Christmas Term 2022 - Week 7 Sports Report

Hockey v Warwick, Bournemouth Collegiate and QE Wimborne and Tour to Barcelona

Girls’ 1st XI Tour to Barcelona 2022

05.15am. A time when most self-respecting teenagers are asleep, but not Canford’s 1st XI Hockey. An early departure from Canford to Heathrow where our flight would take us to the magnificent city that is Barcelona. Every single one of the girls raring to start their 5-day adventure in the heat of the Spanish sun. But would the hard work bring reward?

On arrival at Hotel Ciudad de Castelldefels, an evening beach walk was much needed to grab some nachos and fries; carbing up, Spanish style. All the girls pitched in to try and communicate with the locals. This became an amusement for the girls as they quickly realised that Spanish perhaps was not their forte. What was their forte was their determination and enthusiasm to win games and get the most out of their time in Barcelona.

Day 2 on the Astro included a physically demanding and humid training session followed by a cable car ride and walk to Plaza Catalunya through Las Ramblas. This was a popular day trip among the girls as many laughs were shared over where exactly Las Ramblas was located. All the girls were rewarded for their hard work in training with unique tasting ice-creams perfectly sourced by our amazing guide, Carolina. Georgie Boon managed to get most of her ice-cream down herself but still greatly enjoyed! What followed was a lovely evening game against Castelldefels. Some superb linking play between the midfields and the forwards allowed for a punchy attack through their defence, Mia Ashby-Rudd also being a brick wall in defence, saving critical shots on goal and Dominique Hudson working alongside Mia to communicate to the team and defending like a trooper. The match was drawn 1-1. Although a whole game was meant to be played, we also ended up playing Trent College, another English touring side for half a match. This was won 1-0 with Maddie Nickell making key tackles and leading into key areas of the pitch and winning a short corner, a powerful injection from Lulu Thompson, trapped effortlessly by Charlie Howell, and a slick pass between Honoré Cutler and Georgie Boon, meant the girls went one up. A celebration like no other was made! All round a successful first day. Mia Ashby-Rudd was awarded Player of the Match, richly deserved for her impressive defence work.

Day 3 started with a training session at the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona. This training session was filled with energy after the previous night’s triumphs. After training the girls enjoyed a lovely lunch with lots of traditional Spanish food, the croquettes being a massive hit. The girls really enjoyed their time at the Club including watching polo ponies being exercised. An open bus tour around the city centre to spot all the iconic buildings was culturally enriching, especially Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia.

Club De Terrassa was the next club to face Canford’s finest. Due to busy traffic, there was limited warm up time. As a result of throwback songs being sung at top lung on the way to the match the girls were quick off the mark to score goals. High fives all round as Maya Doubleday scored a hat trick! Smiles all over the girls’ faces as they were dominating their opposition. Result, 4-0 win to Canford! ‘The time of my life’ – Bill Medley, Jennifer Warner - in the changing rooms after the match was a highlight for all. Maya Doubleday achieving Player of the Match for her finesse in front of goal and excellent finishes. Tara Hogan was incredibly positive throughout the whole Tour, always encouraging others and never failing to put a smile on people’s faces, as well as scoring an incredible goal!

Day 4 was a day spent relaxing. The sun was shining so rest and recovery was much appreciated. Maddie, Dom and Millie were brave enough to go for a recovery swim in the sea! After a day spent bonding as a team over football on the beach, the final game came around quickly. To hype ourselves up, music was blasted in the bus on route. Even the coaches joining in with familiar tunes (of yore). Canford faced Atlètic Terrassa in the final match of the Tour. Throughout, Portia Carrell, Grace Cecil-Wright and Eliza Miller all demonstrated strength and confidence diving into tackles and striving to go forwards, all of which was demonstrated in buckets in the final game with Tara King making use of her silky hands and fast and direct drives down the wing and Erin doing likewise and scoring a technically difficult goal to score, but scoring with ease. Lulu Thompson forever ensuring we go forwards with impact and Georgie Boon controlling and dominating the middle, connecting well with Honoré Cutler to help support the team attacking. I think we can all say that the highlight of this day was having Charlie Whitmore return to play for the first time since injury. The cheering could be heard for miles when she made her return on Spanish soil. Welcome back Charlie! This game was also won. 5-1 to Canford! A superb way to end the tour. Player of the match was the Captain, for her hat trick in this game.

So you can see, our Spanish Tour dished up a great big paella of a reward, with a day trip to Sitges for some last gasp shopping on day 5 and a tour lunch at Pizza Casanovas with some awards wrapping up an awesome week. Plenty of fun, new friendships, new skills, team work and, yes, the happiest, undefeated set of hockey players to ever grace a Spanish Astro.

On behalf of the team, we want to thank Mr Cronin for his help warming us up and keeping us all smiling with his jokes. Mrs Wilson for her positive energy and support on the side lines. Finally, Mr Collison for organising such an amazing opportunity and support throughout. Other thanks go to our guide and organiser Carolina and the parents that were able to join us in Barcelona. Many thanks to you all!

Honoré Cutler

Captain

Boys’ 1st XI v Warwick

On Tuesday 11th October the Boys’ 1st XI began their U18 England Hockey Tier 1 league campaign against Warwick at home. With the new scoreboard making its debut on the Rossiter pitch, and a partisan home crowd in attendance, expectation was high for this new group of players. We started on the front foot, pressing the opposition high and matching their tempo. An unfortunate head injury to one of their players in the tenth minute brought a halt to proceedings whilst he was looked after and taken to hospital (subsequently with a full recovery). However, upon the restart, we continued to create opportunities. Rupert Hutton won the ball high in the left hand channel before fizzing a pass across goal. The ball looped up off a Warwick defender to the unmarked Fin Craigen, who outrageously smashed the ball in from an upright backhand stance to give us a deserved lead. Against the run of play however, a defensive lapse allowed Warwick to counter and equalise with a well taken finish as they overloaded the D. 1-1 at half time. In the opening moments of the second period, Monty Hooker stole the ball and fed Leo Vorobyev, whose early shot went narrowly wide. More chances came and went, but Warwick also grew onto the game and we were indebted to Tom Barrett on debut in goal for a string of fine saves. And so our missed chances came back to bite us, as Warwick scrambled in a second to lead with 15 minutes to go. We continued to attack and were awarded a penalty corner with just a minute remaining. A planned move allowed the impressive Dill Howell to score off a slip flick high into the net and we were back level at 2-2. There was still time for a final Warwick attack from the restart as we sloppily afforded them a corner chance of their own with the final play of the game, but we saw the game out and secured a valuable first point in the league season. It was a game we could have won, but equally could have also lost, so a draw was about right. Next up we travel to Millfield on Thursday 3rd November, before the Indoor events in mid to late November. (MDC)

Girls’ 5th XI vs BCS U16A

Won 2-0

On a beautifully sunny autumn day, the mighty 5ths took on a U16A side from BCS. First half, in all honesty was a very scrappy game of hockey, with both sides desperate to get the ball. I felt that we were under more pressure, as it was evident that we weren’t sure what to do, when a team doesn’t play hockey we are used to. Working physically very hard, but with nothing to show for it. BCS did score off a short corner, but quite rightly the umpire disallowed it as it was higher than the back board, good call Mr Jeffery! We had a few shots at goal and similarly Liv in goal, made some important saves. At half time I asked the girls to try two things, take less touches on the ball to allow us to move the ball on quicker and to stay in our positions a little more, to ensure that we aren’t leaving big gaps on the pitch. Huge credit to the girls, they really executed the advice and we performed really, with epic plays down the wings and we very much had control of the ball. From defence to attack, 6 passes lead to our first goal, from Hannah Jeffery – which was well worked. For the next 15 minutes, we peppered their goal. Jess C-D got another goal, she is fast becoming our version of Man Citys Haaland, scoring in all the games! Pleasing result and so nice to see much better play in the second half from every member of the squad.

Enjoy your half term girls.

Player of the Match – Freya Barrington – Force to be reckoned with, tearing up the mid field.

Most improved – Hannah Jeffery – Confidence on the ball and much improved timing of runs upfront.

U14B v QE

A Thursday fixture to round up the first half of term ended victoriously for the U14Bs against QE’s U14A team. Captain Millie Bowley led by example and slotted the ball nicely into the back of the net and set the ball rolling. As this half of term has progressed there has been an increase in confidence and the willingness to take chances in the ‘D’, Emily Hall followed with a lovely drive into the D and finished her shot in style. Well done to Julide Kose for receiving Player of the Match. Roll on the second half of term.

This week sees the 1st team boys travel to Millfield for their next Tier 1 league match, whilst the U16A girls are away at King’s Bruton in round 3 of the Tier 1 Cup. On Saturday, we have a block fixture versus Sherborne.

Rugby v Marlborough, Thomas Hardye, Dauntsey’s and Merchiston Castle Festival

1st XV v Marlborough – National Cup Round 2

Our National Cup Round 2 tie saw us pitted away to our opponents from our opening day fixture. There was no doubt we were now a much more battle-hardened unit. If we could concentrate for the full match period and impose our game then we had more than enough to seal this tie and move into round 3.

