Match Reports 2021-22

Please see below for this terms match reports.

Sports Fixtures

We will be able to accommodate parents at some matches but the following points must be adhered to to enable us to keep this Covid-safe and in line with the guidance.
These arrangements are for the first two weeks of the half-term and we will issue any further guidance for the latter half of term when restrictions may be relaxed further:
  • Holmwood House parents at home matches only;
  • No visiting parents at our home matches;
  • Most other schools will not be accommodating visiting parents so assume that you cannot attend any away matches;
  • Parent parking is restricted to the following areas:
    • Matches on Colts – enter via Squash Club Drive and park near white pavillion OR park on front drive and walk past the sunken lawn;
    • Matches on Main Field and Barbour’s Piece – park at far end of the Pre-Prep Car Park;
  • Please note that the school site is still a parent-free zone other than the route from your car to the field.  Please do not venture into the school building areas or enter any buildings;
  • Please plan on the basis of no toilets being available.  In an emergency, you may use the Disabled Toilet in the Sports Hall foyer;
  • Pupils will be provided with a match tea (filled rolls), however, we will be unable to provide match teas for parents;
  • Parents should enjoy the matches on their own or in small groups;

Summer 2022

U11 Cricket

29 June 2022

U11 A vs Ipswich
HH won by 5 wickets

Ipswich won the toss and decided to bat first playing softball cricket on an artificial surface at Rushmere in Ipswich. Freddie M, RubenS, Jesse O and Jack H were the first four bowlers and picked up the majority of the wickets between them. Annabelle B and Thomas B finished off the tail and with many run outs as well the ten Ipswich players were bowled out for 59 runs.
In reply Heston (12) and Aaron (21) got HH off to a sensible start. A sudden flurry of wickets meant that Holmwood seemed to stumble to the total of 60 for the loss of five wickets from 9 overs.
A convincing win in the end!
A very successful season in all only loosing to the IAPS national champions Littlegarth. Great record – well played Colts A!
Mr Earley
U11 D vs Ipswich Prep
HH won by 47 runs
Our fourth win in a row! What an amazing end to the season. Holmwood lost the toss and had to bat first. With Ipswich fielding 10 players there was little space to aim for but we still managed nine boundaries with Huck and Ethan scoring four of them. Playing on the Astroturf meant it was easier to judge the bounce and all the team ran really well between the wickets with clear calling.
Having made 78 with only the loss of one wicket we felt relatively confident starting to bowl. Ipswich however were more used to the surface and began strongly with 5 fours and a six in the first four overs. Luckily our bowling got better and better and Captain Cyrus bowled two overs conceding an incredible -6 due to taking three wickets. Five more wickets were taken and Ipswich continued to lose runs. The fielding overall was superb with William K backing up every throw.
Ipswich’s total was only 31 so it was a comfortable win and an excellent finish to the term. I have thoroughly enjoyed this first year of mixed cricket and have been very impressed with the teamwork and camaraderie between the girls and boys.
Mrs Goldring

15 June 2022

U11 A vs Felsted – 167-7 versus Felsted 26 all out
Holmwood won by 141 runs

HH batted first on the low slow wicket and after the openers Thomas B and Oscar B where out cheaply Benedict C (74) and Freddie M (35) put on 125 run partnership, to give HH a convincing total of 167 for seven.
In return Freddie M blasted over the top five with a hat-trick and five for seven figures from 2 overs. The rest of the batting fell cheaply with Jesse O Annabelle B and Jack H picking up a wicket each and with to run outs HH managed to bowl out Felsted for 26.
Fantastic performance well played HH!
Mr Earley

U11 D vs Felsted – won by 6 runs

Another exciting win for the D team. All the players are beginning to gel and the fielding was an excellent example of teamwork and support. Holmwood batted first and despite some errors in calling resulting in lost runs we managed to finish with a creditable 183 runs, mostly thanks to our most successful pair, Sia and Leo.
With a self imposed target of ten wickets, the team did well to reach eight with Ehan H taking four of them! Tight fielding and concentration to the very end prevented Felsted’s score from creeping up and it was with great relief that Leo P bowled the last ball.
A close but very exciting game.
Mrs Goldring
U11 F vs St Margaret’s

Holmwood House innings
Enzi L and Orla R scored 15 runs
Noah S and Shani L scored 13 runs
Sumedh K and Roux BdM scored 27 runs
Elle S and Henry H scored scored 23 runs
Holmwood total: 278 runs

St. Margaret’s innings
Enzi L and Orla R conceded 25 runs
Noah S and Shani L conceded 8 runs
Sumedh K and Roux BdM conceded 3 runs
Elle S and Henry H conceded 23 runs
St. Margaret’s total: 258 runs

Result: Holmwood win by 20 runs. A fantastic match, some superb bowling and teamwork today, well done!

Laura Sharman


8 June 2022

U11 A vs Orwell Park
Result: HH beat Orwell Park by 73 runs
HH struggled a little on a wet slow wicket to start and lost a number of wickets in the first eight overs. Oscar A with 31 not out and Oscar B managed to steady the ship and HH managed to scramble to 109 from their 20 overs.
 Freddie M opened the bowling for HH and blasted the first two batsmen out in the first over. Orwell Park never managed to recover from this and continue to lose wickets with Ruben Stanmore taking two more from the other end. Thomas B, Jack H, Finley H and Benedict C  cleaned up the rest, bowling the visitors out for a mere 36 runs.
Well played HH a very convincing win.
Mr Earley
U11 D vs Orwell Park
Result: HH won by 60 runs.
A great afternoon for the D team with a strong performance from the whole team. Captain Cyrus W chose to bowl first and within 40 minutes we had taken 8 wickets for 31 runs. Ethan H took a hat trick and Anthony K took two wickets with Leo P, Grace A and William K one a piece. The fielding was slick and morale was high.
With only 32 needed to win it was hard to rain in the excitement and three wickets were unfortunately lost due to poor running decisions but generally the communication between pairs was very good and thanks to quite a few no balls we managed to get our score up to 91. Overall a great afternoon.
Mrs Goldring
U11 F vs Orwell Park

Orwell Park innings
Noah S and Sumedh K conceded 19 runs
Shani L and Orla R conceded 45 runs
Enzi L and Henry H conceded 23 runs
Roux BdM and Noah S conceded 12 runs
Orwell Park total: 299 runs

Holmwood House Innings
Noah S and Sumedh K scored 22 runs
Shani L and Orla R scored 21 runs
Enzi L and Henry H scored 10 runs
Roux BdM and Noah S scored 28 runs
Holmwood total: 281 runs

Result: Orwell Park win by 18 runs. A much closer game this week. Good to see the improvement, especially with our fielding.

Laura Sharman


18 May 2022

U11 A vs Woodbridge 

Result: HH won by 80 runs
HH batted first and scored 164 for the loss of 4 wickets. Benedict Clarke batted very well and scored a well manoeuvred 59 not out and Ruben Stanmore partnered him with a blustery 31 not out. Oscar Atkinson set up the innings beautifully at the top with 24 before unfortunately playing on.
In reply Holmwood bowled out Woodbridge for 84. The pick of the bowlers being Oscar Atkinson who took to 2 wickets from his one over for no runs.
Arran McKimm with two for nine and Ruben Stanmore with two for five ripped out their middle order while Freddie Maynard knocked over their number 1 batsmen.
A good all round performance from the team.
Mr Earley
U11 D vs Woodbridge
Holmwood won the toss and elected to field first. The team was a little nervous as this was the first match and it took a while for them to remember match skills like calling and backing up. Ethan H got us off to a great start with only 3 runs off his over and one wicket. The rest of the team bowled well with Finlay T taking 2 wickets. Woodbridge had some big hitters at the end, one of which hit three sixes. We had a tall order to follow!
Unfortunately our batting showed our lack of match practice and the pairs struggled to communicate clearly. Cyrus W and Ethan H were our most successful pair scoring 29 off their 20 balls.
The overall score was a loss by 73 runs but we had fun and it was great to be out and about again.
Mrs  Goldring
U11 F vs Woodbridge

Holmwood House innings
Sam C and Orla R scored 9 runs
Sumedh K and Enzi L scored 3 runs
Roux BdM and Henry H scored 14 runs
Shani L and Elle S scored 6 runs
Sam C and Orla R scored 9 runs
Holmwood total: 241 runs

Woodbridge innings
Sam C and Orla R conceded 24 runs
Sumedh K and Enzi L conceded 39 runs
Roux BdM and Henry H conceded 14 runs
Shani L and Elle S conceded 44 runs
Sam C and Orla R conceded 32 runs
Woodbridge total: 353 runs

Result: Woodbridge win by 112 runs. A tricky game against a strong Woodbridge side, lots to work on in training.

Laura Sharman

U9 Cricket

27 June 2022

U9 A vs Finborough
Holmwood’s sixth  and final match of the summer term was the fixture against Finborough. Holmwood won the toss and chose to bowl.

The match was to be a pairs match with each pair facing 18 balls and each bowler bowling 9 balls each. There would be 2 runs for a wide or no ball and each team started on 100 runs. 5 runs would be deducted for the loss of each wicket.
Littlegarth’s Innings
Bertie H and George B  conceded -6 runs.
Will C and Eva V conceded 8 runs.
Tobey E and Ted L conceded 2 runs.
George D and Jayden O   conceded 14 runs.
George B and Bertie H conceded 10 runs.
Finborough’s total was 128
Holmwood’s Innings
Bertie H and George B scored 16 runs.
George D and Jayden O scored 31 runs.
Tobey E and Ted L  scored 34 runs.
Will C and Eva H scored 2 runs.
Tobey E and Eva H scored 27 runs.
Holmwood finished on a total of 210.
Result – Holmwood  won by 78 runs.
Well done all, a great term of cricket winning all six matches
Mr Lesiak

20 June 2022

U9 A vs Littlegarth
Holmwood’s fifth match of the summer term was the return fixture against Littlegarth.

Holmwood lost the toss and were asked to bat. The match was to be a pairs match with each pair facing 16 balls and each bowler bowling 8 balls each. There would be 2 runs for a wide or no ball and each team started on 100 runs. 5 runs would be deducted for the loss of each wicket.
Holmwood’s Innings
Bertie H and George B scored 18 runs.
George D and Jayden O scored 25 runs.
Tobey E and Ted L  scored 33 runs.
Will C and Stanley J scored 2 runs
Jayden O and George D scored 19 runs.
Ted L And George B scored 7 runs.
Holmwood finished on a total of 203.
Littlegarth’s Innings
Bertie H and George B  conceded 20 runs.
Will C and Stanley J conceded 5 runs.
Tobey E and Ted L  conceded -16 runs.
George D and Jayden O   conceded 15 runs.
Tobey E and Bertie H conceded 5 runs.
Stanley J and Will C  conceded 8 runs.
Littlegarth’s total was 154
Result – Holmwood  won by 49 runs.
U9 C vs Littlegarth

Holmwood House innings
Edward M-C and Jessica B scored 14 runs
Sophie R and Sabih A scored 22 runs
Vivian C and Troye P scored 23 runs
Oliver W and Benjamin B scored 10 runs
Blake C and Jessica B scored -4 runs
Sophie R and Vivian C scored 14 runs
Holmwood total: 279

Littlegarth innings
Edward M-C and Jessica B conceded 18 runs
Sophie R and Sabih A conceded 12 runs
Vivian C and Troye P conceded 22 runs
Oliver W and Benjamin B conceded 23 runs
Blake C and Sophie R conceded 15 runs
Jessica B and Oliver W conceded 26 runs
Littlegarth total: 316

Result: Littlegarth win by 37 runs. Some good batting today but our fielding could be improved by backing up each other throws more often.


16 June 2022
U9A vs St Margaret’s
Holmwood’s fourth match of the summer term was a home fixture against St Margarets.
Holmwood won the toss and elected to bowl first. The match was to be a pairs match with each pair facing 16 balls and each bowler bowling 8 balls each. There would be 2 runs for a wide or no ball and each team started on 200 runs. 5 runs would be deducted for the loss of each wicket.
St Margaret’s Innings
Bertie H and George B  conceded -15 runs.
Will C and Stanley J conceded -1 runs.
George D and Jayden O   conceded 11 runs.
Tobey E and Ted L  conceded -15 runs.
George D and Jayden conceded 9 runs.
St Margaret’s total was 190
Holmwood’s Innings
Bertie H and George B scored 20 runs.
Will C and Stanley J scored 10 runs
George D and Jayden O scored 10 runs.
Tobey E and Ted L  scored 31 runs.
Jayden O and Stanley J scored 11 runs.
Holmwood finished on a total of 282.
Result – Holmwood  won by 92 runs.
U9 C vs St Margaret’s

Holmwood House innings
Jessica B and Edward M-C scored 28 runs
Sabih A and Oliver W scored 34 runs
Sophie R and Benjamin B scored 25 runs
Vivian C and Blake C scored 11 runs
Edward M-C and Lucas B scored 28 runs
Holmwood House total: 326 runs

St. Margaret’s innings
Jessica B and Edward
M-C conceded 16 runs
Sabih A and Oliver W conceded 18 runs
Sophie R and Benjamin B conceded 30 runs
Vivian C and Blake C conceded 23 runs
Lucas B and Sophie R conceded 4 runs
St. Margaret’s total: 291 runs

Result: Holmwood House win by 35 runs. A great game today, nice to get our first win. Much improvement in our bowling.


6 June 2022

U9 A vs Sst Joseph’s
Holmwood’s third match of the summer term was a home fixture against St Joesph’s.

Holmwood won the toss and elected to bowl first. The match was to be a pairs match with each pair facing 24 balls and each bowler bowling 12 balls each. There would be 2 runs for a wide or no ball and each team started on 100 runs. 5 runs would be deducted for the loss of each wicket.
Woodbridge Prep’s Innings
Bertie H and George B  conceded 19 runs.
George D and Jayden O conceded 15 runs.
Eva H and Will C  conceded 15 runs.
Tobey E and Ted L  conceded 20  runs.
St Joseph’s total was 169
Holmwood’s Innings
Bertie H and George B scored 46 runs.
George D and Jayden Oscored 19 runs
Eva H and Will C   scored -2 runs.
Tobey E and Ted L  scored 44 runs.
Holmwood finished on a total of 207.
Result – Holmwood  won by 38 runs.
U9 C vs St Joseph’s

Holmwood House innings
Jessica B and Edward M-C scored 18 runs
Benjamin B and Troye P scored 12 runs
Sabih A and Oliver W scored 21 runs
Lucas B and Blake C scored 22 runs
Edward M-C and Jessica B scored 23 runs
Holmwood total: 244 runs

St. Joseph’s innings
Jessica B and Edward M-C conceded 14 runs
Benjamin B and Troye P conceded 17 runs
Sabih A and Oliver W conceded 28 runs
Lucas B and Blake C conceded 23 runs
Sabih A and Oliver W conceded 8 runs
St. Joseph’s total: 290 runs

Result: St. Joseph’s win by 46 runs.


16 May 2022

U9 A vs Woodbridge Prep
Holmwood’s second match of the summer term was a home  fixture against Woodbridge prep.

Holmwood won the toss and elected to bowl first. The match was to be a pairs match with each pair facing 20 balls and each bowler bowling 10 balls each. There would be 2 runs for a wide or no ball and each team started on 100 runs. 5 runs would be deducted for the loss of each wicket.
Woodbridge Prep’s Innings
Stanley J  and Tobey E  conceded 30 runs.
Will C and George B conceded -1 runs.
George D and Jayden O conceded -12 runs.
Bertie H and Ted L  conceded 18  runs.
Woodbridge Prep total – 135
Holmwood’s Innings
Stanley J  and Tobey E scored 37 runs.
Will C and George B  scored 18 runs
George D and Jayden O scored 30 runs.
Bertie H and Ted L  scored 23 runs.
Holmwood total – 207.
Result – Holmwood  won by 72 runs.
U9 C vs Woodbridge

Holmwood House innings
Jessica B and Edward M-C scored 6 runs
Sophie R and Benjamin B scored 11 runs
Oliver W and Lucas B scored 4 runs
Blake C and Edward M-C scored 10 runs
Sophie R and Benjamin B scored 13 runs
Holmwood total: 244 runs

Woodbridge innings
Jessica B and Edward M-C conceded 8 runs
Sophie R and Benjamin B conceded 3 runs
Oliver W and Lucas B conceded 15 runs
Blake C and Edward M-C conceded 23 runs
Sophie R and Benjamin B conceded 17 runs
Woodbridge total: 266 runs

Result: Woodbridge win by 22 runs. A tougher match today against a strong Woodbridge side.


