Terrington Hall School

The sun decided to make an appearance for our fourth rounders match of the season and we were feeling in particularly good spirits after our intense practice in the sports hall on Friday. Wednesday's match at Bramcote had shown up our weaknesses in batting and fielding deep but the girls had responded well to Miss Tanner's and my coaching and the warm up drill before the match had proved that the girls were not without skill. Lily lost the toss, again and we were put into bat. This would be the acid test as the girls were playing all out and knew they would have to bat cleverly to stay in and start accumulating the rounders, halves being as important if not more so than full rounders. The thing to remember when playing all out is that it doesn't matter if the rounders don't come straight away, it was a beautiful afternoon and the girls just needed to get their eye in first. Thankfully their brains were engaged and they ran well to first, calling back to each other and watching the fielders. With great support from the side line it wasn't long before the U11s started batting with conviction and the halves were coming thick and fast. SMA fielded reasonably well but the ball was firmly hit in a downwards direction and they were offered few catches. As pleasant as the weather was though I didn't fancy staying out umpiring for as long as the cricket and decided to declare when the team got to fifteen and half rounders. Amelia, Frankie and Clemie all got a full rounder each as well as halves and Abi scored two good rounders, one nearly taking her Mum's head off as it was hit flying to the left. Everyone else contributed well to the batting innings and there was a marked improvement in their hitting from their previous matches. Full of confidence the girls were keen to go out and field but I cautioned them first as they would still have to field tight, SMA's batting being an unknown entity.

In the field the girls remained strong and the triangle between Nicole as bowler, Abi at backstop and Amelia on first post worked well. Erin did a superb job on second post and was backed up very confidently by Lily in second deep. There was a real sense of team work and even though some girls, in their position on the field, didn't have much to do they all supported one another with good cheer. Lily took a superb catch in second deep and a lot of the opposition were stumped out on first and second post. Their innings was brought to an abrupt end when three girls were stumped out on fourth post. I couldn't have been more hapy with the girls application and they were a team very much transformed from their earlier efforts. SMA hadn't managed to gain half our score so were put into bat again, the girls a little disappointed that they might not get to bat again but the possibility of beating another team by an innings proved motivation enough for them to return to their fielding positions with real determination.

The triangle wasn't proving to be as effective this innings and as the batters weren't hitting very deep I decided to bring all the deeps in and Olivia and Nicky went on to third and fourth post and Sophie moved round to field behind first post. The girls coped admirably with the changes and Nicole and Abi each took a good catch. Clemmie threw the ball well into Erin as did Amelia and a few mad runs by the SMA girls meant we soon got them all out. Terrington had won their first match of the season, in some style, and the girls were delighted with their win, deservedly so. My thanks to Miss Tanner for her support and to all the parents for their encouragement. The U11s performance in this match showed a great deal of progression and shows they have the drive and ability to improve. They offered one another a lot of praise and really galvanised their efforts. I was particularly proud of how well they encouraged one another and look forward to a repeat performance at Malsis next Saturday. 

Mary-Ann Pilmore

Our third outing of the season would prove to be another up hill climb for the U11s who have been struggling to get back into the swing of things despite their enthusiasm for the game. After our drumming at Preston the girls were well aware that their weakness lied with their batting and knew if they were going to impact on a 36 ball innings they would have to swing at the ball with a lot more aggression. Unfortunately after 18 balls we had only gained a half rounder from a no ball. The girls had been a little unlucky as they had managed to hit the ball only to be caught out at second deep and first post. Frankie and Amelia both gained a solid rounder each, having batted and run well round the posts but the innings ended in a disappointing three and a half rounders, a total that would be hard to defend. Two or three of the Bramcote girls proved themselves to be good batters but the full rounders could have been stopped if our girls had communicated better and not misfileded so many balls off the floor. Frankie and Lily made two good catches but others were dropped and Bramcote finished on five and a half rounders.

Batting first always puts you at a disadvantage as you haven't a total to aim for but the girls knew they would have to take a few more risks in the second innings if they weren't just going to give Bramcote the match on a plate. Four girls who hadn't secured any rounders in the first innings each gained a valuable half and Lily and Nicole, whose runs put the opposition under pressure leading them to make rash decisions, both secured a full rounder bringing the Terrington total to nine rounders. Unfortunately, although the girls fielding wasn't terrible it wasn't quite tight enough and Bramcote gained five full rounders through a combination of good hits but also fumbled balls that did not find a safe pair of hands on the posts. Three half rounders brought them to a reasonably comfortable win in the end and signalled to our girls that good hits really do win matches.

