Fixture Reports -Week of 12 th to 18 th March-

Fixture Reports -Week of 12 th to 18 th March- Hockey 1 st XI v Stewart s Melville College (H) 4-3 The start of the game was positive with aggression in defence and attack. However, soon the quality opposition stepped it up and even though Sean had made some magnificent saves to keep us in the game, the opposition scored. We quickly replied by scoring a goal, which kept us level until half time. We again started the new half determined to score and as a result scored 3 goals, with great contributions by Fred S and Brodie N (and a good old swing and a miss from Harry M). In the end, we tired, conceding a few more than we should have but, all in all, it was amazing to beat the cup winning team. The MVP s were all the defenders. 1 st XI v Carita s 7 s (A) 1 st Place The first game was a dominant performance against a poor Loretto side. Even though there was lots of space for attackers Dave S and Zeyd C managed to keep the opposition counter-attacks at bay while Hamish Spilsbury managed to use his mean sweep to punish the opposition goal at short corners. Furthermore, throughout the tournament the passing quality was first class with team goals being created and finished mostly by Finlay M and Harry M. The team overall dealt with the new structure of 7 s with ease and as a result we won the competition. The MVP s were Harry M and Finlay M. 1 st XI v Glenalmond (H) 3-2 We dominated the first half, attacking well with 2 goals, before half time, however the defence and manmarking was rather sloppy. This resulted in countless short corners and shots from the opposition which were thankfully kept out by Sean K. The second half was even more frantic with our players being ill-disciplined and receiving cards. This put us on the back foot and allowed the opposition to be aggressive and put immense pressure on our defenders to outlet. However, Brodie N was composed in

midfield, which helped slow the game down and build some play, and eventually we had one counter attack from Grant S which resulted in the winning goal. Even though the performance was not our best it was still good to finish the successful season on a high. The MVP s were Sean K and Brodie N. 2 nd XI v Merchiston (H) 3-2 Being the penultimate game of the season and still unbeaten, the 2 nd XI still had lots to play for. We got off to a strong start, however a lack of discipline and width to our play meant Merchiston were able to get the better of us and even-up the game by half time. With fresh heads in the second half after some thought of our performance, the team were able to turn things around in the second half to win 3-2. Praise should be given to Oliver P for stepping up to play. Credit also should be given to Yusuke T who played an exceptional match and was MVP. 3 rd XI v Glenalmond (H) 1-4 Disappointing end to the season but we had a lot of players missing so we did well in the first half to keep them at 1-1. However, poor defensive work across the team was an issue. This was a great season and some amazing saves from John R with one being made while he was on the ground, earning him MVP. Lacrosse 1 st XII v Glenalmond (H) 7-7 The 1 st XII played with great determination and motivation for our final match of the season against our biggest rivals, Glenalmond. Despite the weather, our standards remained high whereby in the first half, the majority of the possession of the ball was ours which lead to Jacqui E our top goal scorer, achieving four goals. The second half of the match was very tight as Glenalmond came fighting back, although great interceptions by Carmen B H and Cora S meant that the score line remained even, leading to a 7-7 draw. Although we would have preferred a win for our last home game, considering we hadn t played a match in the past three weeks, I was very impressed by how the team coped with maintaining our high standards. The MVP was Jacqui E.

2 nd XII v Glenalmond (H) 10-2 Although we ended up with a good win, this was not the best level of play that we have had. Due to Glenalmond players without mouth guards, some of our team had to play for their side, which threw off our concentration. The defence was strong throughout, communicating well and crashing on players. In attack, things were a little rushed, but we achieved some good goals from Marika F and Lara W. The MVP s were Olly B and Liv A. U15A XII v Scottish National Schools Junior Tournament (H) 1 st Place In our final matches of the term we went in craving a final win as a team. Despite the weather conditions we carried on. We started off against Leretto and after good work in attack won 2-1. We then went on to play Fettes B winning 4-0 with some good running from Amaya L and Jasmine L. Our 3 rd match was against St George s, who we had not played before owing to the weather. They had good solid attack but thanks to some attack from the likes of Isabella S we overcame them 1-0. After this we played Glenalmond B winning 5-0. After a short break we came on to play our final match against Glenalmond A. The pressure was on as both teams had won all their matches so far. It started with an early goal from Glenalmond but we came back stronger and in a very tense match, we won 4-1! Thanks to absolutely superb defending from Flora A they only managed to score 1 goal. This win led to our team winning the tournament. Many thanks to Miss McCosh for all her coaching and support and the whole team for their constant enthusiasm and resilience. The MVP s were Abbey R and Flora A. U15B XII v Glenalmond (A) 12-1 A great win for the team. The match began convincingly and we were all playing our best, making speedy runs towards goal and executing our shots powerfully and accurately. Our defence was also very strong, everybody worked hard to run back when we lost the ball and double team all the way up the pitch. This match really showed how much we have improved and gelled together as a team since the beginning of the season. Special mention goes to our hero Lucy R, also player of the match, for stepping up to play goalie and taking on some very aggressive and brutal shots from the opposition.

