U10 Hockey v Solihull

With all of Year 5 getting the opportunity to play a hockey match against another school, our girls were thoroughly excited to travel to Solihull. The match started off quite slowly with both teams being cautious in their approach to the match. Solihull then upped a gear and broke through clear on goal, and Elissa tried hard to clear the ball but they scored. Tejvir was positive from the start and passed the ball well to Charissa, who nearly scored but shot wide. Arya did well on the wing and tried to take on players as she dribbled hard down the left and Ila replicated the same on the right; taking on Solihull players with confidence. Karen and Navya made some great tackles and Karen did a great intercept then passing the ball forwards to Tejvir to score. Although we suffered a loss, to see the progress they have made was a fabulous way to end the term.

U9A Rugby v Solihull

The final fixture of the term for the U9A Rugby team saw an excellent performance from the boys who have shown great progression over the season of Rugby. The boys started this game on fire with some early tries from Roman, Kavidh and Reuben. Solihull started to get back into the game, driving forward with the ball, but they were met with some ferocious tackles from Roman, Samson, and a unbelievable last ditch tackle from Tom driving an opponent into touch. As the game continued the boys continued to drive forward at speed looking after the ball in the tackle with Roman, Samuel, and Raj continuing to achieve this and then some great vision and passing from James, Joshua, Tom, and Reuben set up tries for the speedy and ever willing to run Samson and Kavidh. An excellent end to the season for the U9A team, who have shown great understanding of the sport and progressed as the term has gone on. Now onto next week’s house matches and the battle between St George’s and St Phillip’s!

U9B Rugby v Solihull

It is amazing to see how far these boys’ have progressed this term with regards to performance, understanding and maturity. With a much larger squad than Solihull we tried the tactic of 4 subs at a time with lots of player rotation. This was ok, but still too many subs for my liking. To my surprise we had an abundance of players willing and eager to play for Solihull to really challenge us. This mature and responsible behaviour are brilliant to see as the culture of challenging ourselves is apparent and positive. Rugby wise, pupils were encouraged to pass twice before contact. When this occurred, the team looked like they worked together superbly. Alternatively, we also ran aggressively with the ball into contact, looking to make early decisions on whether to pass or present. Our defensively line made it extremely hard so Solihull to score constantly driving them back and putting them under pressure. This was an all round great squad performance.

U9 C & D Rugby v Solihull

In the last rugby fixtures of the term for year 4 the boys played fantastically against Solihull with all showing how much progress they had made throughout the term. It was a great way to sign off from rugby with some wonderful catching and passing skills on show as well as some superbly balanced running from the likes of Etienne and Alex. The boys also supported wonderfully, always being on the shoulder for the next pass with Jack and Connor regularly being in the right place at the right time. The boys also demonstrated great perseverance and determination which in many ways is far more important than the technical side of the game as hopefully this is transferable to other areas of life.

U9 Hockey v Solihull

What a game to end the season! Both teams put out an amazing performance producing two wins against Solihull. This final fixture of the term really allowed the girls to show the progress they have made this term. Their confidence on the ball, ability to link up passess, and generally game awareness has come on leaps and bounds this term. Tuesday’s game allowed all of the girls to have plenty of time on the pitch and play in multiple different positions. It was great to see most of the girls taking on the new positions and really giving it their all to fulfil the positions role, leading to many turnovers and subsequent goals being scored! A great performance by all who played putting the team in a good position to move up to 7-aside hockey next year.

U11A Rugby v Solihull

The U11A team capped off a fine season in a fantastic game of rugby against Solihull. The teams were very evenly matched and both teams tried their best to move the ball away from contact and keep the ball alive in the tackle. This really was a demonstration of all the best bits of rugby, there were some mistakes made but that’s what junior rugby should be about: experimentation and creativity. After a very even 1st half Solihull held a slender lead thanks to some shoddy defending. The 2nd half though was a different affair as the boys started fronting up in defence and Hugo was like a man possessed, putting in big shots all across the field. Arush dominated the contact area but for me the player of the day was Toby. Toby has grown into rugby this season. He has evolved from being slightly tentative earlier on in the term, but both at IAPS and on Wednesday his commitment to tackling and taking the ball forward was fantastic and he showed good rugby awareness as well. Well done all a great term, playing some of the best schools around and competing manfully with all.

U11B Hockey v Solihull

An excellent performance by the U11B Rugby team to wrap up their season. At times the team played some free-flowing rugby looking to drive forward and time their passes, with Seb and Toby A orchestrating these moves. Sam and Munashe provided excellent support runs and managed to touch down over the line for tries, with Sam providing an excellent run down the blindside seeing the space and darting over the try line. Into the second half, some surging runs from Ahryan and Aaron got the team moving forward and then some excellent handling skills by Hasan, who scored a try for the team. BCS were also very impressive in the ruck and scrum with Will turning the ball over in the ruck and Xander turning the ball over in the scrum to help set up BCS attacks. An excellent finish to a progressive rugby season for the u11B Rugby team.

U11 Hockey v Winterfold

This has been a season to celebrate what listening, belief, hard work and effort can get you. A squad of young girls who have fully committed to the success of the team rather than the rise of an individual. I have delighted in watching Year 6 pupils challenge themselves to hit tackles harder, to cross on their reverse stick and beat opponents with 3G ariel skills. I do not need to mention individuals to attribute the success of our unbeaten season, rather the squad as a whole. The players devote themselves to training and are always ready to work hard for each other, rather than giving up. The team rotates positions or subs off without any questions or judgements as they understand it’s all towards the good of the whole team. This season of hockey has reflected that if you have passion for learning and developing, then the sky really is the limit. An awesome season ladies, one which I will not forget. Thank you all!

U11 C & D Hockey v Winterfold

An excellent end to the season for the U11s. A triangular tournament at Winterfold made for a lovely end to a brilliant season. Both teams have show tremendous progress this term. They have shown a real understanding of positional awareness, set plays and tactical decisions. The girls listen carefully and put into practice the coaching points given to them during half time team talks – It has been a real pleasure. The tournament saw lots of wins for both teams, with 5 wins and a draw in total. It was great to see all the girls play in multiple different positions, which really allowed them to demonstrate their knowledge of the game. Thank you for your hard work this term girls. I hope you continue to play hockey once you leave Blue Coat and long after!