Year 6 Adventures On The Cardiff Sports Tour

Last weekend marked the annual King’s Hawford sports tour for all year 6 children.

This tour is a highly valued tradition and provides our children with an excellent opportunity to test their sporting ability against similar independent schools from another area of the UK. For the eighth year running, we were travelling to the Welsh capital of Cardiff.

We left school early on Friday morning full of enthusiasm and anticipation for the tour ahead, the sun was shining and the children’s spirits were high. Our first destination was the beautiful and picturesque Monmouth where, this year, the boys and girls would face off not only against The Grange Monmouth but also KES Bath.

It became immediately apparent that both Monmouth and KES Bath were very well organised and physical rugby outfits and, following a number of big tackles, it was great to see our boys step up in their levels of commitment and determination. After struggling a little in the matches against Monmouth, the Hawford boys played some really impressive rugby during the KES fixtures, working hard in defence and scoring several excellent tries.

Meanwhile, the girls also experienced two highly competitive hockey matches at the astroturf. They played fantastically in both matches against Monmouth and KES Bath, displaying super defending as a team and stringing together some lovely passing moves in attack which led to several impressive goals being scored.

Having enjoyed our opponent’s company and hospitality over match tea we then headed to the historic Cardiff Castle. When we arrived, we were greeted by our guide, who told us all about the fascinating history of the castle and how its careful design made it impenetrable to potential invaders. The children even got to try on some medieval armour and weapons!

Soon after this we enjoyed an interesting and insightful tour of castle’s various rooms and features.

The children were impeccably behaved and showed a very impressive level of knowledge and understanding. We headed to our accommodation for the evening full of enthusiasm and a sense of anticipation and excitement at the prospect of the fun evening of TenPin bowling ahead of us.

On Saturday morning we woke up bright an early and fully rested after an excellent night’s sleep. Following a hearty breakfast we checked out of our accommodation and travelled to our main tour fixture with Llandaff Cathedral School, where we had staggered kick off times, enabling the girls to cheer on the boys during the closing stages of their fixtures.

As with previous years, the matches against Llandaff Cathedral School were hotly contested. The girls were honoured to play on the Welsh National pitch and did the honour proud with their superb play and dominant performances. Both hockey teams secured highly impressive results, scoring nine goals each. Mrs Butt and Miss Lake were both delighted with how well the girls played as a team and their application of skill and tactics throughout the matches.

Meanwhile, the boys’ teams both enjoyed hotly contested games. In both matches, the host teams took early leads and it was clear that Llandaff had several strong, athletic players in their ranks. Despite the early setbacks both Mr Stigant’s and Mr Hodgkins’s teams fought back with superb levels of determination and resilience and played some superb attacking rugby during the second half of the matches. Both games ended in dramatic fashion with only one try separating the teams!

We continued to build some fantastic relationships with our colleagues and peers at Llandaff Cathedral School and exchanged gifts to commemorate the continuation of what has become a valued partnership between the schools.

Next came the activity that many of the children had been eagerly awaiting, the tour of the home of welsh sport, The Principality Stadium. Here we learnt all about the retractable roof and discovered that, when the roof is closed, the stadium becomes the second largest indoor venue in the world! During the tour we were able to experience what it would be like to be an international sportsperson via the press conference room, the changing rooms, the players tunnel and, of course, the roar of the crowd as you arrive at pitchside.

The children learnt all about the various areas of seating in the stadium and even experienced some hospitality in the luxurious private boxes and specifically the royal box. Having been wowed by the majesty of the home of Welsh sport, the children were keen to pick up a small memento of their visit in the gift shop.

The children all had a fantastic time throughout the tour but the staff were particularly impressed by the playing performances of Elizabeth N and Thomas C who picked up the two Player of the Tour trophies. We were also delighted by the fantastic behaviour, helpfulness and politeness of George PW who is awarded the ‘Best Tourist’ award.

Having had a fantastic tour, it is important to make a special mention and show our gratitude to our host schools in Monmouth and Cardiff as well as to say a huge thank you to Mrs. Butt, Mr Stigant, Miss Lake and Miss Odam for their excellent support, coaching and encouragement throughout the tour.

We all hope that the children had a wonderful time and have created memories that will stay with them for a very long time indeed.

Match report:

Miss Lake’s team faced Monmouth Prep in their first match and the girls gave it their all from the start. Some excellent tackles from Iza and Sophie allowed us to get the ball into the D regularly. The play of the game came from Olivia W who sent the ball whizzing into the D accurately, allowing Iza to tap it in for a goal. Jess was awarded Player of the Match by the host school for excellent defending and clearances. The second game against KES Bath was more challenging, however the girls did not drop their energy. The KES Bath attacking midfield, caused the defence some problems and goalkeeper, Lyra, was forced to make some excellent saves. Nonetheless, the King’s Hawford girls dug in and produced some great counterattacks, leading to two quick, successive goals for Iza and Chloe S, the latter of whom was awarded Player of the Match for excellent, safe tackling in midfield.

The final game of the afternoon saw a mixed King’s Hawford team play KES Bath’s B Team. Miss Lake’s original team started play before a couple of Mrs Butt’s players graced the pitch. Chloe S worked tirelessly in defence alongside Jess, whilst sub Olivia G produced an excellent sideways shot from the edge of the D, leading to a 1-0 score line. Several further attempts on goal were made; unfortunately we could not find the back of the goal. Pip K was awarded Player of the Match by the opposition.

These five games were an example of the girls’ hard work and dedication in Games so far this term, and it was certainly a very positive start to the Cardiff Sports Tour 2024.

On Saturday morning, after eating their body weight in croissants and Nutella, the children headed straight to the astro at Sophia Gardens, the HQ of Welsh Hockey, to play Llandaff Cathedral School! It was lovely to see some familiar faces on the sidelines to cheer on the girls.

On Miss Lake’s pitch, the girls started strong, immediately winning an 8-second penalty shuffle for a foul in the D from the opposition. A strong finish from Iza put King’s Hawford into the lead. The girls listened well to coaching advice and their game play did not falter, allowing for eight more goals in the half-an-hour game: five from Sophie W and one from Chloe S, Olivia W and Iza.  Player of the match was awarded to Iza for her superb resilience and determination on the pitch.