Last week was a fantastic one for our athletes, with numerous impressive performances across a variety of sports. From cross-country to lacrosse, netball to swimming, our students demonstrated incredible skill, determination, and team spirit. Several of our teams and individuals achieved podium finishes and secured victories, making it a week full of achievements to be proud of. Here’s a look at some of the highlights from their outstanding efforts.
Cross-Country
Twelve of our students were selected to represent Richmond in the Middlesex Cross-Country Championships on Tuesday. The first race of the day was the Minor Girls race. Four of our athletes took part, they all ran brilliantly, with each of them finishing inside the Top 11. Congratulations to Alice (Thirds), who finished 2nd overall. The next race was the Junior Girls who faced tough competition but ran extremely well. Congratulations to Eloise (Lower 4) who finished 16th overall and was in the youngest year of the age category. Congratulations to our two Inter Girls, Isla and Holly, who faced a very muddy course. Despite the tough, muddy conditions they ran brilliantly, finishing in the Top 20 and 30 respectively. Well done to all the athletes who represented their Borough tremendously.
Netball
On Monday our U12 A-F teams played Godolphin and Latymer School. It was great to see so many students out playing some competitive netball, putting into practice everything we have been working on in our sessions. The matches were highly competitive and, despite losing four out of the six games, we were particularly impressed with the development of the players skills. Well done to our D and F winning both their games 10-4. Congratulations to our Players of the match: Jemima, Annie, Jane, Elise, Alara and Shanaya.
On Tuesday, our U15A, B and C teams also played Godolphin & Latymer School. The three teams played well in their combinations and units, demonstrating their confidence and skills. The A team played well, finishing with a draw 10-10, whilst the B team had a good match, narrowly missing out on a draw with a narrow one goal loss. The C team had a cracking game, demonstrating their improved teamwork and court skills, winning their game convincingly! Well done to all three teams and the Players of the Matches Violet, Maya and Amira.
Lacrosse
South East Finals
Our 1st team travelled to Benenden School on Saturday for the South East Finals after qualifying through the Tri-county Tournament. The team played a number of schools that will be competing for the National title in March. This was a great challenge for the team and a great testing ground for the team’s tactics and the players individual skill. The shorter games and pitch conditions provided the team with National Schools Lacrosse Championship conditions. There were bright spots throughout the day with brilliant individual and team play. Once the round robin had been completed, the team knew they would be competing in the Plate competition. The team dispatched their semi-final and final opponents with the smooth execution of team lacrosse. The team won the Plate competition to finish out the day. Team spirit remained high throughout the day showing fantastic team chemistry on and off the pitch. Well done to the team and thank you to the parents who came to watch.
Fixture v Haberdashers’ Girls’ School
On Saturday, our teams competed in a small fixture against Haberdashers’. The 2nd team scored some great early goals off the fast break opportunities created by their quick transitions. A strong Haberdashers’ side fought back, but our team showed great control, closing out the game, securing themselves another victory. The U13As proved their determination to play their best, when having gone down early in the game, they battled their way back to within a very respectable score line by the time the final whistle blew. They showed great resilience and put up a performance they should be proud of. The U15s demonstrated great maturity in their play, adjusting well to the more physical style of lacrosse that they were required to play. They worked together as a team, supporting each other, and ended the match with a well-deserved win. The U12s continued their first season of lacrosse in great spirits. It was a good learning curve for the players about the importance of teamwork. All the players worked hard at both ends of the pitch, as well as throughout the midfield, finishing the game with a draw against a good Haberdashers’ U12 team. Well done to everyone who played.
MVPS: Lara D, Holly W, Zara W, Amelia V, Amelia H, Megan S, Rebecca M, Rhythm G, Teddy G.
Swimming
On Friday morning, LEH hosted the annual Richmond Borough Secondary Schools Swimming Gala, welcoming eight local schools to our pool for a fun morning of individual and relay races. Our LEH U12, U13, U14 and U15 swimmers swam brilliantly, winning Gold medals in over half of the girls' individual races and all of the girls' relay events. All our swimmers demonstrated outstanding team spirit and gave their best in each event. Well done to our students - you should all be very proud of your achievements.
Gymnastics
On Friday 31st January, LEH entered an U14A, U14B and O14 team in the London Regional Floor and Vault Team Competition, Each gymnast competed two vaults and a floor routine with our top four marks being tallied together to create our final team score. Our gymnasts demonstrated some strong vaulting and their floor routines were performed with grace and accuracy. After a long day of gymnastics, our gymnasts managed to perform some personal bests and our O14 team narrowly missed out on a bronze place position in the B competition.
Well done to everyone for all the hard work they put into their training in the run up to the competition.