That’s how the game started, the pack once more taking control of proceedings, winning penalties and establishing dominance in the lineout and through the maul. This time Tom Hopwood benefited from the unified effort up front. Not only had the lineout started well but the scrum too was quick to establish dominance with Ryan Woodford and friends quick to win a scrum penalty, not something often seen at U18 level. From here things went a little awry, we were unable to effectively clear the ensuing restart and whilst we did wrestle back possession, we then gave it up cheaply rather than exit and play in the opposition half. Sadly, this led to another build up of Marlborough pressure which eventually told after they got on the edge of us from a goal line drop out. Things were by no means terminal at this stage, we duly went back up the Marlborough end and applied some pressure of our own. Winning a penalty in front of the sticks we opted for the tap and go. This is one of those times where if you get it right you can be a hero, but if it doesn’t then it can quite easily blow up in your face. Sadly, this was the latter and we lost possession which then turned into a kickable Marlborough penalty. Rather than sitting comfortably at 10-5 we were now looking at 7-8, not ideal but still we were well placed to take control of this game, particularly with the set piece once again working effectively and our maul making good yards up the field.

Having defended well to this point we then had a half back mix up at the scrum and conceded just before half time, this was exacerbated when our hosts touch down almost straight after the start of the second half. Now would be a really important time to hold our nerve, which we did with a resurgence of sorts to pull things back to 14-29. Once again, we gave ourselves a lifeline in the tie. From here things unraveled somewhat, a disconnect that had appeared at the start of the game in our first phase defence was continually pressured and started to bear fruit for our opponents this led to a hat-trick of tries to wrap things up neatly for the hosts. But for our battling defence on our goal line forcing several balls to be knocked on in goal or held up over the line, this score could have been much wider. Our maul defence too, vastly improved from our early season outings, gave Marlborough nothing in this area of the game, in fact it has become a real strength for us to build from.

It has been a very busy 6 weeks for the 1st XV squad, 8 games in 6 weeks is no mean feat with 28 boys having taken to the field for us so far. We look forward to the Edinburgh trip at the weekend and a chance to challenge ourselves against new opponents. We have the ability and the physical attributes to do well. If we can also apply ourselves mentally throughout matches we have a group capable of challenging anyone we come against either up in Edinburgh or in the remaining block fixtures.

1st XV rugby squad trip to Edinburgh for the Merchiston Castle Festival 2022

With the introduction of the 2 week half term the 1st XV were available to enter the Merchiston Festival for the first time. A tournament very much in its infancy it was lovely to get a slot to test ourselves against opposition we don’t normally play against on our usual circuit. The group stages pitted us against Uppingham, Ipswich and St Benedict’s with the position in the group dictating our place for the Sunday knock out stage.

The tournament started exceptionally well taking early control of the Uppingham match and bolting out to an early lead. The forwards looked in fine fettle and we controlled the game well. Uppingham came back towards the end of the game, but we were in the driver’s seat and won out comfortable 17-7 victors.

The next game was played against Ipswich School, eventual winners who it’s fair to say had some gargantuan teenagers in their side. Having watched them dominate the St Benedict’s team it was clear we’d have our work cut out. We again started brightly, working extremely well as a group in defence, on kick chase and hunting together going forward with the ball. Whilst we conceded one try in the first half, we created two gilt edged opportunities of our own and a 7-5 half time score to Canford would have been deserved. Sadly, both opportunities slipped from our grasp, and we ended up going in 5-0 down but still well in the hunt. The boys really fronted up in this match, but Ipswich had a little too much firepower in the end. The result was 17-0 to Ipswich but a very credible performance from the Canford boys across the board having much to feel proud of. Effort and determination were excellent and there were some great moments in terms of game management and tactical nous.

The next game saw us up against St Benedict’s. We were notional favourites for this match given our performances so far and Benedict’s loss to Uppingham. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go to plan with an extremely fired up Benny’s catching us after the Lord Mayor’s show late on the first day’s play. Inconsistency has been something of an Achilles heel this season and it reared its head once more. We started well enough taking the lead and looking set fair to control the game, but Benny’s weren’t going to let us get away with an easy ride. A mix up in our dead ball gave them a way in and then our discipline started to slip allowing St Benedict’s opportunities to gain ground up the field and relieve pressure when we were pushing hard for another score. The game finished 5-17 to our opponents and something of a disappointment after two gutsy performances earlier in the day.

By a quirk of the competition, we qualified 2nd in the group and proceeded into the top half of the draw. Our first opponents for Sunday would be Boroughmuir, a team whose coaches had been talking themselves up all Saturday. Despite feeling a little heavy legged from Saturday’s efforts, the Canford boys dominated huge swathes of this match up, we did however spurn a couple of easy goal kicking opportunities with the wind behind us and whilst we looked like we might break the dam at any moment and unleash a flurry of scores the Boroughmuir defence held firm and we had to make do with a 3-0 lead at half time. Playing into a strong wind it looked like Boroughmuir might have the advantage now but time and again the Canford defence was excellent in its collective effort and the scrum made huge gains as it has done for large parts of the season so far, giving us opportunities to relieve pressure through penalties or by winning balls against the head. Boroughmuir did knock a penalty over to tie things up and despite our best efforts to see them off the game ended up going to golden point. By his point in the game, we’d had a few decisions go against us and in the golden point period we did struggle to manage to referee. After conceding a string of penalties we found ourselves defending a series of lineouts and attacking thrusts close to our line. The defence had been excellent up to this point, but Boroughmuir did manage to squeak over eventually and steal the game 8-3. Once again, a game that slipped away after a sterling Canford effort overall and on another day a result we could have ended up on the other side of.

The Seaford match was another gutsy performance but for a couple of lapses in concentration we once again controlled and led most of this tie, with Seaford rallying to steal the victory in the dying moments. We look forward to hosting Seaford in a couple of weeks’ time in our block fixtures. A match we should be capable of repaying the favour with interest in.

By now the squad was showing some wear and tear, which had an impact on the rotation of fresh legs to inject into the fray. Barnard Castle was a similar story, on another day the game could easily have ended in our favour, even though we looked a little out on our feet we went ahead early. They came back at us, we then worked hard to nudge ahead once more and then the heartbreak of Barney’s just going ahead at the death to seal the game.

On the face of it won one lost five might not seem like a productive weekend’s work but these trips are valuable in lots of tangible and intangible ways. The competition volume itself is useful as a learning tool. The determination of our squad to keep going over the two days is another successful area. Several boys put in a great shift over the course of the weekend and demonstrated their steely leadership qualities. Some of the rugby played both in its sheer power or magical intricacy cannot be overlooked. We have ability across the park and every boy in the squad had moments to show their team mates just how capable they are as players; it is a joy to see. Our lineout and scrum are two areas of real strength and it’s great to see how we’re able to use these weapons to our tactical advantage. We need this to continue into the 2nd half of term.

We also got to spend quality time together as a group, something all high performing teams need to do, singing together and sharing 18th birthdays. The importance of these moments in each other’s company cannot be overestimated and stand us in good stead go forward into the remaining XV‘s fixtures. This is a useful trip that we can look forward to repeating for the years to come with benefits we hope to see beginning to blossom in the coming terms.

2nd XV vs Thomas Hardye

Score: L 26-31

Tries: Tele Okubanjo (2), Jamie Elviss (2)

POTM: Jamie Elviss

Special Mentions: Tele Okubanjo, Monty Hooker, Alex Cochrane

In a hugely frustrating afternoon, the 2nd XV failed to back up their first win with another against Thomas Hardye. We scored our most points of the season, but unfortunately, and not for the first time, we were let down by a defence that is at times leakier than a sieve. We simply cannot afford to let players run through our defensive line to score having shaken off 2-3 players. We must make the opposition work harder for their points. An exception to this was POTM Jamie Elviss, picking up his 3rd award of the season, and who set the tone for the rest of the team to follow, chopping down everything that moved and actively hunting down the opposition. Alex Cochrane is improving every game and can be pleased with his tackle count, but we need more players to step up. The shame is that going forward we looked good at times, dominating the first quarter and scoring two well worked tries, Jamie finishing a Monty Hooker break down the right, and Tele Okubanjo showing electric pace to loop round on the left wing to score under the posts. However, a collective lack of intensity allowed Thomas Hardye back into the game with 2 tries of their own before half time, and then it was game on. Jamie and Tele scored another try each at the beginning and end of the 2nd half, but in between Canford gifted the visitors 3 tries and handed them the game. Very disappointing.

U16s

The U16s were hoping to build on Saturday’s huge win against Bishop Wordsworth’s and see out this half term with another win against Thomas Hardye. It was evident from the opening exchanges that it was set to be a physical game but a game that, so long as Canford stick to their structure, they should come out on top. The first points of the afternoon came after Amy and Woods combined beautifully to break the gain-line. They were tackled short of the Hardye’s line but the Canford support wasn’t far behind and finally Low carried hard to bust over the try line. Bowley to add the extras (7-0). This set the tone for the rest of the match and the flood gates opened from this point on. Barrett probed the corner with some skilful kicks out of hand all game and soon after Low’s try he quickly put Canford back in Hardye’s 22 with a penalty kick to the corner. A well-constructed maul followed and Barrett sniped cunningly off the back to get over the white wash (12-0). Following this, it wouldn’t be an U16s match without a thundering individual run from the back of the scrum from Amy – he broke away from the base at the halfway line and out-paced several defenders to score under the sticks. Woods to add the extras (19-0). After tasting points, this spurred Amy on for another off a tap and go penalty near the Hardye’s line – Woods to add the extras once more (26-0). All credit to Hardyes they kept coming at Canford, however Canford’s relentless attack and structure proved too much on two more occasions before the half time whistle. After a multi-phase attack, Askew found himself in space out wide with only 1 defender between him and the try line. A side-step and a pirouette saw him pass seamlessly and add another 5 pointer (31-0). The last play of the second half saw Bowley sprinkle some magic on the end of the half with a sublime individual run from the halfway line – sidestepping and juking his way past several defenders. Woods to add extras (38-0).

