Boys’ Sport 20.9.24

Seniors

1st XI vs  St Michael’s Prep

The 1st XI had a very good performance against St Michaels. We played some nice flowing football at times and created some excellent scoring opportunities. Baracah scored our first goal after some good build up play on the left and that was followed by two excellent finishes by Finn. Joseph finished off the scoring in the second half to round off the very good performance.

2nd XI vs  St Michael’s Prep

With Year 7 away on a residential this was a great opportunity for some of our Year 8 boys to add a 2nd XI ‘cap’ to their sporting CV’s. The team started very well and took a deserved 1-0 lead but fatigue, injuries and a large squad from St Michael’s meant that the boys eventually lost out by 6 goals to 2. Particular praise should go to Frank for an outstanding performance in goal before helping out his injury hit teammates with an energetic and combative midfield performance in the second half.

Colts

U11A v Boys’ Football Championship – IAPS

We faced St Andrew’s in our opening match of the group stages in the IAPS 7-a-side football tournament. We were able to win the ball back and set up rapid counter attacks after they pressed forwards and were able to break their defensive line on a couple of occasions. Louis opened the scoring, slotting one into the corner from open play. Unfortunately, we were caught out after a pass back to our defensive players and their strong striker was able to score a breakaway goal. The game ended 1-1.

We played Windlesham House in our second match, who were agile and skilful, taking the ball down the wing to get deep into our half. However, the powerful presence of Joel in midfield was able to turnover the ball and put pressure straight back onto the opposition. Louis scored another spectacular goal after sustained pressure in their half and we came away with a 1-0 win.

Our third game against Cumnor was possibly our most challenging. They had three tall defensive players who were able to intercept any long balls and set up an attack. eventually Cumnor broke the stalemate after scoring from a corner.

We played our last group match against Great Walstead. We felt confident in attack but were unable to convert any of our chances in the first few minutes as we squandered several chances. Our excitement settled and we were able to open the flood gates, scoring five goals in seven minutes. This resulted in us coming second in the group behind Cumnor, topping St Andrew’s on goal difference.

We faced Skippers Hill the semifinals of the cup. Skippers won the toss and played downhill for the 12 minute match. We had most of the possession and had several chances at goal. Skippers too had their chances, and the match ended in a 0-0 draw. We went on to penalties and Louis, Hugo and Freddy were chosen to take penalties with Ethan in goal. After a tense shoot out Skippers went 3-2 up to win the game, ending our tournament.

This was our second 7-a-side tournament in two weeks and the boys have shown fantastic team cohesion, sportsmanship and motivation. On both occasions we came second in the group stages despite strong opposition. The team has the ability and the mindset to do great things, and I am excited to see what the rest of the season will bring!

U11B v St Michael’s Prep

On a gloriously sunny and pleasantly warm September afternoon, we hosted our friends from St. Michael’s Otford, at Colts B and C team level. From the outset, this was clearly going to be a well-matched affair, with both teams have equal amounts of possession. Chances came and went, until St. Michael’s hit a purple patch of form, scoring three goals in 5 minutes, towards the end of the first half. However, the boys kept on with the passing, with some great movement down the left flank with Tadiwa, Louis C-J and Jamie particularly influential. Holmewood got their reward with a well taken goal and with 5 minutes left, the team was trailing 3-1. As they pushed on looking for a second goal, gaps were exposed at the back and St. Michael’s scored a fourth breakaway goal in the final minute of the game. The match was somewhat closer than the final score may suggest but it was certainly a marked improvement on the tournament last week. Well-tried boys and keep working hard in training.

U11C v St Michael’s Prep

The U 11 C team continued their tournament winning form from last week having a solid defence in the first half against St Michaels. They defended resolutely against a team with some talented players. Holmewood had been working hard on the training ground routines leading to them passing the ball well from goal kicks and had a winning formula of playing the ball out to the wings. Holmewood took the lead with a lovely long pass from Noah to Teddy who kept his composure before blasting the ball past the goalkeeper.

In the second half, we lost our shape slightly leading to an unfortunate equaliser, however the energy and enthusiasm was evident. In the last play of the game, St Michaels managed to sneak a winner to break Holmewood hearts after a very positive performance.

