Sports Blog

Year 6 Netball

Shephalbury Park 15 - 4 Codicote

Year 6 came away with another impressive Netball result as they defeated Codicote by 11 goals on Thursday evening.

The first quarter saw the home side take control with 3 goals from Ava in quick succession. Codicote pulled one back before a goal from Emily, sandwiched between another two from Ava gave a first quarter score of 6-1

The second quarter saw excellent defending from Hannah and superb work in the middle from Maya and Jessie which led to another 4 goals being scored by Ava and a scoreline of 10-1 by the end of the half.

A little change about saw Emily move to the defence and with Ruby and Ella switching around too it was good to see Shephalbury score another 4 goals, this time with 1 from Ava and a trio of goals from Jessie.

With the score and 14-1 the girls changed around some more and brought Skye into the attack and Ava into defence. Codicote also made some changes and found a little gem who scored 3 goals before Jessie delighted the home fans with a fantastic goal and a great way to complete the match.

POTM was awarded to Jessie! Well done.

Leading Scorers (2 games played)

Ava - 31

Jessie - 6

Emily - 2

The next netball fixture is a Year 5 game and will take place on Friday 11th November.

Autumn Tournament Finals

21st October 2022

Shephalbury took part in their first ever finals at the Autumn Tournament on the last day of the Autumn 1 half term. Entered into a group alongside Almond Hill. Longmeadow and Round Diamond, Shephalbury had a tough ask to progress to the knockout rounds.

The first game against Almond Hill was decided by an own goal after a corner was deflected unluckily past Lewis for a narrow one goal defeat for Shephalbury. The local derby took place next as both sides fought out a goalless draw against Longmeadow. The final game meant Shephalbury needed to win to have any chance of progressing. However, after a shot from Round Diamond was bravely saved by Lewis' face, the rebound received the lightest of touches to roll past the line as Lewis tried to regain sight of the ball. An equaliser nearly came about with the last kick of the game, but Seth's sweetly struck shot from the left hand side of the box went narrowly wide.

The tournament gave the boys a chance to see what opposition would be like this year and should be proud of being the first football team to make the next round of fixtures in this annual tournament.

Next Match - 10th November - Mossbury in the Cup - away fixture. 

Camps Hill v Shephalbury Park

Year 6 Netball League. Game 1.

Shephalbury travelled to Chells on Thursday to open their league campaign after a highly successful Year 5 season. They came up against a newly formed side in Camps Hill who were playing their first match after a handful of training sessions.

This difference in training did show through as the first quarter began fast. 10 goals from Ava and a single from Emily meant that in the first eight minutes, Shephalbury had stolen control of the game.

Camps Hill rallied and held Shephalbury to just the two goals for Ava in the second quarter. Changes were made throughout the game with Ella, Emily, Skye, Hannah, Jessie and Ruby switching around. However Maya in the centre remained with Ava up top and the third quarter saw 6 more goals from Ava.

The final quarter saw Jessie move into the attack and her first shot was a beauty as she got the first of her two goals. Ava saw another 3 drop into the net after a masterful performance in front of goal which earns her Mr Rust's Player of the Match award! However, the opposition voted for Jessie who had an equally strong performance winning the ball and showing great movement. 

Final score - Camps Hill 0 - 24 Shephalbury Park.

The next game for Year 6 will be on Thursday 3rd November against Codicote.

Shephalbury Advance in the Autumn Tournament

10th October 2022

Shephalbury Park advanced to the final stages of the Autumn Tournament for the first time ever on Monday after a solid three games at Bedwell.

An initial game against St Vincent De Paul left Shephalbury with a goalless draw after a tricky 13 minute game. Both sides had chances and there was lots of space to play into which neither side took advantage of. As both sides cancelled each other out, and Codicote beat Roebuck 2-0, a win against Roebuck was needed.

Shephalbury duly delivered. 2 goals from Elijah and one from George B put Park three goals to the good with an outstanding performance. Lewis in goal was outstanding as usual, and nearly took away another clean sheet were it not for a brief lapse in concentration. Unsure if the ball had gone out, the game continued and Roebuck reacted quicker to cut inside and place the ball in the net. It had still been an excellent performance and with the news that Codicote and St Vincent had drawn too, it meant that Shephalbury and Codicote were on 4 points each as they went into battle.