Hardyes came out of the blocks quick in the second half and caught a complacent Canford side off guard to pick up their first points of the game (38-5). This was a wake up call that got Canford back to the attitude they had in the first half and ultimately led to 2 more tries to finish off the game, both of which came from mauls. Pallot bundled over from the back of the maul (43-5) and Barrett closed out the day’s proceedings with another quick burst over the line from 5m out - Woods added the extras with a magnificent conversion from out wide (50-5).

A fantastic performance from all and what a way to see out the half term.

U15A v Dauntsey’s – National Cup Round 2

The U15As played their National Cup 2nd round cup match against Dauntsey’s just before the half term break. It was a tightly contested affair we slowly wrestled control of the game. We were all set to go into the break 8-0 to the good when a missed tackle led to a breakaway try and an 8-7 score line. The second half was equally fiercely contested. We traded scores and went into the last 10 minutes 13-12 up until an outstanding solo finish from Massimo Brown put the game beyond doubt. 20-12. Roll on round 3 and the visit of Millfield.

U14B

On a glorious afternoon Canford’s small, but plucky 14Bs hosted yet another A team. The boys from Thomas Hardye, with skills honed through a number of years playing together at Dorchester rugby club, proved to be our most formidable opponents to date. Blessed with a number of powerful, quick and direct runners; the visitors proved too strong for the courageous Canford XV and established a commanding lead by half time. Fortunately Mr Jess had spent the latter part of the first half calling up reinforcements. Bolstered by subs from both the B and A squads Canford were, both literally and metaphorically, a very different outfit in the second half. The Hardye boys proved to be almost as strong in defence as they were in attack, but Canford managed to cross the line for 2 unanswered tries to win the second half.

Netball v U16 & U19 PEDSSA Championships

U19s

This year was the first time the Poole and East Dorset area has held a tournament at U19 level. We put in two mixed teams and what a performance from them both. Daisy Bayles played a fantastic role in the mid court, Esther Browning and Honoré Cutler showed no fear and went for flys in defence. Mia White was quick on her feet and her feeds. It was a fantastic exhibition of Canford netball.

The two Canford teams coming 1st and 2nd was a great display of senior netball here at Canford, well done to all involved. We progress to the County final held at Bryanston after half term.

U16s

Played 8, Won 7, Drew 1.

On Thursday 13th October the U16 Netball squad headed over to Parkstone Grammar to play in the PEDSSA round of the County Championships. Finishing in any one of the top 3 places would see us through to the County round when we return after half term. The tournament was a round robin format and would see us need to play 8 quickfire games (2 x 5 minute halves), which meant there was little room to ‘ease into a game’.

The draw saw us matched against one of the tournaments traditionally toughest opponents in the first round – Parkstone Grammar. Defences would play a key role, not only in this game but also throughout the tournament, and this was very much the case with both teams in this game. With attacks struggling to find rhythm and pattern and defences working hard to turn the ball over, the game was a low scoring affair, ending in a tense 3-3 draw.

Building on our hard working defensive platform, our attack slowly started to build confidence through the following rounds and we were able to build on the opening draw with pleasing, and at times convincing wins.

This was made all the more pleasing to see as we also rotated the 11-player squad quite heavily throughout the afternoon.

Parkstone, like ourselves won all their remaining games and so the final result of the afternoon went down to goal difference, which Canford achieved by the narrow margin of 2 goals. Congratulations to the squad – Charlotte Parkin, Layla Stannah, Hettie Lloyd, Melisa Kose, Eliza Miller, Poppy White, Jessica Taylor, Grace Cecil-Wright, Paige Davis-McCluskie, Sophia Smith and Bea Woodward.

Looking forward to the County Championships after half term.

Golf v Stowe

As both Canford and Stowe were founded in 1923, there will be many sporting events in the next 12 months or so and it was the privilege of the golfers to travel up to Buckinghamshire to kick it all off. The Stowe golf course is only a few years old but is a serious test of golf.

There were 6 single matches played to handicap, but home advantage is massive in golf. The knowledge of where to go and, more importantly, where not to go is not immediately obvious when standing on a tee or when faced with an approach shot to a green, but is vital to get right. Michael Campbell, Arthur Keen, Will Vessey and Tom Williams struggled to get going against lower-handicapped opponents and all found themselves quite a few holes down, despite being given shots. All 4 enjoyed the afternoon, if not the result.

The more exciting matches involved Yakov Vorobyev and Max Williamson who both played some excellent golf and had very close matches. In fact both were leading with only a few holes to play but managed to lose by 1 hole in the end just losing their focus when it really mattered.

Overall the team lost 6-0, and we hope that Stowe will make the journey in the summer term for a rematch.

Football v Ringwood

Canford 2-2 Ringwood School (7-8 after pens)

Goals: Martin, Kwan

Canford hosted the first round of the County Cup against Ringwood on Thursday. The boys started tentatively and as a result they went 1-0 down early. Ringwood dominated the early exchanges and managed to score another soon after with a lovely strike from outside the box. Canford started to come back into the game and looked consistently dangerous on the counterattack. Despite this, we couldn't finish our chances and so went in at half time 2-0 down.

The second half was a completely different story. The boys started well, with some lovely play and one touch passing down the right hand side. Finally, we made good on our dominance when a lovely corner was powered home by Jack Martin. 1 minute later the boys made it 2-2, as the Ringwood keeper rushed out, the ball falling to Kwan who placed the ball in the far corner. Canford kept the pressure up but couldn't get a winner in normal time.

Into extra time with both teams looking very tired, neither were able to get a winner. This meant the lottery of penalties, and unluckily the boys were unable to progress to the next round. Despite the disappointment of the result the boys can hold their heads high and be proud of themselves.

Player of the Match: Will Branston

Photos ready to view and download on Canford Media

Golf v Stowe

Golf - HMC Strokeplay Championship

Canford Sports Department – Team of the Week

See the photos / attachments for the new team of the week. Across all the sports and year groups those who made the team were nominated by their Heads of Sport for standing out in terms of their attitude, commitment and performance.

This sports report is published weekly and is available via the Twitter feed and also on the dedicated sports portal www.canfordsports.com.

Twitter @CanfordSport Instagram @canford_sport_and_wellbeingChristmas Term 2022 - Week 7 Sports Report

Hockey v Warwick, Bournemouth Collegiate and QE Wimborne and Tour to Barcelona

Girls’ 1st XI Tour to Barcelona 2022

05.15am. A time when most self-respecting teenagers are asleep, but not Canford’s 1st XI Hockey. An early departure from Canford to Heathrow where our flight would take us to the magnificent city that is Barcelona. Every single one of the girls raring to start their 5-day adventure in the heat of the Spanish sun. But would the hard work bring reward?

On arrival at Hotel Ciudad de Castelldefels, an evening beach walk was much needed to grab some nachos and fries; carbing up, Spanish style. All the girls pitched in to try and communicate with the locals. This became an amusement for the girls as they quickly realised that Spanish perhaps was not their forte. What was their forte was their determination and enthusiasm to win games and get the most out of their time in Barcelona.

Day 2 on the Astro included a physically demanding and humid training session followed by a cable car ride and walk to Plaza Catalunya through Las Ramblas. This was a popular day trip among the girls as many laughs were shared over where exactly Las Ramblas was located. All the girls were rewarded for their hard work in training with unique tasting ice-creams perfectly sourced by our amazing guide, Carolina. Georgie Boon managed to get most of her ice-cream down herself but still greatly enjoyed! What followed was a lovely evening game against Castelldefels. Some superb linking play between the midfields and the forwards allowed for a punchy attack through their defence, Mia Ashby-Rudd also being a brick wall in defence, saving critical shots on goal and Dominique Hudson working alongside Mia to communicate to the team and defending like a trooper. The match was drawn 1-1. Although a whole game was meant to be played, we also ended up playing Trent College, another English touring side for half a match. This was won 1-0 with Maddie Nickell making key tackles and leading into key areas of the pitch and winning a short corner, a powerful injection from Lulu Thompson, trapped effortlessly by Charlie Howell, and a slick pass between Honoré Cutler and Georgie Boon, meant the girls went one up. A celebration like no other was made! All round a successful first day. Mia Ashby-Rudd was awarded Player of the Match, richly deserved for her impressive defence work.

Day 3 started with a training session at the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona. This training session was filled with energy after the previous night’s triumphs. After training the girls enjoyed a lovely lunch with lots of traditional Spanish food, the croquettes being a massive hit. The girls really enjoyed their time at the Club including watching polo ponies being exercised. An open bus tour around the city centre to spot all the iconic buildings was culturally enriching, especially Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia.

Club De Terrassa was the next club to face Canford’s finest. Due to busy traffic, there was limited warm up time. As a result of throwback songs being sung at top lung on the way to the match the girls were quick off the mark to score goals. High fives all round as Maya Doubleday scored a hat trick! Smiles all over the girls’ faces as they were dominating their opposition. Result, 4-0 win to Canford! ‘The time of my life’ – Bill Medley, Jennifer Warner - in the changing rooms after the match was a highlight for all. Maya Doubleday achieving Player of the Match for her finesse in front of goal and excellent finishes. Tara Hogan was incredibly positive throughout the whole Tour, always encouraging others and never failing to put a smile on people’s faces, as well as scoring an incredible goal!

