Sports Review Week 3 Autumn Term 2024

U13Bs vs Oratory Prep

On Wednesday afternoon up on Willsfield, the U13Bs started off their season against strong opposition in Oratory Prep.  The boys got off to a shaky start, conceding two tries within the first five minutes, but they did not let their heads drop. With a rallying cry from captain Ben F, the boys fronted up ready to receive the ball from kick off. With a great catch and carry from Laszlo B, The Beacon were back on the front foot and were able to get into the opposition half for the first time. With this momentum the 10-12 partnership of Theo H and Aiden C were able to dismantle the Oratory defence and finish off a lovely bit of play with a try in the corner from Alex C and five minutes later from Tom Mc. Although the boys had put their bodies on the line in the first half with some big hits from Armaan K and Edward G, the boys were down 6-2.

The first hit set the scene for what was to come in the second half with Jahnu M tackling low and hard, driving his opposing number in to the ground, before Kishan P came through and stole the ball back from Oratory. This attacking intent continued throughout, with tries from Oliver F and Theo H putting more pressure on to the opposition into the last minutes of the match. Even with some brilliant individual tries, to bring up two tries each, from Alex C, Theo H and Tom Mc the boys couldn’t quite tip the scoreline in their favour. The score ended 8 tries to 7 in the away teams favour in a tale of two very different halves. The boys showed great resilience in the second half and with a man of the match performance from Jahnu M who almost scored the try of the game in the corner, if it wasn’t for a last-ditch tackle taking his foot in to touch. A great opening game. Well done, boys!!

On Wednesday, the U13 A squad took the unusual trip out to St Hugh’s, near Faringdon for a small tournament to kick off our season. We were desperate for some game time and after a cancellation for our planned fixture, we were more than happy to make the trip.

We set off nice and early and with the boys fuelled up by Dino’s pasta, we were raring to go.

Lots of short games were the order of the day and we hit the ground running and went through our Group undefeated. Scores and try scorers outlined below:

Game 1 v Kitebrook (won 4-0 – Philip x 2, Tag and Oran)

Game 2 v Hatherop (won 5-1 – Oran x 3, Xander and Finlay)

Game 3 v Abingdon Prep (won 4-0 – Philip x 2, Oran and Finlay)

That took us into the semi-final, where we met a tough Beachborough side, who finished 2nd in their Group. It was definitely a step up and we spent long periods without the ball and found ourselves going side to side when we had the ball… Thankfully, our defence was immense, and we got the break we were looking for and won 1-0 with Philip getting the decisive score.

And onto the final, where we met Pinewood, who had clearly reintegrated some of their gappies into Year 8 – or that’s what it looked like anyway… Sometimes, you just have to put your hands up and admit when the better team won, and this was one of those occasions. We lost 5-1 but kept going to the bitter end and Oran’s final try of the day was the only one Pinewood conceded during the whole tournament.

Lots of learnings taken from the day and a great start to what should be a great season. Fingers crossed… Notable performances during the day came from our captain Charlie ‘show and go’ C, Finlay ‘fold them like a deck chair’ F and Oran ‘the try machine’ O’B but a massive well done to the whole squad for their excellent effort all afternoon.

Mr Powell

U11A vs Claire’s Court

(Win 12-4)

It was the perfect setting for the boys first fixture for The Beacon, the sun was out, and the pitch was lined with supportive parents. The game started quickly with some excellent tries from Senan Mc and Jakey H, with quick feet and lighting pace to score the opening tries. Gayhurst played some good attacking rugby, but it was no match for our strong defence with Julian G, Andreas P and T Barnes making some crucial last-ditch touches to stop the opposition from scoring. The first half ended 6 tries to 2 in The Beacon’s favour.

The second half was a mirror image of the first with some excellent flowing rugby in attack from the boys, leading to an early try from Freddie C-G, later followed by a brilliant team try finished off in the corner by Sebastian J. The tries continued to flow, and the boys did themselves proud in defence as well, with a try saving touch from Hari K to stop Gayhurst scoring a late try. The game finished 12 tries to 4 with a home team victory. The boys showed great sportsmanship and determination in their first match for the school. Well done!

Mr Stansfield

U8D2 vs Gayhurst

On a beautiful sunny day at Willsfield, the U8D2 team played their first touch rugby match, securing an impressive 11-6 victory. The boys played with smiles on their faces, showing great teamwork and enthusiasm throughout. Tries were shared around, with some fantastic running and attacking plays from all the players. The team displayed solid organisation, understanding the offside lines and setting up effectively in both attack and defence. Their hard work and preparation shone through, setting a great foundation for the season ahead. A promising start, full of energy and joy! The team consisted of Jeevan P, Max M, Alexander S, Sebastian A, Arujuna S, Hari B, Nico D, Dhani M.