9 May 2022
U9 A vs Littlegarth
Holmwood’s first match of the summer term was an away fixture at Littlegath. The sun was shining and everyone was looking forward to what should be a very competitive encounter.
Holmwood lost the toss and were put into bat. The match was to be a pairs match with each pair facing 16 balls and each bowler bowling 8 balls each. There would be 2 runs for a wide or no ball and each team started on 100 runs. 5 runs would be deducted for the loss of each wicket.
Holmwood’s Innings
Ted L & George B scored 22 runs.
Jayden O  and Will C  scored 16 runs
Stanley J and George D  scored 19 runs.
Bertie H and T Edwards  scored 20 runs.
Stanley J and George B scored 10 runs.
Ted L and Bertie H scored 22 runs
Holmwood finished on a total of 209
Littlegarth’s Innings
George and Ted L  conceded 14 runs.
Stanley J and George D conceded 31 runs.
Jayden O and Will C conceded 41 runs.
Bertie H and Tobey E  conceded 4 runs.
Tobey E and Stanley J conceded 3 runs.
George D and Will conceded 23 runs.
Littlegarth’s total – 171
Result – Holmwood  won by 38 runs.
U9 C vs Littlegarth

Holmwood House Innings
Jessica B and Edward M-C scored 25 runs
Troye P and Sophie R scored 9 runs
Sabih A and Benjamin B scored 16 runs
Oliver W and Blake C scored 10 runs
Lucas B and Jessica B scored 7 runs
Edward M-C and Troye P scored 25 runs
Holmwood total: 292 runs

Littlegarth Innings
Jessica B and Edward M-C conceded 7 runs
Troye P and Sophie R conceded 8 runs
Sabih A and Benjamin B conceded 13 runs
Oliver W and Blake C conceded 28 runs
Lucas B and Jessica B conceded 17 runs
Edward M-C and Troye P conceded 21 runs
Littlegarth total: 294 runs

Result: Littlegarth won by 2 runs. A very close match to start the season!

Swimming / Aquathlon

Aquathlon Fixture, 7 June, vs St Mary’s, St. Margaret’s and Colchester High School
What an afternoon!  For once the weather was kind and the conditions were perfect for racing.

Our Year 3s got the event underway swimming 50 metres and running 400 metres, and all of them showed their family members just how resilient and determined they all are.  Despite the nerves and trepidation each child gave 100 per cent effort and most crossed the finish line smiling!  Congratulations to Roxy J and Theo B who crossed the finish line first in their races.
The year 4s were next to race with distances of 75 metres and 600 metres.  There was a terrific battle in the boys race to take the top spot with George B just pipping his Colchester High opponent after a terrific sprint finish.  And it was Eva H who paced the two disciplines excellently to cross the line in first place.
The year 5 races had the largest number of competitors and there were many close finishes which kept the staff on the finish line alert!  Swimming 100m and running 800m, there was a dead heat for first place in the girls race with Lucinda B next to cross the line.  In the boys event Leo P was our first competitor home finishing in second place and what a race he produced.  His swim was strong, his transition very quick and in the run leg he didn’t alter his pace at all; it was a very impressive performance.
The 6s had the unenviable task of swimming 125m and running 1200m to complete their race.  Darcy C really shone in the girls race finishing in second place closely followed by Lucie B in third.  Both girls gave fine performances and crossed the line with nothing left in the tank!
Benedict C had the difficult task of racing in a year 4 heat as he had to dash off for a cricket match.  This did not deter him and his impressive time of 8.26 was too much for the boys who raced later and he took first place closely followed by Jesse O who took second and Hamish D who placed third.
Well done to all those who took part.  As always your efforts were humbling and there were many emotional parents and other family members as you crossed the finish line!
The final results for all the events are attached here.
Mrs Jeffery

Spring 2022

U13 Boys' Hockey

16 March

Boys’ U13 1st vs RHS – Lost 5-1
A fantastic final match despite the score line. It was an end to end game with several scoring opportunities that we failed to capitalise upon. Our one goal was an absolute cracker from Noah K and every member of the team played their hearts out. The improvement in skills and understanding of the game has been phenomenal and it has been a great pleasure to witness such progress.

Mrs Goldring

Boys’ U13 2nd vs RHS – Lost 6-0
A good game was had by all and another learning curve for the Holmwood team.

Overall this season has been an exciting one and the boys have improved immensely since the beginning. Well done Holmwood second team!
Mr Earley

8 March

Boys’ U13 1st vs Ipswich High – Lost 4-1
Another test of resilience from every member of the team. Ipswich we’re bigger and more skilful but the Holmwood boys put up an amazing fight. Alex B and Donovan B made numerous tackles and Noah K tried again and again to distribute the ball around the pitch. Theo C’s cracking goal was the highlight of the match.

Mrs Goldring

U13 2nd vs Ipswich High – Lost 4-2
Holmwood tried hard throughout the match, and despite two very good goals by Captain Kingsley B-B, and some good opportunities to score at least two other goals, the team were unable to convert and lost to Ipswich High School U12A team by 4 goals to 2.

Mr Earley


2 March

Boys U13 1st vs Barnardiston Hall – Lost 4-1
Another tough match against a strong team. Holmwood worked incredibly hard in defence and Thomas C made some outstanding saves. We had very few attacking runs but Noah K tried incredibly hard in midfield and scored our only goal from a well timed short corner strike.

Mrs Goldring

Boys U13 2nd vs Barnardiston Hall – Won 4-1
Holmwood tried very hard throughout the game and Leo M scored with a lovely break upfront in the 2nd half. Leonardo U had a great game in defence. Unable to score anymore the score was 4:1 in the end and the team learned a great deal from the experience.

Mr Earley


23 February

Boys U13 1st vs Orwell Park – Lost 4-1
A valiant effort against a skilful team. Orwell scored in the first minute and this was a good wake up call for the boys. Defensively we got stronger and stronger with Alex B and Donovan B making numerous tackles. Thomas C was again outstanding in goal and before half-time Freddie M scored a cracking goal from the edge of the circle. The second half was dominated by Orwell but the boys did really well to keep the score down.

Boys’ U13 2nd vs Orwell Park
The 2nd team played a hard and well drilled Orwell Park side on Wednesday. Despite a high scoring win from the opponents the team played well and showed skill and great teamwork.

A special mention to Leo, Rufus and Hugh, who all linked up well together when attacking.

Tom Brown


9 February
Boys’ U13 1st & 2nd vs OBH

With a greatly depleted team, the combined As and Bs put up a strong fight against OBH. It was with great excitement that Noah K scored first but it was a short lived lead and by half time we were 3-1 down. Unfortunately capt. Donovan B injured himself but Alex B rose to the occasion in defence making numerous tackles. The whole team really pulled together in the second half with Noah scoring his second and Kingsley BB scoring his first. Thomas C was again outstanding in goal and the final score of 6-3 was a fair result.

Mrs Goldring


12 January
Boys’ U13 Hockey vs South Lee – Lost 4-0

This was jumping straight into the deep end for the boys in their first ever match against a confident team. The Holmwood boys got stuck in to every tackle and Thomas C, in goal, was tested constantly and saved the score from being double figures. Noah K made some good runs in the midfield and we occasionally managed to get the ball to the forwards with a couple of shots on target. It was a very defensive game and Donovan B played his heart out at the back.

Overall a great start to the term with plenty to work on in training next week!
Mrs Goldring

U13 Girls' Netball & Cricket

23 March
Girls’ Netball vs Framlingham Prep and Town Close

Our final match of the term saw us travel to Framlingham for a triangular fixture. It was a lovely sunny afternoon.

We played Fram first and we were slow to find our stride with the opposition scoring a couple of goals early in the match. Fram had a lot of the possession and at times we were caught sleeping with our marking. As the match progressed our passing and moving up the court was much better and we got ourselves on the score sheet thanks to goals from Ottilie W and Olivia B.

Holmwood 6 Framlingham 13

Our second match was against Town Close. This was a much more even match with the ball travelling end to end. We got off to a great start scoring within the first minute. This lifted our spirits and we found our flow. It was great to see the movement off the ball to find space that we had practised in training. In the second quarter, Town Close started to have more opportunities leaving the scores tied at half time. We again took the lead in the third quarter but Town Close were able to secure a draw in the end.

Holmwood 7 Town Close 7

Well done to Bea A for being named player of the match in both games today, her defending was fantastic.

Laura Sharman


16 March
Girls’ Netball vs South Lee

This was our second trip to South Lee this term and another close match for the girls. In the first quarter we started strong, taking the lead within the first minute. Bella E played centre, in the absence of Autumn K, and it didn’t take her long to find her feet. There was some great passing and movement between Ottilie W in goal attack and Bella E. It was certainly a very even first quarter with the score 9-9.

The second quarter was equally as exciting, with the ball travelling end to end. Olivia B’s shooting accuracy was amazing, scoring almost every opportunity she had. Ruby P played well as goal keeper, intercepting the opposition’s passes on many occasions. At the end of this quarter we were up by one goal.

The next quarter was more defensive, with Bea A and Bea B working well together in defence. Danielle B was excellent at marking her player effectively, and intercepting passes. Lana B played well in wing attack, finding good positions to be in to receive the ball. Unfortunately South Lee were just that bit quicker at moving and passing than us.

In the final quarter, we lost our momentum a bit as we started to get tired. However, it was great to see the determination the girls showed. Elsie B and Bea A were great at winning the 50/50 balls and making quick passes up the court. Cassie also had a turn at playing centre and distributed the ball well.

Lots of great netball on display today, and it is great to see the girls improving and taking on board all we have done in training.

Holmwood 22 South Lee 28

Laura Sharman


9 March
Girls’ Netball vs RHS

We had a great afternoon of netball at RHS today. In the first quarter it was really even in possession but we only managed to score one of our chances (which only took 12 seconds!) and they were very accurate, scoring 5.

In the second quarter both teams scored 4 each and our passing and shooting was much more accurate. We slowed things down and Autumn made some excellent feeds into Olivia and Ottilie.

Our defensive pressure and marking was excellent in the third quarter and Savanna and Bea made some great interceptions in the shooting circle. We scored 1 more in this quarter and they scored 2.

We made lots of turnovers in the last quarter and again showed fantastic defence with Bea, Savanna and Ava working really well as a defensive unit. We used our attacking channels well too but the opposition made lots of interceptions in the shooting circle so we only scored 1.

In terms of possession and ability it was a very even and a really enjoyable
Match. Well done to the girls.

Ottilie was voted player of the match by the other team

Mrs Ashton

2 March
Girls’ Netball 1st VII vs Barnardiston

A tough match this week away against Barnardiston. With only 11 players we were able to rotate around and try different player combinations. The first quarter saw both first teams go head to head. It took us a while to get into our stride, not surprising as the girls hadn’t played a match in a few weeks. Barnardiston took advantage of this and were very quick with their passing and movement around the court. Bea A and Ava B were pulled into action in defence, but unfortunately Barnardiston took the lead.

The second quarter was a lot more even against their second team. We had a mixture of first and second team players and the Holmwood girls were starting to find their flow and pass the ball around better. There was some great passing from Autumn K and Lana B. We were able to find the net thanks to some great shots from Ottilie W meaning we drew this quarter.

The third quarter saw us on the defensive end again, with Barnardiston always one step ahead of us (and a lot taller!). The final quarter was closer with us playing their second team again, Cassie G playing well in centre finding Olivia B in goal attack.

A tough match, but well done girls for showing great resilience on the court today.

Holmwood 3 Barnardiston 24 

Laura Sharman


23 February
Girls’ Cricket – Lady Taverners Cricket Tournament

The Under 13 girls had a tournament at Chelmsford Indoor Cricket School. They played their first game against Bancroft school.

Bancroft scored 85 for 0 from their allocated eight overs. Holmwood then had eight overs and it was very close. They sadly got out on their last ball.

The next match was against Bower Park. We batted first and got 117 for 2. They then batted second and we got all of their batters out.

Bower Park and Bancroft played the last game, Bancroft won.

We came second and sadly didn’t get through to the next stage of the competition. At the end though we all thought it would be fun to play a friendly match against Bancroft.

We all had a really good time and played really well.

Bea A


2 February
Girls’ Netball 1st & 2nd VII vs Finborough

The girls put out a great performance today and showed excellent determination, resilience and a desire to improve. We had 11 players so we were able to rotate and try out some new player combinations.

The first quarter the opposition were strong and it took us a while to get into our stride.
We then managed to score two goals in the next quarter with our shooters Ottilie and Olivia working well together.
In the third quarter we showed some excellent defensive work with Bea A and Olivia making lots of turnovers. We drew this quarter and made lots of progress in our play.
The final quarter showed our best play – with Autumn and Bella making excellent passing combinations into Cassie and Ottilie. Autumn’s feeds into the shooting circle we’re fantastic and we scored 4 goals. We managed to win this quarter 4-1.
Although we lost the match today and I am very proud of how much effort the team put in and the improvements that were made.
Great job everyone!
Mrs Ashton

12 January
Girls’ Netball 1st VII vs South Lee – Holmwood 18 South Lee 21

Our first netball fixture of the term was away against South Lee. It was a well contested, even game, with lots of goals from each team. The girls started strong, with some excellent attacking play from Ottilie W and Autumn K. This led to a run of goals from Savanna M, putting Holmwood in the lead at the end of the first quarter. South Lee came out strong in the next quarter, testing the girls in defence. Bea A and Danielle B took some great interceptions, and Bella E stepped up to play as goalkeeper for the first time.

The final quarters were end to end, and the girls were running their socks off! The girls’ quick passing was the key to making progress up the court. Autumn K and Elsie B had a lovely run of passes and an overhead pass to Ottilie W secured a great goal. The match could have gone either way, but unfortunately South Lee took the win by 3 goals.

Well done on your efforts today girls, a great afternoon of netball!

Laura Sharman

U11 Football

23 March

U11 A vs Colchester High
Holmwood’s final football match of the term was our second fixture of the season against Colchester High. On a warm, almost summer-like afternoon the boys tried to play a good style of passing football. They tried to pass out from the back and at times it did not always work but the boys kept trying and at times put some good passing combinations together. Heston K dominated the midfield and looked to play with minimal touches and bring the wide players into the game. It was pretty much one way traffic throughout the whole of the first half with Holmwood creating chance after chance without putting the ball into the net. It was Ethan M who opened the scoring with a fine finish from a tight angle after Heston K hand unleashed a shot from distance which the Colchester High goalkeeper had parried into the path of the oncoming Ethan.

Half Time: Holmwood 1 -0 Colchester High 
The second half was end to end and Colchester High could have easily got on the scoreline if it was not for Jesse O who made several saves to deny the Colchester High attackers. As positions rotated Colchester High’s opportunities increased. However, it was Alfie M who scored the second tapping  in from close range  after a shot from Oscar B was saved by the Colchester High keeper.
Final Score: Holmwood 2-0 Colchester High 
A nice way to finish the season, and even time for a little cricket after.
Thank you to all the parents for their support over the whole of the term, some are there week in week out whatever the weather and your support and enthusiasm is greatly appreciated.
Mr Lesiak
U11 B vs Colchester High School

The players did not really need a ‘warm up’ as such today, the sun was out and a light breeze meant that it was a hot afternoon more akin to a beach day rather than football! 

Holmwood were dominant throughout  the  game, working hard on and off the ball. Every time a CHS player had the ball Holmwood were pressuring them to make a mistake, and once the ball was loose Holmwood went forward in numbers. 

The passing improved throughout the game with some slick movement off the ball splitting the defence and making opportunities for Holmwood to get in behind them and take advantage. 

Holmwood 9 – 0 CHS

Mr Cook


11 March

U11 A vs Littlegarth
Holmwood travelled to Littlegarth for their second meeting of the term. Holmwood started slowly and struggled in the first half. Oscar B in goal made a string of outstanding reflex saves to keep the score down. Heston K and Ruben both suffered recurrences of old injuries and had to be replaced.

Half time – Holmwood 0 Littlegarth 4

The second half saw a slight change in formation and this saw Holmwood grow into the game and put some passing combinations together. Jesse O added an attacking threat down the left hand side which Holmwood used to their advantage. Ethan M was moved up from the B team during the game due to the injuries and acquitted himself well playing in several positions across the midfield. Holmwood scored 4 goals in the second half compared to Littlegarths 3 demonstrating real resilience and togetherness. The goal scorers were Ruben S, Jesse O x2  & Alfie M.

Final Score – Holmwood 4 Littlegarth 7
Mr Lesiak

9 February

U11 A vs Gosfield
A team comprising of Year 6s travelled to Gosfield to play them in a return fixture after the B team had played them a few weeks earlier. Jesse O was in goal and had a quiet game thanks to the outstanding defending of B Clarke and Hamish D. Ruben S controlled the midfield and William K played with his back to goal well and brought others into the game. Oliver C provided good width on both flanks as did Heston K. Thomas B worked hard in both left midfield and left defender demonstrating good positional awareness.

