1st netball V Dunhurst
Lost 11-9
Players player: Emily B
Lady of the match: Dora
2nds Netball V Dunhurst
Lost 11-4
Players player: Isabella
Lady of the match: Alice
A girls were very excited to be playing their first netball match of the season. As soon as they were out on the court they were focused and warming up with enthusiasm. Dunhust bought an extra team with them so while the girls were waiting to play in their match they were able to play a friendly with Dunhurst, giving all the girls the opportunity to play a full game. During the matches the girls worked extremely hard to keep possession of the ball. Our defence worked solidly together making some brilliant interceptions and really applying the pressure when the opposition were trying to shoot. Passing was strong down the court with lots of movement and calling for the ball from the girls in centre court. They communicated well with each other and clearly enjoyed working together as a team. Our shooters worked hard in D, finding space and getting in front of their players to receive the next pass. Both GA and GS worked brilliant together in both teams. It was lovely to see both year groups come together and work well in their new teams with lots of encouragement and praise from each other. Well played everyone! Mrs Williams
2nd VII v Football Tournament v Highfield
Amesbury arrived in the nick of time for their first match v St Ed’s. Yes I said St Ed’s! The Highfield tournament enabled us to play them for the first time in at least 6 years.
The frustrating aspect to this match, was that they had only entered one team and were allowed to be part of the 2nd team group. Amesbury did not start well though, and ultimately did not deserve to get anything out of the match. A 2 v 0 defeat was not the start that we had hoped for. Things could only get better and in the next match the performance, enjoyment levels and therefore result improved. A fine 1 v 1 draw against Farleigh, Jack scoring our goal. Match 3 was against Lanesborough and a fine 1 v 0 victory kick started our tournament, Jack once again on the score sheet. The performance and more importantly effort was exemplary. We then went into the final two matches needing some sort of results in order to stand a chance of progressing into the top 2 places and therefore playing in the final. A draw against Highfield was in some ways a fair result, they had the better start and first half to the match but Amesbury proudly kept them out and then came inches away from scoring several times in the second half. Only a win against Westbourne House would do. We did! 2 v 0, Fergus and Harry both scoring screamers of goals that Peter Shilton would not have been able to save! We unfortunately did not progress to the final on goal difference. 3rd place overall. Mr Alesbrook
U10 A & B vs. Churchers
U10A
Players player: Iona
Lady of the match: Millie
After arriving in plenty of time the U10A’s were able to carry out a thorough warm up ready for their second match of the season against Churchers. The first half of the game saw the girls moving the ball quickly and effectively down the court to the attacking D. This was a result of accurate passing and quick decision making by the attacking players. Impressive shooting by both the GA and GS resulted in the U10A’s having a lead of 6-2 in the first half. The girls improved throughout out the match, especially on key areas such as marking their attacking opponents. This led to an increase in interceptions in the second half by both the attacking and defensive players on court. The defence ensured that they were sticking close to their opponents making it difficult for the Churcher’s shooters to receive the ball in the D. This resulted in a convincing win with a final score of 13-8. The girls remained focused throughout the match, with the captain Izzy PB leading by example. Although, the game highlighted areas that the girls need to improve on before their next match to ensure that they keep their winning streak. Such areas include driving into space on the court to reduce crowding around the ball. Having said this the girls should be very proud of their performance and their first win of the season. Well done girls! Miss Donaldson
U10B
Players player: Alice
Lady of the match: Isabelle
The U10B’s put in an impressive performance against Churchers for their second match of the season. In the first quarter the girls showed fluid movement down the court with accurate passes resulting in the shooters having plenty of opportunities at goal. Both shooters capitalised on these opportunities scoring 7 goals in the first half. Leading 7-2 at half time, the girls needed to stay focused to ensure that they continued to execute the basics, such as faultless footwork and strong passing in the second half. The girls continued to improve into the second half, with an increase in the number of interceptions made by the defence and mid court players. This limited the number of chances the Churchers shooters had to score, leading to a convincing win. Although, the game highlighted areas which the girls still need work on in time for their next game.These include finding and driving into space on the court to reduce crowding and further improving the fluidity of the game. However, the girls should be proud of their performance against Churchers. They showed great determination and energy throughout the game, lead by the captain Flora, resulting in the U10B’s getting their first win of the season with a final score of 13-4. Well done girls! Miss Donaldson
2nd IX Football vs Highfield
The Amesbury 2nd IX were in high spirits and eager for the first game of the season. The conditions were perfect and the first half got off to a great start with some wonderful through balls and great challenges from the Amesbury players. The score remained level for some time until Highfield managed to play a long ball through and score. Despite Amesbury looking strong on the ball throughout the first half, Highfield managed to score a further two goals.
