Chronicle April 2016

27 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Netball By Andrew Dalgleish, Master i/c Netball Netball is a major sport for girls at St Edward’s although pupils are ‘split’ with rowing which is also a major sport during the Spring Term. This must be remembered when reflecting on both sports given that many of our larger rivals do not operate two sports in the same term. To have enjoyed the most successful netball term in recent memory given this background is something to be proud of. St Edward’s sport prides itself on offering opportunities to pupils of all abilities and, during the Spring Term, we fielded more netball teams than ever before with regular inter-school fixtures being enjoyed by both the U14 and U15D teams and, on occasion, we fielded six senior teams. I would like to thank the coaches and pupils across all year groups and ability levels for their ongoing passion and commitment to make this impressive achievement possible. Captained by Rose Adams ( Twyford ), the 1st VII acted as superb role models both on and off the court. They played 13, won 11, with the only inter-school loss coming

against Rugby School by a narrow 3-goal margin. The season log boasts victories against Marlborough, Wellington, Cheltenham and Bradfield - a very impressive season. The 2nd and 3rd VIIs were also on sparkling form, with only 6 defeats between them in 22 fixtures. The 2nd VII have the accolade of being the top-scoring St Edward’s team of the season, amassing 287 goals in their 11 fixtures. It is worth noting that the 1st, 2nd and 3rd VIIs all won their respective matches against Wellington and Cheltenham, and were all victorious in the end of term tournament v Stowe and Dean Close. The top four senior teams had a collective record of played 40, won 30, drew 2 and lost 8. Success is not by chance nor is it a result of large transfer fees at school level and the fantastic season enjoyed by the senior club

was a result of continued development and commitment from previous seasons. With this in mind, I am delighted by the progress of the junior teams throughout the Spring Term and certainly the future promises continued success. Throughout the junior club, the players and coaches worked tirelessly with ‘development and progression’ as the primary markers of success and all those involved can be proud of a fine term. 2016 is an exciting year for Teddies Netball Club with a December tour to Barbados as an opportunity to build upon the success of the season. Pupils across all five year groups have been selected to represent the School in the Caribbean. Finally, enjoyment must remain central to all of our sporting endeavours at St Edward’s and as Master in Charge, I proudly reflect on a term where the pupils played and trained with smiles, enjoyed the company of their teammates (even on the long away trips) and developed excellent relationships with their coaches. So much was achieved in such a short term and once again I thank all of those who made it possible, including the unwavering parental support that the girls received when playing both at home and away.

Julian Measey

House Football

Double whammy: well done to Tilly’s, winners of the senior and junior House football contests at the end of term; the senior team is pictured above

Emma Measey ( Beachborough ) and Francesca Sargent ( Headington ) v Dean Close in March