Holmwood created lots of chances but a combination of good goalkeeping, the sticky pitch and the post meant Ruben Ss fine strike from outside the box was the only goal of the half.
Half time: Holmwood 1 – 0 Gosfield
The second half saw more of the same with Holmwood dominating the play and any break anyway were dealt with by the Holmwood defence. William K continued his fine performance and added two goals after some excellent passing moves put him through on goal and he produce two calm finishes.
All in all a good display with some excellent passing. A very enjoyable afternoon was had by all.
Mr Lesiak

U11 C vs OBH
A last minute team change led to a brisk warm up learning some new positions and the Holmwood team quickly learned how to work together to get the ball closer to the opposition goal.

Holmwood moved the ball around the pitch well and OBH defence was solid and they had strength in numbers. OBH had some periods of sustained pressure that eventually led to the ball ending up in the net.

Well done to all involved.

Final Score: Holmwood 0 OBH 3

Mr Cook


16 February

U11 B vs St Josephs
As we walked off the bus the weather was fair and the warm winds were blowing in from the south. The warm up was sharp and the team were moving the ball between them accurately at pace. Almost as soon as the whistle was blown the clouds rolled in and then a light drizzle filled the air.

Holmwood struggled to get the ball out of their own half and the strong attacking players from St Joes were keeping them pinned back. In the second half Holmwood moved the ball down the wings and utilised the width of the pitch to their advantage. Holmwood controlled the ball in the middle of the pitch however the strong midfielders in the St Joes line up were excellent at tackling and pounced on any loose balls that were quickly moved onto their striker who had a powerful long range shot in his armoury.

Final score: Holmwood 2 – 5 St Josephs

Mr Cook


2 February

U11 A vs Littlegarth & Finborough
Holmwood travelled to Littlegarth to play in a triangular. Holmwood missed out on playing Finboroughs A team when they played earlier in the term as they were playing at Portman Road. Matches would be 10mins each way resulting in the normal 40 mins of football.

Holmwood vs Finborough
Holmwood started slowly and struggled to match their opponents hunger and desire but soon got up to speed and a close game was played out. Both teams had chances but it was Finborough who took the lead. Ruben S worked hard in the centre of midfield and made some crucial challenges.
Half time:  Holmwood 0 – 1 Finborough
Holmwood created some good chances,  the best falling to Alfie M after Oscar B had pushed a long shot onto the bar and the resulting clearance put him through on goal but his outstretched leg just lifted the ball over the bar. A special mention to the wide players Winston L, Ben R and Heston K  who worked tirelessly up and back without getting too much of the ball.

Final score: Holmwood 0 – 1 Finborough

The second match against Littlegarth was another physical, combative and end to end affair. Holmwood took the lead through a close range finish by Alfie M. Ruben S was winning the ball well in midfield and looking to bring others into play. Holmwood created another couple of chances and could have had the match out of sight but unfortunately could not apply the finishing touch. Littlegarth scored two quick goals to take the lead. Oscar B who has been struggling with a wrist injury all day was clearly struggling and was replaced by Heston K in goal. Ruben S scored a well struck volley from the edge of the area to level the scores at half time.
Half time: Holmwood 2- 2 Littlegarth
The second half continued to swing from end to end and it was Littlegarth who took their chances to finish 4-2 winners. Hamish and Jessie defended well and were the epitome of resilience with strong challenges and determination to continue after some heavy knocks.

Final Score Holmwood 2 – Littlegarth 4

 

Well done all, it was a very competitive afternoon  where the standard of football was one of the highest I have seen during my time at Holmwood.
Mr Lesiak

U11 B vs Kings Ely
A sharp warm up filled with positive comments and support from every player set the tone for a solid team performance. 

Holmwood won the toss and decided to let Kings start with the ball. Holmwood soon won the ball back and with controlled passing put the pressure on Kings. Holmwood scored two goals in the first ten minutes, with long periods of dominance with the ball. Ethan M and William U had very consistent games, holding the ball in the middle of the pitch and releasing the wingers to gain position on the field. Will K took advantage of the small amount of extra space near the Kings goal. Often finding his way to get a shot away and finding the net on several occasions. 

The Kings defence had strength in numbers. Holmwood’s shots being deflected from distance and the ball getting caught up in the middle of many players all determined to get possession for their teams. Holmwood’s sustained pressure on two occasions was so strong that the post and then the cross bar were the only things saving the score line being increased. 

Well done to both teams.

Final score: Holmwood 7 Kings Ely 1

Mr Cook


26 January

U11 B vs U11 A Gosfield – Holmwood 0 Gosfield 4
Playing on the largest football pitch on Colts Field was something that the Holmwood boys had to adjust to fairly quickly. Gosfield carried the ball well, and Holmwood struggled to put enough pressure on to win the ball back in key areas. Holmwood found themselves playing most of the football on the back foot, in front of their own goal, not being able to gain any momentum in attack.

In the second half, the Holmwood players managed to find some space and use the width of the pitch to their advantage. Holes started to appear and shots on goal started to creep closer to the target, with a couple of deflections leading to continued pressure on the Gosfield goal.

Mr Cook


19 January

U11 A vs Finborough – Holmwood 5 Finborough 1
Holmwood’s second match of the term was against Finborough. Unfortunately, Finborough’s A team were playing in a Tournament so Holmwood played their B team. Holmwood started well and some good crosses from Ben R on the right set up some good chances. Holmwood took the lead thanks to a calm finish from Alfie M, Heston K  added a second, passing into an empty net after the ball was charged down. Finborough pulled one back after a defensive mistake was capitalised upon.

Half time:
Holmwood  2- 1 Finborough
The second half saw Holmwood playing some excellent football with some good switches of play, this created some good scoring chances that Holmwood capitalised upon. Ruben S was dominating the centre of the pitch and Jesse O and Hamish D looked composed on the ball in defence. Alfie M displayed some excellent footwork when in attack and Winston L worked tirelessly on the flanks. Goals in the second half were scored by Ben R and another two from Alfie M to complete his hat trick.

Mr C Lesiak

U11 B vs Finborough – Holmwood 3 Finborough 3
A cold afternoon on a muddy Colts Field meant the boys had to keep moving to stay warm. The performance throughout the game was one of control from Holmwood. The players moved the ball smoothly between themselves and made the Finborough boys work hard in defence.

Holmwood had some excellent opportunities in front of the goal that were made from the calm build up play. Ethan, Thomas and Will were excellent in linking together up front and driving towards the Finborough goal.

Mr Cook

U11 D vs Finborough – Holmwood 2 Finborough 4
A home game today against Finborough. A close first half, with Leo P and Sumedh K playing well in midfield moving the ball up the field. At half time the score was 2-1 to Finborough. Holmwood came out strong in the second half. Harley H led the attack with some strong passes through to Ethan H to score his second goal of the match, making the score 2-2. Nikhil and Roux displayed some great defending, clearing the ball many times. Taylor J and Grace A took turns to play in goal, both taking clinical saves for the team. Unfortunately we were caught on the break a few times in this half which helped Finborough take the lead.

Laura Sharman


12 January

U11 A vs Colchester High – Holmwood 4-2 Colchester High
Holmwood’s first match of the term was the traditional curtain raiser against Colchester High. Holmwood started well and looked to move the ball playing with as few touches as possible. Alfie M was looking a threat up front and Ruben S was controlling the centre of the field. Holmwood went three goals up after some good  square passes set up goals for Alfie M x2 and Ruben S. Colchester High pulled a goal back towards the end of the half.

Half time: Holmwood 3-1 Colchester High
The second half saw yet more substitutions and this disrupted the flow of the game. Colchester High were looking more dangerous with their striker playing higher up the pitch. Jesse O who played the second half in goal made several good saves to deny the Colchester High attackers. Winston grabbed Holmwood’s fourth from close range before Colchester High pulled another back in the final minutes.
Mr Lesiak

U11 B vs Colchester High – Holmwood 3 Colchester High 1
The first game of the season was met with huge excitement by the boys. Benedict and Arran held the ball up and controlled the game from the back. Their cool nature and time on ball gave the other players time to move into space up the field.
For the first game of the season I was thoroughly impressed by the manner in which the team got better throughout the match. Moving the ball around the pitch and finding space led to the gaps in the defence being driven through and Holmwood dominating and scoring. Well done boys.
Mr Cook

U11 Netball

23 March

U11 A vs Ipswich Prep and Woodbridge Prep
What a way to end our term of competitive netball!  The girls played amazingly from the first whistle to the last and it was a pleasure to watch.  Every one of the girls was both very competent and confident on the court and we played the best netball of the term.

In our first match against Ipswich we absolutely dominated and had the majority of the play.  Our passing was accurate, we found space well and we moved the ball brilliantly up and down the court.  As a result we were just too strong for our opposition and it was a very one-sided game.  No one player stood out as all the girls played exceptionally and it was a very convincing 10 – 3 victory with Ipswich awarding Saling B Player of the Match.
We were more evenly matched against Woodbridge in our second match but we were certainly the more determined of the two teams and went for every 50:50 challenge, usually coming away with the ball. We marked our players well and made many fine interceptions, timing our jumps accurately to reach the ball.   After a very determined 3 quarters of seven minutes of play we were again victorious with a score of 5 – 2.  Player of the match was awarded by our opponents to Sia R.
Well done team, I was very proud of each and every one of you!
Mrs Jeffery

U11 B vs Ipswich Prep and Woodbridge Prep
The U11 girls headed off in the mini bus this sunny afternoon with Mrs J and Mrs S to the Rushmere ground, behind the Ipswich Town FC training centre, to play matches against both Ipswich and Woodbridge schools.

We had a little time to warm up before our games started, then the B team were on court vs Ipswich school playing three thirds of 6 minutes each. Ipswich won the toss and had the first centre pass. Ipswich went one goal ahead in the first third and scored a further two in the second and third thirds of the game. Hannah had a great attempt at goal in the second third…the ball skimmed tantalisingly around the rim before bouncing off court. Lucinda scored two fabulous goals in the final third and was named ‘player of the match’ by the Ipswich team.

Hannah had several more attempts at goal in our second game against Woodbridge school, and was able to get the ball in the net in our last third. Lucinda and Eleanor also scored, and Stella was named ‘player of the match’ by Woodbridge.

The girls did struggle a bit with concentration this afternoon, but were able to maintain their pattern of cohesion, communication and perseverance. Well done girls!

Holmwood House 2; Ipswich 5
Holmwood House 3; Woodbridge 7

Mrs Spencer


16 March

U11A vs St Margaret’s
This was a really even, exciting match until half time and then it went slightly downhill not helped by the drizzle and slippery courts.

In the first quarter our shooters, Lucie B and Olive W, had an excellent 10 minutes working the ball very competently around our goal circle to get in the best shooting position. Annabel B as Centre was also on hand to help with this and the ball was frequently in and out of the circle.
In our defensive circle Millie S and Saling B worked well together to mark the opposing shooters as well as timing any rebounds accurately.
Another strong second quarter took us into half time 3 goals apiece.  Darcy C took the Centre bib and found space well to help get the ball moving swiftly down the court.
St. Margaret’s came out fighting in the third quarter and caught us off guard.  Evie D and Annabel played our defensive positions and both continued to battle for every ball in St. Margaret’s goal circle.
A score of 4 – 6 going into the final quarter still kept the game within our reach but we were unfortunately outplayed in the final 10 minutes.  Darcy and Saling had the unenviable task of playing GK and GD but their shooters were certainly on target.  Lucie in as GA kept working until the final whistle as did Olive (Centre) and the two girls remained determined and focused throughout the match.
Final score 6 – 12 
Mrs Jeffery

U11B vs St Margaret’s 
Well, we had an unexpected and slightly unwelcome change in the weather this afternoon for our home matches vs St Margaret’s! But it was lovely to host so many children and so many parent supporters for both teams despite the conditions. Thank you! All the girls put on a super performance on both courts so there was a lot to cheer.

One of our regular B team players was absent today so our other Holmwood team loaned us a player, Sadhika, who was awarded the title of ‘player of the match’ by the St Margaret’s team. Sadhika scored three goals in the second quarter of the game, she marked her players extremely effectively, she covered the court quickly, she passed the ball accurately. Terrific play, Sadhika! Eleanor scored two further goals in the third quarter, and one more was scored by Hannah in the final quarter.

Every girl in the team played extremely well today, with just the right balance of courtesy, confidence and competition. Our parent supporters commented on the cohesion of the team, their determined effort, and the improvements in skill level. Fantastic play Orla, Elle, Eleanor, Hannah, Sadhika and Stella!

Elle played her best game of the season so far, coming very close to scoring and staying with her player. She also captained the side this afternoon. The partnerships between Centre, Goal attack and Goal shooter in each quarter were a very strong feature of the game today. I was particularly happy about this as we had practiced this in our warm up.

After the match it was super to be able to have a match tea INSIDE together, alongside the football teams!

Holmwood House: 6, St Margaret’s: 10

Mrs Spencer


11 March

U11 A vs Lexden Primary School
This is always a lovely match to be involved in. Lexden Primary are always so pleased to come to us for a match and the game is always played in the true spirit of sportsmanship.

Our shooters, (Olive W and Millie S), had an excellent first 10 minutes of play and both girls worked the ball around the circle well to get into the optimum shooting position.  They used our Centre, Annabel B, a lot to achieve this and the accuracy of passing was very pleasing to see.
The second quarter saw Millie and Olive move to defensive positions and both girls showed their versatility on the netball court adapting to a different style of play. Lucie B in as Centre worked very well with them both to work the ball down the court.
After half time Darcy C had the Centre’s bib and linking with Evie D (GD) and Lucie the ball was passed competently down the court.
In the final quarter both teams were mixed together and it was a very even final 10 minutes with 1 goal apiece. Both teams had their fair share of the ball with each pass fought for and each player dodging to get into space.
Mrs Jeffery
U11 B vs Lexden Primary School
Our second match of the week saw us play against Lexden Primary. This was a very lovely match to be a part of.

The first quarter was very even, with both teams having chances. Holly and Sadhika R worked well together and Sadhika was able to find the net leaving Holmwood 1-0 up after the first section of play. We found our momentum more in the next quarter, with the ball staying in our attacking third for a lot of the play. The third quarter we came out strong. Elle S and Hannah J were called into action a couple of times in defence, but nothing we couldn’t handle. Lucinda B scored another two for Holmwood.

We just got better and better as the match went on and the final quarter saw us play our best netball. We were moving the ball around very well. Eleanor B was on fire with her shooting, scoring four goals! Very well done today girls!

Holmwood 9 Lexden 1

Laura Sharman


9 March

U11 A vs Littlegarth
This was by far our toughest match of the term against a team that were national finalists in a nationwide schools competition! Yet despite the daunting task ahead of us the Holmwood spirit was definitely in evidence and the team battled hard and did not let their heads go down at all.

In the first quarter Lucie B had an excellent period of play as Centre and Millie S had to work her socks off as GK, while at our attacking end Evie D as GA successfully added a goal to our scoreline.  In the second 10 minutes of play Annabel B and Saling B had the unenviable task of stopping our opponents GA and GS from scoring.  To say they worked hard is an understatement! And it was the turn of Lucie as GA to successfully score us a further goal.
After the half time break it was the turn of Sadhika R and Evie  to play GK and GD respectively and they certainly had to stay on their toes for the 10 minutes. And we had a further goal from Olive W as GA after our attacking players worked the ball around our ‘D’ before feeding it in to Olive just under the post.
In the final quarter we again kept the record of a goal for each 10 minutes of play and this time it was Saling who was successful. Darcy C had a competent quarter as GD and marked her opponent well as well as going for every rebound.  She was well supported by our GD, Lucie, and it was this quarter that saw the fewest goals for our opponents.
Final score 4 – 24
Mrs Jeffery
U11 B vs Littlegarth
The U11 netball teams travelled to Littlegarth this week. We were playing a strong opposition who dominated from the start. The first quarter saw us go down a few goals fairly quickly, but we soon got settled and started to find our flow. Hannah J who was playing centre ran up and down the court endlessly, and her dodging to lose her defender was amazing!

The second quarter Eleanor B and Stella C displayed some good defending, although at times crept closer than the 1m distance that is allowed. Lucinda B and Elle S were able to find each other to move the ball up the court, but the Littlegarth defence was very strong stopping us from getting the ball in the circle. It was nice to see us scoring in the next quarter thanks to a great shot from Lucinda B. The final quarter was the most even with both teams scoring more goals. There was some fab passing from Orla R, Eleanor B and Hannah J in and around the shooting circle.

Well done today girls, another tough game against a strong opposition.

Holmwood 3 Littlegarth 16

Laura Sharman


2 March

U11 A vs Barnardiston Hall
Barnardiston were certainly the strongest team we have played this term and after being slightly overwhelmed by their ability in the first quarter we did then settle into the match.

