SPORT

September 2021. As the new academic year began, the students gathered excitedly on Holland for their first session of the Autumn term as the ‘new normal’ made its presence felt. In a world, where the goal posts were constantly being moved, the timeless presence of Holland, with its rugby, football and lacrosse pitches, provided a sense of permanence.

With Covid restrictions in place, the prospect of a ‘normal’ Wednesday with fixtures seemed dubious. However, we concentrated on the things that we could do well, namely drilling the basics: skills and drills, small sided games, tournaments and, of course, agility and running!

The Senior boys kicked off the year with rugby, heeding wise words from Mr Cowley and the Luctonians’ Mr Cheshire, and football, with dynamic coaching from Mr Leonard, Mr Pepper and Mr Evans.

The Middle School boys made up for lost time in the summer with cricket coaching and mini tournaments, a must for competitive progression, followed at regular intervals for all sports, with a focus on teamwork.

Under the management of Mrs Bassett, the tennis team won the U15 tennis league, with Joel winning all his singles and doubles matches against King’s Worcester and Bromsgrove School, with solid team performances from Nathan, Charlie and Zac.

The girls followed the well-trodden path of traditional winter sports such as netball, hockey and lacrosse (with some rounders thrown in for good measure) to ignite passion for mixed sport amongst the Sixth Formers. With Bridge Street’s AstroTurf declared a no-go zone, field hockey prevailed; a return to its historical origins, with big hits, mud slides and lots of skill, including Mr Johnson’s flicking-the-ball-over-the-opposition stick tricks! Meanwhile, groundballs, cradling, hugging the tree defensive stances and lots of accurate passing and shooting drills were the focus of Miss Wilkinson’s lacrosse sessions.

No prizes for guessing that fitness and agility were a key focus on the netball court as Miss Coates and I put the girls through their paces, complemented by one hundred and one ways to improve passing, catching, turns in

Hockey practice

the air, shooting and defending skills. As if this wasn’t enough, there were opportunities to play badminton and to make the most of the pool, with half termly inter-form swim league competitions, to encourage participation, as well as the Lucton School Park run to test fitness and stamina.

Sadly, lockdown halted progress in the Spring term; sport went online, with the 5K challenge, Mr Cowley’s weekly exercise video and lots of yoga exercises. For those at school, the key workers children, there was a mix of running, yoga, badminton, hockey and swimming.

After an excellent U16 cricket match against Shrewsbury, a degree of normality resumed for the Summer term, with cricket, rounders and U15 tennis league matches. Training bore fruit, with the U15 and U13 boys reaching their respective County Cricket Plate finals, the U15 boys winning their tennis league, and team of senior girls finishing third at an England Rounders Tournament held at Luctonians. The season finished with a successful ‘bubble’ friendly, Sports Day, the majority of form members competing in at least one event.

So, change, whilst disarming at times, can be a positive. Our tranquil, rural setting provided the means for all pupils to enjoy a range of competitive sporting experiences.

Mrs Connop Director of Sport

The season began with idyllic conditions: sunshine, no wind, a near perfect pitch and a raft of matches against schools including Shrewsbury, CCB, Bedstone and Aylestone. Whilst the rain did eventually come, lots of cricket was played by boys and girls, with great progress with bat and ball. There were many net sessions and square practices as students worked to improve their skill, knowledge and understanding of this game.

Under Mr Leonard’s watchful eye, the U13s had an excellent season, with competitive wins against Bedstone, CCB and The Elms ‘B’ team, topped off with a competitive finish to the season in the U13 County Plate Final. Mr Cowley’s U15 team excelled throughout, winning their opening match of the season against Shrewsbury, followed by a convincing win against Aylestone to secure a place in the competitive U15 County Plate Final. The U16s had a solid squad and grew in stature under Mr Connop’s guidance, with the high point being an emphatic win over CCB.

Impressive performances came from the likes of Jack, Maxx, Zac, Daisy, Charlie and Nathan in the U14/15 squad, as well as Dami, Finn, Jamie, Kian and Kennedy, under skipper Jack’s guidance in the U16 team. A special mention to James who scored 101 before retiring, George who took two quick wickets, and Ted who took 3-15 off 18 balls in their match against Bedstone.