A loosing streak of three games then means the U11s certainly have some work to do but their enjoyment for the game and their good work ethic should help them work towards securing a victory of their own.

Mary-Ann Pilmore

The U11s first match of the season proved to be an interesting fixture, full of twists and turns and highs and lows. Lily, as captain, lost the toss and we were put in to bat. As it had been agreed to play all out for the first innings the girls were cautioned not to do anything rash, they needed to get their eye in, watch and communicate with one another and keep their half rounders.

As it turned out Queen Mary's were a very well drilled side and fielded the ball well to all four posts, keenly watching the hitters and anticipating runs. The back stop had a very good arm and punished anyone who didn't make contact with the ball. They also managed to take a couple of very good catches off our better hitters. Unfortunately though, as good as Queen Mary's were, the U11s made the oppositions' job rather too easy. Amelia, Erin and Frankie all ran themselves out, even though they weren't running to score, and could have remained in had they watched where the fielders were throwing the ball. Livy was unlucky as she was run out when Lily made a run for second post, not noticing Nicole on third, forcing Livy into no man's land. After the fourth member of our team ran themselves out, doing a rather good impression of a headless chicken, I decided I must have been talking Swahili when I originally told the girls to take their time and stay in as long as possible. We were down to our last three, Clemmie, Nicole and Lily having only amassed one and half rounders, it wasn't looking good! However, the surviving three did an excellent job, cheered on by the other girls, and they worked well together, taking advantage of Lily's and Clemmie's good hits to secure another four half rounders before being narrowly stumped out by the back stop in the batters box. Five and a half rounders was a disappointing score from an all out innings and if the girls were going to keep in themselves in the game they would have to demonstrate a lot more brain power fielding than they had batting. Fortunately for us however, three of the Queen Mary's girls repeated the same mistakes as four of ours had done, and ran themselves out early on in the innings. This helped but it still wasn't going to be easy to keep their rounders tally down. Thankfully though, despite some good hitting from the Queen Mary's girls, our girls proved to be much more awake in the field than they had been running around the posts. Nicole, as bowler, impressed with her quick reactionary catch in the square, Livy on third post had to wait an age for the ball, that was hit straight to her, to drop but unfazed took the catch well and Clemmie, at third deep, took two great catches in succession. Catching was proving not to be a problem and overall the girls covered the posts well. Amelia and Erin partnered one another well at second post and deep and Frankie was unlucky to give obstruction away on first post, a couple of warnings would have sufficed considering it was the first match of the season. Nevertheless, with Lily and Sophie covering third and fourth between them and Anna throwing the ball acurately into second post from third deep the U11s were able to get Queen Mary's all out for just 7 rounders.

Even though there was plenty of the afternoon left the Queen Mary's coach wanted to play a second innings of 36 good balls which changes the dynamic of the game quite dramatically. It had now become more important to take risks while running around the posts, but calculated ones that wouldn't result in unnecessary run outs. The girls did this, to their credit, reasonably well managing to gain another five and a half rounders off a lot less balls.Going in to field and only 4 rounders in front the pressure now wasn't so much on getting the hitters out (catches though always proving a bonus) but stopping them from scoring on the second and fourth post. Hesitant fielding though led to too many half rounders being scored at second and although the girls had produced an encouraging team effort Queen Mary's won by a toal of 13 and half rounders to eleven.

In the end the match turned out to be a close run thing but Queen Mary's probably edged it because of a couple of big hitters. However, Clemmie proved that half rounders are invaluable and that the longer you stay in the better you get.

