Sports Report 24 January 2025

Sports Report 24 January 2025

Prep School

Netball

The girls had a fantastic set of matches against King’s College and Wellington on Wednesday.All the girls had a really good amount of court time which was great to see. For the U10 teams, playing indoors proved challenging due to the noise and the numerous lines on the court, impacting our overall performance. However, their three cheers were both loud and enthusiastic, and they were delighted by the hot chocolate and cake after the match. The U11 girls had a positive afternoon of netball, competing in two closely contested matches. They demonstrated significant improvement in their court movement and positioning, playing the ball down the court with greater fluidity.

Hockey

U11A had some scrappy but competitive games, remembering to play with width will help the boys develop as a team. U11B defended brilliantly, staying compact out of possession and frustrating the opposition. Despite beating several players with skilful runs, they were unlucky not to score and must explore new ways to convert chances. Fitness remains crucial. Two well-spirited games provided a positive atmosphere, highlighting areas to build on moving forward.

Senior School

Cross Country Championship

On Saturday, 8 Queen’s athletes travelled to RNAS Merryfield to represent Taunton Area Schools in the County Schools Cross Country Championships. Each age group faced a challenging course, with inclines, uneven terrain, and soft ground conditions. Despite these tough obstacles, all the athletes completed their race with determination and secured some very impressive performances. Congratulations to all who took part. Further congratulations must also go to Megan (Inter girls top 16 qualifier), Kirk (Junior boys top 10 qualifier) and Oli (Inter boys 3rd place qualifier), who will now have the chance to represent Somerset Schools in the next round of the Championship in Newquay, Cornwall.

Hockey 

1st XI

The Queen’s boys today had their first match with a near full squad. It was great to see debuts from Ollie and Alex show the talent Queen’s have fighting for a place.

Queen’s went 1-0 up with an early goal from a penalty corner thanks to a well-taken flick form Tom. Collegiate battled back quickly and scored 2 in quick succession. This meant Queen’s were 2-1 down at halftime. With 2 games in 3 days for most of the players in this early season fatigue was kicking in. William scored a fantastic deflection goal to bring the score to 2-2. Alas on this occasion Collegiate found another way through. Queen’s battled hard until the end.  On this occasion however Queen’s came up just short with a final score of 4-3. A promising performance from a young squad, with plenty of things to work on, but plenty of positives to take away.

Queen’s College 2nd Team vs Collegiate 2nd Team

On a Saturday afternoon at Queen’s , the 2nd Team displayed grit and determination to edge past Collegiate’s 2nd Team in a tightly contested 1–0 victory.

The hosts were out early, warming up with intent, but it was Collegiate who seized the initiative after winning the toss and opting for the pushback. Right from the first whistle, they pinned Queen’s into their defensive quarter, putting the home side under immediate pressure.

A tense moment of breakthrough came when Collegiate looked destined to score, but Queen’s outstanding goalkeeper proved the difference. Diving to his right to stop the initial attempt, he sprang to his feet and denied the follow-up with a crucial save to his left, showcasing remarkable agility and composure.

In the midfield, Queen’s engine room duo of Henry G and James worked tirelessly, breaking up play and driving the ball forward in an effort to relieve the pressure and dictate the game’s tempo. Their efforts nearly paid off when a moment of brilliance saw Jack break through on goal. His quick-fire shot from a tight angle narrowly missed, skimming past the top upright.

Queen’s persistence finally bore fruit in the second half with a superbly executed team goal. A quickly taken free hit by Player of the Match Luke found Iven, whose skilful stickwork weaved him past defenders and into the Collegiate D. With composure under pressure, he slotted the ball under the oncoming keeper, sending the Queen’s supporters into raptures.

As the game wore on, Collegiate pressed hard for an equaliser, but Queen’s defensive unit stood firm, bolstered by their tireless midfield and resilient goalkeeper. In the dying moments, the home side battled for possession, holding their ground to secure a memorable 1–0 victory.

U14A

Solid start to the hockey term for the U14As, losing a close match against Collegiate 1-0. With a few players out due to other commitments, some players had to step up into positions they had not played before, but adjusted really well. The boys created many opportunities, but struggled to convert. Midfield worked hard winning the ball and moving up the field, but their defence worked hard keeping Queen’s away from the goal. Queen’s own defence also worked very hard, keeping Collegiate to only 3 D-entries for the entire match. Standout performance from Manesu (awarded player of the match), playing an integral role in the midfield. Overall it was an excellent start to the season, with lots of room to improve but many positive take aways.

U13A

The U13A had their second fixture of the season this week with many positives to build on from the match in the week against Millfield. Collegiate were strong and came out dominating the play. Queen’s hit them on the break several times, with Tom getting a short away but narrowly missing the goal. Baliant tried to deflect the shot a couple of times drawing a couple of fantastic saves from the keeper. On this occasion, Queen’s came up short and were defeated 2-0. However it was a promising performance with chances created. Next match we would like to see more energy once again!

U13B

The U13Bs improved greatly from their performance on Wednesday, putting up a fight against Collegiate this weekend. The match was very close throughout, with the boys creating multiple opportunities on goal, but struggling to get the finish. Queen’s defence was put under heavy pressure, facing multiple short corners but managing to keep them out. Standout performance from Hunter in goal, saving goal after goal! Overall it was a brilliant fight, ending the game 0-0.

