Autumn Term Sports Report

Published: 16 Dec 2011   updated: 23 Jan 2012

The Autumn Term has been extremely busy with both fixtures and training for the PE department and the sports teams.

Lunchtime clubs have once again been dedicated to recreational activities, such as swimming, dance and team games. All ability levels have been welcomed and everyone encouraged to join in.

After-school clubs have been well attended with our sports captains and scholars assisting members of staff in the coaching of our promising junior teams. We thank them for their care and expertise.

EHS has once again continued to produce excellent performances when in competition. We have competed in local, regional and national competitions with success at every level in many different activities.

Athletics: Cross Country

It has been a busy season for the Cross Country squads who have been training regularly this year.

Both the Junior and Inter Girls have competed in the English Schools Cross Country Cup again this year, the first round of which took place at Bromsgrove in October. Both teams ran exceptionally well and both qualified for the regional round. Special mention must go to Harriet Woodward in Year 7 who represented Birmingham Schools in the inter county race and finished in an impressive 7^thplace.

Well done to all the Cross Country girls who have trained so hard this term. They have performed extremely well and we hope their dedication will continue next year.

The PE department would also like to thank Gabby Kinney for all the hard work she has put into training the girls this term.

Netball

The Year 7 netball squads have made an excellent start to their first season at EHS, with over 30 girls training regularly every week. For the Kings Norton league, the girls have been split into two squads. Both have won all their matches and the 'A' squad has scored 50 goals so far.

The Under 13 netball squads have worked extremely hard in training this year with more girls taking part than last year. They have played 5 league games so far this season and have lost only one league game. Mrs Hinton is looking forward to meeting the teams and running the training next term, to prepare for the end-of-season tournaments.

The Year 9 netball girls have trained well this term. Despite the cold wet evenings they have worked hard and shown determination to do well. They have won some of their matches and have always played with a competitive and fighting spirit.

The Under 15 squad has played well this term. They have fought well in their friendlies and have had to play against Year 11 teams in the Kings Norton league. The squad has shown commitment in training, always trying to beat the Under 16s. The team has once again been tremendous in playing against their own group and went on to win their age groups' Birmingham Schools tournament only a few weeks ago. The team comprised Ruth Fox, Heidi Stiles, Ellen Jones, Rose Marshall, Yazmin Takhar, Isabella Richards, Rebecca Tozer, Georgia Khanna, Natasha Smith and Captain, Eleanor Burns.

The Under 15 and 16 combined squad have had a busy and successful season so far. The highlight being winning the Birmingham Schools tournament, thereby qualifying for the next round and representing the West Midlands in the national tournament. Thanks must go to Eleanor Burns, Georgia Khanna, Natasha Smith and Yasmin Takhar, who have all played up an age group in this combined team.

The Under 16 team has had some closely fought matches in the Kings Norton league, losing only one game, but never their competitive spirit!

The Senior netball squad has continued to play with great heart and enthusiasm this term. It has been very good to see increased numbers and some new additions to the group who have never competed for the school before. The highlight of the season so far was the Senior A and B teams both beating Bishop Vesey School.

Mrs. Evans, Mrs Hewison and Miss Suter would like to say a big thank you to all the girls who have worked hard this term. They have made the coaches proud on many occasions. Well done to everyone and here's to some more victories next term!

Gymnastics

The Gymnastics Squad at EHS is once again having a successful season. The squad took part in the National Championships at Fenton, in November, and the Birmingham School Floor and Vault Competition that was held at Edgbaston High School on Friday 9^thDecember. All the gymnasts performed very well and gained a number of medals and certificates. EHS narrowly came second in the Birmingham Schools competition, being beaten by only one point. Well done to all!

Special thanks also go to Penny Speers for her coaching of the club and Charlotte Barnes for all her efforts as Gym Captain.

Hockey

Under 12 hockey has been as popular as ever this term, with over 25 girls regularly attending training after school on a Monday. We hope that they will continue to train hard next term ready for lots of matches after Christmas. Mrs Batchelor would particularly like to thank Miss Thomas for her coaching of this age group and all the energy and enthusiasm she dedicates to the coaching sessions. Mrs Batchelor would also like to congratulate all of the Year 7s who made it through to county hockey in the Under 12 and Under 13 age groups.

