BOYS’ SPORTS REPORTS 23/01/17

RUGBY

Senior House Rugby Round 1
Powell v Hart – Powell Won 6-5
Sedgwick v School – Sedgwick Won 45-3

B1 National Cup Round 5
B1 v St Ambrose Won 17-3
Sedbergh limped to victory in the last 16 of the National Cup. B1 will have to be much more switched on, physical and clinical to compete in the quarter finals. Despite struggling to get going Sedbergh had enough quality to pull away from St Ambrose in the third quarter.  
Kouadio was excellent in both the loose and tight. His 20 m break was the major highlight of the second half. Quite a spectacle! 
CJS

JBS v Barnard Castle 15-15 Draw
A strong second half comeback from Sedbergh earns a draw against a full strength Barnard Castle side. Early pressure and field possession gave Barnard castle a well-deserved 10-0 first half lead. Knowing the next score would be crucial the JBS scored a brilliant try after a neat grubber from Henry foster was picked up by Alex Brundage at full pace who then raced away to score from 80metres.

Barnard Castle replied instantly with an opportunist score from broken play to extend their lead to 15-5. The last twenty minutes was all Sedbergh as they put together at times some brilliant play. Charlie Graham scored after a very patient build up and then Jack Hill had the last say as he bust through the Barnard Castle defence to earn Sedbergh a draw. This was a great contest first up and a very fair result.
SM

JBS A/B v RGS Newcastle Won 3 Lost 1 (20 minute matches)
Game 1: Won 21-0
Game 2: Won 12-5
Game 3: Won 40-0
Game 4: Lost 12-0
Another step forward for the JBS squad with lots of players getting opportunities to impress on Busk 1.
SM

RUNNING

Cumbria Cross-Country – Minor, Junior, Inter and Senior.
The Cumbria Cross Country happened on Wednesday the 18th Jan on a very sticky and wet course at Sedbergh. The senior races were cut short after the referee deemed the course to tough. In this individual event run with six different districts of Cumbria only the top twelve qualify for the northern ’s.

There was a real jump in quality with many national representatives involved. In the inter boys race Jamie MacMillan came home 9th in 17:59 a minute and a half down on the leader. He was followed in by the ever improving George Rigal in 11th only 15 seconds back. Sadly Robert Askew finished in 14th with the evergreen Spencer Bird in 20th with a time of 19:15.

In the senior boys there was a good run for Ben Van Dijk to finish 4th in a time of 20:28. His time was only 1 minute 10 seconds of first place (who represents England). Fergus MacMillan qualified also with an 8th place. Martin Askew, who is improving and gaining ground all the time just finished outside the qualification in 15th.

In the inter girls race there were strong performances but the pick of the day was the ever improving Amy Slattery. She finished 8th in 17:13 and was closely watched by Alex Duckitt (17:38) but sadly finished in 13th. She will be the first reserve.

The senior girls saw another good performance from Maria Page to finish 4th with Sally Bennett returning to some form in 8th. Josie Coulthard had been ill but still managed to run and finish 13th. Alice Slattery rounded the team off to come in 16th just outside the places.

In the junior race Fraser Sproul continued to set records and ran 13:28 to finish 1st against England runner Sam Almond. Tash Cookson and Molly Barrett ran in the junior girls and finished 15th and 19th respectively.

The Northern’s move onto Cleveland now where Joe Bird will have a job on his hands to retain his title.
JDWR

HOCKEY

1st XI v Bolton Won 12-1
The season started off very brightly for the boys with a 12-1 win over Bolton school. With 3 debutants included into the squad. The boys started off a bit slow in the first 5 minutes, then picked up the intensity with Silvester scoring a reverse stick into the bottom right.

Barber then converted the second from a very slick short corner from Milburn and Stewart. Silvester quickly added his second with debutant McHugh flicking bottom left, Holdsworth then opened his account in the new season lobbing the goal keeper with a deflection after a reverse stick pass from Stewart. Sanders then converted a very quick 5 minute hattrick with well-taken goals. Hill and Mullen had very good games on the flanks.

Holdsworth then added his second with Sanders converting another 3 goals taken his tally up to 6 for the game. The 3rd Radcliffe in succession had a very impressing debut in goal. McAneny held the centre of the park solidly not letting much through, Shewan added pace and skill upfront and in the wingback role. New German debutant Jonas Von Fritschen added very good skills and a range of passing opening up the game. Overall a solid win to start the season
MWS

U15A v Kings Macclesfield Lost 2-1
At the same time last year this squad of players were beaten 5-1 by King’s Macclesfield and but for a lack of concentration in the first minute of the game that gifted Kings an opening goal, Sedbergh matched their opponent throughout a good game.

This was achieved by team work, sprinting back to get numbers behind the ball when it was lost and then counter attacking quickly. In midfield both Toby (Sedbergh’s goal scorer) and Roman Wheatley, George Nelstrop and Emily Dignan put in huge shifts, ably supported by Charlie Churchouse when they needed a breather.

For the first time Jack Stanley, Ed Jackson and Elliot Brewin all looked in control at the back, whilst Percy Johnston, Sam Rogerson and Morgan Robinson worked tirelessly up front. For the first time this set of players realised what is needed to make themselves a difficult team to beat and hopefully this will give the players a platform to develop a game and a sign of things to come. 
MPS

U14A v Kings Macclesfield Lost 5-0
After only two practice sessions the under 14s had a real tough opening fixture against a King’s side that has been playing together for three years and it showed. Having neither played together nor played an eleven a side game before, Sedbergh looked nervous and panicked on their ball and as a result their touch and passes seldom matched the ability of the players.

