Games and Extra-Curricular - Results
1ST XI Boys Hockey Team v Robert Gordon's College
On a very cold and very frosty Saturday morning on 06th December, the 1st XI arrived at Forthbank's nearly frozen hockey pitch. Much of the possession in the first half was ours and after 15 minutes F Sivewright received a great pass from A Whittaker, and showing composure in front of the goalkeeper, scored a great first goal! We were awarded a penalty flick and F Robertson was brave enough to step up to the mark, however, narrowly missed passing the right post. The boys showed some good tackling skills and did well to hang onto a 1-0 win. Player of the Match was F Sivewright for his great attempts at goal when in the circle, including a diving shot and his endurance throughout the match. This was a great high to finish this half of the season and a much improved performance from all players in the team.
2ND XI Boys Hockey Team v Robert Gordon's College
Having watched the 1st XI for the second half, these boys were given plenty of time to switch on to the hockey frame of mind and had a good warm up. Robert Gordon managed to score a strong goalpo leaving the half time score 1-0 against us. M Dewer made some great fast runs on the left into space which created many good attacking plays. The second half proved a somewhat different story. Robert Gordon 1st XI came out to support their 2nd XI team; their cheers and encouragement made our boys feel slightly intimated and three goals were scored in quick succession. Player of the Match was a double award for A Clelland and J Differ, who, as two of the older players in the team, kept the team spirit up and showed their determination and stamina right up to the final whistle. This was a great experience for the boys and will definitely help them deal with external pressures - they were composed and controlled their emotions throughout the match, and as a result, showed they are a credit to the school!
Senior Football Team
17th October v University of Stirling IV Team
Beaconhurst senior football team got its first taste of action before Half Term with a training game against a competitive University of Stirling IV Team. Beaconhurst dominated in the first third and scored a well-worked goal with Neil McGregor finishing neatly on a one-on-one with only the keeper to beat. The boys acquitted themselves greatly even though we were missing a couple of the more regular players who were unavailable or injured. Notably, the Black brothers who were heavily involved playing as full backs, used the space available well and allowed Beaconhurst time and space to work the ball through the mid field and then towards out strikers. Overall, the training game gave the coaches the correct game-like situations to allow certain players the chance to work on their own positions and also learn to functionally work as a team.
Well done boys!
Boys Hockey
4th October 2008 v George Watson's College
1st XI
Having supported the finishing minutes frtom the 2nd XI boys, the 1st XI knew it would be a close and tough match against George Watson's. The game started off very even and both sides played skilful hockey. Beaconhurst had a tendency to hold onto the ball for a fraction too long, and if released early, could have created more attacking opportunities, especially whiz kid S Gallacher up front. Watson's had one particularly strong player who scored with a drag flick from a penalty corner and then managed to add to that with a shot in the second half. It was great to see Beaconhurst stay committed for ther whole match and really put in all their effort until the end - even with J Clelland taking a chunk out of his knee and F Robertson's injury in the closing minutes the boys pulled through with their strong team spirit!
2nd XI
Starting a hockey match first thing in the morning when it is raining and cold is mentally not the easiest circumstance to deal with, but on Saturday, 04th October, the 2nd XI boys showed their determination and enthusiasm and played brilliantly throughout the match. At half time George Watson's had managed to score one and Beaconhurst had played great hockey and so deserved at least a draw. J Sivewright dribbled passed four defenders and dived whilst shooting towards goal, narrowly missing the post. In the second half, he then managed to score two of our goals demonstrating close skills and a calmness in the circle. George Watson's equalised with a good strike at goal and so it was 2-2 with ten minutes still to play - game on!
2nd/1st Year
For some of these boys this was their first ever full 11-a-side hockey match and so they were incredibly excited about the match! Some turned up early and managed to see some of the 1st XI game, which was great for them! As their match started every boy on the pitch was doing everything he could to gain and keep possession. Some great passes between J Towers and B Wilkinson in the first half. George Watson's scored two goals in the first half though our boys were not put off. B Wilkinson equalised and scored the two Beaconhurst goals. After such a close match, George Watson's scored the winning goal as Beaconhurst were re-shuffling the team so all in all, it was a cracking game to start their Beaconhurst hockey careers!
