Prep III had a fantastic time in Chester learning all about the Rotten Romans! The children took part in various during the morning, including dressing up as a Roman man and woman, creating mosaics and handling artefacts.
In the afternoon the children got into their Roman armour and marched through the streets of Chester for formation training in the amphitheatre.
Worsley Netball League Match vs. Wardley – Wednesday 29th January
What a fantastic match from start to finish. From the beginning it was an extremely competitive match. Wardley’s ability to throw the ball into space for one their team mates to run on to was causing Bridgewater’s defence, the GK and GD, lots of trouble. However, Bridgewater equally matched their speed, Yasmeen and Allegra were superb at regaining possession from an interception and passing the ball into Eloise in the attacking D in order to shoot. The game stayed level until just before the end – luckily we had Anya and Eloise as the attacking players for the last quarter and they managed to win the game by only one point. Well done to all – we’re certainly looking forward to another match with Wardley.
Worsley Netball Friendly Match vs. St. Marks CofE and Branwood – Tuesday 4th February
Branwood
We knew this was going to be a competitive match as both of those schools are in the higher league but Bridgewater wanted the challenge to try and beat them. To begin with we played Branwood. We played high fives, which means after every quarter you have to swap position or come off and rest in the squad of 7. Again this was a very close game with only two goals between the two sides at any time. Bridgewater have got so much better at driving forward and receiving the pass on the run. At time we used tactics such as holding the space in the D, this was particularly effective when using Eloise’s height with a high pass. All were extremely fast on both sides, however in the end we lost by two goals, the final score being 9-7.
St. Marks
We had arranged to play a 40 minute match, therefore the girls in total played one whole hour of intense Netball. By our second game the girls were warmed up and ready to win. We played 3 quarters of high five netball and the last 7 a side. Another intense game but the girls remembers some of the tactics taught to them, especially ‘holding their space’ and receiving the ball over the top of their defender, passing to the C on the circle edge and receiving closer to the net, and waiting to pass to someone driving forward at speed. With all these implemented we were a very hard team to beat. However St. Marks were equally good and again the score remained very close, even with St. Marks edging ahead at times in the game. It wasn’t until the last quarter when Eloise played in the D and the girls played 7 a side Netball that we were able to go a couple of goals in front. The game finished 12-9. Well done to all. The two red faces of Allegra and Yasmeen at the end of the match attest to the effort the girls put in!
Forthcoming fixtures
ISA U11 Netball Tournament
Wednesday 26th Feb
@ Hulme Hall School (AWAY)
7 a side Netball
Start at 10am
Finish for 3pm
Worsley Netball League Match V St. Charles
Thursday 27th March
@ BRIDGEWATER
Start at 3:30pm
Finish for 4:40pm
Friendly Netball Match V Pownall School
Wednesday 4th March
@ Pownall – AWAY
7 a side Netball
Start at 2:30pm
Finish for 4pm
Worsley Netball League Match v Moorside & Christ the King
Wednesday 11th March
@ BRIDGEWATER
Start at 3:30 Finish for 5:30pm
High Fives Netball – Squad of 7.
Worsley Netball League Match v Wardley
Thursday 19th March
@ BRIDGEWATER
Start at 3:30 Finish for 5:30pm
High Fives Netball – Squad of 7.
With a hint of Spring sunshine in the air, our gardeners took advantage of the mild weather and planted out the first of what will be many seeds for the growing season ahead. Three different varieties of dahlias, some verbena, some Shasta daisies and, for the kitchen, some basil. Of course, we don’t expect the decent weather to last so these will go to Mr. Suter’s allotment to germinate until they’re big and strong enough to come back into school for the children to look after.
Bridgewater entered new territory this week, as they took part in the U11 AJIS Hockey Tournament at Manchester Grammar School. With 12 experienced schools involved and the Bridgewater boys having only a few sessions to learn the basics of the game, any victory was going to be an achievement. However, the team know how to battle, work hard and adapt to tactical situations. This was evident in the first pool game as Bridgewater switched from a 2-3-1 formation to a more attacking 1-3-2 shape early on in the match. Hari moves up front to support Moaed and the extra pressure soon began to tell on the Scarisbrick defence. Five short corners, chances for Matteo and Jaydon and eventually Craig found Moaed in space, to sweep the ball in the net. Game one and mission accomplished, a first win for Bridgewater.
