SPORTS BLOG

Sarah Parkinson-Mills, Director of Sport at King’s High and Warwick Prep (and Investec Women’s Hockey League star)

March 20 2018

The Spring term has been one of great success once again for the girls on the sports front, with outstanding performances across many different disciplines, and by a huge number of our girls.

The Hockey and Netball teams continue to be some of the best in the Region and, despite training and matches being hit by the ‘Beast from the East’, the girls have continued to impress. 16 girls were fortunate enough to take part in a Wasps Netball workshop at the Ricoh arena early in the term which proved to be a very useful experience for them. There have been strong performances and victories against a number of teams, including Princethorpe, Malvern St James, Bablake and King Henry VIII. We have had 13 Hockey teams and 15 Netball teams in action over the course of the term.

The U13 and U15 Netball squads deserve a special mention. As the term has progressed they have taken on teams from all over the country and London, playing in the Independent Schools National Plate competition. We are extremely proud both squads played at a consistently high standard to make the semi-finals of this National competition. They have developed as individuals and as teams throughout and it certainly bodes well for the future of Netball at King’s to have two teams competing in the later stages of this competition.

We are extremely proud of the girls, their achievements and their competitive spirit when taking part in fixtures. There have been a huge number of girls who have represented the school in a number of different sporting disciplines. Well done to you all. We look forward now to the summer term where the girls will have the opportunity to compete in Tennis, Athletics, Rounders, Tag Rugby and Cricket.

Netball – U13s County Champions, U12Bs Second in Emerging Schools Tournament

The U13 Netball squad most definitely used their experiences in the Plate Competition to see them take the County title at the end of the Spring term. Competing against other local schools they comfortably topped their group with victories against Kingsley, Alcester Grammar and Bilton Grange. Coming up against Higham Lane in the semi-final was going to be tough but the girls rose to the occasion and comfortably ran out winners to book their place in the final. Once again the team faced Bilton Grange. The experiences the U13’s have had through this season came to the forefront. After a cagey opening few minutes excellent composure all over the court meant a gap began to open. Super shooting under pressure from Hannah Walker and Sophie Gloster meant King’s took the title by an impressive 5 goal margin.

In the same week the U12B team competed against a number of other local school A teams in the Emerging Schools Tournament. We are delighted to say they finished runners up, which is a superb achievement. Congratulations to all who took part.

Hockey – County Championship Successes

In the County Hockey Championships the U12 team performed superbly, in what is a fiercely competitive age group in the area. A disappointing 1-0 loss to begin with spurred the team on to victories against Bablake, Shottery and King Henry VIII. At the end of the tournament there were three teams tied on points for the gold medal. It was to be decided by goal difference, which placed us in the Bronze Medal position. Whilst the girls were extremely disappointed to have lost the title in this way it shows what great potential they have for future years at King’s.

In the U13 XI County tournament there was a nail biting finish. Building on their tour to Holland during the October half term the U13 hockey team have continued to develop and impress. A convincing win against Bablake set the tone, followed by a strong performance against Princethorpe and another convincing win against King Henry VIII. Going into the last game against Shottery the team knew a win would give them a chance of a medal. In the final moments of the game, a breakaway attack by Shottery forced a superb save from Jecca Tetley who had stepped up to play in goal, Sophie Gloster carried the ball out of defence and played it to Gabriella Wait. With 30 seconds on the clock she passed the half way line and linked up with Sara Constantin down the right wing. Sara broke in to the attacking 25 with 10 seconds on the clock. Looking up she hit a cross to Olivia Smith who calmly collected on her reverse stick, and slotted into the goal as the final whistle sounded. Scenes reminiscent of the Rio Olympics final followed as the girls celebrated their hard earned silver medals.

Swimming – Victorious Teams

It seems a long time ago that on the first day of term the U13 and U12 swimming squads competed in a gala against Bromsgrove. This set the tone for swimming this term with both age groups winning nearly every race.

The U18 and U15 A and B squads competed in the Bromsgrove invitational relays. It was a very successful day of racing with all squads, including the B teams, making the A team finals. The U15A team of Connie Hodge, Maddi Nuttall, Evie Thompson and Ella Vickers won two silver medals in the medley relay and freestyle relay.