Day 4 was a day spent relaxing. The sun was shining so rest and recovery was much appreciated. Maddie, Dom and Millie were brave enough to go for a recovery swim in the sea! After a day spent bonding as a team over football on the beach, the final game came around quickly. To hype ourselves up, music was blasted in the bus on route. Even the coaches joining in with familiar tunes (of yore). Canford faced Atlètic Terrassa in the final match of the Tour. Throughout, Portia Carrell, Grace Cecil-Wright and Eliza Miller all demonstrated strength and confidence diving into tackles and striving to go forwards, all of which was demonstrated in buckets in the final game with Tara King making use of her silky hands and fast and direct drives down the wing and Erin doing likewise and scoring a technically difficult goal to score, but scoring with ease. Lulu Thompson forever ensuring we go forwards with impact and Georgie Boon controlling and dominating the middle, connecting well with Honoré Cutler to help support the team attacking. I think we can all say that the highlight of this day was having Charlie Whitmore return to play for the first time since injury. The cheering could be heard for miles when she made her return on Spanish soil. Welcome back Charlie! This game was also won. 5-1 to Canford! A superb way to end the tour. Player of the match was the Captain, for her hat trick in this game.

So you can see, our Spanish Tour dished up a great big paella of a reward, with a day trip to Sitges for some last gasp shopping on day 5 and a tour lunch at Pizza Casanovas with some awards wrapping up an awesome week. Plenty of fun, new friendships, new skills, team work and, yes, the happiest, undefeated set of hockey players to ever grace a Spanish Astro.

On behalf of the team, we want to thank Mr Cronin for his help warming us up and keeping us all smiling with his jokes. Mrs Wilson for her positive energy and support on the side lines. Finally, Mr Collison for organising such an amazing opportunity and support throughout. Other thanks go to our guide and organiser Carolina and the parents that were able to join us in Barcelona. Many thanks to you all!

Honoré Cutler

Captain

Boys’ 1st XI v Warwick

On Tuesday 11th October the Boys’ 1st XI began their U18 England Hockey Tier 1 league campaign against Warwick at home. With the new scoreboard making its debut on the Rossiter pitch, and a partisan home crowd in attendance, expectation was high for this new group of players. We started on the front foot, pressing the opposition high and matching their tempo. An unfortunate head injury to one of their players in the tenth minute brought a halt to proceedings whilst he was looked after and taken to hospital (subsequently with a full recovery). However, upon the restart, we continued to create opportunities. Rupert Hutton won the ball high in the left hand channel before fizzing a pass across goal. The ball looped up off a Warwick defender to the unmarked Fin Craigen, who outrageously smashed the ball in from an upright backhand stance to give us a deserved lead. Against the run of play however, a defensive lapse allowed Warwick to counter and equalise with a well taken finish as they overloaded the D. 1-1 at half time. In the opening moments of the second period, Monty Hooker stole the ball and fed Leo Vorobyev, whose early shot went narrowly wide. More chances came and went, but Warwick also grew onto the game and we were indebted to Tom Barrett on debut in goal for a string of fine saves. And so our missed chances came back to bite us, as Warwick scrambled in a second to lead with 15 minutes to go. We continued to attack and were awarded a penalty corner with just a minute remaining. A planned move allowed the impressive Dill Howell to score off a slip flick high into the net and we were back level at 2-2. There was still time for a final Warwick attack from the restart as we sloppily afforded them a corner chance of their own with the final play of the game, but we saw the game out and secured a valuable first point in the league season. It was a game we could have won, but equally could have also lost, so a draw was about right. Next up we travel to Millfield on Thursday 3rd November, before the Indoor events in mid to late November. (MDC)

Girls’ 5th XI vs BCS U16A

Won 2-0

On a beautifully sunny autumn day, the mighty 5ths took on a U16A side from BCS. First half, in all honesty was a very scrappy game of hockey, with both sides desperate to get the ball. I felt that we were under more pressure, as it was evident that we weren’t sure what to do, when a team doesn’t play hockey we are used to. Working physically very hard, but with nothing to show for it. BCS did score off a short corner, but quite rightly the umpire disallowed it as it was higher than the back board, good call Mr Jeffery! We had a few shots at goal and similarly Liv in goal, made some important saves. At half time I asked the girls to try two things, take less touches on the ball to allow us to move the ball on quicker and to stay in our positions a little more, to ensure that we aren’t leaving big gaps on the pitch. Huge credit to the girls, they really executed the advice and we performed really, with epic plays down the wings and we very much had control of the ball. From defence to attack, 6 passes lead to our first goal, from Hannah Jeffery – which was well worked. For the next 15 minutes, we peppered their goal. Jess C-D got another goal, she is fast becoming our version of Man Citys Haaland, scoring in all the games! Pleasing result and so nice to see much better play in the second half from every member of the squad.

Enjoy your half term girls.

Player of the Match – Freya Barrington – Force to be reckoned with, tearing up the mid field.

Most improved – Hannah Jeffery – Confidence on the ball and much improved timing of runs upfront.

U14B v QE

A Thursday fixture to round up the first half of term ended victoriously for the U14Bs against QE’s U14A team. Captain Millie Bowley led by example and slotted the ball nicely into the back of the net and set the ball rolling. As this half of term has progressed there has been an increase in confidence and the willingness to take chances in the ‘D’, Emily Hall followed with a lovely drive into the D and finished her shot in style. Well done to Julide Kose for receiving Player of the Match. Roll on the second half of term.

This week sees the 1st team boys travel to Millfield for their next Tier 1 league match, whilst the U16A girls are away at King’s Bruton in round 3 of the Tier 1 Cup. On Saturday, we have a block fixture versus Sherborne.

Rugby v Marlborough, Thomas Hardye, Dauntsey’s and Merchiston Castle Festival

1st XV v Marlborough – National Cup Round 2

Our National Cup Round 2 tie saw us pitted away to our opponents from our opening day fixture. There was no doubt we were now a much more battle-hardened unit. If we could concentrate for the full match period and impose our game then we had more than enough to seal this tie and move into round 3.

That’s how the game started, the pack once more taking control of proceedings, winning penalties and establishing dominance in the lineout and through the maul. This time Tom Hopwood benefited from the unified effort up front. Not only had the lineout started well but the scrum too was quick to establish dominance with Ryan Woodford and friends quick to win a scrum penalty, not something often seen at U18 level. From here things went a little awry, we were unable to effectively clear the ensuing restart and whilst we did wrestle back possession, we then gave it up cheaply rather than exit and play in the opposition half. Sadly, this led to another build up of Marlborough pressure which eventually told after they got on the edge of us from a goal line drop out. Things were by no means terminal at this stage, we duly went back up the Marlborough end and applied some pressure of our own. Winning a penalty in front of the sticks we opted for the tap and go. This is one of those times where if you get it right you can be a hero, but if it doesn’t then it can quite easily blow up in your face. Sadly, this was the latter and we lost possession which then turned into a kickable Marlborough penalty. Rather than sitting comfortably at 10-5 we were now looking at 7-8, not ideal but still we were well placed to take control of this game, particularly with the set piece once again working effectively and our maul making good yards up the field.

Having defended well to this point we then had a half back mix up at the scrum and conceded just before half time, this was exacerbated when our hosts touch down almost straight after the start of the second half. Now would be a really important time to hold our nerve, which we did with a resurgence of sorts to pull things back to 14-29. Once again, we gave ourselves a lifeline in the tie. From here things unraveled somewhat, a disconnect that had appeared at the start of the game in our first phase defence was continually pressured and started to bear fruit for our opponents this led to a hat-trick of tries to wrap things up neatly for the hosts. But for our battling defence on our goal line forcing several balls to be knocked on in goal or held up over the line, this score could have been much wider. Our maul defence too, vastly improved from our early season outings, gave Marlborough nothing in this area of the game, in fact it has become a real strength for us to build from.

It has been a very busy 6 weeks for the 1st XV squad, 8 games in 6 weeks is no mean feat with 28 boys having taken to the field for us so far. We look forward to the Edinburgh trip at the weekend and a chance to challenge ourselves against new opponents. We have the ability and the physical attributes to do well. If we can also apply ourselves mentally throughout matches we have a group capable of challenging anyone we come against either up in Edinburgh or in the remaining block fixtures.

1st XV rugby squad trip to Edinburgh for the Merchiston Castle Festival 2022

With the introduction of the 2 week half term the 1st XV were available to enter the Merchiston Festival for the first time. A tournament very much in its infancy it was lovely to get a slot to test ourselves against opposition we don’t normally play against on our usual circuit. The group stages pitted us against Uppingham, Ipswich and St Benedict’s with the position in the group dictating our place for the Sunday knock out stage.

The tournament started exceptionally well taking early control of the Uppingham match and bolting out to an early lead. The forwards looked in fine fettle and we controlled the game well. Uppingham came back towards the end of the game, but we were in the driver’s seat and won out comfortable 17-7 victors.

The next game was played against Ipswich School, eventual winners who it’s fair to say had some gargantuan teenagers in their side. Having watched them dominate the St Benedict’s team it was clear we’d have our work cut out. We again started brightly, working extremely well as a group in defence, on kick chase and hunting together going forward with the ball. Whilst we conceded one try in the first half, we created two gilt edged opportunities of our own and a 7-5 half time score to Canford would have been deserved. Sadly, both opportunities slipped from our grasp, and we ended up going in 5-0 down but still well in the hunt. The boys really fronted up in this match, but Ipswich had a little too much firepower in the end. The result was 17-0 to Ipswich but a very credible performance from the Canford boys across the board having much to feel proud of. Effort and determination were excellent and there were some great moments in terms of game management and tactical nous.

