Edge Grove U13 Triangular Edge Grove 2 Lochinver House 7Edge Grove 4 St Martins 3
Edge Grove's first game was against Lochinver which was the toughest of the two. Edge Grove had a slow start again and struggled to get organised allowing Lochinver to score five tries in the first half. Edge Grove continued to improve but missed tackles allowed Lochinver to continue to dominate. The second half was much better and Edge Grove came out all guns blazing. Two excellent tries from Niccolo brought them back into the game’ however it was a little too late and the final score was 7-2.
Edge Grove were not phased by their first loss and took feedback well. They put pressure on St Martins but again a number of missed tackles meant that St Martins scored the first two tries. Excellent work from Edge Grove to find the space and get the ball to the edges, allowed Niccolo to score a further two tries and Albert to score the final try. The game was not over yet and St Martins pulled one back a number of cover tackles from Albert ensured that they did not score again, ensuring Edge Grove finished with a win.
Edge Grove U12 TriangularEdge Grove 5 Lochinver House 4Edge Grove 6 St Martin’s 0
This week, the U12 side played a triangular tournament against both Lochinver House and St Martin’s. In their first match, the boys scored quickly through both Robert and Kamil. The team then worked through several phases, drawing the Lochinver House defence out of position, allowing Karsten to burst through for a third try. Lochinver House then gathered themselves, and used their pace on the wing to score twice in quick succession. After a quick counter-attack, Kamil scored once more to bring the score to 4-3 Edge Grove. Pressure from Edge Grove and working through more phase play gifted Edge Grove a fifth and final try through Tobi. A last-minute try from a rolling maul was not enough for Lochinver House to equalise, with the game ending 5-4 to Edge Grove.
The boys started their second match against St. Martin’s immediately after, and Isaac capitalised on the momentum early on, breaking free in the first minute to score Edge Grove’s first. Shortly after, Kamil followed suit to bring the tally to two. From then, the game was all but sealed. Karsten broke free once more, followed by two more from Kamil and a final by Olly.
The boys played some great team rugby, with solid and tireless defensive work from Rahul and Dami keeping the lead in the first match, and effective distribution by Henry and Aidan rendering Edge Grove’s attack unstoppable in the second match.
Edge Grove U11A Triangular Edge Grove 0 Lochinver House 6Edge Grove 5 St Martins 1
This week, the U11 A side played a triangular against both Lochinver House and St Martin’s. In their first match, the boys played against the hosts St Martins. Edge Grove played with structure, discipline and pressured St Martins into numerous mistakes. This allowed Edge Grove to create numerous attacking opportunities out wide with Timi B. using his pace to dot down on four occasions.
Unfortunately Edge Grove watched Lochinver House destroy St Martins 14 - 0 which led to a very poor start to their 2nd game against Lochinver House. Edge Grove found themselves 5 tries down at halftime. Captain Marli M. refocused the team and Edge Grove came out to play. With solid defence, committed discipline and excellent structure took the game to Lochinver House. Edge Grove pressurised their opponents, but unfortunately were not able to score. In the last movement of the game Lochinver House scored. An important lesson in mental preparation and self belief was learnt today.
Edge Grove U10A Triangular Edge Grove 6 Lochinver House 2Edge Grove 7 St Martins 0
The Year 5 boys continued on from their excellent performance last week to blow Lochinver House off the pitch in the first half scoring 5 unanswered tries. Our rush defence put them under constant pressure and our tackling was sound with Aidan and Benji leading the way! We started to relax a bit in the second half and lost some of the intensity we had which allowed the game to be more even. In our second game against St Martins we started the game well and this time we kept the momentum and intensity going right to the end. Noham was a constant threat either by running with pace and aggression or winning the ball at the breakdown. Isaac did his job well, always being where the ball was and getting away from the contact area quickly. Bolu and Brodie carried the ball directly and committed a number of defenders whilst Blake and Logan showed his pace and ran in a number of great tries.
Edge Grove U10B TriangularEdge Grove 3 Lochinver House 4Edge Grove 11 St Martins 5
It was a real treat to see Year 5 in a different setting and getting stuck into these two rugger fixtures with the games being played under a cloudless blue sky.
In the first game, Having started rather slowly against Lochinver with two quick tries against us in the first two minutes, the team found some structure, regrouped and started passing the ball around with more confidence. They found a powerhouse in the form of Thomas Ward who ran in two tries to bring some order to the proceedings. A tight second half could have gone either way, but eventually Lochinver ran out winners by the odd try.
The second game against St Martins saw the lads picking up from where they had left off after the first encounter, and it was a matter of seconds before Thomas had again crossed the opposition tryline for the first score of the game. In a rather one-sided game, a number of our boys really shone through with some good handling and ball-skills, pacy and intentional running with ball in hand, commitment in the tackles, and a growing self-belief as individuals and as a unit. At least eight of the eleven tries scored could quite justifiably be classified as team tries. All-in-all a happy and rewarding outing for the U10 B team.
