School Sport 2024/25

Leamington FC Primary Schools Football League- April 2025

Budbrooke completed their league football league campaign this week.

The event, played at Leamington’s Your Co-Op Community Stadium, saw school teams from across the region play matches on a pitch once graced by Jude Bellingham when his dad played for the club.

In the first match, Budbrooke came up against a strong Long Itchington. With Budbrooke playing football the correct way with tidy, neat passes, unfortunately Long Itchington opened the scoring straight from kick-off when the ball freakily bobbled into the Budbrooke net.

The players did not let it phase them though. They kept on going and grew in confidence. After a spell of pressure the Long Itchington goalkeeper produced some outstanding saves to thwart the Budbrooke attacks. Ellis had a powerful long shot tipped wide while Ben had a low shot saved on the line. Then with the goalkeeper beated, Rupert saw his show hit both posts before being desperately cleared. It was all Budbrooke. Harry ran himself into the ground and saw shots that just went wide or were blocked by the defence.

With Budbrooke searching for the equaliser, Long Itchington had chances to extend the lead but Finley and Eli showed expert defensive skills to outmuscle them and tackle to win the ball back. Sonny produced some stunning saves to keep Budbrooke in the game. Then with the game close to finishing, Harrison equalised for Budbrooke when his corner was palmed into the net by the goalkeeper as he tried to keep it out. Then with the final whistle close, Budbrooke continued to attack and Eli was well placed to fire in the winner and send the crowd into raptures.

In the second game, against St Patricks, Budbrooke played a quality mixture of short and long passing. However, with their only real chance of the game, a long ball over the defence was expertly controlled by the attacker before he fired it low into the Budbrooke net to give St Patrick’s the lead.

Budbrooke created many chances as they searched for the equaliser but the goalkeeper was in inspired form as he dived at Harry’s feet and deflect the ball over for a wonder save. Rupert saw a deflected shot just go wide and the defenders blocked many shots but Budbrooke just could not get the ball over the line.

Mr Brereton said: “Well done to all the players. It was great to play at Leamington Football Club and the team enjoyed playing on the first team pitch. They showed a great team spirit, even when things weren’t going their way. It was one of those days when the goalkeeper was producing wonder save after wonder save and the ball was just not going in. However, the players did not give up and kept on going right to the end. They can be very proud of them. Thank you to Leamington Football Club for organising the league, Mr Allsopp for refereeing and to parents for all your help with transport and cheering on the team.”

Aylesford (1)2 Budbrooke (1)1

A superb long-range power shot was the difference as Aylesford gained revenge for the early season defeat.

In the first half, both sides were testing the goalkeepers with long range shots while the defences were on top with plenty of good tackles and blocks denying scoring opportunities.

Budbrooke grew in confidence and Ben showed his skill to weave past the defenders before crossing the ball which just eluded Harry as he ran into the area. Rupert was a livewire and was looking to get onto the ball at every opportunity but each through ball pass was cut out by the Aylesford defenders.

Eli was marshalling the Budbrooke defence well and with Finley and the other defender, Aylesford found chances few and far between. Eli was also the architect of many of Budbrooke’s attacks as he confidently strode forward playing accurate long balls to Ellis to create chances.

Then after a misjudged back pass, Aylesford took the lead when the indirect freekick was knocked in at the pass post.

Despite the setback, Budbrooke responded with great spirit and tenacity. Eli found Jack in midfield who played a sublime pass to Ellis on the right. Ellis then crossed a dangerous ball into the area which Aylesford struggled to clear and there was Harry to fire the ball into the net and level the score.

Budbrooke then controlled the match but Aylesford stood strong to block shots from the midfielder and Rupert.

In the second half, Harrison used all is skill and ball control to bamboozle the defenders. He set up many chances with his pinpoint crosses and Rupert, after moving the ball to his right saw his shot well saved.

Tom was tackling well and setting up the play as Aylesford struggled to get out of their half. Sonny was linking the play well from midfield to attack but when it looked like Budbrooke would have a chance to score, Aylesford’s defenders came to the rescue.

Then in a close end to the match, chances for Aylesford came. They hit the bar with a fantastic long shot, James made some great saves, and then, after the ball bounced and Budbrooke could not clear the ball, an Aylesford playe1r moved the ball into space and unleashed an unstoppable shot low into the right hand corner.

