This week...
On Wednesday, tomorrow, we have fixtures with Westbourne House, Farleigh and Walhampton. Unfortunately, owing to an outbreak of Covid at Westbourne the fixture has been compromised, but please see Mr Duncan’s letter detailing matches tomorrow. Details are echoed on SOCS, accessed via My School Portal.
On Thursday, Year 4 (Under 9s) and Year 3 (Under 8s) are involved in matches with Stroud and Price’s Mead.
On Saturday, it’s Farleigh again, with Stroud making an appearance too.
We have long been keen to be as inclusive as possible and have used a variety of strategies to achieve this. However, following some feedback, we are now committing to select entire year groups from Years 4-6 when they have home matches. This will all be in co-operation with the visiting school. The A, and in negotiation with our opposition, perhaps the B match too, will be played as straight fixtures. A round-robin / triangular format will also be staged to accommodate all other teams with no compromise in playing time. It is hoped that some joint training can also take place when teams are not playing, which would be great from a social point of view. Please be aware, all boys are already all selected for matches throughout Year 3.
Hockey is part of the PE programme for Years 3-7. The boys' shin-pads and mouth guards for this are compulsory please. Even if your son played hockey as part of the programme before Christmas, he should retain these items in school in case we need to combine groups. For example, when the College used their Sports Hall for their testing at the start of term. Many thanks.
Parallel Universe Inter-Set Rugby
Ever wondered if things had gone differently? What if Pilgrims’ had three Sets: Celts, Knights and Vikings?
This was the hypothetical situation brought to life on Saturday 15 January as we re-organised the Set structure to accommodate some rugby competition involving contact and touch.
There were four tournaments: U13, U12, Colts and U12 Touch.
U13 winners - Vikings
Mr Whitman reports: With no school fixture this weekend the U12 contact rugby group played an internal 8 a- side one off match. The Vikings matched up against The Barbarians in a fierce encounter. Neither side lacked commitment for the contest as ten tries were scored. It was encouraging to see training groundwork being used effectively by all players; especially in and around the tackle area. The Barbarians just edged out The Vikings 6 tries to 4.
Colts at play in front of the castle
In the Colt's tournament, the Knights were the victors by a narrow margin.
The Celts were the deserved winners of the U12 Touch rugby competition.
U13 Inter-Set hockey took place on Wednesday 19 January. Back to the usual five Sets this time, Normans took the honours.
Congratulations to...
Sebastian N participated in the Hampshire County Swimming Championships held at the Winchester Leisure Centre on Saturday, 15 January.
He gave an excellent account of himself and won gold in both the 100m team Individual Order Medley Relay, and the 100m Freestyle Team Medley. We are all very proud of Sebastian, and we wish him well in future events.
Ennis Z won the Spirit of the Game medal in the English ice hockey association U12 match against Swindon – a very strong side in the south of England. Playing in goal, Ennis had to keep his wits about him, attacked as he was, at one shot per minute! Good luck in your future matches, Ennis!
Last term, Henry and George S, together with their Dad OP Peter, climbed Ben Nevis, raised over £1000 for Children with Cancer UK, and ice-climbed for the first time! Inspirational!
Match reports
1st VII v PGS
Won 5-2 ( Silas K)
Our first match of the season against PGS had been keenly anticipated by boys and staff alike! There were a number of unknowns, particularly in regard to our ability to last 50 mins on a full-size pitch! However, the boys started brightly, and it became clear from the off, that we were going to be competitive. The opening saw both sides sizing each other up, with neither side creating many clear-cut chances. However, a slight change in formation, opting to flood the midfield, played immediate dividends, and we quickly found ourselves 3 goals to the good. We conceded 1 just before half-time, but we were good value for our 3-1 lead. We never really looked back from then and grew into the game.
Ollie M was impressive, running tirelessly and pressuring the PGS danger men, Santi Di F marshalled the defence with calm authority and Silas K's stick work and finishing were first class - his final goal was a proper jaw-dropper! However, every boy played impressively; George C was a real tenacious threat going forward, Raffy C and Alex H acted as crucial, skilful outlets on the wings, causing their opposition real problems, and Giovanni S's running and tackling meant we were never overrun on the counter. It finished 5-2 which was a fair reflection of our authority and an excellent way to start the season. Well done! WD
2nd VII v PGS
The Pilgrims' 2nds enjoyed a great afternoon of hockey and showed great spirit all afternoon. In a triangular fixture Pilgrims lost their first game by a goal to nil but showed moments of quality. In the 2nd match Pilgrims managed to break the deadlock and score a well worked goal but lost the game 3-1.