Things got even better for Bridgewater in game two, as they stunned Bolton School with their energy and pressing game. The opposition keeper was in great form to deny shots from Craig, Moaed, Regan, Matteo and Jaydon. A scrambled clearance on the Bolton goal denied Craig a goal before Jaydon scored a fabulous solo goal to give Bridgewater another 1-0 win.
A terrific start for the team but things were only going to get tougher as the competition progressed. Game three saw Kings of Chester take to the pitch and it was clear from the off that they were on another level. Bridgewater had little possession but Thomas and Tobias were excellent in defence. Meanwhile in goal, George was inspirational and kept out a string of shots from the Chester team. Bridgewater eventually went down 1-0 to the eventual finalists in the overall tournament.
In game four and five, a win would put Bridgewater into the Cup semi- finals, whilst a point would put them in the Plate semi-finals. The latter was achieved first as a closely fought game between Newcastle under Lyne ended in a 0-0 draw. Matteo had a great chance to win the game following a delightful Jaydon run, but both teams would have been disappointed to lose the game. In the final game of the group stages, Bridgewater needed to beat hosts Manchester Grammar to reach the Cup semi-finals. A lapse in concentration at a short corner resulted in MGS scoring the only goal of the game. Although slightly disappointed, the team progressed into the Plate semi-final and a genuine opportunity to reach a first ever hockey final.
In the semi-final, Cheadle School were expected to reach the final over the inexperienced Bridgewater team. Once again, George was fantastic in goal, whilst Thomas and Tobias were dynamic in defence. David and Regan tried to drive the team on, as Craig, Matteo and Jaydon began to tire. With time running out, Tobias tackled, Craig played a glorious ball down field for Moaed to sweep past the advancing keeper. Cheadle were distraught and could not believe what had just happened, whilst a shocked Bridgewater team had minutes to prepare for the AJIS Plate Final.
AKS of Lytham lie in wait for Bridgewater and were eyeing up the trophy as the game bullied off. In all honesty, the team were running on empty now and once more, Tobias and Thomas were awesome in defence. Bridgewater struggled to create too many chances and both teams never really dominated in normal time. With the scores level at full time, the game went into golden goal territory. At this point, Bridgewater found an extra gear and pressed for the win. Incredibly, a goal mouth scramble in the last seconds saw chances cleared off the line from Craig, Matteo and Moaed. The final whistle blew to end the game and under tournament rules, both teams were declared joint winners of the trophy. With 12 schools in attendance, to reach the final stages of the tournament and take a share in the honours is more than we could have expected before the event began. Well done boys and hopefully a few of you will have discovered a new sport to try out more in the future!
Prep Five enjoyed a Greek History Day on Wednesday, using costumes, drama, dance, board games and art to learn about the two rival cities, Athens and Sparta.
Molly was a suitably hard-hearted Spartan mother, sending her seven year old son Heracles (also known as Nathan) off too army school, where he learnt to be a ruthless warrior. Kayley modelled a Spartan soldier’s armour, while Joel, Alfie and Jackson tested the Spartan weapons and shield, all looking appropriately fearsome!
Back in Athens, the home of the very first theatre, Joshua and Evie dressed as two monstrous characters from mythology, Medusa and the Minotaur. Meanwhile, a rich Athenian couple- better known as Esme and Sabri- went shopping for slaves at the Agora, choosing Luca B to work in their silver mines and Harrison as their potter.
In the afternoon, we made clay coins using Greek designs including snakes, bees, turtles, temples and Zeus’s lightning bolt. Next, we moved to the hall to dress up for a performance of Persephone, a myth which explains why we have seasons. Mason was the dark and sinister God Hades, ably assisted by Alfie, Josh and Joel as Cerberus the howling three headed dog, and Dexter as Charon who ferried the dead across the River Stix. As in traditional Greek plays, the chorus told the story and provided a lively musical accompaniment- Sabri’s horn playing was especially rousing- while the masked heroine Demeter and her daughter Persephone, played by Chloe and Abigail, acted out the events.