Gus Aymes, Charlie Churchouse and Tom Ogden all had strong games, whilst Gabs Cope worked tirelessly supporting the defence and getting forward in attack. Despite the score line the boys never gave up and as the game progressed Sedbergh began to look far more fluent in attack.

There were some promising signs and as long as the boys learn from and use these experiences to motivate them to train hard, with some work on what each individual’s role is and set plays this team should develop into a nice side. A very good experience for our boys, and as the coach pointed out, this is where we start, it is not important; it’s how far we improve over the coming seasons that counts. 
MPS

U15A v Rossall Lost 1-0
On a chilly day on the North West coast Sedbergh’s under 15s battled hard against a strong Rossall team but ultimately conceded a goal late on. Whilst Sedbergh were strong in defence throughout the game, unfortunately they failed to make the most of their scoring opportunities at the other end of the pitch, and in the final analysis this cost them. That said it was another solid performance and one of improvement particularly in their work rate and understanding how to be hard to beat in defence.
MPS

U14A v Rossall Lost 5-0
The under 14s came up against a particularly strong Rossall side and despite the score line this was a much better performance than the first match against a much stronger team. At no point did the boys give up and are beginning to understand their individual roles.

As a result the boys are beginning to protect the middle of the pitch better with Charlie Churchouse, Cody Davis and Hugh Tyser all showing signs of improvement in defence. George Welch and Oliver Bairstow both worked very hard down the inside channels whilst Oliver Henson had an excellent game at right back. All in all another tough but very useful experience for the boys.
MPS

SOCCER

1st XI v Barnard Castle Won 3-1
Missing some first team regulars, Sedbergh’s strength in depth came through.  Against the slope Sedbergh dominated the first 20 minutes, with some excellent one touch triangular football being played.  Some good initial chances finally led to the breakthrough from a Joe Bold cross, following a burst of speed which took Joe past their right back, Joe’s cross was put in by a Barnard Castle defender.  

Shortly afterwards, Sedbergh were two up; Joe Bold played the ball through to Ben Chamberlin who coolly chipped their keeper.  Sedbergh complacency then allowed Barnard Castle back into the game, who then scored straight from a corner.  Sedbergh showed some real steel to make an even game of it for the remainder of the first half.  

With the slope, and a chance to re-group at half-time, Sedbergh dominated the second half; with wave after wave of attacks and chances.  Nzari fizzed a 30 yarder against the outside of the post and Ben came close with another shot from outside of the box, just two of many highlights.  

Finally, the crucial third goal arrived, after Joe burst through the Barnard Castle defence, where his deflected shot was put into the open net by man of the match Seb Hemmings.  Every single player contributed, with some outstanding performances – including Sam Down at right back – right through the team.
ADA

SWIMMING

1st Team v Barnard Castle Won 60-52
A really positive gala for the seniors who were up against some strong club swimmers. The relaxed approach of our team paid off and we were also able to secure wins in all races but one. Pon’s determination in the relays was incredible as was Kate Russell’s efforts in multiple strokes.

U15A v Barnard Castle Won 70-54
Outstanding swimming from a young junior side in only their second gala of the term. Winning all but one race the juniors showed determination from the outset, which paid off in a 70-54 victory. Freya Woods, Bella Brooks and Robyn Sutcliffe were outstanding and their enthusiasm was infectious. 

SQUASH 

1st Team & U15A v Barnard Castle
1st Team Lost 3-2
U15A Won 3-2
Although Barnard Castle have a strong tradition of school-boy squash, the advantage we had playing at home in our familiar artic conditions was significant, especially given Barney’s ‘sauna style’ squash facility. Early wins for both the U15s and 1st V from Oliver Ward (S) and debutant Ben Boom (S) put Sedbergh on the front foot. Given the strength of Barney’s top order, the next rubber was key.

It involved the Tornado from Teesside, Matthew Morrison (P) who won convincingly last week. Unfortunately, Morrison underperformed and lost his march 3-1. In the junior fixture, strong performances from George Ward (S) and Jack Stanley (W) meant Sedbergh quickly came out on top, 3-2. However, after Morrison’s loss, the standard of the senior team’s squash started to disintegrate. Duerden (H) lost comprehensively and through poor decision making Cameron (P) was down 2-0 in his match.

However, with a change of mentality and more positive foot-movement, this rubber turned and went all the way to the fifth set which Cameron eventually won with determined resilience. This meant that the final fixture of the day would decide the overall fixture. Brook’s (W) opponent was a highly technical and focussed character whose forehand lobbed serve and overall consistency caused immediate problems.

In the end, he out-performed Brook on court both in terms of his stroke-play and his mental application. Despite another loss for the 1st V, there were moments of excellence which will develop across the season with more time on court.
TS

SHOOTING

1st Team v Shrewsbury and Ellesmere
The team travelled down to Shrewsbury to compete against Ellesmere and Shrewsbury. In a shoulder and shoulder indoor match. The team of 8 had a convincing win over Shrewsbury but narrowly lost against Ellesmere.

Congratulations to Charlie Cowen on being the top scorer for Sedbergh with a score of 190 out of 200. Well done to Angus Strudwick on an impressive debut for Sedbergh. 
C Cowen

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