The Warwick 100’s later in the term proved to be a tense affair and one where the importance of every member of the squad really came to the forefront. The U18, U16 and U14 squad all competed on the day with a number of individual wins for our girls. The U14 squad, Sophie Gloster, Amalia Macheng Midtsaeter, Maddi Nuttall and Rebecca Morrison, took their age group title but it came down to the last three races to decide who would win the overall title. We were level on points with Bedford, and came out victorious by just 1 point. An outstanding effort from all involved.

The swimming squad finished their season at the Otter relays. This is one of the oldest and most prestigious swimming meets in the school calendar. It is an open age group event and we took a number of young swimmers. To finish 14^th out of 62 schools is an excellent achievement.

Early in the term our Talented Athlete Programme swimmers were fortunate enough to take part in a breaststroke Masterclass with Mark Branch, the Junior 200m breaststroke record holder.

Waterpolo – U15s Third at National Finals

Continuing our dominance in the pool, but this time with a ball as well, the U15 Waterpolo team have been in blistering form. They qualified for the National Finals in emphatic style as Regional Champions, knocking out the defending National Champions on the way. The team, made up of girls from Year 7 to year 10, and captained by Issy Hirst, travelled to Northampton to compete in the finals.

In their first group game they play Manchester High School. It was a cagey affair in the first half but Issy Hirst held her nerve when taking a penalty to give us a 2-1 lead at half time. A storming second half meant we ran out 6-2 winners. A great start to the competition. In the other group game against Highgate confidence was high, and we won through to the semifinal, 5-2.

After a short break King’s played Bedford in the semi-final for a chance to compete to be crowned National Champions. Having played then in the regional round we knew it would be a tough match. Bedford took the lead in the game to be leading 2-1 at the half way stage. In the second half we scored early to draw level then almost without answer bombarded the Bedford goal. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be and the score remained 2-2 until the end. A penalty shoot out was to decide who would progress. Disappointingly it wasn’t our day and we went out 3-4.

Keen to ensure we came away with a bronze medal, the least the girls deserved, the team showed great resilience and togetherness to put on a solid performance once again against Manchester High. We dominated play to finish 3^rd.

Congratulations to all the girls involved. To finish third in the country is a remarkable achievement and we are very proud of you

Claypigeon Teams: Going For A Fourth National Championship?

Our Clay Pigeon Shooting team (- National Champions 2015, 2016, 2017 (and practising hard for 2018!) were the Team winners at the Oxford Gun Club’s Schools Challenge, beating the team from the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, a true accomplishment. Chloe Goulbourne, Year 12, was third in the senior Ladies and Freya, Year 9 was third Prep Lady. Our girls also won First and Second at the Warwick Schools Challenge, with Chloe Goulbourne the Top Scorer. Competition included Bloxham, Cheltenham College and a large cohort from Millfield. Our brother teams from Warwick School also won their competition!

Cross Country – Warwickshire Schools and Nationals

Our cross country runners have enjoyed the mud perhaps more than others special mentions should go to Daisy Nicolle who finished 9^th in the U16 Warwickshire School Cross Country. In the U14 age group Gigi Thomas finished 8^th out of a field of 48 in the U14 version of the same competition. In the younger years Emma Dobson finished 12^th in the U13 age group and our youngest runner, Molly Bullock, ran extremely well to finish 4^th place and qualified for the National Cross Country Championships. Congratulations to all our runners!

Badminton Teams Central Warwickshire Bronze Medallists

Following on from their success in the Level 2 competition the U16 Badminton team went on to represent Central Warwickshire in the Level 3 school games finals. They played superbly well losing only to the eventual winners. Congratulations to Emily Skillett, Faith Christopherson, Grace Harvey and Olivia Pigden who finished in the Bronze Medal position.

Athletics: Third at School Games Indoor Athletics

It seems bizarre to say we had our first Athletics fixture of the year considering the recent weather conditions. The Year 8 team competed at the School Games Indoor Athletics competition. They finished 3^rd overall with a particularly strong performance from Georgia Cassel. We look forward to the outdoor season to come.

Winter 2017 Round up

King's Hockey Players in South Africa

Above: U16 Netballers, County Runners-Up

Winning smiles from our U13 Netball team, fresh from their 33-5 win against Queen Ethelburga's, which sends them marching on to the Quarter Finals of the Independent Schools National Cup. This means both U15s and U13s in the Quarter Finals!

