Co-Ed Sport Festival Day 2

Boys’ Football Tournament:

Day 2 of our Co-Ed Sport festival kicked off with a Boys’ Football Tournament, inviting the following schools to the LP pitches: St Joseph’s, Holyport, Sherfield and Maiden Erlegh. The LP U13s fielded two teams, with one winning the cup and the other placing second in the plate. Meanwhile, the LP U15 boys had three teams, one finishing as runners up in the cup and another securing second place in the plate. Some astonishing performances from our teams!

U14 Cricket:

The very first cricket fixture of the week, the U14s vs Sherfield, “went really well” according to Matt Richards, PE teacher, who was leading the Leighton Park team. Our team scored 55 runs off 8 overs against 44 runs for Sherfield with notable batting from James and Theo P and great contributions from bowlers Elouisa, Theo S and Moussa (all Year 9).

Elouisa (Year 9) was the only girl on the team today although in recent years we have fielded an all girls team and have had successful mixed teams playing in U13 and U15 fixtures. Elouisa has been playing hard ball cricket since aged 7 and is confident in her capability: “I play with the boys because I’ve been playing all my life so it’s not hard for me. I really hope that the Co-Ed Festival of Sport will raise awareness for girls’ sports and mixed sports. I think that is really good thing that we should be doing at LP because then I think that some of the sexism will be conquered and it can be more equalised. I don’t have a problem with LP students, they’ve always been fine but I have had a problem with some other teams. It can sometimes be a bit scarey because you don’t know what’s going to come at you but the other team today were really supportive.”

Matt commented, “Elouisa loves cricket. She really enjoys it and she’s very switched on with the game. It’s quite clear to see that all the boys respect her cricketing ability. She bowls arguably more consistently than most and her batting is very competent as well. You can see her cricket knowledge in the field, she knows how to field, how to position herself, how to throw the ball, when to throw the ball. She fits in really well. It’s amazing that everyone is happy to play together and it’s good that everyone here been so accepting of mixed sports like this.”

Boxing:

Year 9 and 10 were lucky to experience an introductory workshop to Boxing with coaching professional, Liam Alloway. In a mixed Year 9 and 10 class of boys and girls, students practiced moving quickly from left to right, focusing on maintaining the correct stance and balance throughout. They worked on executing fast left and right jabs, with burpee and press-up penalties introduced for those whose reactions were too slow, keeping the group alert and engaged. Alongside this, students explored the strategic reasons why boxers use different techniques, such as body shots, to gain an advantage over their opponents. Emphasis was also placed on defensive tactics, particularly footwork, to help avoid punches and stay in control during movement.

Liam Alloway expressed just why sports like Boxing are important to young people: “It ultimately teaches people about respect, between each other, working with new people and self-discipline. There’s a big misconception of boxing being about punching, it’s not. There’s lots of defensive work as well behind it. A couple of games that boxers can use to improve their skills, a bit of partner work and learning to work with each other and ultimately replicating what will happen when they go to a boxing gym, which are a big part of communities and teach people great values that they can bring to society”.

Junior House Tennis:

Completing the day, the final round of the three-part House Tennis competition also took place today, with the Juniors having their turn on the courts. We now eagerly await the combined results from the Fryer, Junior, and Senior events, which will be announced during Collect this Friday, 13th June.

See our Sport Festival photos here!