Sports teams off to a flying start

U8 vs RGS The Grange

Mrs Beech and the U8 ‘Next Generation’ of King’s Hawford hockey players travelled to play RGS The Grange on an autumnal afternoon this week.  The girls were divided into four teams, playing round-robin matches.

From the very first whistle, the girls showed excitement and a hunger to gain control of the ball, keen to show off their newly-learnt skills. The strength and impetus of all the teams was palpable and it wasn’t long before we were rewarded with goals. Still very new to hockey, the teams were coached on the pitches by King’s Hawford staff and supported enthusiastically by family and friends on the side-lines. All the girls were constantly pushing forward and showing control of the ball. When reminded, they used the width of the pitch and sent some strong passes to the wings and forwards. Playing 4v4 allows the girls to defend and attack and learn the importance of working as a team. Each of the girls was also able to take on the role of captain throughout our games.

The teams listened very well, and made good contact on the ball, showing improved understanding of grip, strong passing and using a low sweeping technique in defence: this was demonstrated particularly well by Persie and Eleanor. Strategically, the girls made a real effort to stay true to their positions: Ffion naturally drifting out onto the wing along with Georgia was lovely to witness but all found themselves crowding the ball a few times, eager to gain possession! It was, after all, our first match, offering a huge learning curve for some and the chance to demonstrate courage, resilience, and sportsmanship. From a coaching viewpoint, all girls gained in confidence as the matches went on, driving onto the ball with more conviction in every game. Mrs Horrocks was really impressed with her U8 teams. While there was an enormous amount to take in on their first ever hockey fixture, they prepared themselves with excitement, behaved in an impeccable manner and showed a fantastic attitude during the matches. They found it disheartening to lose initially, but showed excellent resilience and came back to score three goals, winning their final match. The coaches couldn’t have asked for more and the future of hockey is certainly promising at King’s Hawford!

Players of the Match chosen by RGS were Eleanor N and Persie D.

U9 vs RGS The Grange

On Miss Lake’s pitch, there was brilliant play from both Zara’s and Orla’s teams. Over the course of three games, the girls improved and worked on the targets set throughout the fixture. Maysie was brilliant, defending and then bringing the ball down towards the D, with Valerie setting herself up brilliantly in space to allow her to score three goals in quick succession. Robyn provided powerful shots across the pitch, India worked hard in defence and Izzy got herself stuck into some brilliant tackles! There is still more to work on but the girls should be extremely pleased with how their first fixture as Under 9s went!

Mrs Butt was particularly impressed with the work rate and effort on the pitch. Zara’s team made some strong and direct attacks on goal, getting into the D regularly. Adelyn impressed with every area of her game and in particular with her effort in running back and her strength on the ball. It was an all round excellent team effort.

Jasmine’s team grew in confidence with every game. The girls showed excellent understanding of some new concepts, executing the defensive press brilliantly and keeping The Grange in their own half. On the few occasions that The Grange broke through, Ariana was on hand in defence with a strong tackle and a good clearance of the ball. Rosie and Daisy kept the ball moving forward, winning a number of free hits on the way. Charlotte F showed real game awareness, taking free hits quickly and efficiently and not allowing the opposition time to set up; this allowed Florrie and Jasmine to team up, producing some lovely 2 v 1 play in attack to enter the D and shoot producing a number of well-struck goals. All in all this was a very exciting start for this group of girls!

Players of the Match were Florrie W, Adelyn, Bella W, Valerie and Maisie.

U10 Match Reports from Mrs Beech and Millie B

On an afternoon which saw a mix of torrential rain and sunlit skies, we travelled to RGS, where all the U10s represented King’s Hawford.

Taking all the girls meant that everyone saw time on the pitch and contributed to a super afternoon of hockey, with many positives to expand on this half term.

The U10As applied pressure and pushed forward from the first blast of the whistle. Lovely passing out on the wing to Millie B saw her dribble into the D and pass to Marnie, who scored a lovely sweeping goal back across the D into the corner, catching the ‘keeper off guard.. Desperate for the equaliser, the opposition pushed forward, but we showed our strong defensive skills and Mary W displayed some excellent goalkeeping tactics to keep from them scoring. Constantly pushing forward saw the girls offered several chances in the D, but they were unable to convert the passes into goals. This is something we will be working on in lessons and club. Just before half time, though, came a lovely goal from Pippa P, who showed grit and determination, passing several players to shoot strongly past the keeper, having had her previous effort saved.

There were notable performances across the match from Pip K, Jess, Olivia G and Elizabeth. All girls worked hard in defensive and midfield positions and none was hesitant in attacking or defensive play.

In attack, Millie, Marnie and Pippa P, played extremely well and demonstrated some great tackling and distribution of the ball down the wing. All the players grew from individuals to be part of a team, which we can certainly build on in future matches.

Mrs Beech agreed that the Player of the Match awarded by RGS should go to Millie B. Her solid performance on the wing saw her make a number of impressive deliveries into the D and her support of her team as Captain was lovely to see, as she was constantly supporting the girls throughout the fixture.

Mrs Beech made the award of Coach’s Player to Pippa P, who really impressed with her effort, attitude and game play from the first whistle.

Match report from Captain Millie B

On a wet, gloomy day, the U10 Hockey team were away at RGS The Grange and played very well.

We worked hard to close down the opposition and take the ball from them by squeezing them to the sides of the pitch and stopping them from attacking down the middle.