The next game saw us up against St Benedict’s. We were notional favourites for this match given our performances so far and Benedict’s loss to Uppingham. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go to plan with an extremely fired up Benny’s catching us after the Lord Mayor’s show late on the first day’s play. Inconsistency has been something of an Achilles heel this season and it reared its head once more. We started well enough taking the lead and looking set fair to control the game, but Benny’s weren’t going to let us get away with an easy ride. A mix up in our dead ball gave them a way in and then our discipline started to slip allowing St Benedict’s opportunities to gain ground up the field and relieve pressure when we were pushing hard for another score. The game finished 5-17 to our opponents and something of a disappointment after two gutsy performances earlier in the day.

By a quirk of the competition, we qualified 2nd in the group and proceeded into the top half of the draw. Our first opponents for Sunday would be Boroughmuir, a team whose coaches had been talking themselves up all Saturday. Despite feeling a little heavy legged from Saturday’s efforts, the Canford boys dominated huge swathes of this match up, we did however spurn a couple of easy goal kicking opportunities with the wind behind us and whilst we looked like we might break the dam at any moment and unleash a flurry of scores the Boroughmuir defence held firm and we had to make do with a 3-0 lead at half time. Playing into a strong wind it looked like Boroughmuir might have the advantage now but time and again the Canford defence was excellent in its collective effort and the scrum made huge gains as it has done for large parts of the season so far, giving us opportunities to relieve pressure through penalties or by winning balls against the head. Boroughmuir did knock a penalty over to tie things up and despite our best efforts to see them off the game ended up going to golden point. By his point in the game, we’d had a few decisions go against us and in the golden point period we did struggle to manage to referee. After conceding a string of penalties we found ourselves defending a series of lineouts and attacking thrusts close to our line. The defence had been excellent up to this point, but Boroughmuir did manage to squeak over eventually and steal the game 8-3. Once again, a game that slipped away after a sterling Canford effort overall and on another day a result we could have ended up on the other side of.

The Seaford match was another gutsy performance but for a couple of lapses in concentration we once again controlled and led most of this tie, with Seaford rallying to steal the victory in the dying moments. We look forward to hosting Seaford in a couple of weeks’ time in our block fixtures. A match we should be capable of repaying the favour with interest in.

By now the squad was showing some wear and tear, which had an impact on the rotation of fresh legs to inject into the fray. Barnard Castle was a similar story, on another day the game could easily have ended in our favour, even though we looked a little out on our feet we went ahead early. They came back at us, we then worked hard to nudge ahead once more and then the heartbreak of Barney’s just going ahead at the death to seal the game.

On the face of it won one lost five might not seem like a productive weekend’s work but these trips are valuable in lots of tangible and intangible ways. The competition volume itself is useful as a learning tool. The determination of our squad to keep going over the two days is another successful area. Several boys put in a great shift over the course of the weekend and demonstrated their steely leadership qualities. Some of the rugby played both in its sheer power or magical intricacy cannot be overlooked. We have ability across the park and every boy in the squad had moments to show their team mates just how capable they are as players; it is a joy to see. Our lineout and scrum are two areas of real strength and it’s great to see how we’re able to use these weapons to our tactical advantage. We need this to continue into the 2nd half of term.

We also got to spend quality time together as a group, something all high performing teams need to do, singing together and sharing 18th birthdays. The importance of these moments in each other’s company cannot be overestimated and stand us in good stead go forward into the remaining XV‘s fixtures. This is a useful trip that we can look forward to repeating for the years to come with benefits we hope to see beginning to blossom in the coming terms.

2nd XV vs Thomas Hardye

Score: L 26-31

Tries: Tele Okubanjo (2), Jamie Elviss (2)

POTM: Jamie Elviss

Special Mentions: Tele Okubanjo, Monty Hooker, Alex Cochrane

In a hugely frustrating afternoon, the 2nd XV failed to back up their first win with another against Thomas Hardye. We scored our most points of the season, but unfortunately, and not for the first time, we were let down by a defence that is at times leakier than a sieve. We simply cannot afford to let players run through our defensive line to score having shaken off 2-3 players. We must make the opposition work harder for their points. An exception to this was POTM Jamie Elviss, picking up his 3rd award of the season, and who set the tone for the rest of the team to follow, chopping down everything that moved and actively hunting down the opposition. Alex Cochrane is improving every game and can be pleased with his tackle count, but we need more players to step up. The shame is that going forward we looked good at times, dominating the first quarter and scoring two well worked tries, Jamie finishing a Monty Hooker break down the right, and Tele Okubanjo showing electric pace to loop round on the left wing to score under the posts. However, a collective lack of intensity allowed Thomas Hardye back into the game with 2 tries of their own before half time, and then it was game on. Jamie and Tele scored another try each at the beginning and end of the 2nd half, but in between Canford gifted the visitors 3 tries and handed them the game. Very disappointing.

U16s

The U16s were hoping to build on Saturday’s huge win against Bishop Wordsworth’s and see out this half term with another win against Thomas Hardye. It was evident from the opening exchanges that it was set to be a physical game but a game that, so long as Canford stick to their structure, they should come out on top. The first points of the afternoon came after Amy and Woods combined beautifully to break the gain-line. They were tackled short of the Hardye’s line but the Canford support wasn’t far behind and finally Low carried hard to bust over the try line. Bowley to add the extras (7-0). This set the tone for the rest of the match and the flood gates opened from this point on. Barrett probed the corner with some skilful kicks out of hand all game and soon after Low’s try he quickly put Canford back in Hardye’s 22 with a penalty kick to the corner. A well-constructed maul followed and Barrett sniped cunningly off the back to get over the white wash (12-0). Following this, it wouldn’t be an U16s match without a thundering individual run from the back of the scrum from Amy – he broke away from the base at the halfway line and out-paced several defenders to score under the sticks. Woods to add the extras (19-0). After tasting points, this spurred Amy on for another off a tap and go penalty near the Hardye’s line – Woods to add the extras once more (26-0). All credit to Hardyes they kept coming at Canford, however Canford’s relentless attack and structure proved too much on two more occasions before the half time whistle. After a multi-phase attack, Askew found himself in space out wide with only 1 defender between him and the try line. A side-step and a pirouette saw him pass seamlessly and add another 5 pointer (31-0). The last play of the second half saw Bowley sprinkle some magic on the end of the half with a sublime individual run from the halfway line – sidestepping and juking his way past several defenders. Woods to add extras (38-0).

Hardyes came out of the blocks quick in the second half and caught a complacent Canford side off guard to pick up their first points of the game (38-5). This was a wake up call that got Canford back to the attitude they had in the first half and ultimately led to 2 more tries to finish off the game, both of which came from mauls. Pallot bundled over from the back of the maul (43-5) and Barrett closed out the day’s proceedings with another quick burst over the line from 5m out - Woods added the extras with a magnificent conversion from out wide (50-5).

A fantastic performance from all and what a way to see out the half term.

U15A v Dauntsey’s – National Cup Round 2

The U15As played their National Cup 2nd round cup match against Dauntsey’s just before the half term break. It was a tightly contested affair we slowly wrestled control of the game. We were all set to go into the break 8-0 to the good when a missed tackle led to a breakaway try and an 8-7 score line. The second half was equally fiercely contested. We traded scores and went into the last 10 minutes 13-12 up until an outstanding solo finish from Massimo Brown put the game beyond doubt. 20-12. Roll on round 3 and the visit of Millfield.

U14B

On a glorious afternoon Canford’s small, but plucky 14Bs hosted yet another A team. The boys from Thomas Hardye, with skills honed through a number of years playing together at Dorchester rugby club, proved to be our most formidable opponents to date. Blessed with a number of powerful, quick and direct runners; the visitors proved too strong for the courageous Canford XV and established a commanding lead by half time. Fortunately Mr Jess had spent the latter part of the first half calling up reinforcements. Bolstered by subs from both the B and A squads Canford were, both literally and metaphorically, a very different outfit in the second half. The Hardye boys proved to be almost as strong in defence as they were in attack, but Canford managed to cross the line for 2 unanswered tries to win the second half.

Netball v U16 & U19 PEDSSA Championships

U19s

This year was the first time the Poole and East Dorset area has held a tournament at U19 level. We put in two mixed teams and what a performance from them both. Daisy Bayles played a fantastic role in the mid court, Esther Browning and Honoré Cutler showed no fear and went for flys in defence. Mia White was quick on her feet and her feeds. It was a fantastic exhibition of Canford netball.

The two Canford teams coming 1st and 2nd was a great display of senior netball here at Canford, well done to all involved. We progress to the County final held at Bryanston after half term.

U16s

Played 8, Won 7, Drew 1.

On Thursday 13th October the U16 Netball squad headed over to Parkstone Grammar to play in the PEDSSA round of the County Championships. Finishing in any one of the top 3 places would see us through to the County round when we return after half term. The tournament was a round robin format and would see us need to play 8 quickfire games (2 x 5 minute halves), which meant there was little room to ‘ease into a game’.

The draw saw us matched against one of the tournaments traditionally toughest opponents in the first round – Parkstone Grammar. Defences would play a key role, not only in this game but also throughout the tournament, and this was very much the case with both teams in this game. With attacks struggling to find rhythm and pattern and defences working hard to turn the ball over, the game was a low scoring affair, ending in a tense 3-3 draw.

