BSME U13 Games; 24th-28th January, 2018
Well, what a fabulous weekend of sport it was down in Muscat, Oman. 21 of our U13 students were selected to compete in the annual BSME U13 Games, where we looked to return with more silverware.
The competition this year was tough. Schools representing Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and indeed Oman were all involved. The efforts of our fabulous athletes lead to a 3rd place overall finish; a truly fantastic achievement, given all of the limitations we face in comparison to most of the competition.
Day 1:
Girls Football
The girls football was a tough tournament to say the least. Wide pitches, small goals and extreme heat and sunshine all day! Our girls battled really hard and were a credit to the school. The theme of the day however, was that lady luck really wasn't on our side.
In our pool, we managed 4 draws and 1 loss - unfortunately not enough to qualify for the semi-finals. The girls did exceptionally well and were very unlucky not to turn 3 of those draws into wins - we just couldn't find the back of the net!
BSAK (British School Al Khubairat) - the eventual winners - were the only school who managed to beat us. A mere 1-0 defeat was enough to see us out of the medals today.
After a grueling day of football, we had to compete in a penalty shoot out against BISAD, to determine who would play for 7th-10th position.
After two fantastic strikes from Amelia and Callie, we sailed through to the 7th/8th play off - the girls deserved so much more than this, but today wasn't our day!
We faced St Christopher's, Bahrain, who gave us a good game. The girls ran hard for the duration of the match, never giving up and fighting until the final whistle to snatch a win. Unfortunately, as was the case all day, the goal never came. In the end, we had to decide our final placing by another penalty shoot out - this time it wasn't meant to be. 8th place in the end for our girls.
Whilst their position may not seem impressive, it is not a true reflection of how well they played. They played with spirit, enthusiasm and determination all day and it was honestly down to some serious bad luck! It happens in sport, but we are proud of their efforts nonetheless! Well done girls!
Boys Volleyball
What an exciting day this was for our U13 boys! They were simply awesome from start to finish. Their serving was excellent throughout and their play was stunning at times. Their opening game against KSAB (Kings Al barsha, Dubai) set the tone for the remainder of the tournament - domination! The boys were full of it and played with real passion and determination. They were a pleasure to watch. They managed to win all 5 of their pool games with relative ease, never losing a set. The boys sailed through to the semi-finals and looked set to win the tournament overall.
They faced BSAK in their semi-final, and what a match it was! Both teams played some excellent 3 touch volleyball. Our boys were unlucky to lose the first set, as both teams played really well. One error too many cost the boys the opening set and so for the first time today, they were chasing their opposition. They had to win the next set, to keep their dreams alive of making the final. The second set was a much tighter affair, with both teams playing exceptionally well. It was point for point for the first 10 minutes, with both teams giving it their all. As the set went on, each team took it in turns to lead, but eventually BSAK proved that little bit too strong for our boys and so we lost momentum. It ended 15-11 in the second set, meaning that their hopes of being crowned champions had been dashed. It was a tough loss to take, as both teams were deserving of the win.
The boys had to pick themselves up however, ready for their 3rd/4th place play off match against BISR (Riyadh). They had beaten BISR earlier in the day and so the boys went into their final game brimming with confidence. They played extremely well, showcasing some outstanding volleyball - which was commented on by many other coaches - winning the game comfortably 2 sets to 0.
A fantastic start to their BSME campaign. Well done to the boys on their fantastic victory today and 3rd place finish.
Day 2:
Athletics:
Well, Athletics day was really something special! The exceledl and we are so impressed by what they have achieved. We earned multiple top 10 finishes (out of 24 athletes in each event) and managed podium finishes. Overall, the combined efforts of all our athletes, lead to a very special 2nd place overall finish - an outstanding feat! The following athletes, managed to finish 1st/2nd/3rd:
Austine Segrest: 1st in Triple Jump (by 40cm!!!)
Woojin Jeong: 1st in Shot Put (by a metre!!) and a 7th place finish in the 100m final.
Darcy Highmore: 1st in Javelin and 3rd in 400m (and 4th 800m)
Richard Lecat: 2nd in 800m (an absolutely amazing run - a true display of determination!!!!)
We have not received all of the results nor the overall result for the squad, however we anticipate we finished in the top half of all schools- I will update you as soon as I hear anything.
Other results we have so far, include:
Angelina Matta: 7th in 100m final and 6th High Jump (she also won her 100m heat).
Josefin Purser: 5th in Triple Jump and 7th in High Jump (she also ran a spectacular 400m to win her heat).
Whilst I have only mentioned a few names so far, when I receive more results I will update you along with our overall standing. All four relay teams did extremely well and all managed top 8 finishes- awaiting confirmation on final placings.
Day 3:
Boys Football:
9th place overall.
The boys had a day much like the girls on Thursday. Lots of possession, lots of energy....but couldn't find the back of the net. Lady luck was not with the boys today but they battled hard to pick up as many points as possible, to hold onto 3rd spot overall at the Games.
There first game was against St Christopher's who in fairness were a good side. The boys looked uneasy and never really got going. The second game against KES was a much better performance by the boys, whose work rate was through the roof. But, the goal just couldn't be found, no matter how hard they tried! 0-0 in the end. They followed this with another draw against BISR in a similar sort of game, before taking on BSM and holding them to a 1-1 draw. After this....another draw was followed, 0-0 with BISAD. Throughout all these games the boys worked their socks off and never gave up. Just like the girls, they couldn't find the goal they so desperately deserved!! After the group stages, the boys found themselves against BSK in the 9th/10th play off. They saved their best performance til last, really showcasing some excellent football. They were relentless offensively and BSK struggled to get the ball out of their half. Eventually the goal - and indeed the win - came, courtesy of a goal from Woojin. 1-0 to TES, 9th place was where we finished. Well done to all of the boys though, who worked hard until the very end in extreme heat!
Girls Netball:
Speechless!!! CHAMPIONS!!
These girls have been awesome since September. The hours of training that have gone in brought their just rewards. They are triple champions; ISACK, BSME Netball and BSME Netball at the Games! Undisputed champions in the Middle East and arguably one of the best U13 teams at the moment!
They led the tournament from start to finish with massive wins in the group stages.
They managed a 20-1 win against KES, 21-2 against DBGS, a 21-3 against BSM; a very deserved 12-7 win over BSAK before finishing off with a 13-3 win over BISR. The girls were well and truly on fire and clearly a 2 month break from netball was not going to stop these superstars!
We faced Brighton College in the semi-final, who were our rivals in the BSME Netball Final. We knew it would be tough and so the girls fought throughout the whole match. They were on their knees exhausted by the end, but they managed a very convincing 15-4 win in the end!
Talk about grit and determination! In the final, we came up against Kings Al Barsha, who were our semi final opponents at BSME Netball. They had been superb all day and clearly deserving of their place in the final.
The game started off as a tight affair, with TES being made to work. Our girls were exhausted and you could see how much it hurt! But my goodness they dug deep. What a stunning display of netball it was as they pulled away from an equally tired Kings team! A massive 19-8 win in the end....the girls had done it again!
These girls are a credit to TES. They were simply sublime and coaches and players from across the gulf congratulated them on their win. No one could argue that they were the best team there today! I still can't quite believe what those young ladies have achieved since September. Undefeated!!!!
Final Placings:
| 1st |
BSAK |
57 |
| 2nd |
BSM |
45 |
| 3rd |
TES |
42 |
| 4th |
KES |
15 |
| 5th |
BSK |
12 |