In the first 10 minutes of play our defence, Darcy C and Millie S, had to really up their game to try and intercept the ball going into the ‘D’ to their shooters as well as try and get the rebounds. Both of these girls linked well with Lucie B as Centre to try and work the ball down the court into our attacking third.
In the second quarter the match was very even. Annabel B (GK) and Saling B (GD) both had an excellent period of play and allowed our opponents only a further 2 goals to their scoreline. While a further goal for us took us into half time 4 – 10.
Barnardiston came out very strongly after half time and this time it was the turn of Sadhika R and Evie D to battle away in our defensive ‘D’ to try and keep them from scoring. Olive W also had a good quarter as GA working the centre third and our goal third very well.
In the final quarter we were getting very tired and our heads went down but we were still able to work the ball down the court to score a further goal.
Well done girls. This was a very hard match against very strong opposition but you continued to work together during the 40 minutes and absolutely did your best.
Final score 6 – 21
Mrs Jeffery

23 February

U11 A vs St Mary’s
The first quarter caught us napping and was strongly dominated by our opposition. Our defence, Saling B and Sadhika R, were put under immense pressure but continued to battle hard and communicate with each other for the full 10 minutes.  Yet despite the defensive nature of play we were only 3 – 5 down going into the second quarter.

For the remainder of the match it was like watching another team play! In the second quarter our defence, (Lucie B and Olive W), played superbly and intercepted well and caught many rebounds to prevent our opposition from scoring. Meanwhile in our circle Darcy C and Sadhika moved the ball around well to get into the optimum shooting position and were awarded for their persistence with a further goal.
The remaining two quarters saw the teams very evenly matched and each scored one goal in each quarter.  Evie D had an excellent 10 minutes as GS and showed the spectators her natural ability in the circle and her confidence to shoot rather than pass the ball.
Player of the Match was awarded to Lucie B. Despite her injury she read the ball excellently throughout and was very impressive when it came to dodging and finding space.
Final score: 7 – 8
Mrs Jeffery

23 February
U11 B vs St Mary’s

A home match for the U11s today. The girls started strong and the first quarter was very close with both teams having chances. Orla R gave some accurate passes to Lucinda B who was close to scoring on a couple of occasions. However, St. Mary’s scored one to take the lead going into the second quarter. This was a more defensive quarter, with the girls having to stick tight to their markers. Elle S took some successful backline passes, moving the ball forward well. However, St. Mary’s were just a lot quicker with their moving and passing, opening up more opportunities.

The remaining quarters were close again, with player of the match Stella C showing some great passing in centre to Hannah J who moved around well to create space off the ball. Unfortunately we just couldn’t find the net. Eleanor B also displayed some great defending, and was always determined to grab the ball making a 50/50 pass hers every time.

Unfortunately the result didn’t go our way today, but well done girls for all your effort.

Holmwood 0 St. Mary’s 6 

Laura Sharman


11 February

IAPS Small School Tournament at Framlingham College
On Friday 11 February, a group of Year 6 girls travelled to Framlingham College Prep School for a Netball Tournament. We played six matches in the group stages and this decided which competition we would progress to; the cup, plate or bowl. Matches were only 5 minutes each way so we had to make sure we were switched on from the start.

Match 1 vs Widford Lodge 3-1
This was a great start to the day with the girls taking the lead early in the match and not allowing Widford the chance to come back. There was some fab shooting on display from Evie D and the girls took their chances well.

Match 2 vs St.George’s 1-2
This was a closer match and unfortunately the girls conceded two goals fairly early in the match and were unable to come back. I was impressed by the way the girls moved the ball around in the circle and Annabel B often put the bounce pass to good use.

Match 3 vs Orchard House 1-8
Our third game was against the eventual winners in the tournament. We scored first but it didn’t take long before Orchard House were putting lots past us. However, the girls did not give up, and I couldn’t be prouder of them for this.

Match 4 vs Wisbech Grammar 0-4
After a short break we were on again vs Wisbech. This was another tricky match and we faced some very strict umpiring. But the girls again were very resilient and Saling B and Lucie B were very strong in defence.

Match 5 vs Broughton Manor 3-4
This was a fairly even match with goals from both sides. Darcy C and Olive W displayed some fab attacking play, but unfortunately we ran out of time to come back.

Match 6 vs St. Ives 3-4
Another close match, we were unfortunate that this one did not go our way either. Millie S was on the score sheet early on and the girls were very close to scoring on several occasions. But a good result against the eventual third place team.

We had a longer break for lunch after the group stages. Massive thanks goes to Tom for the lunch delivery. After this the girls had a new burst of energy and were ready and raring to go for the last match. We had been placed 7th in our group, due to goal difference in the end. This meant we progressed to the bowl competition and had to play one last match.

Bowl Final vs Beeston 3-2
This game was the best netball I had seen the girls play all day. They were moving the ball around well and thinking about all the points I had given them to work on. It was great to end on a win and take away gold medals in the bowl competition.

Well done girls on all your effort and hard work today. You never gave up and that is all I could ask for!

Laura Sharman


9 February

U11 A vs OBH
A dominant performance from the girls today. We were playing an OBH team of just year 5s due to their year 6s being away on a trip. The girls were strong from the start, displaying some great passing, moving the ball quickly up the court. After the first quarter we were 8-1 up so for the remainder of the match I only allowed one Holmwood player to be allowed to shoot. This meant the girls had to work hard off the ball and try to move the ball around in the circle. Fantastic effort from the girls today, let’s bring the same energy to the tournament on Friday!

Holmwood 17 OBH 1

Laura Sharman


2 February

U11 A vs St Joseph’s
Today’s match saw us travel away to St. Joseph’s. After a very excitable bus journey, the girls were ready and raring to go. The match got off to a close start with the ball going end to end but neither team scoring. The ball was moved around the court well by Darcy C and Millie S. This led to Holmwood finding the net towards the end of the first quarter. Only seconds later St. Joseph’s scored to make it a tie after the first section of play.

In the second quarter the girls found their flow with four goals being scored this quarter, Annabel B scoring three of these. There was some fantastic attacking play and superb centre pass routines. It was great to see the practice paying off for these. The third quarter was close again with Olive W and Saling B having to do lots of defending. Evie D shone in attack this quarter, scoring an excellent shot from just inside the circle.

The final quarter saw us defending again with Lucie B intercepting their passes superbly. St. Joseph’s were able to score two in this section of play, but we were able to hold the lead.

A very enjoyable afternoon of netball, well done girls!

Holmwood 8 St. Joseph’s 5

Laura Sharman

U11 B vs St Joseph’s
Another lovely afternoon for U11 netball! Our Year 5 and 6 girls took the minibus with Laura and Mrs Spencer to Ipswich for their matches today. 

The most outstanding thing for Mrs Spencer was the improvement the girls were able to make throughout the game. Their understanding of where they needed to be on court, and how to partner effectively with other positions was tremendous.

The St Joseph’s girls were able to go 3-1 ahead in the first quarter by moving the ball quickly to their excellent goal shooter. Hannah scored our only goal in the first quarter. But Holmwood then scored two goals in each of the following three quarters, with St Jo’s scoring just one more during the game. 

The teams were very evenly matched but Holmwood’s determined attacking play won the day. Our Holmwood girls also showed that they are beginning to mark their players more effectively…so effectively, in fact, that we gave away a few penalty passes by getting a little too close!!! Let’s work on that!

Eleanor scored two, Lucinda scored two and Hannah scored a further two goals taking her tally to three and making her our top scorer! Orla also came extremely close to scoring this afternoon. Hannah and Orla demonstrated a very supportive and unselfish partnership in the scoring circle, with Lucinda playing an excellent quarter in her centre position.

Stella was named ‘player of the match’ by the St Jo’s team in recognition of her determination in every area of the court. 

Well done girls for an excellent match!

Holmwood House 7  St Joseph’s College 4

Mrs Spencer


26 January

U11A vs Gosfield
This was such a lovely match to be involved with from the moment Gosfield arrived. They were so pleased to be playing a match and this was reflected in their enthusiasm which rubbed off on our girls.

In the first quarter we demonstrated some excellent passing and footwork and were moving the ball competently up and down the court. Annabel B in as Centre linked our defence and shooters brilliantly and we had a very productive first 10 minutes in our circle scoring 4 goals thanks to on target Millie S and Evie D.
In the second quarter the girls continued to show just how much they have improved over the course of the term, creating space to then move into it and having the confidence to call for the ball. Saling B and Annabel were our shooters and they moved the ball around the circle excellently to get into the best shooting position. This proved very productive as a further 3 goals were added to our scoreline.  While at the other end of the court Millie And Evie stuck with Gosfield’s shooters like glue and prevented any further goals for our opposition. At the half time whistle the score was 7 – 1.
In the next ten minutes of play our opposition came out fighting and it was a very even quarter with one goal apiece. Lucie B had the key Centre position and she adapted to the many turnovers of the ball well changing from defensive to attacking play with ease.
In the final quarter we finished the match very strongly. Olive W and Annabel had the shooting bibs and both worked well together to get the ball under the post to give us the best opportunity to score. This proved beneficial as we scored a further 3 goals.
At the end of the match our opposition awarded Millie their Player of the Match.
Final score: Holmwood 11 – Gosfield 3
Mrs Jeffery

U11 B vs Gosfield
It was a home game today against a well-matched Gosfield team. The girls got off to a good start with all the play in our attacking third. Sadhika R and Lucinda B worked well together and Lucinda was able to find the net, leaving the score 1-0 after the first quarter.

The next two quarters were more end to end, with Gosfield taking their chances well. There was some good defending on display, but we were not able to stop Gosfield taking the lead going into the final quarter.

A fantastic last quarter saw some great passing and moving. The girls worked well together to move the ball up the court. I was particularly impressed with the use of the bounce pass to get the ball to players in the circle. Lucinda B scored twice more this quarte, securing the win for Holmwood.

Well done girls!

Final Score: Holmwood 3 Gosfield 2

Laura Sharman


19 January
U11 A Triangular vs Finborough & Langley

Our first match against Finborough’s ‘B’ team was a very even affair in the first half. Both teams made many good interceptions and it really was end to end play with all the Holmwood girls working hard to win and keep possession.
Millie S had a terrific 10 minutes of play as Centre linking well with both our shooters to get the ball in our attacking third. Olive W , a newbie to netball, showed again this match just how much she has learned about the game in such a short space of time. In as GD she read her opponent well marking her out of the game on many occasions. Annabel B in as GA and Darcy C, GS, worked the ball well around our circle to get into the correct shooting position and this earned us a 3 – 1 advantage going into half time.
In the second half our defence – Annabel GD and Darcy GK – put our opposition under tremendous pressure. Both girls made many interceptions and secured many rebounds and then worked well with Saling B as Centre to work the ball into our attacking third.  Annabel was again on fire this half and she had an exceptional match from the first whistle to the last. She timed her jumps brilliantly to make many excellent interceptions and was always calling for the ball when she was in space.
Player of the match awarded by our opponents went to a very surprised MIllie for the second week. Her determination when defending and her accurate passing was again recognised.
Final score 7 – 1
Our second match against Langley ‘A’ couldn’t have been more different. The girls are certainly VERY tall in Norwich and we simply couldn’t compete with their height and power.  Despite this the girls continued to keep battling despite goal after goal for our opponents. In the first half Millie and Lucie had the unenviable task of marking their shooters and they battled hard to get any rebounds. In the second half we understood their game much better and only allowed Langley to score a further 2 goals in the 10 minutes of play compared to the double figures score in the first half!
Well done girls, you all did yourselves proud. I am positive this will be the toughest match we face this term!
Mrs Jeffery
U11 B Triangular vs Finborough and Langley

We had a lovely drive on the minibus with the U11 A and B netball teams to Finborough school on Wednesday afternoon for our matches vs Finborough and Langley schools. It was great to see so many girls having fun playing netball in the great January outdoors and then enjoying a match tea together.

Our U11 B team played two ten minute quarters vs Finborough B team, and two quarters vs Langley B. We continue to play High Five netball as recommended for this age group by the sports’s governing body and follow the prescribed rotation system for players. When the girls are off the pitch they are involved in scoring and centre pass marking so they are always learning.

The Holmwood and Finborough teams were well matched, with our Holmwood girls just getting the better of the opposition in their first two quarters. Hannah scored two goals, Sadhika and Eleanor scored one each. The girls moved well around the court, finding space to receive the ball and really concentrating on the game in progress. I was particularly impressed with the quality of their passing. Stella put in some excellent shoulder passes, and Orla used the ‘stealth ball’ bounce pass superbly.

The Langley team seemed to be more experienced (and taller) and were able to get the better of us, and Finborough! Unfortunately we were unable to get the ball forward to our attacking players and scored no goals in our second two quarters. But the team were not disheartened and worked well together, encouraging each other and finishing cheerfully.

I have been so impressed by, and proud of, this lovely group of girls! Well done all of you!

Mrs Spencer


12 January

U11 A vs South Lee
The conditions for the first match of the netball season couldn’t have been better and the girls made the most of the mild, dry weather.  This season we are playing High 5s, as determined by IAPS, instead of the usual 7s meaning the girls have to adapt each quarter as they rotate and change positions. The first match is always a bit of a baptism of fire but it does always give us an idea of what we need to work on!

We were caught off guard in the first quarter and were very quickly three goals down before we started fighting back. Millie S, the well deserved player of the match, had an excellent game as GK and quickly shut down their GS. She read the ball well throughout and made many fine interceptions. She was well supported by Darcy C as Centre and they worked the ball well down the court on our attacking play.
The second quarter saw Annabel B move to Centre, a position in which she excelled and linking with Millie and Darcy, now our two shooters, we were able to score our first goal much to the delight of the team. Going into half time the score was 1 – 6.
The girls really stepped up in the third quarter and Saling B now playing as Centre had an excellent 10 minutes adapting well to both attacking and defensive play. She made many excellent interceptions, using her height to her advantage, as well as linking competently with Lucie B now playing GA to move the ball into our goal third. Strong defending from Millie and Darcy, now GD and GK respectively, meant only one further goal for our opponents.
In the fourth quarter we played South Lee’s B team. Again there were many positives during this period of play. Olive W held the centre court together and worked well with Saling and Darcy (GS and GA) with the three girls finding space to move the ball into our goal circle. They were rewarded with a goal whilst Annabel and Lucie (GK and GD) marked the ball well in our defensive third making some excellent interceptions.
Final score(s):
HH vs South Lee ‘A’ (first 3 quarters) 1 – 7
HH vs South Lee ‘B’ (final quarter) 1 – 3
Mrs Jeffery
U11 B vs South Lee
It was great to welcome three netball teams and their coaches from South Lee on Wednesday afternoon, and to have so many parents come to support the girls on a lovely sunny afternoon.
The U11 B team played two quarters vs South Lee B and two vs South Lee C.
We follow England Netball’s ‘Bee Netball’ rules designed specifically for this age group which allow five players from each squad on court at any time. Positions are rotated after each quarter so that players get a chance to play in every area of the court, making the game a better and more equal learning experience. The rules are also slightly modified to allow for a more fun and flowing game.
(For example, players have four seconds to pass the ball, rather than three.)
Goal shooter Eleanor scored a terrific goal in the first quarter of the match and was very well supported by Hannah playing Centre. The South Lee B team were quicker to pass the ball down the court, though, retaining possession and scoring several times in the first and second quarters, securing the win.
Stella was stellar (!) in our third quarter, getting herself into fantastic positions to receive the ball from Evie and shoot at goal. Unfortunately the goal eluded her, but she pressed on. Well done Stella and Evie for not giving up! The South Lee team were able to go one up…
But Holmwood saved their best for last and were able to score six goals in the final quarter, five for Evie and one for Lucinda! Woohoo!
A great result and an excellent effort from the whole team. The girls also took responsibility for the scoring and centre pass marking. Well done girls!
Mrs Spencer

U9 Rugby

31 January
U9 A vs Woodbridge Prep

Holmwood’s second match of the term was against Woodbridge. Holmwood tackling from the get go was consistent and strong . Some good individual tries were scored and all of the boys made some good contributions. The half time team talk was based around the defensive line, trusting your team mates to make the tackle and not hanging back is an on going work in progress as is the supporting runs for the ball carrier.

Holmwood ran out comfortable winners scoring in double figures and only conceding two tries.
Well played boys.
Mr Lesiak

19 January
U9 A vs Finborough

Holmwood’s first contact match was against Finborough . Both teams made some strong tackles from the off set . It was Holmwood’s pace and determination in the tackle that stood them apart from there opponents. Holmwood manage to run in 7 tries to Finboroughs 1.

A great first experience for the boys with plenty to work on including running lines, support play and the defensive line.
Final score: Holmwood 35 -5 Finborough
Mr Lesiak

U9 Hockey

17 March

U9A vs Littlegarth
Back to Littlegarth again this week for our last match of the term and it was a lovely sunny afternoon. Unfortunately we were a few players down, but we borrowed two year three’s Darcy T and Charlotte M to help us out. Littlegarth were very strong from the start, and we were defending for most of the match. The girls battled hard and it was a real test of the team’s resilience today. On a couple of occasions we were close to scoring but their defence was difficult to pass.

