MONDAY 17th NOVEMBER 2008 FORTHCOMING FIXTURES Monday 17th November 3:30-6:00 Year 7 and 8 Girls Basketball vs. Castle Donnington (h) Tuesday 18th November 3:30-5:30 Year 9 Basketball vs. Hamilton (h) 3:30-6:00 Year 9 Girls' 5 a side Football at Garendon Wednesday 19th November 3:00- 4:30 Year 9 Boys football vs. Kibworth (a) Thursday 20th November 3:30-5:00 Year 7 and 9 Netball vs. Uppingham (h) 3:30-5:30 Year 8 Boys' Basketball vs. King Edward (a) Monday 24th November 3:30-5:30 Year 7 Girls' County 5 a side football at John Ferneley Tuesday 25th November 3:30-5:45 Year 7 Girls' 5 a side Football at Garendon 3:30- 5:30 Year 7 Girls' Basketball vs. Samworth Academy (h) Wednesday 26th November 3:30-8:00 Year 9 County Netball Tournament at Leicester Grammar. Thursday 27th November 3:30-5:00 Year 7 and 8 Netball vs. Catmose (h) 2:30-5:00 Year 8 Football vs. Stonehill (h) Saturday 29th November 9:30-11:30 Cross Country League race 4 at Melton Country Park.   NETBALL League vs. Belvior - Year 8 – Lost 9 – 15 Well what a game! After losing our game last week to Belvoir we couldn’t believe we had to face them again so soon!!! With little time on our side we managed to squeeze in just one extra training session to sort out improvements we could make on the last match. We focused heavily on how to defend your player when they have & have not got the ball, making sure our arms went up all the time and we stuck to them like glue. We also spoke about defending tactics (keeping GA out of D) and introduced a back line set play for the first time – phew, so much in so little time!!! The girls were super and were looking much stronger by Thursday lunchtime so we went into the game fairly confidently, but still wishing we’d had another week to further practice the new skills. The girls did extremely well, flying into the first quarter to finish with a one goal lead at 3-2. This was a huge confidence boost and appeared to shock Belvoir who began to panic & give us chances to intercept. The match continued at a nail biting pace, our set plays made a massive difference compared to the previous game & these successfully got the ball up to our attacking D to end the second quarter still one goal ahead at 5-4! The girls continued to mark tight and make plenty of interceptions, but due to their hard-work we were beginning to get tired allowing Belvoir to creep ahead to 7-10 by the end of the third quarter. The girls were determined to go out fighting and after a quick sip of water went back on, however Belvoir decided to use a shooting tactic of stepping forward before release this caught our GK & GD off guard as they still stuck to the metre rule (even though her landing foot was lifted) – this unfortunately meant easy shooting for Belvoir’s talented GS. Our girls just couldn’t stop the goals from popping in to end the game at an unjust 9-15. It was a disappointing result considering how much our girls had improved (Belvoir’s teacher congratulated the girls on their improvements) – it was the best game I have ever seen them play since being at JF and they should be incredibly proud of their efforts. Well done to all who played & supported & let’s hang onto your renewed enthusiasm for the game. Our target for this season is now to beat Belvoir at the end of year tournament!!!! We can do it!!!!!!!   Players – Lizzie Best (C), Georgie Brown, Beth Lyles, Imogen Greaves, Katherine Lovegrove, Lydia Farmer, Vicky Arno,  Gemma Hill, Anna Teal & Rebecca Booth Player of the Match – The whole team!!!!!!!   Year 9 – Won 12-4  The year nine match got off to a rapid pace with Belvoir & Ferneley whizzing the ball from one end of the court to the other! Belvoir had a lot of supporters at this game so the pressure to succeed was high and it created a slight sense of panic in both teams to begin with. The game ended at 5-2 at half time, our girls recognising it was a low score for their usual standard and that they needed to remove themselves from the tension & slow play down in order to utilise their set plays and stick to their own game plan. The great thing about the Yr 9 squad is that they then go back on & execute exactly what you’ve just asked of them – we played our own game during the second half, attacked brilliantly & defended when necessary. Jess Herries and Hannah Pattison made some fantastic interceptions throughout the match as did Jess Greaves. Jess Mabbott played a key role in encouraging the team verbally and was heavily supported throughout by Fiona Donnachie and Alice Newton. Sydney Davies shot some great goals and Katy Chadwick also supported well in the D. The game ended at 12-4, a relatively low score, but we were just beginning to comfortably find our stride when time was called. Well done to all who played – here’s to the next game against Uppingham on the 20th to help prepare us for the County Tournament!!!!   Players – Jess Greaves (C), Jess Herries, Jess Mabbott, Fiona Donachie, Alice Newton, Katy Chadwick, Sydney Davies & Hannah Pattison Player of the Match – Hannah Pattison   League vs. Longfield Year 7 – Won 13-1  This was the Year 7s second match for Ferneley, which has been nice as it has meant we have had lots of training time prior to matches beginning. We still have a squad of 15 players in this year group so it was a good opportunity to give some of our girls their match debut. They got off to a super start, with our centre pass set play working like a dream between Emilia Herries, Lydia Farmer & Abi Williams. Abi has been working hard on how to get free in the D and she played brilliantly during the match shooting some near & far balls. Lucy Golland & Charlotte Tait provided great support in both attack & defence in the centre third giving us an 8-0 lead at half time. We made some substitutions at this point which saw Lucy Ball & Chloe Snodden making their debut, they both played some lovely netball and Chloe, Katherine Lovegrove & Millie Lloyd made some great interceptions between them to get the ball back up to our attacking D rapidly when required. The match finished at a comfortable 13-1, with two matches down, it’s a great start to the season – well done ladies!!!!   