MATCH REPORT: BSAK 7S FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT On Friday 18 th March, Brighton attended the BSAK 7s one of the largest schools Football events in the UAE, with schools attending from Oman, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Although a long and hot day, with disappointingly few games for some of the 7 Brighton teams, it was a fabulous day of Football and a chance for our players to experience a large scale tournament. All Brighton teams acquitted themselves well against the other teams unfortunately the U11/U12/U14/U16 boys teams all narrowly lost out on progressing to the semi-finals (some on a penalty shoot-out). The U14 girls team reached the semi-final stage where they lost 0-3 to the eventual winners, GEMS Wellington (Dubai). The U19 Boys lost 1-0 to local adversaries BSAK at the same semi-final stage. The U16 Girls progressed all the way to the final despite an injury and illness depleted squad where they eventually lost 0-3 (again to GEMS Wellington). Well done to all our teams and many thanks to all Brighton staff who gave up their Friday to coach the teams!
Teams of the Week: ADISSA End of season 2 tournaments U9/U11 Girls Netball @ ZSC On Saturday 19 th March the U9 A & B and U11 A & B teams took part in the ADISSA end of season tournament. All teams had a great day, the U9 A team have had an excellent season winning the league and making the semi-finals in the tournament which went to extra time where they unfortunately lost 1-0. The U 9 B team have grown from strength to strength finally coming 5 th in the A league - a great achievement. The U11 A & B continue in their league with one match to go; both U11 teams did not have a great tournament on the day, with neither reaching the semi-finals. U14A Girls Football @ Brighton The U14 Girls started well with 3 victories over Yasmina, BISAD and Al Bateen to qualify for the semifinals. There, a comfortable victory over Raha put Brighton into the final for a rematch of last year s final v BSAK. In a thrilling game, both teams had good chances to score but ended normal time 0-0. In the first minute of extra time, BSAK forced home a golden goal winner from close range to win the tournament. Hard luck girls! U11A Boys Football @ BISAD
After a disappointing season in the ADISSA League, the U11 A team finished with a solid performance in the end of season tournament at BISAD. The Brighton team were entered in the group with Cranleigh and Raha making up a very tough group. The group stages proved to be difficult for all teams, playing on a small pitch with small goals. The results after the group stage ended with all three teams finishing on equal points with no goals being scored. To finalise the group places, all three teams went into a penalty shootout with Brighton against Raha up first and with each team taking three penalties, then, if need be, sudden death after the first three. Brighton eventually came through 5 4 after some very tense moments and good goalkeeping. Next up was Cranleigh with the winner going through to the semi-final against Yasmina. Again, a very tight round of penalties with Brighton looking very calm under the pressure; the final score was 4 3 to Brighton. The semi-final was a hard fought contest with both teams taking their chances early on. But as time went on, and tiredness set in, Yasmina stretched the Brighton defence and broke the deadlock. As Brighton pushed for the equaliser to get back into the game, Yasmina caught Brighton on the break and eventually came away 2 0 winners. The final was Yasmina against BISAD with BISAD the tournament winners, after a dramatic penalty shootout. Well done to all the boys and a good way to end the season! Team: Ahmad Barake, Liam Deegan, Max Jones, Qaiser Giles, Ethan Hill, Samer Idris, George Sidlow, Alex Ure, Lucas Wood U16A Girls Football @ Al Yasmina The Brighton girls started well with a 1-0 win over CIS before two frustrating 0-0 draws with Yasmina and Raha, despite dominating the possession in both games. This was enough to progress to the semi-finals where they met CHS. A great finish from Sara in the second half calmed the nerves and the game ended 2-0 to put Brighton into a second final in 4 days against arch rivals BSAK. The final was another physical encounter, with BSAK dominating the first half - only our Keeper Abi keeping
them at bay with several excellent saves. In the second half, Brighton managed some good attacks on the break but it was BSAK who broke the deadlock after a careless mistake from our own goal kick. This was enough to give them victory 0-1. U12A/U14A/U16A Boys Rugby @ ZSC The U16 rugby team performed superbly in their last rugby outing of the season. The first game against BSAK was always going to be difficult but they bounced back from a defeat to win their second match against Cambridge 19-5, with tries coming from Darius Rameshni, Luke Laubscher and Jalal Thomas. This meant a third place play off against Al Bateen and although this match ended in a very narrow defeat, the defensive performance in the second half was outstanding. The tournament was a great experience for the Brighton players and they eagerly look forward to the next rugby season in 2017. The U12s took to the end of season ADISSA tournament in high spirits having come 3rd in the league. Late withdrawals of two hard running forwards though, left us a little bit short in numbers. We firstly met a spirited Al Bateen School and fought out a fair 2-2 draw. No rest for the wicked, we then immediately played BSAK B team, winning 4-0. After a short rest, we met our nemesis Cranleigh who deservedly defeated us 4-2. Due to us having the same points as Al Bateen, it was decided on Rock Paper Scissors as to who should go in to the Plate/Cup we lost and thus entered the plate. At this stage, we lost our most influential forward, Jawad, to a hospital appointment. Undeterred, we met The Candian School in the Plate SF winning 4-1 thus accessing the final where we met a lively BISAD team who we eventually defeated 4-1. Plate winners!
U9A Boys Football @ Brighton College The U9 boys followed their disappointing end to the League season with a tremendous tournament hosted at Brighton College. In the group games, they eased past Cranleigh, Raha and BSAK with three consecutive victories. In the semi-final, they faced BISAD and managed another comfortable 2-0 win to secure a place in the final v Yasmina. The final was an end to end game between two evenly matched teams Brighton took an early lead before Yasmina struck a late equaliser. In extra time, neither team could break the deadlock so a penalty shoot-out would decide the winner. Following a Yasmina miss, it was left to George Moore to coolly step up and score the winning penalty. U9B Boys Football @ Al Bateen On Monday, the U9 B Boys football team took part in their end of season tournament at Al Bateen. They went into the tournament having already claimed the league title at Cranleigh the previous week, so expectations were high. Thankfully, the boys, as they have done all term, didn t disappoint and after two very close games against BISAD, The Pearl and 1-0 win against Al Yasmina in the final they were victorious. The defining trait of this young team is the ability to play for one another; they never let their heads drop and always encourage each other. They certainly deserved the win and they have one very happy and proud coach. U11 Basketball Squads Season 3: Trials As many children wanted to attend the Bithna Fun Day activities on Wednesday lunchtime we have decided to extend the trials into Week 1 next term to allow children to come along to play. All those interested should attend on WED 13 th & 20 th April at lunchtime a teamsheet for the matches will be sent by email to those selected for the first matches next term.
Years 3-6 Indoor Football Mini World Cup Term 3 Registration has now opened for the above event which will be held on the following dates: FRIDAY 22 nd APRIL- U9 Girls and Boys (Years 3/4) FRIDAY 29 th APRIL U11 Girls & Boys (Years 5/6) Places are limited for each date and details have been sent by email to all parents please contact me if you have not received details and would like the link to register. Please note registration is online only.