The second half mirrored the first with Amesbury look strong on the ball. All players showed commitment and determination and this lead to a few opportunities on goal. Unfortunately, these opportunities could not be converted into goals unlike the Highfield breaks and so the final score ended up as 0-6.
The scoreline does not do justice to the superb effort and determination on display from all the Amesbury players. Many teams would have given up but the Amesbury 2nd IX battled to the end which is very encouraging or the rest of the season. Mr Balcombe
1st VI Highfield Football Tournament
Group: Westbourne House L 1-2; Edgeborough D 0-0; Farleigh D 0-0;
Plate semi v Lanesborough L 2-3
Stricken by illness to two of our squad of 7 just before kick-off, we performed well against physically more powerful boys. We had to play our three group games back-to-back with a 10 minute break before playing our plate semi-final, and with no sub available, our small but skillful team somewhat ran out of legs though never spirit. We played some neat, passing football and when we had to depart in the bus Farleigh were level in the final so it was a considerable coup to hold them to a draw. We improved our communication and marking throughout the afternoon but paid for not taking our chances in the early group games which we might have won. On a glorious afternoon on immaculate pitches, we had plenty of fun and acquitted ourselves creditably none more so than our stand-in goalkeeper, hauled from midfield for the B team, to excel between the posts for the As!
Well played, everyone. Mr Hamilton
U10C’s vs Highfield
For the second game of the season the U10C’s faced a challenging task playing against Highfield. The first half team went out with a bang with a high tempo approach. The defence set up fort leaving Highfield starved of opportunities. In midfield it is rare to see such high quality play, selflessly passing, moving and relentless work rate going back and forth to attack or defend. With numerous attempts on goal it felt like a goal was imminent. Sadly a single half wasn’t long enough for the team. The second half term took to the pitch with Highfield hoping for a break. It didn’t come. The boys took on board all they had seen in the first half and executed the game play near perfectly. Sadly the only thing they couldn’t do was get that illusive goal. The defence set a great platform, the midfield moved the defence and point of attack superbly. It was a real joy to watch and just gutted that the boys didn’t get the reward they deserve. Pleasure to watch for all. The season looks a bright one. Mr O’Reilly
U10A v Highfield
Amesbury started the game against Highfield today and attacked straight from kick off. Superb control of the ball and passing led to some fantastic opportunities against the visitors. Soon these chances were turned into goals with Ollie cutting through the defence and scoring the opening goal. Excellent defending and communication from George and Saul at the back kept Highfield at bay towards the Amesbury goal. Wilf came on to play on the left side of midfield and had an instant impact with a goal of his own. Casper and Joshua kept running up and down the line in attack and defence. Whilst Sam was tireless up front and worked hard to try and create for Amesbury. Wilf added to his tally with two more goals to complete his hat rick and a 4-0 win for Amesbury. Congratulations to the team and for an overall outstanding performance. Mr Tribe
U10 B Football v Highfield
The under 10 B’s took on Highfield under 10 B’s on Wednesday and comfortably beat them 3-0, a really impressive result that really pleased the boys. Throughout the game Amesbury were dominant and had a number of shots on goal. What particularly impressed me was the determination to keep on scoring more goals even though they were already up by 3 goals. The post match discussion mainly included the fact that although it was a great result, there is lots to work on before next weeks fixture including players holding their positions and better communication with regards to marking the opposing players. Mr Brown
3rd XI Football v Highfield
On Wednesday the 3rd XI where to play their first match of the year against a strong Highfield outfit. The weather was overcast and it was damp underfoot as the team took up their positions on the pitch. During the first half there was some excellent play by the team, including a good team goal, however the half ended 6-1 to Highfield. The second half saw a much improved performance from the team, unfortunately they were unable to reflect this on the score sheet and the match ended up 12-1. Mr Randall
U11 B Football v Highfield
The Under 11 B team travelled to Highfield on Wednesday afternoon and had a fairly tough time of it trying to compete with a well-drilled, skillful and physically strong Highfield side. We managed to trouble the opposition goal on a couple of occasions, but other than that we spent most of our time on the back foot defending desperately. We are working hard on our positional play so that boys don’t roam too far out of position leaving gaps for the opposition to exploit – this will continue to be the emphasis and hopefully, as the term progresses we will become surer of our roles on the pitch and show more discipline in holding our positions. The final score was 6-0 to Highfield, but in spite of that we kept on going until the final whistle which showed character. Well done! Mr Lawrence