Budbrooke battled back with shots from Harry and Jack but couldn’t find the equaliser their play deserved.

Mr Brereton said: “Well done the team. Despite losing, they always gave their best. Not once did their heads drop. They played brilliantly as a team and I was extremely proud of them for the way their spirit grew after going 1-0 down. They battled bravely and can take great credit for the way they didn’t give up. Well played Aylesford. Thank you to all the people who helped with transport and came to cheer the team on. It was a great atmosphere!”

Budbrooke (0)1 Barford (0)0

A long range wonder free kick from Tabitha proved to be the difference in a close match versus a spirited Barford side.

The first girls match of the league season, played in the warm Spring sunshine, saw Barford make a strong start. Hattie and Betsy made some well timed tackles and clearances in defence and Caitlyn battled bravely to stop Barford having scoring opportunities.

It took a while for Budbrooke to get going but after Evie made a mazy run and saw a long shot go wide the team grew into life.

Chances came at both ends. Caitlyn saw another long range shot just go wide. Romy made a good save low to her right to palm a shot wide and then at the other end Florence’s trickery saw a shot well saved by the Barford goalkeeper.

Just before half time, Romy made a wonder save to keep the scores level when she saved a powerful shot with her legs much to the disbelief of the Barford attacker who was sure that her shot would go in.

Tactics were discussed at half time and Budbrooke came out strongly in the second half. Lola dribbled the ball past a few defenders and when she was fouled it gave Budbrooke a chance from the free kick. Up stepped Tabitha to power the ball past the goalkeeper to give Budbrooke the lead.

Barford came back into the match and Romy again needed to be on hand to stop a powerful drive after a neat bit of footwork had seen her move into space. Even when Barford players were through on goal, Maya outmuscled them and shepherded the ball back to Romy.

Tabitha controlled the ball well and was well placed but the Barford goal keeper kept the ball out of the net. Then with the last chance of the game, a Barford cross found a player unmarked at the back post but their shot just went wide.

Mr Brereton said: “Well done to the whole team. They were amazing. Both teams were well supported and the girls played well as a team and grew in confidence. It was a lovely atmosphere and nice to play football in the sun. The game was close and it needed something special and that is what it got with Tabitha’s amazing goal. Thank you for all the parents and former Budbrooke children who came to support the team.”

The next girls football match is away to St Pauls on Wednesday 9^th April.

Budbrooke Cross Country – Myton Fields, Warwick

Budbrooke runners experienced glorious cross country running conditions in the last league race of the season.

The Primary Schools cross country league event, which was organised by Leamington Athletics Academy, took place at the picturesque Myton Fields and included teams from 25 schools and 360 plus children.

The sun was out and with Warwick Castle in the distance, the children competed around a 2 lap course. The 1.4km route took the runners around the fields close to the banks of the River Leam into the home straight to the finish line.

The Year 5 girls raced first and they supported each other to get around the course with a particularly strong finish from Chairis (34^th) and Tabitha who found some energy to finish well in 51^st.

Our Year 5 competitor powered around the course for the Year 5 boys race and when looking like he was running out of energy found his spirit and charged towards the line to finish in 52^nd place.

Poppy, Lola and Hattie made up the Budbrooke Year 6 girls team. They showed character and resilience to overtake a few on the home straight to finish in an impressive 10^th, 35^th  and 39^th position respectively.

The last race of the event was the Year 6 boys’ race. It was a very fast start and the pace kept up during the first lap. Our Year 6 racers made a fast start but then the other competitors stamina saw them close the gap and start to overtake. But the Budbrooke duo kept on going and can be proud of their 20^th and 25^th place finish.   

Mr Brereton said: “Well done to all the runners who gave their all for Budbrooke. It was lovely to see new members join the Budbrooke Cross Country team for the first time. They showed great team spirit with everybody cheering each other on. They persevered despite difficult bumpy and patchy conditions and can all be proud of their efforts. Thank you to all the parents for their support and to Leamington Athletics Academy for organising the event.”

The next cross country race is the National Primary Cross Country Championships at Stoneleigh on Saturday, 22^nd March 2025.

It is a race for children from Year 3-Year 6 and more details about how to enter your child can be found by visiting:

https://www.nationalprimary-year7crosscountryfinal.com/

School Games Sports Hall Athletics Competition 2025

Budbrooke finished in an amazing 3^rd place at the School Games Sports Hall Athletics afternoon session at Ryton Sports Connexion Centre this week.

