Bridgewater School – Prep. Department

Bridgewater School reached the dizzy heights of the AJIS U11 Cup Quarter-Finals last week. Following on from a successful qualifying tournament in September, Kirkham Grammar School were pulled out of the hat to take on Bridgewater for a place in the semi- finals.

The opening exchanges of the game were understandably nervy and the more experienced visitors seized upon this to take an early lead. Bridgewater rallied swiftly and started to assert themselves on the game and their approach play was particularly good. Unfortunately, a variety of chances came and went, whilst the Kirkham goalkeeper was proving to be quite an obstacle too. A break away attack from a Bridgewater corner saw the ball swept into back of the net to put the hosts 2-0 down.

Much to the team’s credit, heads did not drop and Bridgewater pressed to get back into the game. A drive from Alfie was again saved by the Kirkham keeper, but with the ball falling at Harrison’s feet a goal seemed certain. Somehow, the shot was scrambled away and a golden chance disappeared to get back into the game. However, the team are resilient and the subsequent corner was beautifully floated in by Matteo and was met by a stunning header from Alfie. The first half ended with a 2-1 lead for the visitors, but Bridgewater were in the ascendancy going into the break.

Knowing the next goal was crucial, Bridgewater dominated the early stages of the second half. Both teams had plenty of the ball, but both defences were in excellent form. Harper was magnificent at the back, whilst Matteo was a more than able centre back partner. Midway through the second half, Bridgewater got the equaliser they so richly deserved. Josh and Alfie combined in midfield to prod the ball towards goal and Freddie pounced to poke tie ball beyond the advancing keeper. With eight minutes to go, it was all to play for and either team could have won this one.

Bridgewater continued to try to play football, but there is more than one way to win a football match. Another long ball from the Kirkham keeper was to prove to be the undoing of Bridgewater. As the ball dropped onto the edge of the area, the ball ricocheted off an unfortunate Bridgewater defender, wrong footing keeper Oliver A and nestled into the bottom corner of the goal.

The distraught Bridgewater team pushed forward for an equaliser in the remaining minutes. Josh dribbled and weaved, Freddie chased down the nail upfront and Alfie put in shot after shot. Today was not going to be our day however, and this was typified by a breakaway goal with the last kick of the game to give a relieved Kirkham Grammar a 4-2 win. The squad was disappointed but they will learn much from the game moving forward and with so many talented youngsters coming through, the sporting future is bright for Bridgewater.

The sporting reputation of Bridgewater continues to grow, as the U9s travelled into deepest West Lancashire to accept a challenge from Scarisbrick Hall School. A combination of Prep III and Prep IV footballers arrived at the sumptuous grounds of the hosts but they were definitely not overawed by their surroundings.

From the kick off, it was evident that Bridgewater were the stronger and better organised team collectively and individually. Alfie tested the opposing keeper early on with a series of long range drives, hitting the post, the cross bar and bringing out two flying saves that thrilled the spectators. We did not have to wait long for the opening goal, as Anton moved in from the right wing to convert a Joel cross. Moments later, Josh hit a curing shot destined for the top corner, until a brilliant save from a defender gave Bridgewater a penalty.  Alfie converted the penalty, before going on to set up Tommy Jack for two quick goals.

Luca C was replaced in goal without touching the ball, allowing Kian to make his debut.  Kian made an important stop almost immediately, but was powerless to prevent Scarisbrick pulling a goal back from a deflected free kick. The last word of the half went to Bridgewater, as Josh rifled home a super shot from the edge of the area. Half time arrived with the score reflecting Bridgewater’s dominance, 5-1.

In the second half, Scarisbrick rallied to put the Bridgewater defence under greater pressure. However, the centre back trio of Molly, Toby and Luca B snuffed out most attacks comfortably.
In midfield, Alfie, Josh, Anton and Joel energetically broke up attacks and passed the ball around with increasing confidence. Meanwhile, Tommy Jack was a constant thorn in the side of the home defence. The pleasing element of the game was how well the team were keen to pass the ball around and the strength in depth of the squad was a pleasure to see. Sebastian had his best game yet, Kian looked competent in goal, Alex continues to develop his tackling and awareness, whilst debuts were given to Harrison and the combative Samual.

