April 2017 Newsletter

The second half of the season has been, in some senses, rather frustrating, with the first three games of 2017 being lost by 3, 1 and 6 points respectively. Perhaps even more frustratingly, these were against tough opposition; teams that we have struggled to compete with in recent seasons. So getting so close without a win was a great shame.

However, competing well against the likes of Bishop Vesey and Adams’ Grammar did spur us on to even better performances we went on to win our final three matches against Queen Mary’s Walsall, KE Aston and KE Stratford; all three by a comfortable margin. The Aston game was a typically gritty affair played out in tough conditions at Trinity Road, but our sheer determination won out in the end and we earned a memorable win. The final game against Stratford was far more of a spectacle, with our first half performance in particular showing signs of some of the best rugby played by a Camp Hill 1^st XV in some years. Our game plan has taken some time to hone, but we now have it off to a fine art and a good KE Stratford side simply had no answer to it, allowing us to score six high quality tries.

Perhaps playing with a slightly more settled squad than in recent times, this year has seen a tremendous juxtaposition of older and younger players, with the stalwarts demonstrating their experience and guile and the youngsters showing their flair and glimpses of what the future might hold. And so the prospects in senior rugby are looking good, but the season is not quite over yet! We are now looking forward to our annual tour, travelling again this year to the South West and into Cornwall. With three tough fixtures to look forward to I will refrain from saying too much more here and will report more fully in the Chronicle. I will also say more about our senior players at that point, but I must mention our Captain and Vice-Captain here. Ed Connolly and Tom Haddon have been simply superb this year, both on and off the field; as leaders, as role models, as administrators, and more. Their team mates owe them a debt of gratitude, as do I.

Thank you also to all who have supported the team through good and bad times. Have a good Easter break and let’s hope for an enjoyable and successful tour.
AJC
Newsletter Report U15 Rugby

After the euphoria of winning the Greater Birmingham tournament the U15 rugby team headed into the New Year looking to build on this success. Unfortunately, the second half of the season has somewhat been curtailed by the many abandoned games due to waterlogged pitches. However, we did manage to play and win fixtures against Arden and Adams Grammar School. In addition to this the team also enjoyed an excellent end of season tour to Carlisle.

Adams Grammar was a tough, hard fought victory against a good quality side. Playing on the first team pitch at Camp Hill allowed the team to play with extra freedom with plenty of space to move the ball outside and utilise the pace in the backs. Judah Daniels certainly has pace and he was able to weave his magic and score two excellent tries. Equally impressive was Michael James-Thomas who finished off an excellent team try, showing great power to finish in the corner. Oliver Ebenezer also added a crucial penalty and conversion to allow Camp Hill to run out victors 20-12. Man of the match was Simon Halstead who covered virtually every blade of grass in the match.

The subsequent fixture against Arden was a high scoring 48-19 victory for Camp Hill. This was a very pleasing win and was achieved by playing some brilliant rugby which was very pleasing on the eye. Jason Tahiri (2), Judah Daniels, Leon Zhang, Ayub Ali, Oliver Ebenezer and Nikhil Gupta (all 1) managed to get on the score sheet with some impressive scores. Man of the match in this encounter was Jason Tahiri who showed power and pace playing at number 8.

The finale to the season saw a trip up north to Carlisle for the annual Junior tour. The statistics for the season before the trip showed that Camp Hill had won seven, lost six and drawing 1 game during the season. With three games to be played whilst away, it was in Camp Hills hands to come away with a ‘winning’ season. The first game on tour was played at a very windy but dry; Cockermouth School which was a very physical encounter; unfortunately Camp Hill were on the wrong end of a 12-7 score line. Judah Daniels scored the consolation try for the away side. Flanker Henry Moreau-Smith was Man of the Match with a superb display, especially at the breakdown.

The following morning the team made the trip north of Carlisle to the Scottish Borders to play Hawick Rugby club in a new addition to the tour fixture list. To add to the excitement the game was also played on a 4G artificial pitch, which was a first for many of the boys in the team. It was clear from the outset that Camp Hill were going to be up against it, with the home team scoring a superb try in the opening few minutes with a very slick backs move. Hawick then proceeded to run in 3 more tries before half time. To get Camp Hill credit we did not let our heads drop and battled valiantly. This was rewarded with a try from Joe Clark and Man of the Match Kieron Taylor. Unfortunately, it was little too late and Hawick eventually won 29-12.