The afternoon session saw the Year 5/6 team from Budbrooke compete in a variety of track and field events against other schools from the Central Warwickshire region. The competition, assisted brilliantly by Campion School Aspire team leaders, saw hundreds of children throughout the day take part with the children earning points for their school for competing in each event.

The track events saw the competitors perform rolls and jump hurdles in the obstacle relay and over/under relay, use the kick boards, their sprinting skills and their team work skills in the 6-lap Paarlauf and relay events . The field events included chest push, long jump, triple jump, vertical jump, javelin throwing and speed bounce.

Highlights for Budbrooke included coming 1^st in the boys’ 2 + 2 relay, 2^nd in the girls’ relay, and 2^nd in the obstacle relay and the over/under relay. There were also 3^rd place finishes for the boys’ obstacle relay team, 1and the girls’ 6 lap paarlauf.

Results:

Small Schools

1^st All Saints

2nd Priors Field

3^rd Budbrooke

4^th Clinton

5^th St Augustines

Mr Brereton said: “Team Budbrooke showed all the School Games Values. They cheered each other on and supported each other to run faster, jump and throw further. They met all of the challenges with a great determination and had lots of fun along the way.  They also supported each other during each event to create a wonderful Budbrooke team spirit high fiving each other event when results didn’t go our way. They showed lots of resilience especially when the boys stumbled in the relay but kept on going and finished 1^st. Thank you to all the parents for helping with the transport to the event meaning the children could take part in this fantastic event and have a great experience of athletics. ”

School Games Dodgeball Competition

Budbrooke finished in joint first place in the first session (of 3) in the School Games Dodgeball competition this week and have been invited to attend the County Finals.

The team, made up of Year 5s, were amazing and were deservedly awarded lots of points for showing the School Games values of Honesty, Respect and Teamwork.

The event, which featured a total of 22 schools from the local area, was held at Newbold Leisure Centre and saw a total of 176 children being active and enjoying dodgeball throughout the day.

The dodgeball event gave the children the opportunity to apply their throwing, catching and movement skills but also focused on the School Games Value of Honesty, Respect and Teamwork with each team marking the opposition out of 5 for each of those values.

Team work was shown when players threw the ball to others to make sure all team members were included and active, respect was shown when congratulating the other teams and wishing them luck and the players were honest when they were hit by the ball and gave themselves as out.

Results of the First Session:

Mr Brereton said: “It was a fabulous event and all the Team Budbrooke players were terrific and demonstrated all the School Games values. I am so proud of them and they deserve to be in the County Final. They played with smiles on their faces and were so honest to give themselves out even when the ball had only just brushed them. They can all be very proud of their achievements, especially standing out for being honest, respectful and showing great team work. They were a pleasure to take to the event. Many thanks to the parents for the support with transport.”

School Games Rowing Competition

On Wednesday 6^th November,  Budbrooke sent 2 teams of rowers to Campion school to take part in a rowing competition challenge.

Across the day, 14 boys and 14 girls teams from local schools rowed in individual and relay races to see which teams would progress to represent Central Warwickshire in the county round of the competition.

In the individual events, each member of the team had 60 seconds to row as far as they could and in the relay every competitor had 1 minute.  In the end all the distances were added up with the winning team being the one which rowed the furthest.

There was some very competitive rowing with Budbrooke rowing some great distances as well as showing some amazing resilience and team spirit.

Teams

Mr Brereton said: “It was fantastic to see so many determined rowers from all the schools. The atmosphere was amazing. I was very impressed with how the team members supported each other and even when things didn’t work out, members of the team overcame difficulties, showing great resilience and they did their best. It was great to see a determination from the children to beat their personal bests and have an enthusiasm for rowing. They were very thankful to the organisers of the competition and ensured the others teams were congratulated.  Well done to all the Budbrooke rowers. Thank you to parents for all your help with transport.”

Aylesford (1)1 Budbrooke (0)3

A fantastic second half comeback saw Budbrooke FC overcome a spirited Aylesford side.

In the first half, the defences were on top with plenty of good tackles and blocks denying scoring opportunities. Budbrooke had plenty of possession and were trying to create chances with Rupert and Harry playing some eye-catching one-twos but when the ball was crossed in the Aylesford defenders were well placed to clear the ball.