Players – Katherine Lovegrove (C), Emilia Herries, Lucy Golland, Chloe Snodden, Abi Williams, Lydia Farmer, Lucy Ball, Charlotte Tait & Millie Lloyd.   Player of the Match – Emilia Herries (super interceptions & game play throughout!) Year 8 – WON 21-6  The Year 8s have been training intensely following our games against Belvoir where the girls seemed to discover renewed enthusiasm to succeed. This motivation is definitely noticeable in their game play as this was again one of the best matches I have ever seen them play since their time here at JF. The girls got off to a rapid start with our centre pass set play unstoppable throughout the entire match between Georgie Brown, Lizzie Best/Imogen Greaves and Rebecca Booth. Every three passes ended in a goal which is exactly what we were after – well done ladies! Some great interceptions by Georgie Brown and Vicky Arno on Longfield's centre pass meant that the ball was actually in our attacking third roughly 80% of the time. We ended the first half at 12-0! A great start, but no time to relax as I gave the girls a target of doubling the score!!! We made a couple of substitutions during the second half in order to give some of our newer squad members a game and the second half was definitely more of a challenge as Longfield’s GA who was previously marked superbly by Beth Lyles began to make interceptions and finally get the ball into our defending D. Anna G Teal, Vicky Arno and Chloe Staples worked hard to snatch up any rebounds and our new backline set play was again a success in getting the ball smoothly from one end of the court to the other. The game ended at 21-6 – 3 goals short of our double target, but can’t complain as it was a super effort and just what our girls needed to boost their confidence. If only we were playing Belvoir next week I’m sure with our current playing standard we would get them!!!!!!!! Well done to all who played - you should be very proud of yourselves!!!!   Players – Lizzie Best (C), Vicky Arno, Beth Lyles, Rebecca Booth, Imogen Greaves, Georgie Brown, Chloe Staples, Anna G Teal   Player of the Match – Georgie Brown (super movement & support throughout)   THANKYOU TO ALL PARENTS WHO CAME TO WATCH & CONGRATULATIONS TO MY OLD YR 9 TEAM WHO WON THE U16 COUNTY NETBALL TOURNAMENT IN OCTOBER!!!!   YEAR 7 BOYS' BASKETBALL Central venue competition at John Ferneley  Well done to the Year 7 boys who were playing in a team together for the first time. They won their first game against Longfield very convincingly. In the 2nd game against Vale of Catmose we made an excellent start, but then had a really quiet spell when Catmose drew level and with one minute of the game remaining we trailed by 1 basket. In the final minute we scored to level the game to finish with a draw. In the last game against Belvoir we played as we had in the first game with some excellent passing and team work to gain an excellent win. Team: Mitchell Saxby, George Boddy, Michael La Barbera, Aaron Sim, Kane Williams, Tom Ursell, and Joel Thompson. The next central venue is at Uppingham CC on Wednesday 10th December. Well Done Mr T Smith     GIRLS' BASKETBALL Year 7 V Longfield Won 40-7 Team: Lydia Farmer, Emilia Herries, Georgia Mogg, Katherine Lovegrove, Anya Elliot, Abbie Williams, Abbie Geeson, Lucy Golland, Alice Hack, Abbie Brown. What a fantastic start to the season! The Year 7 team had been playing brilliantly in practice and when they stepped onto the court you never would have thought it was their first competitive match. Ferneley opened the first quarter with a storming start. Baskets from Emilia Herries, Anya Elliot and Lydia Farmer allowed Ferneley to take a 14-2 lead. The second quarter was very similar and we really started to come into our own, much more confidence in defence especially and not letting anything get passed. Half time brought a well deserved break after a whopping 22-2 lead. After a couple of rule reminders and general tactics discussion, we were back and ready to go for the second half. We had another consistent half, marking well, some brilliant shooting came from Anya Elliot again and awesome attack from Emilia Herries. The final score for the game 40-7 and I am so proud of the girls for that impressive scoreline! WELL DONE TO ALL!!!! Bring on the next match!   Year 8 versus Longfield Lost 18-16 Team Imogen Greaves, Clemency Patman, Anna Griffin Teal, Lizzie Crichton, Shona Bloodworth, Vicky Arno, Lauren Osbourne, Francesca Price, Ellie Greasley. After watching the Year 7s dominate most of the first game, the Year 8s were definitely nervous going into the game, wanting to put up as good a performance as their younger school mates. It was a close game all the way through and baskets from Imogen Greaves and Shona Bloodworth made it 4 a piece in the first quarter. We seemed to lack the same level of confidence as the opposition in this quarter, but regained it a bit in the next and we started to mark tighter and get back quicker to defend. It was still close and half time brought the score to 10-8 to our Melton rivals. The second half brought frustration as we struggled to keep up with the fitness of Longfield. They were slightly quicker at this stage in the game, although we made some good breaks and I thought after the third quarter when we were down by 6 points that we would really need to put up a fight. And we certainly did. We passed much better and we seemed to have an edge over them for the first time in the game. It was unfortunate that the final score was 18-16 to Longfield after a nail biting finish. We still have lots of room for improvement and I am looking forward to working with all of you for the rest of the season. Bring on Donington next week!!!   