U13 v Westbrook HayEdge Grove 18 Westbrook Hay 8
On Friday we matched off against a tall and physical Westbrook Hay team. The first few minutes were scoreless as both teams' defence was solid. Westbrook Hay scored first and we needed to change our tactics. We were not penetrating much on defence and needed to make more decisive runs into the key. Oliver Caplan started this process by cutting and scoring several times. Albert was strong using hsi fake and drive to great effect and scoring several baskets. Luke controlled the game well as point guard and moved the ball quickly and effectively around the perimeter probing for holes in the defence. Lir was strong on the baseline and made a lovely drive to the basket to score. Edge Grove went on a decisive 10 point unanswered run which took the match away from the opposition. Caitlin showed her vision and excellent handling skills when on the court and Dami and Tobi were strong with their rebounding and defensive skills. Oliver Cox and Rahul, although not getting much court time, showed great energy and intent in their time on the court. Evan was very aware of space and movement and made several telling interceptions and moved the ball quickly to exploit opportunities. Nefe used his athleticism and vision to great effect, scoring several baskets and defensively imposing himself against the Westbrook Hay forwards. Overall a great result for Edge Grove. Well done team! Mr Aitchison.
U11 v Westbrook HayEdge Grove 14 Westbrook Hay 4
The team had an excellent game on Tuesday with some of them playing in their first ever match against another school. Edge Grove started a bit slowly and were very passive, allowing Westbrook Hay lots of time and space to play. A quick team talk and a switch to a much more positive game plan saw the Edge Grove team dominate and run into a comfortable lead with Cathy and Sofia scoring a number of baskets with good passing into space by Anabelle, Natty, Tio and Harry. Timi and Joseph attacked well with speed and power and combined well. Ronan was our player of the match, controlling the ball in the middle of the court and distributing to players in space. Well done to all involved.
U13 v Westbrook HayEdge Grove 2 Westbrook Hay 7
Edge Grove had a disappointing Wednesday afternoon losing 7-2 to Westbrook Hay. Edge Grove started slow and allowed Westbrook Hay to score the first two ties. Niccolo managed to break the line and dart over the white wash for Edge Groves first try. Ollie made some good carries and Rohan worked hard at scrum half with some excellent tackles off the back of the scrum, but Edge Grove made too many simple errors which let them down. Westbrook Hay scored a further three tries in the first half. The boys had a stern talking to at half time and started to up their game, again Niccolo finding the try line. Edge Grove worked hard in defence and only allowed Westbrook Hay to score a further two tries in the second half. A steep learning curve for the boys. 'Let your failure refine you, not define you.' Next week is a new week.
U12 v Westbrook HayEdge Grove 5 Westbrook Hay 5
A few players missing resulted in the U12 side playing 9 a side, a format that seemed to fit the Edge Grove team well, using Olly’s speed in the extra space and Tobi’s strength to score twice in the first three minutes of the game. Here, Westbrook Hay gathered themselves, and held off the Edge Grove attack for the remainder of the half. Wet conditions opened the door for handling errors from both sides, but Robert’s reliable hooking gave the team their best scrummaging performance of the season. Huge tackles from Rahul, Rohan and Robert were not enough to hold off the Westbrook Hay attack, with them scoring once before the half time whistle, Edge Grove went into the break with a 2-1 lead.
The second half was a very back and forth affair, with both teams working hard in defence and attack. Some spectacular runs from Westbrook Hay allowed them to score three unanswered tries before Olly brought the game to 5-3 Westbrook Hay. Undeterred by this scoreline, the Edge Grove boys showed their grit and resolve, playing hard until the very end of the game with their heads held high.
In what was likely the penultimate minute of the game, Tobi ran a powerful line through the middle of the Westbrook Hay to score once again, bringing the game to 5-4. In the final play of the match, Westbrook Hay kicked off, which was gathered by Chase. Edge Grove worked through some phases, before Dami collected the ball, burst through the middle of the Westbrook Hay defence, scoring to bring the final score to 5-5.
