Swimming Gala v Beechwood Park Edge Grove 177 Beechwood Park 182
Edge Grove travelled to Beechwood Park with pupils from years 3-8 once again for our second gala of the term. After some heavy rain in the morning we were fortunate to have bright sunshine once we had arrived, allowing the roof of the pool to be opened for parents to spectate. The pupils once again showed great enthusiasm and effort throughout the afternoon, with some new faces since last week's gala. There were mixed results in the individual stroke races but we saw some very strong performances from the Year 8 girls, who won their backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly, and the year 3 and 4s winning all of their freestyle. We saw even more victories in the relays later in the afternoon, with Edge Grove girls winning 4 out of 6 of the Medley Relays. Unfortunately Beechwood Park finished the Gala as overall winners by just 5 points, despite Edge Grove girls finishing as the top points group.
1st Team Edge Grove 5 Heath Mount 9 Scorers - Niccolo , Nathan x 3, Nefeye The 1st team started very slowly and after ten minutes they went 4-0 down. This looked like it could be a long afternoon but the team started to press and put pressure on Heath Mount. Goals from Niccolo and Nathan produced a 6-2 half time score. The second half produced a better display with lots of pressing when defending our goal line. This helped produce some excellent passing and movement to create 3 further goals by Nathan x 2 and our debutant Nefeye. We move forward to our next game with more confidence with our creative play and attacking the opposition's goal. We will work on our defensive shape and responsibilities in our next game so we do not concede so many goals so early in the game. Well played everyone and thank you to all the parents who supported us today.
2nd Team Edge Grove 0 Heath Mount 2 The second team played a well contested match against a very talented Heath Mount team and narrowly lost out. The team chose to kick off but playing into the wind gave the opposition the advantage. The boys are still working on winning their individual contests and working hard to win back a lost challenge. The midfield gave too much room on this occasion and it made it possible for Heath Mount to score two good goals. The second half saw more desire from Edge Grove and there were a few goal-scoring opportunities but unfortunately we were unable to convert them. 3rd Team Edge Grove 1 Heath Mount 3 The 3rds faced strong opposition and only two late goals prevented the side achieving an honourable draw. The midfield and wingers linked well to produce some nice moves and man-of-the match Oliver C stopped many attacks with great defending. The Edge Grove goal came from a Sophie H corner which led to an own goal.
4th Team Edge Grove 2 Heath Mount 3 A very balanced game in which Edge Grove controlled the ball for most of the time. Territorially, we camped in their half for most of the match but battled to translate this into goals. Some bunching caused gaps in the Edge Grove defence and Heath Mount were able to capitalise on this and score 3 goals. Aarav and Liam impressed in front while Max was a pillar of strength in defence. The team played in good spirit and for the most part supported each other well.
Colts A Edge Grove 0 St Columba’s 3 Edge Grove 3 Heath Mount 1 Our first game the boys played some fantastic football. Moving the ball quickly and pressing high to get the ball back when defending. We created many chances and were unlucky not to have scored a few goals. 0-0 towards the last 5 minutes and St. Columba’s managed to score 3 quick goals when quickly counter attacking. The score being a 0-3 loss after dominating the game but the boys remained positive going into the second match.
We went into the second game with lots of energy and kept the game at a high pace. After dominating possession and winning the ball back quickly we scored our first goal. The high pace and pressure continued throughout the game and we got our second and third goals. We had plenty more chances to score and hit the post a few times. However we ended the day on a positive note and now look well set going into the next few weeks with a good structure and the boys understanding their roles and supporting each other.
Colts B Edge Grove 2 St Columba’s School 1 Scorers - Ben R & Isaac A-O Edge Grove 0 Heath Mount 2
We played a triangular festival with Heath Mount and St Columba’s School. The boys kept their energy and enthusiasm from last week and showed great teamwork in the first game against SC, with a number of new faces in the squad. Leading 1-0 at half time through our good pressure, we kept our composure despite conceding early in the second half to win 2-1.
We then played Heath Mount and started with the same determination as the first game. Unfortunately Heath Mount were able to absorb the pressure and through fresher legs were able to break the deadlock before half time. The boys tried their best in the second half, but with some good keeping from Heath Mount and fast breakaways we went down 2-0 and were unable to break through ourselves.
Colts C
The boys played two matches against St Columba’s school. In the first game we were a little overawed and showed them too much respect. We were losing most of the key battles and they scored 3 unanswered goals in the first half before eventually winning 4-0.
We then played them again and after a few adjustments and positional changes coupled with an emphasis on each boy winning the one on one battles we turned our fortunes around. David was an excellent captain and leader on the pitch and scored a hatrick while rallying everyone together for a great 4-1 victory. Noah and Marli were great in defence winning key balls and breaking down St Columba's attacks. Timi was inspired running onto the ball and tackling with fervour. Billy was excellent in goal. Stopping several shots and his movement was excellent. Kaelan played many fabulous balls through and was always a threat when crossing the ball.
Colts D
We played in a triangular festival with Heath Mount and St Columba's School. Edge Grove pupils showed great determination, passion and spirit in the first game when we were down 2-0. Despite this, the boys made a great comeback equalising with the opposition 2-2. Unfortunately, we did lose after St Columba's scored two more goals to end the game 4-2. However, the boys didn't let this dampen their spirits as they improved over the course of the games and won the next one against Heath Mount 1-0. The team morale was admirable and there were a few stand-out moments: Chase and Artem's effective defense, Jamie's two goals, Imeth's excellent persistence, and Funwa's and Fewa's positive mindset. Well done to all boys who took part!
Colts E and F
We played in a triangular festival with Heath Mount and St Columba’s School and the football played by all the Edge Grove pupils was very pleasing. We passed the ball well and played with real determination and the improvement over the past few weeks has been excellent. We won four of the matches, drew two and only lost one. Well done to all involved.
U9 Mr Davies
Edge Grove v Heath Mount and Lockers Park (Triangular Competition) Edge Grove 5 Heath Mount 0 Edge Grove 5 Lockers Park 0
The U9 teams travelled to Heath Mount school for a triangular competition against Heath Mount and Lockers Park. The match against Heath Mount saw the boys starting in their preferred positions and we really dominated the game. We changed things for the second half and it was great how they adapted to playing in different positions on the pitch. After a discussion with the Lockers Park coach we decided to introduce a rule that all players had to have received the ball at least once before we scored. This introduced an interesting dynamic to the game and ensured everyone was playing a full role. Isaac and Max both scored hat-tricks with goals for Ayaan, Noham and Finlay but Laurence, Brodie and Benji were all instrumental with assists to make the goals. It was a great afternoon with lots of positives to draw on for the future.
U9 Mr Wallis
The boys played a very intense and end to end physical game against Heath Mount on the pig sty. We played some fantastic football, passing the ball well and using our speed to cause the defense some worries. After chances for both teams Edge Grove took the lead from a breakaway and powerful finish from Ethan D. Heath Mount soon found their chance also and it was 1-1 at half time. We continued our defensive pressure and strong breakaways into the second half, winning a number of corners and forcing the HM keeper into a number of saves, with Blake G also making a cracking save into the post near the finish. Neither side could break the deadlock and the game finished 1-1.
U9 Mr McManus
We enjoyed an excellent afternoon of football with Lockers Park and Heath Mount on Thursday. The progression made throughout the matches was fabulous to see and I am very proud of all the pupils who represented the school with great enthusiasm. We had a number of wins which was great for team morale however the improvement shown by every child was even more important. Well done all.