Sports updates

U14 Boys Badminton

Our Round 1 of the U14 Plymouth Schools combined our Devon county player with debutants to school sport. We had competitive games throughout, with experienced and beginner players combining well as took on Stoke then TBH.

Our first match started with a dominant display from Sam P which was followed up with increasingly confident doubles play from Teddy, Chip, Joe and Noah to take the match 4-1.

In the interval, Sam P (Yr8) showed astute tournament tactics by taking on the Torbridge High teacher in a singles challenge, running him around the court so he was out of breath for their pre-match team talk. Our following match versus Torbridge High had mixed successes but again, our Yr7s learned quickly and progressively played more positively against the older Yr9 opposition. Games went down to the wire with Torbridge edging victory 3-2.

Overall, a fantastic fixture enjoyed by all players and our great parents who could make it to watch. Special thanks to our ever-present Mr Potter for running our Badminton Club and enthusing our players to represent the school.

U16 Girls Badminton

Our girls proved that practice makes improvement, and confidence wins matches.

Our fist match was a continuation from Round 1 and we were already 3 games up versus Stoke. Immy B was first up, with a convincing win 15-1; even compassionately coaching her opposition join the game. Then Lilly G and Franz B combined to show their improved power and tactical serving to take their game and finish our match against Stoke 5-0.

Our final game was versus DHSG; in which Emmy overcame sibling rivalry and each doubles partnership worked well together by powerfully combining clears with better dropshots. We took the match 3-2. Most Improved Player Award goes to Franz B 😊

Yr7 Boys Football National Cup

A convincing win against Stoke at the ECC Arena with our boys playing some neat passing football, despite heavy conditions, to take the game 5-1.

Yr8 Netball – Plymouth League

We played a good Hele’s team and competed well with Coombe Dean. We showed tenacity but the other teams showed competitive compassion and greater netball know-how to take victories 28-1 and 19-1.

Devon Table Tennis Team Championships @ ECC

150 competitors – 10 schools. 20 tables all playing synchronously thanks to the organisational wizardry of Graham and Cheryl Pearson plus brilliant volunteers from Joola TT Club.

With nervous but excited Yr8s up to Yr11s we played for each other and celebrated successes throughout.

Yr11 boys – they are now 3rd in Devon! Brilliant progress and they have all topped up their Sport Studies performance grades to maximum as a bonus!

Yr8 girls – learnt quickly and gained confidence through the day to take 3rd place overall.

Yr8 boys – competed with tenacity and tactics against Yr9 opposition and came 5th overall.

Player of the Tournament – Parker LB (Yr8)

U14 Girls Football – National Cup

Having beaten Lipson convincingly in the previous round we travelled to Torquay Grammar School with confidence.

Wow, what a difference a round makes! The Torquay girls were strong and skilled, and pressured and closed down so that we had little time to settle. We competed and kept challenging but with the majority of possession they were able to repeatedly attack and took their chances to win 5-0. The bus was quiet on the journey home but the girls will show their resolve and go again in the Plymouth Cup and schools league.

West Devon Cross Country Championships

We had to leave our Yr10 teams at school due to transport capacity but we fielded full teams of boys and girls from Yr7 and Yrs 8/9. Our runners knew that hard work and tenacity would be needed for success on a muddy track – and they didn’t disappoint!

The Yr8/9 girls had mainly Yr8 runners but they all showed their talents and lung power to stay close and work together. Lilly G was first ECC girl back in 13th place and West Devon selection a probable reward.

Our Yr8/9 boys team competed in the biggest field of runners and pushed hard to get one place higher with 4th place overall. Sonny L (Yr8) came top of this ECC crop and may get West Devon selection with 16th place.

With great team running helping us gain a great silver 2nd, our Yr7 girls were led home by Olivia ES.

Our Yr7 boys fulfilled their running talents and dominated the field. All 8 runners came in the top 23 and we were clearly ahead in the team event to claim gold and the title of West Devon Champs! Dan L came super 2nd, with Jack K in 3rd, closely followed by Blake W in 6th and Ben L on his heels in 8th. With the remaining runners packing within 8 seconds of each other at 18,19,20 and 23rd – we took the win convincingly.

Devon Schools Championships are scheduled for 24th January 2026 at Exeter Arena and it’s exciting to have potentially 6 ECC runners representing West Devon.

Yr9 Plymouth Schools Rugby Festival

Rain and thick mud at the start and snorkels needed by the end!

With parents brilliantly volunteering to help with transport we took a big squad of 20 players with high hopes of improving on last year after some pleasing recent progress in the Cup and Plymouth league.

First up though were tournament favourites DHSG, packed with club players they showed tactical teamwork and quick feet to snatch every opportunity and start us off on the wrong foot with a loss.

Still smarting we immediately took on Stoke and started slowly to let their speedsters through gaps and take an undeserved 10-0 lead. Team talk done – the team knew what to do and dominated the rest of the game. Stoke defended like demons though and our battering ram tactics didn’t pay off. A close range try was earned by Tommy R and another disallowed but the final score was a disappointing 5-10 defeat.

With renewed tactics to spread it wider and use our quick players we took on Lipson and started to get in the groove, offloading in contact and getting through gaps to win 10-0 in the increasing rain and wind.

After a lunch break from the weather followed by a wet and wild warm up we took on Plympton Academy in a deluge. Soaked but shining brighter we played our best tactical game so far – continuing to inter-change passes and exploit space to run in 3 tries from Theo C (2) and Jude W to win 15-0.

With confidence filling we started brightly against Coombe Dean on a quagmire pitch, quickly becoming an actual mud-bath. Ankle deep in places, play could not continue and at 0-0 a judicious draw was agreed. Alfie W celebrated with an inelegant but effective swan-dive along the swampy sidelines.

St Boniface’s were already in the changing rooms getting warm so that was that; our remaining game curtailed, bin bags for bus seats handed out and parents called to collect.

3rd overall was a fair result and a big, big improvement on dead-last in 2024.

Wel done boys – soaked and saturated by making progress each game. We’ve got the West Devon Plate matches to finish our season so we’ll keep trying to play wide passing rugby to get all involved.

Players of the Festival – Yr9: Tommy R. Yr8: Theo W.