Bridgewater continued to create changes throughout the game and the goals flowed at regular intervals. Tommy Jack and Josh both completed their hat tricks, whilst Joel chipped in with a goal at the end of the game. The match finished 9-2 in favour of Bridgewater and we now look to see if the U10s and U11s can match the U9’s performance when they travel to Scarisbrick next week. Well done team on a very impressive display today!

The Prep girls footballers were back in action for the first time since Valencia. The weather was a million miles away from the Spanish sunshine, as we headed for St Bedes, Manchester to play in a three way tournament with the hosts and Bury Grammar.

For many, it was to be their first experience of playing in an actual game and hopefully the freezing cold and rain has not put them off. I promise you girls, it will be much warmer in Valencia in October when we return! The A team and B team both kicked off with games against Bury Grammar A and B. The B team were involved in an end to end game with the ball flying around the pitch in all directions. Evie, Jess and Holly were busy in midfield, Jasmine foraged about in attack, whilst Freya and Juliette denied opposition attacks in defence. When the defence was breached, Emily proved to be a more than capable goalkeeper. With time running out, Jess found herself free in front of goal and fired home coolly to give the excited girls a well earned 1-0 win.

The A team found the going a bit tougher against Bury Grammar A team. Two early goals were enough to win the game for Bury, whilst Bridgewater struggled to settle into playing as a team for the first time. In the second half, Ellen twice went close to getting the team back into the game. Esme battled away up front, Allegra and Nyla were energetic in midfield, whilst Molly and Dina looked increasingly in control at the back as the game wore on.

In game three, the A team played the first half, with the B team taking over in the second half against Bury Grammar B. This combination proved far too strong for the opposition and Bridgewater dominated possession in both halves of the game. A first half hat trick from Ellen gave the team a comfortable 3-0 half time lead. Jess, Evie, Holly and Juliette all went close to adding to the lead in the second half, before Jasmine and Freya put the game to bed late on to seal a 5-0 win.

The final game of the afternoon was against the hosts St Bedes.  Molly and Dina were busy at the back as the hosts pressed for a win, whilst Emma made some important saves in the Bridgewater goal. Ellen again went the closest to scoring for Bridgewater, but with the snow starting to fall, the game was cut short to give both teams a point and a chance to get warm and a biscuit! Well done girls, good to see you all playing and enjoying football once again and we look forward to returning to St Bedes in a few weeks for the AJIS 7-a-side tournament.

The U9s started the new year in fine style, with a convincing 21-12 victory over a strong Pownall Hall Prep. The same players had lost 5-2 in a football match before Christmas, but the ISA Tag Rugby Champions of 2018/19 were in no mood to lose this game. With the match split into four quarters of 10 minutes each, the half time score of 11-10 gave no hint of the dominance that Bridgewater were to exert in the second half of the game.

Bridgewater began the game showing the attaching flair that they were going to demonstrate throughout the whole of the game. Alfie received the ball from the first pass and dodged and weaved his way past a bemused defence to touch down in the corner. This was to be a move that Alfie was to produce time and time again, often with the same result in the same corner of the pitch. In fact, Alfie was to score a brilliant 10 tries to guide the team into a commanding position and ultimately to win the game.

Despite controlling the game the half time score of 11-10 somewhat flattered the hosts. Attacking wise, Bridgewater were able to score freely, with two tries from the elusive Josh and a hat trick of tries from Luca C giving the team the lead at half time. The contrast in styles was evident and a rule change for the second half to not allow the knock-on played into Bridgewater’s hands beautifully. With Pownall Hall looking to throw the ball around, handling errors occurred as the Bridgewater defence pressured the opposition backwards and into a string of errors.

Meanwhile, the direct running approach of the Bridgewater team proved just too much for the hosts to handle. Josh added another two tries as did Luca C, whilst Toby and Joel ram in their own tries of individual brilliance. Luca B, Jackson, Anton and Sebastian all went close to adding to the score, but there contribution to the defensive work of the team should not be underestimated.