The final game of the season was against Carlisle Rugby Club. Camp Hill blew their opposition away in this game and were fantastic right from the outset. It was great to see how the team pulled together in what was their last ‘junior’ game of rugby and play some outstanding rugby both in attack and defence. Tries were scored by Belal Stitan, Joe Clark, Jason Tahiri and Judah Daniels, along with three conversions from Oliver Ebenezer. Camp Hill ran out victors 26-17.

In a rollercoaster season the team finished up winning eight games, losing the same number and drawing one. It has been a brilliant season to be part of, the team spirit and comradery is superb and the boys can seriously play. The future is bright and I look forward to seeing how the boys develop when playing senior rugby. I would like to end by saying a huge thank you to all the parents who have supported throughout the season as well as Josh Birch who has been a superb leader of the side.

The two matches that we did play before tour had contrasting fortunes. Against Adams the team played some fine rugby and deserved their 22-15 success. Against Arden the boys were beaten perhaps before setting foot on the pitch. Our approach and commitment to defence was not up to standard and we slipped to a disappointing 27-5 loss.

So then we moved on to the annual Cumbrian adventure that is the Junior Rugby Tour. We travelled in high expectation of three games in three days, with all things tour thrown in including ten pin bowling, laser quest, air hockey, fast food joints and a tiny bit of downtime!

As it turned out the tour was a huge success as we won all three games convincingly, scoring 166 points in the process whilst conceding just 10. Cockermouth (46-0), Hawick (50-10) and Carlisle (70-0) were all put to the sword as the boys played an expansive brand of highly entertaining rugby. Players of the tour were Richard Amoshe and Ross Evans, Ross was also the season’s leading try scorer (24) for the third year in a row. Richard’s further claim to fame is that he is the sole member of the squad to have played in every match over three years, outstanding commitment and achievement. Dylan Rees scored the pick of our many tour tries for his outrageous but very skilful effort on the Hawick 3G pitch.

Season awards went to Max Amarilli (best forward), Fintan Hogan (best back) and Hateem Javaid (most improved). Usmaan Nadeem was recognised for his captaincy of the squad for the year.

My thanks to all the boys who represented the team and who gave up much time at training, including the unsung heroes of the B team whose enthusiasm for the game has been a breath of fresh air. And finally to my co-coach, Mrs Bourne who has supported me and the boys throughout what has been a very rewarding season.

To the U14 squad of 2016-2017, you are the Team of the Year! Well done.

MWD
U.13 XV Rugby Report

The ‘usual suspects’ of early Spring term weather, frozen and waterlogged pitches have put paid to the second half of the U.13 season. There have only been two Saturday matches played in 2017 resulting in a playing record of P 14 W 6 L 8, but when you consider that five of those wins all came before half the October half term, it confirms the way in which the season has drifted away from the U.13s.

However, typically ‘the stats’ do not tell the whole story and there are a lot of positives for the squad to take away from the season. They achieved significant wins against Bablake 32-24, KES twice! 50-15 & 45-10, Old Swinford Hospital 35-10 & King Henry’s Coventry 40-27. All notable scalps on our regular fixture list.

Looking back, a significant turning point of the season was the dramatic last second loss to KE Aston 42-43. Whilst the referee (who shall remain nameless!!) must bear some of the responsibility for that particular result, it was the game that began a series of matches where Camp Hill narrowly lost out to opponents they could have beaten: KE Lichfield 15-26, QM Walsall 20-35 & KE Fiveways 15-25. In all of these performances, the team spurned attacking opportunities and then made poor tactical and defensive errors at crucial moments, thus letting the game slip out of their grasp. However, the team should console itself in the knowledge that despite losing, they really were not very far away from their opponents and could easily turn these results around next year. Indeed, the match against KE Fiveways was probably the team’s best performance of the season playing with an intensity not seen in the early stages of the season.

If the team needs any further confirmation that rugby matches are often won by fine margins, it came with the annual Greater Birmingham Cup. Unlucky to lose to KE Fiveways 0-5 in the opening group game, the team went on to draw with Fairfax 10-10 and beat KE Sheldon 25-10 & finally KES 10-5 in the fifth/sixth play off. Meanwhile, our opponents from the first match, KE Fiveways were winning the competition against KE Aston!

Yet another U.13 season has come to an end and the boys can console themselves in the knowledge that their results do not reflect the progress they have made as a team. They have been a great squad to work with and I am confident that they can go on to achieve more success in the full version of the game; 15 players, line outs, conversions! Some individuals deserve a special mention at this point. Captain, George Lanham has led the team by example and his presence was missed when injured towards the end of the season. Simeon Humphries, Will Taylor, Joe Day, Karim Mehanna and Sam Satodia have all been ever present, significantly scoring over 50 tries between them. However, Joe Day deserves additional praise not only for his individual 21 try contribution, but his regular ‘man of the match’ performances.

