Sports Round Up & Stars of the Week

🏑A round up of the boys’ matches:

• On Wednesday, the 1sts and Colts A hockey squads travelled to Lancing to compete in their respective tournaments. The 1^st played some impressive hockey, moving the ball quickly and creating some superb chances that on another day may have just found the back of the net. Levi gave an almost superhuman display of goalkeeping to deny various opposition a chance at progressing out the groups. Despite their persistence and valiant performances, unfortunately they were knocked out in the semi-finals.
• Meanwhile, the Colts As were equally as spectacular in their division, giving strong individual performances as well as working cohesively as a team. James commandeered the midfield with rapid passing and determined tackles. The boys improved in each game and rose to each new challenge, before eventually coming out as overall winners of the U11 tournament! A huge well done on a successful afternoon.
• 2^nd and 3rds travelled to Handcross Park for two highly competitive fixtures. The 2nds came out with a 2-1 win, putting in a strong team effort to secure the victory. Henry showed excellent team morale to keep his team throughout. The 3rds faced some strong opposition players but gave as good as they got when it came to their defensive efforts, with Leon leading the line with some tenacious tackles and clearances to keep the score down. The boys did themselves proud by keeping their heads and focusing on the game, playing as a united front until the final whistle.
•  4ths hosted Handcross at home in an end-to-end thriller that finished with a Pennthorpe winner in the last play of the game. The whole team showed great game awareness and adapted their tactics to indoor hockey superbly. Hugo dominated the midfield with a physical defensive game, excellent display of passing and positive leadership.
• Colts Bs and Cs played a fantastic triangular against Longacre, with some impressive scorelines to boot. Both teams showed outstanding progress in such a short space of time, with crossing and finishing a particular strong point. Confident stick work and persistence in the attack meant that Longacre struggled to find their rhythm. Patrick held his space well to provide some clinical finishes in his goal scoring, whilst Freddie defended brilliantly, looking to pass the ball wide and into space to create successful counter attacks.
• Years 3 & 4 faced Longacre home and away on Thursday, with plenty of goals score at both locations! Away teams showed strong passing and defensive play, Luca leading the press and helping his team out of trouble with some confident stick skills, whilst Oliver worked tirelessly all over the field and managed to add a few goals to his teams tally. Back at home, the boys showed their brilliant development so far, stringing together cohesive passes and dominating possession. Edward bought his strong passing technique to the attack, with Kit supporting with creative build up play to provide some great goal scoring opportunities. Henry showed eagerness and enthusiasm, covering opposition attacks down the wing and positioning himself brilliantly in front of goal.

⚽ And the girls’ matches:

• The 1sts girls football had their first fixture of the season, with a thumping 8-0 victory against Duke of Kent in very boggy conditions! Niamh controlled the midfield brilliantly, scoring some lovely goals in the process. The 2nds were also away at Duke of Kent, coming away with a convincing 3-0 win. Freya was strong in her tackles, providing great passes out of defence to allow her team to counter attack.
• Wednesday also held host to Pennthorpe’s first Girls Football Festival, with the Colts given their time to shine. As topped their group after having played some brilliant matches, but despite giving their all in the semi-finals, just couldn’t stop Cranleigh from scoring. Zara was ruthless in her bold and dedicated game play all over the field. The Cs also had a good run, improving with each and every game, taking on coaching points well. Lucy showed unwavering determination and drive even when results weren’t going their way, keeping spirits high and ensuring her team stayed positive. Colts Bs came runners up in the plate competition, narrowly losing out to Duke of Kent after they scored an early goal. Freya gave an incredible display of goalkeeping, enduring two lengthy penalty shootouts in succession and seeing her team through to the end!
• Years 3 & 4 travelled to Ripley Court to play a triangular with St Edmunds. It was a superb afternoon of football, determination and energy from the girls at a high. Claudia threw herself at every ball with her brave goalkeeping skills, whilst Jessica took on coaching points and adapted her game well.

🏐 On Friday, the sun was shining for a day of netball. The team, accompanied by Mrs Page and Miss Cooper headed to Framingham Prep School to compete in the IAPs U11 Girls Netball. The girls faced some strong competition, holding their own in the group stages and finishing 3rd. They progressed through to the cup rounds, where they fought hard but were eventually defeated in extra time. Overall, the team finished 7th overall – a superb effort from all!

Next week, we are hosting two more girls football festivals alongside the usual fixture madness – here’s hoping the weather holds out!