Finally, we ended our day with some Greek dancing and tried balancing the Goddess Hera’s magic peacock feathers on our fingers…. tricky! At the end of the day we were able to make an informed choice as to whether we would have wanted to live in Sparta or Athens. Most of our intrepid class chose the rigours of Sparta, although a few of us preferred the more civilised life in Athens. Many thanks to Andy and Alison from The Makers of History, who gave us such an exciting day and brought Ancient Greece to life. Thanks too to all our parents for their continued support.
The Bridgewater U10 football team travelled to Platt Lane Sports Complex in Manchester to participate in the AJIS Football Tournament. With 16 schools competing for honours it was going to take a monumental effort to progress through the rounds. The first task was to win the group in order to qualify for the semi-finals of the main competition. With the rain lashing down and the wind blowing across the 4G pitches, Bridgewater kicked off against St Ambrose knowing a good start was needed.
Playing in defence but with a license to break into midfield, Alfie made the most of the brief and tested the keeper early on. A couple of sighters later and Alfie had put Bridgewater into a deserved 1-0 lead. However, the boys were struggling to find their rhythm against top quality opposition and chances were limited for Tommy, Josh and Anton across the front line. Eventually, Bridgewater cracked under the pressure of a long throw and failed to clear the ball and the game was level at 1-1. With time running out, Alfie drove down the wing and fired the winner into the bottom corner of the net for a deserved 2-1 victory.
Next up was the hosts St Bedes and for some reason, Bridgewater played with too much respect and fear of their opponents. Goalkeeper Luca struggled to keep out three fierce drives and Bridgewater found themselves 3-0 down very early on. Although the team were shell shocked, they recovered to score a lovely team goal involving Toby, Josh and Tommy, before Luca B fired into the back of the net.
With qualification for the “Champions League” all but over, the team had to win the final group game to go through to the semi-finals of the “Europa” league competition. Merchant Taylor’s from Liverpool stood between Bridgewater and progression. Toby and Alfie were solid at the back and Josh, Luca and Joel probed from midfield. Alfie had a wonderful shot saved by the keeper and Anton hit the post with the rebound. With two minutes to go Tommy charged down the opposition centre back to win back the ball and beat the keeper to the rebound to prod the ball over the line. Bridgewater hung in for the 1-0 win to see them into the semi- final.
Stockport Grammar awaited the team in the semi and were in no mood to go out of the competition at this stage. Alfie and Toby were caught out at the back and Stockport went into a deserved 1-0 lead. Luca made an important save to keep the score to 1-0 and Josh put in an amazing tackle on the goal line to prevent a second and decisive goal for Stockport. With seconds to go, Alfie rode two tackles down the left and blasted the ball into the bottom corner to send the game into “golden goal” extra time. By now Bridgewater were dominant and it took a foul to stop Alfie putting Bridgewater into the final. His free kick was a delight to see, 25 yards out, curling around the wall only to crash back off the post. The dreaded penalty shoot-out was next with two penalties for each team. Alfie scores his after Stockport missed their first penalty. Needing to score, the Stockport striker fired the ball into the bottom right of the goal, only to see Luca spring across and make a spectacular save to put a jubilant Bridgewater into the final.
The mighty Grange School lay in wait for the team, but the boys had saved their best performance for last. Bridgewater dominated the game from start to finish and sprayed the ball around with renewed confidence. Sabri and Luca shared the keeper duties but were rarely troubled. Chances came thick and fast and Bridgewater finally found a ruthless streak. Goals from Alfie, Josh, Tommy and Anton (2) gave the team a thumping 5-0 win! Alfie earned the man of the match award but the whole team can take great pride and credit for their determination, tenacity and of course their football ability. A great day’s work, especially when the rest of the school had the day off for the Entrance Exams. Well done team!
School is a fantastic place for children to to learn and practice their favourite – and new – sports, but there are also many many opportunities to continue those sporting skills outside of school.
Mr. Altdorf has compiled a list of just some local clubs for your children to participate in – if course, we would welcome further links from clubs not mentioned here. Click on the link above the picture for a clearer version of the sporting links poster.