Football

Sixth Form Football match

As all good football seasons begin, the conditions were wet and windy, but rain would not stop play for our First XI squad. They gave many fantastic performances on Wednesday afternoons, with a standout performance against Hereford and Ludlow College.

U13 Girls Cricket

U13 Boys Cricket

ran out 4-2 winners in a compelling fixture, with Aaron, Forbes and Angus all leading by example as the more senior players. The younger members of the squad took the game by the scruff of the neck; Dami was fantastic in his role as a buccaneering box-to-box midfielder, causing headaches for the opposition throughout. Kian, Archie and Finn provided a solid platform at the back, and grew in confidence and stature as the game went on. Underpinning the defensive solidity was Reubens, who was imperious in his usual calm manner, whilst Alex also eased nerves with a fantastic flying stop to deny Hereford and Ludlow College early on.

From then on, it was Lucton that poured forward, and were rewarded with a 2-0 halftime lead thanks to great individual goals from Dami and Jack. Despite an early second-half wobble, Asier’s constant harrying earned another goal and then Jack wrapped up the scoring with a fine late effort. Despite still having time to concede a penalty, which Alex almost saved, Lucton stood firm and can reflect on an excellent performance given the obvious lack of previous playing time. A good game all round, with Reubens voted Man of the Match

Middle School Lacrosse training

Lacrosse

A year without competitive fixtures did not hold the lacrosse teams back, with weekly practices under the expert eye of Miss Wilkinson, who put the teams through their paces on the pitch, as they honed their cradling, passing and game play.

Miss Wilkinson was delighted with their enthusiasm, competitive spirit, and progress with ground ball pickups when playing ‘grab the bacon’ and first off the marks games. All the skills the girls learnt were transferred into improved play in game situations.

The Middle School ended the lacrosse season with a friendly, yet very competitive tournament, with the aim being to show how much they have progressed this year. The girls impressed with their attacking play, as they confidently took the ball into and around the 11m fan to create goal scoring opportunities. Team captains Sophie, Eno, Hannah and Solange led by example, displaying their versatile, tactical and positional awareness in a variety of positions. The short game format meant that centre draws were eagerly fought for, and that keeping possession to score goals was critical. All students used their improved stick skills to keep possession and score quickly. Penny, Eno, Maggie and Scarlett B were voted MVPs, with Solange winning the sportsmanship vote and Hannah earning the Top Captain award.

Rugby

Whilst we did not play any competitive, inter-school rugby fixtures during the year, the squads worked hard with weekly practices focusing on their skills, defence tactics and attacking formations.

Under the watchful gaze of Mr Cowley, the Middle School boys continued to hone their catching, passing, running and off-loading skills. The Year 9 and 10 boys worked hard on developing their match-play tactics, with many positive and creative attacking moves. The Sixth Form and Year 11 boys were able to benefit from the expertise of Luctonians coach, Aiden Cheshire, who was really pleased with their focus and work ethic.

After weeks of practice with no fixtures, the under 14s/15s split into three teams: Saracens, Exeter Chiefs, and Worcester Warriors, for a full contact mini-tournament. Matches were limited to 5 minutes each way on half a pitch, 7-a-side, with tap re-start and no kicking. This proved very hard work for all the boys, but there were some excellent performances. Matt scored 4 tries in the opening fixture; Sam was excellent all over the pitch, as was Joel. Jack showed impressive tackling, and Sam was prominent in the opposition. Leo, Sameer and George all played very well and a 5-3 try count in their favour was well deserved. The final match saw WW v Exeter Chiefs battle for the title, with the Chiefs running away 9 tries to 1. Overall, an excellent finish to the term.

Netball practice

“It was just so good to get back on the court and play a competitive match. ”

Netball practice

Netball

Whilst COVID limited the opportunities for fixtures throughout the year, we still managed to play some netball in the summer term, with our Sixth Formers getting to play one last competitive match before departing.

