Tenacious pupils start the season as they mean to go

U11 Elms Rugby 7s

A squad of 11 for a 7-a-side tournament allowed for sensible rotation and all the boys enjoyed valuable minutes on the field of play.  They started in slightly tentative fashion, and a 0-3 loss to an impressive Hereford Cathedral School offered scope for reflection and a number of coaching points.  In particular, the boys were asked to work on their line speed and ball security at the breakdown.  And how they did!  The next three games saw vast improvements in intensity and game-sense for the team and there was a real confidence and sense of enjoyment to their rugby.  Group victories followed against The Downs and RGS The Grange, with some stunning team and individual tries.  The final game saw us pitted against Winterfold, who similarly came second in their group.  An attritional and very pleasing performance resulted in a 2-0 win in this final game.  The boys only conceded one try in the last three games and excitement is high for the coming season.  We thank The Elms for a splendid tournament and we hope for slightly cooler rugby weather for the rest of the season!

U11A v The Elms and Winterfold

The sunshine and stifling heat returned on Wednesday afternoon as the U11A rugby team sought to build on Saturday’s tournament at The Elms.  This was a double-header, with 20-minute games against two well-regarded, talented local rivals.  It did not take long for the team to gel and hit the heights of Saturday, as a strong start led to three early tries in the first game against The Elms.  The players possess power and speed and have the capacity to blow sides away.  What was pleasing in this game was the desire to pass more, and “make the ball do the work.”  In this regard, Francis C had an excellent afternoon, always looking for the right pass at the right time.  The depth in the squad allowed all boys to be involved and provided some respite from the punishing conditions.  This game was won 4-1 and a sterner test came straight afterwards against a well-drilled and determined Winterfold side.  In this game, we scored our best try of the season so far: flowing hands and unselfish decision-making meant we put together around a dozen passes, finishing by putting Reuben A into some space and at speed.  His quick feet and snake hips led to a try that was pleasing on both a team and an individual basis.  The game ebbed and flowed and our line speed and first-up tacking was not as consistent as we would like.  In the end, the introduction of Monty E shored up our play and led to a well-deserved 5-3 win.  There was lots to be pleased about and lots to work on.  Well done, boys!

U11B v The Elms and Winterfold

Eleven boys represented King’s St. Alban’s U11 B team in two rugby matches against Winterfold School and The Elms on Wednesday afternoon. The boys were really excited to play their first match of the year and got off to a great start with a convincing win against Winterfold’s U11 B team. There were tries from several of the boys, including Harry R, Rory S, and Humphrey D, as well as a great try on his St Alban’s debut from TJ M. After conceding a few early tries in the first half against The Elms in their second match, the boys showed good resilience, defence and teamwork to score a couple of tries in the second half and prevent The Elms from scoring again. A special mention must also go to Jonas H, who showed great strength and determination when running with the ball and also when tackling. The squad will be working on their defensive positioning during the next training sessions in preparation for our next match.

U10A v The Elms and Winterfold

The talented U10A side had two games against The Elms and Winterfold School. The boys warmed up well and were very excited to step back on the rugby pitch and play together once again. The first game was against a strong Elms side, who were just as enthusiastic and ready to start the season. The boys started more slowly than usual and went down by a few tries in the first half. However, they were then led from the front, with captain Will B offering a spirited half-time talk, and managed to turn the tide winning the second half with excellent scores from Brody S and Ben J, as well as the captain himself. It was a close game, with The Elms just coming out on top. The second game was against Winterfold School, and the boys were ready and had dusted off the summer-break cobwebs. There were plenty of scores throughout the game, with excellent interplay from both Harry D and Harry B. This was backed up with some strong running from Louie F and great tackling from Luca E. The boys came out on top and managed to win the last game, even being a man down at some points due to injuries. Great resilience was shown and there is plenty to look forward to in future games and tournaments. The boys are keen to learn, and will be acquiring the fundamentals of rucking and some more tackling drills to prepare them for future games.

U10B v The Elms and Winterfold

What a brilliant start it has been to the rugby term for the U10 team! For lots of the boys in the team, this was their first taste of competitive rugby. The boys’ first game was against Winterfold, where we started quickly and scored some well-worked tries. The opposition struggled to deal with the pace of Uriah G and Arlo F, both of whom used their agility to go past their opponents with ease. Crispin N and George C impressed with the timing of their passes; they would draw the defender in before giving the ball to a teammate. We finished this game strongly and Albert scored a fabulous individual try. Next we came up against a strong and well organised Elms team. Che-David R saw lots of the ball in this game and made some valuable distance for the team. Mark F and Freddy H demonstrated good handling skills and enabled KSA to keep the ball well. Overall it was an amazing start to the term and we have identified a few targets for our next fixtures.

U11 Hockey Triangular v Bromsgrove and King’s Hawford

Our girls enjoyed their first fixtures as the sun shone on us on Wednesday afternoon at Bromsgrove. We had a number of girls who were playing in their first hockey match and they did extremely well. Both the teams worked hard and demonstrated some pleasing individual skills. Over the next few weeks we have a lot to work on and particularly need to look at stretching the field and using all the pitch. We only have a few weeks until we have the IAPS hockey, so we need to get as much time on the pitch as possible.

U10 Hockey Triangular v Bromsgrove and Hawford

On Wednesday, the girls had a super afternoon of hockey over at Bromsgrove against Bromsgrove and King’s Hawford. The A team pulled out a sterling performance against Bromsgrove to draw 1-1 and a loss against King’s Hawford. However, Charlotte scored a superb goal into the corner of the goal. The B team also drew against King’s 2-2 and won 2-0 against Bromsgrove. It was the first time the girls had played a match on the mini hockey sized pitch and we will work on using more space over the coming week. Well done!