On Monday 16^th October Sponne Year 7 Netball attended their first District Tournament at Moulton School. Sponne are lucky enough to have such a fantastic pool of talented Netballers in Year 7 that we could enter two teams.

Sponne’s high-flying Sixth Form team were brought back down to earth in their third match of the new season as Moulton inflicted a heavy defeat upon them.

Having won their first two games at home, Sponne’s inaugural away outing of the season was not a happy one as they struggled to penetrate the Moulton defence in a game of few clear-cut chances for either side. A relatively even first half ended with Sponne only a goal behind but Moulton dominated possession after the interval and were able to build on their lead with two late strikes to consign Sponne to their first loss of the campaign.

The match began in a lively fashion with both sides enjoying good spells in the opening exchanges but neither managing to translate their momentum into a goalscoring chance. Sponne began with five defenders but Harry Cheers was reassigned to the midfield after 15 minutes as Moulton started to take a hold of proceedings. Sponne’s Dan Bowmer pulled off a last-ditch tackle to prevent Moulton striker O’Leary from going through on goal, and minutes later goalkeeper Harry Wakeling gathered well from a long-range Moulton strike.

Elliot Hutton and Josh Murphy combined to create Sponne’s best chance of taking the lead in the half, which came around the 35 minute mark. Hutton swung a free kick into the Moulton box which found Murphy, who volleyed inches wide from a difficult angle.

It was to be Moulton got the first goal though, albeit more by luck than skill as they profited from an unfortunate error from Wakeling. A long shot from Kerachi was easily collected by Sponne’s keeper but the ball slipped from his grasp and rolled across the line.

The disappointing nature of Moulton’s goal might have diminished the motivation of some lesser teams but Sponne continued to fight for every ball and pushed hard to win their individual battles on the field, with centre-backs Ewan Fotheringham and Michael Rapsen particularly commendable in keeping Moulton at bay for the remainder of the half. Just before the break, Elliot Hutton showed that Sponne could still pose a threat to the home side as he crossed the ball from the halfway line into Josh Murphy with pinpoint accuracy. Murphy had just Moulton goalkeeper Green to beat and hit a powerful shot which would have been the equaliser had Green not pulled off an impressive reaction save to preserve his side’s lead at the interval.

Moulton put Sponne under pressure for much of the second half but Fotheringham and Rapsen continued to make life difficult for the Moulton strikeforce through their resolute clearances and deflections. It wasn’t until the final twenty minutes of the game that Moulton were able to score the second goal their dominance perhaps warranted and once again it was an unlucky one for Sponne to concede. A goalmouth scramble from a corner produced a number of scuffed and ricocheted shots before Sponne captain Matt Woods reacted well to block O’Leary’s volley, only for the rebound to be fired in by Moulton midfielder Verne.

Although a comeback now looked unlikely, Sponne had two good chances to pull a goal back in the last ten minutes. Woods fired just wide from 20 yards out and later turned provider for Murphy, playing a clever ball into the striker from the edge of the box. Murphy was presented with a tap-in opportunity but his shot took a luckless deflection off a Moulton defender and bounced wide.

Moulton nicked a third goal against the exhausted Sponne defence right at the death when Ndirtu finished well with a shot from just outside the box, and in truth although Sponne fought hard, their performance was below the level of their previous two games which they won by huge margins. The absences of Mitch Walker and Jack Swales in midfield for Sponne due to unavailability were harshly felt, as they missed the former’s physical dominance and the latter’s skill in creating and scoring chances down the left wing.

Although Moulton were the better side on the day, 3-0 as a final scoreline flattered the home team's performance, as Sponne were unlucky to concede on the first occasion and were also misfortunate not to find the net from at least one of the opportunities they had. Sponne will look to bounce back from this defeat with a win in their next home game against Magdalen on Monday, before travelling away for a tricky clash with Guilsborough later in the week.