Mary-Ann Pilmore

U11 Mixed Hockey

On Tuesday 13th March we played Woodleigh at home in a mixed eight a-side hockey match. Each team had to consist of four girls and four boys and as I had a squad of 11 I chose to operate a system of rolling substitutions. The four boys; Andrew Downes, Harry Welch, George Breese and Joe Browne had very little hockey experience but they all gave very good account of themselves. The match was played in good spirit with both umpires being reasonably lenient, especially towards the boys, to allow the game to flow. In the first half the two opposing teams were evenly matched although too much hockey was being played down the middle and not enough passes were made to the wings. Our U11s played well between the Ds but were unable to convert any chances in the oppositions D into goals. Woodleigh had some strong hitters and managed to break away and get behind our defence allowing one of their boys to score an easy but well struck goal. However, the Terrington side never gave up and Joe Browne from a lovely build up of play with Nicole scored a cracking goal from the right side of the D into the far left corner. The game continued with both sides fighting for possession in the midfield but just before half time with yet another run away goal the Woodleigh boy scored again. At half time the players were instructed to try and move the ball more out onto the wings away from the danger zone in the middle. Harry and Andrew made some good blocks and clearances at the back but unfortunately Woodleigh scored a third goal. Joe and George made some good runs and read the game well continuing to put Woodleigh's goal under pressure. Frankie and Clemmie supported the forwards well and Lily, Olivia and Nicole tried hard to gain another goal but Woodleighs backs held fast and we failed to score again. I was delighted with the teams overall performance and thought the boys showed great potential as hockey players. The final score was 3 - 1 to Woodleigh who had the stronger passes and hits, covering more of the pitch. My thanks to Miss Tanner for umpiring and the parents for their support. Even though the match ended in defeat I thought it was an enjoyable fixture and could see mixed hockey becoming a popular activity in the future.

Mary-Ann Pilmore

U11 SMA Tournament
Saturday 10th March 2012

On a glorious sunny Saturday afternoon Miss Tanner and I travelled to St. Martin's Ampleforth with the Year 6 girls to take part in our last hockey tournament of the season. We arrived early and Frankie got her team warmed up. We were up against Lyndhurst who had narrowly defeated us at the In2Hockey tournament at Barnard Castle. We knew they were a strong side as they had won Tuesday's tournament but we were hoping to replicate our previous performance against them and possibly even score a few goals past them, something as a side we have struggled to do. With this in mind I brought Lily Browne out of goal and positioned her up front. Unfortunately we got off to a slow start and didn't pass the ball well. Lyndhurst took full advantage and Sophie Wheeler in goal struggled to close them down and clear the ball. There was some good hockey played in midfield and Lily and Clemmie made a few good breaks through the middle but we were unable to penetrate Lyndhursts, D and as a team we never looked like scoring. The end score was 5 - 0 to them. With a two match rest the girls took full advantage of the meal voucher supplied by St Martin's and tucked into some hot grub - I thought the extra energy provided might be helpful!

Our next opponents were Scarborough College and as we had been unable to push the ball forward in the first match I decided to put Lily back in goal which she was happy to do. This proved effective as she managed to clear a number of balls and read the attacks well, covering her area and coming out to close the forward's shots down. The girls performed much better in this match and started to play as a team. Frankie made some good tackles and stops and Erin and Clemmie played well down the wing feeding the ball to Olivia and Nicole who put pressure on the oppositions D. However, despite having a lot of the ball we were still unable to find the back of the net and unfortunately we only drew this game 0 - 0. Our last opponents in the group stage were SMA and this turned out to be a thrilling end to end match with both sides playing fast and accurate hockey. The girls really started to show a bit of fight but without a natural goal scorer we were unable to take advantage of our chances in the D and against the run of play SMA score the only goal of the game. We had come bottom of group A so had to play the third placed team in group B which turned out to be Woodleigh.

The girls had a great game and Lily Browne in goal had very little to do but despite mounting pressure from Nicole, Clemmie and Olivia the goal keeper proved to be too good and all our shots on goal were saved. We drew this game 0 - 0 which meant on goal difference Woodleigh progressed to play in the Bowl final while we were up against Durham Choristers in the Challenge final. A really good game between two now rather tired sides saw us draw 0 - 0 and finish the tournament in seventh place.

The girls' hockey got better as the tournament went on but without a goal scorer they were unable to make a real impression on the other teams. I was pleased with the progression they displayed but there does remain further room for improvement. My thanks go to Miss Tanner for umpiring and discussing tactics and to the parents for their support. Lyndhurst went on to be the eventual champions and beat SMA in the shield final. Overall an enjoyable afternoon was had by all and SMA must be credited for hosting a well run and successful tournament.

Mary-Ann Pilmore

U10 Hockey Tournament @ Lyndhurst

The U10s were all thrilled to be going to a hockey tournament at Lyndhurst and were determined from the outset to give a good showing of them selves. Emma Watson was chosen as captain for this fixture and performed her duties well throughout the afternoon. She also agreed to play in goal for the first two matches, a position U10s rarely play. She of course was a natural and made some spectacular and important saves against Hull Collegiate and Bradford Grammar. Amelia Blackburn was outstanding in attack and was ably assisted by Anna Barker, Coco Charters and Christabel Storey, who did a fantastic job standing in for Georgina Prest, who unfortunately was unable to join us on the day. Lucy Adams and Maddy Green were solid in the midfield and were backed up really well by Amy Foster who proved to be impenetrable at the back.

