What a wonderful week of sport at Homewood that was, with so much to be proud of! As a school we performed and hosted some great sport which the girls thoroughly enjoyed in beautiful weather and lots of support form parents.
1st Team Netball
On Monday the 1st team had an early start and travelled to Cranleigh for the IAPS National Finals. There were the top 16 teams from the IAPS Competitions competing with teams from Scotland and Kenya, as well as all over England. As runners-up at Brighton College we were drawn into a tough pool along with Belmont Mill Hill Prep, Edgeborough and Twyford. We narrowly won our group on goal difference and went on to play Hurst in the quarter finals. Having lost to them on golden goal at the regionals, we were very nervous, but knew that they would play quick, clean netball. It was very tight with both teams converting their centre passes and 7-6 to HH at half time. Starting with the centre in the second half we were soon 2 goals up and Hurst made some errors which we capitalised on. The eventual score was 14-11 to Holmewood. Next was the semi final and we went on to have a convincing win against Dean Close. The final was unknown and we didn’t get off to the best start. A little perplexed by the physicality of the opposition we were 4 goals down at half time. We picked up the play and the umpires started to pick up more of the contact in the second half, but the eventual score was 17-12 to Heath Mount. After the initial disappointment of losing the match, the realisation of being runners-up and a finalist for the best team in the country started to sink in!!
A fantastic achievement by an amazing team which we are tremendously proud of. Thank you for a great season girls and good luck with your netball at your senior schools. A big thank you too to the parents who have been a great support throughout the years, both in and out of school. SP
Senior Football
Holmewood 1st team took the trip over to Claremont to play their second match of the season. After a quick warmup, Holmewood started with the same team as last week. Holmewood dominated possession in the first half taking an early lead through a cool and calm finish from Saoirse. A few minutes later, Claremont scored with their first attack of the half. The defensive lineup of Rosie in goal, and May and Darcie in defence limited Claremont to very few chances. In the second half,
Holmewood’s quality shone through, with good energy on the wings from Astrid and Betsy, and Blanca playing with a good mix of composure and strength up front. Holmewood soon regained the lead with some lovely build up play from Bella and Saoirse leading to Astrid finishing off a sweeping move. With a one goal lead always feeling risky, Bella took matters into her own hands, and dribbled from her own half, to just inside Claremont’s before unleashing a thunderbolt of a shot into the corner of the net, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance. It was an early goal of the season contender! Another great performance from Holmewood and a well-deserved 3-1 win. af
The 2nd team put on a strong performance against Claremont, securing a well-earned 3-0 victory. Davincia was the star of the match, scoring a brilliant hat trick to seal the win and Francesca received overall Player of the game.
Meanwhile the 3rd and 4th teams faced Claremont’s C and D teams and delivered a dominant display, winning 6-0. A fantastic effort from all players, showcasing some great teamwork and attacking play.
Well done to everyone involved! KL
Football Fiestas
In light of the growth in girls’ football and the popularity of the game, we collaborated with Rosehill and Somerhill to create a Fiesta for the girls in the area 2 years ago, giving all girls from years 3-6 the opportunity to play in a tournament at the end of the season. With A, B and C teams at the different locations we estimate that approximately 1100 girls will have played over the 2 days. The weather was just perfect and to see all of the girls and staff enjoying the experience was just amazing!! Well done to all of the girls for playing their hearts out and to the great support staff at Holmewood who always deliver at these big events, accommodating so many other pupils as well as looking after the normal running of the school. SP
Under 11A Football
The team enjoyed a very exciting day of football at Holmewood, hosting eleven different schools and playing five games across the afternoon. The girls played some great possession football, scored some lovely team goals and maintained a brilliant positive attitude throughout the tournament. Thanks to some fantastic physical defending from Millie and Iona, HH conceded only two goals from five games! Overall HH placed 6th however only managed to lose one game, while winning two and drawing three. A great record! A quick mention for our Girl of the Tournament Amaia who was moved up to the As on Wednesday morning – she pulled off some good saves, used her hands effectively in goal and was overall a great addition to the team. BW
U11B Football
What a great day for football for the girls. In the first match we won our game against Hazelwood 2-0. The game started strong and just got better playing as a team and just bringing positive vibes. secondly, we played Marlborough house and won 1-0. Then they played Derwent lodge, and it was very fair game, but the end score was 0-0. In the last group game, we played Dulwich prep who were a strong team but didn’t manage to get a goal against us and we just stayed strong. The final score was 0-0.
It was announced that the girls had got to the final against St Michael’s. The girls didn’t stop running and defending for the whole match but sadly St Michael’s got one in the last couple of minutes. All the girls should be incredibly proud of themselves and they
deserve a medal because they worked so hard from start to finish. I’m proud of each of them. They had brilliant attitude and just keep each other going. Well done girls!
Player of the tournament goes to Antonia. EB
Under 11C Football
The girls played 4 matches with just the 5 players. It didn’t stop their consistent running and working as a solid team all afternoon. We held Derwent Lodge, St Michaels snd St Ronans to 0 0 draws with several opportunities to shoot in the opposition’s goal. A well deserved win against Cumnor House with Ffion supplying 2 great goals and excellent assists from Charlotte and Cassie. They played their final game against The Mead which went to penalties which we won 2 1. Well done to Ffion, Bella, Cassie and Rebecca for her effort as goalkeeper and Charlotte as MVP on the day. SE
Under 10A Football
Our penultimate football fixture of the term was the annual Holmewood House/Rose Hill/Somerhill Tournament.
