In the Middle School, the appetite for football continues to grow, with over 150 boys in each year group picking football as their Lent term games option. This has been reflected in the large numbers at training, making selection difficult across all teams. In Year 9, the A, B and C teams all had positive seasons with great fixtures against St Paul’s, Haileybury and Whitgift, but the standout per- formers were the D, E and F teams who all went unbeaten all season. The Ds played eight games and won seven, the Es played six and won five, and the Fs played four and won four, with the teams scoring an impressive 99 goals between them. It is fantastic to see such depth in the year group, and so many pupils enjoying their football in their first year at the College. In Year 10, the A team led from the front, only losing one of their 17 games (on penalties). Across the year group all teams performed extremely well, with only five losses in the 52 games they played, and a huge 206 goals scored! The Year 10s obviously enjoyed travelling to north London, and with all teams coming back with victories from Haileybury and Harrow, the journey home was an enjoyable one. In Year 11, the attacking passing style was there to see but the openness in attack was also seen in defence, as this year group saw the most goals conceded. Strong performances against Berkhamsted and Harrow across the teams highlighted their potential, and it was
At the end of the Michaelmas term, 42 senior footballers travelled to southern Spain for the annual trip to Malaga, where they train and play matches against local opposi- tion clubs. The sun certainly makes training a more fun experience, and the teams worked hard on the pitch as well as enjoying time in Malaga city centre, on the beach and at a Malaga CF league game. It is always a tremen- dous trip: a great way to end the term and to prepare the teams for the upcoming season. LENT TERM After the Christmas holidays the main football season kicked off. In the Lower School, this year was no different to previous ones, with large numbers attending the weekly co-curricular sessions and hundreds of pupils represent- ing the College each weekend in one of the 13 teams. There were many excellent block fixtures, with strong displays against St Paul’s, Hampton and Whitgift; it was pleasing to see the young teams trying to play the right way and implement their learning from their games ses- sions. A particular highlight was the 7-a-side festival, held on the 3G pitch during one of the wetter weekends, where all boys from the Year 7 squads faced off in eight matches versus Brentwood. A special mention must go to the U12A team who played a thrilling – and very successful – attack- ing style of football, losing only one game this season.
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SPORTS
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