The resulting game was an absolute cracker. End to end, with chances created and hard work from every child on the pitch. It was truly an advert for school football. Alex, George P, Ethan, Paddy, Jayden-Erik and Seth gave everything and would not let Codicote through. However, the reverse was also true and the game ended in a thrilling goalless draw and it is not often you can say that!

Everyone waited anxiously as it became clear Park were ahead of Codicote on goals scored. St Vincent beat Roebuck, leaving three teams on five points. It was eventually confirmed that Shephalbury had not only advanced, but won the group! Shephalbury will now be playing Division 1 football for the first time ever! The winner of Mr Rust's player of the tournament was - Elijah! Well done!

The finals will be played on Friday 21st October.

17th March 2022

Fairlands v Shephalbury Park.

It was an away game for the Upper Key Stage 2 team and a slightly changed side. Here we saw Alex return to the defence alongside Jenson. Liam, Richie and Finley started the midfield and Paddy took the lead role up top. Lewis, fresh from his heroics at the tournament, remained in goal. 

It started brilliantly. Within 5 minutes, a fantastic cross by Paddy fell into the path of Liam who slotted home another goal for his team. His 6th of the season.

Three minutes later, another shot from Liam was heading goalwards. A wicked deflection from the defender caused problems and the ball ended up in their own net. Shephalbury were two up and looking comfortable. 

It stayed that way until half time, when a few changes were made. Ellis came on as did Luca to give a different dimension to the game. 7 minutes into the second half, the team started to attack down the right. An excellent shot was saved and after a bit of pinball wizard, team captain Richie connected and slotted the ball into the net.

With Shephalbury three up, Fairlands went for it with a lot of attack. Shephalbury had to defend and did so resolutely. The children worked incredibly hard and chalked up a well deserved victory.

Fairlands 0 - 3 Shephalbury Park.

11th March 2022

Shephalbury V Round Diamond 

Developmental league.

It was a big day as the Lower Key Stage team took to the stage, Mr Klein had his men ready early on, but a delay from the visitors meant a wet wait. It didn't matter though, the team were enjoying it and when the game started Round Diamond won possession and scored an early goal. Kian responded well running onto a rebound to score from the edge of the box, leading to a half time score of 1-1.

The second half was a tricky half. There were 2 great chances for Round Diamond, both of which required VAR to come to the referees aid. Unfortunately the budget does not stretch that far and so these goals were not allowed. 3 goals were still scored in this half, with the first, an excellent free kick by Elijah. This gave Shephalbury the lead. Round Diamond fought hard though, and before the game finished managed a couple of quick goals to seal a defeat for the young side. 

The boys should be very proud of their first performance in a Shephalbury shirt. We certainly are.

Shephalbury 2-3 Round DIamond

Indoor Athletics - Year 5 and 6.

Thursday 10th March

We entered a team of consisting of 18 children, with four coming from Year 5, to the annual indoor athletics programme. It has been two years since we last took part and the boys and girls did a fabulous job.

Obstacle Race -

We began with the obstacle relay race. This was a great event which the girls worked very hard at. Despite a fall and a tricky race, they did not give up and that made me very proud! They gave their all. The boys were next and they did not miss a beat winning the race outright. We then split into our track and field events.

Field Events - 

The field events were the same for both teams. First, a chest push. This is very similar to a chest pass in netball, but for distance. Secondly, the standing long jump and standing triple jump. These events are exactly the same as their outdoor events, but they do it without a run up. Thirdly, the Vertical Jump, a test to see who can jump the highest distance - height is not a factor as it is the distance travelled. Finally, the speed bounce. This required a lot of energy as children jump side to side over a hurdle as many times as they can for 30 seconds.

Both teams did very well in this event. 

Track Events

The track events consisted of lap relays. A lap started at the middle of the hall and required a child to run to one end of the hall, to the opposite end of the hall and back to the middle. This was 1 lap.

The girls did well to win their 1 lap relay with Keeley and Maya winning the race. This was followed by the 2 lap relay with Ruby and Ava which was a tough race. The pair finished third. As did Katie and Keeley in the 6 lap paarlauf, an endurance event which is very difficult and again, I was impressed with the determination of the team. Finally came the 4 x 1 lap relat with Amelia J, Amelia Q, Ruby and Maya. A brilliant event where the team finished second and nearly pulled off first after an excellent leg by Maya.