Marnie travelled with the ball up the wing, beating two defenders to score from an angle into the corner of the goal. Pip K just missed out on a goal on the post during a short corner. Pippa had an excellent attempt at goal, but the goalkeeper saved it; on the second attempt at goal, Pippa scored a screamer from in close.

Jess, Elizabeth and Olivia were strong in defence and cleared the ball out to the midfield on the wings. Mary was as strong as ever in goal saving lots of shots. The whole team showed grit and determination throughout the game.

U11 Match Reports by Mrs Butt

On Wednesday, all of the U11 girls represented King’s Hawford in what turned out to be hugely competitive hockey matches against RGS The Grange. The girls have been working on an organised and set team warm-up which best prepares them for the game ahead, and I was impressed with how they set about their match preparation independently and with a tremendously positive team spirit, giving them the best start possible.

Annabel captained her team with a strong performance in defence alongside Chloe. Both girls put in some strong tackles and excellent clearances, keeping the ball away from Darcy in goal as much as possible. Ava I (VC) was the glue that held the midfield together. She maintained her position beautifully at Centre Midfield and communicated with her wings of Ava H and Bella to coordinate the defensive press. We worked on this as a new concept this week and girls executed it superbly; they have endearingly nicknamed it “The Rainbow” and used this as a key word in the match to remind each other to implement it. Ava W and Sofia created several opportunities in attack and both narrowly missed out on goals but should be very happy with their efforts. All the girls should be very proud of their performance and look to build on their progress for the next fixture.

Players’ Choice went deservedly to Ava H and my choice as Coach’s Player on this occasion goes to a tenacious Sofia E.

Harriet led her A team out this week in a very positive fashion; the torrential rain certainly did not dampen their spirits. The girls continued to implement the defensive press from the previous week, which held RGS The Grange nicely in their own half of the pitch. Jetta and Holly worked well together to get the ball out and through the midfield, and Harriet and Hattie linked up with some beautiful attacking phases and scoring opportunities. Robyn’s strength on the ball both in the tackle and her passing continues to impress me and I would like to highlight Sienna, who had a super game on her debut for the team. Darcy B is formidable in goal, making several key saves for the team and offering an incredibly positive force when communicating at the back.

Jetta was awarded Player of the Match by the opposition, which was very well deserved for a gritty and determined performance.

U11 Match Report by Harriet B

In this game I thought we played very well. We used the width of the pitch wisely and attacked well in the middle of the field. Both our attack and defence were really strong and we moved up and down the field together as a unit, which made our passes sharper and kept us in our attacking half. Our communication was clear and we ran into space quickly to receive a pass. I think we could work on passing the ball as quickly as we can and keep playing the ball forward. In conclusion, I thought we had an amazing game against RGS, especially considering there was heavy rain before the game which made the pitch quite slow; we kept playing well which led to an overall very successful team performance and result.

U10 B Hockey v RGS The Grange

The U10 B team started strongly, with Lyra and Iza intercepting the ball frequently from the opposition and driving it forward. Chloe T and Thea stuck to their positions in defence, which ensured that Lily, as goalkeeper, had an easy first half. Chloe S and Sophie worked well upfront and progressively grew into their roles, helping each other drive the ball into the attacking D. The first goal of the game went to King’s Hawford, with Lyra striking the ball brilliantly towards the goal, and Iza being on the post to give it one final tap to ensure the ball hit the backboard. This goal provided the girls with a much-needed boost in the poor weather conditions. In the second half, play continued well but the longer game time meant we tired, causing RGS to take advantage and draw level. In the final few minutes, the girls worked hard to defend and should be proud of their achievements against tough competition. Players’ Player of the Match went to Thea and Miss Lake’s Player went to Iza.

U10 v Blue Coat School

Match Report by Elizabeth N, Captain

On Monday the U10 Hockey team travelled to The Blue Coat School in Birmingham.

It was a mixed autumn day and the team were excited for the game. Millie, Marnie and Pippa P passed the ball well to score goals. Thea and Olivia G worked hard in Midfield to feed the ball to the strikers. Mary in goal made some good saves and Pip K and I defended strongly. Overall the team played some excellent hockey.

Match Report by Marnie P, Vice Captain

It was a sunny and rainy Monday afternoon and we got off to a good start, passing the ball confidently and scoring quickly. Pippa K and Elizabeth, together with Mary in goal, defended really well and stopped The Blue Coat School from scoring in the first half. Olivia G and Millie B showed lots of energy on the wings and at half time we swapped some positions around. Thea E and Pippa P were amazing up front and Pippa P finished the game with a hat-trick of goals! I was really pleased to be chosen as Player of the Match by The Blue Coat players.

U9 Boys’ Rugby Festival at RGS The Grange

The Year 4 boys made the short trip to RGS The Grange this week to take part in their first rugby festival of the season. This season the boys have progressed to contact rugby and the festival matches gave them a taste of what lies ahead.

All of the team showed some excellent defensive play with some brilliant tackles. Their defence was robust, with the boys working hard on their ball retention. They put in some solid performances throughout the festival and it was great to see the boys’ confidence in running with the ball.

Well done to Jack J and Charles H, who particularly impressed their coaches with some strong running.

U10 Boys’ Rugby v RGS The Grange

The U10 boys made a positive start to the season with a strongly contested game against RGS The Grange. The boys showed great handling skills and demonstrated some elusive running in attack. This resulted in the team running in a number of tries from distance. The opposition tested our defence with some direct running, resulting in a very even game.

Debutante Charles C put in an outstanding performance in his very first King’s Hawford fixture. James B also impressed his coaches.