Sports Update: The girls were in action straight away on the first day of term in a swimming fixture against Bromsgrove. They were particularly impressive, winning almost every race.

16 girls took part in a Wasps netball workshop at the Ricoh, proved to be a useful and enjoyable experience for them.

Four U12 Netball teams competed in their first fixture of 2018 against Solihull. They were tough games, but it was fantastic to see so many girls taking part. Weekends have been busy for both the Hockey and Netball teams. The U15 hockey recorded an emphatic 10-0 win. The U13 B and C teams played Malvern St James, the U13AB teams suffering a narrow defeat for the B’s but the C team came out victorious. The U13A and U12A teams played against Bromsgrove in some fiercely competitive matches. The U12A team were particularly impressive on the day recording a strong win. On the netball courts the U14bc and U12bc netball teams all recorded victories against MSJ.

The U15A and B netball teams have both won against Princethorpe.
U15 Hockey have been in action again, this time against St Martin’s U16 Hockey team. They played superbly well recording a 1-0 victory - the St Martin’s keeper did an outstanding job of keeping the score down!

It seems bizarre to say we had our first athletics fixture of the year in the recent freezing weather, when the Year 8 team competed at the School Games Indoor Athletics. The team finished 3rd overall with particularly impressive performances from Georgie.

Left: U14 Hockey, County Champions

Sports Round-Up

Junior and Inter Swimming teams finish 5th and 13th in the country at ESSA National Swim Finals in the Olympic pool • U14’s are County Hockey Champions • U16’s win County Indoor Hockey title, and go on with U18’s to finish in the Top 6 and Top 8 respectively at the Midlands Finals Indoor Hockey • Year 10 and 11 Badminton team are Champions in the CSW (Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire) School Games competition • U13 swimmers win the title and U12’s runners-up in Warwick 50’s competition • Netballers selected for Wasps training hubs • Clay Pigeon teams have wins, seconds and thirds at Marlborough and Millfield - Sophie Davies wins highest scoring lady at Marlborough • Cross Country runners compete for Warwickshire • King’s hosts CSW School Games Street Dance Competition - Alodie selected from over 100 competitors as a stand-out performer

Sports News

The U18 and U16 indoor Hockey teams put in great performances at the Regional Finals. The U12 A,B,C,D Hockey teams all played Princethorpe. The C and D teams had hard-fought games but narrowly lost. The U12B team recorded a convincing victory and the U12A team drew in a fiercely competitive 2-2. The 1stXI travelled to Bablake and put on a controlled performance to win 3-0. The U13 teams played some great hockey against Solihull, recording 1 win and 1 loss. The U18 Netball team competed against St Edmunds from Ware in Hertfordshire in the Independent Schools plate competition. They eventually lost the game but played extremely well. The stand out performer on the day was Maddie. The 1st XI were back in action against Tudor Hall, suffering a frustrating defeat. The U14 hockey went down 2-0 to Bablake. The Emerging Schools Tournament gave an opportunity to our U13b netballs to compete against local schools. They narrowly lost in the semi-final but played some excellent Netball in very cold conditions.

U16's Continue to Soar - Onto Midlands Finals

Congratulations to our Under 16 Netball squad for their fantastic performance in this triangular tournament (a tournament which includes the best two Under 16 teams from Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire). The competition was tough, but King's played superbly in the first game to beat Bablake 9-8. Further strong performances in close games followed against St Martin's, King Henry VIII and Langley School, but, King's kept calm and played their best Netball of the year to win all of the ties. The final game of the evening against Higham Lane was another close match, and despite playing far better than they had in the County round, we could not quite beat them. Their performances earlier in the evening were, however, more than enough and the girls finished as runners-up. This means that they have won a place at the Midlands' finals in January, as one of the top 14 schools in the region!

Under 16 Netball County Runners Up

Congratulations to the Under 16 netball squad who finished as County Runners-up and progress to the next round of the national qualifying competition, after beating Kingsley 9-4, Rugby School 7-3, but losing out to Higham Lane in the final game of the day.

