Team Spirit Shines in a Fantastic Week of Sport

What a week it has been for sport at King’s St Alban’s! From rugby pitches to the hockey fields, our pupils have shown incredible energy, determination, and teamwork across a range of fixtures and festivals. Whether tackling hard at Moor Park, or showcasing sharp skills at the RGS Hockey Festival, every team represented the school with pride. Their enthusiasm, sportsmanship, and commitment to improvement continue to make us proud week after week.

Tuesday 14th October U9 Rugby Festival at Winterfold 

The U9 boys performed well at the Winterfold Rugby Festival, showing excellent teamwork and growing confidence. Their passing into space was impressive and helped create several well-worked team tries. Charlie and Archie led the attack with strong, determined running, consistently gaining ground. Support play was a real strength, with players ready to receive offloads and keep the ball moving. This helped maintain attacking momentum and showcased their developing game awareness. 

Defensively, the team improved steadily, holding a straight line and making solid tackles. Hugo stood out for his strong tackling technique, using his shoulders well to stop opposition runners. 

Overall, it was a very encouraging performance. The boys should be proud of their effort, teamwork, and commitment. With this experience under their belts, they can look forward to future festivals after half term with confidence and enthusiasm. 

Wednesday 15th October U11/10 Rugby v Moor Park 

The boys from Years 5 and 6 at King’s St. Alban’s travelled across the county border to Shropshire on Wednesday afternoon to take on Moor Park School’s U11 boys’ team. With the King’s Hawford boys not joining them this week, it was a fantastic opportunity for the King’s St. Alban’s team to play together as a full squad. With Moor Park having fewer players available, several of our boys very sportingly volunteered to play for the home side, taking turns to do so. This generous gesture allowed everyone to experience tackling their own teammates in a match situation – something they all seemed to thoroughly enjoy! 

The match was played in three thirds rather than two halves, giving the team the chance to rotate positions and work on key development points highlighted in recent fixtures. The main focuses were ball-handling – keeping two hands on the ball to reduce fending and turnovers – and tackling lower. After a few reminders, the boys quickly adjusted and began to show real improvement, soon finding their rhythm and scoring several well-worked tries to take an early lead. 

With the emphasis firmly on development rather than the scoreline, the teams were then balanced to create a more competitive and valuable contest for both sides. Throughout the game, all of the King’s St. Alban’s players demonstrated excellent awareness of their roles within the team, showing determination in defence, commitment at the ruck, and strength in attack. 

All of the Year 6 boys got on the scoresheet, with Adam, Max G, Zack, Dylan, Matthew, and Hugo each contributing to an impressive all-round team performance. A special mention must go to Pip though, whose outstanding display of effort, teamwork, and perseverance was rewarded with his first try of the season for the A team; a well-deserved moment that came through his excellent support play. 

Although King’s St. Alban’s finished comfortable winners, the fixture was particularly valuable for the Year 5 players – Matthew, Max C, Haadi, Dylan, Monty, and Eli – who gained invaluable experience playing alongside the older boys under slightly adapted rules for their age group. 

Sincere thanks go to Moor Park School for their warm hospitality and for hosting such an enjoyable afternoon of rugby, and to all the parents and grandparents who made the longer journey than normal to cheer the boys on. 

 

U11/10 Rugby v Moor Park

On Wednesday, the U10/11B team travelled to Moor Park School for an excellent afternoon of rugby. The boys showed great teamwork, sportsmanship, and determination throughout the match, making it an enjoyable contest for everyone involved. 

Joshua was a fantastic leader on the pitch, encouraging his teammates and setting a great example with his effort and attitude. He was rewarded for his hard work with his first try of the term, a brilliant moment for him and the team. Jeremiah was outstanding in attack, using his strength and power to break through tackles and drive his team close to the try line on several occasions. His determination paid off with an impressive three tries. Theo also had a superb game, showing real pace and awareness to score four tries. 

In true sporting spirit, both sides shared players to help Moor Park with their numbers. This gave the lads the chance to experience playing alongside different teammates and even against one another, learning the value of teamwork and adaptability. 

Overall, it was a fantastic afternoon of rugby, with every player contributing brilliantly and representing the school with pride. 

 

U10 Hockey Festival at RGS 

King’s St Alban’s U10 hockey team travelled to RGS The Grange for a competitive and enjoyable tournament, playing six matches with great energy, teamwork, and determination. 

The team began with a confident performance against Hereford, securing a 0–0 draw through disciplined defending and excellent positioning. In their second match, they faced RGS The Grange and showed great resilience and effort throughout. The third fixture saw them take on Hawford, continuing to demonstrate strong teamwork and commitment. Throughout the afternoon, Imogen, Maddie, Aria, and Poppy put in a huge effort. They defended strongly and helped transition the ball up the pitch. 

A highlight of the day came in their fourth match against The Downs. Sophie made excellent attacking runs and kept the pressure on the defence, while Elodie’s smart positioning and composed finish secured the winning goal. 

In the penultimate game against Bromsgrove, Lillianna attacked strongly and scored a well-taken goal to take the lead. They were unfortunate to concede a goal from a short corner in the closing minutes, but they should feel very proud of the 1–1 draw against tough opposition. Savannah was outstanding in goal, making numerous super saves and showing great bravery and focus. Amber played a key role in midfield, linking play effectively and supporting both defence and attack. 

The final game was against Dean Close. Although tired legs began to show, the team continued to display determination and spirit. The progress made this term—both individually and as a team—was clear to see. Their teamwork and enthusiasm stood out, and they should all be proud of their performances. Well done to the whole team!