District Cross Country

The annual district cross country took place on the 25th January. It was a successful event for Sandy Upper!

Congratulations to all who ran the course. Well done to Dan O Neale, Connor Trudgehill, Hannah Thomas, Dan Stolworthy, Ethan Sinclair and Rebekkah Trayhorn who have all qualified for the county competition that is due to take place on wednesday the 8th February.

A special  congratulations to Connor Trudgehill who came 2nd in his race.

Year 11 Football team beaten

The year 11 football team have been knocked out of the ESFA National Cup. On tuesday 29th November, the year 11 football team played Cherwell School from Oxford. After a 2 hour journey, the away team elected to go with the wind first half. This put Sandy on the back foot and we were 3 - 0 down after 20minutes. We couldn't get a grip on the game and Cherwell had many players who were comfortable on the ball and enjoyed passing the ball in midfield.

We started the second half with a more attacking emphasis. Cherwell scored and killed the tie. Congratulations to Cherwell who were semi-finalists in 2011. They are due to play Northampton School for Boys next round.

I would like to say well done to the year 11 football team. They reached round 5. This is further than any other Sandy Upper School team. We are looking forward to the league in February.   

Year 9 Basketball v Stratton

Congratulations to the year 9 football team. A wonderful performance saw the team win by 40 points to 10!

Many players chipped in with some points but the MVP was Adam Hunt, who scored over half of the points. Conner Stratford scored a wonderful 'swoosh' at the end of the game! George March scored a few points once he realised he could not walk with the ball in his hands!!

We are due to play Mark Rutherord in the coming weeks. Lets hope we continue to improve and gain points!

Hockey Practice!

Hockey practice will start on Wednesday 15th November at both lunchtime and after school.

We have a qualified coach coming in to lead the sessions. The sessions will be held on the astroturf. All years and all abilities are welcome.

Fixtures will start after Christmas.  

Bedford & District Futsal Competition

The year 9 and 10 Futsal Teams have a competition on Friday 20th January. Check out the PE notice boards for information on futsal and how to get involved. 

The U16 Football team go marching on!

The year 11 football team beat Icknield High School - Luton in Round 5 of the ESFA National Cup. The team produced an outstanding, work man like performance against a skilful Icknield side.

George Melrose scored the goals which saw us win 2 - 1. The back 5 deserve particular praise as they defended as if their lives were on the line.

We are due to play Cherwell School - Oxford on the 29th November 2011. This is a great achievement by the team and the school would like to wish them all the very best in the next round.

Year 10 & 11 Badminton

The 10 Badminton team played in a district tournament on monday 16th January. The team consisted of Ethan Sinclair, Jordan Smith, Ethan Metcaffe and Chris Foster.

The team won their pool, beating Bedford Academy, Mark Rutherford and Redborne. The lads went on to play Sharnbrook in the final. A wonderful match between two county players, one of which was our very own Ethan Sinclair, saw the Sharnbrook lad win by a couple of points.

Sharnbrook also won the doubles games, although Chris, Ethan M and Jordan worked hard and put up a good fight.

It was a great effort by team Sandy, the second best U15 badminton team in the district! Hopefully the teams performance has earnt them a place in the County Finals.

East Beds Partnership Badminton.

The Sandy Upper year 10 and 11 Badminton team played Stratton Upper School in the East Beds Finals. The team won by 18 games to 2. We had two teams. Our A Team won all of their games. Alex Ingham won his singles and doubles games, showing the crowd an array of shots and skills. Ethan Sinclair also won his games. Ethan is a very technical player who is able to move his opponents around the court and find spaces on his opponents side. Max Hurst and Will Brown performed well as a pair and showed the Stratton 3 and 4 seed what they were made of!

Our B Team also played very very well. Ieuan Evans, Jack Hutch, Michael Pickard, Chris Foster and Ethan Metcaffe won the majority of their games. It is hard to highlight an individual as the whole team made the school proud!

The A Team have qualified for the next round of the competition.  

County Representations!

Congratulations to Ross Adams, Connor Inskip, Dan Huff and Nathan Arnold who have all represented the Bedfordshire Schools U15 team. Connor, Nathan, Dan and Ross all played against a very strong Inner London team on Saturday 5th November. It was a great experience for the lads as Inner London had a number of Premier League and Championship academy players.

Ross represented the county team on saturday 12th November against Hertfordshire. He produced a man of the match performance for Bedfordshire.

Oly Lee has also represented the Bedfordshire Schools U14 team. He has played in both of their games so far.

It is a great achievement representing the county. The school would like to congratulate all of the lads. Well done!

U18 Hockey v Samuel Whitbread

Sandy vs. Samuel Whitbread, Sixth Form Girls’ Hockey

With Sandy only able to field eight out of eleven players against an experienced and full-strength Samuel Whitbread team, their task looked insurmountable, but Sandy showed strength and spirit to hold the visiting team to a stalemate in a match framed against the bitter January weather, that in the face of such adversity, felt like a victory.

Recognising the need for defensive fortitude, Sandy employed a sweeper in the form of captain Tayla Green, who started the game despite a back injury. Tayla was at the heart of a solid and determined performance, which despite Whitbread’s numerical advantage, also manifested itself in a potent attacking threat when the midfield were able to fight free of the dominance exerted by the three extra Whitbread players. With the first half ending goalless, Sandy could already be proud of their performance, and it is telling that the greatest blow to their resistance came not from the efforts of their opposition, but from the news that their captain would be unable to continue in the second half.

The wind whipped faster and the rain lashed down harder as the second half began, mirroring the increase in the intensity of the away side’s attacks, with their now four-player advantage becoming more and more apparent. The besieged Sandy backline withstood torrent after torrent of forays into their territory, largely remaining entrenched in their own half, and though Whitbread were unable to cross the elusive goal-line, they continued to wage their war of attrition with a ferocious determination. The bombardment continued but to no avail – Sandy stood strong, and as the match progressed it became increasingly clear that they would not let their efforts be rendered futile by a Whitbread breakthrough – one fleeting moment in which the ball flashed across goal unchallenged by any Sandy players was the closest the opposition came to a breach, but the worn-out attackers were unable to capitalise on this opportunity.

It seems apt that the wind and the rain died down with the ringing of the final whistle, and that the maelstrom of physical and mental endeavour calmed with the declaration of a stalemate. Due to their numerical advantage, Samuel Whitbread were in the ascendancy for much of the match, but that they were unable to break through proves the resilience, persistence and determination of the Sandy team.

The Year 10 Football Team are through to the next round of the County Cup.

A wonderful result for the Year 10 football team saw them beat Barnfield South 4-1 and progress through to the next round of the County Cup. The team produced their best performance at Stockwood Park on Wednesday 12th October. A great attitude and some superb football helped to beat the current holders of the Year 10 County Cup. We went 1-0 down to a good passing team. Tyronne Baker equalised using his strength and skill. Leon Moden, who had an excellent game, scored the second, a tidy finish in the corner of the goal. Matt Ray did not score with his toe! He scored the third goal with an excellent finish (with his laces). Nathan Arnold put the icing on the cake with a wonderful finish - reminesent of Brazil's 1970 world cup final goal. Ross Adams had an excellent match in midfield and set up 2 of the 4 goals. All in all a great performance and I look forward to taking the lads to harlington fot the next round.