U14s Hockey Win County Tournament

Congratulations to our U14s, victorious at the County Hockey Tournament. They beat Rugby School, Bablake, King Henry VIII, Kingsley, and drew with Princethorpe, but won on goal difference.

U18s Hockey Qualify for Midlands Round

Congratulations to our U18s Hockey team, who have qualified as runners up for the Midlands round at the County Hockey Tournament. Following a nail-biting final match, there were 16 very happy and very tired girls, all beaming with their medals.

Hockey Players with Olympic Heroines
Years 8 and 9 hockey players were delighted to talk with Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh at the MT13 annual conference. Heroines of Team GB’s gold medal-winning team at Rio, Helen scored one of the deciding penalties.

Netballers Selected for Wasps Training

Three of our four netballers who tried out for Wasps Netball’s new training hubs have been selected. Hundreds of girls trialled for Wasps, who have set up hubs across the Midlands for the most talented players. Each hub has around 15 girls. Emma Jane is attending the Rugby hub, and Maddie and Alana are attending the Coventry hub.

Below: Director of Sport, Sarah Parkinson-Mills, wearing the new King's High/Warwick Prep joint sports staff kit

Flying Start for Hockey Teams

Our hockey players have got off to a winning start this Autumn, with the First XI beating Northampton High School 3-0, U14A winning against King’s Worcester and Northampton High, and the U15A’s winning each of their matches to date, and upping the goal score each time! They beat King’s Worcester 3-1, King Edward VI Birmingham 4-1, and Northampton High School 7-1.

U12 Netball County Champions

On a very wet afternoon, our Year 7 netball players became County Champions. Following a tough semi-final against Higham Lane, where the girls defended really well, holding on to win, they played Kingsley in the Final with great determination and attack, and won 9-4.

Midlands Swimming Finals

Following the TAP Swimming Masterclass – a truly fantastic event run by ex GB international swimmers - Evey (Year 9) won 50m and 100m titles at the Midlands Swimming Finals. She will hopefully have achieved times which will have secured her places in the English and maybe British age group championships.

Swimming Masterclass

Swim Swift Elite led a Masterclass for our top class swimmers, with 8 Warwick Prep girls also joining in the fun. The girls were coached in the pool for 2 hours on freestyle, then spent an hour being shown how ex-Olympic athletes complete their land training and stretching. It was a very enjoyable session and has given the girls a great opportunity to see novel drills and practices that they can go away and work on. You can find out more about Swim Swift Elite at www.swimswiftelite.co.uk/about-us/

Midlands In2Hockey U13 Finals

The girls played some great hockey at England Hockey’s Midlands Finals but unfortunately, luck was not on our side in these 12 minute games. We drew 2 matches, and lost 1, with the final hit of the match, and won 1, but the girls tried incredibly hard.

Bromsgrove Invitational Medallists

The Under 15 team won silver medals in both the Medley and Freestyle relay at the Bromsgrove Invitational Relays. A fine performance by a team who all are in year 9 – Connie, Issy, Elas and Evie. The Under 18 team made both A team Finals, finishing 4th in the Medley and winning Bronze in the Freestyle.

King’s High Polo

King’s High Polo Club have ridden into action for their first time at the Dallas Burston Polo Club. Girls from Years 7-12 had a fantastic first session. Read more at www.kingshighwarwick.co.uk in Further News/First Polo Club Session

Victorious Tennis Girls

The U18 Tennis Team defeated Rugby School 4-2 to reach the third round of the National Aberdare Cup. Well done, girls!

Year 7 Netball Bronze, Swimmers Gold, at CSW Sport Level 3 Schools Games

Good leaping, girls! Our Year 7 Netball team demonstrate the energy that has seen them win the County Championship, and now Bronze Medals at the CSW (Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire) Sport Level 3 School Games. Very proud of our swimmers also, having a scorching season, and winning Gold medals at the CSW Games.

Golden Girls

Our victorious U13 Hockey Squad had a wonderful treat at training, when they got to meet Olympic gold medallist and GB hockey player, Lily Owsley MBE.

County Netball Champions

Congratulations to our Year 7 County Netball Champions! The King's tradition continues to flourish with their winning games against Kingsley, Stratford Girls Grammar, Bilton Grange and Higham Lane.

