Record: played 8: won 7; lost 1
Jess Ottley-Woodd (Captain, U6, Q), Chloe Holliday (U6, Q), Tara Percival (L6, Ch), India Kirkness (L6, Ch), Eleanor Jones-Perrott (L6, A), Joanna White (L6, Ch), Tashia Suleyman (U6, Q), Harriet White (L6, Ch), Mimi Haycraft Mee (U6, Q), Genevieve James (U6, Q) From a coaching and personal point of view, the 2016 netball season was brilliant fun and full of
rewards, including plenty of half-time sweets. The feeling of cohesion, evident from the start of the term, made the team a pleasure to coach. Jess Ottley-Woodd’s collaborative, motivational and reliable leadership style helped to generate a positive feeling and competitive team spirit. Great results and a fabulous atmosphere are the standout features of the season. The season commenced with a resounding fivematch run of victories. Our first fixture was against Clifton College and the team won 23-8. It was a particularly impressive victory as not everyone yet knew each other. Matches two and three formed a triangular fixture against Malvern College and Bromsgrove School. The scores were 24-6 and 13-10 respectively. The fourth match, a midweek fixture at home against Wycliffe College, was won easily 31-11. This victory was followed only a few days later by another of 26‑11 against the Royal Grammar School, Worcester, in front of a crowded College Sports Hall.
was building. It was sadly not to be as we lost 14-25 away at St Edward’s School, Oxford, on the Thursday afternoon. The most frustrating thing about the defeat was that we were, on a skills level, the better team. Half Term fatigue (or perhaps Half Term-itis) had got the better of us. Happily, the break did what it should and we regained our winning form. Rugby School was dispatched, 30-20, in an impressive and competitive match. Tara Percival fell during the third quarter but valiantly played on; she learned the next day that she had broken her wrist, which put her out for the rest of the season. Our last fixture was a hard-fought friendly against Bradfield College. After such a great season, the victory of 24-20 was fully deserved.
SPORT
3rd VII
Mrs Alexandra Eldred (Coach)
4th VII
Record: played 6; won 6
By the week before the Half Term holiday we were feeling confident: our spirits buoyed by our successes and the hope of an unbeaten season
Sophie Baillie-Hamilton (L6, Q), Charlotte Ball (L6, Ch), Georgina Hacker (U6, Ch), Jemma Keefe (L6, Ch), Jasmine Murphy (L6, Ch), Zoe Robbins (L6, A), Taya Sellers (U6, W), Emily Wilford (U6, W), Milly Fair (L6, A), Leah Shiu (L6, A) An unbeaten season! Opening with a resounding 30-8 win against Clifton College, fantastic performance after fantastic performance ensued from the team. Wins against Bromsgrove School, St Edward’s School, Oxford, and Bradfield College showed a level of creativity in their play, with some fast-paced centre court action and a strong work ethic within the girls. Although with nail-biting play right down to the final few minutes, the challenging match against Rugby School eventually saw the team gain a margin of three goals. They were clearly determined to win, but not at all self-absorbed in doing so; each member of the team, from defence to attack, looked to support one another. The team also proved versatile in position, with outstanding shooters being prepared to play in defence positions and centre court players showing themselves to be strong in the circle. The girls were clearly not interested in gaining individual status through their play but were genuinely looking out for one another. Most notably, throughout the season, they remained gracious in victory and demonstrated excellent sporting play. Mrs Rebecca Mace (Coach)
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