Like all Wednesdays, a fleet of minibuses were set ready to depart for matches. Off they went with many excited passengers, eager to make the most of this opportunity. Time is a funny concept and although it may have been 61 weeks since our last netball fixture, there was sense of Deja vu as the U18s travelled to Hereford for a longawaited netball match.

With a new set of irksome rules – 4ft instead of 3ft for marking and no contested ball, the girls started tentatively, with HSFC quickly taking advantage of our pensiveness to take an early lead. Some impressive defending from Faith and slick attacking moves from Catherine, Annie (player of the match) and Georgia, soon helped address the situation as Lucton resolve helped us dig deep. By half time, the scores were level, and a very even game of cat and mouse ensued, as each team made steals and took advantage of attacking situations to score goals. A close 27-26 victory to HSFC was a fair result. Against a slick, tall, well drilled team, we played well and at times looked impressive and will, with a few focused training sessions, iron out the errors that crept into the game. It was just so good to get back on the court and play a competitive match.

Rounders proved to be the saviour for the girls, with several inter-school fixtures throughout the term. Enthusiasm was high and attendance at training and the weekly activity sessions was overwhelming, all of which led to great progress for the girls as individuals and as team players. A great game changer occurred, quite by accident, as the rounders activity slot proved to be a popular choice for the boys. Their ability to hit hard and throw far helped the girls to up their standards, whilst the boys had to learn to make quick decisions and be more accurate with their fielding, all of which helped on the cricket field.

The Middle School were fortunate to have several matches and after a slow start in their opening match against The Elms, they quickly realised that some focused work was needed on all elements of the game. Reflection and team encouragement ensured that within a few weeks we were able to match the Elms, playing some close games on the return fixture, with evidence of bigger hits, sharper fielding and improved decision making. This proved to be a real confidence boost, which the Year 7s carried forward to the end of the season, with successful trips to both Tenbury and Whitecross Sports Academy.

The Senior team had a baptism of fire when playing England’s U17s in the first round of a tournament hosted by England Rounders at Luctonians’ Mortimer Park. After a hesitant start in the field, the girls gradually settled and

Senior Rounders vs Englad U17

became less fazed by the big hitting England players. Although we lost the first match 18 -3 ½, some tenacious batting from Rachel, Sophie and Catherine kept us in the game.

A rest, some tactical discussion and a series of matches against Lacon Lightnings, Lady Hawkins and Lucs Aces, proved just how resilient the girls are. Superb bowling from Georgia, great catches from Olivia and Jess, plus slick backstop from Scarlett, and first post links meant that Molly piled on the pressure with several crucial stumpings, curtailing the other teams to chasing an achievable target score. Lucton set off at pace, with excellent rounders from Rachel, Jess, Scarlett and Tiphany as we chipped away at the target to scores to secure two wins. Molly led the team in a calm and mature manner. It was so good to see how much they had learnt during the day and to finish third overall against strong opposition was impressive. The girls flew the Lucton flag with pride.

Inter-Form Swimming

The new format swimming competition proved highly successful, with Middle School up to Sixth Form students competing against one another for the coveted title of champion swimmer.

The session began with the Year 9 freestyle relay and a superb display of swimming, as Matthew gave 9M the start they needed to clinch victory over 9D. It was role reversal in the backstroke relay, with 9D hanging on to win by 0.03 sec as Darcy, Myra, George and Tristan swam to the wire for victory. The medley relay was tense and exciting, with just 0.01 sec between 9M and 9D. Matthew’s butterfly leg got 9M off to a good start, with Zac and Evie excelling. In the final 25m breaststroke sprint relay, 9D eked revenge, tying the inter-form competition. Despite some strong swimming from 10T’s Jess, Nathan, Leo and Lola, 10Q dominated all of the Yr 10 races, with some excellent swimming from Yara, whose butterfly and breaststroke legs were impressive, and with strong support from Ellis, Evie and Archie. An excellent end to an action-packed day.