The boys reigned supreme, winning every race they took part in. Tommy, Logan, Richies, Noah, Alan, George, Finley, Kian T and Cade all gave everything in their races and were simply unbeatable. Well done!

So it meant that at the end of the session The girls had finished 3rd in our mini group and the boys finished second with Broom Barns winning both events.

Final Placings for the U11 GIRLS

Final Placings for the BOYS

Well done everyone for representing the school so well!

10th March 2022

Shephalbury Park Year 5 v St Nicholas Year 5. By Jenson - Year 5.

We’re off! Shephalbury on the counter attack and it hits the rim by Emily. Here are the pinks on the counter attack. Good interception by Shephalbury. They go on the counter attack and score! Brilliant by Ava. Jessie has the ball to ruby and she’s lost concentration and it bounces to the pinks. Ooo! Close by the pinks. Shephalbury on the counter attack. Maya to Skye, she passes it in so close really unlucky.      

Time 1st quarter over. 1 - 0

We’re off! Shephalbury on the counter and close by Emily. Pinks counter Close! Close! Oo! So unlucky. Shephalbury on the counter, doesn’t go anywhere. Pinks counter, Maya intercepts Shephalbury on the ball, Skye Ava, close by Ava she doesn’t score, unlucky. Jesse to Skye to Ava, oo! Unlucky. Shephalbury counter, goal from Emily.  Goal from Pinks makes it 2-1 to Shephalbury.  

Time 2^nd Quarter over. 2 - 1.

3^rd Quarter Yellows counter. Brilliant from Ruby catches the ball perfectly in her hands. Ella unlucky. Pinks intercept pinks counter now yellows pink take it. Unlucky from the pinks. Yellow on the counter unlucky. Pinks on the run Jessie intercepts Ella shoots unlucky     

Time 3^rd quarter over 2 - 1

4^th quarter

Pinks shot GOAL! Brilliant. Its 2-2 at the moment. Ava Shoots unlucky so close Emily goal! Yes its 3-2 everyone supporting Shephalbury are really happy. Maya to Emily. Emily again oo! Really Unlucky, Good by Maya. Emily Maya too high. Ava unlucky. People are cheering thinking it went it. Ava unlucky too high. Emily oo! Close. Toss up! Ella gets the ball in the toss up. Ava edge of D Goal its shocking. Yess get in. 4-2. Shephalbury are on the counter from centre and shoot goal by Emily 5-2. Toss up Shephalbury win the toss up. It’s a beautiful game. Shephalbury shoot Goal! 6- . 2   Time 4^th quarter over.

That’s all we have for you folks. Goodnight.

3rd February 2022

Shephalbury Park vs Roebuck B

After losing in the School's Cup tournament to Roebuck last year, it was a chance for Shephalbury to start their league campaign against their second string. A freshly mowed and marked pitch awaited the two teams and it took less than two minutes to take the lead after a delightful cross, from Liam on the right, was met by Paddy who sent the ball into the back of the net via a defender.

Shortly afterwards it was two as the ball was passed in to Liam who netted from close range via another deflection. The third goal for Shephalbury was courtesy once again of Liam who found himself free in the area and slotted coolly past the 'keeper. Just before half time Paddy netted his second of the game with an excellent finish on the breakaway.

At half time, the challenge was set. After practicing on Monday, can we score from outside the area? We saw plenty of good opportunities, but the remaining goal came from outstanding effort and desire from Luca who hassled and harried to poke home from close range.

Lewis made a late save at his near post, but the game was well won and Shephalbury took a fantastic 5-0 victory for our first league game of the season.

21st January 2022

EFL Football Tournament - Shephalbury Academy.

It was a pleasure to take 8 of the Year 5/6 Football team to the Stevenage Training Facilities across the park where they took part in a tournament to determine who would represent Stevenage, as part of the EFL, at Swindon's County Ground. With four other teams to compete against, below is the tale of the tape.

Norton St Nicholas.

First up was the team in white. Shephalbury could not have had a better start, with Liam opening the scoring within seconds. Norton managed an equaliser before another shot from Liam was saved smartly to the 'keeper's left. Unluckily for him this rolled straight into the path of Jenson who slotted home to restore the lead. The goal came under severe attack as Norton chased the game. Despite some smart saves from Lewis and some tidy defending from Teddy and Zafran, the goal was breached 3 times as the opening game drew to an undeserved 4-2 loss.

