity for the U11 squad to attend the tournament alongside the U13 team from King’s Worcester, who were competing in their own age category. The younger girls enjoyed watching the older age group in action and were inspired by the standard of hockey on display. Following the tournament, the U11s were delighted to help the U13s celebrate their medal-winning performance during the final awards presentation. Experiences such as these are invaluable, allowing younger players to look ahead and see what can be achieved through hard work, commitment and teamwork.

Overall, it was a fantastic team effort and an encouraging start to the season. The girls showed tremendous promise, with strong teamwork, disciplined play and plenty of attacking flair, providing an excellent foundation for the matches and tournaments to come. With so many positive performances across the squad, the future looks bright for Kings Hawford hockey this season.

Rugby

U9 Rugby Festival at Winterfold School

King’s Hawford U9 rugby team enjoyed an excellent afternoon of rugby at the festival hosted by Winterfold School. Mr Hodgkins’ team were outstanding throughout, producing superb performances against Warwick, RGS The Grange and King’s St Alban’s.

The team deserve particular praise for their excellent defensive organisation, committed tackling and selflessness in attack. They worked brilliantly together, scoring several excellent team tries and regularly creating opportunities for teammates when they could have gone for the try themselves. Their teamwork, determination and unselfish approach were a real highlight of the afternoon.

Special mention must go to Hugo, Samuel and Harris for their enthusiastic and committed tackling, which helped set the tone defensively. Nicholas also deserves great praise for scoring several excellent tries.

Overall, it was a fantastic afternoon for the team, who represented King’s Hawford brilliantly and demonstrated the very best of teamwork, sportsmanship and enthusiasm for the game. Well done to all involved!

U10 vs The Elms 

King’s Hawford U10 rugby team travelled to The Elms School on Wednesday afternoon for another excellent fixture, with the boys once again showing great personality and character throughout. They worked tirelessly in both attack and defence, demonstrating determination, resilience and a real willingness to support one another.

Frank was a standout performer, scoring multiple tries and showing great attacking intent. It was particularly pleasing to see him working hard to improve his tackling, highlighting his commitment to developing all aspects of his game.

William C also deserves special praise for his consistent bravery in the contact areas, particularly his willingness to compete over the ball at the ruck. His courage and commitment set a fantastic example for his teammates.

Overall, it was another positive afternoon for the U10s, who continue to show great character, enthusiasm and a desire to improve. Well done, boys!