Blog by, Creag Lawrence, Director of Sport
Another busy term draws to a close and I would like to reflect on the large amount of Sport which has taken place since September.
This term the vast majority of our pupils have represented the school in hockey, football, netball, equestrian events, sailing, canoeing and swimming fixtures.
Since September, 539 pupils have represented the school in at least one fixture and many more have represented their form or house in sporting events, such as house cross country. All pupils have all shown fantastic effort, and their enthusiasm for representing Kimbolton has been a joy to see.
The Football and Hockey teams have been where most of our pupils have represented the school this term.
The 1st XI girl’s hockey team has grown as the season has progressed and enjoyed two cup runs in both the Independent Schools & England Hockey Plate competitions, reaching the regional quarter finals in the latter. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th XI’s have all had many successes with the 3rd XI winning 4 and drawing 2 of their 8 matches.
The U15A’s enjoyed notable victories against BMS, Wellingborough and Stowe whilst the U15B’s won 7 of their 9 matches and were undefeated throughout. The 14A’s were runners up in the county tournament and qualified for regionals, whilst at Ingrams level, over 96% of our pupils have played in a Hockey fixture this term.
The 1st XI Football team secured hard fought draws against notoriously tough opponents in Brentwood, Forest, Eton and Princethorpe, whilst the 1-0 victory away at Chigwell was the performance of the term. The team beat Norwich 5-0 in the ISFA cup but couldn’t advance any further.
The high numbers at training in the rest of the senior teams reflected the commitment of the boys with the 2nd XI being very competitive this year, securing memorable victories against Chigwell and Brooke House. The 4th XI put in a fantastic performance at Eton last weekend, coming away with a win.
The U15A’s were incredibly competitive this year and put in a memorable performance away at Shrewsbury, one of the top footballing schools, by winning 3-0 in the ISFA Trophy. The 15B’s won 5 and drew 2 of their 8 matches, whilst the U14A’s have now gone 8 matches undefeated and are through to the Last 16 of the ESFA National Cup.
At Ingrams, participation has been incredibly high, whilst many of the teams won the same number of games as they lost, always a measure of appropriate competition.
Girls Football continues to grow with high numbers attending the Thursday club. This term saw two new girls’ teams at 1st XI and U15 level, and we entered the ISFA trophy competitions for the first time. Whilst the U15’s lost to Loughborough High, the 1st XI girls had an impressive victory against Aldenham 5-2 in their first ever cup match, which was a fantastic achievement.
The U13 girls will play Repton Prep in the last 16 of the ESFA Small schools cup after three great victories, scoring 24 goals in the process.
In Swimming we had 5 teams swim at the ESSA regional team championships back in September. The senior girls team of Tessa & Emily Q., Abi D. and Charlotte J. were bronze medalists in the regional rounds and qualified for the national finals held recently in Birmingham. The girls put in a phenomenal performance and finished 13th nationally, beating many schools with significant swimming programmes. The swimming team is now the biggest it has been for many years, and they have enjoyed competing in the Thursday Super Series which runs throughout the whole academic year. Congratulations to Abi who will be attending GB Olympic trials in the new year.
We have enjoyed great success in cross country, with both the Junior and Inter Boys teams running at the regional championships at Cokethorpe, after qualifying from Cambridgeshire & Bedfordshire championships. The district cross country championships saw lots of Kimbolton success with 24 of our pupils qualifying to represent the district at the Cambs County Cross Country Champions in January. Clara B. and Lucas K. qualified as district champions.
The Equestrian Team has had a very busy and successful term, competing in five fixtures and securing numerous national qualifications. Lois Z. secured an individual qualification for the Hickstead Championships in May by placing 1st in the 1m Eventer Challenge at Eland Lodge.
The 90cm and 1m teams were crowned County Champions at the Forest Edge outing, earning places at the National Championships. Tilly R. qualified as an individual for the championships in February by winning the 1m Eventer Challenge in the Bloxham series.
The DW team have been training hard this term. They had a strong showing recently down at the National Schools Kayak championships in Farnborough. Experienced crew Tom B. & Theo B. placed 3rd in the sprints and 6th in the marathon amongst some strong competition. Newcomers Emily A. and Hannah W. were 2nd novice ladies in their marathon race. Overall the Kimbolton team placed 2nd.
Lastly, I want to finish by thanking all the staff involved in Sport at Kimbolton for all their hard work and professionalism this term. Without their dedication and expertise, we wouldn’t be able to give our pupils the opportunities to play Sport. Our pupils have been incredibly busy this term and I hope they all enjoy a great break and stay active.
Pre-Season Training
Pre-Season training is open to all pupils.
Monday 5th January
10:00-11:30: Ingrams Boys’ Hockey Practice – Open invite (Meet at Duchess Astro)
10:00-11:30 – Ingrams Girls’ Netball Practice – Open invite (Meet at Sports Hall)
12:00-13:30: Middles Boys’ Hockey Practice – Open invite (Meet at Duchess Astro)
12:00-13:30 – Middles Girls’ Netball Practice – Open invite (Meet at Sports Hall)
14:00-15:30: Senior Boys’ Hockey Practice – Open invite (Meet at Duchess Astro)
14:00-15:30 – Senior Girls’ Netball Practice – Open invite (Meet at Sports Hall)
Spring Term Fixtures
All Spring term sports fixtures will be on SOCS by Friday, 19 December (sport.kimboltonschool.com) to aid further planning.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas,