St Helens C of E 

This game was played immediately afterwards and the boys knew it was going to be tough and tiring! If we started well previously, the same could be said of the opponents in this game as they raced to a 4-0 lead. After a few tweaks, Liam came back on, revitalised, and scored his second of the tournament. However another goal from the opposition led to a disappointing, but deserved 5-1 loss.

Watchlytes

The boys really wanted to perform in this game and began brightly. However a thunderous shot from distance beat Lewis to give the opposition the lead. Liam bagged his third of the tournament to level the game before the tiredness crept in of 3 matches consecutively in a very small arena with little rest time. 4 goals later, the boys were staring at another 5-1 loss. We called on them to dig deep and keep going and the response was magnificent. First, a stray ball in the area led to Luca pulling a goal back. Then with time rapidly expiring, Liam netted 2 more to complete his hat trick and a five goal tournament haul! Sadly, time ran out, but the energy was back. 

Watton-At-Stone

So the final game of the competition occurred. Dreams of Swindon and Wembley evaporated, but a desire to show the spectators and the academy what they could do. Liam led the charge again and a smart shot squeaked through the goalie's legs. However, after the dubious goals committee met, it has been put down as an own goal due to the angle of the shot! Nevertheless, the impact Liam had on the tournament today was evident and would have ordinarily resulted in the Player of the Tournament award. However, it was here that a new hero arose. There had been excellent defending from Teddy and Zafran, a tireless performance from Finley and Richie, and an excellent day in front of goal for Liam, Jenson and Luca. This game was when Lewis had the performance of his life. One of the referees even said "I've never seen a performance like it!"

Two shots managed to sneak past Lewis, with nothing he could do about them. But the fact that the eventual champions were limited to two goals was down to a glut of saves, some when it was entirely unexpected. It was an immense performance and it kept Shephalbury in the match while St Helens needed the match to be at least a draw to progress themselves. With just over a minute remaining, and Shephalbury throwing everything forward, Watton scored the goal to put the game to bed. It was a disappointing way to end what had been an excellent afternoon with a fabulous team spirit. 

Four defeats does not tell the story, but football is a harsh game where you do not always get what you deserve. Today though, the team do get what they deserve, which is praise for representing our school with dignity, humility and passion. Well done boys!

2020-21 Archives below

Speed Stacking

We had a fantastic Speed Stacking competition in Y3 and Y4. Our fastest 8 children were 

Y3 - Jenson, Emily and Jessie

Y4 - Finley Bryce, George, Ruby, Katie and Richie.

They will make the A team for Shephalbury and completed their 8 person relay in 94.63 seconds! 

The B team - who completed the relay in 118.96 seconds is:

Y3 - Alessia, Summer, Hannah, Dylan, Max, Jayden

Y4 - Raynie, Noah Stone

The C team, who completed the relay in 125.06 seconds is:

Y3 - Maya, Ruby, Ella, Lewis

Y4 - Amelia Q, Teddy, Owen, Liam G

These will be measured against other teams in Stevenage with the top teams representing the schools in the Stevenage Championships. We will keep you updated.

Year 5/6 Football Team

Shephalbury Vs Codicote - School’s Cup Second Round

An early kick off of 3pm was agreed upon as Codicote visited for this second round match. It was a cold day, but all the children were ready to play and as the game kicked off there was a good energy from both sides. Unfortunately for Shephalbury, it was a difficult game as Codicote broke away well leaving the boys 4-0 down at half time. Billy had limped off injured and only seven remained. They fought hard and did pull a goal back by Jack. That was the closest Shephalbury came to a comeback. Codicote scored two more to compound a difficult day and progress to round three. We wish them the best of luck for the rest of the tournament!

Shephalbury 1 Codicote 6 

Shephalbury Vs Broom Barns

League Match.

Shephalbury began this game fast. An early goal was scored as a throw in was flicked on for Archie to score. It did not take long for the opponents to equalise with a thumping shot from outside the box from a scuffed clearance. Not one to be outdone, Johnny took a long free kick and squeaked it in at the far post before Archie scored his second after an exquisite through ball from Johnny. The second half saw another shot from Johnny going wide, until Harley E deflected it into the net for his first goal for the club. A late free kick reduced the deficit, but the result was a home win and a vital three points.