Ben was being his usual industrious self to create chances. Sonny shot over the bar while at the other end, the Budbrooke goalkeeper made some super saves and Henry cleared off the line to keep the scores level. In midfield, Tom made winning the ball back an art form, tackling players twice his size, before playing some nice passes to his team mates. Towards the end of the first half, Aylesford took the lead when the striker was in the right place to score after the keeper had made a great save.

Straight from the second half kick-off, Budbrooke hit back. A stylish one two between Ellis and Rupert saw Ellis in space on the right. He crossed a delightful ball into the area where Freddie was in space to score the equaliser. Budbrooke were on top and the confidence was shining through. Harrison was skipping past a few defenders with ease while Freddie and Rupert were showing off the skills with drag backs and nice passes around the corner which created further chances.

Budbrooke were awarded a penalty for handball but Ellis’ well hit penalty was expertly saved by the Aylesford keeper. That did not deter Budbrooke and they took the lead soon after when a nice passing move saw Harrison stroke the ball into the bottom right hand corner. Budbrooke were looking solid in defence with Eli and others using their strength to win the ball back and Finley was using his confident organising skills. When Aylesford did have a shot, James was on hand to make some impressive strong saves, pushing the ball wide to stop the onrushing attackers.

Then towards the end of the match, Eli crossed the ball in and the ball evaded all the players and went into the far corner to give Budbrooke the 3-1 victory.

Mr Brereton said: “Well done everyone. It was an excellent second half performance and Budbrooke showed great skills and team work. They played football the right way and passed the ball around very confidently and tackled well against a strong Aylesford team. It was lovely to see the whole team celebrate together when they scored. Well played Aylesford too. Thank you to all the people who helped with transport and came to cheer the team on. It was a great atmosphere!”

Leamington FC Football League

Budbrooke started the league season with two defeats but can take a lot of credit and praise for the many positives in their performances.

Despite losing 5-0 to a very strong Clapham Terrace team, the Budbrooke goalkeeper made many outstanding saves including a wonder save when he tipped the ball wide from a powerful long-shot.

Rupert used his skills and trickery to take it passed a few defenders before squaring to Harry who tested the goalkeeper with a sizzling shot.

Budbrooke defended well with many blocks and tackles from Henry, Finley and Eli but just couldn’t clear the ball and Clapham Terrace kept attacking and creating chances.

In the second match, Budbrooke came up against Bishops Itchington. Despite losing the first match, Budbrooke’s heads were held high and they grew in confidence. They pressed higher up the pitch and were winning the ball back. This led to livewire Harry running down the wing and delivering a teasing cross for Rupert to tap into the net at the far post to score for Budbrooke. Bishops Itchington equalised but still Budbrooke attacked and after the defenders lost the ball, Harry was there to pounce and restore Budbrooke’s lead. Bishops then brought on some strong players and they created plenty of chances scoring with powerful strikes to make it 4-2 but still Budbrooke did not give up. Ellis and Ben were full of running and tested the keeper with long shots. Harry then scored with a well placed curling effort to make it an entertaining finish to the game. Finley then raced through but the keeper made an outstanding save to deny him a goal at the end that Budbrooke really did deserve.

League Fixtures

Lost 5-0 v Clapham Terrace

Lost 4-3 v Bishops Itchington

Mr Brereton said: “It was great to see the team show resilience in the second game. They grew in confidence and really did deserve more when they played as a team. I am looking forward to the next round of fixtures and to see Budbrooke enjoy themselves playing the exciting football they know they can play. Thank you to the parents for coming to support the team.

Next League Fixtures:

25^th November 2024

5^th March 2025

28^th April 2025

Budbrooke Cross Country - Priors Field

Budbrooke runners experienced glorious cross country conditions in the first race of the season.

The Primary Schools cross country league event, which was organised by Leamington Athletics Academy, took place at Priors Field Primary School and included teams from 25 schools.

The sun was out and the skies blue but heavy rainfall during the week had made the course a little muddy and presented potential tricky cross country conditions for all the runners, especially when crossing the brook.

The 1.6km route took the runners around the school fields, along a road, around farmers fields before leading through a stream into the home straight to the finish line.

The Year 5 girls raced first and they supported each other to get around the course with a particularly strong finish from Chairis and Tabitha who found some energy to sprint home in 39^th and 42^nd place while Olivia showed great determination to finish 73^rd.

