Boys’ sport round-up – Feb 19

Mr Smith reports on the end of the rugby season at Westbourne House as well as swimming, real tennis and the start of the hockey season.

As a department, we have just updated our Sporting Philosophy which I thought you might be interested to read. This is what we believe is important and the culture we are trying to breed.

We have enjoyed a great rugby season with all the teams playing to a high standard and further developing their skills.

The U13A were very impressive and really grew together as a squad. They played some excellent rugby making the most of a powerful pack who ran great lines off the back of the ruck and set up good ball for the backs. The back line had pace and read the game well to exploit space out wide off the back of quick ball. We still have some 7s tournaments ahead but every member of the squad should be proud of their achievements during the 13-a-side season.

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The U13Bs enjoyed an unbeaten season with highlights including wins over Aldro at home and away against Cranleigh. A very strong squad with plenty of boys who played their way into A team selection. The side was well led by Cormac Turley.  They played the season with great spirit and really embraced the values of the game.

The U12As produced an excellent end to a very competitive season. Some of the matches have been a delight to watch and our expansive style of rugby has been a real highlight. In the sessions we have worked very hard on teamwork and gaining a comprehensive understanding of why every player has a role to play in team sport - and that winning against good opposition requires togetherness. The boys became more combative as a group and our fantastic 20-15 win against Twyford was a fitting end to the season, as it illustrated the improvement we have made in our game both collectively and individually.  Hard work does pay off.

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The under 12Bs had a mixed season with 6 wins and 6 loses. It was very pleasing to see the boys progress from start to finish. I felt that the boys skills improved throughout the season and it was particularly rewarding to see them work so well as a team. 

The U11As came through a difficult season and have just been awarded Team of the Week for their commitment and resilience in the face of adversity. Well done to all for never giving up.

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The Under 10A team completed an outstanding season (Played 13. Won 13. Drawn 0. Lost 0) with a win over Twyford in their final match of the season. The team has made great progress this season. Ollie Norman ended up as the seasons top try scorer. However, all the players contributed to a fantastic season.

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The B team almost matched those results winning 12 out of 13. Nicholas Anderson, Alex Langmead, Sonny Tuppen being the main try scorers.

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The U9s played fantastic rugby all season and produced a very high standard of rugby for boys so young. They’ve won all their 6 games scoring 62 tries in the process only conceding 17 and a fair few opposing coaches have sung their praises. A storming season.

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Hockey

Sport%20Image_300.jpgThe hockey season has started positively with some great results against Hurstpierpoint. It is encouraging to see different faces having their opportunity to shine, which made me think of the inspirational quote 'they shine when it's their time'.

Swimming

This half term we have had the return mixed gala against Highfield at home for U9-U13. Again this was a very close affair and on this occasion we won 189-187. 

We have very recently had the IAPS regional finals at Cranleigh. I would like to commend those who stepped in last minute to cover illness/injury. We have had the times back for this and we had no disqualifications! We will not know who has qualified for the National Finals at the London Aquatic Centre until around Easter.

 

Cross Country

The annual Highfield Cross Country for U9-U13 boys and girls is on Friday 15th February. At the time of writing I do not have the results but wish them all the best.

Real Tennis

Three pairs of Year 8 boarders played in the U13 National Real Tennis Championships, and we were delighted that the first pair, Toby and William, secured a hard-fought victory.