Holmwood 0 Littlegarth 12

Laura Sharman


10 March

U9 A Littlegarth Festival
On Thursday 10 March, a group of Year 3 and Year 4 girls travelled to Littlegarth to play in the hockey festival. It was a lovely afternoon with the sun shining. The festival had a round robin format, so we played four matches against the teams in our group.

Match 1 vs Nayland 1-0
We got off to a great start winning our first match 1-0. We put the pressure on from the start with lots of attacking play from Annie B and Isabelle S-C and the ball stayed in our half for most of the game. We held our positions well and had lots of possession in the D. Daisy L playing in goal did not touch the ball once!

Match 2 vs Littlegarth 1-1
This was a much closer game, with the ball travelling end to end. Roxy J and Emily W were putting in some great tackles to stop Littlegarth from scoring. We were able to move the ball up the pitch thanks to some fab dribbling from Eva H and we took the early lead. However, before long, the ball was back in our defending D, and Littlegarth managed to find the equaliser.

Match 3 vs St. Margaret’s 0-1
This was a tougher match with the girls required to do a lot more defending. Daisy L was getting stuck in making some great tackles, and Beatrice W did some great dribbling forwards up the pitch. However, this was not enough to stop St. Margaret’s from scoring and taking the win.

Match 4 vs St. Cedd’s
Our last match was another end to end game, with the girls running their socks off trying to attack and defend. Daisy L and Sophie R were superb at tackling and distributed the ball well. Fortunately they were able to find a pass through to Jessica B who then scored a great goal. Roxy J also made a superb run up the pitch beating several defenders but we were unable to score on this occasion. We started to lose our structure towards the end, and despite all our efforts the opposition equalised leaving the score 1-1.

Having won one match, drawn two and lost one we ended up with 8 points. Our group was very close, with three other teams also on the same number of points. Therefore 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions were decided on goal difference. This meant we finished in 4th position.

A very enjoyable afternoon, well done girls. It is great to see the progress you have made this term with your hockey.

Laura Sharman


7 March

U9A vs Woodbridge
This week’s match saw us travel away to Woodbridge. After a short walk from the Prep school over to the senior school pitch we were ready to go. Woodbridge put the pressure on right from the start which caught the girls by surprise leading to the opposition scoring. As the first half progressed we started to put our skills to good use, with Emily W showing some excellent tackling in defence. Unfortunately this was not enough and they managed to put a few more goals past us in the first half.

 

After a team chat at half time, we had a lot more success at passing out to the sides, and were more confident in our dribbling. This led to a few more chances but the Woodbridge defence was hard to beat. In the end, despite our best efforts at defending, the opposition kept up the pressure from the first half leading to more goals and extending their lead.

A tough match today girls, well done on all your hard work.

Holmwood 0 Woodbridge 7

Laura Sharman


28 February

U9A vs St Joseph’s
A very enjoyable afternoon of hockey for the year 4s today. We were playing at home against St. Joseph’s so back playing on grass again. The game started very evenly with the ball travelling end to end! Towards the end of the second half we were opening up more opportunities with Jessica B and Isabelle S-C passing the ball well up the pitch to Annie B playing forward. It was nice to finish the first half one goal up thanks to a great goal from Jessica B.

We found our flow more in the second half, with some fantastic passing out to space and staying in our positions well. Emily W and Sophie R did some great tackling stopping St. Joseph’s getting close to the D. Two more goals from Jessica B saw us extend the lead, and a last goal from Eva H gave us the win.

Well done girls, great to get a win today. Some excellent progress in your hockey!

Laura Sharman


24 February

U8/9 A vs St Margaret’s
This was a great opportunity for both year 3 and 4s to play together in a match. It was a very cold afternoon, with even a couple of hailstorms! The match got off to a really good start with the first quarter of play very even. It was really lovely hockey to watch and probably the best hockey I have seen the girls play all term. The girls were staying in their positions successfully and trying to pass out into space. We were close on several occasions with Annie B and Eivissa M in good positions in the D. Eva H, Isabella C and Jessica B also held the midfield well.

As the game progressed, we did start to tire and once St. Margaret’s had scored a couple of our heads went down and we weren’t playing as well. We were required to do a lot more defending. Roxy J, Beatrice W and Emily W did very well in defence putting in some strong tackles. However, one of the St. Margaret’s player’s had an excellent slap so used that well to put a few goals past us.  Daisy L made a terrific goal-line save when a shot came at her off the ground!

Great effort today girls, it is great to see the progress in your hockey! Shame the score did not reflect how close the match was.

Holmwood 0 St. Margaret’s 5

Laura Sharman

U8/9 B vs St Margaret’s
An excitable group of predominantly Year 3s made the journey to Braintree Hockey Club for the match.  Playing a team of Year 4s was always going to be a tall order.  Throw in the speed of a match on astroturf and we really had to battle hard for the full 40 minutes.

St. Margaret’s were incredibly strong from the very first whistle and they quickly got into the swing of the match and started adding to their scoreline.  Our girls did their utmost to defend the ball and truly battled for every ball.  Instrumental to keeping the ball out of our goal was Imogen B and Darcy B. Both girls read the ball very well and on many occasions kept the ball from crossing the line.
Despite the cold weather – hail on arrival at the pitch and a snow shower when waiting for the coach – all the girls contributed to the match and showed the spectators all they have been working on in training.
Mrs Jeffery

21 February

U9A Hockey vs Finborough
This week saw the U9 Hockey team travel to Finborough. We were playing a very well-drilled Finborough team, so the pressure was put on from the start. The girls worked really hard to defend and make some effective tackles. However, Finborough were able to find the net with some strong shots taken from the top of the D, so we were behind at half time.

As Finborough had such a large squad of players we decided to borrow a few of their players in the second half. This allowed some of the girls to have a rest and time off. In this half we were working the ball up the pitch much better and were close to scoring on many occasions, with a couple of shots just going wide of the post. The improvement throughout the game was fab, with the quality of hockey improving as the game progressed.

Well done to all the girls for their resilience today, especially Sophia T for playing in goal for the first time. Considering we are not used to playing on astro the girls did superb!

Holmwood 0 Finborough 10

Laura Sharman


7 February

U9 Hockey vs Gosfield
This afternoon’s match saw the Year 4 girls travel away to play Gosfield. We arrived promptly so the gate to the pitch was locked, but a quick game of ‘I Spy’ kept us entertained before our opposition arrived. We had plenty of time for a good warm up. This was particularly important as it was the first time the girls had played on astroturf. It was certainly a lot faster than what we are used to on grass!

Due to numbers, we played a 5-a-side game on a smaller pitch and without goalkeepers. The girls started strong and dominated most of the game. Jessica B did some great passes often finding Annie B who held the middle of the pitch well.  Sophie R and Isabelle S-C did well in midfield, moving the ball successfully up the pitch. Some strong tackling from Emily W and Beatrice W in defence, stopped Gosfield from scoring on many occasions.

There was some fantastic hockey on display today and some great improvement on our passing and spacing, as well as lots of goals scored, well done girls!

Holmwood 6 Gosfield 2

Laura Sharman


31 January

U9 Hockey vs Woodbridge
Another home match this week for the U9 hockey team against a strong Woodbridge team. We were under pressure immediately but there was some great tackling from Sophie R and Emily W. Roxy J was also solid in defence, clearing the ball many times up the field. However, we were not able to stop Woodbridge from taking an early lead.

The second half saw some more attacking play from Holmwood with Annie B and Jessica B working well getting the ball up the field. Eva H and Isabella C stayed strong in the middle and were not afraid to get stuck in. The girls did not give up and were very close to scoring towards the end.

Well done to everyone and thank you to Freya S for playing in goal for the first time.

Holmwood 0 Woodbridge 7

Laura Sharman


24 January

U9 Hockey vs Finborough – Holmwood 3 Finborough 1
This was the girls first hockey match of the year, and we had some very excited Years 3 and 4. We played four quarters as Finborough had two teams, so we played each team twice. All the girls were not afraid to get stuck in, making some superb tackles. There was some good dribbling on display, and the girls did not stop running! At times the pitch became crowded with lots of players around the ball, but this is something we will work on more in training.

It was great to come away with a win for the all the girls’ hard work. Well done to the goal scorers; Eivissa M, Jessica B and Annie B. And a fantastic effort from everyone today, well done!

Laura Sharman

U8 Tag Rugby

24 February

U8 B vs St Margaret’s
A great game of rugby, incredibly enjoyable for everyone. Theo B saved 4 tries, Hugo P scored 2 tries, Max W, Marek F, Freddie T and Stanley W all scored 1 try each. Lucas and Isaac L tried hard throughout and both ran with the ball very well.

Holmwood won by 10 tries to 4. Well Played, boys.

Mr Earley

U8 Netball

3 March

U8 vs Felsted

On Thursday afternoon the year three girls, Mrs Earley and Laura took the journey to Felsted for their second netball match this year. The girls were split into four teams of three for the afternoon and each team played four matches of 10 minutes.  The format of netball we played meant the girls had no formal positions so any of the girls could attack, defend and shoot.

All four teams got off to a great start and there was some excellent passing and some great shooting on display. At the halfway point we had a quick team talk, and our aim for the last two matches was to ensure we stuck ‘like glue’ to our markers. This being said we went from strength to strength on all four courts with the girls attacking and defending well. We came away winning the majority of the matches which is superb!

It was great to see such lovely netball being played and the girls’ attitude and behaviour was exceptional. Well done girls, a very enjoyable afternoon of netball.

Laura Sharman

Swimming

15 March 2022

Swimming Gala vs Colchester High School

Another week and another fixture; our swimmers have certainly been very busy recently!
This fixture was once again all about fun as well as showing the spectators just how competent our young teams are in a competitive environment.
Saling B got us off to a great start with a very strong 50 metre backstroke event for the combined Year 5 & 6 team.  Emily W had the fastest time in this event for the Year 3s and 4s, closely followed by Hugo P only 1.4 seconds behind.
In the 50m breaststroke Darcy C swam a technically sound race in a very good time with Lucie B only 2.1 seconds behind.  For the younger squad Jayden O had an excellent race despite breaststroke being one of his least favourite events!  And it was the turn of older brother Jesse to dominate the 50 freestyle event a full 8 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor.  Despite being one of the youngest swimmers Hugo once again had a fine swim in the 25m freestyle with Stanley J coming in second a mere 0.25 seconds later.

It was the Holmwood girls versus the Holmwood boys in the 4 x 25m Year 5 & 6 medley relay. The girls took a very sweet victory but the boys evened the score in the 4 x 25m freestyle relay so neither group earned bragging rights!  In the Yr 3 & 4 relay events the Holmwood ‘A’ teams both posted very pleasing times quite a bit ahead of their nearest competition.

Year 5 & 6 team – Heston K, Charlie P, Jesse O, Thomas B, Rufus W, Benedict C, Olive W, Saling B, Darcy C, Lucie B, Sam C, Leo P, Lawrence S, Oscar A, Jack R, Grace A
Year 3 & 4 team – Bertie H, Will C, Emily W, Stanley J, Jayden O, Theo B, Joseph R, Imogen B, Darcy B, Hugo P
Mrs Jeffery

1 March 2022

Swimming Gala vs St Margaret’s

For the first time in two years we were able to welcome spectators onto poolside and their support and encouragement during each race was appreciated by all our swimmers.
The fixture was not about points and who won overall, but the focus was on fun and for the Holmwood participants putting into practice all we have been working on in lessons.
There were many notable swims from the two squads. For the U11 team made up of a mix of Year 5s and 6s, Saling B had a fine swim in the 50m backstroke, quickly followed by a win for Jesse O in the 50m breaststroke and another for Olive W in the 50m freestyle. Although racing over 50 metres for the first time as well as swimming against older children the Year 5s coped brilliantly. Sam C had a strong backstroke race and Jack R impressed in the 50m freestyle.
For the combined U9 team the afternoon got off to a good start in the 25m backstroke with a nail biting finish between Tobey E and his St. Margaret’s competitor. Tobey just touched first with the stopwatches showing a 0.11 second difference! Jayden O also had a win in the 25m breaststroke followed by Ted L putting in a fine swim in the 25m freestyle to also win the event. Stanley J was only 1.5 seconds behind Ted in his freestyle heat putting in a very impressive performance.  Seven Year 3s also represented this squad and they conducted themselves fantastically and really rose to the challenge. Theo B (25m backstroke) and Hugo P (25m breaststroke) both had technically very competent and strong races. Daisy L was not to be outdone by her brother in her 25m freestyle race and followed all that we have been working on in lessons to the letter. Imogen B competed in the 25m freestyle race and with an efficient start and turn posted a very pleasing time.
The U11 ‘A’ medley relay event was a very close affair with less than 2 seconds between first and third but the team of Benedict C, Lucie B, Jesse and Rufus touched first.  Our U9s also dominated in this event with Jayden, Emily W, Ted and George B 7 seconds ahead of their nearest competition.  It was a similar story in the freestyle relays. The boys U11 IAPS team competed against our U11 girls team and they finished in first and second respectively with only a 2.5 second difference.  Our U9 teams were not to be outdone in this event either with Ted, Jayden, Stanley and George a clear 18 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals.
The final event on the schedule, the Squadron Relay, was the usual loud and raucous affair from both the spectators and swimmers. The 12 x 25m race is the only event where the swimmers of all ages compete together. As it progresses the race is very misleading as the swimmers can swim in any order so the lead often changes. For more than half the event we were a fair distance behind but a fine swim from Hugo in Year 3 altered the outcome. He clawed back St Margaret’s advantage and our remaining swimmers dug deep and raced hard to earn us a small lead of less than 3 seconds at the end of the race to much applause and cheering.
Well done to all the swimmers and thank you spectators for giving up your time to watch and support the children.
Mrs Jeffery

Autumn 2021

U13 Boys' Rugby

Wed 17 Nov – 1st XIII vs Framlingham Prep

On Wednesday, the Years 7 and 8 Rugby team took on two matches again Framlingham and Barnardistan. The first game was a tough match and the Holmwood boys only lost by three tries. Theo Cs quick feet led to one try in the first game.

In the second game Holmwood had to transfer some boys to Framlingham but we still won convincingly – 6 tries to 2.

Tom Brown


Wed 10 Nov – 1st XIII vs Finborough

On Wednesday 10 November the Under 13 A rugby team took on Finborough school in very wet and challenging match. The team fought well despite Finborough being the more dominant team. The overall score was 9-1.

Tom Brown


Wed 3 Nov – 1st XIII vs RHS

On Wednesday 3 November the under 13 A team took on a strong U12 RHS team. The boys played some great rugby and had improved a lot from their last game. Theo C scored three brilliant tries and took the opposition by surprise with his speed. The overall result ended up as 12/3 but the boys should be proud of their strong performance.

Tom Brown


Wed 6 Oct – 1st XIII vs Ipswich Prep

On Wednesday 6 October the Under 13 1st team took on a well drilled Ipswich school side. The boys fought hard with a couple of great tries from Theo C and Donovan B. The overall score was 12 tries to 2. We look forward to more games this season as we develop our skills further.

Tom Brown


Wed 29 Sept – 1st XIII vs Felsted

On Wednesday 29 September the Year 7 and 8 A rugby team travelled to Felsted for their first game of the season. It was a fantastic game with many tries from both sides. Noah Ks quick feet helped to get some points early on the board and Donovan B just could not stop running through the opposition. The team should be very proud and we look forward to next weeks game against Ipswich School.

Tom Brown

U13 Girls' Hockey

1 Dec – 1st VII vs South Lee

On a soggy cold pitch the girls fought bravely against a strong team. The first quarter was close with only one goal scored but South Lee soon gained momentum and scored some stunning goals. Olivia B in goal had her work cut out and made numerous saves and Elsie B and Cassie G supported her well with strong tackles. Ottilie W worked tirelessly in the centre and it was a welcome relief when Bea A finally scored.
A disappointing end to the term but the girls have all made so much progress over the weeks and I have been very impressed with their dedication to the game.
Holmwood 1 South Lee 6
Mrs Goldring

24 Nov – 1st VII vs Barnardiston Hall

Having played Barnardiston last week we knew this was going to be a tough match. The opposition had several strong players so within the first few minutes the girls were under lots of pressure. The girls battled hard but unfortunately this was not enough against such a skilful team. However, the girls showed great resilience, kept battling and managed to score just before the half time whistle.

Laura Sharman

For the second half we mixed the teams and played with a selection of Barnardiston and Holmwood players on each side for a bit of fun!