Clayshooters win Rugby School Challenge and Warwick School Challenge

King’s High’s Clay Shooting teams are repeating last season’s storming form. King's won the Rugby School Challenge competition, beating Tudor Hall, among other schools. Chloe was the highest scoring girl shooter of the competition. We now have three sisters competing together! – Chloe, Charlotte and Cassie (pictured below). The teams won First and Second on what proved to be a difficult course at the Warwick School Challenge competition. After a thrilling shoot-off with her arch-rival from Bloxham, Charlotte was declared the highest scoring girl, with Chloe the third highest.

County Champions - U13 Netball Team

Congratulations to our U13 Netball team, County Champions! They beat Stratford Girls’ Grammar, St Thomas More, Higham Lane and Bilton Grange, before going on to a nail biting final against Princethorpe, winning 10-9.

Sporting Life

The King’s High Sport bonanza continues. From the pitch to the pool, our girls have been out competing with many schools around the Midlands. Some recent achievements include:

County Champions – U15 Hockey • County Champions – U15 Netball • National Water Polo Finalists – U15 • County Seven-Aside Champions – U13 Hockey • Quarter-Finalists, National Independent Schools Hockey Championships • Overall winners, Warwick 100s Swim Gala • Masterclass at WASPS Netball • Selection for Warwickshire Under 18 Tennis • County gold medallists – Badminton • Trophy winners (and record-breakers) at Bromsgrove Invitational Swim Relays • Cross Country runners selected for Warwickshire • Dench House win first Inter-House Swimming Competition • Fencing at new competition in Birmingham • Qualified for Youth European Sailing Championship •

Sport at King’s is both competitive – over 50% of Year 7s represented the school – and fun, with girls participating at all levels, from Athletics to Zumba. The sheer range of sport on offer – from Climbing to Water Polo – now includes Polo and Skiing.

King’s High skiers are set to hit the slopes, as six teams prepare for the Birmingham & South Midlands Schools’ Ski Race in Birmingham on March 12. As Caroline Gilbert, Head of PE, says: "This is the first time we have entered ski races, with the intention of starting local, and going global!"

At King’s, sport is for all, from a recreational activity to team events at House, Year group and school level. We are also proud to support elite sport alongside top academic performance, through our Talented Athletes Programme, and dedicated PE team. Recent individual successes we are all celebrating include Eva, selected for the Warwickshire Under 18 Tennis Team (at the age of 14!), and Charlotte, ranked 6th Junior in the UK in her Sailing class, and heading for the Youth European Championship.

County Champions – U15 Netball

Congratulations to our U15 Netball team! They played exceptionally well, and fully deserved to beat Higham Lane in the Final. It crowns a great few weeks, as many of the team are also County Hockey Champions, and reached the Quarter Finals of the National Independent Schools Cup.

Trophy Winners and Record Breakers – Our Swimmers

Our U13 swimmers powered their way through the Bromsgrove Prep Invitational Swimming Relays to win both the Medley Relay Final and the Freestyle Final. It was a fantastic performance and they broke the current record (previously held by – King’s High!).

U15 Hockey Team County Champions

Our U15 Hockey team were crowned County Champions on our playing fields. They beat Princethorpe, Kingsley and King Henry VIII, and drew against Bablake, to take the Championship. Well done to the whole squad who battled through snow and freezing conditions to play some fantastic hockey.

King’s for National Waterpolo Finals

Our Under 15 girls have qualified for the National Waterpolo Finals on 16 March!

Eva for Warwickshire 18 and Under Girls' Tennis

Congratulations, Eva ! - Selected to represent the Warwickshire 18 and Under Girls' Tennis team in the forthcoming annual National competition.

Cross Country Victories plus National/County Selections

On a very cold winter morning, Evie finished 9th at Warwickshire Schools Cross Country. She has now been selected as a 1st Reserve for Warwickshire for the English Schools Cross Country Championships in March. There were good runs from Constance, Gigi and Maya to complete the junior girls team and finish joint 4th team overall. Georgie finished 10th in the minor girls race, Daisy finished 18th in the inter girls race. Georgie has been selected to represent Warwickshire at the National Year 7 Cross Country Championships.

Victorious Swimming Teams

Congratulations to our Under 14 swimming team, winning the Warwick 100’s Gala, and to the Combined Team, winning overall, and beating teams from around the Midlands, including Bedford, Bromsgrove and Northampton. Pictured above are most of the team with the winning Shield.