Hattie can be very proud of her efforts as the sole Budbrooke Year 6 runner for the girls race.  She showed character and resilience to ensure she finished strongly when legs were aching and finished 44^th

The last race of the event was the Year 6 boys’ race. It was a very fast start and the pace kept up around the first field. Sonny was in the zone and looked determined as he emerged confidently from the brook. He showed great stamina and overtook a few runners before crossing the line in an impressive 17^th place.

Mr Brereton said: “Well done to all the runners who gave their all for Budbrooke. It was lovely to see the team spirit and everybody cheering each other on. They persevered despite difficult slippery conditions and can all be proud of their efforts. It would be good to see more runners from Budbrooke at the next event. Thank you to all the parents for their support and to Leamington Athletics Academy for organising the event.”

The next cross country league race is at Myton Fields, Warwick on Saturday, 8^th March 2025.

There are also training sessions led by expert running coaches for those who have signed up for cross country.

These will be held at Edmondscote Track 10.15-11.15am on Saturday 19th October Saturday 16th November and Saturday 8th February 2025.

School Sport 2023/24

School Games Platinum Award 2024-25

After achieving the Gold Award for the previous 4 years, Budbrooke Primary School has now achieved the prestigious Platinum Award School Games Mark for its commitment to school sport and competitive games.

This achievement is in recognition of all the opportunities the children have to be active, to play and learn new sports within PE lessons and extra-curricular activities, as well as competing in a large number of School Games competitions such as rowing, basketball, hockey, speed stacking, girls and boys football and sports hall athletics. There were also many other competitions such as Aylesford Athletics and Edmondscote athletics, and cross country that has seen a high number of children from the school compete and enjoy representing the school.

The award also recognises how the children have been inspired to be active for 60 minutes outside the curriculum. This has been achieved through the Budbrooke Mile, active register drills, active lunchtime activities and through a variety of after-school clubs.

This year the Year 5/6 Well Being Ambassadors have organised lunch time skills sessions for different age groups to as well as setting up and delivering the Well Being Festival to inspire children to enjoy being active. They also supported and cheered on all the children during a successful sports day where all children were able to showcase their physical literacy.

Our sporting achievements this year include:

- Having a variety of sport on offer for all children.

- Having 7 Well Being Ambassadors to run fun and engaging lunchtime activities for all age groups, deliver the Well Being Festival and organise events including community link up events with nursery and pre-school.

- Providing opportunities for children of all abilities to represent the school.

-Organising a fully inclusive Sports Day linked to the Paris 2024 Olympics. Providing the whole of Year 6 with sports leadership roles when organising sports day round robin events for the younger children.

- Entering teams into a variety of School Games competitions including rowing, basketball, netball, hockey, sports hall athletics, boys and girls football, and speed cup stacking.

- Winning the Onside Year 6 Football Trophy at the inaugural tournament at Sydenham Primary School.

-Reaching the semi-finals of the Leamington FC Football Cup.

- Playing a variety of Yr 4-6 football matches and Netball matches against local schools

- Finishing 4^th in the Girls Football League events at Myton as well as playing many girls football matches against local schools.

-Giving children the chance to beat their personal best in School Games and Personal Best Challenges.

- Winning the School Games Speed Stacking competition, held at Budbrooke, and representing Central Warwickshire at County Level.  

- Having 16 Year 5/6 boys and girls competing in the Warwickshire Cross Country events with top 10 finishes.

- Having 4 children win their events at the Aylesford Athletics competition and go on to represent Warwick in the District Athletics competition at Edmondscote Athletics track as well as 3 competitors finishing in 2^nd place and earning a place on the Warwick Team reserve list.

Mr Brereton said: “It is great to see so many children taking part in and enjoying sport at Budbrooke. They have a lot of opportunities to learn and show off their sporting skills and our Platinum award recognises that. We promote a good team work ethic and it has been a pleasure to give so many children the opportunity to represent the school in all the different sporting competitions. A personal highlight for me was having everybody together to take part in sports day with a fantastic opening ceremony. A special thanks must go to all the children for being enthusiastic, keen to try new sports and beat their personal best, the Well Being Ambassadors and the parents for their support and for helping with transport.”

Keep enjoying playing sport and being active!