Finally, some sunshine for a fantastic afternoon out on the South Lawn. The U10A’s dominated play against St Michael’s although due to confusion on a corner, an own goal was scored resulting in a 0-1 loss. Next up was Hilden Grange (the overall winners) who we played earlier in the season and was our only loss at Radnor House. Holding steady, we played defense heavy, stopping the Hilden Grange academy players. Alice made a brilliant save in goal to end the 12-minute match 0-0, showing a huge improvement in their game throughout the season. Sutton Vallance was our 3rd match, and we had all the play again, Bea positioned herself on the left side of the goal and kicked off our scoring for the day. Another in quickly by Darcy meant we finished the 10-minute game with a 2-0 win. The final match of the day against Dulwich Prep Cranbrook was a great was to finish the afternoon. Having all the play we pulled ahead in the first half with 2 goals and managed a third in the second half, winning 3-0. Congratulations to Alice, Amelie, Bea, Darcie, Darcy, Ellie, Isla and Temi for their hard work and team spirit throughout the tournament
Under 10B Football
On Wednesday, the Under 10B team travelled to rose hill for a football fiesta. The girls kicked of the afternoon brilliantly within the first 5 seconds of the first game scoring straight away. We won every group stage match 1-0 putting us into the final. Every single girl contributing excellently to help us reach this stage.
The final was very close but we managed to take the lead which we managed to hold onto until the very last kick of the match when Beechwood equalised.
The final went to penalties which went past the original 3 takers and into sudden death. We lost on penalties but the girls were unbelievable all afternoon and should be incredibly proud. JP
Under 10C Football
A fantastic afternoon at Somerhill for the Under 10C team. The girls all pulled together to make each match exciting and they encouraged each other throughout! Goalkeeper Florence made some wonderful saves throughout the afternoon and amazing goals from Tamzin, Annabelle and Rebecca, who actually scored from near the halfway line! Fleur showed great skills in helping set up goals and Hannah worked really well in defence. Although we didn’t come in the top two, there was huge progress on display and they all had a great time! Well done team! So proud of you all! LM
U9A Football
A marvellous effort from the HH team to secure an amazing silver medal after a tough afternoon of fixtures! The girls played some incredible football and scored some great goals across five games. HH showed a great attitude by really focusing on their next game rather than letting the big occasion overwhelm them – the girls listened and responded well to the team talks and feedback across the afternoon. Thanks to a whole team defensive effort, HH only conceded two goals overall as well as winning four out of five games. The final game against Cumnor House was by far their toughest match with HH just running out of steam by the end and Cumnor grabbing a last-minute winner. Our Girl of the Tournament was awarded to Winter for her weaving dribbles and important goals across the whole tournament. The team should be so proud of their brilliant achievement! BW
U9B Football
A fantastic afternoon of football at Rose Hill!
The Under 9B’s put on a fantastic performance at the tournament, showing great determination and teamwork throughout their matches.
In the opening game, we faced a tough challenge against Derwent Lodge, who ultimately went on to win the tournament. Despite a strong defensive effort, we narrowly lost 1-0.
Our second match against St Michael’s was a well-fought contest, ending in a 0-0 draw. The team worked hard to create chances but were unable to find the breakthrough.
In the third game, we secured a victory over The Mead with excellent attacking play and solid defence with a well deserved 2-0 win.
Building on that success, the girls produced their best performance yet in the fourth match, winning 4-0 against Hilden Grange.
In the play off match, we faced Cumnor House. With confidence high, the team delivered another impressive performance, winning 2-0 and securing an excellent overall 3rd place finish.
A fantastic effort from all the players – well done! KL
U9c Football
This round-robin tournament at Somerhill on Thursday tested the girls’ strength and durability as they swiftly moved between 5 matches with little break. With 1 loss, two draws and one win, the U9 girls (with the help of one U8) showed determination throughout each game. Particularly TomIwa holding the front line and scoring every goal that day. The girls should be proud of their skill and performance on the pitch and unwavering perseverance throughout each match. EV
U8A Football
On Thursday afternoon the under 8a girls football team took part in their football fiesta. The girls played 2 group stage matches to determine where they would place in the playoffs. The first game against Hazelwood finished 1-0 to Holmewood with a last kick of the game goal.
The second against a strong Sutton valence team in which both defences shut the other out. This meant Holmewood placed 2nd in the group and would Play-off for 4th,5th or 6th place in the tournament.
The first playoff match was tricky but the girls played very well narrowly losing 1-0. The second finished 0-0 meaning that we finished 5th place which is brilliant.
Well done to all that took part JP
U8B Football
The U8B’s had a brilliant afternoon of football at Somerhill in the sunshine.
We played 4 group matches where all girls got stuck in and had to play 3 back to back without a break and the girls taking it in turns to play up for the U9’s in any break they might have had. They all worked extremely hard and showed brilliant team spirit.
Finishing our group in 2nd, we went through to the 3rd/4th play off and came out on top!
V Marlborough House 1-0 Win
V St Michael’s 0-0 Draw
V Somerhill 1-2 Loss
V DPS 2-0 Win
3/4
V Somerhill 1-0 Win
3rd overall