Girls Hockey
20th September 2008 v Craigclowan Prep School
Transition
Playing away from home again was an exciting experience for the Transition Girls, especially for the five new girls playing for the first time. The Craigclowan girls were very welcoming and on the pitch were very skilful and determined. Beaconhurst girls were defending for the majority of the match and at half time it was decided to mix the teams. This proved to be beneficial for both sides and the second half was a great game for everyone. Player of the Match was Holly Plamer who put in some great tackles and showed some strong potential.
U13A
Craigclowan were able to field two teams for U13 which meant we could play as many players of that age and younger as we could. Beaconhurst took a wee while to get into the hockey frame of mind and should have created some more attacking opportunities to beat the Craigclowan defence. However, at half time the score was 2-0 to Craigclowan. Our girls played very well in the second half of the match, working very much as a team on the pitch. The final score did not reflect how our girls played as the defending and midfield was strong and it showed we now know the area needing work. Louise Marshall was given Player of the Match, thanks to her playing in all three matches!
U13B
This side had supported the Transition and U13A teams while they were on and were therefore keen to go on and knew the standard they were up against! In the first half our girls were confident and showed they had good practised skills as a team and were able to create a few shots on target. Craigclowan managed to score from a hard hit and at half time were up 1-0. We managed to keep the second half equal and so the score finished 1-0 to Craigclowan. The Player of the Match was given to Louise Paul, as one of the new players in the team and new to hockey. She has come on leaps and bounds and showed great determination on the pitch. This exciting play from Beaconhurst could have been partly due to the massive support from both teams at the side and it is very pleasing to see the girls all supporting each other from the side.
30th August 2008 v Queen Vistoria School
Seniors
As the senior girls had no fixture, it was a good opportunity for the squad going to Canada to play as a team, against a select eleven. It proved to be an exciting game, and both teams had chances to score in the first half, but the half-time score was 0-0. After the break, the Canada team got off the mark with a scrambled goal from A MacKenzie. This opened the flood gates, and although play continued to move from end to end, it was the Canada squad who took advantage of their chances. M Hogg scored 1, and H Wilkinson 2, before R Haywood finally beat the keeper to give a 4-1 result. Some good saves from R Ellison in goal merit a mention, but V Beckham won the Player of the Match award for an amazing goal-line stop and good play throughout.30th August 2008
This Saturday heralded the start of the season - a very full one - as one team hosted Queen Victoria School, and two teams travelled to Dunblane to play their first matches.
Home game 1st X1
For the first game of the season we took 15 girls to the pitch to play against Queen Victoria School on Saturday, 30th August. We were taken aback by the speed and controlled skills our opposition demonstrated and we struggled at the start to find a way through them. However, as the game progressed we played much better and our general spatial awareness and protection of the ball was good. Though the girls fought hard and tried to score, Queen Victoria won 5-0. We will be working on fitness this season and it is hoped this will improve our performance for the whole match. Player of the match awarded to P Inglis.
Away Games
The 2nd/3rd year girls team started well, getting into the opponents circle, and gaining the opportunity to score in the first minute of play. Unfortunately, this proved to be a rare occurrence! As the game progressed, QVS proved to be more skilful and faster to the ball and took advantage of their superior play scoring four goals in the first half. Due to unforeseen circumstances, this team did not have a goal-keeper. However, L Marshall, the 1st year keeper, bravely stepped in and made some good saves throughout the game.
QVS sportingly offered to change the goal-keepers around in the second half, and as Beaconhurst began to play with a little more determination, the game was slightly better balanced. The hosts scored once more for 5-0 victory. Beaconhurst girls have lots to practise in the forthcoming seasion to improve skills and teamwork. Player of the match was H Wilkinson.
The 1st year girls were very eager to get the season off to a winning start, and were striking at the opposition goal from the start. They were stunned however, when QVS scored first. This did not deter the players who renewed the attack through some good play from Player of the Match - J Lowrie, and through good teamwork. A Shephard equalised for Beaconhurst, and this opened the flood gates as she scored another four. K Tobin scored two and J Whittaker, one. QVS scored a second to give a final score of 8-2.
Well done 1st year team - your enthusiasm was great to see!