Building on our hard working defensive platform, our attack slowly started to build confidence through the following rounds and we were able to build on the opening draw with pleasing, and at times convincing wins.

This was made all the more pleasing to see as we also rotated the 11-player squad quite heavily throughout the afternoon.

Parkstone, like ourselves won all their remaining games and so the final result of the afternoon went down to goal difference, which Canford achieved by the narrow margin of 2 goals. Congratulations to the squad – Charlotte Parkin, Layla Stannah, Hettie Lloyd, Melisa Kose, Eliza Miller, Poppy White, Jessica Taylor, Grace Cecil-Wright, Paige Davis-McCluskie, Sophia Smith and Bea Woodward.

Looking forward to the County Championships after half term.

Golf v Stowe

As both Canford and Stowe were founded in 1923, there will be many sporting events in the next 12 months or so and it was the privilege of the golfers to travel up to Buckinghamshire to kick it all off. The Stowe golf course is only a few years old but is a serious test of golf.

There were 6 single matches played to handicap, but home advantage is massive in golf. The knowledge of where to go and, more importantly, where not to go is not immediately obvious when standing on a tee or when faced with an approach shot to a green, but is vital to get right. Michael Campbell, Arthur Keen, Will Vessey and Tom Williams struggled to get going against lower-handicapped opponents and all found themselves quite a few holes down, despite being given shots. All 4 enjoyed the afternoon, if not the result.

The more exciting matches involved Yakov Vorobyev and Max Williamson who both played some excellent golf and had very close matches. In fact both were leading with only a few holes to play but managed to lose by 1 hole in the end just losing their focus when it really mattered.

Overall the team lost 6-0, and we hope that Stowe will make the journey in the summer term for a rematch.

Football v Ringwood

Canford 2-2 Ringwood School (7-8 after pens)

Goals: Martin, Kwan

Canford hosted the first round of the County Cup against Ringwood on Thursday. The boys started tentatively and as a result they went 1-0 down early. Ringwood dominated the early exchanges and managed to score another soon after with a lovely strike from outside the box. Canford started to come back into the game and looked consistently dangerous on the counterattack. Despite this, we couldn't finish our chances and so went in at half time 2-0 down.

The second half was a completely different story. The boys started well, with some lovely play and one touch passing down the right hand side. Finally, we made good on our dominance when a lovely corner was powered home by Jack Martin. 1 minute later the boys made it 2-2, as the Ringwood keeper rushed out, the ball falling to Kwan who placed the ball in the far corner. Canford kept the pressure up but couldn't get a winner in normal time.

Into extra time with both teams looking very tired, neither were able to get a winner. This meant the lottery of penalties, and unluckily the boys were unable to progress to the next round. Despite the disappointment of the result the boys can hold their heads high and be proud of themselves.

Player of the Match: Will Branston

Photos ready to view and download on Canford Media

Golf v Stowe

Golf - HMC Strokeplay Championship

Canford Sports Department – Team of the Week

See the photos / attachments for the new team of the week. Across all the sports and year groups those who made the team were nominated by their Heads of Sport for standing out in terms of their attitude, commitment and performance.

This sports report is published weekly and is available via the Twitter feed and also on the dedicated sports portal www.canfordsports.com.

Twitter @CanfordSport Instagram @canford_sport_and_wellbeingChristmas Term 2022 - Week 7 Sports Report

Hockey v Warwick, Bournemouth Collegiate and QE Wimborne and Tour to Barcelona

Girls’ 1st XI Tour to Barcelona 2022

05.15am. A time when most self-respecting teenagers are asleep, but not Canford’s 1st XI Hockey. An early departure from Canford to Heathrow where our flight would take us to the magnificent city that is Barcelona. Every single one of the girls raring to start their 5-day adventure in the heat of the Spanish sun. But would the hard work bring reward?

On arrival at Hotel Ciudad de Castelldefels, an evening beach walk was much needed to grab some nachos and fries; carbing up, Spanish style. All the girls pitched in to try and communicate with the locals. This became an amusement for the girls as they quickly realised that Spanish perhaps was not their forte. What was their forte was their determination and enthusiasm to win games and get the most out of their time in Barcelona.

Day 2 on the Astro included a physically demanding and humid training session followed by a cable car ride and walk to Plaza Catalunya through Las Ramblas. This was a popular day trip among the girls as many laughs were shared over where exactly Las Ramblas was located. All the girls were rewarded for their hard work in training with unique tasting ice-creams perfectly sourced by our amazing guide, Carolina. Georgie Boon managed to get most of her ice-cream down herself but still greatly enjoyed! What followed was a lovely evening game against Castelldefels. Some superb linking play between the midfields and the forwards allowed for a punchy attack through their defence, Mia Ashby-Rudd also being a brick wall in defence, saving critical shots on goal and Dominique Hudson working alongside Mia to communicate to the team and defending like a trooper. The match was drawn 1-1. Although a whole game was meant to be played, we also ended up playing Trent College, another English touring side for half a match. This was won 1-0 with Maddie Nickell making key tackles and leading into key areas of the pitch and winning a short corner, a powerful injection from Lulu Thompson, trapped effortlessly by Charlie Howell, and a slick pass between Honoré Cutler and Georgie Boon, meant the girls went one up. A celebration like no other was made! All round a successful first day. Mia Ashby-Rudd was awarded Player of the Match, richly deserved for her impressive defence work.

Day 3 started with a training session at the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona. This training session was filled with energy after the previous night’s triumphs. After training the girls enjoyed a lovely lunch with lots of traditional Spanish food, the croquettes being a massive hit. The girls really enjoyed their time at the Club including watching polo ponies being exercised. An open bus tour around the city centre to spot all the iconic buildings was culturally enriching, especially Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece, La Sagrada Familia.

Club De Terrassa was the next club to face Canford’s finest. Due to busy traffic, there was limited warm up time. As a result of throwback songs being sung at top lung on the way to the match the girls were quick off the mark to score goals. High fives all round as Maya Doubleday scored a hat trick! Smiles all over the girls’ faces as they were dominating their opposition. Result, 4-0 win to Canford! ‘The time of my life’ – Bill Medley, Jennifer Warner - in the changing rooms after the match was a highlight for all. Maya Doubleday achieving Player of the Match for her finesse in front of goal and excellent finishes. Tara Hogan was incredibly positive throughout the whole Tour, always encouraging others and never failing to put a smile on people’s faces, as well as scoring an incredible goal!

Day 4 was a day spent relaxing. The sun was shining so rest and recovery was much appreciated. Maddie, Dom and Millie were brave enough to go for a recovery swim in the sea! After a day spent bonding as a team over football on the beach, the final game came around quickly. To hype ourselves up, music was blasted in the bus on route. Even the coaches joining in with familiar tunes (of yore). Canford faced Atlètic Terrassa in the final match of the Tour. Throughout, Portia Carrell, Grace Cecil-Wright and Eliza Miller all demonstrated strength and confidence diving into tackles and striving to go forwards, all of which was demonstrated in buckets in the final game with Tara King making use of her silky hands and fast and direct drives down the wing and Erin doing likewise and scoring a technically difficult goal to score, but scoring with ease. Lulu Thompson forever ensuring we go forwards with impact and Georgie Boon controlling and dominating the middle, connecting well with Honoré Cutler to help support the team attacking. I think we can all say that the highlight of this day was having Charlie Whitmore return to play for the first time since injury. The cheering could be heard for miles when she made her return on Spanish soil. Welcome back Charlie! This game was also won. 5-1 to Canford! A superb way to end the tour. Player of the match was the Captain, for her hat trick in this game.

So you can see, our Spanish Tour dished up a great big paella of a reward, with a day trip to Sitges for some last gasp shopping on day 5 and a tour lunch at Pizza Casanovas with some awards wrapping up an awesome week. Plenty of fun, new friendships, new skills, team work and, yes, the happiest, undefeated set of hockey players to ever grace a Spanish Astro.

On behalf of the team, we want to thank Mr Cronin for his help warming us up and keeping us all smiling with his jokes. Mrs Wilson for her positive energy and support on the side lines. Finally, Mr Collison for organising such an amazing opportunity and support throughout. Other thanks go to our guide and organiser Carolina and the parents that were able to join us in Barcelona. Many thanks to you all!