Mr Brereton

Budbrooke Sports Day 2024

In National School Sports Week, Paris 2024 sporting nations and Olympic superstars was the theme for this year’s sports day. Each class chose an Olympic competing country and athlete and they researched them to find out about their sports career, as well as facts about the sport they played and records. The children then combined these with the school games values (Determination, Honesty, Passion, Team work, Self belief and Respect) to create a banner to parade and a chant to perform at the opening ceremony. Examples of the Olympic nations and stars included Portuguese triple jump champion Pedro Pablo Pichardo, Indian badminton star PV Sindhu, USA sprinter Gabby Thomas and Kenyan marathon runner Eluid Kipchoge.

The Budbrooke Well Being Ambassadors and House Captains helped run the KS1 sports day races, which included sprinting, skipping, egg and spoon, hopping, obstacle and relay. Children from Nursery also competed in the sprint and hopping events. After the track events the Year 6s then organised and led a variety of team activities for the children to participate in during the round robin events which included hockey, javelin, curling and speed bounce amongst many others.

In the afternoon, KS2 sports day events included shuttle running, skipping, sprints, hurdles, obstacle, 600m and the team relays.

Final House Results

Mr Brereton said: “It was a great day of celebrating all the children’s sporting prowess and lovely to have parents and family there. We found out about lots of Paris 2024 nations and sports stars and all the children demonstrated the school games values in the different sporting events. The chants and dances were amazing and very creative!  They were all excited, enthusiastic and keen to be active.  It was also lovely to see the children support each other and cheer everybody on. Thank you to everybody for coming to support the children. A special thanks go to the Well Being Ambassadors for supporting the younger ones and making everyone feel part of the games and it was lovely to have a very special Year 5 guest to help with the placing cards. Thanks must also go to Mrs Hall, Mrs Backman, Mr Cooper, Miss Foster and the house captains, who supported with important jobs as well as Mr Allsopp for providing expert commentary on the PA system.”

Central Warwickshire Athletics Championship Finals 2024

Athletes from Budbrooke performed brilliantly as they represented Warwick in the Central Warwickshire Athletics Championships at Edmondscote (June 25^th).

The competition saw the winners of the area competitions represent their district. Warwick was competing against Kenilworth, North & South Leamington and Southam in the track and field events at Edmondscote Athletics Track.

In the sprints, Henry raced out in front and never looked back as he ran a superb 75m to storm to victory.  

On a blistering hot day, Poppy ran a super second lap in the 600m, running with great technique and  overtaking many to finish in 5th for Warwick.

In the field events, Tabitha jumped well and earned 3^rd place for Team Warwick and Edward kept on trying to beat his personal best as he finished 4^th.

Mr Brereton said: “Well done to all the children who represented Warwick. They were a credit to Budbrooke and they all performed brilliantly. It was great to see the children support and congratulate each other as well as thanking all those who had worked hard to organise the event. They all showed the School Games values of determination, self belief, passion, team work, respect and honesty and can be extremely proud of their achievements. Thank you to all the parents who helped with transport and cheered the team onto success in the hot conditions. ”

Updated Results

Aylesford (0)2 Budbrooke Year 4 FC (3)4

In the latest footballing challenge, Budbrooke FC produced an outstanding display to overcome a spirited Aylesford side.

After last week’s Year 5/6 win, this time it was the turn of Budbrooke Year 4s to dazzle and wow the onlooking crowd.

Aylesford started strongly and controlled the possession. Henry needed to be at his strongest to tackle and deny the Aylesford strikers the chance to shoot. Budbrooke then grew into the game and started to confidently pass the ball around. The passing moves started with Jack who was a calm presence in goal. He passed it to Henry who cleverly found Harry A in space. Harry took the ball further forward and played an excellent through ball to Harrison who with his first touch calmly placed the ball past the keeper to score for Budbrooke with their first real attack.

The whole team celebrated together and continued to grow in confidence. The passing moves followed and the team played excellent one-twos and one touch passing to create further chances. Aylesford also tried to get back into the game but found Henry “The Wall” in inspired form in defence timing his tackles well and Jack was impressive when called upon, diving bravely at the onrushing attacker’s feet to save.

The ball was then played out to the left by Harry H who linked up well with Harrison who played it down the line to Harry A. He then with superb control took it past the Aylesford defence and fired a powerful shot low into the corner to extend Budbrooke’s lead.