U15 Hockey Team at National Quarter Finals

Following victories over Tudor Hall, Queenswood and The Grange School, Cheshire our U15 Hockey Team drove their way through to the Quarter Finals of the National Independent Schools' Cup. They lost to Surbiton High School in the Quarter Finals, but acquitted themselves with honour. Well done, girls.

Year 8 Athletics - Bronze Medallists

Congratulations to the Year 8 Athletics Team who gained a Bronze medal at the Sports Hall Athletics Competition.

Badminton Golds

Badminton players Ahbirami (Girls U13) and Faith (Girls U15) both won Gold in the County Restricted Singles tournament – pride for us and their Club, Alveston Juniors.

Youth European Sailing Championship

Fantastic Sailing news just in – Charlotte (Y10) has qualified for the Youth European Championship, and is 8th Youth, and 6th Junior, girl in the UK

U15 Hockey through to Independent Schools' Quarter Finals

Congratulations to our U15 Hockey team, who have won the next round of the U15 Independent Schools' Hockey Cup, beating The Grange School, Cheshire 3-0. They are now through to the Quarter Finals.

U14 Midlands Tennis Finals

Another great run of results saw the U14 tennis team progress through to the Midlands Finals of the Aegon Team School Tennis competition. In the first match they faced a very tough team from Bedford Girls school and, despite their best efforts throughout the Singles and the Doubles, they were over-powered by a better team. In the second match the girls really showed their flair and defeated Moreton Hall 6 matches - 0. This meant they are placed in the top 12 teams in the whole country, a fantastic achievement, and testament to the hard work they have put in over the last 12 months.

U16 Hockey Team County Champions

Another brilliant display resulted in the U16 Hockey team being crowned County Champions in the Indoor Hockey Championships. They beat Princethorpe 1-0, Bablake 2-0, and went on to a thrilling victory against Rugby, winning 2-1.

Swimmers at ESSA National Finals

Well done to the Intermediate Team (U15s), who were one of the top 30 teams competing in the English Schools National Championships (ESSA Finals) at the London Aquatic Centre. Swimming in the Olympic pool, they finished 25th in the Free Relay in a time of 2..00.58 and went one better in the Medley to finish 24th nationally in a time of 2.15.58. This is quite impressive as three of the team are in Year 9 and have one more year in this age group, which bodes well for next year.

And well done to our very young team of Under 13s, who finished 29th in the National Finals in a time of 2.12.09 – again, bright prospects for the future.

U14 and U16 Hockey Teams off to Midlands Finals

Both our U14 and U16 Hockey Teams have qualified from the Midlands Zone to reach the Midlands Finals.

Swimming Teams in ESSA National Finals

Our Junior and Inter Swimming Teams are competing in the ESSA National Finals - and get to swim in the Olympic pool in London!

Clean sweep at Bromsgrove

Some superb results from our Hockey teams: our U14s won 2-0 and U16s won 3-0 against Bromsgrove. Both teams compete in the Midlands Zone round this week.

First VII Netball Team crowned County Champions

Congratulations to our victorious First VII Netballers!

U16 Hockey Qualify for Midlands Zone

Congratulations to our U16 hockey team – Country Runners Up, and qualifiers for Midlands Zone!

Netball Clean Sweep

A victorious weekend, as all our netball teams won their matches against King Henry VIII. 1st VII won 41-11, 2nd VII won 35-11, U14A won 26-12, U14B won 26-7, U12A won 33-3, U12B won 12-9.

U14 Hockey Team are County Champions

On a soggy Saturday the U14 hockey team headed to Coventry for their County tournament. They first faced Princethorpe where, despite playing the better hockey, they could only come away with a 0-0 draw. The girls then picked themselves up to beat Kenilworth 2-0 and then defeat a tough Bablake side 1-0. In their 3rd game against Rugby they just couldn't find the back of the net, and again had to settle for a 0-0 draw. This meant they needed to score as many as they possibly could against King Henry VIII to win a place through to Midland Zone. They did this in fine fashion with a 6-0 win – which made them County Champions and top of the table. Well done, girls!

