The Y5/6 Tag Rugby team competed in a seven team Champions League event at the District Finals. The St. Bede’s team played with flair and pace in attack, while showing resolute defence as they won team silver medals.
I was extremely proud of the children, who have really improved in recent training sessions and performed superbly. Everyone in the squad contributed so much to the team!
Our two Tag Rugby teams were in top form at the local tournament today; where both sides reached the Play-Off finals. One of our sides fantastically progressed to the District Finals Day (February 2020), while the other bowed out after a pulsating game.
Well done and thank you to both teams for training hard and playing so determinedly today; you were all wonderful to watch!
Both of our Tag Rugby teams played wonderfully at the District tournament. They each defended resolutely and attacked with their rapid, evasive running skills. The A team were pronounced South Tyneside ‘King of Tags’ after winning their group, before defeating St. Aloysius (semi-final) and Ashley (final) in gripping contests.
All of the St. Bede’s players have been superb at attending Tag Rugby practises in recent weeks and thoroughly deserved their successes at the tournament. Thank you for your efforts!
3 St. Bede’s squads consisting of 30 children took part in the South Tyneside Tag Rugby Finals. All of our teams played with great commitment and in the right spirit.
Two of our teams won all of their group matches, so reached the last four of the competition. Ben More’s team went on to claim bronze medals, while Josh Camm’s side won gold, after successfully winning every match during the day.
All of our players showed satisfying composure in the face of some poor decisions, non-existent protection from referees for foul play; but even more disappointingly, opposing coaches frequently trying to influence decisions from the sidelines.
The ability of the St. Bede’s teams to support the ‘ball carrier’ while attacking, meant that there was always a team mate at hand. Meanwhile, the defensive tagging was very determined, while our ability to ‘double tag’ was unparalleled. Our teams that medalled, rarely conceded any tries at all!
Congratulations to all of our teams for your determined and skillful efforts. Thank you also to the parents who cheered the teams on from the side lines with such calm and positivity.
On a crisp winter’s day in February, our three Rugby Teams were excited for their trip to Kingston Park. Everyone was prepared with warm clothes on this last day of term, expecting a full afternoon of rugby at the home of the Newcastle Falcons.
There was unexpected delay when we arrived, but the children enjoyed watching the Falcons 1st Team complete their training session. When the games started all of our teams were in top form. Opposing schools struggled with their handling in the ‘chilly’ conditions, but our players showed fantastic catching and passing ability. Meanwhile, the support running was superb, whenever someone got tagged a team mate was in position to receive a pass.
Lucy Wright’s team comfortably won all of their Group games and stormed through to the semi-finals. All of the team managed to score tries, with Hayden Buckham, Erin Maines and Ben More very frequent scorers. The side led by Tabitha Severs also remained unbeaten, and played some wonderful rugby. Many of the team again scored tries, with William McDougall scoring in every match and Amelia Riley registering a brilliant hat-trick in one game. I was particularly impressed by the tagging, as we conceded very few tries, due to the wonderful defensive play. While Tabitha’s team finished joint top of their group, they unfortunately went out on tries scored, but they could still be delighted with their performances.
The side captained by Sophie Rowland met ‘Cleadon A’ in their final group match, with both sides having won their first three games. Cleadon scored first and made a bright start in what turned out to be one of the closest fought games of the tournament. However, we instantly responded with a Jake Waters try, before great defence forced a ‘turnover’ in the next play and Ella Wood scored a crucial breakaway try. Defence was again key in the next phase of play, where we managed to force a ‘knock on’ from the opposition, after 6 brilliant tags. With the ball back in our possession, we played some fluent rugby and Sophie Rowland touched down to put us 3-1 ahead. Cleadon continued to battle hard, but further tries from Alastair Moffitt and Nick Campbell meant that we finished eventual 5-3 winners, to top the group and qualify for the semi-finals.
The two St. Bede’s teams were separated in the semi-finals, and delightfully both progressed convincingly, to book their place in an all St. Bede’s final! The playing area was extended for the final and we witnessed a fantastic match on the Kingston Park pitch. Sophie Rowland’s team eventually clinched a 4-3 win over Lucy’s side, to claim the ‘King of Tags’ Cup. At the end of the game, it was wonderful to see both teams shake hands and share a laugh with each other, as they were rightly proud of their efforts.