YEAR 7 FOOTBALL English Schools Cup vs. Lancaster Lost 11-5 Oliver Burke 5 Another excellent game against a really good side.  Ferneley started the brighter and went 1-0 up after a minute.  However the lead did not last long as we were soon 3-1 down.  A quick brace from Ollie Burke put us level but Lancaster went in at half time 5-3 up.  We knew if we scored next we would be back in it but we didn’t and the game started to drift away from us.  However a positive approach from Captain Tom Rigby inspired the team to play some good football near the end of the game and we finished with our heads held high.  No cup matches left, just the league to play for but we are in second place.   YEAR 8 BOYS' BASKETBALL League vs. Casterton Won 39-18 James Chester 17pts, Joe Anderson 8, Tom Shing/Lewis Iron 4pts and Kurt Haynes/Harry Brown/Joe Sharpe 2 points An excellent first performance from the Year 8 basketball squad who took control from the first to the last minute of this game.  James Chester led the team well throughout the match and Joe Anderson and Lewis Iron showed how much they have improved from last year.  Special mention has to be made of Luke Spiby and Alex Cort who turned in great performances on the debut for the team.  Well done lads you can be really pleased with your performance next up Catmose. CROSS COUNTRY League race 3 at Lutterworth The race once again coincided with my annual trip to centre parcs so I am very grateful to Mr and Mrs Sharpe and Mr Maggs who took control on the day.  In very muddy conditions all runners did well and several turned in their best performances of the season. The Year 7 boys were first off and Josh Wilson was first back coming in 11th hopefully the country park race will see him getting into the top ten for the first time.  James Scatchard also made the top twenty coming in 19th closely followed by Ed Birch in his debut run coming 21st with Tom Lowe in 29th and Alex Lynott in 32nd.  David Phillips was another runner making his debut coming 44th followed by 4 runners who had their best runs of the season Matt Pope 52nd, Joel Thompson 53rd, Tom Ursell 58th and Jay Bishop 63rd.  The Year 7 girls were next off and Lucy Golland produced our best individual performance of the season coming in 4th and she was supported by the rest of the team who all had their best finishes of the season Emelia Herries 34th, Charlotte Seagrave 43rd, Chloe Snodin 59th, Lucy Ball 61st and Alice Hack 62nd.  The junior girls team was severely depleted due to a my little pony meet somewhere (golf is much better!), but it did not stop Lizzie Golland having her best ever finish coming in 14th.  Lizzie was well supported by Alex van Doorn in 33rd who just held off her sister Sam who was 37th and the team was completed by  Jemma Cole who had her best run of the season finishing 65th.  Once again the junior boys had the top turnout of the season with Joe Pope getting inside the top ten for the very first time finishing 7th.  The next 4 runners were all back very close together with Jack Dolby 43rd, Curtis Cotterill 45th, Joe Sharpe 46th and Tom Wing 50th.  The rest of the team all had their best runs of the season with Luke Roberts 59th, Harry Brown 61st, George Allen 72nd, Dan North 74th, Ryan McAuley 77th and Niall Kennedy 78th.  Special mention for Ryan McAuley who had his best ever run for the school.  Well done to all runners and remember the next race is on home soil at Melton Country Park.  Let’s try to get as many runners as possible.  If you cannot run but you would like to help then see Mr Jacobs ASAP. Many thanks once again to Mr and Mrs Sharpe and Mr Maggs   MONDAY 27th  OCTOBER  2008   FORTHCOMING FIXTURES Tuesday 28th October   3:30-5:45 Girls' Football vs. Stonehill (a) Thursday 30th October   3:30-5:30 Year 7 and 8 Netball vs. Belvior (a) 3:30-5:45 Year 7 Boys' 5 a side football at Wreake V Friday 31st October 2:30- 5:00 Year 7 Football at Brookvale Tuesday 4th November 3:30-5:00 Year 8 Football Minute Maid Cup vs. Kibworth (h) Thursday 6th November 3:30-5:30 Year 8 and 9 Netball vs. Belvior (h) 3:30-6:00 Year 9 Basketball vs. Catmose (a) CROSS COUNTRY Firstly I would like to apologise to Jordy Macleod who finished 84th in the Year 7 boys' race at Longfield but I did not include him in the report. Many apologies Jordy.  I have got the team results through and after 2 races the Year 7 girls are 6th, the Year 7 boys are 3rd as are the junior girls and the junior boys are 4th.  Well done everyone next race is on the 15th November at Lutterworth.  Please note the relays are not taking place on the 8th November and they will be re arranged for later in the season. YEAR 7 FOOTBALL English Schools vs. Myton School won 5-4 Burke 2, Thorne 2 and Luke Close League vs. Catmose won 7-1 Jake Burgoine 3 Sam Thorpe 3 and Tom Rigby Two games in two days for the Year 7s and the first was an absolute classic.  The team started the first game as if they had been on the bus for an hour and a half rather than our opponents.  For the first 20 minutes we did not make one tackle and as a consequence we went 4-0 down.  A couple of changes were made with Jake Burgoine going into defence and Alex Thorne moving into midfield and this had immediate effect with Alex scoring after a good run from Eddie Thompson down the left.  