Shephalbury 4-2 Broom Barns

Year 5 Netball Team

Ashtree Vs Shephalbury 

Decidedly dodgy weather caused a shortened match to take place as Shephalbury took on Ashtree. The first quarter was where Shephalbury caused all the damage. Angelika had dropped 3 great goals in the early going, which was complemented by a goal from Holly. After one quarter the score was 0 - 4. The remaining two quarters were relatively quiet, with Shephalbury dominating most of the remaining 14 minutes. Holly and Angelika added another goal apiece and the final quarter was an even affair, with neither side able to add to the scoreline in the diminishing light.It was another excellent performance and another set of points for Shephalbur Park.

Final Score: Ashtree 0 Shephalbury 6

Year 5/6 Football Team

St Columba's Vs Shephalbury - Junior Wix 2nd Round.

Shephalbury Park found themselves in an ultra competitive game played on the outskirts of St Albans and Hatfield. The team performed admirably in the first half, showing real grit and determination against a very well organised and well trained side. The deadlock was broken after 13 minutes when a shot was unleashed from outside the box and beat Cole. This signalled a flurry of long shots, none of which really troubled the goalkeeper. However, Shephalbury kept their resolve and saw the half out with just a one goal deficit. 

Shephalbury came out swinging in the second half and nearly equalised through Jack after a brilliant attack. Unfortunately, he could not quite squeeze the ball home between goalkeeper and post. Shephalbury were really unfortunate to concede seconds later when the ball squeaked across the goalmouth and was turned in.

Shephalbury refused to give up and so went again. Harley E came close but Shephabury could not get close enough. The opposition continued with their long shots with a degree of success that led to the scoreline jumping to six. 

There was no way back for Shephalbury who can be incredibly proud of themselves for doing so well in the competition.

St Columba’s 6 Shephalbury 0

Year 5/6 Football Team

Fairlands VS Shephalbury Park 

Our first fixture in the league took place away from the hallowed turf of Shephalbury as the team travelled to Fairlands Primary School. After a fantastic start, the hosts got back into the match and began playing some lovely football. This caused Shephalbury some issues when with their first break and attack Fairlands took the lead. They controlled the rest of the first half and peppered the goal with Cole making some important saves to keep Shephalbury in the game. 

The second half was much more even and the team came out with a positive attitude. However as darkness descended, they were unable to find the finishing touches required to level the game. As the game drew to a close, Fairlands took a shot from outside the box which Cole saved. However, the ball rebounded from the bar and over the line to give the hosts a narrow victory.

Fairlands 2-0 Shephalbury Park

Year 3/4 Football Team

Giles VS Shephalbury Park 

This game had everything you could want in a football match as the Year 3/4 team took part in their first away game of the season. Within seconds of the kick off Tommy sent Archie through with a brilliant pass which Archie finished with aplomb. Both sides fought hard and Archie could have had a second. Unfortunately, Tommy had a sore foot and was unable to continue. He stayed for the whole match to cheer on his team mates! Well done Tommy. A change in personnel preceded a change in scoreline as the ball was not cleared and Giles equalised. This became the story of the rest of the half and two more missed chances to clear led to two more goals from a corner and a throw in. Archie nearly scored again between the two goals, but he shot narrowly wide.

The second half saw some great saves by Jenson and a renewed vigor from the team. Their eagerness to clear nearly led to an own goal, but a superb through ball from Lewis to Archie led to another goal and a nail-biting end to the match. A brilliant cross from Lewis at the death was saved by the goalkeeper and time ran out. It was a much improved performance from the first game and one that the team should be very proud of.

Giles 3-2 Shephalbury Park

Year 6 Netball.

Shephalbury Park VS Roebuck 

Roebuck were next in line for the Shephalbury Netball Team. It was an excellent start for the girls, who were two up in the first quarter thanks to goals from Evie. Excellent defence and team work kept the score to zero for Roebuck and Chloe added to the scoreline for a three goal lead. Half time gave the opportunity for both teams to discuss tactics and Roebuck came out with a purpose. Two quick attacks and two quick goals brought the lead to just one goal. The team needed to restore confidence and from a creative back line pass, Evie did just that. A discussion during the break led to the goal being disallowed at the end of the game as it would not affect the points given out, however this was a legal move so it will be visible on the Shephalbury Leaderboards! It was the tensest final quarter ever seen on the grounds of Shephalbury. With a one goal lead to defend, Shephalbury did just that, with Evie settling the score with one minute to go. A tough game that finished with great sportsmanship, and another win for the girls.