All of our teams thoroughly enjoyed the occasion, played superbly on the day and were all unbeaten against other schools. They played the game in the right spirit and to finish first and second, was a special achievement. It rounded off a special week for school sport, after success in the Basketball and Skipping in recent days. Thank you to all of the players on the day and the family members who supported the teams.
Three enthusiastic teams from St. Bede’s took part in the District Tag Rugby Competition at Temple Park, which motivationally coincided with the World Cup. The 17 competing teams were split into four groups, with the aim of trying to qualify for the afternoon’s Champions League.
Sophie Rowland’s team were in outstanding form, registering three consecutive victories to top their morning group. They beat St. Peter & Paul’s A (7-2), West Boldon A (10-1) and East Boldon B (9-2). All eight players in the squad scored tries, as they played fantastic rugby!
In Group 1, the side captained by Shreya Bhardwaj successfully won their first three games. Jude Connor, Hayden Buckham and Elizabeth Kilminster were frequently scoring tries. Unfortunately they lost their final game, which meant they qualified for the second highest afternoon League ( Premiership), but could still be very satisfied with their morning efforts.
The third St. Bede’s team led by Isaac Storey and Jack Duggan played some great rugby in a tight group. They managed to pass the ball well, make numerous great tags, and were involved in some fantastic high scoring matches. Daniel Ellwood, Megan Tooley and Tabitha Severs were in particularly good form.
In the afternoon games, Sophie Rowland’s team won well deserved bronze medals, after some fiercely contested matches in the Champions League. This represented a great performance! Meanwhile, Shreya’s team remained unbeaten during the whole of the afternoon’s games, to win the Premiership! This was an amazing effort by the players, to have two successful teams in the two highest leagues. To round off a great day, Jack Duggan inspired his team to two afternoon wins, to claim 2nd spot in League 1.
Well done to the whole squad for your wonderful team play and commitment throughout a chilly day. Once again, you were outstanding to watch and played the game in the right spirit.
Gazette – St. Bede’s Swoop to win 2 Cups at Falcons Ground!
Everyone was really excited during rugby training last week, practising keenly in the build up to the festival! It was great to see a packed bus on Saturday morning, full of enthusiastic players and happy family members, who were ready for a full day’s rugby at Kingston Park.
After a late request from the organisers, our two sides were separated into two different groups; the ‘Vantec League’ and the ‘Port of Tyne League’. On arrival, it was very inspiring to be walking inside the stadium, knowing that the competitions would be played on the main pitch. The children were soon provided with free t-shirts, which were encouragingly in St. Bede’s yellow.
The Vantec League side were captained by Jude Connor, and they played some fantastic rugby from the very first game. The players always supported the ball carrier, made simple passes and scored plenty of tries. Everyone was equally keen to defend as a whole team. As a result, the children managed to go through their entire league campaign unbeaten, chalking up 5 wins and draw! The children claimed two wins over Hilton Academy (Blakelaw), a win and a draw against Grange First School (Gosforth) and two wins against the Vantec Barbarians. There were some close victories, such as 4-3 against Hilton, while we also came from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Grange First School, to clinch the title! It was a wonderful achievement to remain unbeaten. Well played Jude Connor, Ben More, Nick Campbell, Joseph Wood, Jake Clarke, Daniel Ellwood, Erin Maines, Amelia Riley and Lucy Wright!
Meanwhile, our other side were in action in the Year 4/5 Port of Tyne League. The children played with a lot of courage and never took a backward step, in what turned out to be a very challenging group. Captain Sophie Rowland led the way, by taking the game to the opposition with her skilful evasive running. The team produced some great performances, including beating a Year 6 team. They eventually finished a highly creditable runners up in the group, only finishing behind another Y6 team.
The players really rolled up their sleeves and tagged determinedly, while they pressed forward at every opportunity. Their committed play and willingness to uphold the core values of the game, earned them the prestigious ‘Spirit of Rugby Award’. In sport, you win some and you lose some, but the most important thing is to uphold the sporting values of ‘fair play’, so this was a very special award to win! Well played Sophie Rowland, Elizabeth Kilminster, Ella Wood, Alastair Moffitt, William McDougall, Jaime Freebairn-Wood, Jack Duggan, Jake Waters and Joshua Camm.
