House Water Polo
Water-polo is a competitive team sport played in the water between two teams. The game consists of four quarters, usually of eight minutes, in which the two teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into their opponent’s goal. The team with the most goals at the end of the game wins the match. The annual Concord (Lower School) Inter-House matches were held on three consecutive Sundays – on the 28/1 (the day following House Arts), 4/2 and 11/2 respectively. The competition was intense and every participant gave their best in the matches. Now, let’s hear the reflections on the competition from one of the participants:
“Since the first competition was held on the week of House Arts, we didn’t really have much time to practice or learn. I was one of the Teresa members who participated in both water-polo and House Arts.
“I believe everyone enjoyed this tournament so much because it was so competitive and memorable. Both Mandela and Pankhurst houses had a lot of tall and skilled players. They proved challenging to play against, especially when they were attacking. Their varied shooting skills were unpredictable too. And as for both Teresa and Gandhi houses, although they were not really that familiar with the water-polo rules, they all tried their very best to perform well for their own house. Each house showed incontrovertible teamwork: teammates cheered for each other; this raised the atmosphere and also showed the determination of each house member trying to aid their team. Over the past few weeks, this teamwork has been demonstrated across all four houses and this has strengthened house spirits. Furthermore, after all the practices and competitions, I think F3-F5 have bonded and integrated and they’ve become closer to each other than before.
“We all now understand that the results of the competition were not as important as we used to think they were. We enjoyed the participation and sportsmanship the most. This was my first year taking part in the inter-house events and it was also my first time playing water-polo. It really was an unforgettable experience and I sincerely encourage everyone to participate more in the house events… Do not leave yourself open to thoughts of regret!”
Eumelia Chan – F4
Results:
| 1st day of the competition: | Pankhurst 13-0 Teresa | Mandela 8-2 Gandhi |
| 2nd day of the competition: | Mandela 8-0 Teresa | Pankhurst 6-0 Gandhi |
| 3rd day of the competition: | Pankhurst 8-1 Mandela | Teresa 8-1 Gandhi |
Champion: Pankhurst
1st runner up: Mandela
2nd runner up: Teresa
3rd runner up: Gandhi
Overall, there was a clear winner in the competition. However, after games 1 and 2, the competition was too close to call between Mandela and Pankhurst, both performing well. Let’s all give Pankhurst a round of applause for their success. Pankhurst scored 27 goals and only conceded 1 goal in the whole competition. Many claimed that the success partly had something to do with the contribution of the overall MVP player of the tournament, William Bernasconi, who scored 16 goals for Pankhurst.
Well done to everyone who took part!
Sam Kwok – F5
House Volleyball
The school had only been open for a week and we had four ‘house competitions’ already. We didn’t really have much time to practice…
I was one of the Pankhurst members who played both basketball and volleyball. After the basketball match, we had about 4 days to practice for our volleyball competition, but I believe the houses didn’t practice as much as perhaps needed because volleyball club is held only on Sunday night. But that didn’t really matter because participation is the key, right?
Anyway, the tournament was really (really really) FUN. All four houses were so competitive. Gandhi House produced some ‘free play styles’ that were so unpredictable but actually worked (…sometimes). Mandela has got some tall players which gave other houses a hard time to block or smash the ball against them. Teresa has got capable players and, of course, that power serve from Gavin Chen, and Pankhurst has got some skillful volleyball players too. Each house showed good teamwork and so, this enhanced the level of enjoyment. Fun moments occurred whenever we tried out new tactics, new movements and played in different positions. Most people involved in this competition, whether they are F3, F4, or F5, boys or girls, they don’t usually play volleyball. However, everyone tried hard and did their best for the team and it was very impressive to see most of them improved their digging, setting, smashing, and serving skills throughout the game.
To be honest, no one was really ‘carrying’ the team or did their jobs perfectly. We all made mistakes on the day and personally, I didn’t serve the ball as well as I should which was one of the reasons why Pankhurst lost to Teresa. But, nevertheless, it was the teamwork that improved the skills of everyone and eventually led to the enjoyment of the games.
The final result was Pankhurst and Teresa being joint winners of the competition. However, this is just another year of house volleyball so I’d like to encourage everyone, especially F3 and F4, to take part in this sport and also the other remaining house events this year and next year. Who knows? Maybe next year the victory will be yours.
Tee Saran Punpipatpaiboon – F5
U16 Netball v Tettenhall College
Fixture: Concord College U16s v Tettenhall College U16s
Team Players: Georgia, Carissa, Dulcie and Jennifer. In form four: Vlada (captain), Hannah, Holly and Saratu.
Match Report:
On Wednesday 10th of January 2018, Concord College U16s Netball team visited Tettenhall College in a friendly game. At the beginning, it wasn’t the greatest display from Concord. We scored one goal; however, not everyone was confident enough in themselves to dominate the game. Nevertheless, as soon as some of the team players switched their positions, a better game developed.
Closer to the end of the game, the girls managed to make more accurate passes, and performed more confidently in the big spaces. The players also started to become more vocal. Better communication with one another certainly helped a lot.
Although it was the very first game of 2018, overall, Concord did a very good job and won the match against Tettenhall with the score finishing 13:4.
Report written by: Vlada – F4
Basketball Review – Our First Game
OUR FIRST GAME…
Tuesday October 10th 2017 – this marked the first basketball game of the season for the Concord College U16’s team… And to be completely honest, I thought we played amazing; not only did we pass the ball well, but we also somehow managed to only narrowly lose by 7 points (The final score was 29-36).
By the end of this day we had a few people who weren’t happy, but as a seasoned veteran of this sport (not really!), I told them all that hanging their heads down wouldn’t help us win and that the reason why we lost was that we didn’t train hard enough. Moreover, although we didn’t win, we learned a valuable lesson – that is “don’t expect to win your first game: trust me, you won’t.” To be truthful, I can really see the potential of the team and how our roles fit really well together. I believe that we have a good chance of becoming one of the best teams in the area.
I can say this… as individuals, we may not be the best, but our team strengths legitimately cover our weaknesses.
Felix – F4
House Cross Country 2017
House Road Race
4th October 2017 was a grey day, without much sun and a bit of a chill in the air. On many-a-Wednesday, students would have a different use for their time. As a Form 5, I could go into town, study in the library or play football with friends. But this particular Wednesday was ‘House Cross Country’.
Hordes of runners crowded around the start line, red, blue, green, yellow. When runners set off, some bolted across the field like hares! Other jogged. Others walked.
The thing about house cross country is that it doesn’t matter if you win the race (though it does help). It’s about participation. Individuals win awards, but teams win house cross country.
This race however, even if you wanted to, was a monster to train for. The inclines, hills and surfaces are different from what you undergo on a treadmill, and are difficult to find on campus. Just to top off the difficulty of the puddles and climbs was the fact that this race was on private land. No one could train for this race.
After a mad dash across the field behind the tennis courts, we had to run behind the Morris building and through the boarding houses, straight off campus. Through the woods and over fields, past the lake and back onto campus we raced for 3 kilometres, but nearly all of Lower School made it past the finish line, in a variety of weird and wonderful styles – from Ronnie winning in style (or so I’m told, I was naturally miles behind) to the last friends beating each other on the line.
All in all the day was great fun. It was a great change from most Wednesdays, and a great opportunity to help our houses, made sweeter with my house, Gandhi, winning overall!
Tom Gray – F5