Oliver Burke then scored a great free kick in his debut game for the school.  This left us 4-2 down at half time and we knew if we got the next goal we would be in business and Alex Thorne obliged.  Oliver Burke then scored his second of the game to tie the scores and almost gave us the lead with a free kick which went over the bar.  Finally Luke Close scored to put us in the lead with 10 minutes to go.  How we then did not concede in the last 10 minutes was unbelievable.  Michael La Barbara made several world class saves and Kane Williams cleared one off the line to ensure we face Lancaster Boys school from Leicester in the second round on Monday 10th November. The league game against Catmose the next night was a much more sedate affair and we were never in much trouble Jake Burgoine and Sam Thorpe both scored a hat trick and Tom Rigby nailed a 25 yarder.  This now leaves us second in the league behind Roundhill. Well done lads. Men of the match: vs. Myton - Ollie Burke and Jake Burgoine, vs. Catmose - Sam Thorpe. YEAR 9 BOYS' FOOTBALL League vs. Catmose w 4-1 This was an excellent performance from the squad. They started very well with some excellent passing and scored after only 2 minutes. They continued to play in the same positive manner gaining a further 2 goals. Catmose did score 5 minutes before half time to make the score 3v1 and we replied almost immediately to turn round 4v1 up. There was not any further scoring in the 2nd half although Catmose did put us under some pressure. The match was a double header for both league and cup. Well done Mr Smith. Scorers: Kieran Browne 3 and Ollie Riddell 1 YEAR 7 RUGBY Friendly vs. Roundhill won 4 tries to 1 Well done to the Year 7 team on a good performance. After a slow start we got to grips with the game even after conceding an early try. There were several boys who had never played before and they picked things up very quickly. The half time score was 1 try each. In the second half we improved our rucking and passing which lead to us scoring 3 further tries. This was an excellent start and well done to all the squad. We have another match coming up on October 31st at Belvoir School. Training is on Thursday lunch time. Mr Smith     MONDAY 13th  OCTOBER  2008   FORTHCOMING FIXTURES Monday 13th October 3:30-5:00 Volleyball Taster session 3:30-5:00 Year 7 B team Football vs. Longfield 3:30-5:00 Year 8 Football County Cup vs. Gartree (h) Wednesday 15th October 2:00- 7:00 Year 9 Girls' Football vs. Tile Wood School Coventry (a) 3:30-5:30 Year 7 National Cup vs. Myton School Thursday 16th October 3:30-5:45 Year 7/8/9 Boys' Football vs. Catmose (a) Tuesday 28th October   3:30-5:45 Girls' Football vs. Stonehill (a) Thursday 30th October   3:30-5:30 Year 7 and 8 Netball vs. Belvior (a) 3:30-5:45 Year 7 Boys 5 a side football at Wreake V Friday 31st October 2:30- 5:00 Year 7 Football at Brookvale YEAR 7 B FOOTBALL Friendly vs. Longfield D3-3 When these teams played each other a few weeks ago Longfield comfortably won the game 6-1 so Ferneley were ready to try and make it a much improved performance.  Ferneley started really well with Henry Newton and James Scatchard combining well but against the run of play Longfield took the lead.  However Ferneley did not give up and the introduction of Jack Adey gave them even more menace down the right and from one of his crosses Louis Dalby buried it at the far post.  It was 1-1 at half time and Ferneley were getting better and better.  Aaron Sim and Connor Whitfield were looking unbeatable in defence and after another good cross Billy Farmer buried a header to give us the lead.  This meant 2 goals in 2 games for Billy who obviously likes playing against Longfield.  However Longfield were very determined as well and on their next attack they scored despite a brilliant initial save from Ryan Hatfield, but Ferneley looked like they had won it when another cross from the right was finished by a combination of James Scatchard and Matt Pope.  Ferneley then went on the attack to get a fourth goal but a breakaway by Longfield meant they equalised with the last kick of the game.  It was a great game of Football and the team can be really pleased with the improvement they have made over the past few weeks. Men of the Match: James Scatchard Aaron Sim Henry Newton and Connor Whitfield.   YEAR 7 FOOTBALL North Leics Cup vs. Uppingham away lost 3-2 After a great performance last time out the team was full of confidence as it travelled to Uppingham.  However as soon as the game started it was clear that we were not playing as well as last week.  Everyone was trying but the spark was not there.  Uppingham took the lead but we equalised just before half time with a great volley from Jake Burgoine.  The team were positive at half time but Uppingham scored again early on in the half.  Sam Thorpe equalised again for Ferneley and then came a passage of play which shows how cruel football can be.  Sam Thorpe had a good shout for a penalty turned down and then after a great run saw his shot come back off the post.  Uppingham then went up the other end and scored the winner.  Everyone was disappointed at the end of the game but we know we can return in the league and gain revenge by taking all three points.   The Year 9 team also went out of the Cup losing 6-2 to Uppingham (Jack Dolby and Tom Bendle scoring).  However the Year 8 team went through when Uppingham were unable to get a team.     CROSS COUNTRY English Schools Cup This is a cross country competition which leads to a national final which Ferneley have reached once.  This year we entered the junior competition (Year 7 and 8) and the inter competition (Year 9 and 10).  