Kicking the Ball Around
U13 Boys Football
The U13 Football players have been training since September and over 50 players have turned up to practice. I was delighted with the enthusiasm and commitment shown by the students. The New Bahrain Schools Sports League has a new emphasis, encouraging more students to participate. The Football League opened with a mixer tournament with the British School, RVIS and Bahrain School. This was followed by a three League tournament, held at RVIS, where St Christopher’s entered 3 teams. The final Championship Tournament was the finale event where St Christopher’s Team 1 finished Runners-Up. The teams were coached by Mr Subbiani, Mr Neely and Mr Chihwayi
Team 1
- Sean MacNamara
- Issam Khan
- Sam Fisher
- Ali Al Nusuf
- Luca Santiiago
- Sebastian Fontaine
- Verdant Kalyani
- Saif Al Nusuf
- Noah Moore
- Sahil Sarangi
Team 2
- James Pilgrim
- Hashim Khalaifat
- Quays Mitchell
- Vince Vrijhof
- Akshat Gupta
- Greg Hopkins
- Oliver Hanson
- Ben Callon
- Pawel Maczka
U13 Girls Football
It has been a fantastic season of Girls’ Football, with many events, opportunities and experiences. Throughout the season we have been attending tournaments at the Rugby Club every Sunday playing against other schools across Bahrain; including the British School and The Bahrain School. We took two teams along and each week one of our teams came first. We also had the chance to play against the Bahrain National U14 Team which was a great experience. Rather than taking an U13 Team (Year 7&8 Juniors), we mixed it up and also fielded an U 14 Team (Year 8&9), this gave the Year 8s a good idea of who they will be playing with next year. In January, students were selected to compete in the BSME 2017 U13 tournament, which took place in Abu Dhabi. The Girls Football went well and we ended up finishing in third position over all. Later in the season, the U13 Girls played a match against the U15 Girls, which was fun and challenging. The U13 Girls also had a match against Tekkers Academy where we took two teams. The first St Chris team ended up winning both matches which put them on top. However, many of our girls had split loyalties as they also regularly train and play for Tekkers outside of school. This gives them a chance to progress and improve as footballers. Overall, the season has been amazing. We have come together as a team and learnt from the games, tournaments and trips. A special thank you to the coaches who have helped us progress, to the organizers who gave us these experiences and to our team for making this an unforgettable season. ~ Gracie Nahle
U15 Boys Football
St Christopher’s School Intermediate Boys Football squad had an undefeated season this year in the Schools Sports League Festivals. In the final tournament, St Christopher’s grew stronger throughout the stages of the competition. In the final game, we faced our old rivals, the BSB, beating them 3-1. The atmosphere was tense at the beginning of the game as each team’s defensive strategy was outstanding. We were without a goal for 10 minutes, with both teams unable to capitalise on their strong play. Eventually, we managed to sneak a goal, which lifted the team’s confidence. After the goal, our attacking formation was evident as the boys started to create space and believed in their own ability to win the game. The pressure grew as more and more attempts at goal were being made, testing the Keeper on many occasions. In the final three minutes, Louis Mulleague scored a great goal from outside of the box, and a third goal came from Aiden Shretta, beating two defenders in the dying minutes of the game. Over all, it was a great show by both teams, the sportsmanship was high and challenges were fair. Well done to all on a great season.
U15 Girls Football
The season kicked off following our very successful participation in U15 BSME Football Tournament. Most of the girls had been playing together since October and so gelled very well for our first tournament at Riffa Views in December. In addition, we trained regularly in the evenings at Saar Junior School under the floodlights. The extra space this afforded us, combined with the new League format allowed me to select an A and B squad for every tournament. The standard of play was generally very high and the progress some players made throughout the season was startling. Despite losing some of our more experienced players, before the season began, the A-team won each of the League Tournaments hosted at Riffa Views. Our B team also gained valuable experience and, as the season progressed, some girls pushed their way into the A squad. Unfortunately, in the Season Finale Tournament Danni Wilkinson (our talented Captain) was unable to play, and despite not losing, a draw against Bahrain School in the final match meant we finished second this time. The season finished with a friendly combined game against our Junior Girls team and then some of the Year 9 players took part in a game against the National Squad. Overall, it was a very enjoyable season, with much laughter and fun.
U19 Girls Football
Overall, this has been a successful season for the Senior Girls at St Christopher’s School. The team has competed both in the Bahrain School Sports League and also in two individual tournaments hosted by Riffa International School. In the League, the Girls finished a creditable second and in both tournaments they were also the second place school. At times, the team’s football has been a pleasure to watch; as they are capable of fluid, exciting and fast-paced counter-attacking football. On top of this, it has also been enjoyable to see the team developing a real strength of character and determination to overcome obstacles. Some of the stand out performers have been by Kia Hanahoe, Alison Ross and Cayla Harris. A special mention must also go to the Captain of the team, Carmen Carritt as she has led by example not only on the pitch but also in her commitment and enthusiasm at training. It is important that, next year, the team build on their success by continuing to train hard and give their all in matches. There are high hopes for next season as the majority of the squad will be retained and this will be supplemented with a strong group of girls joining the team from the year below. Well done! The squad:
- Alison Ross
- Afaf Sidani
- Carmen Carritt
- Cayla Harris
- Georgia Sim
- Kia Hanahoe
- Leena Fayyaz
- Manni Zhang
- Marwa Al Matrook
- Razan Al Musani
- Sajida Mercer
- Sarah Welch
- Sofia Bicos