The Under 13 hockey squad have continued to make good progress this term with a record number of girls being selected for Birmingham Academy. They have played their first full 11 a side match against St Martin's, narrowly losing. Well done to all the squad who have turned up every week without fail, even when it's very cold, and we look forward to a long list of fixtures in 2012.

The Under 14 squad has had a good season so far; they have trained with renewed enthusiasm and level of motivation this term. They have developed a number of new tactical approaches allowing them to overcome many opponents. We believe this team has the potential to do very well in the future and look forward to watching their development.

The Under 15 team has made real progress this term putting in some tough performances. They have played with great determination and spirit culminating in third place in the West Midlands tournament. They have played very well in all of their matches; in particular we were incredibly impressed with their outstanding match against St. Martin's Year 11 side, which they won 4-0. Special congratulations should go to Yasmin Takhar who has joined the team for the first time this term; she has been a talented addition to the side.

The Senior team have had a quiet term with only a few fixtures. They played well in their tournament but unfortunately did not progress. However, almost all of the team play regular Hockey for clubs such as Harborne, Edgbaston and Sutton Coldfield, where they continue to develop individually as players. This team has a number of fixtures approaching next term and Mrs Batchelor would like to stress the importance of all members of the team attending training sessions.

Miss Vann and Mrs Batchelor would like to thank all girls who have contributed to the EHS hockey teams this year. Training has been long and cold but once again we have had record number of girls being selected for county or regional development squads. Well done to all!

Fencing

This term has once again been successful, with a number of new members joining the club. They have all passed their Grade One foil and have passed, or are well on their way to passing, Grade Two foil. The numbers for senior fencing are also still going strong. Special thanks must go to Freya Woodward and Harriet Shirley-Priest for the number of competitions they take part or are involved in. Training is currently underway for Kian Al-Ibrahim, Freya and Harriet, in preparation for the Nationals Championships in Crystal Palace which take place in March 2012. Continuing thanks must go to Prof Northam for his commitment and dedication to EHS Fencing.

Lifesaving

Lifesaving club has been very busy this term. The following new club members have achieved Rookie Bronze 3 Award: Charley Johnson, Saskia Freshwater, Marium Khan, Macy Smith, Cerys Stotts and Katharine Wyatt.

Congratulations also to the following girls who have achieved their Bronze Medallion: Safia Ahmed, Jemima Downing, Anna Marshall, Bethany O'Donoghue, Rebecca Presswood and Kate Stedman.

Well done to all the girls and special thanks to Mrs Link for running the club so energetically.

With The BBC Sports Personality of the Year being decided next weekend - sadly with the exclusion of any female sportswomen - EHS continues to award its own outstanding performance awards. These are awarded for Team of the Season so far and the Outstanding Individual Performance of the term.

The Team of the Season goes to the combined Under 15 and 16 Netball team, for winning the Birmingham round of the National Netball competition and then going on to represent the county at the regional tournament in January.

This term's award for Outstanding Individual Performance goes to Yasmin Takhar who has shown outstanding commitment to all sports. She plays netball and hockey for both school teams and has been an exceptional new addition to the school hockey team. She is also a talented gymnast. She is enthusiastic and always strives to perform to the best of her ability.

We began the academic year preparing for the Girls Go Gold Conference and the opening of our fitness suite. Both events were a huge success and Mrs Batchelor would like to thank all of the PE staff and other staff members for making both events possible - it was a great team effort. Praise must also go to the exceptional hard work of the stewards on the day, to Mrs Lund and Mrs Cartwright for all their hard work - not forgetting the work, also, of Mr Weeks and Mr Lund.

Thank you to all who were involved and thank you to the PE department for all the hard work throughout the rest of the term. Mrs Hinton, who will be covering for Mrs Batchelor, looks forward to joining the school and meeting the classes she will teach.