The junior girls were first off and Lily Brewster was determined to make an impression and she took the lead for the first half mile.  Unfortunately this left her exhausted for the rest of the race and she dragged herself home in 34th.  First back to the bag was Lucy Golland who was 6th a great effort considering she was running against Year 8s.  Next home was another Year 7 girl Charlotte Tait in 21st place and the team was completed by the ever dependable Sam van Doorn who came 24th.  Overall the girls came 5th.  The junior boys were next off over a tough course.  For the first time ever Lewis Iron was first back to the bag coming 22nd beating his usual rivals Tom Wing in 29th and Joe Sharp in 31st.  The team was completed by Harry Brown in 36th and Joe Anderson on his debut in 38th.  Overall the boys came 7th.  The Year 9 girls who last year made the regional semi final were hopeful of reaching the same stage again.  They got a great start with two runners coming inside the top ten. Lottie Marsh was 8th and Lottie Jones was 9th.  Lizzie Golland looked dead on her feet at one point but recovered to finish 18th with Alex Van Doorn one behind in 19th.  Alice Newton completed the team but after some unpleasant work from three girls from another school she ended up in the hedge which slowed her down and she came home in 30th.  However the girls finished third and have qualified for the regional semi finals again on November 8th.  Here’s hoping we can go one further this year and make the national final.  Last but not least were our inter boys in another tough race.  Tom Bendle made his debut for Ferneley and he ran a superb race to finish just behind Joe Pope.  Connor Turbayne was next home with Curtis Cotterill behind him.  Jack Dolby was unable to complete the race because of injury.  The Inter boys finished 6th.  League race 2 at Longfield It was a beautiful morning and once again we had over 40 runners taking part with the Year 7 boys first off.  After the first race at Groby the team was in 6th place but the boys showed they were keen to improve.  This time we had two runners again in the top 20 Josh Wilson 11th (14th in the last race) and James Scatchard who had a great run to finish 13th (32nd). Tom Lowe was next home 24th (20th) followed by Alex Lynott 30th (51st).  Matt Pope was next home in 50th (65th) and a good finish from Joel Thompson saw him pip Tom Ursell on the line 64th to 65th (74th to 71st). The team was completed by the following runners two of whom ran really well on their debut Jay Bishop 78th and Tyron Cotterill in 86th. Last but not least Edward Barker and Ben Fotheringham both ran well to finish 79th and 88th respectively.  I am sure this will be enough to move them up from sixth place. The Year 7 girls were next off and like the boys they were in 6th position after the first race.   Lucy Golland was first home again but this time she was outside the top 10 coming in 15th and once again she was followed by Charlotte Tait who finished 22nd.  Despite not feeling well Emelia Herries had a great run finishing 35th which was a big improvement on 46th last time out.  Charlotte Seagrave was next back showing the extra training she is doing is paying off as she came 58th after coming 74th last time out.  Charlotte perfect was next back in 59th a great run in her debut race and she was followed by another debutant Beth Warner in 68th.  Next up was Alice Hack who was 73rd which is exactly where she finished last time and she was followed by Lucy Ball who ran bravely to finish 82nd despite falling and hurting her shoulder.  The team was completed by Chloe Snodin who in her first run finished 83rd.  Phoebe Phillips also ran but as I did not get her ticket I do not know where she finished. Junior girls who were third after race 1 were next off and they were slightly weakened by the fact that Lottie Jones was unable to run.  However Lottie Marsh was on top form and had a great sprint finish to come 12th.  Lizzie Golland again looked dead half way through the race but recovered well to finish 29th.  Alex Van Doorn improved from 44th last time to finish 36th this time and she was closely followed by her sister who came 40th.  Next runner home was Maddie Dale who ran really well despite not having run the past few races and she came in 53rd and the team was completed by 2 brave runners Lily Brewster who came 60th and Jemma Cole who came 73rd. The junior boys had the biggest turnout and they were hoping to improve on 4th place last time out.  Once again Joe Pope was first home and inside the top twenty coming in 17th.  Once again Joe was followed by Jack Dolby who came 27th.  Connor Turbayne and Curtis Cotterill both had good runs encouraging each other round.  Connor finished 42nd and Curtis 47th.  Next it was the weekly battle between Tom Wing and Joe Sharp with Joe taking the honours this week finishing 61st to Toms 62nd.  Matt leek had his first run for a while and he had a great run finishing 73rd.  Next was Harry Browm in 81st followed by another great run from George Allen in 87th with Luke Roberts in 88th and Dan North in 89th.  The team was completed by Rory Hardisty who ran a great debut race to finish 97th  followed by Luke Spiby who despite not finishing last time came back for more and finished 101st.  Niall Kennedy and Ollie Konarski had a great battle all the way round with Niall just edging it 108 to 109.  Finally Ryan McAuley who I forgot to mention in the last report.  At Groby he showed us a great sprint finish to come 119 but at Longfield he ran even better to finish 114.  Well Done to Ryan and all our other runners.  