22 September 2021
Hockey v Cheadle Hulme - Saturday 18 September
1st XI vs Cheadle Hulme
The 1st XI have had a good ‘run in’ of friendly matches over the last few weeks against Kings Macclesfield, Garstang HC 1st XI and Longridge HC. They always knew this would be a great fixture and it certainly didn’t disappoint!
KGS took control from the start and retained possession in all areas of the pitch. Great runs from Jasmine Schofield opened up chances in the ‘D’ and some great passes from Emily Marsh exposed the Cheadle defence. Close to half time, Captain Libby Baxter made a great run from the back opening up space to slot the ball through to Jess Cole who converted with a great reverse-stick strike. The 2nd half allowed for further chances on goal from Margerison, Cole and Hartley-Smith but unfortunately KGS were unable to convert leaving the final score at 1-0. A great team performance from a very young senior 1st XI.
U15 v Cheadle Hulme
The under 15s were ready to get their first game underway. They started the game trying to find their feet after not playing on a full 11 aside pitch in a long time. Thankfully, this problem was soon resolved with a quick break from the back and an early goal scored by Lilly Jones. KGS dominated the first half working well as a team and communicating from the backs through the mids and to the forwards. A second goal was then scored by Anna Wileman putting us in a 2-nil lead, which we were able to maintain for the remainder of the game through teamwork and hardworking goalie Lily Hunt.
U14 1st Team v Cheadle Hulme
The under 14s experienced their first competitive 11-a-side game against a very strong Cheadle team. Kirkham started timidly against a powerful attacking set of forwards. In the first 20 minutes the girls panicked and conceded two. However, in the second half the girls played with more grit and determination and started to battle and attack. Two sloppy goals gave Cheadle a 4-0 victory.
U14 2nd Team v Cheadle Hulme
The second XI enjoyed their first competitive game on early Saturday morning. From the first whistle the game was a closely fought battle end to end. The team held it together with Eve Gooderham clearing from the defence and working it up the pitch through Ariana Milligan and Maisie Bailey. There were some great chances at goal from Alicia Threlfall and Martha Millar who were both unfortunate not to score. Eva Earnshaw kept KGS in the game with some exceptional saves keeping the score nil-nil.
U13s v Cheadle Hulme
The U13s were unlucky to lose their first ever 11-a-side match against Cheadle Hulme. Despite being under pressure in the first half, and conceding a number of short corners, the girls defended well and kept the Cheadle attacks at bay. A deflected shot past Megan Smedley in goal put KGS 1-0 down towards the end of the first half but they hit back straight away. A good run down the right wing by Emily Greenwood created space in the middle for Niamh Smith who saw her shot well saved; Zara Gilchrist following in brilliantly to equalise.
In the second half the KGS girls started to tire and Cheadle found more and more space in attacking areas. A lapse in concentration left a Cheadle player unmarked at the back post to score and put KGS 2-1 down. Despite a late chance for Alice Bunday which flashed just past the right post, KGS were unable to find an equaliser.
Lots of positives in the first half but plenty to work on for the rest of the season.
U12 A & B v Cheadle Hulme
This was the first time that our new U12 sides had taken to the pitch on a Saturday and what a performance!
From the start, both teams kept their focus and tried incredibly hard to move the ball around the pitch swiftly. Great team work and communication from both teams allowed them to apply lots of pressure on the Cheadle goal resulting in 5 goals being scored!
U12 A VII won 2-0
U12 B VII won 3-1
A great performance from all involved.
We look forward to welcoming King’s Chester to KGS next Saturday whilst our more senior sides begin their national journey within the England Hockey Tier 1 cup at both U16 & U18 level.
Rugby - Saturday 18 September 2021
Headmaster’s 1st XV v St Ambrose College 1st XV
Won 26-12
The Headmasters 1st XV faced St Ambrose College on Saturday morning in what was the first Saturday morning home fixture to be played on the 1st XV pitch since the 2019/20 season. Both teams were extremely nervy in the first half and it was obvious to see that it may take a few weeks for our players to settle into regular fixtures.
The first score of the game was a penalty try to Kirkham after a deliberate slap down from a St Ambrose player close to their try line. St Ambrose then kicked two penalties that were awarded in the KGS half. Just before half time, a well-executed back move saw Olly McIntyre break through and then offload to Freddie Tarrant who scored Kirkham’s second try. The half time score was 14-6 to Kirkham.
Kirkham made a more settled start to the second half and soon found themselves pressurising the St Ambrose line. The Kirkham lineout was working well led by skipper Jake Merrick, and Charlie Read was pulling the strings at fly half. Left wing Aiden Hayward scored two tries, finishing off some more accurate attack from Kirkham. Fullback Michael Webber kicked well off tee, converting two out of three attempts. St Ambrose eventually found their way and scored a try late on making the final score 26-12 to Kirkham.
KIRKHAM 3rd XV 17 St Ambrose 2nd XV 10
The 3rd XV edged a very close contest coming from a 10-0 deficit to win 17-10. St Ambrose started snappily using quick ball efficiently which allowed their backs to dominate. This resulted in an early try after an errant Kirkham kick was run back into the Kirkham half and with a splintered defence, St. Ambrose scored in the corner. A penalty kick soon followed but Kirkham knuckled down and started to defend with greater purpose, managing to keep the rest of the first half scoreless.
Kirkham came out for the second half, after a multitude of changes, and really took the game to the visitors. Captain Harry Snape drove over from close range, Callum Hill converting. Harry Reay put Kirkham ahead after a lovely jinking run from James Stacey, to crash over in the corner. Snape scored his second try from a pick and go close to the St. Ambrose line.
KGS U13 A v St Ambrose u13 A
The under 13s played their second game in a KGS shirt on Saturday against St Ambrose. Similar to the B team game that was played before them, the A team found themselves facing a strong opposition. This did not deter any of the boys from putting in their all into the 40 minutes of rugby. Jack Dawson-Gerrard led from the front with some powerful charges and text-book tackles. Brodie Black showed off his footwork, which got the KGS boys going forward, where he was supported with the likes of Jake Hill and Oliver Parkinson. James Ball and Evan Twose stood up in the roles of scrum-half and fly-half to distribute the ball well. Despite a loss from both teams, all the u13 boys did not give up and should be proud of their efforts.
KGS U13 B Vs St Ambrose U13 B
The under 13s played their second game in a KGS shirt on Saturday against St Ambrose. After a short warm up the boys took to the field ready for action. Alex Fuller, Oliver Clark and Harvey Barton had great performances where their leadership skills stood out as they gathered the team together to keep playing for the whole duration. Rayan Al-Badawi, George Aldeen, and Lewis Clarke all put their bodies on the line in terms of tackling. Karson Chung, Ali Shah, Felix Stott-Perrins, Reece Threlfall and Daniel Worth used their running ability to get the team going forward. Well done to all involved!