U15B XII v Scottish National Schools Junior Tournament (H) 5 th Place This tournament was not easy for us as the U15B, as all but one of the other teams that came were A teams. Nevertheless, we gave them all a run for their money and gave them a good game, forcing them to work reasonably hard for their victories. As expected, we had to bring a much more defensive game on Thursday and so really focused on closing down players with strong double teams and working hard to keep up with faster players in order to pressurise them. Huge appreciation to Emma K and Izzy T for playing goalie throughout the afternoon. Izzy T continued to impress with her impressive stick skills and giving 100% to all the matches as usual, earning her MVP. U15C XII v Rathbone s Beginners Tournament (H) 4 th Place We played in a tournament of 8 matches, all 7 minutes, and overall the team worked really well together and managed to secure a few victories. Doga A did very in attack, bringing the ball up to goal and managing to score a few goals; being well supported by Helen H. Beth N made some great saves in the few games. The MVP was Yu I. U14A XII v Glenalmond (A) 9-2 Our match against Glenamond went well however, they have improved a bit and it was a harder match as they were more competitive. However, there was some excellent crosses across the pitch from one side to the other. Ella W also did some amazing sprints up the wing and them some passes, which led to some good goals by Izzy U and Lulu M. Overall we played well however it was a more challenging than our past matches. Ella W was MVP. U14A XII v Scottish National Schools Junior Tournament (H) 1 st Place Fettes U14A team came first in this tournament which was a huge achievement. Our hardest match was against St. George s as they were a particularly hard opponent. Kate R was exceptionally good in this match, as she volunteered to play a position that was needed even though it was not her usual position and still managed to play well in a position which she was not used to. Well done to Izzy U and Lulu M for their fabulous goals in the Glenalmond match. Our defence the whole way throughout this tournament was amazing and well done to Ella W and Charlotte M for their defence. Overall the tournament went really well and we were playing more as a team throughout this match. The MVP was Kate R.

U14B XII v Glenalmond (A) 8-13 The team had a hard match away to Glenalmond, playing 8-a-side on a near full side pitch with only one sub. The team battled hard in the first half to keep the score relatively equal but tiredness, silly mistakes and running around in a mud bath took its toll, and Glenalmond secured a number of quick fire goals. Credit must go to Delilah P, Emma T, Leila F and Hannah C, for their tireless work in attack and defence respectively. U14B XII v Scottish National Schools Junior Tournament (H) 4 th Place This tournament was always going to be tough for the team, competing against a number of A teams from others schools. The heaviest defeat was against the Fettes U14A team but the other matches were only lost by one goal, which is a huge achievement and shows just how far the girls have developed in their game this term. Again, Delilah P and Emma T worked extremely hard to transition the ball up the field and win possession for the team. Kira K worked tirelessly in goal and made saves into the double figures, to keep the team in the running. Excellent play from all girls involved. U14C XII v Rathbone s Beginners Tournament (H) 8 th Place This was the U14C s first tournament of the lacrosse season as most of the matches previously were cancelled because of the weather. There was some good defending especially by our goalie, Kira K, and great attacking by Zamara C. We won 2 matches drew 2. Thank you to the lacrosse coaches for organising it. Netball 1 st VII v Penicuik High School (A) 50-7 This was a very impressive win for the team. This match really showed the bonding, teamwork and team moral within the team that has been built this season. As the match went on we really began playing our best netball gaining a very significant lead, on which the opposition could not pull back from. Sandy F and Charlotte V played extremely well in defence keeping the shooters out of the circle and preventing them for scoring many goals. Overall, we had a great match ending the season on a high.