The next league race is Saturday 15th November       MONDAY 6th  OCTOBER  2008   FORTHCOMING FIXTURES Monday 6th October  3:30-5:00 Year 7 Football vs. Brookvale (h) Tuesday 7th October 3:30-5:45  Year8/9 Girls' Football vs. Woodbrook Vale (a) 3:30-5:45 Year 7 Boys' Rugby vs. Roundhill (a) Wednesday 8th October 12:30- 3:30 English schools cross country at Oakham Thursday 9th October 3:30- 6:00 Year 7/8/9 Boys' Football vs. Uppingham (a) Saturday 11th October 9:30-11:30 Cross Country League Race 2 at Longfield Monday 13th October 3:30-5:00 Volleyball Taster session 3:30-5:00 Year 7 B team Football vs. Longfield 3:30-5:00 Year 8 Football County Cup vs. Gartree (h) Wednesday 15th October 2:00- 7:00 Year 9 Girls' Football vs. Tile Wood School Coventry (a) 3:30-5:30 Year 7 National Cup vs. Myton School Thursday 16th October 3:30-5:45 Year 7/8/9 Boys' Football vs. Catmose (a) YEAR 7 FOOTBALL League vs. Longfield W 6-0 Sam Thorpe 4, Eddie McDonald and Luke Close The team were very confident after their win against Belvior and were hoping to gain revenge for their 1-0 defeat in their pre season friendly against Longfield.  Ferneley started brilliantly and were soon playing their best football of the season.  However they suffered a set back when George Boddy had to go off injured.  Substitute Alex Thorne came on and played brilliantly in the centre of defence. Sam Thorpe gave Ferneley the lead and Eddie McDonald made it 2-0 shortly after.  Another goal from Sam and a good finish from Luke Close made it 4-0 at half time.  Two early goals in the second half both from Sam Thorpe meant that Ferneley could relax for the last 20 minutes as they enjoyed a comfortable 6-0 win.  Well done to everyone. Man of the match Alex Thorne. YEAR 9 FOOTBALL League vs. Longfield home won 7 v 1 This was a much better performance by the team with some great passing. We turned round 3 v 0 up at half time and continued to play in the same positive manner in the second half eventually scoring a further 4 goals with Tom Czuchaj getting a hat trick. This was ideal preparation for the very tough game with Uppingham this week. Well done to all the squad. Mr T Smith The year 8 football team continued their unbeaten start to the season easily beating Longfield 6-1 AS ALL THREE TEAMS BEAT LONGFIELD IT MEANT WE REGAINED THE STEVEN HARRIS TROPHY WELL DONE TO EVERYONE CONCERNED GIRLS U-14 FOOTBALL League vs. Longfield W 2-1 Jade Chittenden Vicky Arno It was a nervous start for the team who had a lot of new players who were not used to playing together.  However driven on by Jade Chittenden, Hannah Pattison and Jess Baker the team got better and better.  However despite good defending from Lauren Smith and Sabrina Carter Longfield took the lead which they held onto at half time despite Ferneley hitting the post.  The second half was all Ferneley and their all out pressure was rewarded with goals from Vicky Arno and Jade Chittenden.  Next up Woodbrook Vale. NETBALL VS CATMOSE  02/10/08 (played 3 lots of ten minutes) YEAR 8 - WON 10-3 The Year 8 team got off to a slow start in their match against Catmose. After the first ten minutes the score was pretty low with our girls just nudging into the lead at 2-1! The game took off at a much better pace during the second quarter of ten, with the girls set play from the centre working beautifully between Georgie Brown, Imogen Greaves & Lizzie Best. Beccy Booth caught some high speed balls very well and shot these into the net from different angles of the D. Beth Lyles, Sam Van Doorn, Anna G.Teal & Georgie Brown managed to intercept balls where they could and spread it up court towards our attacking third. The Ladies finished the second quarter at 6-2 and went on to win the match at 10-3. Well done ladies! Players – Lizzie Best (C), Georgie Brown, Imogen Greaves, Rebecca Booth, Sam Van Doorn, Beth Lyles & Anna G Teal. Woman of the Match – Beth Lyles YEAR 9 – WON 12-2 The year nine squad also got off to a relatively slow start! Attack was always strong with the centre pass set play flowing beautifully between Fiona Donnachie, Alice Newton & Jess Mabbott with Sydney Davies in good support. However the shots just didn’t seem to want to go in (grit in the eyes from the astro!). The first ten minutes ended at 6-2 with our girls at a small lead advantage going into the second quarter. The girls couldn’t get the backline set play off the ground so we swapped over a couple of players to see if that would make a difference. The second ten minutes saw the teams evenly matched which was very frustrating as our girls had played a much better standard during training at lunch!!! In the whole of ten minutes our girls only scored once ending the second quarter at 7-2 with our girls feeling bewildered as to why the pace was so slow. As Jess Mabbott put it we certainly needed to ‘up the tempo’ in the last ten minutes – I gave the girls a 12 goal target, but preferable 15! The backline set play finally came into action and the girls were strong in both attack and defence in the last quarter with some super marking & interceptions form Jess Greaves, Jess Herries & Sydney Davies. The game ended with a spot on initial target of 12-2. Some lovely final shots were seen from Katy Chadwick & Jess Mabbott with Alice Newton working hard in support around the D. Well done ladies – a good end result considering we struggled to get in the ‘zone’ this game. We have got some serious training to do before the big County Tournament on the 26th November, but we can do it!!!!    Players – Jess Greaves (C), Fiona Donnachie, Alice Newton, Jess Mabbott, Sydney Davies, Katy Chadwick & Jess Herries. Woman of the Match – Alice Newton Thanks to parents who came to watch!   