Prep

Sadly the girls matches were cancelled on Wednesday due to significant snow at Perrott Hill. The girls and staff were naturally disappointed to miss out, however, we spent the afternoon working hard to hone our skills and improve our match play. All the girls worked hard playing over two and a half hours of netball. The boys still managed to travel to Millfield for their first matches of the season. Some great games were ensured and both A teams showed courage and ability against tough opposition. The B teams found it tougher but many are new to Hockey this year so should very much see the outing as a learning experience! Well done to Year 2 who had their first hockey last week and Years 3 and 4 who have worked hard in their first lessons of the sports for this term. Our first set of matches for U8 and U9 is on Monday 30th January.

Senior

Hockey

The boys this week had fixtures against Clifton College on Saturday and Millfield on Wednesday afternoon.

The U15B boys faced some strong opposition when they travelled to Clifton College for their opening match of the season. The boys showed enthusiasm and commitment throughout the game and created many attacking chances. Despite Clifton winning the game comfortably, the Queen’s boys showed real character and were rewarded with a well-executed goal in the final minutes.

The U14A boys had a difficult start to the season with a tough fixture vs Clifton College. It was a great learning opportunity and the boys are very determined to work hard and improve from it. There was outstanding goalkeeping from Oliver , who made a number of outstanding saves throughout the game. Meanwhile, the U14B boys enjoyed a very competitive and well-matched fixture on Saturday. They showed huge improvement with many boys playing in their first competitive hockey fixture. The boys showed impressive individual skills and greatly enjoyed their match. 

Against Millfield Prep School the U13As had a thrilling match with chances at both ends. The boys played solidly in defence, whilst also winning all of the long balls. Players of the match were Oliver Lockington with fantastic passing in midfield, Mate with an awesome play on the left and Connah Hine with a good debut at centre back.

The U13B team started the season well, with a solid performance against Millfield in a closely contested game. Queen’s took the lead after a calm finish from Euan, who rounded the keeper and slotted home. Millfield replied swiftly with a goal-mouth scramble resulting in a tap-in at the far post. Both teams had chances to win it, with Lucas making two fine saves in the closing minutes to keep the scores level. 

The U12A boys enjoyed a very competitive and enjoyable game, showing huge progress throughout the game both technically and tactically. They showed great determination and came away with a couple of great team goals.

Netball

In netball this week the girls played Wellington as a season opener. 

For the 1st VII it was a competitive and very physical match to begin the season. Nevertheless, it was a superb performance from the team who moved the ball well through the mid-court and into the D. Millie , Edie and Yas were forced to work hard to get the ball but they shot well, drawing and beating Wellington in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarter. Turnovers by Jen and Osa in the opposition D kept us in the game. An early domination from Wellington kept them ahead throughout but the girls showed excellent resilience and almost came back to draw to the match.

The 2nd team hosted Wellington for the first game of the term. As a new team it took time to get going, in a tight quarter the team took a 6-4 lead. For the next 3 quarters we saw some fantastic link up play delivering the ball to the shooters who took there chances well. The whole team can be proud of the defensive work on show, making Wellington work hard for every pass, often making some great interceptions and forcing error’s. Well played everyone. Player of the match was Hannah .

It was also a fantastic opening fixture for the 15As, who were dominating in attack with accurate and quick passing into the circle and lots of defensive turnovers. The girls won their game convincingly and will be an exciting team to watch for the season ahead.

This was a very positive start to the season for the 15Bs and provided the opportunity to identify our lesser strengths ready for targeted training next week. Strengths were our shooting ability which showed our depth of players with this skill and the confidence we possess in attack. 

The U14A girls worked incredibly hard for 40 minutes using many tactics and strategies in their first match of the season. The girls did themselves proud with their determination and drive to continue playing as best as they could despite the scoreline. Attacking player went to Annabel Slade for her tenacious passing and defensive player went to Harriet Hyde for some awesome rebounds off the post.

It was a tough first game for the U13As against a well-drilled Wellington side. Despite trailing the whole game the girls didn’t give up and continued to apply great defensive pressure down the whole court. The teams versatility showed with many players playing out of position to try and disrupt Wellington’s flow. 

The U13Bs were outplayed by a very strong Wellington B team, yet the girls commitment and effort was relentless. The positive attitude to the game foreshadows great progress this season.

The U12A team had a great first game of the term against Wellington. They worked brilliantly as a team to bring the ball down court and played with great skill and speed. Defence were tight on and made loads of interceptions and the shooters were on form with their accuracy. Queen’s took a very convincing win! 

For the U12Bs, the friendly contest with Wellington brought about more awareness of playing competitive netball. Our team improved as the game went on, making interceptions and transitioning to quick passes down the court. Harriet Lister was awarded our best-attacking player and Alma Nystrom our best defensive player. The game was won 6-3.