After the tournament the awards presentation took place in the East Stand. Both of our teams were presented with their award from Mike Blair, the former Scottish International and British and Irish Lions player. The St. Bede’s teams had displayed courage, resilience and skill to win both the ‘Vantec League’ and the ‘Spirit of Rugby Award’. They deservedly got great applause from their parents and crowds watching the award ceremony.
The children later went on to take part in a pre-match parade around the whole ground. They got to run around the around the perimeter of the playing field, as seven and a half thousand fans cheered for them! At half-time, our talented players got to play each other in an exciting friendly match. We ended up playing 9-a-side to get everyone involved. They fittingly played out an exciting 6-6 draw!
We then got to watch an entertaining second half, where the Falcons came from behind to secure a win, which was cheered on by the St. Bede’s families. The action packed day, resulted in a quiet return bus journey to South Shields. Thank you very much to all of the parents for supporting this event on a Saturday. Finally, congratulations to the brilliant players on your performances, conduct and success on the day!
The clocks jumped forward in the early hours, yet a spritely 19 player squad accompanied by family were still up sharply, ready for the St. Bede’s RC rugby trip to Kingston Park. After a smooth 40 minute journey from South Shields to Newcastle we arrived at the home of the Newcastle Falcons. We were met by a wall of fog on a dreary morning, but we still cheerfully strode our way to the West Pitch.
The action soon got under way with the Year 5/6 A team up against Kingston Park Primary school. In an enthralling game we achieved a fantastic 8-7 victory. Thrilling tries from Matthew Thompson, Joseph Melvin, Ben Scott and Lauren Tooley were complemented with top tagging from Captain Niamh Ullah, Matthew Cain and Flynn Gillies. The speed and agility of our players’ evasive running as they manoeuvred their way to the try line was outstanding. In our following games Katie Heslop and Joseph Melling-Butler led many attacks as we continued to take the game to the opposition. Sadly, a valiant 9-7 defeat to King’s signalled the end of our final hopes, but it had been an exciting journey. This has been a superb Year 5/6 Tag Rugby A squad who have trained with dedication and played with flare this season. They have won many games and provided some fantastic entertainment.
Meanwhile the young Year 3/4 team got off to a flying start with an 11-3 win in their first match. Tries came from all angles as William, Alastair (Captain), Jack, Joshua, Jake, Nicholas, Elizabeth and Shreya all touched down to score. Vice Captain Sophie and Lucy defended well as the team registered a comfortable opening win. A draw and narrow defeat followed but we still had accumulated enough points to qualify for the final. The delighted reaction of the players to the news was great!
Before the Falcons match the Year 3/4 and Year 5/6 families came together for a brilliant St. Bede’s picture with a fitting back drop of a misty Kingston Park. After that, it was lovely how we all stood together as a school in the North Stand, while the children laughed and sucked bright blue lollies!
As the clock counted down towards half time lollies were polished off and boots re-fastened. The children ran out on to the Kingston Park pitch with energy and confidence. They had a brilliant attitude to the final as they went out to fully enjoy the experience. The team played superb rugby with Jake, Elizabeth and William scoring, while Joshua Camm stepped up with a timely treble of tries to help secure victory! Winners medals were soon presented in front of a cheering South Stand to the smiling young fledglings; who flew to victory in their first visit to Kingston Park.
We happily returned to the North Stand to watch the second half before returning to South Shields after the game. This was a wonderful school community rugby trip. Thank you to the parents for supporting the trip and the talented children for their skilful performances. I just hope the Mam’s who came got their tea’s made for them when they returned home, as it was Mothering Sunday after all.
St. Bede’s three team squad of Tag Rugby players were in ‘buzzing’ form in their new kits at Harton, on a surprisingly sun-drenched 4G surface on the last day of February! They zig zagged and sprinted their way to many tries, while they tagged and passed to a brilliant standard. Well played to everyone!
Thank you to the players who have trained since September and the supportive parents who attended the event.
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