The U10s got off to an excellent start and beat Hull 4 - 0 and then beat Bradford Grammar 3 - 0. Lyndhurst were up next and it was time for a change of positions. Emma Watson came out of goal and Lucy, who had performed really well on the pitch, replaced her, proving she too had a natural ability for goal keeping! The girls continued to give their all and put Lyndhurst under pressure from the outset. They ran well with the ball, chased it down when they had lost possession and made some excellent passes. The front three were deadly in the D and the score at the end of the 12 minutes was 3 - 0 to Terrington. Cundall were our last opponents of the tournament and this game turned out to be a real hum dinger. Lucy came under attack a fair bit in the D but cleared the ball well and Coco, Anna and Amelia all had chances at the other end. Unfortunately even though the girls had most of the possession they were looking a little weary and were unable to put any of their shots away. Cundall against the run of play scored two very good goals making them the narrow winners of this match.

We knew we had done well but weren't sure where we had come in the competition and had to wait for Cundall to play Bradford Grammar. At the end of this match our host gathered us all together and we waited excitedly to hear the results. Three teams, Cundall, Lyndhurst and us, had all won three matches and were awarded 9 points each but to achieve an outright winner number of goals scored were added together. Lyndhurst managed 5, Cundall 7 and in first place the U10s had scored 10 and were pronounced the tournament winners.

The girls had been an absolute pleasure to take away and had played with a lot of self belief and determination. Their team play was very encouraging and they all displayed a lot of potential for the future. They were a credit to the school and themselves and were deserved winners of the tournament.

My thanks goes to Miss Tanner for her invaluable assistance and for umpiring, to Lyndhurst who hosted a well run and friendly tournament and to our spectators who gave a lot of positive encouragement from the sidelines.

Mary-Ann Pilmore

North East Schools In2Hockey Championships Semi Finals
U11 Girls

The U11s did very well to secure a place in the semi-finals of the In2Hockey national tournament and were very excited about the prospect of competing against a number of new schools at Barnard Castle. They had qualified as runner-ups in the regionals and were placed in Pool A against five other teams. The winners and runner-ups of Group A and B would then go on to play in the northern finals to see who would ultimately play in the national final down south, so there was certainly a lot to play for. The games were to run for 12minutes each, with each team allowed to rotate players on and off the pitch to ensure each member, from a squad of ten, played in the seven a-side matches.

The tournament started on time at 1:30pm and our girls took to the pitch to play Silcoates in the glorious afternoon sunshine. They got off to a really good start and had much of the possession in this match. They were moving well with the ball and a lovely build up of play saw Abi nearly score from Tara's pass, however this chance was saved by the goalkeeper and a hit out was quickly taken. Overall Terrington probably had the best of the game and certainly put Silcoates D under pressure, unfortunately a run away goal on the break saw Silcoate score an impressive shot from the edge of the D and we found ourselves one goal down with only 3 minutes left to play. The girls battled on but the all important equaliser evaded us and we were narrowly defeated in a game we probably should have won and at the very least drawn, if our shots on goal had been more accurate.

A rest between games meant Sophie could come out of goal and play at the back, where we desperately needed a good blocker, and Lily who had performed really well up front took on the mantle of goalie and stoically donned the goal keeping kit. Somehow we lost our formation in this game and our passes were woeful. We took too long to take advantage of free hits and hit outs and allowed Durham High too much space to play in. We were on the back foot throughout this match and never threatened their D. Disappointingly we lost this game 4-0 and hadn't proved much of an opposition to Durham High.

In our next match, against local rivals Lyndhurst, the girls delivered their best performance of the tournament and played really well together as a team. They had a couple of chances to score and the game was very evenly matched in all areas except where it really counted, in the D. Clemmie played really well on the wing and Abi and Amelia gave their all up front, ably assisted by Frankie and Tara in midfield. Unfortunately, where we couldn't seem to find the back of the net, despite our best efforts, Lyndhurst could, and in some style as well. This game finished with a 1-0 win to the ultimate victors of the tournament, Lyndhurst.

Three games in and three defeats behind us the girls weren't yet ready to give up, and after a second rest between matches they returned to Pitch one to play Central High from Newcastle. Another very good team performance saw Erin and Frankie making important interceptions, and deliver good passes to Abi and Olivia who played well in their forward positions. This match resulted in our first draw but the win the girls so much wanted and probably deserved remained just out of their reach.

