On Friday 20th September, 36 very excited children travelled to Suffolk for the annual Under 11 Sports Tour.
Before our first match, against Finborough School, we visited the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, watching a flying display that included eagle owls and vultures, followed by the highlight of the visit: the meerkats.
The teams then played their opening matches against Finborough School. Under 11 Hockey captain, Olivia Marshall, said: “despite conceding an early goal and it being so hot, the As kept going, scoring to level 1-1 at half time. In the last ten minutes of the second half, Finborough managed to score 2 goals. Meanwhile, our Bs worked incredibly hard throughout to win 4-2!
Under 11 Rugby captain, Freddie Brammer, also spoke about their efforts against Finborough: “The game kicked off and both teams tried hard to keep momentum despite the heat. Finborough were a tough opponent and played well; although we lost, we showed our resilience throughout the game.”
After the game and before heading to the hotel in Ipswich, everyone had a well-deserved evening meal, which was thoroughly enjoyed and showcased the fantastic togetherness and team-spirit of the group. The Saturday morning activity saw Mr Larkin and Mr Marsden showing off their bowling skills at tenpin alley, with many children scoring a strike.
The final stop was Orwell Park School for some rather tough Hockey and Rugby, against Kent College and Orwell Park. Olivia said: “On Saturday we played Kent college; the As had a better result, today, with a 1-0 victory, whilst the Bs came up against strong opposition, narrowly losing their game. After that, our last match was against Orwell Park, the As went onto the pitch feeling confident and played really well but just lost out to Orwell, 1-0. The Bs, though, finished on a high beating Orwell 2-0.
Meanwhile, Freddie said of the rugby: “On Saturday we faced a formidable team from Orwell Park School. Whilst we struggled to score tries, we showed positivity as we put in some solid tackles and rucked with determination and strength. Every player did their best and with some more training we can certainly improve.”
It was a superb Sports Tour and our thanks go to all the staff who came and supported the children so brilliantly, and to the children who behaved and performed so well across the two days away!
