It is whole school photo time, a logistical feat of engineering, people placement and patience, not dissimilar to the current necessity to juggle fixtures. Indian summer, extended drought, pluvial parsimony….however we dress it up, the lack of any meaningful rainfall continues to desiccate the sports schedule, with teams struggling for available ground to safely train and play. Several fixtures were able to proceed however, the rugby 1st XV, Lacrosse and Netball enjoying some excellent results. Our archers also had a productive summer break, as media outlets around the globe warn of super El Nino chaos and a single raindrop is sold at Southeby’s auction house, listed as the current most precious commodity in the world.

Archery

Rosie and Isabelle Harraway competed in the Woking Archery Club Open last Sunday.  The round shot was a Western, requiring Rosie to shoot at a target at 60 and 50 yards, and Isabelle to shoot at 40 and 30 yards.  Both took advantage of sunny, still conditions to post fantastic scores, winning their respective categories.  Rosie claimed a new Southern Counties record with arrows to spare, and Isabelle smashed her previous personal best enroute to a Bowman 2nd class classification.  The Harraways and the rest of the archery team now have a little over three weeks to prepare for their next tournament.

Our archers have also been busy across the summer recess:

July 11th: Guildford Jt Acorn & July 12th : Bowmen of Warfield junior short metric

Rosie and Isabelle shot at both competitions and enjoyed both shoots.

They both came back with medals and new Surrey County records with confirmation from SCAS that Rosie’s scores are also Southern Counties records! Rosie was selected to shoot for the Surrey team.

SCAS inter-county Sat Aug 2nd

Surrey took a team of 10 Archers to this year’s shoot held at Andover competing against teams from Hampshire, Sussex, Kent, Oxford, Bedford, Essex and Suffolk, Cambridge in a  WRS 720 followed by a mixed team competition.

The recurve Gold Medal was won by Rob and Ella, beating Sussex in a shoot off. Tony B, Michael and Tipaporn also shot well and were just pipped to the bronze medal place, while Jozsef, Natalia, Matt and Rosie won Silver medals in the recurve and barebow juniors. On top of Rosie’s silver medal she has also scored a PB, beating her previous PB with a new county record.

Guildford Acorn Aug 31st

Both Rosie and Isabelle shot fantastically. Both shot PB’s and gained Rose awards, Rosie also gained her 60yard 252 They both came back with gold medals.

 

Lacrosse

Claremont 1st v Walthamstow Hall

Claremont made it two wins from two, the final score a matter of some debate; 6–4 or officially 8–4, depending on who you ask! The result was comfortable enough, but this was not quite a performance that set the pitch alight.

Wally Hall’s late arrival meant the visitors had only five minutes to warm up, Claremont racing into a 3–0 lead from the start. The match was moved from the first team pitch to a rugby pitch, with unfamiliar footwear and an unpredictable surface making for some difficult conditions. The ball bounced awkwardly at times, adding to the challenge. There was plenty to enjoy, however. Some of Claremont’s attacking play was outstanding, with the ball sticking to pockets during excellent interchange play. Long passes out of defence produced some fabulous pick-ups, while clever balls over the goalkeeper into the space behind the goal repeatedly opened the Wally Hall defence. One particularly impressive moment came in defence, when a player switched her stick from right to left while under pressure from two attackers. The simple change created the space needed to move the ball safely away from danger – a small moment, but one that demonstrated excellent awareness, great skill and composure.

Some of the positional movement created space for Claremont to exploit. When it worked, it worked very well. Another noticeable feature was Claremont’s shooting, several well-created opportunities finished comfortably within the Wally Hall goalkeeper’s pocket, rather than the cage. The contrast was particularly noticeable given the quality of some of the attacking build-up and provided another interesting feature of the game. The draw was similarly competitive, with Claremont probably winning more of the draws but Wally Hall competing strongly for the second ball.

With several regular players still to return and new players making their debuts, there is plenty of competition for places. The 8-4 result also keeps the perfect start intact: two games, two wins. There was enough quality on show to demonstrate exactly what this Claremont side can produce. With a cup game against St. Cats coming on Wednesday, there is another opportunity to turn flashes of brilliance into a more consistent performance.