Can I end with a thank you to: Mr Eckley & Mr Taylor for their help and support, the loyal band of parents who have been on the touchline and the Year 10 pupils whose assistance at training has been very much appreciated. Well done the U.13s and good luck next year!

CMJ
U12 Rugby Newsletter Report – Spring 2017

A slow start from the boys saw them lose by only one try to each of Fiveways and Aston, who would go on to take first and second place respectively. After a thumping 25-0 beating of Kings Norton their confidence was up and they went on to beat one of our strongest rivals, KES, on their own turf 15-10. Another close loss by one try to Bishop Vesey could have seen them rise up the ranks if they hadn’t let in two soft tries, but they rounded off the afternoon with a comprehensive 20-0 thrashing of Sheldon Academy who took the wooden spoon for the afternoon. Their finishing position of 4^th place could have been very different if they had started stronger. However, the string of winning performances was an important step forward for the team after a string of defeats earlier in the season and a long period without games. Special mention should go to the top try-scorer of the afternoon, Somto Achusiogu along with Harvey Collett and Vernon Kenworthy who each scored their own tries. Excellent game management from no.9 Paul Kelly and fly-half Jobe Simpson ensured the team played well together and some barnstorming runs from Asadullah Khan and Humza Rana helped us to gain ground throughout each of the games.

Depite a tough first year for the 2016-17 cohort the boys have shown incredible character and resilience to stick together as a team and despite some early losses they have developed well together and will no doubt go on to many more victories over the coming years.
Mr Eckley.

1^st XI Hockey

Another great term for the 1^st XI Hockey team. The intensity levels remained high and the team consistently scored goals. This team has made excellent progress over the season and the boys have been a pleasure to coach. The highlight of the term and the season came in the final game. A match against a KES Under 16 team that had only lost one match all season, the National Final of the HA Cup. At half time the score was 4-0 to KES despite Camp Hill competing equally with them. Camp Hill came out in the second half and outplayed KES scoring 3 times to KES’s twice. A great finale for a strong team.

With eight of the team leaving this year, next year’s team will have a lot to live up to.

TJW
2nd XI Hockey 

This term the 2nd XI achieved similar results to those from last term. The first match versus Lawrence Sheriff was a big surprise since they turned out to be a much more accomplished side than last year, when we played them 3 times and completed the full spectrum of results by winning, losing and drawing. Similarly, Oldswinford proved too strong, but they only have one side, so field some players who would qualify at a 1^st XI standard. 5 Ways have an astroturf, so will always be better prepared. After these defeats the team bounced back and put together a string of 3 successes. Goals from Tom Mansfield, Alex Lee, Abaan Butt and Matt Sherwood were pleasing, yet in the match against Queen Mary’s, Max Johnson stepped up to not only score his first ever goal for the team but scored twice. The excitement that followed was nearly matched by Matt Sherwood’s goal celebrations! Another significant achievement was keeping a clean sheet for the 3 games which is due to superb defensive performances from Vamsi Pratapa, Sunil Patel, Pranav Thatipanula, Johannes Beckett, Craig Stewart and especially our goalkeeper Dhyan Naik. This admirable form fell by the wayside when confronting KES, but they also have an astroturf so we lost! With one game left the boys were still confident ……. however, Bablake cancelled which was a huge disappointment! The team also suffered this term from missing vital key players such as Umar Lakhani and Victor Kimani due to injury; both of whom played in matches for the 1^st XI. Other players who contributed extensively to the team include James Mander, Jamie John, Yusuf Ali, Rohan Johanputra and, of course, captain Isara Mahalekam who inspired many on the field and especially with team talks at half-time! Most valuable player awards went more frequently to Dhyan, Johannes and Abaan, and these players will undoubtedly be significant contributors to the 1st XI next year.