24 Nov – 2nd VII vs Barnardiston Hall

We faced Barnardiston the previous week at the Framlingham mini tournament so we knew they were a strong, well practised team.
The long journey didn’t help matters and it was a shock to be four goals down within the first five minutes of play. Despite this the girls battled hard and the defensive players, (Bella E and Cassie G), both rose to the challenge and were very impressive in their roles as they made some strong tackles winning possession time after time.
Bea B and Danielle D, both newbies to the sport of hockey at the start of the season, played out on the wings and their confidence to call for the ball was very pleasing to see. They held their positions well and found space making it very easy for the defence to get the ball to them and both made many excellent runs down the wing.
The girls were not disheartened at half time and led the team talk offering each other sound advice and encouragement.
The second half remained very defensive and Ruby P in goal was called upon to make some excellent saves clearing the ball hard and wide to take the pressure off. Lana B playing centre-mid dropped back to help out and for the full twenty minutes the girls never gave up and fought hard for every ball.
Well done girls; your grit and determination was outstanding!
Final score 0 – 7
Mrs Jeffery

17 Nov – 1st VII vs Framlingham Prep

The U13A hockey team played in a quadrangular fixture at Framlingham College. The first match was against Fram. Prep went really well with Bea A  scoring in the first half. The girls moved the ball around the pitch brilliantly and had several chances to increase the score but missed by inches. A defensive error in the second half allowed Fram their equaliser.
Against Barnardiston Hall we held our own for the first five minutes but these strong and skillful players soon wore us down and Olivia B, in goal, was facing endless powerful shots on goal. Despite the 7-0 score, the Holmwood girls never looked deflated and pushed themselves to the final whistle.
It was a relief to finish with a fairly matched final game against South Lee. Ottilie W scored early on and Autumn K soon followed to put us 2-0 up at half time. The girls were getting tired in the second half but Isabel D scored a great goal from the left wing and, although South Lee managed to reply with a last minute goal, it was lovely to finish the afternoon on a high.
Mrs Goldring
17 Nov – 2nd VII at Framlingham Mini Tournament
Taking only 6 players was our first challenge as we had to rely on our opposition either dropping a player or loaning us one!
In our first match against Barnardiston they agreed to play with only 6. The first half was goalless which our opposition found frustrating as they had many shots on goal. Ruby P as GK made many fine saves and our defence, (Bella E and Katie B) continued to battle for every ball. Going into the second half we were equally as determined but with the opposition having 3 subs on the bench and rotating them every few minutes, tiredness became a factor. Despite this we did on a number of occasions getting the ball into our attacking ‘D’ and their GK was called upon to make some saves. But it was strong runs down the middle of the pitch by the opposition that resulted in two goals being scored in quick succession.  Player of the Match was awarded to a very deserving Katie B who was playing up to make up numbers.
Final score 0 – 2
Our second match was straight after our first with no break and was against Framlingham Prep who brought a squad of 11. They agreed to lend us a player but they were an incredibly strong team and we were soon 3 – 0 down in the first half. In the second half our forwards pulled back to play more defensively but by this stage we were getting very tired and a further 4 goals were scored. Player of the Match was awarded to Ruby P for some truly impressive saves in goal.
Final score 0 – 7
This was my first experience umpiring these girls and their tenacity and determination was outstanding throughout both matches. It would have been very easy for the girls to let their heads go down but this never crossed their minds and they played to the best of their abilities throughout both matches. Well done all!
Mrs Jeffery

3 November – 1st VII vs RHS

A fantastic afternoon of hockey. First we played the U13B team and had a close game with RHS scoring first despite numerous shots on goal from us. Ottilie W scored in the second half and just before the end Ruby P converted an excellent pass from Bea A.
The second game was against their U12B team and we dominated from the start. Bella E and Bea A both scored and a small defensive error allowed RHS to score one. As the opposition were weaker than us we were able to swap positions around and give everyone a chance to play up front.
All the girls played extremely well and we continue to be undefeated!
Holmwood 4 RHS 2
Mrs Goldring

22 Sept – 1st VII vs Felsted

A much closer game than last week against more evenly matched opponents . Holmwood dominated the first half with numerous shots on goal but Felsted defended well and had an excellent goal keeper. At half time it was a frustrating 0-0.
The second half saw much better passing and running off the ball and Ottilie W’s goal gave us the momentum we needed. Isabel D scored soon after and we were able to relax a bit and enjoy the game. All the team played much better than last week and it was good to see the defence being put under pressure and coping so well.
Holmwood 2 Felsted 0
Mrs Goldring

15 Sept – 1st VII vs Finborough

An excellent first match for the girls. Finborough put out their B team against us as we were unsure of our ability at this early stage but it would have been interesting to take on their A team. Autumn K scored in the first 20 seconds and morale was high. At half time we were 4-2 up with goals from Isabel D, Ottilie W and a second for Autumn. We started the second half with a completely different team regarding positions and it was great to see how adaptable the girls were. A final goal for Olivia B and one for Finborough ended the game with a 5-2 win. As fantastic as the field players were, Finborough had numerous attempts on goal and Bea A made several stunning saves, having kindly offered to play the position.

Holmwood 5 Finborough 2

Mrs Goldring

U11 Boys' Rugby

24 Nov – U11 B vs St Joseph’s

Holmwood’s final match of term was an away fixture at St Joseph’s. Holmwood would play U9 rules as they would be playing against St Joseph’s U10 A team, this meant no rucking and the ability to tackle by holding onto a player for 3 seconds. A very small pitch resulted in a pulsating end to end match with lots of tries for both teams. Holmwood tackling was tested due to the lack of space as was their ability to run straight lines. Holmwood kept the ball moving and off loaded well to keep the attacks moving.

Holmwood’s try scorers: Ben B x 4, Harley H x 4, Rufus W 3, Finlay T x2, Oliver C, Evan C, Anthony K.

Well done boys, a great final match of the term.

Result:  Holmwood 16 – 14 St Joseph’s
Mr Lesiak

17 Nov – U11 A vs Felsted Prep

The U11s came into their game against Felsted on good form after their convincing victory the week before. The game started pretty hectic with tries at either end. The boys showed great professionalism in defence when the opposition were committing countless high tackles.

At the break the two teams were pretty evenly matched with some brilliant battles on show. We spoke about remaining physical and winning more rucks. The boys came out for the second half on fire implementing the points we spoke about at the break, but sadly the final score was 7-10. However, the result should not go against the boys efforts in the match.

Sean Montgomery

17 Nov – U11 B vs Felsted Prep

Holmwood faced a strong Felsted team on a lovely sunny November day. Holmwood were looking to improve their tackling height and running lines. Felsted started well with several unanswered tries. Holmwood were competing well but were making little progress over the gain line due to lots of sideways running. Harley H was the stand out tackler of the first half with several try saving tackles.

The second half saw Holmwood cross the tryline with some determined running and support play. Holmwood continued to compete for the ball in the tackle and maul but were often stripped of the ball in the tackle which resulted in several turnovers.
Final Score: Holmwood 5 – 40 Felsted
Mr Lesiak

10 Nov – U11 A vs Barnardiston Hall

The U11As hosted Barnadiston in prime rugby weather. The team came into the game in fine form after a great performance vs Woodbridge prep. The game started thick and fast with some brilliant runs through the opposition’s defensive line from Heston and Jesse. Tries continued to flow through out the first half with some beautiful rugby being played. In the second half, Holmwood dominance resumed with further tries scored from brilliant ball handling, with the tries being scored by the whole team. All in all a very convincing victory by a large margin for Holmwood.

Final score was 18-1

Sean Montgomery

10 Nov – U11 B vs Barnadiston Hall

Holmwood started strongly with some direct running from Harley H. Holmwood tackled well and showed improvement from last week. We moved the ball well and off loaded to keep the attacks moving. Holmwood tried to move up as a team at Barnardiston’s free passes and take responsibility from making tackles. Holmwood’s try scorers were Harley H x 2, Ben B x 2, Evan C and Ethan H.

Final Score:  Holmwood 30 – 15  Barnardiston Hall
(Next weeks match is against  Felsted).
Mr Lesiak

3 Nov – U11 A vs Woodbridge

The U11’s came into their game against Woodbridge in good spirits after finishing the first half term well. The boys started with great intensity and strength in numbers in their defensive line, special mention going out to the tackle machine that is Jesse! The first half was well dominated by Holmwood ending with a six try lead scored by Jesse, Freddie, Ruben and Ben R. At the break the team spoke about making more support runs and winning more rucks. The boys came out for the second half on fire implementing the points we spoke about at the break, rounding off a very impressive victory with some beautiful breakaway tries.

Final Score was 12-6.

Tries:
Ben R: 3 (Whippet),
Jesse: 3 (Machine)
Freddie M: 2
Ruben: 2
Charlie P: 1
Thomas: 1

Sean Montgomery


3 Nov – U11 B vs Woodbridge Prep

Holmwood’s first match in four weeks was against Woodbridge Prep. The first half was an even contest with tries for both teams. Holmwood tackling was not as good as normal and this resulted in the scores being level at halftime. The second half saw Woodbridge run in more tries than Holmwood with Woodbridge having a couple of elusive runners that Holmwood failed to get to grips with.
Holmwood try scorers were Harley H x3, Finlay T, Evan C, Rufus W and Ben B.
Final Score: Holmwood 35 – 45 Woodbridge Prep
Mr Lesiak

6 Oct – U11 A vs Littlegarth

The U11As turned up to Littlegarth in fine form after excellent focus in training and in their last match. The boys were playing on a pitch slightly larger than expected. This led to a flurry of tries from both teams, 5 in the opening 5 minutes. Some brilliant powerful running from Holmwood led to Jesse getting a hat-trick in the first ten minutes. The Littlegarth winger found space out wide on a number of occasions allowing Littlegarth to gain a commanding lead going into half time. In the second half, Holmwood came out with a serious fire in their belly in order to pull the game back in their favour. Some further brilliant rugby from the boys led to tries for Ruben, Hamish, Freddie and Benedict in a hard fought second half pulling their lead back to only two tries. The very quick winger ran in two tries towards the end but the team never gave up hope and finished the game with a Ben R try in the corner after a superb series of passes. 

Great praise should go to the team for their high standard of rugby and for playing the game the right way.

FT: Littlegarth 75 – Holmwood 60

Mr Cook

6 Oct – U11 B vs Littlegarth

Holmwood travelled to Littlegarth to play their third match of term. On a sloping pitch Holmwood started well and scored several tries without an answer. The off loading and support runners were all of a good standard and Holmwood’s tackling stood strong.

Half time Holmwood 25 -5 Littlegarth
Holmwood continued to rotate their players during the second half. This and  some strong running from Littlegarth resulted in several tries for the home team. Holmwood were not to be out done, Their running, straight, most of the time improved and some excellent wide passes resulted in Holmwood running in 7 tries during the second half. A special mention to Ethan H who tackled non stop and made several important tackles.
Holmwood’s main target for the match was to work as a team when defending, trying to keep a flat line and all moving and covering space as one. At times this was achieved but more work at training is required if this is to become second nature.
Final Score Holmwood 60  Littlegarth 30
Tries were scored by:  Harley H x3, Ben B x3, Willian U x2 and one each for Finlay T, Oliver C, Rufus W and Evan C.
Mr Lesiak

29 Sept – U11 A vs Framlingham Prep

A sunny and windy afternoon on Barbers witnessed a fantastic afternoon of rugby. Holmwood from the start were dominant and took control of the game. In attack the Holmwood players either played tight, close rugby, not moving the ball away from contact and enjoyed the physical side of the game. On occasion they spread the ball to and managed to evade the contact situation. Both methods have been worked on at the training ground and were successful on match day. Framlingham had some strong runners, however after the tackle they were out rucked by Holmwood. Framlingham were successful in open play when the game was played in the loose.
Final score: Holmwood House 60 – 10 Framlingham Prep
Mr Cook

29 Sept – U11 B vs Framlingham Prep

Holmwood’s second match of the term saw them play U9 rules at the request of Framlingham. This meant no rucking or scrums and a 3 second hold counting as a tackle.

Holmwood started well with Ben B running in two quick tries. Evan C, Rufus W and Ben B again scored again to make it 25 -15 at half time.
The change in rules resulted in less tackles to the floor and that was a challenge set for the boys to improve upon during the second half.
After a slow start to the half by both teams Holmwood’s tackling slowly improved and more and more tackles were taking framlingham to the floor.  Two more tries from Ben B and second for Evan C as well as tries from Ethan H and Henry H rounded off the scoring for Holmwood.
Final : Score Holmwood 10 – 7 Framlingham
A good performance from the boys demonstrating their ability to adapt to change. We look forward to the challenge of Littlegarth next week.
Mr Lesiak

15 Sept – U11 A vs Finborough

What a feeling it was being able to watch live sport and competitive rugby again! I am not sure who has missed it more, myself or the boys! The first game back was a big one. Both teams were incredibly physical and this took its toll on the players.

Holmwood moved the ball over short distances to begin with and met the contact head on. Their rucking was completed at a slow pace but this was aided by the supporting players being close to them. Finborough had some strong runners that had to be tackled before they were able to get their speed up. This was something that Holmwood identified and excelled at in the second half.

Holmwood had one of the most exciting and expansive passages of play that I have seen in ten year of Under 11 rugby. Starting from a strong run into the opposition half, with the ball being offloaded in contact. Holmwood set up a ruck and quickly recycled the ball to then spread it into the mid field. One more explosive ruck and the ball was passed to the touch line with a beautiful two on one that we have worked on in training. A true team try and a coach’s dream to watch training ground moves working on game day.

Well done boys!

Finborough 35 Holmwood 25

Mr Cook

15 Sept – U11 B vs Finborough

Holmwood’s first Rugby fixture in over a year and a half was an away fixture against Finborough. The squad had worked hard in training and the boys approached the game with confidence.
Holmwood made a strong start running in several tries thanks to some individual runs from deep. Holmwood protected the ball at the ruck and this enabled them to put together wave after wave of attack. Harley H, Ben B and Finlay T all scored several tries each. As the game progressed Holmwood tackling improved and consequently Finborough only scored one try all match. The boys took on the coaching points at halftime and managed to turn the ball over on several occasions by beating the opposition to the ruck. Holmwood played with one less player for the majority of the second half to provide them with an additional challenge. The boys were set a target of everyone scoring a try and this in turn created some lovely passing and support running. Eight out of the nine boys scored a try in the end and the teamwork and camaraderie was evident to all.
Well done to all of the boys for their skilful and resilient performance.
Mr Lesiak

U11 Girls' Hockey

1 Dec – U11B vs South Lee

Holmwood’s last fixture of the term was at home against South Lee. After a slightly late start, the girls were straight to business scoring within the first few minutes. It was a strong first half with Holmwood not giving South Lee any opportunities. The defence showed strong tackling preventing the opposition from entering the D.

As the second half got underway, we were faced with a heavy hail storm which luckily passed very quickly but left the girls very wet and cold. However, this did not dampen spirits and the girls showed great perseverance. I was particularly impressed with the passing the team displayed today. The girls were much better at looking to find their pass and it was great to see a string of accurate passes leading to a goal.

As the girls started to tire towards the end of the game, South Lee had more chances, but Grace A displayed some excellent goalkeeping to prevent them from scoring.

It has been a very enjoyable term of hockey and it is great to see the progress the team has made. Well done girls!

Holmwood 9 South Lee 0

Laura Sharman


17 Nov – U11 A vs St Mary’s

This game really showed what the girls were capable of. St Marys have just started to play hockey matches so were no where near as experienced as the Holmwood girls.
This meant that as a coach I had to make it as fair as possible by penalising Holmwood for minor mistakes and only allowing one girl at a time to score. All the girls took this on board without complaint and really showed some fantastic sportsmanship behaviour. I was incredibly proud of the way the girls understood this and made the match enjoyable for all. This also gave the girls some time and the opportunity to put in place some set plays that we have been practicing which they are really getting the hang of. Well done girls you have a very proud coach
Holmwood 6  St Mary’s 0
Mrs Earley

17 Nov – U11 B vs St Mary’s

A very dominant performance from the U11Bs against St Mary’s this afternoon. Some excellent shooting skills on display, as well as strong tackling giving the opposition very little chance of scoring. It was a great opportunity for the girls to practice in different positions, with lots of the girls scoring goals! Thanks to Orla R for kindly stepping up, at the last minute, to play in goal.

Well done to the whole team, great to get another win!

Holmwood 17 St Mary’s 0

Laura Sharman


10 Nov – U11 A vs Barnadiston Hall

This was a tough match for the girls as the opposition was quite strong, however Millie ensured that the ball just did not cross the line into our goal. With Katie directing from the back the ball regularly went wide for the wings to go and have a shot. Olive really showed off her skills on the last goal with real grit and determination which was lovely to see (want to see more of that Olive). The girls all played for the team and were a credit to one another. Well done.

Holmwood 3 Barnadiston Hall 0

Mrs Earley

10 Nov – U11 B vs Barnadiston Hall

First win for the U11B team today against Barnardiston. It was a grey afternoon but this didn’t dampen the girls spirits. A close first half, with Barnardiston taking an early lead. We were soon to equalise though with some great passing and moving from Lucinda B on the forward line, and Sadhika R in midfield. A fantastic strike from Saling B meant we were in the lead at half time.