1 st VII v Gordonstoun (H) 20-32 A very unfortunate loss against Gordontoun on home turf. They brought a very strong but friendly side down with them. We had a good start to the match keeping the score quite close. However, Gordonstoun managed to improve their game more than us as the match went on meaning they broke away from us in the final quarter. Most valuable player goes to Sandy F for her excellent rebounds and interceptions in defence. 2 nd VII v High School of Glasgow (A) 20-13 This was a very encouraging win for our penultimate match of the season. It has put the team in high spirits for our last match of the season on Saturday against Gordonstoun. It was a tight match for the first three quarters, but we managed to pull away in the last quarter when their team started to lose focus. India G was man of the match for her good passing into the D. However, the whole team did play well too. 2 nd VII v Gordonstoun (H) 21-18 This was our last match of the season. Everyone was very excited and the team morale was high before and during the match. It went really well for the first 3 quarters, but in the last quarter Gordonstoun started to catch up. However, we managed to keep it going and luckily won 21-18 in the end. Lily C and Grace D were the most valuable players, Lily for her amazing passes throughout the center court, and Grace for her wonderful defending in and around the D. It was a great way to end the season, and we can t wait for next year! Basketball 1 st V v Glenalmond (H) 64-44 After the first time facing against them, we played significantly better than last time and this might be the best we ve ever played this term. Everyone played very well today. Jacob B started us off with some

excellent defence. Christopher J then had a great block on the best opponent player and Jasper Z and Tommy L with some good rebounding. Evan L also lead the team with a lot of assist who is the MVP for the game. 1 st V v Loretto (A) 49-43 This was the second time facing Loretto in this term, although this match was closer than last time because of two of the players were unavailable. Fettes still managed to take the win in their court with Christopher J and Jacob B opening the first quarter lead to a good advantage. The match remained tight until the last second with the whole team playing good defence and holding them down throughout the match. The MVP was Jiarun L. Football 1 st XI v Merchiston (A) 0-2 There are some days when things just don t go your way and today was one such day. We made a good start to the game but failed to carve out the decisive chance to grab a goal. Against the run of play we conceded a goal through a defensive error and we never bounced back with our usual resilience. The main thing we learned from this game is the importance of by challenging for every loose ball as failure to do so let us down throughout the game. Our man of the match was Leo C for his great work rate for the whole 90 minutes. 1st XI v Clifton Hall (A) 1-4 We were unprepared to face such a physical opposition on an interestingly proportioned pitch. In the first half we were too timid in the tackle and after an unfortunate red card, we let a couple of goals slip. We started the 2 nd half with more passion but a dubious decision by the referee gifted our opponents a penalty before we had a chance to score. A brilliant header by Johnnie B raised our spirits but it proved to be no more than a consolation as we struggled to grab another goal. Alec G was MVP for his excellent shot stopping, especially at the end of the game. Despite our losses in the past week, it has been a great season for the 1 st XI football which has seen us beat a top 3 school for the first time, hopefully we can build on this progress in the coming years.

Girls 1 st VII v Craigroyston (H) 0-1 This was a very unfortunate loss for the first VII against Craigroyston, as it was an own goal that was scored. The defence played well, making it difficult for the opposition to attempt any shots on goal as we closed them down quickly. The attack were very unlucky as they managed to create many opportunities but unfortunately didn t manage to convert any into goals. In future training we will work on our transition from defence to attack up the field as during this match the two were quite disconnected. The MVP was Amy O N. Girls U15 VII v Craigroyston (H) 1-0 We started off well playing the ball around the pitch. We had lots of shots at goal but sadly didn t get them in. Then after half time we scored our first goal. Charlotte M and Kate R did very well holding the structure of the football pitch at the back and higher up. Well done to Freya B for offering to be in goal and doing a very good job at it. The MVP s were Kate R and Charlotte M. Fives 1 st IV Boys v Senior Scottish Schools Singles Championships (H) 1 st Place A strong performance by all 4 against stiff opposition, particularly from Merchiston. Nevertheless, in the end, Evan L and Grant S won through to the Plate Final and secured the silverware. Cross Country Scottish Schools Races at Hopetoun House (A) Conditions for this race were very tough with flurries of heavy snow. The course was a brutal one with lots of hills and muddy terrain meaning this was our most challenging race. The wind we faced running up the first hill was both strong and icy making the ascent and even greater challenge. All runners should be commended for their positive attitude and team support. Kate R 29th Class C girls Cameron W 11th Class C boys Gleb S 54th Class B boys Stefanie T 7th Class A girls Willliam P 24 th and Oliver H 36th Class A boys