Shephalbury 4-2 Roebuck

St Margaret's VS Shephalbury Park 

After the euphoria of the previous game, this match brought everybody back down to earth quickly. It was always going to be a difficult game. Last year - this team won the "A" league of 5/6 players and the tournament for the "a" league as well! Their Year 5s were now making up their Year 6 team and the quality showed. With a girl shooting for both school and local club, it was no surprise when they took a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Shephalbury may not have been at their best, but the whirlwind that was St Margaret's would have been difficult for any team. The second quarter saw two more goals from the home side, but Shephalbury began to play their own game and Chloe returned to her scoring form by netting two goals. The home side saw this resurgence though, and responded with four more goals and a ten goal lead at half time. 

They continued their dominance in the third quarter by scoring four more without reply. It was tough, and when Brooke was replaced by Grace - who doesn't usually play up front - there was only a few minutes remaining. As she received the ball the girls urged her to shoot. Grace obliged and sent the ball straight through the middle of the net for her first goal for the team. St Margaret's went on to score two more, but the result had been assured for a while. Naturally dejected, the girls took solace from words that were not dished out lightly. "You are the best team we have played so far! This was our hardest match." The team are fantastic and have worked very hard. We know we are a good side, but now, we know there is also room for improvement. They will have to come to Shephalbury in 2020. The girls will need to train hard to ensure the result is much closer by then. I have every belief that it will be!

St Margaret's 18 - 3 Shephalbury Park

Year 5 Netball

Shephalbury Vs Longmeadow

The Year 5 netball team came out for their second ever competitive game against our next door school on Friday afternoon. The weather had held out and the darkness that enveloped the Year 6 game earlier in the week was nowhere to be seen.

The first quarter began with Angelika and Holly trading efforts at goal before finally trading goals. They politely took it turns to score against a Longmeadow side in their first match as a team in the league. Both teams worked hard for the ball, but after three goals apiece the score was 6-0 after 7 minutes. The second quarter followed the pattern of the first with Longmeadow trying hard to stop the Shephalbury attacks and to mount an offence of their own. Despite this, Holly scored four consecutive goals before Angelika scored her fourth to give Shephalbury a strong lead by half time.

During the break Shephalbury switched things around and tried players in different positions. Ava and Scarlett moved into the attack and had plenty of good efforts on goal which wouldn’t quite fall for them. With a few seconds left on the third quarter, Ava got the goal she had earned through sheer persistence. This heralded another change as Ava swapped with Annabell. The final quarter lacked goals for either side, although both teams tried to attack as often as they could. Scarlett was voted Player of the Match and Shephalbury were pleased to notch up a second win for the Year 5 girls.

Final Score

Shephalbury 13 – Longmeadow 0

Shephalbury Park V Trotts Hill Year 5 Netball

Trotts Hill came out of the blocks early and pressured our defensive third. Despite this Shephalbury settled down and Angelika and Holly scored two goals each to give Shephalbury a 4-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. As the teams swapped ends the second quarter started with more attempts from the Shephalbury attack. Trotts Hill rallied and following a counter attack, Holly scored to make the score 5-0 at half time.

A relatively quiet third quarter ticked by with just the one goal scored by Angelika with two minutes of the quarter remaining. The 6-0 lead was increased after some more pressure by Trotts Hill. Holly netted another goal, before Angelika scored her fourth of the match. With minutes remaining Holly took advantage of a defensive error to score again before scoring a sixth goal with thirty seconds of the game remaining.

Final Score

Shephalbury 10 – Trotts Hill 0

School’s Cup Round 1. Year 5/6 Football Team

Bedwell V Shephalbury Park

The match began well with Shephalbury the better side. The advantage was secured when the goalkeeper rushed out to clear the ball and Johnny sent the ball high over his head and bouncing into an empty net. Bedwell fought back and should have equalised. This would have been achieved if it was not for two magnificent saves from Cole in the Shephalbury goal.