U11A v Westbrook HayEdge Grove 6 Westbrook Hay 7
The old adage a ‘game of two halves’ best describes this game. Unfortunately a disruptive practice week leading up to the fixture resulted in an unstructured and lacklustre first half allowing Westbrook Hay to lead 6 - 1 at halftime. An inspired and courageous 2nd half performance by Timi B. and Ben R. lifted the team taking the game to the opposition. Five tries by Timi almost levelled the game, unfortunately Westbrook Hay scored the winner in the dying minutes of the game.
U11A v Westbrook HayEdge Grove 7 Westbrook Hay 6
The Edge Grove team started the match well gaining ascendancy early with positive rucking and quick passing leading to opportunities on the wing for Tio to use his pace effectively. We let in a couple of tries by failing to take ownership of the tackles which was disappointing. Harry Barwin ran well and was determined in the tackles. Tio was strong and fast and put his hand up often to run the ball out of trouble and used his lightning pace to score several tries. Ellie was solid on the wing keeping her shape and using her speed and step to great effect. Harry Rosen was gritty in defence and made several probing runs through the opposition defence. Alex Pinkerton made several big hits including a match winning tackle near the end of the game to prevent our defensive line being broken open. Ben was strong hitting up and made a brilliant one handed offload to set our wing off down the line. Zak played well and was involved in much of the play on attack and defence. Aarav was the man of the match, making many strong runs and line breaks and always putting his stamp on anyone who tried to beat him with the ball. A great performance and a deserved win in the end. Mr Aitchison.
U11C Triangular v Westbrook Hay and Heath MountEdge Grove 4 Westbrook Hay 5Edge Grove 5 Heath Mount 6
The match against Westbrook Hay started tentatively but the boys really began to up their game once they had warmed up and began to get the measure of the opposition. Brave tackling from the team ensured that many Westbrook attacks were stopped before any meaningful breakthrough was made. A good game in which the gradual increase in confidence and self-belief was tangible.The aforementioned confidence was also felt in the match against a strong Heath Mount who attacked relentlessly. Despite a brave defence being mounted by Heath Mount our team managed to find their way through five times. A few lapses in concentration allowed the opposition to score but some valuable lessons were learned and most importantly confidence and belief in themselves and each other has increased palpably. Our next fixtures should prove to be the most exciting yet.
U10A v Westbrook HayEdge Grove 4 Westbrook Hay 5
This was a fantastic game of rugby between two very good teams. Edge Grove started slowly and did not play with enough intensity, allowing Westbrook Hay to take a 2 - 0 lead. The boys started to play with passion, hunting as a pride and making their tackles. The pressure told and we managed to score two good tries to be level at 2 - 2 at the break. A rousing team talk saw us take a 4 - 3 lead through good play, however as the game got tight we strayed away from our game plan and started to not pass the ball, keep the game tight and play into the opposition's strength. This resulted in Westbrook Hay scoring two breakaway tries in the last few minutes to win the game. Although we did not deserve to lose it was a good reminder to stick to the game plan and trust what we have been doing in training. The boys must be congratulated on a fine game of rugby.
U10B v Westbrook HayEdge Grove 5 Westbrook Hay 8
Edge Grove arrived at Westbrook Hay under grey clouds with the rain starting to form. This may have affected the players as we started the game slowly with poor tackling technique and decision-making against a very physical opposition, leading to WH scoring early tries. We did manage to get a consolation try just before the half time whistle to help boost our spirits. After an encouraging half time team talk the sun started to shine as we started the second half, which brought an entirely new team. Suddenly we were the physical team, with some tremendous tackles from all but with special mention to Xander for his tireless efforts and also Finlay who made a tremendous cover tackle to stop a try. This improvement saw some reward with Edge Grove scoring a number of well-worked tries, but with the scoreline against us we need to look at starting with intent at the beginning of next week’s match.
U10C v Westbrook HayEdge Grove 11 Westbrook Hay 13
The six boys involved gave a good account of themselves for most of the game but initially relied heavily on Grayson, Matt and Oliver to hold our attack together. Being outnumbered seven players to six was always going to prove to be somewhat of a challenge but the lads eventually got into some sort of rhythm and started to believe in themselves. As with last week’s game, the tries kept coming as most players on both sides backed off any physical contact that purposeful tackling required of them. Nonetheless, it was heartening to see, on a few occasions, our boys making good use of the wide field, running into space, and running hard towards the opposition tryline. All-in-all a pleasing display that evidenced developing confidence and that highlighted improving skills from most players.