U14A v Walthamstow Hall

Claremont started strongly leading by two goals and focusing on our attacking viewpoint but as the game continued on in the first part of the match it became a more even playing field. This meant that we had to focus a lot on slowing the ball down the ball defensively, which meant major teamwork. At halftime we discussed what we needed to focus on. This included slowing the ball down in attack, bringing it through and waiting for a cut to then score. We also looked at how to slow down the Walthamstow attack. The game got tense but in the last two minutes we were able to score two amazing goals to win the game 18-11, with Olivia P and Holly W being recognised by the other team as attacker and defender of the game.

 

Netball

U15A v St James’s Girls

The U15A team made a positive start to their season in their first cup match against St James. All players worked hard for one another, showed excellent teamwork, and listened well to feedback throughout the game.

Alice C was named Coach’s Player of the Match for her outstanding performance at GK, demonstrating effective footwork and making multiple interceptions. Ellie W and Georgia D were voted Players of the Match by the opposition for their impressive performances. There is plenty to work on and develop as the season progresses, but this was a very encouraging start to the season. Thank you to all the parents for their support on the sidelines, which was greatly appreciated by the team.

2nd v Sutton High

A great win from the second team with a confident and impressive performance throughout. Although the first quarter was quite close, we rose to the occasion and dominated the other three resulting in a 28-13 win against Sutton High. The players of the match were Clara who had great movement in the circle and scored majority of the goals, as well as Emma who defended excellently and did so consistently.

3rd v Sutton High

The 3rd team lost 8-7 to Sutton High on Wednesday. The defence and transition down the court was especially strong. The shooters had a tough start but quickly recovered and their skills progressed a lot throughout the match. The players of the match were Amelia N and Sophie H. Overall, the 3rd team played very well but the opponents were strong.

Rugby

1st XV

After a delay to the season due to the long summer, Claremont stepped out for their opener against local rivials Tiffin. The first half saw Claremont stretch the play with great runs on the wings from Harry F and Louie G. Well worked tries from Luca and Lucas in the midfield, saw Claremont take a 17-5 lead. The second half was flat and errors cost Claremont. The final quarter saw the team ease clear with a final try from MoTM Oliver P. A solid performance to start and plenty to work on for this squad.

U15 A/B & U14A

All three teams arrived for these away fixtures to discover pitches that were swiftly deemed too hard to permit any contact. With teams ready and waiting to play, coaches made a prudent call to play Touch only matches, giving the players the chance of a run out, albeit not the opening matches anticipated.

U12A v St Benedict’s

The U12A played their first contact game of the season vs St Benedicts. This game started at a rapid place with tries coming from both sides. Silky runs saw Henry Hu, Reuben L-D, score and further tries from Jasper S, and Oliver S. The home side took the win by being more consistant in their shape in attack & defence. Player of the match went to Reuben for classy running and some thumping tackles.

U12C v St Benedict’s

Claremont Fan Court produced an impressive performance in an evenly contested fixture against St Benedict’s, ultimately falling to a narrow defeat in a match that showcased two contrasting but highly effective styles of rugby. The visitors suffered an early setback, conceding shortly after the opening whistle. However, they responded superbly, regaining the lead and establishing control for much of the contest. Through disciplined defence and intelligent attacking play, Claremont looked firmly in command until the final quarter.

A solid defensive effort formed the foundation of their dominance, with Jonah M, Lachie K, Taran U and Archie K leading the way. Their organisation, commitment, and physicality repeatedly halted St Benedicts attacks and allowed Claremont to dictate large periods of the game.

In attack, Charles S was a constant threat, making a series of direct and effective runs that consistently gained valuable territory. Out wide, Jamie E and Charlie B-P maintained excellent width, stretching the opposition defence and creating space across the field. Behind this, players such as George T, Taran U and Lachie K worked hard to move the ball efficiently into the wider channels, ensuring Claremont’s attacking play remained varied and dangerous.

Despite their strong performance, defeat did not come as a result of being outplayed. Instead, a few errors provided St Benedicts with opportunities that they capitalised on effectively, turning the momentum of the match during the fourth quarter. While the result was ultimately disappointing for Claremont Fan Court, there were many positives to take from the game. It was an excellent contest between two teams employing very different, yet equally effective, styles of rugby, making for an enjoyable and competitive morning of rugby for all involved.

 

 

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