Later, Year 11 and Sixth Form students dived into the pool for an intense competition. It was great to see so many willing and able swimmers test their competitive resolve in this tense inter-form competition. With 11W having nudged into the lead with a slim team victory the previous Wednesday’s Park Run, 11R were determined to eke revenge. Despite some strong swimming from Harry, Toby P, Morgan and Malachy in the freestyle relay, it was Jamie’s dynamic sprint that secured an early victory. Undaunted, 11R made an impressive come back to win the breaststroke, with strong legs by Malachy and Toby, who then went on to record a fingertip win in the medley relay, despite Georgia’s impressive fly leg. Aoibh’s strong breaststroke leg to secure victory in the breaststroke relay, was a class act, as was the spirit with which the Sixth Form participated. Aaron certainly did a brilliant job at rounding up the troops, who always gave the Year 11s a run (or swim) for their money. After two tense inter-form events, 11R just pipped 11W to the post.

Park Run

In the final fortnight of the Autumn Term, the focus was on the Lucton School Park Run: an inter-form competition with the dual aim of promoting competition alongside individual achievement.

After many weeks of training, the time of reckoning arrived and we were not disappointed. The Year 8s ran first, with James recording an impressive victory in 12 minutes and 17 seconds, with Sophie and Hannah close on his heels. Hugo led 7W to victory with a time of 12 minutes and 46 seconds, with Henry and Josh running strongly for second and third. Annabelle floated over the ground for a convincing win in the girls’ race (13min 21), with Chloe running tenaciously to secure second place ahead of Amelia. Will and Solange won the Year 6 races in style (14 min 33 and 15 min 53 respectively), with all students trying hard.

In the Senior School races the following week, the conditions were more difficult, but the students continued to run well. Darcy was outstanding, recording the fastest time of the day (12min 40) to win the Year 9 race. Fremah’s and Myra’s consistent pacing paid off with second and third, whilst Tristan led the charge of the Year 9 boys (13min 21), just ahead of George and Zac. In the Year 10 race, Nathan (13min 22) and Tiphany (14min 49) both set off strongly and did not let up, earning victory ahead of the likes of Will, Archie, Olivia and Jess.

Finally, conditions were ideal for the Sixth Form and Year 11 event. Forbes recorded the fastest time of the day (10min 04), with Matthew, Angus and Daniel in hot pursuit. Aoibh showed her class with a dominant victory in the girls’ race, with Emily and Louise following her across the line. Malachy was a class act in the Year 11 race, strolling home to a comfortable victory (10min 09), with Tim in second and Harry in third. In the girls’ race, Catherine literally stepped over the line just ahead of Millie, then Jess followed ahead of Seren and Alice.

Sadly, Inter-School athletics was non-existent during the summer of 2021. The weather added to the problem, but we were always ready to go when the sun did shine. A flurry of activity led up to our annual Sports Day, or days, in order to comply with Covid regulations. With a new format focusing on Inter-Form rather than House, every student who could was strongly encouraged to take part, which they duly did. And the results were heart-warming, with great teamwork and mutual encouragement contributing to a very positive event.

In the Middle School, there were particularly strong performances from Year 6 students Solange, Livia and Rebecca; Year 7 students Henry, Annabel, Frankie, Eno, and Amelia; and Year 8 students James, Sophie and Ottie. 7B pipped 7W to victory in the Year 7 Inter-Form event, and 8B outperformed 8P. Winning the Victrix or Victor Ludorum is a huge achievement, and the Middle school students earned this in style, with Victrix Ludorum winners Livia and Maddi (Yr 6), Annabel (Yr 7) and Ottie and Sophie (Yr 8), and Victor Ludorum winners Nicholas (Yr 6), Hugo (Yr 7) and James (Yr 8).

The much-anticipated Senior School Sports Day later took place with the new format greeted with much enthusiasm, and all students playing a key role. With a positive start on the track, some exciting races ensued, with impressive performances from Victrix Ludorum winners Darcy & Daisy (Yr 9), Yara (Yr 10) and Faith (Sixth Form), and Victor Ludorum winners Will and Zac (Yr 9), Jack and Nathan (Yr 10), and Forbes (Sixth Form). Notable performances also came from Josh, Jack, Leo, Angus, Daniel, Tristan, Fremah, Annalise, Evie, Sophie, Sam, Faith, Belle, Elis, Reubens and Matthew. Congratulations to 10Q who won the event, closely followed by 9D.