Girls' Basketball Year 9 vs. Sir Jonathon North. Lost 26-28 Practice has been going really well and the girls were looking forward to getting revenge against a team that comfortably beat us last year. The game started nervously, with both teams not really looking to go on the attack. It was a very close first quarter, with the scores at 4 a piece after a basket each from Jess Herries and Jess Mabbott. The second quarter we played far better, with super defence from Fiona Donachie and Charlie Proudman, along with some great lay-ups from the pair. We led at half time by just one basket (12-10) and knew that it would be a very tough second half. The loss of Charlie Proudman due to injury to her finger was a real blow for the team, but it did not let us stop playing and fighting every second. Jess Mabbott scored another 3 baskets in the third quarter, alongside Alex Van Doorn and Lizzie Golland who both scored one each. Going into the fourth quarter, all was tied at 22-22. After a refocus and a team talk, we decided to just go for it and play exactly how we had played. A basket from Lizzie Golland and Jess Herries was not quite enough as Jonny North managed 3 baskets in the fourth. It was a real shame as I thought Ferneley really deserved the win. What a game, girls! It couldn’t have been closer and we really do have the potential to do well this season! Well done to all who played! Woman of the match: Alex Van Doorn Players: Jess Mabbott, Jade Chittenden, Charlie Proudman, Emily Shaw, Fiona Donachie, Lizzie Golland, Jess Herries, Alex Van Doorn. Girls Football U12 vs.Longfield. Won 6-0 After their triumphant win against Jonny North the week previously, the confidence was oozing from the Year 7 football team, which put us in a great position to demolish our town rivals. In the first half we played well, with some great defensive clearances from Abi Geeson finding the likes of Anya Elliot and Connie Ingall to make some fantastic attacks. Our great play was rewarded not long into the first half with a great goal from Connie. We did miss a couple of chances after some great crosses from Anya Ingall. Longfield did attempt some attacking play, but didn’t get very far with great confidence and safety from Ellie Roberts in goal. On the half-time whistle, we were 2-0 up but decided in the team talk that we should be at least 4 or 5-0 up by now and that we would start playing our own game and to find more space and pass the ball around better, just like we had done so in practice. The team re-focussed and passed the ball around much more, with defence pushing up to pressure further in the second half. We scored a further four thoroughly deserved goals from Eden Glendinnig-Thomas, Emily Moore, Carly Simpson and Anya Elliot scored another to add to her first half goal. It was a very pleasing scoreline against a team who did very little to challenge us. Bring on the next game and more challenges! Well done, girls! What a cracker! Woman of the match: Anya Elliot     MONDAY 29th  SEPTEMBER 2008   FORTHCOMING FIXTURES Monday 29th September 3:30-5:30 Year 9 Girls' Basketball vs. J North (h) 3:30-5:30 Year 7/8 Girls' Football vs. J North (h) Wednesday 1st October 3:30-5:30 Year 8/9 Girls' and Year 7 Girls' Football vs. Longfield (a) Thursday 2nd October 3:30-5:30 Year 7/8/9 Football vs. Longfield at Mowbray Rangers Monday 6th October  3:30-5:00 Year 7 Football vs. Brookvale (h) Tuesday 7th October 3:30-5:45  Year8/9 Girls' Football vs. Woodbrook Vale (a) 3:30-5:45 Year 7 Boys' Rugby vs. Roundhill (a) Wednesday 8th October 12:30- 3:30 English schools cross country at Oakham Thursday 9th October 3:30- 6:00 Year 7/8/9 Boys' Football vs. Uppingham (a) Saturday 11th October 9:30-11:30 Cross Country League Race 2 at Longfield YEAR 7 FOOTBALL League vs. Belvior W 6-3 Sam Thorpe 2, Jake Burgoine 2, Luke Close and Tom Rigby After our battering last week the team and the manager were a little bit nervous about what was going to happen.  However we started very steadily and our nerves were calmed when Luke Close smashed one in from 25 yards.  The team then grew in confidence and really started playing well with Sam Thorpe getting a lot of freedom down the right.  After a run and a cross from Sam it was 2-0 after the ball went in off a defender.  However since the game a meeting of the dubious goals committee has awarded the goal to Jake Burgoine.  Sam made it 3-0 just before half time although their skilful forward pulled a goal back right on the whistle.  After half time the team knew the next goal was vital and fortunately Sam Thorpe got it for us.  However Belvior would not give up and scored again.  Jake then scored his second of the game before Belvior pulled another goal back.  Tom Rigby made the game safe with a great goal direct from a free kick.  Next up local rivals Longfield. YEAR 9 FOOTBALL League vs. Belvior lost 5-0 Despite the fact that the team was waiting for their opposition for nearly an hour they made a good start. Both teams created good chances without making the most of the opportunities. It was often our final pass that let us down hitting the ball with too much pace. We turned round 0 v 0 at half time, but had to make a change at the back due to injury. The change seem to affect the whole shape of the team with us giving away 2 very soft goals early on and we were then under pressure for the rest of the half. We conceded a further 3 goals. We need to forget about the poor second half performance and focus on the game against Longfield this week. Mr T Smith The year 8 football team continued their unbeaten start to the season easily beating Belvior 12-0 GIRLS' FOOTBALL U-13 County Cup vs. Jonathan North won 6-1 Ingall 2 Elliott 2 and Brown Despite the opposition only turning up with 8 this was still a great performance especially as the team is made up of Year 7s playing in a Year 8 cup.  