U12A 

Queen’s U12A faced off against Collegiate in an enthralling contest that kept spectators on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Both teams brought their A-game, delivering an end-to-end battle full of energy, determination, and moments of real skill.

Despite numerous shots on goal, Queen’s couldn’t find the killer instinct to break the deadlock. Ibrahim and Jasper displayed epic work rate, covering every blade of the Astro grass to keep their side in contention. Freddie and Archie provided the needed control and composure in midfield, dictating play with intelligent driving passes.

Kwaku was a constant threat up and down the sideline, linking up effectively and keeping the opposition under pressure. James and Mitchell tested Collegiate’s last line of defence with a number of shots on goal, only to be denied by the visiting goalkeeper’s sharp saves and quick reactions to come off the line in anticipation.

At the other end, Harry was rock-solid in goal for Queen’s, producing crucial saves and kicking clear under pressure in a nail-biting encounter.

It was a brilliant game of hockey, showcasing the talent and resilience of both teams. Although the result didn’t end in a win, a draw was a fair result and the Queen’s U12A team should be proud of their efforts in a match that highlighted their teamwork and determination.

U12A

On Wednesday, the U12A travelled to King’s Prep for an afternoon of hockey in glorious sunshine. The game proved to be an end-to-end affair, with both teams creating attacking chances – Archie in particular dominating the mid-field. King’s led the scoreboard for most of the match but the Queen’s boys persistence paid off with a closing goal, finished expertly by Freddie. A great effort so early in the season.

Netball

1st VII 

A brilliant first away match of the season for the 1st team. Each player brought enthusiasm and worked tirelessly throughout the game, undeterred by the cold and never flagging despite their hard work. The attacking mid court and shooters combined well to feed the ball into the shooting circle, contributing vital shots to the winning score. The defence and defensive mid-court players consistently turned over lots of ball when the opposition were in possession. From goalkeeper to goal shooter, every player took full responsibility for their role on court, and their efforts paid off.

2nd VII 

The 2nd team’s performance against Wells demonstrated strong teamwork and commitment throughout the match. The players maintained consistent motivation, supporting one another to stay focused and engaged. Effective phases of play were observed, with several key interceptions leading to successful transitions towards each and every goal scored.
Lots of positives to take away and areas for improvement that can be worked on to develop stronger team connections for the rest of the season.

U15A

What a start to the 2025 Netball season for the U15A team! Enthralling from start to finish, each quarter was full of surprises. At the end of the first 10 minutes, the score was 2-0 to Wells. The opposition’s defence was very strong and early on we realised that long passes were going to be intercepted therefore began to stick to shorter and lateral ones to keep the ball for longer.At half time the score was 8-1 to Wells. The subs kindly scored and encouraged their teammates from the sides. Players willingly swapped positions in order to try to make a difference to the score and they certainly managed it! At the end of the match, the score was 13-8 to Wells. 

U15B

Excellent start for the 2025 season and the U15B representatives should be so proud of themselves! Numbers were light on the ground last minute, but all team members stepped up to make a difference. After the first quarter, the score was 4-1 to Wells and, after the first half 6-2 to Wells. Some more changes were made for the second half and after quarter number three Queen’s equalised at 7-7! Well done to those who played for both defense and attack demonstrating their versatility on the court. Also a mention to Mia for her consistent shooting under pressure. Both teams kept scoring one-for-one until they finally got pipped 10-9 in the last minute. 

U13A 

The U13A team continued their bright start to the netball season with more quick play down the court, keeping possession, winning turnovers and shooting well. They began to pull away from Wells towards the end of the first quarter and then showed most dominance in the second half to extend the gap considerably despite some positional rotations. Mabel picked up the attacking player of the match again with another dominant performance in the circle. Kara was prolific in winning turnovers and paired up well with Willow to boss our defensive and centre third. It was another fine team performance that showed the strength and depth of the squad who enjoyed the victory by 23-4.

U13B

The U13B had a good outing on Saturday when they took on Wells at home. The netball improved as the match progressed. Imogen was very alert in defence and timed some smart interceptions. The teams biggest challenge was completing passes to keep possession and that got easier when we moved away to create the space that allowed us to drive to the ball. Cora’s movement, catching and composure stood out, and thanks to her team mates we saw some seamless passages of play. Wells got on a roll in one patch of the game, but besides that it was fairly even and finished 10-4 to Wells.

 U12A

This was a well-fought and evenly matched game. The team were unlucky to lose and conceded at in the dying seconds. Despite the loss the team played well together highlighting some encouraging on court play with many interceptions and attacking play on show.

U12B

A good first match for the B’s. Some nice on-court play was combined with good movement and communication. The tempo of the game was good and all team players responded well to feedback given throughout the match. 

Netball at Kings Prep

The block against King’s Prep saw three U13 teams and two U12 teams face new challenges, providing valuable learning experiences for all. Queen’s players demonstrated great resilience under the pressure applied by King’s, with the U13A defenders showing exceptional effort to close gaps, particularly against the height of their opponent’s Goal Shooter.

Progress was evident in every fixture, and the girls should be proud of their performances. Key lessons included refining footwork to maintain balance, taking time to make accurate passes, and improving movement to evade markers and create space. With better control of possession, the teams successfully moved the ball down the court, scoring in every match.

Although King’s managed to score more often, Queen’s players were impressed with their work rate, attentiveness, and ability to adapt. These qualities leave them well-prepared for upcoming training and fixtures.

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