Prep School

Last Friday, the U11 girls took part in the IAPS regional hockey tournament. The team displayed some fantastic flowing hockey during the pool matches, showcasing their skills and teamwork. However, after advancing to the plate competition, they unfortunately ran out of steam and were knocked out in the quarter-finals. Despite the outcome, it was a valuable experience for the girls, filled with determination and effort.

On Monday, Queen’s hosted Wellington for both rugby and hockey fixtures, with our Year 3 and 4 pupils taking to the field. Having missed their first set of matches due to cancellations, the children were full of excitement. The Year 4 pupils, in particular, grew in confidence and determination as the afternoon progressed. Match reports highlighted their impressive speed and tenacity, with both the hockey and rugby teams successfully turning defence into attack throughout the games.

On Wednesday, the U11A boys travelled to Sherborne and delivered their best rugby performance of the term. Their elusive running, excellent passing before contact, and effective use of space out wide resulted in some brilliant tries. A well-deserved “well done” to the team for their efforts.

The U10A squad journeyed to King’s Bruton for a Rugby Festival, where they showcased moments of excellent rugby. While there were areas for improvement, the boys demonstrated great potential and resilience. The experience provided valuable lessons, and the team is eager to build on this as they prepare for our own festival in the second half of the term.

The U10 girls headed to Millfield for their matches, where their work ethic was exceptional. This resulted in many successful tackles and some strong phases of attacking play. The girls demonstrated increased confidence, both on the ball and when making tackles, showing significant progress since previous games.

Meanwhile, the U11A and B squads hosted Sherborne for closely-matched games, where Queen’s displayed increasing confidence in defence. Some impressive demonstrations of reverse stick carries and pushes were on display, effectively used throughout the matches.

Finally, the U11C team played an exciting end-to-end game against Millfield. While the team is still getting to grips with positioning, much of the play was centred through the middle of the pitch. Nevertheless, Queen’s showed fantastic determination and commitment, making for an enthusiastic and competitive match.

Senior School

U15 vs. Sherborne School

On Saturday, Queen’s U15 Rugby team faced Sherborne School in what was a strong response after a tough away game the previous week. With a full-strength squad, Queen’s came out determined, eager to put their recent setback behind them.

From the opening whistle, Queen’s dominated possession, controlling the ball with precision and intensity. They moved effectively along the lines, working in pods, and showcasing excellent teamwork. This early dominance paid off quickly, with Queen’s scoring 3 tries and converting all 3 attempts. Sherborne struggled to get out of their own half as Queen’s applied relentless pressure, both in attack and defence.

As the match progressed and Queen’s lead grew, the coaching staff introduced a variety of conditions to challenge the Queen’s players and promote the development of both teams. These adjustments allowed for a more competitive and balanced contest, giving Sherborne moments to gain ground and show their resilience.

The game concluded with a spirited and competitive finish, with both teams showing good moments of skill and sportsmanship. At the end of the match, both groups of players gathered to congratulate one another, ending the fixture on a positive note and demonstrating the values of respect and camaraderie.

U14 vs. Sherborne School

The U14 team delivered a strong performance against Sherborne, showing significant improvement from their last fixture. After conceding an early try, Queen’s quickly found their rhythm, scoring four impressive tries in the first half to lead 22-5 at the break. The team rucked well and demonstrated noticeable progress in their tackling. In the second half, Queen’s continued their momentum, adding three converted tries, including a fantastic interception from Felix, who ran half the length of the field to score. The match concluded with a well-deserved 43-12 victory for Queen’s.

U13A, Triangular versus Blundell’s school & Wellington School

The U13 boys travelled to Wellington School on Saturday to take part in a triangular fixture along with Blundell’s School. Some promising glimpses of attacking play during both matches but when facing very strong opposition, the boys found it hard to convert this into tries. A brave display of defence throughout the afternoon and we saw further improvements, despite the much tougher opposition.

U12A, Triangular versus Blundell’s school & Wellington School

On Saturday, the U12A visited Wellington School and were joined by Blundell’s School in a triangular fixture. Queen’s started the afternoon strongly, with a very physical and fast-paced match against Wellington. The defence was solid and in attack, the boys punched holes in a solid Wellington defence. Archie was awesome in attack and defence and Hunter and Henry proved a menace to the opposition with their ferocious tackling. The match ended in a win for the Queen’s boys. The second match was more of the same, ferocious tackling and relentless attacks from both teams. Despite the Queen’s formidable defence, the Blundell’s boys moved the ball quickly out wide to score numerous times. Unfortunately, Queen’s couldn’t quite manage to break Blundell’s line and the match ended with Blundell’s victorious.

U15 

The U15B team had a fantastic day on the pitch, boosted by some A team players and the promotion of a few talented Year 9s. This gave our hockey newcomers valuable time to develop their skills and passion for the game ahead of more fixtures next half term. Madara made an excellent debut as a goalkeeper, while Romily’s relentless defence was instrumental in preventing several goals. The team’s spirit was exceptional, with everyone celebrating each other’s success across the pitch. Brilliant saves and outstanding tackles were cheered just as much as the goals!

Lioba also made a strong impression, emerging as a standout defender early in her hockey journey. The team’s work rate and positive attitude truly shone through, earning two well-deserved wins against Taunton and Wellington. A 3-2 victory over Taunton and a hard-fought 1-0 win against Wellington showed the impact of every goal.