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 This has been a rather normal week after the excitement of the snow, but much has been achieved by the sportsmen and women of Lancing. With the return of the League run, matches for Netball, Hockey and Rugby as well as a block of Squash where we were ‘not beaten by Eton’, there is again much to celebrate.
Fives
After a period of quiet, things definitely hotted up this week for the Fives Club. With two matches this week against Cranleigh and St Olave's, results have been excellent at the top end of the age groups. Lead pair of captain Mikey J and Jamie B remained unbeaten across both matches. Despite losing the overall games, there has been much improvement in the play of U16 pair Callum H and Tom L. Further down the club Louis Y, Guy H, Max Y and Ed W have all played well, gaining vital match experience along the way.
Hockey
After a week of the turf actually being visible, the Hockey Club has started their even busier than normal fixture list. With matches against St Bede's, Sackville and participation in two County tournaments, results have been most pleasing in the U14 and U15 age groups. The Colts recorded an impressive 2-0 win in a game where they dictated most of the play. Goal of the game came from James W after being put through by a moment of Ollie J wizardry. Henry B and Kit P both played big parts in the victory, with Henry in goal pulling off a string of fine saves. Further work does need to come in the shape of positional discipline by some team members, but there is a lot to look forward to.
The 3rd form has proved not only to contain good footballers, but pretty useful Hockey players as well. On Monday they travelled to Seaford College for the U14 County tournament. In 5 games, they were defeated only by the hosts (the eventual winners). Goals were scored by Gbohun P-I and George S. On Tuesday, they brought this good form to the game against Sackville. Like the U15 team they controlled the play well, but failed to convert this to goals. Having worked on finishing in training yesterday, we expect big things next week.
The U14B team recorded their first win of the season against Sackville. A strong defence including Danny C and Eugene L kept the opponents at bay. In the first half, a break from the midfield saw Jake R scoring. In the dying moments of the game, a speedy Tim G short corner lead to the winning goal coming from Kiran S. All the players worked hard, but player of the match went to a grafting Michael S.
On Tuesday the U16 team featured in their County Championship. Over four games, the team lost to Hurst 2-0, drew 0-0 with Seaford, lost 1-0 to Bishop Luffa and lost 2-1 to Chichester High. Despite the results, Mr Mole reported that it was an immensely positive day culminating in the scoring of one fantastic goal! A rapid break culminated in a solo run by Josh A-R from the half way line to coolly finish from a 1-on-1 situation. The day was a major achievement for morale and team confidence.
Things have not been so good for the 1st XI. Despite playing well in the first half against St Bede's, poor discipline after the turnaround lost the game. Against teams of that quality, games can be lost or won on the concentration displayed. On Tuesday the team picked themselves up for the match against Sackville. Better passages of play were evident but the game ended in a deserved defeat. However, Mr Grime reports that training has been very positive following both defeats, and that the coaching staff are still working on the best utilisation of the personnel at their disposal.
Netball
The Netball Club has entertained both Ardingly College and Eastbourne College in the past week and with a great deal of success. Against Ardingly, the U14 team scored some good early goals in the first quarter, but at half time were trailing 3 - 4. The best period of play came in the last quarter but the game ended with a score of 6-7 to Ardingly. Player of the Match was Lydia C for her great goals and interceptions. The U15Bs played well with a strong defence, however we were overcome by their even stronger team, and the final score of 15-3 did not reflect our hard work and determination. Player of the match was Rebecca J.
The 2nd VII made a promising start to the season despite a significant lack of training. A closely fought game against a tight and efficient Ardingly outfit was tough opener for the girls, but through good shooting from Holly W and Milly H the team were kept in the game right to the end, narrowly losing 17-12. Most Valuable Player was shared between Joceline S and Marina K, both of whom played superbly at Centre and Goal Defence. Considering the heavy loss the team received from Ardingly last season, this result shows just how far the squad has come and the promise they show.
The 1st VII had to play indoors due to the weather, and also played a shorter match. This was a tough start to the season as they faced a few very tall players. The Lancing shooters had to work hard for the shots on goal, but overall it was a promising start to the season. The final score was 15-11 to Ardingly. Player of the Match was Abbie M-H.
Just as against Ardingly, the fixtures against Eastbourne proved to be interesting affairs. The U14A team lost concentration early on, letting Eastbourne take the lead. In the last quarter they worked much better as a team with some good interceptions from Charlotte D and some brilliant goals from Savannah A. The final score was 15-11 to Lancing.
The U15B match was a well fought and close match, with Lancing maintaining a consistent level of good play throughout the match, however, Lancing were unlucky and Eastbourne took an early lead which they couldn’t quite catch. It was a very good match and everyone played well. In the 3rd team game, the girls played well after having never trained or played together before. It was a promising start with good teamwork but despite the loss, there is still room for improvement. Player of the match was Kate S.
In the 2nd's second match of the season they had a nervous wait before play began. Starting in a crisp clean fashion, Milly H was on top form in the first quarter shooting accurately under pressure from an Amazonian Eastbourne Goal Keeper. She was supported superbly by Marina K. Centre court play from Alex B, Anna S, Joceline S and Polina B was committed and busy. The victory was ensured by the joint MVPs of the match, Hattie T and Georgie F who defended superbly throughout, closing down all Eastbourne’s attacking options.
In the second 1st team match of the season, Lancing kept up with Eastbourne in the first quarter and were in the lead when the match had to stop because of injury. The team played well and secured a win over one of the tougher teams that we will face this season. Player of the match was Libby W.
League Run
Monday saw a very successful first league run of the season on Monday and it was nice to finally get going after all the snow and get stuck in to some real mud, much of which ended up on the bottom portion of the school drive. A record number of 300 runners completed the course, with Nick R winning the boys' race in fine style and Rosie S being the first girl home. Second's and Manor have taken early leads in the team competitions, which are very close at the moment. Well done to all who took part.
Rugby
The 1st XV stepped out on the field for their first match of the season and although conceding a try in the first minute, maintained a high level of possession and mounted a strong amount of pressure in the first half. The forwards did the hard graft at the breakdown and kept up a strong tempo and dynamism. The team went into half time with 6 point lead with tries through Tom N and Ali H. Overall it was a good result for the team and a strong way to start the season before the next match. Special mentions have to go to Dylan K’s stylish handling and running as well as to Alec R and Theo W for their powerful dominance in the pack. A 19-13 victory was a deserved result.
Squash
Yesterday the Squash Club took on Eton College in a block fixture. After a heavy defeat last season, Lancing had to set the record straight. With the help of a brilliant win from Cameron W (where he failed to drop a point) and other wins for Ryan W, Josh A-R, Glenn B and Chris M, the 1st team thrashed their opponents 5-0. The 2nd team added to this with another resounding win from the Lancing Squash Club, the 2nds winning 4-1 with a great win from Alex W, and a win in a rare appearance for George H. The U14 team made it three wins from three as Henry McF, Jason G and Nick B won the overall match by 3 games to 2. In addition to this the U15 team progressed into the next round of the National Cup defeating St John's comfortably.
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