Sports Report Friday 17 Sept 2010
Last week was a busy week for sport at Strood Academy, with several clubs getting underway and the beginning of the football season.
On Monday, the Year 11 boys took on BETHS in the Kent Cup and were on the wrong end of a 12-0 defeat. The most pleasing aspect of the performance was the spirit shown by the players as they did not let their heads drop at any point during the game, and were already enthusiastically talking about the next game after coming off the pitch. There were notable performances by Ben Jewiss who pulled off a string of fine saves, and Spencer Smeed who had his best game since he began representing his school.
On Tuesday, the year 9 boys contested a closely fought game against Robert Napier in the Medway League. Napier took the lead after an end to end start to the first half, but the Year 9s soon equalised after Brandon Neal pounced on a long throw. Another exciting second half saw chances for both teams, but Napier scored the winner on the hour mark to clinch a hard fought 2-1 victory. Ben Pratt was outstanding in defence for Strood, and George Surry and Harry Smith crafted some excellent openings from midfield. With Burgess and Carter returning from injury and illness this week, the year 9s have a strong squad going into next weeks cup game with Valley Park.
On Friday, the Year 10s also took on Robert Napier in the Medway League. Another exciting game ensued, with Strood taking the lead through Joshua Jackson after powering his way through the Napier defence. Napier soon equalised, sparking a see-saw battle with both sides creating chances, Connor Crew and Jackson again going close for the Academy, and Ryan Thomas pulling off some great saves in the Strood goal. As the half wore on, there were injuries suffered by Milton, Chambers and Sweeney, which added to the challenge of kicking up the slope in the second half into the wind. However, the boys stuck to their task, but their resistance was finally broken when Napier scored a penalty that Thomas did well to get a hand to. In attempting the save, Thomas injured his shoulder and was carried off, with Milton taking over in goal, effectively on one leg. Despite scoring a fifth goal late in the game, the fight shown by the boys on the back of some horrendous luck with injuries was superb, and they too can look forward to a promising season. Wilkes, Milton and Pullen excelled in midfield, and Arundeep Sangha and Jack David showed immense bravery in defence.
In addition to boys’ football, the girls also begun training on Thursday, with a session delivered by an outside coach. 14 girls turned out to hone their skills and it would be fantastic to see more girls at football this Thursday, whether you’re an accomplished player or just starting out.
Other clubs that started last week were girls and boys rugby, and again it would be fantastic to see a as many of you there as possible this Tuesday, with Mr Kent, Mr Freeman and Mr O’Donnell as your enthusiastic coachesŅ…
Mrs Mortley’s fitness club is also running this Thursday, with a wide range of activities including yoga, boxercise and circuit training.
Mrs Antoniou’s athletics club continues every Wednesday. It would be great to see as many boys and girls from all year groups attend and have some fun whilst trying to get fit. As part of the athletics club we will also be doing some cross country with the intention of entering a Strood Academy team in this years District event.
Finally, Miss Deacon and Miss Harrison’s netball club is up and running on a Tuesday, with fixtures to begin in October. It would be great to get some strong teams out in the Medway League this year to compete for the local bragging rights. All abilities are welcome, we encourage everyone to come and improve their skills whether you are a beginner or seasoned player!