Swimmers Make A Splash at ESSA

King’s Junior swimmers came 1st in the Freestyle relay and 2nd in the Medley relay at the West Midlands ESSA qualifying relays. Well done, girls!

Wimbledon Hero gives a Masterclass

Tennis players from our Talented Athletes Programme (TAP) were delighted when Wimbledon hero Marcus Willis gave them a Masterclass at Warwick Boat Club. Marcus produced the fairytale story of Wimbledon, with his defeat of the World’s 54th-ranked player, and his brave match against seven-times Champion, Roger Federer. Caroline Gilbert, Head of PE, said: ‘It’s really motivational for our girls, having a local player of such talent as Marcus.’

Five Girls Selected for the Region at Hockey

Huge congratulations to Millie, Katie, Lucy, Ally and Emily, who have been selected to represent the Region in the Junior Regional Performance Centre Cluster Matches later this month. We wish them all the best. Perhaps we could have a future Olympic Gold Medallist!

Athletics County Championships for Years 7-10
Congratulations to both the Year 7 and 8 teams who made it a clean sweep for King's Athletics at the Mid-Warwickshire Athletics Championships, winning both team competitions (following Year 9 and 10's success). The Year 7 team took first places in the 200m, 1500m and Javelin. Gabby broke the Championship record in Shot and Relay. The Year 8 team placed first in four events, Lizzy winning the 200m and Long Jump, Millie winning the discus, and the relay team again romping home. Well done to all the girls who were involved.

Tennis Squads progress from County to Midlands

The U13 and U15 tennis A squads both won their County league in the Aegon tennis championship, and will progress to the Midland knock-out rounds next term. The U13 team defeated Princethorpe, Twycross House, Kenilworth and Stratford Grammar, dropping just 2 sets out of 24. The U15 team played some tough opposition and defeated Kenilworth, Stratford Grammar, Princethorpe and Rugby School. The final match against Rugby went to a Championship tie break, but the girls pulled through to win 10-8 and book their place in the next round. Congratulations to all the girls who took part.

Ten hockey players invited to try for Regional

An incredible 10 girls have been selected to attend England Hockey Junior Regional Performance centres over the summer, following their outstanding performances for their County. Well done Alyssa, Holly, Lauren, Holly, Katie, Jenny, Ally, Maddie, Lucy and Millie.

Warwickshire Champions – Track and Field Cup

Congratulations to the entire Athletics squad who competed so well in the County round of the Track and Field Cup competition, with our Inter Girls team being crowned Warwickshire Champions. The Junior Girls (Years 7 and 8) finished as County runners-up.

Selected for Mid-Warwickshire

Congratulations to both teams who convincingly won their age groups at the Years 9-10 Mid-Warwickshire Athletics Competition. Following on from this, Lucy, Cesca, Lauren, Maddie, Rhian, Maya, Isabel, Catrin and Katie have all been selected to represent Mid-Warwickshire at the County Championships on June 11th. Well done and good luck, girls!

U13 Tennis team go up the Levels

At the Level 2 School Games competition, the U13 Tennis team played a mixture of singles and doubles and won all their matches, beating Myton in the semi-final, then Kingsley in the final to win the tournament, and book their place at the Level 3 tournament. Congratulations to the team.

U18 Midlands School Girls’ Tennis Doubles Finals

King's entered two Pairs into the prestigious Midlands School Girls’ Regional tennis tournament. The Second Pair of Year 11 girls, Elys and Harriet, won 5 of their 6 pool games and just lost to Dean Close, putting them in second place in the round robin. In the final they matched up once again to Dean Close but unfortunately lost 6-2 to finish in second place in the Second Pair competition.
The First Pair, Year 9’s Francesca and Eva, also won all but one of their group games to finish in second place. Once again, they faced their nemesis, Dean Close, in the Final. Despite playing some excellent tennis, they lost 6-3 – but gained 3 more games from them than they did last year, showing how much both players have come on. Congratulations to both our Pairs on finishing second in this regional competition.

Tennis teams off to a flying start

Both the U15 and U13 Aegon League tennis teams have made a fine start to the season with resounding wins against Stratford Grammar and Princethorpe.

