Boys’ Football

Another season of football draws to a close, and it has been one of great learning and great fun. At times, it has also been very challenging as we play in a league system where we come up against opposition of excellent quality. As a result, matches have not gone our way over the course of the term.

This does not mean, however,that it has necessarily been a bad season. Although we have lost most of the fixtures this season, on a number of occasions for large parts of the game, we have matched teams who possessed superior quality, with just a few lapses in our concentrations costing us – examples of this include our fixture against Rugby, where the score was 1-1 heading into half-time, but a lapse in concentration at the start of the second half saw Rugby go 3-1 up; the heads drop and we have a mountain to climb.

This has been the theme for the majority of the season. Obviously, this has been of immense frustration for the whole squad, but the attitude, positivity, and commitment to play for each other this season, even when things have often not gone our way, has been incredibly pleasing for us to see as Captains. After every game, the boys always manage to find positives out of a negative result and are always willing to work and to try and put things right. We spoke at the start of the season about what we wanted to achieve with one of the main goals being a team with a ‘no blame’ culture, which we achieved through most of this challenging season. Although, at times, emotions can run high, our togetherness, accountability, and the standards shown throughout the season have been outstanding.

The highlight of our season was the match against Stowe. Stowe had been on excellent form all season, and as one of the strongest teams on our circuit they came into the game against us unbeaten. However, we fronted up to the challenge and came out of the game with an incredibly hard fought 2-2 draw –this game was a prime example of the togetherness and commitment the boys showed all season, from start to finish we kept fighting for each other.

Although as a team we have been very together this year, it is also important to mention individuals who have particularly excelled in both performance and attitude this season. Two of our most consistent performers have been Oscar Fenby (LH) (Left Back) and Hugh Heath (SH) (Goalkeeper), who have both been outstanding this season. Oscar, week-in week-out, brings quality on the pitch and an incredibly positive attitude, never complaining and always giving 110%. Hugh has probably been the most consistent performer on the pitch this season between the sticks, keeping us in several games through his magnificent glove work.

While this season has been tough and the results have not gone our way, what has been a huge success this year has been the team’s attitude and the standards we set ourselves at the start of the season which we always upheld.

A special thank you to all the coaches involved with the football programme this season – Mr Surtees, Mr Kirkby, Mr Ward, Mr Toland and Mr Hannigan – for their continued hard work to help us become better footballers.

Sienna Wheeler (Fd) Girls’ Football Captain

Mr Moosajee Head of Girls’ Football

What a season the girls’ 1st XI have had - in the words of our beloved coach Mr Moosajee, it was “what has to be our best season in memory”.

The Cup match against Nottingham Girls’ High School before the season began, when our team was little more than a Friday night kickabout, set us off to an incredible start, winning 5-2 and setting the tone for the coming matches. However, the team was quickly humbled in the second round against Repton. Despite fighting hard and trying our best, we were defeated.

Still, we trained hard, and with the addition of Miss Burditt to our training sessions, offering some vital advice and updating some of Mr Moosajee’s ancient drills and routines, the team’s heads were up. We continued to progress, working together, and learning that we can all be as good as Isabella Best (Sa)! After the cold turned our pitches to ice and matches against Bromsgrove and Loughborough High School were cancelled, we returned with a bang, winning 5-1 against Oundle. Our invaluable addition to the defence, Katie Smith (Fd), showed her skill and sheer power by launching the ball all the way from the halfway line into the goal. This high for the team was followed two days later by an impressive 9-0 win against Rugby.

A challenging game against Nottingham Girls’ High School allowed us to put our hard work into practice. After relentless defence and consistent shots on goal from a strong attack, the score was 2-2 at full time, and the match was decided with a penalty shootout. Although the result did not go our way, Katie Smith (Fd), Alice Winter (J), Isabella Best (Sa), Karina Weis (L) and Marina Weis (L) each showed their individual strength and resilience, despite the pressure both on the pitch and on the side-lines.

However, as the team has proved time and time again, our determination on the pitch is not dampened by the result of the previous match. We won 4-1 against Gresham’s after the half-term break, with Annabelle Morgan (L), one of our top goal scorers, setting the precedent for the rest of the season. The competitive and vital match against Oakham was tense, and the squad worked hard to remain connected, with a gathering of support from the side-lines boosting morale. Alice Winter (J) and Karina Weis (L) particularly shone in this challenging match, which ended in a 3-2 victory. Taking on Stowe the next week, we trialled a new line-up which Miss Burditt had suggested, and it clearly worked a treat – we won 5-1.

Finally, the infamous rematch against Repton had arrived, and after a long bus journey listening to Mr Prior’s questionable ‘hippy’ music, we arrived to show the team what we were made of and how much we had improved since the first match of the season. After a lively warm up and some inspirational talks from our coaches, we began the match, playing ‘our game’ from start to finish. The energy, determination and sheer skill from the team was undeniable, with Kara Poulton (NH) delivering at both ends of the pitch – once with a goal and on another occasion, an incredible goal-line clearance. We didn’t let our previous loss define us, battling with the Repton girls throughout to do our training justice. Driving home with a 1-0 win against Repton, being the only Uppingham girls’ football team to manage this, we were all thrilled with the result. Hard work really does pay off.

Our 2nd XI have had three matches, all of which they played hard and with enthusiasm. Even though the results did not go our way, the team has developed and their football has been steadily improving through the season under the guidance of Mr Knott, Mr Peltier and Mr Prior.

The annual interhouse tournament was, as ever, fiercely competitive. The season saw a very strong Lodge team bring home the victory, with Samworths’ finishing in second place. It is always a highlight of the season to see football played in such friendly yet competitive conditions.

Well done to everyone who played for the football teams this season. We have trained hard and played hard, delivering arguably our most impressive results yet.

Mr Baker Director of Hockey