There were more goals from both teams in the second half. Some strong defending on display from Eleanor B and Stella C allowed the ball to be cleared effectively away from the opposition. This allowed the midfielders; Hannah J, Elle S and Orla R lots of opportunities to progress up the pitch. It was great to see the girls getting stuck in and not being afraid of the ball! Much improvement from last week. Also another excellent match from Grace A in goal.

A fantastic afternoon of hockey, with lots of goals scored! Well done girls!

Holmwood 5 Barnardiston 3

Laura Sharman


3 Nov – U11 A vs Woodbridge

Due to a navigation error we arrived for this match a little later than planned which meant that the girls had very little time to warm up and the match was shortened. This was a real shame as this was a very exciting match to watch. Holmwood had some great attacking opportunities but just couldn’t put the ball into the goal. We definitely need to work on our goal scoring technique. Our defence is very solid and allowed Woodbridge no room to manoeuvre which was fantastic and one of our real strengths. Would have been lovely to have played for a little longer as I am convinced we could have had a win here but none the the less well played girls. Great game.

Holmwood 0 Woodbridge 0

Mrs Earley

3 Nov – U11 B vs Woodbridge

After a slightly delayed start, (due to us being sent off on a wild goose chase to the wrong pitch only to then have to return to our original location), and only a very short warm up our game got underway with determination and enthusiasm.
Grace A in goal put her football skills to good use and had an excellent game from start to finish, making many fine saves and strong clearances. She was well supported in defence by Orla R, Eleanor B and Stella C in the first half and they all battled for every ball. Sadhika held up the midfield and distributed the ball to the forward line – Lucinda B, Evie D, Elle S and Hannah J.
The opposition had the advantage in the first half as they had the run of the sloping pitch and were going downhill! An unfortunate goal against the run of play just before the half time whistle took us into the break 1 – 0 down.
In the second half we were just as positive with our play and battled hard for each ball. Despite many shots on goal we just couldn’t get the ball over the line. However, the team never gave up and continued to defend and attack competently. But with tired legs starting to set in and a quick break from the opposition we couldn’t prevent a second goal.
Holmwood 0 Woodbridge 2
Mrs Jeffery

6 Oct – U11 A vs Littlegarth

A tough game for the girls this week against Littlegarth. It was a defensive match with the pressure put on us right from the start. Katie B and Elise C displayed some excellent tackling but unfortunately we were unable to hold them off. The second half ended with an impressive backhand shot from Littlegarth from a very tight angle.

The girls came out strong in the second half with lots of opportunities in the first few minutes. Some excellent dribbling from Olive W on the right wing which nearly led to a goal by Lucie B but unfortunately was just wide. Littlegarth caught us on the break a few times and were able to find the net. An unlucky result, but good resilience shown by the girls today.

Holmwood 0 Littlegarth 5

Laura Sharman

6 Oct – U11 B vs Littlegarth

A very one sided game against a strong opposition. Littlegarth dominated the first half and Holmwood made several defensive errors and struggled to make headway up front. The second half was much closer with Grace A and Stella C marking well and tackling strongly. Sadhika R was consistent as centre half and Lucinda B made some good forward runs. Lana B, on loan from the seniors, scored our only goal and Eleanor B played superbly in goal making endless saves. A brave team effort with a huge improvement in the second half.

Holmwood 1 Littlegarth 6

Mrs Goldring


22 Sept – U11 A @ Framlingham Festival

Ist Pool Match vs Felsted, 0 – 1
This was such an unfortunate match as we dominated from the start, with just one unlucky goal in the last few seconds of the match against the run of play. Katie B was on fire from the first whistle reading the ball brilliantly throughout the 10 minute match. Darcy C also had a great match on the right wing crossing the ball accurately in to the ‘D’ and often connecting with Lucie B who had many shots on goal; such a shame one of them didn’t cross the line!
2nd Pool match vs Barnardiston Hall, 1 – 0
What a difference a match off and a team talk make! We dominated from the start and confidently called for the ball and competently passed it around and sometimes even back to build the play again. Olive W held her position well on the wing and linked well with Lucie in the middle but it was Darcy who had the final shot to get us on the scoreline. A great game and one in which every girl played their part.
3rd Match vs OBH, 0 – 0
Again, another match in which we dominated but we just couldn’t get the ball between the posts!  Annabel B worked hard to move the ball into our ‘D’ but we just couldn’t connect with the ball for a strong shot on goal.  This match allowed our defensive players to push up and contribute to the attacking play so all 6 girls were heavily involved.
With a win, a loss and a draw we moved through to the quarter final stages second in our pool.
Quarter final vs St. Cedds
This was a very defensive match throughout as St Cedds were very strong opposition, but we managed to hold them to a draw. To achieve this all the girls worked their socks off, especially the midfield players – Lucie, Annabel and Darcy, who were constantly having to get back to defend. On such a hot day this was no small task! Olive had a great game again on the wing, and Katie and Elise C both had an excellent 10 minutes of play to keep the ball out.
A no score draw at full-time meant a further 3 minutes of play and still neither team were able to score.  This meant the match was concluded on shuffles – one attacker versus the opposing keeper and 10 seconds to get the ball from the half way line into the goal!  This was nerve-wracking for all but as always the HH grit and spirit came into play and the nominated girls – Darcy, Katie and Lucie – bravely stepped up one at a time  despite never having practised this skill! Under pressure the girls did remarkably well but hats off to Millie S in goal who made one great save, encouraged one wide hit and only just missed the ball that led to the goal for the opposition.
St Cedds went on to win the tournament outright so huge congratulations to our girls for the way in which they remained totally composed during this match and fought for every ball.
Match 5 vs Town Close, 0 – 0
This was an extremely defensive match and we were under pressure throughout but thanks to Millie and some amazing saves we kept them to nil all resulting in an additional 3 minutes of ‘Golden Goal’ time in with Town Close scored.  Annabel stood out in this match but we could certainly see the heat was starting to take its toll and the girls were being sapped of energy! Saling also played well holding her position well on the wing opening up the game when she got the ball.
Match 6 vs Felsted again!
The girls were determined to even the score after their earlier disappointment against Felsted but it was not to be! Katie’s foot scored for the opposition and despite the very obvious kick into the goal it was still awarded. Olive again stood out with her impressive runs down the wing and managing to run after seemingly unstoppable balls!
Girls, you were amazing throughout and never gave up – this we cannot teach you so well done to you all. You did yourselves proud!
Mrs Jeffery

15 Sept – U11 A vs Finborough

This was the girls first match back of the season and for some, their first match. The girls absolutely smashed it. It is always nice to start the season with a win and even better when it was a convincing one. The girls dominated from the start with some lovely passing between Annabel and the front line players, this lead to the first goal being scored by Lucy. From that point on the girl really wanted to score another and they didn’t have to wait long till Annabel scored again. At this point Finborough made a bit of a comeback and started to put pressure on our defence which was no match for Katie, Evie, Elise and Millie. At the end of the game, the coach from Finborough came and spoke to me and said how impressed she was with the girls’ positioning and how well they played together as a team. A real compliment girls, well done. Great start to the season.

Holmwood 2 Finborough 0

Mrs Earley

15 Sept – U11 B vs Finborough

After such a long break from hockey, it was great to see the enthusiasm and eagerness the girls showed for their first match of the season. It was a strong start with Matilda P-R scoring the first goal with a strong hit inside the D.  As the first half progressed Finborough came back scoring two. But the girls fought back, displaying some great passing. Sadhika R found the net leaving the score 2-2 at half time.

The team battled hard in the second half with some excellent defending. Unfortunately we were unable to secure the draw with Finborough scoring in the final few minutes. A fab effort from all the girls, and a special mention to Orla R who played in goal for the first time.

Holmwood 2 Finborough 3

Laura Sharman

U10 Boys' Rugby

17 Nov – U10 B vs Felsted Prep

For Holmwood House boys tried incredibly hard led very well by Sumedh. Roux tackled amazingly and was fearless throughout the game. Sumedh Leo and Shani or scored a try each but Lawrence came on in the second-half and scored five tries. The standard of rugby has risen in the team and all of them have made impressive progress. Although they were defeated by Felsted they learned a great deal.

Well done!
Holmwood 8 Felsted 14
Mr Earley

3 Nov – U10 B vs Woodbridge Prep

It was a fantastic game of rugby for both teams with an exciting rally of tries by Holmwood at the end to get from 11 tries v 15 and finish 14 v 15 at the end was great to see.
Noah was captain and scored five tries. Leo scored three tries. Shani and Huck scored two tries each. Enzi and Roux scored one try each.
 I would like to congratulate my team in the effort and progress that they have made so far this term.
Amazing effort well done!
Holmwood 14 Woodbridge 15
Mr Earley

6 Oct – U10 A vs Littlegarth

On sunny afternoon the under U10 played Littlegarth away. The boys showed great resilience against a strong Littlegarth team. Try’s from Alfie M, Arron M some strong  tackles from Oscar B, Oscar A and Winston L

Well played boys plenty to work on during training.
Holmwood 8 Littlegarth 24
Mr Jeffries

6 Oct – U10 B vs Littlegarth

Great come back by HH after losing the first half they were led well by Leo P Sam C and Noah S scored three tries each, Roux score 2 and Sumedh K scored 1. The other players supported well which was great to see their learning and progress throughout the game.

Brilliant effort and improvement!
Holmwood 60 Littlegarth 105
Mr Earley

15 Sept – U10 A vs Finborough

The U10s played their first fixture in well over a year and came a very close second. They battled and played very well against a strong physical Finborough team.
Holmwood 12 Finborough 15
Mr Jeffries

15 Sept – U10 B vs Finborough

Holmwood learning a great deal about rugby and did get better and better as the game progressed. Leo P was man of the match with 3 tries and some excellent tackling. Good first game, great effort!

Holmwood 15 Finborough 45

Mr Earley

U9 Boys' Football

29 Nov – U9 A vs Gosfield

Holmwood’s last fixture of the term was against Gosfield. Holmwood dominated the game from start to finish. Positions rotated to experience playing in various positions. George B opened the scoring and Ted L scored the second with a strike from outside the area. The third was a well struck free kick from Ted L.

Half time : Holmwood 3  – 0 Gosfield
Holmwood scored a further two goals in the second half. George D with and composed finish and George B with another .
Final score: Holmwood 5-0 Gosfield
A fantastic way to finish the term, the boys deserve their undefeated record. Real progress has been made in terms of their positional sense and understanding of the game.
Well done boys, a thoroughly enjoyable term of football which I hope was enjoyed by all.

Mr Lesiak


22 Nov – U9 A vs St Joseph’s

Holmwood’s penultimate fixture of the term was against St Joseph’s. Holmwood were a little slow out of the blocks but built into the game. Holmwood’s positional discipline stood out and they were able to pass the ball into dangerous positions. Holmwood took the lead after several missed chances when George B slotted into the bottom corner. This was followed up by 3 from Ted L. The rock solid defence of Tobey E and Stanley J were again outstanding and Fabio C looked a threat down the left hand side.
Half time: Holmwood 4-0 St Joseph’s
Holmwood again switched things up in the second half and this allowed St Joseph’s to create some chances and score their only goal. George B, Ted L and a good strike from Stanley J saw Holmwood finish with 7 goals to their name. Thank you to George D, Jayden O and George B who both had a turns in goal. Great to see the boys playing in different positions again. We look forward to our final match of term against Gosfield next Monday.
Final Score: Holmwood 7 -1 St Joseph’s
Mr Lesiak

18 Nov – U9 A vs Colchester High School

Holmwood’s second match of the term against Colchester High saw them produce another dominant performance. The Colchester High goalkeeper was again outstanding, making a string of great saves in the first half. Holmwood created many oppourtunities but failed to get on the score sheet until just before half time. George B battled away in the Colchester High area and the ball eventually fell for him to tap the ball in from close range.

Half time: Holmwood 1 -0 Colchester High
The half time team talk was a simple one, keep doing the same things but compose yourself in front of goal and pass the ball into the bottom corners. This is exactly what Ted L did after a long individual dribble to put Holmwood two up. The third was a powerful shot into the roof of the net from Bertie H. George D had been relieved of this goalkeeping duty and scored the fourth with a calm turn and shot.
A good all round performance with players playing in a multitude of positions.
Final Score: Holmwood 4 – 0 Colchester High
The next game is against St Joseph’s on Monday 22 November.
Mr Lesiak

1 Nov – U9 Littlegarth Tournament
After a successful first half of term the U9 A team travelled to Littlegarth to play in their annual tournament. There were 6 teams resulting in 5 matches of 10 minutes. Teams would be awarded 3 points for a win and one for a draw. The top two teams after the league stage would play each other in the final.
Match 1 vs St Margarets – Result : Holmwood 1-0 St Margarets
Holmwood started well with George B chasing down the ball and tapping in from close range . Holmwood defended well with the wall ( Stanley and Tobey) proving difficult to get past.
Match 2 vs Littlegarth – Result : Holmwood 2-0 Littlegarth
Holmwood again performed well and a quick goal From Ted L put them a goal up. Holmwood grabbed a second after a George B bundled in after a long throw into the box. The defence stood strong again and Holmwood got their second win.
Match 3 vs Heathlands – Result Holmwood 0-0 Heathlands
Heathlands are a local primary school whose team had lots of players that played out of school on the weekend. A good match with chances at both ends finished in a 0-0 draw . The wall was still standing strong.
Match 4 vs Colchester High – Result : Holmwood 2-0 Colchester High
Holmwood dominated the match and soon found themselves 2 goals up thanks to George B and an own goal. Holmwood took the chance to rest a couple of players ready for the next match. At this point George D had hardly touched the ball and had not been required to make a save.
Match 5 vs Finborough – Result Holmwood 1-0 Finborough
Having already played out two close matches in the first half of term the match was always going to be a close, physical encounter. George B again popped up with another goal. Finborough had some strong dribblers and George D   produced a couple of fine saves to keep Holmwood in the lead. The boys had worked their socks off so far and this game was no exception. Fabio C worked tirelessly up and down the left, Jayden O had played in several positions and defended well when required. Bertie H was strong in the tackle and worked hard to help defend and attack.
This meant that Holmwood had qualified for the final without conceding a goal in their 5 matches. Heathland’s would be their opponents in the final and after drawing 0-0 in the league stage it was bound to be a close match.
Match 6 vs Heathlands (The Final)Result Holmwood 2-1 Heathlands 2
Holmwood started strongly and a fine strike from distance from Ted L put Holmwood a goal ahead. Holmwood grabbed a second with another good finish from Ted L. Heathland’s grew into the game as Holmwood tired . Stanley and Tobey again defended well and George D came off his line well to collect the ball. Heathland’s had a couple of free kicks towards the end. They scored one which squeezed in under the crossbar despite a strong hand from George D. However, Holmwood hung on to win. There were lots of tired legs with resilience showing through in the final matches.
A great afternoon was had by all. Thank you to the parents for their continued support. Thank you to Sean for his refereeing and wise words and enthusiasm. However, the biggest thank you must go to the boys who were great fun to be with, they listened well and ran their socks off all afternoon.
Well done boys, a well deserved tournament victory.
Mr Lesiak

11 Oct – U9 A vs Littlegarth

Holmwood’s fifth game of term was against Littlegarth. This was Holmwood’s third game in 8 days and the improvements made so far this term were evident to see. Holmwood stood strong in the first half with Tobey E and Stanley J fantastic in defence. Fabio C, Ted L & George B worked hard in midfield and Uriel J closed down the opposition defence to stop them playing out from defence. Holmwood took an early lead when George B took a short corner and Ted L smashed the ball through a crowded box into the far corner. Holmwood extended their lead after a hand ball in the area resulted in a penalty which Ted L coolly dispatched into the left hand corner of the goal.

Half time Holmwood 2-0 Littlegarth
Littlegarth grew in confidence and created some chances but it was George B who scored Holmwood’s third after a fine through ball allowed him to run in on goal and pass the ball into the corner of the net. George D was performing well in goal and his distribution helped set up several attacks. Uriel J scored the fourth after another fine pass put him into the penalty area and his shot from a tight angle beat the Littlegarth keeper at the near post. Littlegarth went close on a few other occasions and then deservedly got a goal back with the final kick of the game.
Final score Holmwood 4 – 1 Littlegarth
A great performance from the boys, which puts us in a great frame of mind going into half term.
Next fixture is a tournament at Littlegarth on the first Monday of next half term.
Mr Lesiak

7 Oct – U9 A vs Colchester High School

Holmwood’s fourth match of the term was against Colchester High. Holmwood dominated the first half but found it hard to break down Colchester High’s defence. After several close misses and some fine goalkeeping Holmwood took the lead through George B. Holmwood continued to press but could not score a second before the half time break.