Clay Pigeon Shooting Team Victorious to the End

Our Clay Shooting Team walked away with the trophy at the Bredon School Challenge over the Bank Holiday. Congratulations Charlotte, Chloe, Cordelia, Jemima, Madeleine and Emily. This rounds off the most successful season ever in the best possible way. Our Clay Shooting teams have competed in 7 major competitions, winning five, and coming second twice, which means they have a staggering four trophies to collect in Assembly.

Clay Pigeon Shooting Team retain British Schools Championships
Our Clay Pigeon Shooting Team won the National British Schools and Young Shots Championships - for the second year running, and the second time in the history of King’s High. Our A Team won the Championship trophy and our B Team came 4th . This follows a string of successes at the Oxford Gun Company, the Rugby School Challenge Competition, and the Warwick Challenge Competition, where our teams came 1st and 2nd.

U12 Hockey Team Midland Regional Finalists
The hockey season ended on a high, with our U12s winning silver medals at the Midland Regional Finals. A bright sunny day welcomed the U12 hockey team to the Midlands Hockey Finals at Cannock. A tough first game against Oakham saw them draw 1-1 but they followed this up with a 4-2 win against Newcastle Under Lyme and a 2-0 win against Northampton. A tough 2-0 loss to RGS Worcester meant they had to get results from all their remaining games to be in with a chance of progressing out of the group. The girls held it together and, despite tiring in the heat, beat Moreton Hall 1-0 and drew 1-1 to St. Martins, but this was enough to see them finish in second place in the group.
They then faced a strong Loughborough High School in the semi-final and despite taking the lead, conceded shortly before the end, from a short corner, leaving the final score 1-1. The game went to penalty flicks and the three King's girls stepped up and scored, and with a save made by King's goalie Maud, this put them in the Finals. Here they once against faced RGS Worcester and despite the best efforts of the whole squad they lost 2-0 to a talented team.
A fantastic achievement for them all to finish in 2nd place in the whole of the Midlands - Congratulations, girls!

U15 Hockey Team are County Champions

Our U15 Hockey Team have kept up their winning habit by winning the County Championship. They had a perfect record in the tournament, winning all four of their matches.

U13 Waterpolo Team are National Finalists!

Congratulations to our U13 Waterpolo Team, who have qualified for the National Finals after winning all three of their matches in the regional qualifying tournament.

Eva Selected for Warwickshire U18 Tennis

Fresh from her win in the Open 16 and Under Girls at Nottingham Tennis Centre Regional Centre, Eva has been selected to play Tennis for Warwickshire U18 team in the Regional Finals – at the age of 13!

County Cross Country Champions

Our Junior girl's team were crowned County Champions. Congratulations to: Connie, Evie, Cesca, Amelia and Millie!

Our minor girl's team can be proud of their fourth place finish, with special congratulations to Be-Thea, who ran superbly to finish on the podium in third place.

Warwick 100s Swimming

Our U14 team were victorious in both of their relays, with Issy and Ella winning their individual events thereby enabling the team to win the title! The combined totals for the U18, U16 and U14 teams led King's to a second place finish in this prestigious gala competition.

It should be noted that the U16 team is comprised of mainly Key Stage 3 girls and they garnered their third place finish against much older swimmers.

Eva Wins Open 16 and Under Girls Nottingham Tennis Centre Regional Finals

Eva triumphed in the Grade three singles event, playing up one age group and turning the draw upside down by beating the number 1, 2 and 3 seeded players. We congratulate her on her career-best performance!

U14 Netball Team Wins Place in National Finals

We are very proud of our U14 netball squad for their success in the Midlands Finals which won them a place in the National Finals to held in March. To read more about the girls' triumph, please use this link:

http://www.kingshighwarwick.co.uk/Kings-U14s-Off-To-National-Finals

Under 13 HOCKEY

Congratulations to our U13 Hockey Team who became County Champions in the most challenging of conditions. Withstanding torrential downpours and freezing temperatures, our Year 8’s played some superb hockey to win the tournament in convincing fashion.
They won all their games:
KHS V Bablake 1 – 0
KHS V Stratford Grammar 3 – 0
KHS V Princethorpe College 1 -0
KHS V King Henry VIII 3 – 0.

Well done to the whole squad: Captain Lizzie and Imogen, Tilly, Alex, Maddy, Alana, Grace, Issy, Millie, Saskia, Grace, Olivia and Sadie!

King's High Warwick