U11A IAPS Hockey at Cheltenham College Mrs L Gardner
A long but brilliant day for the U11A team travelling to Cheltenham for the Regional IAPS tournament. We played 4 matches in our pool and each match could have been won by either side. Our conversion rate was poor and we lost 3 games by one goal and drew the fourth. This put us in the Bowl competition. it was evident that our pool had been strong as we put five goals past our first opponents from Ascot. Our second, which was our final match was against RGS Worcester. They were a feisty team and although they put us under pressure we also were playing some great attacking hockey. With minutes to go the umpire spotted a push by the opposition and awarded us a short corner. We selected our more unusual short corner routine and it paid off and we scored and we won the Bowl Competition.
Well done girls, you were fabulous company and supported each other brilliantly!
Prep Fun Run by Mr Venning
This week marks five weeks of community running across the Prep School, and it has been fantastic to see our running community continue to grow!
Our weekly Fun Run is about more than just running; it’s an opportunity to bring children together, build positive habits and inspire a lifelong passion for being fit, active and healthy. Each week brings a new challenge, giving everyone the chance to push themselves, build confidence and celebrate their own progress.
Whether you’re a national-level athlete preparing for the annual Biathlon, looking to improve your fitness, or simply wanting to enjoy some fresh air and socialise with friends, everyone is welcome!
📍 Where: Upper Prep
📅 When: Every Wednesday
⏰ Time: 10:30am breaktime
U11 Rugby at the IAPS by Mr Burlingham
The boys did themselves, and Queen’s, proud at the IAPS tournament this week. It was a tough afternoon of highly competitive matches. Having only had the chance of playing one contact match so far this season, the boys really stepped up and matched all the opposition, physically. Being a collision sport, bravery is sometimes needed in rugby and the boys showed this in huge amounts! Whilst the scoreline didn’t always reflect it, the way the boys played, the style of rugby and skills they demonstrated were easily ‘best in show’! They passed the ball fluently to players in space and scored some super tries. There was plenty of ‘best mate’ (support play) showing they played as a team, not relying on a few to do all the hard work. A great afternoon’s rugby, boys. Very well done!
U10A Rugby vs Stover by Mr Venning
Another exciting and excellent display of rugby from the U10A boys, showcasing outstanding togetherness, determination and a real desire to disrupt the opposition’s defence. From the opening whistle, Kento, Ralph and Jonty applied relentless pressure, giving Stover very little time to settle or make decisions. In defence, the boys demonstrated outstanding tackling technique, with Anil and Ralph providing a real masterclass in defensive commitment and execution. Their awareness of how to use the touchline was equally impressive, with Vivien and Clement expertly forcing the opposition into touch and limiting their attacking options. In attack, Maxime and Alex provided further strength and penetration, helping the team maintain momentum and create opportunities. Meanwhile, Freddie and Rupert showcased excellent quick play and resilience, giving the boys plenty to cheer about as the match progressed. Overall, another brilliant team performance, built on hard work, intelligent decision-making and a fantastic collective spirit. The boys should be incredibly proud of the rugby they are producing!
U11B Rugby vs Stover by Mr Bishop
Yet another entertaining game of rugby for the squad. Highlighting team play, determination and entertaining attacking rugby. From the start Queen’s played on the front foot, playing with speed of movement and speed getting the ball through the hands, resulting in some fantastic tries. My challenge for the team this week was to release the ball to a ‘best mate’ just before a touch; incredibly, every one of our tries included this happening at least once. Special shout outs to Austin for some incredible catches, Maher for his relentless running, and Camille for his consistent passing of the ball just before contact.
U14/15 Rugby v Brymore – Mr Smith
The U14/15 squad travelled to Brymore on Tuesday and, along with their opponents, served up a try-fest for the spectators. The Queen’s boys started the game positively. They have been working hard on their offloading skills in contact to keep the ball alive and this was much in evidence in the first half. Purposeful running in attack and controlled offloads to team mates arriving at pace led to Queen’s scoring some spectacular tries and they went into half-time with a comfortable lead.
Brymore came out strongly in the second half, clawing themselves back into the game, largely due to their dominance at the breakdown. Towards the end of the game, they took the lead, 36-31. To their credit, the Queen’s boys did not throw the towel in, attacking ferociously and with great determination. They got their reward with a try, which was expertly converted from the touchline – Queen’s led 36-38 with four minutes left on the clock. This was where cool heads were needed to manage the game and close it out. Alas, instead of kicking the ball clear from inside our 22 metre line we tried to run the ball, but unfortunately knocked it on and a Brymore player ran it in for the winning score – 43-38.
Despite this disappointment, the team should be incredibly proud of their efforts. They played some excellent rugby and will have learnt some valuable lessons on areas where they can improve.
U10 Hockey Triangular Mount Kelly and Kings Mrs Cooling
We started strongly against King’s with some confident ball carrying and using skills to move around the opposition, rather than running into tackles. With some positional changes, we lost our form a little and reverted to ball chasing and only using the central channel. However, we managed to maintain our first-half lead to win 1-0.
In the second match against Mount Kelly, we came up against some strong competition and learnt a few lessons about spreading the ball wide and passing early. Maina had a great game in goal, making some very powerful clearances.
The team’s vote for secret player went to Beren for her excellent efforts and strong clearances in defence.
U11 Hockey v Mount Kelly Mrs L Gardner
The U11 squad made the short trip to Kings to take on Mount Kelly. Arriving early gave us the perfect chance to warm up and talk through some key tactics—specifically how to transfer the ball smoothly and how to put on a solid press.
When the game kicked off, the players did a fantastic job trying to put those skills into action. Our press was brilliant and consistent all game, though we still need to work a little bit on when and how we choose to transfer the ball. Overall, the standard of play was really high!
With 11 players ready to go, we rotated frequently, and every single member of the squad played their part. Emily had a brilliant game in goal, keeping things secure at the back while the rest of the team kept pushing forward.
All that hard work up front paid off when the team was rewarded with a great goal! We definitely could have had a few more, but “wanting” that final touch still eludes some of us for now—something to keep practicing!
A huge well done to the whole squad for a fantastic team performance!
Biathlon News
Ahead of our House Biathlon, Eisley, Zara and Jonty from the Prep School entered the Taunton biathlon. Jonty successfully won his swim and run and came away as the winner of Year 5 boys. Zara and Eisley also competed brilliantly and came 2nd and 3rd. Well done to all for representing the College.