Edge Grove U9A Triangular Edge Grove 6 Beechwood Park 4Edge Grove 8 Kingshott 3
Edge Grove played the host’s Beechwood Park in the first game of the day. A wonderful game of rugby between two very good teams. Edge Grove fought back from a three nil deficit at halftime to run out comprehensive winners at the final whistle. Everybody contributed to a committed defence, placing enormous pressure on their opponents. When in possession Edge Grove were clinical in their finishing, scoring six unanswered tries. A true team effort, demonstrating true character and courage.
The second game was slower paced, with Edge Grove racing to a six try to one lead at halftime. Unfortunately in the second half, the players began to feel the effects from the intensity of the previous game, only scoring two further tries, however, allowing Kingshott to score two tries. Edge Grove remained unbeaten in the triangular, maintaining their clean record to date.
Edge Grove U9B Triangular Edge Grove 8 Beechwood Park 5Edge Grove 9 Kingshott 5
Edge Grove U9 Triangular Mr McManus and Miss Harkin’s teams played in 4 contact games during the afternoon and performed extremely well. The boys gave 100% effort and improved in leaps and bounds throughout the matches. We did still bunch up around the ball too much and a greater awareness of space on the pitch will be our focus for next week. All in all it was a fabulous afternoon with 2 wins and 2 draws in the 4 matches. Well done to all involved!
Edge Grove U8A-D Triangular Edge Grove U8A 6 Kingshott 3Edge Grove U8A 3 Beechwood Park 4
Edge Grove U8A played two matches against Kingshott and then Beechwood Park. We started strongly in the first game and scored two early tries. Great incisive running and support play created opportunities to score on the wings. Beechwood Park came back strongly and a fiercely contested match finished 6 - 6 however the referee was very liberal with his interpretation of the rules allowing his team to score 2 or 3 tries which wouldn't stand on another day. The actual score was more likely to be 6 - 3 to Edge Grove.
In the second game with no rest between matches we played Beechwood Park. We started strongly and our defence was much more structured and we moved up in a line to close down the opposition. We scored the first try and defended as a team. The game swung several times and in the end we lost narrowly. Logan worked well in defence and communicated well with his team mates in attack. Tyler was strong and led well from the front. Making many probing runs and off-loading accurately. Tommy made several telling runs and tackles. Jack was very determined and played strongly. Christopher was calm and incisive with his runs and in defence. Ted was strong and determined and made several telling tackles and runs. Aiyush supported well and was always close to the breakdown. Luke played well and made several effective runs and passed accurately. Cooper as always was omnipresent on attack and defence. He runs all day and we needed him on the pitch to shut the opposition down.The U8B-D teams played with real enthusiasm and made the most of this special experience for them to be playing alongside their friends. For the U8D's, additional reserve numbers meant that Edge Grove and Beechwood had enough players to be able to enjoy an unscheduled game together, albeit at the expense of the hosts, Kingshott. Other than the actual rugby ball itself, there was little to connect this magical sporting moment to the traditional game that we call rugby. That said, the undeniable spirit in both teams, the enthusiasm to at least pick up the ball and run with it - more often than not in the wrong direction, and the absolute joy that these young lads felt at being able to stand in line and arm-in-arm to offer a heartfelt ‘three cheers’ for their worthy opponents, made the whole experience worthwhile … even for this rather confused and bemused referee. Edge Grove 1 Beechwood Park 3.
Netball U13
The U13 girls had an amazing opportunity to join with York House to play a triangular netball tournament against Pipers Corner and Chesham Prep. The girls played extremely well, adapting quickly to playing with new teammates. They showed superb sportsmanship and excellent determination against a very tough opposition. Well done girls!
U9 Netball Triangular vs Kingshott & Beechwood Park
Another brilliant afternoon of netball at Beechwood Park, with lots of smiley faces in the crisp sunshine. Edge Grove took part in a triangular netball fixture against Beechwood Park and Kingshott, playing a total of 15 games. The girls lost and drew two games, meaning they won an exceptional number of 11 matches. There was fantastic shooting from all the girls, resulting in very convincing wins. Edge Grove continue to progress each week and it is clear they are starting to think more tactically in their game play. They were taking the centre passes quickly and confidently to ensure they maintained possession and created lots of goal scoring opportunities.
It was lovely to see so many parents attend the fixture, cheering on the girls and providing their support and encouragement throughout the matches.
U8 Netball Triangular v Kingshott & Beechwood Park
The U8 girls played in a triangular netball tournament on Thursday afternoon against Beechwood Park and Kingshott. With an incredible 6 wins and 2 losses the girls demonstrated their best netball skills so far this season! Well done to all the girls for their continued enthusiasm, progression and performance in each fixture.