Honoré Cutler

Captain

Boys’ 1st XI v Warwick

On Tuesday 11th October the Boys’ 1st XI began their U18 England Hockey Tier 1 league campaign against Warwick at home. With the new scoreboard making its debut on the Rossiter pitch, and a partisan home crowd in attendance, expectation was high for this new group of players. We started on the front foot, pressing the opposition high and matching their tempo. An unfortunate head injury to one of their players in the tenth minute brought a halt to proceedings whilst he was looked after and taken to hospital (subsequently with a full recovery). However, upon the restart, we continued to create opportunities. Rupert Hutton won the ball high in the left hand channel before fizzing a pass across goal. The ball looped up off a Warwick defender to the unmarked Fin Craigen, who outrageously smashed the ball in from an upright backhand stance to give us a deserved lead. Against the run of play however, a defensive lapse allowed Warwick to counter and equalise with a well taken finish as they overloaded the D. 1-1 at half time. In the opening moments of the second period, Monty Hooker stole the ball and fed Leo Vorobyev, whose early shot went narrowly wide. More chances came and went, but Warwick also grew onto the game and we were indebted to Tom Barrett on debut in goal for a string of fine saves. And so our missed chances came back to bite us, as Warwick scrambled in a second to lead with 15 minutes to go. We continued to attack and were awarded a penalty corner with just a minute remaining. A planned move allowed the impressive Dill Howell to score off a slip flick high into the net and we were back level at 2-2. There was still time for a final Warwick attack from the restart as we sloppily afforded them a corner chance of their own with the final play of the game, but we saw the game out and secured a valuable first point in the league season. It was a game we could have won, but equally could have also lost, so a draw was about right. Next up we travel to Millfield on Thursday 3rd November, before the Indoor events in mid to late November. (MDC)

Girls’ 5th XI vs BCS U16A

Won 2-0

On a beautifully sunny autumn day, the mighty 5ths took on a U16A side from BCS. First half, in all honesty was a very scrappy game of hockey, with both sides desperate to get the ball. I felt that we were under more pressure, as it was evident that we weren’t sure what to do, when a team doesn’t play hockey we are used to. Working physically very hard, but with nothing to show for it. BCS did score off a short corner, but quite rightly the umpire disallowed it as it was higher than the back board, good call Mr Jeffery! We had a few shots at goal and similarly Liv in goal, made some important saves. At half time I asked the girls to try two things, take less touches on the ball to allow us to move the ball on quicker and to stay in our positions a little more, to ensure that we aren’t leaving big gaps on the pitch. Huge credit to the girls, they really executed the advice and we performed really, with epic plays down the wings and we very much had control of the ball. From defence to attack, 6 passes lead to our first goal, from Hannah Jeffery – which was well worked. For the next 15 minutes, we peppered their goal. Jess C-D got another goal, she is fast becoming our version of Man Citys Haaland, scoring in all the games! Pleasing result and so nice to see much better play in the second half from every member of the squad.

Enjoy your half term girls.

Player of the Match – Freya Barrington – Force to be reckoned with, tearing up the mid field.

Most improved – Hannah Jeffery – Confidence on the ball and much improved timing of runs upfront.

U14B v QE

A Thursday fixture to round up the first half of term ended victoriously for the U14Bs against QE’s U14A team. Captain Millie Bowley led by example and slotted the ball nicely into the back of the net and set the ball rolling. As this half of term has progressed there has been an increase in confidence and the willingness to take chances in the ‘D’, Emily Hall followed with a lovely drive into the D and finished her shot in style. Well done to Julide Kose for receiving Player of the Match. Roll on the second half of term.

This week sees the 1st team boys travel to Millfield for their next Tier 1 league match, whilst the U16A girls are away at King’s Bruton in round 3 of the Tier 1 Cup. On Saturday, we have a block fixture versus Sherborne.

Rugby v Marlborough, Thomas Hardye, Dauntsey’s and Merchiston Castle Festival

1st XV v Marlborough – National Cup Round 2

Our National Cup Round 2 tie saw us pitted away to our opponents from our opening day fixture. There was no doubt we were now a much more battle-hardened unit. If we could concentrate for the full match period and impose our game then we had more than enough to seal this tie and move into round 3.

That’s how the game started, the pack once more taking control of proceedings, winning penalties and establishing dominance in the lineout and through the maul. This time Tom Hopwood benefited from the unified effort up front. Not only had the lineout started well but the scrum too was quick to establish dominance with Ryan Woodford and friends quick to win a scrum penalty, not something often seen at U18 level. From here things went a little awry, we were unable to effectively clear the ensuing restart and whilst we did wrestle back possession, we then gave it up cheaply rather than exit and play in the opposition half. Sadly, this led to another build up of Marlborough pressure which eventually told after they got on the edge of us from a goal line drop out. Things were by no means terminal at this stage, we duly went back up the Marlborough end and applied some pressure of our own. Winning a penalty in front of the sticks we opted for the tap and go. This is one of those times where if you get it right you can be a hero, but if it doesn’t then it can quite easily blow up in your face. Sadly, this was the latter and we lost possession which then turned into a kickable Marlborough penalty. Rather than sitting comfortably at 10-5 we were now looking at 7-8, not ideal but still we were well placed to take control of this game, particularly with the set piece once again working effectively and our maul making good yards up the field.

Having defended well to this point we then had a half back mix up at the scrum and conceded just before half time, this was exacerbated when our hosts touch down almost straight after the start of the second half. Now would be a really important time to hold our nerve, which we did with a resurgence of sorts to pull things back to 14-29. Once again, we gave ourselves a lifeline in the tie. From here things unraveled somewhat, a disconnect that had appeared at the start of the game in our first phase defence was continually pressured and started to bear fruit for our opponents this led to a hat-trick of tries to wrap things up neatly for the hosts. But for our battling defence on our goal line forcing several balls to be knocked on in goal or held up over the line, this score could have been much wider. Our maul defence too, vastly improved from our early season outings, gave Marlborough nothing in this area of the game, in fact it has become a real strength for us to build from.

It has been a very busy 6 weeks for the 1st XV squad, 8 games in 6 weeks is no mean feat with 28 boys having taken to the field for us so far. We look forward to the Edinburgh trip at the weekend and a chance to challenge ourselves against new opponents. We have the ability and the physical attributes to do well. If we can also apply ourselves mentally throughout matches we have a group capable of challenging anyone we come against either up in Edinburgh or in the remaining block fixtures.

1st XV rugby squad trip to Edinburgh for the Merchiston Castle Festival 2022

With the introduction of the 2 week half term the 1st XV were available to enter the Merchiston Festival for the first time. A tournament very much in its infancy it was lovely to get a slot to test ourselves against opposition we don’t normally play against on our usual circuit. The group stages pitted us against Uppingham, Ipswich and St Benedict’s with the position in the group dictating our place for the Sunday knock out stage.

The tournament started exceptionally well taking early control of the Uppingham match and bolting out to an early lead. The forwards looked in fine fettle and we controlled the game well. Uppingham came back towards the end of the game, but we were in the driver’s seat and won out comfortable 17-7 victors.

The next game was played against Ipswich School, eventual winners who it’s fair to say had some gargantuan teenagers in their side. Having watched them dominate the St Benedict’s team it was clear we’d have our work cut out. We again started brightly, working extremely well as a group in defence, on kick chase and hunting together going forward with the ball. Whilst we conceded one try in the first half, we created two gilt edged opportunities of our own and a 7-5 half time score to Canford would have been deserved. Sadly, both opportunities slipped from our grasp, and we ended up going in 5-0 down but still well in the hunt. The boys really fronted up in this match, but Ipswich had a little too much firepower in the end. The result was 17-0 to Ipswich but a very credible performance from the Canford boys across the board having much to feel proud of. Effort and determination were excellent and there were some great moments in terms of game management and tactical nous.

The next game saw us up against St Benedict’s. We were notional favourites for this match given our performances so far and Benedict’s loss to Uppingham. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go to plan with an extremely fired up Benny’s catching us after the Lord Mayor’s show late on the first day’s play. Inconsistency has been something of an Achilles heel this season and it reared its head once more. We started well enough taking the lead and looking set fair to control the game, but Benny’s weren’t going to let us get away with an easy ride. A mix up in our dead ball gave them a way in and then our discipline started to slip allowing St Benedict’s opportunities to gain ground up the field and relieve pressure when we were pushing hard for another score. The game finished 5-17 to our opponents and something of a disappointment after two gutsy performances earlier in the day.

By a quirk of the competition, we qualified 2nd in the group and proceeded into the top half of the draw. Our first opponents for Sunday would be Boroughmuir, a team whose coaches had been talking themselves up all Saturday. Despite feeling a little heavy legged from Saturday’s efforts, the Canford boys dominated huge swathes of this match up, we did however spurn a couple of easy goal kicking opportunities with the wind behind us and whilst we looked like we might break the dam at any moment and unleash a flurry of scores the Boroughmuir defence held firm and we had to make do with a 3-0 lead at half time. Playing into a strong wind it looked like Boroughmuir might have the advantage now but time and again the Canford defence was excellent in its collective effort and the scrum made huge gains as it has done for large parts of the season so far, giving us opportunities to relieve pressure through penalties or by winning balls against the head. Boroughmuir did knock a penalty over to tie things up and despite our best efforts to see them off the game ended up going to golden point. By his point in the game, we’d had a few decisions go against us and in the golden point period we did struggle to manage to referee. After conceding a string of penalties we found ourselves defending a series of lineouts and attacking thrusts close to our line. The defence had been excellent up to this point, but Boroughmuir did manage to squeak over eventually and steal the game 8-3. Once again, a game that slipped away after a sterling Canford effort overall and on another day a result we could have ended up on the other side of.

The Seaford match was another gutsy performance but for a couple of lapses in concentration we once again controlled and led most of this tie, with Seaford rallying to steal the victory in the dying moments. We look forward to hosting Seaford in a couple of weeks’ time in our block fixtures. A match we should be capable of repaying the favour with interest in.

By now the squad was showing some wear and tear, which had an impact on the rotation of fresh legs to inject into the fray. Barnard Castle was a similar story, on another day the game could easily have ended in our favour, even though we looked a little out on our feet we went ahead early. They came back at us, we then worked hard to nudge ahead once more and then the heartbreak of Barney’s just going ahead at the death to seal the game.

On the face of it won one lost five might not seem like a productive weekend’s work but these trips are valuable in lots of tangible and intangible ways. The competition volume itself is useful as a learning tool. The determination of our squad to keep going over the two days is another successful area. Several boys put in a great shift over the course of the weekend and demonstrated their steely leadership qualities. Some of the rugby played both in its sheer power or magical intricacy cannot be overlooked. We have ability across the park and every boy in the squad had moments to show their team mates just how capable they are as players; it is a joy to see. Our lineout and scrum are two areas of real strength and it’s great to see how we’re able to use these weapons to our tactical advantage. We need this to continue into the 2nd half of term.