U8 Mr Aitchison v St Columba's CollegeEdge Grove 6 St Columba's College 4
Edge Grove A made an inauspicious start to the match as they failed to mark off effectively and conceded three very early tries and their backs were now against the wall. We reorganised our defence and scored a try through quick passing and great running. This gave us belief and we kept in the ascendancy scoring three more to take the lead. Tommy was super quick shutting down their major threat on the wing who had scored several of their tries and didn't allow him space to run outside the defence and forced him off the pitch several times to win possession for our team. He also made several great runs hitting the ball with pace and showing guile to beat tacklers. Jack was strong in defence and made several strong runs. Tyler was impressive using his strong direct running and superb dummy and step to make inroads every time he had the ball. Ted played well out wide and was involved in many of our effective passing phases and showed determination in chasing down the opposition. Cooper was relentless, always there in support and passing quickly and accurately. Josh supported well and was keen to match up out wide on defence to prevent the opposition getting into space. A superb effort to come from such a deficit and shut the opposition out of the game. Well done boys!
U8 Mr Stanley and Mr McManus v St Columba's College
We played three matches against St Columba’s which were played in great spirit with all the teams playing with great energy and enthusiasm. The Edge Grove boys really impressed with their effort and handling skills, running in support of each other. We do need to try to avoid running sideways or backwards to find space, but rather run forward and commit the defenders before passing out wide. The Edge Grove defence was particularly strong with us putting pressure on the opposition, not allowing them much space to run. The performances from all three teams were particularly pleasing and the boys should be proud of their efforts.
U8 Mr Wallis and Miss Day v St Margaret's
We made the short journey to St Margaret's to play some enjoyable matches in the glorious sunshine. Edge Grove showed great awareness and teamwork to set up quickly and effectively when in defence. This meant that we were quick to tag the opposition, often leading to mistakes and a change of possession in our favour. When in attack we had great speed to move into space, and were often looking to make an offload to continue our attack before the opposition had set up their defence. A lovely afternoon and we look forward to our next set of fixtures.
U10 v Westbrook Hay
A tough week this week for the U10 A, B and C’s against Westbrook Hay. With a sluggish start and a lack of accurate passing Westbrook Hay quickly took the lead. As their confidence grew ours diminished. We did not play to the standard we are capable of and the scores reflected this in the A, B and C team matches. We took the opportunity to reflect on the game and what we can do to improve in next week’s fixtures.
However, the D team had a fantastic afternoon and played their best game of the season. They gave 100% and worked well as a team. They should be proud of their efforts and special mention must go to Eva and Shay for their excellent marking, interceptions and shooting.
U11 Netball Triangular v Westbrook Hay and Chesham PrepEdge Grove A 9 Westbrook Hay A 0 Edge Grove B 3 Westbrook Hay 0Edge Grove B 10 Chesham Prep 0Edge Grove C 1 Westbrook Hay 1Edge Grove C 10 Chesham Prep 1Edge Grove D 2 Westbrook Hay 0Edge Grove D 2 Chesham Prep 10
With great spirit and determination, Edge Grove showed excellent sportsmanship and performance in the triangular fixture against Westbrook Hay and Chesham Prep. Superb interceptions, movement through court and shooting led Edge Grove to many wins this afternoon. A special mention to our 4 captains of the day; Phoebe, Amelie, India and Osubare for leading their teams with confidence and taking responsibility for warm ups and rotations throughout the matches.U11DThe girls played two wonderful matches. The first one against WH ended on 2-0 for Edge Grove and the girls had fun and worked well as a team encouraging each other and marking well. Khushi scored both goals and performed some wonderful interceptions. The second match against Chesham ended 11-0 for Chesham. The girls made some good passes but the defence found it hard to mark some much taller players in the other team. The team found it harder to stay positive during this match but overall continued to try to work together until the end.
U8 v St Margaret'sThe Year 3 girls were given an amazing opportunity to play a 5-a-side netball game against St Margarets on Thursday afternoon. The girls all showed great determination whilst playing on a court twice their normal size. There was a mixture of results but we are very proud of the progression that the girls have made in netball so far this term. Well done Year 3!