U10A v St Michael’s Prep

Draw 3-3

Goal scorers: Tate (Hatrick)

Man of the match – Tate

A shaky start to the game for HH, a deflected cross bouncing past Basti to give St Michaels the lead inside the first minute. A good response from HH saw Tate tap home a fantastic Alex Meston cross. HH looked the better team for the remainder of the first half with a few shots well saved by the St Michaels keeper and some promising passing sequences in the midfield, however a successful counterattack saw St Michael’s go into the break ahead (2-1). A change in formation saw HH dominate the start of the second half with Albert leading the charge from the right. Great passing between the front players set up another fine finish from Tate. Not long after, HH took the lead with Tate firing home to grab his Hatrick and HH’s third. HH dominated the remainder of the match however St Michaels managed to grab an equaliser and defend well to secure a 3-3 draw. A good performance from HH, just unable to turn all our chances into goals.

U10B v St Michael’s Prep

The under 10B team had a tough afternoon against St Michael’s School losing 5-1. The boys played well but were unable to stop the opposition who were partly made up of Year 6 players. My man of the match was Torres, who started in goal but came out on pitch for the second half and battled really well against boys twice his size!

U10C v St Michael’s Prep

After the disappointment of losing in the semifinals the previous week, the team went about their business in ruthless style. The shape of the team was first class and the passing into space caused the opposition plenty of trouble. The team created loads of chances with Fynn and Fraser regularly forcing excellent saves from the oppo goalkeeper. Eventually the pressure paid off and Fynn tucked away his 2nd goal of the season. No team can win a game without excellent defending and Will, Henry and Zenon did just that. When the opposition goalkeeper is their man of the match, it goes to show what a good game we played and how much pressure we exerted on them. Joint MoM went to Fraser and Fynn but the whole team did their part to ensure the victory.

Juniors

U9 ABCD v Rose Hill and Saint Ronan’s

Another very successful afternoon of football unfolded on Thursday with all boys participating in either a triangular fixture or a single match against Rose hill or Saint Ronans. The boys displayed some excellent teamwork and skill level. There were some very positive results to round of a great afternoon.

The U8s travelled to Rose Hill to play against both Rose Hill and Saint Ronans in a triangular match.

U8 ABCD v Rose Hill and Saint Ronan’s

Another impressive display from the U8As saw HH breeze past Saint Ronan’s in their second match of the season. The game took a format of three, 10-minute thirds. A fantastic performance in defence from Callum gave the team a platform to go and attack freely, with Bertie and Cillian leading the line. HH were ruthless in front of goal – putting away their first three chances of the game. Going into the second third of the game the team were tasked to focus on their passing and communication with each other, and they did just that! Theo especially, always looking up to pass to a teammate ahead of him. HH continued to finish their chances, and the game ended 6-2.

Our B team played against Rose Hill A team in their opening match and were caught off guard by a decisive start from our opponents. They struck the ball well from just inside the box to take three quick goals before half time. We came back hard in the second half and were able to use the hill to pin them in their half for much of the match. We scored twice from open pay, after dominating position and possession. Unfortunately they ran out of time before we could equalise and the match ended 3-2 to Rose Hill.

The Bs played Saint Ronan’s in the second match and again dominated possession. This time we opened the scoring. Saint Ronan’s had their own chances and Charlie, our goal keeper had to come out several times to close down a striker who had broken through. However, we continued to look dangerous with the ball, moving to the wing and getting behind their defence. The game ended 2-0 in a highly enjoyable, end to end match.

U8C vs  Rose Hill School

The first game was played in great spirits and the energy and excitement was plain to see as the boys rushed all over the pitch in search of a goal. The 0-0 scoreline did not reflect the effort that they put in and the goal that they deserved eluded them having peppered the goal without success.

U8C vs  Saint Ronan’s School

Having already played a game in the warm weather the team struggled but never gave up. Seb once again was full of energy and never gave up. Marlo made some great passes that created chances that we just couldn’t quite get into the goal. Well done everyone for an enjoyable afternoon.

Our Cs and Ds had a highly enjoyable match led by Mr Hockley and Mr Jervis. The boys showcased impressive teamwork and skill, reflecting the techniques they’ve been learning in games. Their passing, positioning, and communication on the field were clear signs of their development. The match concluded with some very positive results, capping off a fantastic afternoon of football.

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