We also got to spend quality time together as a group, something all high performing teams need to do, singing together and sharing 18th birthdays. The importance of these moments in each other’s company cannot be overestimated and stand us in good stead go forward into the remaining XV‘s fixtures. This is a useful trip that we can look forward to repeating for the years to come with benefits we hope to see beginning to blossom in the coming terms.

2nd XV vs Thomas Hardye

Score: L 26-31

Tries: Tele Okubanjo (2), Jamie Elviss (2)

POTM: Jamie Elviss

Special Mentions: Tele Okubanjo, Monty Hooker, Alex Cochrane

In a hugely frustrating afternoon, the 2nd XV failed to back up their first win with another against Thomas Hardye. We scored our most points of the season, but unfortunately, and not for the first time, we were let down by a defence that is at times leakier than a sieve. We simply cannot afford to let players run through our defensive line to score having shaken off 2-3 players. We must make the opposition work harder for their points. An exception to this was POTM Jamie Elviss, picking up his 3rd award of the season, and who set the tone for the rest of the team to follow, chopping down everything that moved and actively hunting down the opposition. Alex Cochrane is improving every game and can be pleased with his tackle count, but we need more players to step up. The shame is that going forward we looked good at times, dominating the first quarter and scoring two well worked tries, Jamie finishing a Monty Hooker break down the right, and Tele Okubanjo showing electric pace to loop round on the left wing to score under the posts. However, a collective lack of intensity allowed Thomas Hardye back into the game with 2 tries of their own before half time, and then it was game on. Jamie and Tele scored another try each at the beginning and end of the 2nd half, but in between Canford gifted the visitors 3 tries and handed them the game. Very disappointing.

U16s

The U16s were hoping to build on Saturday’s huge win against Bishop Wordsworth’s and see out this half term with another win against Thomas Hardye. It was evident from the opening exchanges that it was set to be a physical game but a game that, so long as Canford stick to their structure, they should come out on top. The first points of the afternoon came after Amy and Woods combined beautifully to break the gain-line. They were tackled short of the Hardye’s line but the Canford support wasn’t far behind and finally Low carried hard to bust over the try line. Bowley to add the extras (7-0). This set the tone for the rest of the match and the flood gates opened from this point on. Barrett probed the corner with some skilful kicks out of hand all game and soon after Low’s try he quickly put Canford back in Hardye’s 22 with a penalty kick to the corner. A well-constructed maul followed and Barrett sniped cunningly off the back to get over the white wash (12-0). Following this, it wouldn’t be an U16s match without a thundering individual run from the back of the scrum from Amy – he broke away from the base at the halfway line and out-paced several defenders to score under the sticks. Woods to add the extras (19-0). After tasting points, this spurred Amy on for another off a tap and go penalty near the Hardye’s line – Woods to add the extras once more (26-0). All credit to Hardyes they kept coming at Canford, however Canford’s relentless attack and structure proved too much on two more occasions before the half time whistle. After a multi-phase attack, Askew found himself in space out wide with only 1 defender between him and the try line. A side-step and a pirouette saw him pass seamlessly and add another 5 pointer (31-0). The last play of the second half saw Bowley sprinkle some magic on the end of the half with a sublime individual run from the halfway line – sidestepping and juking his way past several defenders. Woods to add extras (38-0).

Hardyes came out of the blocks quick in the second half and caught a complacent Canford side off guard to pick up their first points of the game (38-5). This was a wake up call that got Canford back to the attitude they had in the first half and ultimately led to 2 more tries to finish off the game, both of which came from mauls. Pallot bundled over from the back of the maul (43-5) and Barrett closed out the day’s proceedings with another quick burst over the line from 5m out - Woods added the extras with a magnificent conversion from out wide (50-5).

A fantastic performance from all and what a way to see out the half term.

U15A v Dauntsey’s – National Cup Round 2

The U15As played their National Cup 2nd round cup match against Dauntsey’s just before the half term break. It was a tightly contested affair we slowly wrestled control of the game. We were all set to go into the break 8-0 to the good when a missed tackle led to a breakaway try and an 8-7 score line. The second half was equally fiercely contested. We traded scores and went into the last 10 minutes 13-12 up until an outstanding solo finish from Massimo Brown put the game beyond doubt. 20-12. Roll on round 3 and the visit of Millfield.

U14B

On a glorious afternoon Canford’s small, but plucky 14Bs hosted yet another A team. The boys from Thomas Hardye, with skills honed through a number of years playing together at Dorchester rugby club, proved to be our most formidable opponents to date. Blessed with a number of powerful, quick and direct runners; the visitors proved too strong for the courageous Canford XV and established a commanding lead by half time. Fortunately Mr Jess had spent the latter part of the first half calling up reinforcements. Bolstered by subs from both the B and A squads Canford were, both literally and metaphorically, a very different outfit in the second half. The Hardye boys proved to be almost as strong in defence as they were in attack, but Canford managed to cross the line for 2 unanswered tries to win the second half.

Netball v U16 & U19 PEDSSA Championships

U19s

This year was the first time the Poole and East Dorset area has held a tournament at U19 level. We put in two mixed teams and what a performance from them both. Daisy Bayles played a fantastic role in the mid court, Esther Browning and Honoré Cutler showed no fear and went for flys in defence. Mia White was quick on her feet and her feeds. It was a fantastic exhibition of Canford netball.

The two Canford teams coming 1st and 2nd was a great display of senior netball here at Canford, well done to all involved. We progress to the County final held at Bryanston after half term.

U16s

Played 8, Won 7, Drew 1.

On Thursday 13th October the U16 Netball squad headed over to Parkstone Grammar to play in the PEDSSA round of the County Championships. Finishing in any one of the top 3 places would see us through to the County round when we return after half term. The tournament was a round robin format and would see us need to play 8 quickfire games (2 x 5 minute halves), which meant there was little room to ‘ease into a game’.

The draw saw us matched against one of the tournaments traditionally toughest opponents in the first round – Parkstone Grammar. Defences would play a key role, not only in this game but also throughout the tournament, and this was very much the case with both teams in this game. With attacks struggling to find rhythm and pattern and defences working hard to turn the ball over, the game was a low scoring affair, ending in a tense 3-3 draw.

Building on our hard working defensive platform, our attack slowly started to build confidence through the following rounds and we were able to build on the opening draw with pleasing, and at times convincing wins.

This was made all the more pleasing to see as we also rotated the 11-player squad quite heavily throughout the afternoon.

Parkstone, like ourselves won all their remaining games and so the final result of the afternoon went down to goal difference, which Canford achieved by the narrow margin of 2 goals. Congratulations to the squad – Charlotte Parkin, Layla Stannah, Hettie Lloyd, Melisa Kose, Eliza Miller, Poppy White, Jessica Taylor, Grace Cecil-Wright, Paige Davis-McCluskie, Sophia Smith and Bea Woodward.

Looking forward to the County Championships after half term.

Golf v Stowe

As both Canford and Stowe were founded in 1923, there will be many sporting events in the next 12 months or so and it was the privilege of the golfers to travel up to Buckinghamshire to kick it all off. The Stowe golf course is only a few years old but is a serious test of golf.

There were 6 single matches played to handicap, but home advantage is massive in golf. The knowledge of where to go and, more importantly, where not to go is not immediately obvious when standing on a tee or when faced with an approach shot to a green, but is vital to get right. Michael Campbell, Arthur Keen, Will Vessey and Tom Williams struggled to get going against lower-handicapped opponents and all found themselves quite a few holes down, despite being given shots. All 4 enjoyed the afternoon, if not the result.

The more exciting matches involved Yakov Vorobyev and Max Williamson who both played some excellent golf and had very close matches. In fact both were leading with only a few holes to play but managed to lose by 1 hole in the end just losing their focus when it really mattered.

Overall the team lost 6-0, and we hope that Stowe will make the journey in the summer term for a rematch.

Football v Ringwood

Canford 2-2 Ringwood School (7-8 after pens)

Goals: Martin, Kwan

Canford hosted the first round of the County Cup against Ringwood on Thursday. The boys started tentatively and as a result they went 1-0 down early. Ringwood dominated the early exchanges and managed to score another soon after with a lovely strike from outside the box. Canford started to come back into the game and looked consistently dangerous on the counterattack. Despite this, we couldn't finish our chances and so went in at half time 2-0 down.

The second half was a completely different story. The boys started well, with some lovely play and one touch passing down the right hand side. Finally, we made good on our dominance when a lovely corner was powered home by Jack Martin. 1 minute later the boys made it 2-2, as the Ringwood keeper rushed out, the ball falling to Kwan who placed the ball in the far corner. Canford kept the pressure up but couldn't get a winner in normal time.

Into extra time with both teams looking very tired, neither were able to get a winner. This meant the lottery of penalties, and unluckily the boys were unable to progress to the next round. Despite the disappointment of the result the boys can hold their heads high and be proud of themselves.

Player of the Match: Will Branston

Photos ready to view and download on Canford Media

Golf v Stowe

Golf - HMC Strokeplay Championship

Canford Sports Department – Team of the Week

See the photos / attachments for the new team of the week. Across all the sports and year groups those who made the team were nominated by their Heads of Sport for standing out in terms of their attitude, commitment and performance.

This sports report is published weekly and is available via the Twitter feed and also on the dedicated sports portal www.canfordsports.com.

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