St Edmund's
Day 4
A day of two halves .. and a few thirds!
We spent a relaxing hour around the hotel pool before setting off for the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. And very grand it is! A vast white structure, with gold embellishments, beautiful chandeliers and surrounded by the most pristine of gardens and water features. The columns on the outside of the Mosque, termed Minarets, are 106m high, and the main domes display lighting to reflect the different phases of the moon. The photos will not do it justice unfortunately! We strolled around the Sahan Courtyard, made up of many thousands of finest marble pieces, visited the Ladies Prayer room and the main Prayer Hall. A tranquil moment in an otherwise quite busy afternoon.
Michael Jackson, strangely, was also visiting the Mosque today and I’m sure there will be some selfie evidence amongst the pupils (and staff!)
BISAD (British International School Abu Dhabi) was the first stop for the second half of the day, and this afternoon’s football fixtures. We received a very warm welcome and matches were quickly underway. The girls had an absolute stormer! An 8-2 victory ensued with brilliant structured play and the usual determination we have come to expect from this squad (2 from Tabatha, Lizzie, Lauren and 1 each from Angelica and Angel). With a 3x 12 minute structure, Lucy and Autumn volunteered to share the
GK role (thank you) but also had time on the pitch. Yasmin was feisty on the right wing, narrowly missing on a couple of occasions. Milly and Hetty were once again solid in defence.
The goals were simply sublime with a good mix of tap ins and some powerful strikes from a distance. A great team performance and big smiles at the final whistle!
Mr Bright reports on the U15 boys:
The U15’s had high hopes going into the their second game on tour as they faced off against British International School Abu Dhabi.
After a busy day travelling and sightseeing, the boys had to quickly try and switch into game mode. The first third of the match proved to be a positive one with St. Edmunds having the mainstay of possession.
There were many near miss moments, with Edward Courtenay Snipp, and Drew Thornton nearly latching onto through balls ,only to be thwarted by the keeper and a last ditch tackle respectively.
Whilst football is often coined a game of two halves, it was the second third of this one that damaged the teams hope of an unbeaten tour.
A momentary lapse at a corner, and an expertly finished 1 v 1 meant that St. Edmund’s had it all to do towards the end of the second period with a 2-0 deficit to overcome.
Evan Gallagher, Daniel Lawson and Jason Yung battled hard in the middle of the park in what was becoming an increasingly physical game as both teams levels of fitness were stretched, and quality of pass fluctuated.
In the final period of the game St. Edmund’s desperately sought out a goal. They looked like they had it in the bag, when a mixture of goalkeeper and defenders meant the ball was cleared off the opponents line.
Frustratingly just a mere few moments later, a painfully deflected shot looped over Monty White in goal. A cruel action, after a couple of fine saves from the shot stopper.
At 3-0 down, the boys continued to work hard, with Ben Beatty putting in a real shift in a number of positions.
The team’s hard work deserved more …step up Evan Gallagher who epitomised hard work throughout the game.
Around 25 yards out he composed himself, took a breath and curled it right into the top left hand corner. Bend it like Gallagher.
The boys have one game left of the tour, and will be hoping to add to their previous victory. Well done all.
Mr Millard reports on the U18 boys:
It was a tough day at the office for the U18 six. A little sluggish after lunch and a slow start to what should have been a closely fought game against British International School Abu Dhabi (BISAD). 0-2 in 6 minutes with one mistake and one very good goal, St Edmund’s fought their way into the game with more discipline and moved the ball forward more quickly. Playing 3 x12 periods, Anthony and Henry combined well, offering good chances to Luke and the hard working Jack. The second period was far more competitive with one goal a piece. St Ed’s scored through Henry, following an amazing ‘flick’ pass from Jacob. The legs looked tired in the final period, with BISAD upping the intensity, showing plenty of midfield skill. Final score 1-6 with the touring team frustrated and wondering what might have been. POTM to Luke.
One fixture in an afternoon was just not enough for the red and black army, and we marched onto the huge Abu Dhabi sports complex to play netball against Club Capital.
A high standard once again and both the U18 and U15 girls found their stride, putting up a very good fight. Superb shooting from Betsy, Lauren and Milly kept the mood optimistic. Great work from the defensive trios of Elysia, Chloe and Angelica, Autumn, Tabatha and Hetty, made the Capitol shooters work hard to penetrate the D. There was some strong midcourt play with several turnovers contributing to the positive team spirit.
Players of the Match went to the awesome defensive six.