Sam Van Doorn turned in a solid captain’s performance and Connie Ingall and Anya Elliott combined really well up front to score 5 goals between them.  Abbey Brown scored the other with a lovely curling shot.  Ellie Roberts in goal and Abi Roberts and Abi Geeson all turned in solid defensive performances.  Just waiting to see who we get in the next round. NETBALL vs. LONGFIELD (A) 25/09/08 YEAR 8 Pressure was on our girls for our first game against Longfield after such fantastic results last season. We managed to get an extra practice session in with our year 8’s this week in preparation in order to introduce them to a set play from the centre. Our girls worked very hard on this and it was our first opportunity to put it into action. They got off to an impressive start with Imogen Greaves and Lizzie Best getting free brilliantly to receive the ball on the centre pass. Georgie Brown had a stormer and dominated the game attacking our D superbly and feeding some great balls into Beccy Booth. The score at the end of the first 10 minutes was 11-1. The girls continued to go from strength to strength with Sam Van Doorn, Vicky Arno, Beth Lyles and Chloe Staples making some great interceptions on the odd occasion the ball made it down to our defending third! The final score was 24-2 the (game was cut short to 3 lots of ten minutes) and I have to say our year 8’s are looking much stronger already this year – well done ladies!!!!!! Players – Lizzie Best (C), Beth Lyles, Vicky Arno, Georgie Brown, Chloe Staples, Sam Van Doorn, Imogen Greaves, Rebecca Booth Woman of the Match – Georgie Brown   YEAR 9 Our year nines are trying to follow in the footsteps of 3 of our  previous Year 9 squads by remaining unbeaten in the league for the whole of Years 7, 8 & 9 (and hopefully continuing this into years 10 & 11!!!!) so the pressure really is on this team! The girls have great team cohesion which really influences their play allowing the ball to flow brilliantly between our attacking players –3 beautiful passes followed by a shot by Jess Mabbott who scored some absolute corkers!!!! She was supported brilliantly by Sydney Davies and Katy Chadwick inside the D and by Alice Newton on the edge of the D to finish the first ten minutes at 9-0. Fiona Donnachie, Jess Greaves, Jess Herries and Charlie Proudman spread the ball fantastically over the defending and centre thirds making plenty of interceptions along the way. Hannah Patterson and Jade Chittenden snatched up balls in the defending D when required and continued the attack by getting the ball out of our defending area as quickly as possible. The game was cut short and finished at 26-1 - the girls had been given a 25 goal target so managed to beat this and we even had a superb backwards roll mid game from Jade Chittenden as she was recovering from a potentially serious backwards collision!!! Great result ladies – well done, bring on the next opponents – wahoooooooooooooooooo!!!! Players – Jess Greaves (C), Jess Herries, Jess Mabbott, Charlie Proudman, Hannah Patterson, Jade Chittenden, Sydney Davies, Fiona Donnachie, Katy Chadwick, Alice Newton Woman of the Match – Jess Mabbott     CROSS COUNTRY First league race of the season and Ferneley had over 37 runners which was an excellent turnout.  I have not had the team results through yet but I will let you have them as soon as I have got them.  The individual results are as follows.  The Year 7 boys were first off and two runners made the top twenty which is an excellent achievement for their first race. Josh Wilson was 14th with Tom Lowe 20th.  They were backed up by James Scatchard in 32nd, Alex Lynott in 51st and Matt Pope in 65th.  The team was completed by Tom Ursell in 71st, Joel Thompson in 74th Jordy Macleod in 83rd, Edward Barker in 85th and Ben Fotheringham in 88th.  The Year 7 girls were next off and the first girl back was Lucy Golland who finished a very impressive 9th.   Next was Charlotte Tait who came 21st, this was after Charlotte had missed the bus from Ferneley but still got her Mum to drive her to Groby.  Emelia Herris was next home in 46th and the team was completed by Lucy Ball in 72nd, Alice Hack in 73rd and Charlotte Seagrave in 74th.  Francesca Williams unfortunately injured her arm and was unable to complete the course.  The Year8/9 girls were next off.  It is a tough year for Year 8s as they have to compete against Year 9 in all their races.  However our Year 9 girls ran very well with 3 in the top 20.  Charlotte Marsh was first back finishing in 10th followed by Lottie Jones who put in a great sprint finish to beat a girl from Belvior to come 11th, and Lizzie Golland had probably her best run ever for the school finishing 17th.  The Van Doorn girls were the next back with Alex finishing 44th and Sam 60th.  The team was completed by Lily Brewster in 81st and two debutants Jemma Cole finishing 82nd and Georgina Oakes finishing 84th.  The Year 8/9 boys were next off and the Year 8s not only had to run against Year 9s but double the distance they had to run from last year.  Two familiar faces were first back at the bag. Joe Pope coming in 16th and Jack Dolby 21st.  The next two runners had a great battle all the way round before Curtis Cotterill just pipped Connor Turbayne 40th to 41st.  Joe Sharpe was the first Year 8 back coming in 75th followed by Luke Roberts in 84th followed by four debutants George Allen 93rd, Daniel North 102nd, Patrick Newton 105th and Niall Kennedy 106th.  Luke Spiby had a brilliant run on the first lap but unfortunately misjudged the pace and had to drop out.  Next race is a week on Saturday at Longfield and I will be expecting all runners to improve their performance.  Well done all runners.