The second half began and within three minutes of the restart, Bedwell were level. For all their hard work, the shot was taken from outside the box and deflected past Cole and into the net. The game was there for the taking and both sides pushed to get the all-important third goal. Shephalbury  attacked with gusto and were unlucky not to retake the lead after a wonderful cross from Billy down the right hand side was narrowly missed by Archie. Moments later, Johnny repeated this feat from a cross from Jack on the left and Shephalbury were wondering if they would be left to rue these near misses.

It was clear a moment of brilliance was required and with five minutes left the match entered its final twist. Johnny dribbled the ball up the middle of the pitch before being brought down in the centre circle. The referee was about to blow for a foul when Jack unleashed a shot from the halfway line that lobbed the stranded goalkeeper and following advantage gave Shephalbury a 2-1 lead.

Seconds after the restart, Shephalbury swarmed forwards again and the Bedwell goalkeeper made a smart save down to his left before being beaten to the rebound by Billy for a 3-1 scoreline. With less than ten seconds remaining and victory assured Archie received the ball down the left hand side to complete the hat trick of lobbed goals. He lifted the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net with the final whistle blowing as the team celebrated a great goal, and the best performance in a Shephalbury shirt so far this season.

Final Score

Bedwell 1 Shephalbury 4

Junior Wix 9-a-side tournament. Year 5/6 Football Team

Longmeadow vs Shephalbury

The new half term began with another cup game. Last year, the boys attended an away fixture in this round where they were comprehensively defeated by a side that was quite literally in a different league. The team were ready to put their disappointment behind them and try again this year.

With both teams being allowed two extra players than normal, the game was much more expansive and this suited Shephalbury. The first half was dominated by Shephalbury and their tenacious play was rewarded with a goal from Johnny. Longmeadow found some openings in the defence before half time, but could not find the equaliser thanks to more fabulous saves from Cole.

After half time, the opponents were anxious to level the game and in that eagerness were caught on the break where a simply fabulous long range effort was scored by Johnny. A few minutes later he had completed his hat trick and Shephalbury appeared out of sight. Mr Rust told the players from the sideline to stay attentive at the back and this was embellished further when one pass sent Longmeadow free to score a fabulous solo goal that Cole could not keep out.

However, Shephalbury were not to be denied and another goal from Johnny sealed the tie and an away game against St Columbas College in December for round 2.

Final Score

Longmeadow 1 Shephalbury 4

Year 6 Netball

Shephalbury V St Nicholas’ Primary

The first game for the Year 6 team took place on Tuesday as St Nicholas – the team who shared third place with our team in the tournament last year – came to Shephalbury. It was a tight first quarter in cold and dark surroundings and despite some great efforts, neither team could find the net in the first quarter.

The game remained tight through the second quarter. Shephalbury began by showing some dominance in the centre and before long, Chloe had scored two. However towards the end of the half, St Nick’s rallied and two quick goals meant the scores were still tied at half time.

Shephalbury were given a scare when St Nick’s took the lead, but they settled down and began to move the ball quicker and three more goals from Chloe meant that Shephalbury led 5-3 going into the final quarter. Chloe completed her rampage in front of the hoops as she scored two more goals before St Nick’s scored a deserved consolation towards the end of the match. Seven great shots from Chloe, but player of the match was awarded to Evie by the opposition after showing great tenacity to win the ball and set Chloe up. A great team performance and another fabulous win for Shephalbury Park.

Final Score

Shephalbury 7 – St Nick’s 4

Table Tennis Review

BOYS

Johnny, Adrian, Cole and Harley E represented the school in the School Games Table Tennis competition for Under 11s. The winning foursome would go on to represent Stevenage in the county games later in the school year. There were 8 boys teams and each player would play a match against the opposing team until all four players had competed. If three or four boys had won their games then the team received 5 points and 2 points for a 2-2 draw. After winning three and drawing two of their seven matched the boys received 19 points. They had equipped themselves brilliantly and worked exceptionally hard to rescue a 2-0 match score against Bedwell and won the last two matches. As fate would have it – a victory against Bedwell would have secured third place, but Bedwell took the bronze medals. Every player contributed to the team and performed brilliantly.

GIRLS

Abigail, Brooke, Jessica and Grace represented the girls against 6 other teams. As with the boys the first game was a defeat but they rallied and got into the games and began winning their individual battles to end up with a score of 17 points with every player winning their last match to ensure the five points. These turned out to be vital as they catapulted Shephalbury into third place to earn the first medals in a Table Tennis competition for Shephalbury Park. Well done girls!