In the last match of the tournament Olivia and Nicole partnered one another well up front and Tara continued to control the midfield assertively, feeding passes out to the wings and into the D to put the opposition under constant pressure. Sophie mopped up any attacks at the back and Lily in goal ensured we didn't succumb to any threats in the D. A superb build up of play in the dying minutes of the game nearly resulted in a fantastic goal from Nicole who was centimetres away from placing the ball in the far right corner however this near miss meant we had drawn our final game. It also meant we had played five matches without scoring one goal and this was to cost us, as despite four of our five matches being extremely close we ended the day in sixth place.

We wish Lyndhurst, who were clearly the best team on the day, all the best in the Northern finals and we'd like to thank the organisers for a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

My thanks firstly go to the girls who had produced a number of good performances with each member of the squad contributing their best to the day. They were a pleasure to coach and I hope they take what they learned from the experience into their next hockey tournament at St. Martin's Ampleforth on Saturday. Secondly I would like thank Mrs Glen who umpired all five matches and gave the girls and myself some excellent advice throughout the tournament and in finishing my warmest thanks goes to the parents who supported so well from the side lines.

The U11s have enjoyed a reasonable start to Hockey this term, drawing both of their matches away at Lyndhurst and Belmont Grosvenor, but had yet to secure their first win of 2012. A trip to Saint John's asto against The Minster was not going to prove an easy task so when the opposition arrived a little late we took full advantage of the extra time we were afforded to practise, practise, practise. Lily got dressed into her goal keeping kit and the girls carried out a series of drills passing the ball and taking shots at goal. Sophie and Clemmie worked together in defence and the others had to work hard to pass the ball around them to try and score. It was a rather chilly afternoon but by the time Minster arrived the U11s were well warmed up and eager to play.

The first half was a little scrappy as Terrington reverted to chasing the ball instead of staying in formation and passing the ball wide to the wings. Free hits and sideline passes only found the opposition as the attacking players chose to stand behind the Minster girls and as a team our girls failed to move the ball into spaces and around their opponents. There was little breadth this half but when the girls did manage to find one another they ran well with the ball and Minsters goal came increasingly under threat although it was difficult to manoeuvre the ball into such a small D. Minster's passes were much better than ours so they moved across the pitch much quicker than we did and Lily had to make a number of good saves to keep us in the game. Most of the ball was fought for in the midfield during this half but a break in the closing minutes saw Nicole run well with the ball down the wing  and a shot from the edge of the D rebounded off the goally to take us into the lead.

At half time we were narrowly ahead but had not demonstrated our true capabilities and it took a substitution to really wake our girls up. Tara came on and created spaces forcing the other girls to do the same. Olivia was much improved in this half and Erin did a superb job in midfield and the game flowed much better. The Minster girls fell fowl to the mounting pressure and Lily never saw the ball in her D in the second half. Clemmie moved into a sweeping position behind Erin and we used the wings to our advatage this half. Some lovely passing between the forwards created a lot more chances and Olivia and Tara both managed to get themselves on the score sheet. The game really did prove to be one of two halfs and the U11s produced a performance worthy of their 4 - 0 win.

Mary-Ann Pilmore

A trip down to the sports field in the mini bus gave the girls some time to reflect on their heavy loss on the netball court and with some stern words from me they were keen to make amends on the hockey pitch. The weather was becoming increasingly inclement though and as the netball had started late it was agreed that in dropping temperatures, halves of only 8 minutes were to be played.

The girls got off to a cracking start and had a great passing game on a very bumpy pitch. Frankie's hits were very effective on this surface and Nicole, who had another great game, Lily and Olivia all played really well up front, dribbling and passing the ball into spaces. Belmont, who had very little of the ball in the first 8 minutes, never got out of their half and mounting pressure in their D resulted in a lovely shot from Erin slipping past a very tired goal keeper.

In the second half, Clemmie in defence and Sophie in goal had a lot more to do but gave good account of themselves, Clemmie's interceptions and Sophie's quick reactions keeping Belmont from scoring. Unfortunately, against the run of play, Belmont broke free and gained a soft goal as we were caught heavy footed and left our D undefended. The U11s responded well though and continued to threaten Belmont's D until the final whistle. Had we been able to play the normal 20 minute halves I feel Terrington's superiority on the grass would have shown through and could have resulted in a win, however you can only play to the whistle and as it was the girls gained achieved a good draw having given their all in difficult conditions.