MATCH FACTS

MOULTON (3-5-2): Green, Henry, Olaouaye, Kendall, Awusu, Hota, Verne, Dillon, Kerachi, O’Leary, Ndritu

SPONNE (5-2-1-2): Harry Wakeling, Harry Cheers, Michael Rapsen, Dan Bowmer, Ewan Fotheringham, Sam Morris (sub Chris Foden HT), Ryan Smith, Matt Woods (captain), Elliot Hutton, Jack Paterson, Josh Murphy

SPONNE STAR MAN: Ewan Fotheringham

Match Report by Toby Foster, Photo by Mr Cornelius

Jack Paterson became the latest Sponne striker to score a hat-trick as Sponne Sixth Form achieved a massive win over their old rivals Campion in the second game of the league season.

Going 2-0 up in the first half, Sponne turned the fixture into a rout after the interval with another tremendous attacking display, a Paterson chip shot being a highlight along with Jack Swales’ slick finish.

Sponne were expecting to be tested much more by Campion than they were in their recent 9-3 victory over Silverstone UTC and the assumption was initially proved correct as they faced a tough opening half hour, with Campion frequently on the attack. The visitors had the better of the early exchanges and forced Sponne to defend in numbers, with Paterson an isolated figure up front. But the tireless ball-chasing of Sponne captain Matt Woods coupled with Ryan Smith’s much-needed physical presence and control in midfield proved instrumental as Sponne withstood Campion’s early pressure.

As the first half continued, Sponne began to work their way into the game and ask some questions of the Campion defence. Paterson was caught narrowly offside when through on goal while Josh Murphy saw his shot saved by Campion goalkeeper Tomkins. Campion themselves then nearly got the opening goal when their striker Turay got the better of the home defence and found himself with only Sponne goalkeeper Sam Butler to beat- Butler produced a smart save to keep the game goalless.

Campion were made to rue their missed opportunity when Murphy put Sponne ahead minutes later. A long upfield ball from left-back Toby Gruncell was latched onto by Paterson, who outpaced Campion’s retreating defence as he tore into the opposition box before squaring the ball across to Murphy, who tapped in from close range.
Sponne once again had Butler to thank for keeping the visitors at bay moments later as Campion captain Moss struck a powerful shot from 30 yards out which was flying into the top of the home side’s goal before Butler tipped it over the crossbar to the relief of his teammates.

A second Sponne goal was needed to consolidate their advantage before half-time and the Murphy-Paterson attacking partnership produced just that as Murphy won the ball in his own half and bombed forward before slipping a well-worked pass through the Campion defence to put the ball at Paterson’s feet with just the goalkeeper to beat. Paterson made no error as he stroked it past Tomkins with a composed finish to give Sponne a 2-0 lead as the half-time whistle sounded.

What had looked a close game after half an hour now seemed an eminently winnable one to Sponne Coach Mr Cornelius, who decided to make a number of early substitutions to rest some key players ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Moulton College. Ryan Smith, Callum Anderson and Josh Murphy were all brought off near the interval to keep their legs fresh for the game in two days’ time.

Campion were quick out of the blocks in the second half but Butler again came to the rescue as he pulled off a terrific double save after Sponne’s defence were caught out by an inswinging corner kick. Butler first denied Turay at close range before parrying Moss’ strike from the rebound, with Sponne then managing to clear the ball away.
Jack Swales regained the initiative for the home side by receiving the ball on the halfway line and then making a goal all for himself as he motored into the visitors’ box, scoring with a classy low finish through the legs of Tomkins to put Sponne 3-0 up. However, Turay was quick to pull a goal back for Campion at the other end with an audacious scissor kick from four yards out to give the visitors some hope going into final half hour.

But both Swales and Turay’s fine finishes were to be outdone by a remarkable piece of football from Jack Paterson. The Sponne striker won the ball on the edge of the box, took one look up and scooped a sensational chip shot over the two Campion centre-backs and past Tomkins, putting Sponne into a 4-1 lead with ten minutes left to play and undeniably scoring the goal of the game in the process.

