sport Special mentions are also due to the boys whose outstanding performances resulted in them representing the ISFA side, something of which they ought to be extremely proud: Chibby Nwoko, Toby North and Conrad Knight. Although these players in particular were rightly rewarded for their efforts, the various successes of the season were undoubtedly due to each and every player involved in the squad and their combined efforts, both as an attacking and defensive unit. Overall, the side had a superbly successful season, making it to the quarter-finals of the County Cup and Round 5 of the ESFA competition, winning 13 games, drawing 3 and only losing 4 all season – as well as scoring a staggering 70 goals along the way to give fans plenty of value for their money! CH
were Lucas Hermann Sosa and Francesco Olivieri, who kept their positions well and became harder to beat as the season developed. The centre of midfield was most often graced by the silk-and-steel combination of Obrad Kuzmanovic and Kieran Bouwmeester-Reid, with Ed Joyce making an excellent contribution after Christmas. On the left wing, Tom Short’s pace and determination became influential in the latter stages of the cup, while the mercurial Finn Gould could play anywhere in attack. By the end of the season Aaron Mills had featured in almost every position, showing an eye for goal and a wonderful early pass. Two strong candidates for Player of the Season were captain Hayden Christian and striker Alpha Barry. Hayden’s powerful bursts down the right caused endless headaches for opposition players, whilst Alpha comfortably outscored his teammates to end the season on 24 goals. With such hunger in attack and strength in defence, this is surely a team to inspire poetry for many years to come.
U12B Football
PDT
U12C Football
It is difficult to write a single haiku that encapsulates the U12B season, 2017-18. Assuming an imperfect understanding of Japanese phonetic units, the first obstacle is to restrict oneself to a syllable count of 5-75. Working within this narrow framework, there is then only enough room for one Aaron Mills if a Francesco Olivieri and a Kieran Bouwmeester-Reid are also part of the equation. Compounding this is the need for a kigo, or seasonal reference, and the puzzling insistence on a kireji: what exactly is a ‘cutting word’? In confusion, I submit the following to Mr Baker, who shakes his head in despair: In the grey drizzle Wet jumpers lie forgotten. When will it be spring? ‘Try writing something straightforward about the season,’ Mr Baker suggests. ‘Mention the boys. Make it less about you. And keep the word count down.’ I return, crushed, to my laptop. It seems that more than a haiku is required. This season, the boys progressed to within minutes of the U12B ESFA Cup final, scoring 82 goals across 23 fixtures. Success was built from the back, with goalkeeper Matthew Barkus one of the best distributors the 12Bs have had for several years. At the heart of defence, Zac Cacheux was the runaway winner of Players’ Player of the Season, timing his tackles with unerring accuracy. No less impressive 98
the lion
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What defines a great season? Excellent results? Notably improved levels of performance over the course of the season? Magnificent team spirit and a squad who enjoy their football every time they go out on the pitch? The U12C team had all of these attributes; but, personally, I would plump for the latter. We played opposition of vastly varying quality, we played in hail and heatwave, we played with full size goals and near five-a-side goals but no matter the variables, the constant was the impeccable manner in which the boys played and conducted themselves. Toby Harbour and Matt Lyons were a resolute last line of defence when each played in goal, shielded by the cultivated Ben Millington-Jones and the uncompromising Joe Earle – the latter scoring one of our goals of the season against Dr Challoner’s! The relentless dynamism of Felix von der Geest, the vision and movement of Rohan Crowe and Ben Rollason and the thrusting ball-carrying of Monty Robb helped us move the ball with real purpose and frequently made us a joy to watch. Up front, captain Dan Cubbon provided mature leadership, artful creativity and lots of goals, whilst the destructive Saganan Thuraisingam terrorised defences with his pace and power, setting a new U12C goal-scoring record and always playing with the broadest of smiles on his face. A special mention goes to players of the season Sam Spence, the fulcrum of the team, and Camilo Clarke, whose technical excellence on the left set us apart from many of our opposition. There
2017-2018
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