In the final game, after nonstop hockey for 45 mins the boys understandably began to fatigue and lost the match 3-0 despite having some joy in attacking areas through Ollie Robinson and Jayden P. Mayin D showed excelling work rate and Laurie S also showed his ability. On another day perhaps the boys will convert more of their opportunities and get a well-deserved win! JB
U12A XII v Stroud School
Lost 45 - 25 Tries: Osamede A 3, Tommy R, Toby L
We are not far away from putting a more convincing performance together. Today we were undone by a side that exploited the wide area through good passing and agile running. Our defence has yet to maintain a consistent execution of closing down opponents' time and space, as well as matching numbers in the right areas. There was, however, a good deal to cheer about as we crossed the line five times with our attacking efforts. A strong finish by the boys was indicative of their shoot-out and determination. AW
Colts A IX v Stroud
Draw 15-15 (Barnaby D 3)
Stroud came out of the blocks with fierce intent. Their tackling was skilful and courageous. However, after several phases of play Pilgrims’ scored in the far-left corner. Stroud bounced back with a vengeance. Rucking was their strength and before long they had scored a try of their own. Nevertheless, Pilgrims fought back and finished the half 15-5 up after two more well-worked tries by the team. The second half went Stroud’s way. With determination, they won more ball and made use of it. The final score reflected the game well. PB
Colts B IX v Stroud
Lost 25 – 10 (James H 2)
The Colts B team started well against the visitors and the game was evenly poised in the opening minutes. Stroud soon got the better of the somewhat sloppy Pilgrims’ defence, and ran through some quick tries to secure the game early on. The Bs were able to reply with two tries in the second half, courtesy of James H, who made a tremendous impact on the game. The Pilgrims’ boys learnt much from this encounter, and now understand the value of maintaining possession, and making first-time tackles. CXC
Colts C IX v Stroud
Won 50 –15 (Tristan S 2, Felix F 3, Lucas B 2, Balthazar J 3)
The Colts Cs put on an impeccable display and scored a number of breakaway tries early on in the game, owing to some disorganised defence from the visitors. A number of our boys relished the opportunity to pass the ball out wide, and play some lovely running rugby. The first half belonged to Pilgrims’, with 6 tries scored early in the game. The second half saw the visitors come back with renewed vigour, and they quickly scored three tries in response. The Pilgrims’ boys, who had taken their foot of the gas a little, then sprang into action and were able to reply with 4 more tries of their own to seal the game. A wonderful effort by our boys, and plenty to work with going forward.
Foals A VIII v Stroud
Lost 80-50 (Teddy E 4, Freddie S 3, Jacob H 2, Hugo C)
Pilgrims’ Foals A put in a stellar performance against a competitive Stroud team. It was a lovely afternoon for rugby, and the boys were engaged right from the first whistle. In a back-and-forth game, both teams were creating chances, playing expansive rugby. With a small pitch size, a broken tackle often lead to a try. The first half was run by the running power of Freddie S and agility of Jacob H – their efforts kept us well in the fight. Stroud were strong runners with the ball, but I was impressed by the physicality of our team. Hugo C lead the defensive line courageously. The second half was a similar affair, both teams playing open rugby. Teddy E scored 4, showing great determination. In the end Stroud outscored us, but this was an encouraging start to our season and the boys should take confidence from this. MTG
1st VII v Ballard School
Lost 1-0
Before the match started, the boys were given three aspects to focus upon. The first, use the width of the pitch effectively. The second was to play with energy and intensity. And finally, to play diagonal passes, as opposed to straight up the pitch. It took some time for the boys to adjust to these expectations, but they defended well as creating some good chances in the first half, despite conceding a goal. At half-time the three points were reiterated, and they resonated more, and the Pilgrims’ players began to stretch Ballard and create enough chances to win the match. There was a palpable and understandable sense of disappointment at the end of the match as the 1sts dwelled on what could have been. However, they must not lose sight of the massive improvement they made as a team. AA
2nd VII v Ballard School
Game 1 - Won 1-0
Game 2 – Lost 3-0
The 2nds were lucky enough to play two games on Wednesday afternoon. The first one showed real promise. Harrison K was excellent in goal, repelling anything that came his way, with the defence being marshalled superbly by Theo S and Matteo L. Nye B and Zaki F played well in midfield which allowed Felix M, Alex B and man of the match Ollie R to cause havoc going forward. Ollie R was excellent and was a constant menace, setting up Alex B for the only goal of the match towards the end. Sadly, we couldn’t replicate the same form or intensity in the second game, and we missed the calm authority of Harrison K in goal. We certainly had our chances but neglected to take them, conceding soft goals at the other end. Lessons to be learnt in terms of being clinical, but huge, huge strides forward and an excellent team effort – well done to all. WD
Andrew Short
Director of Sport