With the U9 netball team losing a thrilling match 13-12, it was a very satisfying afternoon of sport for the Bridgewater youngsters. There are a host of sporting fixtures on the horizon including netball, football and basketball. The next big event that all can get involved in is the final round of the Salford Cross Country League at Buile Hill Park on Saturday 19th January at 9-15am. We hope to see as many of our Prep 111-VI runners as possible at the event this weekend.

Reception were introduced to the world of digital media today as they learned how to take photographs using a digital camera during their Computing lesson.  They learned about the lens, shutter and view finder, and how to hold the camera steady when taking their pictures.  Not every picture was fantastic, but we’re sure you’ll agree there are some excellent pictures in this collection – and we’ve certainly got some posers in Early Years!

The U9s travelled to the MCFC Academy to participate in the annual Christmas Tournament, to compete amongst seventeen schools from across Greater Manchester. The standard was set in the opening game when Bridgewater met eventual winners St Anne’s, Stockport. Both teams went at each other for the win, with Alfie testing the keeper from distance on several occasions. A series of corners and free-kicks led to the opening goal from St Anne’s that was to prove ultimately decisive in the outcome of the tournament overall. A lucky ricochet from a Jackson clearance flew into the back of the Bridgewater net to put Bridgewater behind, but not down. The team rallied and it was another Alfie thunder bolt that proved too hot to handle and to ensure both teams took a point each from the game.

Game two became a must win game in the group stages and Bridgewater went about their task vigorously. A flowing move involving Josh and Tommy resulted in a tremendous goal from Luca B who drilled home a shot from the edge of the area. A hand ball from a Josh shot gave Alfie the chance to double the lead from the penalty spot, whilst Anton tapped home from close range from a Luca B cross to give Bridgewater a comfortable 3-0 win over Marton C of E Primary School. However, despite the great result and performance it was the missed chances in the game that would prove costly, as the top team from the group would now be decided on goal difference.

Knowing a win by more three goals was needed, the team put in a tremendous showing to dominate possession and beat a tough opponent in the final game of the group stages. Josh opened the scoring early on and another Alfie piledriver put Bridgewater 2-0 up against The Devine Mercy C of E Primary School. As the team pressed for more goals, disaster was averted at the other end, when keeper Luca C produced a fabulous flying save to preserve the lead. With the last kick of the game Alfie fired in a wonderful free kick that unfortunately hit the outside of the post and away to safety.

The result put Bridgewater into the tougher half of the draw, having to play only the winners of the other groups from here on in. Stamford Park were the opposition in the quarter-final and the team had to be at their best to beat a very stubborn side. Jackson and Toby had little to do at the back, as Josh, Alfie and Luca B controlled the game in midfield. The chances came and went for Bridgewater, with Tommy, Anton and Alex all being denied by the in-form Stamford keeper.  Another spectacular save from another Alfie strike seemed to have destined the game to go into extra-time, until Josh hit a dipping, swerving shot that even two goalkeepers would have struggles to save. The team was now only one step away from the final with St Catherine’s of Didsbury standing in the way of an eagerly anticipated re-match with St Anne’s.

The semi-final ebbed and flowed early on, until Bridgewater gradually asserted their authority on the game. Tommy had a great chance to open the scoring, before Luca C pulled of another fantastic flying save. However, following the save, the ball was given away to the St Catherine’s striker, who slotted home to give them a surprise 1-0 lead. With time running out, Alfie went on a Messi style solo run to score the goal of the tournament and take the game into extra-time. Both teams pressed for the winner and Jackson stepped into midfield to create a chance for Josh that was pushed away and the game went into the dreaded penalty shoot-out for a place in the final. Alfie, Josh and Jackson all converted their spot kicks, whilst Luca C got his hands to one of the penalties but could not prevent sudden death kicks. Unfortunately, Tommy scraped the post with his penalty and St Catherine’s converted theirs to go onto the final. It was a true football style ending to the tournament for Bridgewater, who will understand the heartache suffered by many an England team over the years! Well done to every player and I look forward to more exciting games in the New Year!

Please find attached the latest Prep magazine edition.  Enjoy!

Prep magazine edition 8 Winter 2018-2019