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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.
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
House
Football
Emma Measey (
Beachborough
) and Francesca Sargent (
Headington
) v Dean Close in March
Julian Measey