Paterson’s wonder-goal had assured Sponne of victory but that didn’t stop them from increasing their lead as Campion faded badly in the closing stages. Paterson got his hat-trick with a simple tap-in before the ever-industrious striker Elliot Hutton got his name on the scoresheet by slotting in a rebound from a Tomkins save to make it 6-1 at the final whistle.

This Sponne team have now won both of their first two league matches in superb style, and will take heart from the fact that to a man they all raised their game in the second half to put a well-organised Campion team to the sword. Next, they travel to Moulton College for their first away outing of the campaign, and if their current performance level can be sustained, three wins from three seems a very realistic possibility.

MATCH FACTS

SPONNE (4-2-3-1): Sam Butler, Toby Gruncell, Ewan Fotheringham, Callum Anderson (sub Luke Warwick HT), Chris Foden (sub Michael Rapson HT), Matt Thomas, Ryan Smith (sub Elliot Hutton 35’), Josh Murphy (sub Harry Wakeling 55’), Matt Woods (captain), Jack Swales, Jack Paterson

Coaches: Mr Cornelius & Mr Trusler

CAMPION (4-4-2): Tomkins, Murphy, Kehoe, Gooch, Batterham, Scott, Clarke, Phelps, Toseland, Moss (captain), Turay

Coach: Mr Hawkey

REFEREE: Mr Steve Edwards

MAN OF THE MATCH: Josh Murphy (Sponne)

Match Report by Toby Foster, Photos by Josh Margan

The opening fortnight of 2016/17 has seen twenty-six students in year 10 put themselves forward to represent the school football team. Weekly training sessions have started (Wednesdays after school) in anticipation of fixtures against other local schools, throughout the year ahead.

Magdalen away was the first game of the season, on Wednesday 21^st September. Students who have been regular attendees at training were called up, to form a squad of 14 players. Conditions were perfect for the season opener, and no more than 10 minutes had passed before we raced into a 2-0 lead; both goals scored by Callum Harcombe (10MS), assisted by Lewis Partridge (10AMG). By this point Sponne were dominating possession and controlling play; it was really pleasing to see work from the training ground payoff!

Goals continued to flow, as Callum turned provider, for Brandon McNelis (10AMG) before roles reversed and Callum completed his hat-trick. The fifth strike was undoubtedly goal of the day, Josh Mickley (10SH) from outside the box and he went onto score again before half time, assisted by Eliot Fowle (10SC).

With the score 6-0, the second half was used to experiment different systems, and try players in different positions, but the goals didn’t let up. Harcombe went on to net his 4th, before goals from Partridge, McNelis and Mickley completed a comprehensive 10-0 victory (assists by McNelis, Luke Williams (10SC), Mark Brewer (10SR) and Partridge respectively).

Players voted Connol Keegan (10CML) Man of the Match, for a very assured performance in the back line.

Mr. S. Cornelius / Mr. S. Trusler 

This was the first event held by Sponne this academic year, and it was very successful. Many different primary schools arrived to play in a 5-a-side tournament. There were a total of 84 children who took part in the football games, and they all thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Forest Federation was the primary school who won the A team tournament, and subsequently secured a place in the district finals which are taking place on the 2^nd of November. Hopefully the turn out will be as successful, if not better for the Rugby tournament which is taking place on the 11^th of October.

Jack Paterson became the latest Sponne striker to score a hat-trick as Sponne Sixth Form achieved a massive win over their old rivals Campion in the second game of the league season.

Going 2-0 up in the first half, Sponne turned the fixture into a rout after the interval with another tremendous attacking display, a Paterson chip shot being a highlight along with Jack Swales’ slick finish.

Sponne were expecting to be tested much more by Campion than they were in their recent 9-3 victory over Silverstone UTC and the assumption was initially proved correct as they faced a tough opening half hour, with Campion frequently on the attack. The visitors had the better of the early exchanges and forced Sponne to defend in numbers, with Paterson an isolated figure up front. But the tireless ball-chasing of Sponne captain Matt Woods coupled with Ryan Smith’s much-needed physical presence and control in midfield proved instrumental as Sponne withstood Campion’s early pressure.