Half time: Holmwood 1-0 Colchester High
The second half again saw Holmwood create and miss chances, George D hit the post and had several near misses. It was George B with his second that extended Holmwood’s advantage. Soon after, a shot hit a hand in the area and a penalty kick was awarded. Stanley J stepped up and struck the ball into the bottom left corner to put Holmwood 3 goals up. Uriel J came close but was denied by the impressive Colchester High goalie. The scoring was rounded off with a good dribble and shot from Ted L.
Well played boys, bring on Littlegarth next Monday.
Result : Holmwood 4 – 0 Colchester High
Mr Lesiak

4 Oct – U9 A vs Finborough

Holmwood travelled to Finborough for this term’s return fixture. Holmwood started well and created a chance early on. Finborough had the advantage of kicking with the slope in the first half. They made this count with two goals,  despite Tobey E’s efforts in goal. George B was working hard down the right hand side and the defence of Stanley J and Fabio continued to play well together.

Half time Holmwood 0 Finborough 2
Holmwood had the advantage of the slope for the second half and they made this count. George B moved to stricker and this made a difference in closing down and hassling the Finborough defence. George B took his turn in goal. Holwood started well and the pressure soon resulted in a goal. An own goal, after a clearance was sliced into Finborough’s own net. Soon after a free kick struck the hand of a Finborough defender inside the penalty area and a penalty kick was awarded. Ted L slotted the ball into the corner of the net to bring the scores level. Holmwood continued to create opportunities but could not get the ball past the Finborough defence and goalkeeper.
Final Score: Holmwood 2 -2 Finborough
Mr Lesiak

27 Sept – U9 A vs Finborough

Holmwood’s second match of the term was against a strong and competitive Finborough side. Holmwood started well and held their shape and positions well. Holmwood opened the scoring with a fantastic volley from distance by Ted L. Finborough created several chances as the half progressed and only some last ditch defending prevented them scoring more than two goals before half time.
Half time : Holmwood 1 – Finborough 2
Holmwood defence looked more solid and Stanley J and Fabio grew into their roles and took up some excellent positions. A goal from George B after some good work down the left brought Holmwood level. The winning goal was scored by George D after he was put through by Ted L. A calm finish meant Holmwood ran out winners.
A very competitive match where Holmwood demonstrated resilience and determination in all aspects of their game.
Final Score:  Holmwood 3 – Finborough 2
Mr Lesiak

23 Sept – U9 A vs St Margaret’s

The Year 4s first ever fixture for Holmwood was an away match vs St Margaret’s.
Holmwood started well with Ted L feeding George B and George D on the wings. Holmwood created several opportunities but a combination of near misses and good goalkeeping kept Holmwood at bay. Holmwood kept their team shape well with Stanley J and Fabio C holding the defensive positions well. Tobey E was called into action in the final minutes of the half and just about managed to keep the ball from crossing the line.
Halftime 0-0
The second half saw Holmwood dominate so much so that Jayden O in goal was not required to touch the ball.  After several more near misses Holmwood eventually broke the deadlock with a headed goal from George B that evaded the grasp of the St Margaret’s goalkeeper and ended up in the net.
A very enjoyable if slightly frustrating afternoon of football which was followed up by a match tea inside the dining hall.
Well done boys.
Mr Lesiak

U9 Girls' Netball

9 February
U9 vs OBH

It was lovely to welcome so many parent supporters to cheer on the teams in their matches vs Old Buckenham Hall today. And the girls put on a wonderful show, scoring eleven goals over four quarters and demonstrating both the huge improvement in skills they have achieved this half term and the fantastic team spirit they have developed.

With six Year 5 girls in the squad again this week, only one player needed to take an off court role in each quarter. We spent some time before the match practicing the roles and the partnership of the centre, goal attack and goal shooter positions and I was delighted to see the girls working the partnership really well during the game. They were very focussed throughout the match on moving the ball quickly and directly into the shooting circle. The team scored eleven goals but had many more attempts and all the girls were willing to share the shooting unselfishly. 

Hannah scored four in the first quarter and another four in the last quarter. Incredible play, Hannah! Hannah shared the shots with Orla who came so close to scoring. Eleanor scored two in the second quarter and, along with Stella, played a fiercely competitive game. Lucinda scored one in the third quarter. Elle also made her mark on the game with a great effort marking the OBH goal shooter in the final quarter. 

Lucinda was named ‘player of the match’ this afternoon by the OBH team in recognition of her enthusiasm, her speed around the court and her goal scoring. Lucinda also played the captain’s role today, collecting the OBH team, organising the pre match ‘toss’ and the post match cheers. Very well deserved!

Well done all of our girls! And happy half term!

Holmwood House 11 OBH 0

Mrs Spencer


29 November
U9 B vs Gosfield

The last fixture of the term was at home against Gosfield. Due to numbers we played a 3-a-side match with the team consisting of Beatrice W, Isabelle S-C and Sophie R. The girls worked really well together as a team and the movement off the ball was fantastic. The goals were shared between the team, and there was some brilliant shooting on display. Well done girls for your perseverance despite the cold weather!

It has been great to see the improvement the girls have made throughout this term. The progress with positioning and movement around the court is superb!

Holmwood 7 Gosfield 2

Laura Sharman


25 Nov – U9 vs St Mary’s

see below – U8’s Netball


22 Nov – U9 A vs St Joseph’s

This was very well matched and the score does not reflect the game. The girls really had to show their dodging and passing skills to get it past the oppositions players. The team consisted of 2 year 3 girls who had never played in a match before but you would never have known it. They fitted into the team like they had been playing with them all season.
The girls demonstrated that they wanted to win from the first whistle, they stuck to their players like glue and showed all the dodging skills we have been practicing in training. Well done girls a really well deserved win. Well done girls.
Holmwood 6 St Joseph’s 0
Mrs Earley
22 Nov – U9 B vs St Joseph’s 

This was an enjoyable game to watch with the girls really starting to gel as a team. There was fantastic movement and dodging which opened up space. This allowed the ball to be passed down the court effectively. Tight marking from Holmwood prevented St Joseph’s from scoring. Also, our shooting skills showed much improvement with lots of goals being scored. Daisy L in year 3 played her first game but it didn’t take her long to find her feet and score a goal for Holmwood.

Watching from the side-line it was great to see all the hard work in training paying off! Well done girls, keep it up!

Laura Sharman


1 Nov – U9 Littlegarth Netball Tournament

1st Match vs Littlegarth Holmwood 1 Littlegarth 6
A tough game to start with against a well-drilled opposition. The girls took a while to switch on which allowed Littlegarth the space to move up the court at pace.  However, the girls didn’t give up, and it was great to see Jessica B scoring for Holmwood.

2nd Match vs Finborough Holmwood 0 Finborough 6
Our second match was against the eventual winners of the tournament Finborough, and was another defensive game. However, after a quick team talk and slight change of positions the girls showed much improvement in their marking from the previous game. Emily W and Sophie R ensured they were always glued to their players stopping them from receiving the ball.

3rd Match vs St. Margaret’s Holmwood 0 St. Margarets 3
This was a much closer game, with the girls understanding how to make space and progress quickly up the court. Some great dodging was evident from Eva H and Beatrice W to lose their defenders. We were unfortunate not to score in this game, whilst St. Margarets took the chances they had.

4th Match vs Woodbridge Prep Holmwood 0 Woodbridge 3
An unlucky match against Woodbridge to finish with. After taking a tumble in the first few minutes, Annie B showed superb resilience, taking it all in her stride and showing some great movement on the court. Some good passing from Lucia C and Eva H led to a few chances. However as the game progressed the girls started to tire having played four back-to-back matches!

An enjoyable if slightly frustrating afternoon of netball for the girls.

Laura Sharman


11 Oct – U9 A vs Littlegarth (Lost)

This was only the third match the girls have played and there were some lovely moments when everything seemed to be coming together nicely. There was some lovely passing up the court and the girls are really starting to grasp the importance of marking and the difference it makes to the game. Although the girls lost I feel that it was a lovely training match and allowed the girls to learn some very important lessons. Well done girls you kept going and played very well as a team, plenty to practice on. Well done.

Mrs Earley

11 Oct – U9 B vs Littlegarth

This week’s match for the year 4s was home against Littlegarth. The first half was close, with Littlegarth only leading by a couple of goals, Jessica B and Sophie R scoring our goals. The girls showed some good marking and were beginning to move the ball effectively down the court. However, in the second half tiredness kicked in and this led to a run of goals from Littlegarth. A good effort from the girls and lots to take away to practice in training.

Holmwood 2 Littlegarth 16

Laura Sharman


4 Oct – U9 A vs Finborough (Lost)

This was a very close match with the scores being very close. This was only the girls second match so there was still plenty to learn but the girls played their socks off with some fantastic goals from Emily and Eva. They played 4 aside on a full sized court which was a lot to ask but they kept it going and made it look easy. A really exciting match to watch and has given us plenty of things to work on in training! Well done girls.

Mrs Earley


27 Sept – U9 A vs Finborough

The score does not reflect the exciting game the girls played. Holmwood went from strength to strength showing a better understanding of defending and attacking roles but were a little slow to mark their players and the height and strength of the opposition got the better of them. They won the third quarter 2-1 but tiredness took hold in the last quarter and Finborough scored 4 goals to Holmwood’s one. A good overall team effort.

Mrs Goldring

27 Sept – U9 B vs Finborough

An excellent game where the girls took their marking roles very seriously and began to understand how to spread out in attack. The game was very close but Holmwood had more shots and were able to keep a steady momentum of one goal a quarter. It was the superb marking from all the players that won the game for them. Well done girls.

Mrs Goldring


23 Sept – U9 A & B vs St Margaret’s 

It is always a pleasure to be involved in the first U9 match of the season and be a part of the excitement. Nerves were also in evidence but these were quickly banished.
On the journey to St Margaret’s we were entertained the whole way with the girls singing – everything from The Wheels on the Bus to Blinding Lights by The Weekend, and everything in between!
Once we arrived it was down to business and the girls quickly got into their stride on the courts and started to put into practice all we had worked on in training; dodging, landing with the ball and accurate passing.  The B team competently worked the ball down the court during the first half of play and worked hard to find space. Isabelle S-C and Beatrice W in particular linked together well to get the ball into our attacking half and Sophie R was always in space. Jess B had obviously been practising  her shooting as in the first half all 3 goals were scored by her. Going into half time the score was 3 – 3 so all to play for in the second half.
The ‘A’ team were 3 – 1 up at half time so they knew the result could go either way. It was a goalless third quarter but we did have possession of the ball a lot and the girls impressed with their accurate footwork and passing. Emily W had an excellent quarter and made many interceptions and Eva H defended well and successfully caught many of the rebounds. In the final quarter we continued to battle hard and our determination resulted in another 2 goals. Lucia C was very useful in this quarter and adapted to the quick turnaround of the ball very well. Annie B was excellent throughout the match and attacked and defended well, (we just need to get her more confident shooting!).
Final scores:
‘A’ team won 5 – 1
‘B’ team won 5 – 4
Mrs Jeffery

U8 Boys' Football

18 Nov U8 A vs Colchester High School

The Year 3 boys second match of term was the  return match against Colchester High. This would be a good opportunity to measure their improvement over the last 6 weeks or so. The boys again battled well and certainly had more possession of the ball and created a lot of attacking situations. Theo B was in goal for the first half and distributed the ball well to his outfield teammates. Josh M, Hugo P and Joseph R defended well and held their positions. Ralph R and Sebastian C looked dangerous on the wings and Josh C and Stanley S were strong down the middle.

Half time: Holmwood 0 – 2 Colchester High
The second half saw some changes and Josh M volunteered to have a turn in goal. He did not disappoint and made a couple of good saves. Ralph continued to make some powerful runs down the right, one of which saw him shoot into the corner of the goal to pull a goal back. Colchester High scored a couple more to goal further ahead. Holmwood made some further changes and Joseph R who had changed from defender to striker scored Holmwood ‘s second, followed by an excellent celebration!
A fantastic overall performance from the Year 3 boys. Demonstrating real progress in all aspects of their game.
Final Score: Holmwood 2 – 4 Colchester High
Mr Lesiak

7 Oct U8 A v Colchester High School

After several weeks of training the boys first match had arrived. Positional work had been the main focus and it would be interesting to see if it would be evident when they kicked off.

Holmwood opponents were to be the team that had just played against the Year 4 A team. This was a mixture of Year 3&4 boys and would be a real challenge for the boys in their first ever fixture for the school.
Holmwood started with Theo B in goal, Joseph R and Josh M in defence, Sebastian C, Joshua C and Cody T in midfield and Stanley S in attack .
Holmwood found the strength and speed of their opponents a challenge but they battled well, held their positions and tackled whenever possible. As the half progressed Holmwood grew in confidence and made some good decisions when in possession of the ball. Forward passes and dribbling become more apparent from the Holmwood midfielders and the tackles stronger and with more determination from all. Holmwood team shape was evident for all to see and the boys really tried to hold their positions ( sometimes too well!!)
The second half saw Cody T swap with Theo B in goal. Holmwood’s performance continued to progress and they were able to find themselves in attacking situations far more regularly. Seb C was a menace down the left and had a couple of powerful shots. One resulting in a fine save from the Colchester H goalkeeper. Josh C continued to work tirelessly in the centre of midfield make good passes when possible and Stanley S demonstrated some excellent awareness and dribbling skills. It was he who scored Holmwood’s only goal after a great run and cut inside meant he was able to coolly slot the ball past the CH goalie. Josh M was tenacious in the tackle and Joseph R  showed some good dribbling skills to bring the ball up the field on the right hand side.
A massive thank you to Cody T and Theo B for taking their turn in goal. Not an easy job.
During the post match team talk I could see how hard they had all worked by the looks on their faces. The resilience the boys displayed was evident for all to see. We focused on what we achieved as a team and the successes each individual had with the match which were plentiful.
Well played boys, a great first fixture for Holmwood. I hope you all enjoyed it. Also, a massive thank you to all of the parents that came along and supported the boys with such enthusiasm.
Mr Lesiak

U8 Girls' Netball

25 Nov – U8 vs St Mary’s

A very excited group of twelve Y3 girls clambered noisily aboard the bus just after lunch on Thursday to join the Y4’s for the short journey to St Mary’s lower school for their first netball match.

Mrs Spencer, Mrs Earley and Laura were nearly as excited as the girls!

The Y3 girls had been divided into two teams and tasked with coming up with suitable team names. The chosen names were…’Brilliant blue butterflies’ and ‘Holmwood House koalas’.

The butterflies and koalas each played four 5 minute quarters on Thursday, and, as it was a chilly afternoon, the teams swapped over after each quarter.

St Mary’s had requested that we play the ‘High 5’ form of netball in this fixture so the girls had spent the previous three Games sessions learning about the positions they would need to play, and the rotations they would need to make after each quarter. Thanks to Laura for ensuring that the rotations were made correctly and that the girls were ready to come on to the pitch promptly while Mrs Spencer umpired.

Both teams were amazing! Mrs Spencer was so impressed with their netball skills and their teamwork. The girls passed the ball quickly, they found space to receive the ball, they marked the opposition players and they communicated with each other. They looked like professionals!

Captains Roxy and Isabella were confident and efficient, and both teams won their matches. Butterflies won 3-0, with two goals from Roxy and one from Freya. Koalas won 2-0, with goals scored by Imogen and Isabella.

 Well done Y3 girls! 

Holmwood House Butterflies: 3; St Mary’s: 0
Holmwood House Koalas: 2; St Mary’s: 0

Mrs Spencer

IAPS Code of Conduct for Supporters

Where permitted, we are delighted to welcome spectators to attend IAPS events to support the children. Our agreed code of conduct highlights IAPS’s expectations of spectators, to ensure that all events are enjoyable and fair for the children involved, and we hope you would support us by reading and applying the following code;

  • Be a positive role model and lead by example; children are involved in sport for their enjoyment and without undue spectator pressure.
  • Encourage children to play by the rules.
  • Respect the officials and their decisions at all times.
  • Respect the coaches and their decisions. They give their time, energy and experience to coach your children.
  • Refrain from verbal or indeed physical abuse towards players, officials and fellow spectators.
  • Be friendly and respectful to the opposition.
  • Teach children that effort and teamwork are as important as victory so that the result of each game is accepted without undue disappointment.
  • Turn defeat into victory by helping children work towards skill improvement and a positive sporting attitude.
  • Be aware that IAPS events have comprehensive safeguarding policies and procedures, available on our website: https://sport.iaps.uk/safeguarding
  • Relax and enjoy the event.


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Holmwood House Nursery

151 Coach Road, Great Horkesley,
Colchester,
Essex CO6 4DX
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E: nurserymanager@holmwood.house

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Chitts Hill, Lexden,
Colchester,
Essex CO3 9ST
T: (01206) 574305
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