Prep School Sports

National Champions in the Pool for KSA

King’s St Alban’s swimmers met with huge success in the IAPS (Independent Association of Prep Schools) National Swimming Championship on Saturday, 11th June.

Having gained valuable experience and qualified at a gala held at Millfield School during the Spring Term, our pupils headed to the London Aquatic Centre for this event, which marked the culmination of over 400 schools competing in 40 qualifying galas held across the country, and presented the opportunity for our pupils to demonstrate their talent. And that is just what they did, in front of 3,000 spectators!

Having come first in the country against 124 competing prep schools in the qualifying round, the U11 Girls’ Medley Relay team, Lilly-Mae, Mia, Lucia and Lara took to the starting blocks and delivered a strong performance; indeed it was a performance which saw them crowned IAPS Medley Relay Champions. Miss Woodger, King’s St Alban’s Swimming Coach commented, “When the medley team were the fastest qualifiers, I had high expectation for the final. They certainly lived up to those; they should be very proud of their outstanding achievement.”

Our pupils continued to excel at the impressive Olympic Village venue. Lara, competing in the U11 Girls’ 50m Butterfly race, finished 17th, whilst Lucia came in 11th place in the U11 Girls’ 50m Breaststroke. Mia also excelled in the U11 Girls’ 50m Freestyle, bringing home seventh place. Immie also displayed a high level of skill at competition level. Representing King’s St Alban’s boys swimming team, Harry competed in the U10 50m Back Stroke, finishing in 19th position.

All competitors from King’s St Alban’s should be extremely proud of their achievements. Mr Chapman, Head of King’s St Alban’s was delighted with the results, adding, “We are extremely proud of them and look forward to continuing to track the girls’ swimming as they progress through the Foundation, as well as supporting Harry through his time in Year 6 and beyond.” These are the best results King’s St Alban’s has seen for many years, and especially as a small school this is something that we can celebrate wholeheartedly.

Hawford Boys Play at St George’s Park

Spirits were stratospherically high on a Tuesday morning last May as an enthusiastic squad of ten Year 6 football players from King’s Hawford boarded the minibus bound for St George’s Park in Burton, Staffordshire. Having won through the rounds to become Regional Champions last term, these excited, if a little nervous boys were ready to play in the ISFA National Finals.

The sense of excitement amongst the boys was heightened by the fact that the competition was played at St George’s Park, the home of the England national team. Following in the footsteps of their heroes was an incredible experience for the boys and one that they will remember for many years to come, serving as real inspiration for them.

Relishing the opportunity to play on one of the fourteen worldclass, 3G pitches, which regularly play host to England teams and their international counterparts, the team started the tournament with two very difficult fixtures; the King’s Hawford boys played some tidy football despite not getting the rub of the green, picking up one point thanks to a superb finish by James R. Playing in such surroundings would be a daunting prospect for any eleven-year-old, but as we would expect, the King’s Hawford pupils took it all in their stride.

The remaining three matches followed a similar pattern to that of the first two, with the King’s Hawford players showing impressive resilience and determination against very challenging opponents. The hard work and focus finally paid off as the team enjoyed their first win of the day, courtesy of an outstanding strike into the top corner from Joe F, followed by a calm finish by Bertie D.

Supported by a strong side-line of staff, parents and grandparents, the boys demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship and teamwork throughout the day.