Isara Mahalekam L5

This year was perhaps one of the more successful of years for the U14 hockey team of KE Camp Hill, with a total of 2 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses. Throughout the season the side showed a sense of discipline and maturity on the pitch, and improved their skill in the sport as shown by their performance in games. The first match of the season saw an agonising draw against a tough Aston side, with no goals being scored. The first win came against an inexperienced Old Swinford side, as shown by the results, leading to a dominant 12-0 victory for Camp Hill. The U14 gained another win against the same side later in the season with a result of 8-1. Arguably one of the best performances by the team in the season came in a 2-2 draw against an incredibly tough Queen Mary’s side, where the team showed great resilience throughout the match. Two losses came from KE Five Ways, who dominated both matches and outlined the flaws the team had and what to improve on for the coming years. The final match of the season was against an improved Aston side, with the final score being 3-1 to Aston. The performance in this match showed great improvement in how the team played compared to the start of the season, with all round better skill and technique being shown. With practice comes experience, something that a lot of the team did not have at the start of the season, but as the season progressed the team improved, and as next season approaches the team will have much more experience in the game.  (edit - WT: I’d like to apologise to Mr Taylor for destroying his 100% record of no losses in charge of Hockey) HB.

What a pleasure it has been to look after the squad this year. With only a few club players with any real experience, the whole squad has worked hard to improve their individual skills and understanding of the game. Constant work on basic skills and fitness really did show on the pitch. KE Five Ways, or KE England Hockey as I like to call them, were simply too advanced for us, but we never gave up!

The 20 man squad is ably led by Humraj ‘I’m going to dribble the length of the pitch’ Bansal. Thank you HB for your support this year. You will reap the benefits of giving game time to all squad members next year. Keep the faith.

Our keeper Tom ‘I use my ankle bones to block shots’ Heppel definitely deserves a mention. Even if it is just for having to run the length of the field at half time in a rig-out that is clearly not designed for running.

Sam ‘I’d like to try on the keeper’s kit when I get the chance’ Gray, did a sterling job stepping into the GK role and is proving to be a valuable asset for match reports, fetching the kit but perhaps more importantly as a hard working defensive player.

For a very inexperienced team, you have done yourselves proud this year. I look forward to hearing your results as U15. 

WT

Under 15 Hockey

The Under 15s continued to improve this term with another good game against Old Swinford and a much improved performance against Aston. Against Aston, the team listened to the advice given in how to deal with their one good player. The tactics paid off and the match remained even throughout despite a 0-2 scoreline.

Tour resulted in another thoroughly enjoyable three matches with the boys competing well in all the games even though one team had a Scottish International. Mr Hardy was impressed with the enthusiasm and I am looking forward to seeing some or all of them represent the school at senior level.

TJW
U15 Basketball Team-March Newsletter Report

The under 15 basketball team have had a frustrating term, both in terms of results and through fixtures being cancelled. Although Camp Hill were scheduled to play four games to complete the league season, unfortunately only two games were able to be played due to two teams in the league unable to put a team on court.

However, we did manage to play against St Thomas Aquinas and Lordswood. The first of which was a fantastic game played in excellent spirit by both sides. Tommy Ransbotyn, Michael James-Thomas, Judah Daniels and Yusuf Elsherbiny all scored 4 points to place Camp Hill in a good position to win the game. Unfortunately, St Thomas Aquinas scored two baskets in the last thirty seconds to win the game 18-16. The next game against Lordswood was a very tough encounter. The hall was small and we struggled to adapt early on, meaning the home team ran away with an early lead. Going into half time, we were a fair way behind and we had nothing to lose going into the final two quarters. Camp Hill responded very well with scores from Matt Dixon (6), Karthik Bharaduaj (6), Tommy Ransbotyn (4), Simon Halstead, Yusuf Elsherbiny, Mohammad Farooq (all 2). Unfortunately, we finished up on the wrong side of a 35-22 score line.

With the final two games ending in defeat it meant this year we finished out of contention for the end of season play-offs. The final statistics show that we won three and lost three matches over the course of the season. The team have once again been a joy to work with and their efforts throughout the year mean they deserve a huge amount of credit. Well done to all of the squad on another good season.

TJB
U13 BASKETBALL

The side’s next opponents were Bishop Challoner and we played well to win 30-8, Zach Hobson Taher and Sam Morris leading the way with 8 points each. Our next match against Lordswood was rearranged three times before they eventually conceded, handing us a hollow win, one with little experience or development. Then we went to the Nishkam School in what would actually prove to be our final fixture of the term! However, the team undoubtedly played their best game in winning 46-13. Both offence and defence were strong and it was pleasing to see all players get on the scoresheet, even Rufus and Abdullah! Joe Day hit 11 points, Sam 10 and Jack Johnson 8.

So the team record for the season was third place and bronze medals in an U14 tournament, four wins and one loss in the U13 league. This meant there was a strong chance that we would qualify for the play-offs. Regrettably, we only learnt in the final week of term that this was indeed the case, a match against the other league’s winners – Baverstock – will hopefully be arranged for early next term.

My thanks to all the boys who represented the team and who gave up much time at training.