As the first half continued, Sponne began to work their way into the game and ask some questions of the Campion defence. Paterson was caught narrowly offside when through on goal while Josh Murphy saw his shot saved by Campion goalkeeper Tomkins. Campion themselves then nearly got the opening goal when their striker Turay got the better of the home defence and found himself with only Sponne goalkeeper Sam Butler to beat- Butler produced a smart save to keep the game goalless.

Campion were made to rue their missed opportunity when Murphy put Sponne ahead minutes later. A long upfield ball from left-back Toby Gruncell was latched onto by Paterson, who outpaced Campion’s retreating defence as he tore into the opposition box before squaring the ball across to Murphy, who tapped in from close range.
Sponne once again had Butler to thank for keeping the visitors at bay moments later as Campion captain Moss struck a powerful shot from 30 yards out which was flying into the top of the home side’s goal before Butler tipped it over the crossbar to the relief of his teammates.

A second Sponne goal was needed to consolidate their advantage before half-time and the Murphy-Paterson attacking partnership produced just that as Murphy won the ball in his own half and bombed forward before slipping a well-worked pass through the Campion defence to put the ball at Paterson’s feet with just the goalkeeper to beat. Paterson made no error as he stroked it past Tomkins with a composed finish to give Sponne a 2-0 lead as the half-time whistle sounded.

What had looked a close game after half an hour now seemed an eminently winnable one to Sponne Coach Mr Cornelius, who decided to make a number of early substitutions to rest some key players ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Moulton College. Ryan Smith, Callum Anderson and Josh Murphy were all brought off near the interval to keep their legs fresh for the game in two days’ time.

Campion were quick out of the blocks in the second half but Butler again came to the rescue as he pulled off a terrific double save after Sponne’s defence were caught out by an inswinging corner kick. Butler first denied Turay at close range before parrying Moss’ strike from the rebound, with Sponne then managing to clear the ball away.
Jack Swales regained the initiative for the home side by receiving the ball on the halfway line and then making a goal all for himself as he motored into the visitors’ box, scoring with a classy low finish through the legs of Tomkins to put Sponne 3-0 up. However, Turay was quick to pull a goal back for Campion at the other end with an audacious scissor kick from four yards out to give the visitors some hope going into final half hour.

But both Swales and Turay’s fine finishes were to be outdone by a remarkable piece of football from Jack Paterson. The Sponne striker won the ball on the edge of the box, took one look up and scooped a sensational chip shot over the two Campion centre-backs and past Tomkins, putting Sponne into a 4-1 lead with ten minutes left to play and undeniably scoring the goal of the game in the process.

Paterson’s wonder-goal had assured Sponne of victory but that didn’t stop them from increasing their lead as Campion faded badly in the closing stages. Paterson got his hat-trick with a simple tap-in before the ever-industrious striker Elliot Hutton got his name on the scoresheet by slotting in a rebound from a Tomkins save to make it 6-1 at the final whistle.

This Sponne team have now won both of their first two league matches in superb style, and will take heart from the fact that to a man they all raised their game in the second half to put a well-organised Campion team to the sword. Next, they travel to Moulton College for their first away outing of the campaign, and if their current performance level can be sustained, three wins from three seems a very realistic possibility.

MATCH FACTS

SPONNE (4-2-3-1): Sam Butler, Toby Gruncell, Ewan Fotheringham, Callum Anderson (sub Luke Warwick HT), Chris Foden (sub Michael Rapson HT), Matt Thomas, Ryan Smith (sub Elliot Hutton 35’), Josh Murphy (sub Harry Wakeling 55’), Matt Woods (captain), Jack Swales, Jack Paterson

Coaches: Mr Cornelius & Mr Trusler

CAMPION (4-4-2): Tomkins, Murphy, Kehoe, Gooch, Batterham, Scott, Clarke, Phelps, Toseland, Moss (captain), Turay

Coach: Mr Hawkey

REFEREE: Mr Steve Edwards

MAN OF THE MATCH: Josh Murphy (Sponne)

Match Report by Toby Foster, Photos by Josh Margan