During the early part of March, our cross-country runners successfully completed the final race of the 'Fenland League' cross country competition recently which took place at Burghley Park, Stamford. Special mention to Iris who finished 5th and Nyah who finished in 12th place. Well done to all involved.

This last few weeks have seen the winding up of the netball season, with a number of matches across different competitions.  One such event was the SLSSA (South Lincolnshire Schools' Sports Association) U13 tournament, where our Year 8 netball team put on an excellent performance, finishing an impressive third out of ten teams.  They represented the School exceptionally well through their attitude, teamwork and commitment.  Congratulations to all the players involved.

During the month, our Year 12 Sports Leaders demonstrated that it's as much about taking part in events as it is working in the background!  Starting with getting stuck in to an exciting T1 Rugby training session, learning the fundamentals of coaching and leading a game.  The experience gave the students a valuable insight.  Later in the month, they found themselves on the other side of an event when they helped with the School Games Primary Netball Tournament for Year 5 and 6 students from local schools.  Our students played an important role by organising and running the event, taking responsibility for coaching teams, time-keeping and umpiring games.  Throughout, they demonstrated excellent communication and organisation skills as they guided players through warm-ups, explained rules and encouraged fair play on court. While umpiring, they showed confidence and fairness in making decisions, helping younger players understand the game and maintain a respectful sporting environment.  Overall, the Primary Netball Tournament was a great success.

Our Year 7 netball team recently brought their netball season to an exciting close while taking part in a competitive tournament against nine other teams. It was a fantastic opportunity for the players to showcase the skills, teamwork, and determination they have developed throughout the session.  As the tournament progressed, the team grew in confidence, winning several matches and earning their place in the final.  Although they narrowly missed out on first place, finishing second out of ten teams is an incredible achievement and a brilliant way to end the season. 

Completing their netball season, the Year 8 team executed a superb performance against Bourne Grammar School later in March, securing an impressive 14 - 5 victory.  The team demonstrated excellent teamwork, determination and skill throughout the match, maintaining strong defensive play and showcasing some fantastic attacking moves. Their hard work in training was clearly evident as they played with great confidence and sportsmanship from start to finish.  This fantastic result means they are now crowned winners of the SLSSA South League - an outstanding achievement for the team!

Also winding up their netball season were our Year 10s who faced a strong Bourne Grammar side.  Although the game finished 20-8, there were some really promising periods of the game, with the third quarter being their best.

Shifting our focus to football, Friday 13th was definitely unlucky for our U14s who faced last year's Lincolnshire County Cup winners, King Edward Grammar School, Louth, in the quarter final.  Despite controlling the majority of the game, we were unfortunately knocked out of the cup by a last minute goal. We had numerous chances throughout the game and kept their goalkeeper very busy, but could not find the winning goal.  Player of the Match was Cimmy, who played one of her best games for the School, battling throughout in midfield, both attacking and defensively.

The following week saw our Under 12 team continue their Lincolnshire County Cup run when they travelled to St George's Academy, Sleaford for their quarter-final.  A poor start to the game led to a two goal deficit early in the first half, but goals from Nyah and Blossom restored the balance by half-time.  As the second half got underway, the U12s conceded again trailing 3-2, before a composed finish from Annalise bought them level once more with about 10 minutes left to play.  A game full of action, a penalty for both teams, and numerous chances at both ends of the pitch had Miss Magnus on the edge of her seat!  However, another brilliant strike from Annalise gave them the lead with a minute to go, securing their place in the semi-finals.  Player of the Match was Emily, who played her first match for the School and was pivotal in securing the win with both her defensive tackles and attacking forward runs and passes.  

Continuing the U12s County Cup story, the beginning of April saw them taking on Spalding Academy in their semi-final.  A very close first half led to neither team managing to make the score sheet, despite both having chances. The second half saw an excellent strike by Annalise early on.  Followed by two goals from Maddie later in the half to secure a 3-0 win and their place in the County Cup final!  It was a real team performance with many having their best game so far for SHS.  The players voted Abi as Player of the Match for her goalkeeping performance.  The final will be held on 30th April, details to follow to parents when they are available.

Last but not least this term our U13 and U15 football teams competed in the SSSA 7 a-side tournament.  The U15 team was made up solely of Year 9's due to Y10 work experience week.  Despite facing opposition teams a year older, they played exceptionally well to secure runners up place! Well done to all of you.  The U13 team also did a great job, finishing as overall winners of their age group having been clinical in front of goal! Well done!

We look forward to sharing more sports news next term.  To see images from the sports events in this article CLICK HERE.