Further chances fell to Tabitha who saw a shot well saved and then with half time approaching, Evie regained possession from the opposition’s goal kick, weaved in and out of the Aylesford defenders and then scored with a low shot to the right of the goalkeeper to give Budbrooke a 3-0 half time lead.

In the second half, a resilient Aylesford team were looking to get back into the game. After some nice touches, the striker took the ball through the Budbrooke defence and unleashed a wonderful strike to score Aylesford’s first goal of the match.

Budbrooke, looking to restore their 3 goal lead, had good chances to score. Tabitha saw a long shot saved by the goalkeeper and Harrison, with some lovely turns, was looking dangerous. L then kept chasing a ball and used his strength to win the ball and after evading a couple of tackles scored with a powerful shot.

Harrison was unlucky to see his low angled drive come back off the post and, with Budbrooke players queueing up to score, the Aylesford keeper produced a stunning double save to keep them out.

Aylesford scored again with a powerful shot and then in the dying minutes, Ben did well to move the striker out wide, and after the Aylesford player’s shot, Jack made a wonder save, tipping the ball over the bar, to make the final score a 4-2 win for Budbrooke in what was a fabulous game to watch (and to referee).  

Budbrooke FC: Jack, Henry, Harry H, Harry A, Tabitha, Harrison, Evie, Ben, L

Mr Brereton said: “Well done the team. It was a wonderful game of football and great to see both teams enjoying playing. Budbrooke played some amazing football confidently passing the ball around with dazzling one and two touch football. It was lovely to see the whole team come together to celebrate each goal. Thank you to Aylesford for hosting the game, Mr Allsopp for the practise shooting drills and to all the people who helped with transport and came to cheer the team on. It was a great atmosphere!”

School Basketball Competition

Budbrooke Ballers narrowly missed out on a place in the final of the basketball competition this week.

The Year 5 event, organised by Warwickshire Hawks Basketball, saw 6 teams from local primary schools compete in the sports hall at Moreton Morrell College.

There were 2 groups of 3 schools with teams playing each other in basketball games that consisted of 4 quarters of 4 minutes with each basket scored being worth 2 points.

The games were a great chance for the children to display their passing, dribbling and shooting skills they have been practising in sessions.

In the first game, Budbrooke Ballers came up against Bishops Tachbrook. In an even first quarter, Budbrooke needed the super defensive skills of F to intercept the opposition attacks. Both sides came close with shots that narrowly missed the basket with N using her good dribbling skills to set up the chances. In the second quarter, James scored 2 baskets as he confidently broke away to give Budbrooke a commanding lead with accurate shots that did not even touch the sides of the net. Bishops Tachbrook hit back well though in the 3^rd quarter and scored 4 baskets. However, Budbrooke Ballers showed great resilience and did not give up. Thomas showed great skill to pick up a pass, turn and after his shot bounced back off the board James was on hand to score. Budbrooke continued to battle well and after good dribbling and passing from Caitlyn, James was on hand to score with a fantastic shot. Budbrooke won 12-8.

Next up was All Saints. N again was dribbling well to get the ball upfield and Billy was organising the team and linking defence with attack. After All Saints scored a basket, Romey, who had earlier tried her hand at an amazing long shot that just hit the rim and bounced out, scored from a closer range to level the scores. All Saints scored 2 further baskets but F hit back and scored with a confident accurate shot. Lola and James went close towards the end but shots bounced out. The final score was Budbrooke 4 All Saints 6.

After all the teams in the league finished on 4 points, Bishops Tachbrook progressed to the final on baskets scored.

Budbrooke Ballers:  Romey, Billy, Lola, Caitlyn, James, Thomas.

Mr Brereton said: “It was a fantastic event for children who grew in confidence with their skills as the competition progressed. The Budbrooke team were amazing and played fast paced basketball where they turned defence into attack quickly with super dribbling and passing skills. They supported each other really well and can be very proud of their achievements. Thank  you to Warwickshire Hawks for organising the event, for the College students for helping with the basketball coaching and for parents who provided transport. Your support is very much appreciated.”

Onside Football Tournament Cup Success

Budbrooke FC showed great skill and a wonderful team spirit as they celebrated winning the Onside Football Cup.

Eight teams from local primary schools competed in the tournament which was held at Sydenham Primary School where the weather ranged from torrential rain to blustery winds and then blue skies.  

In the group stages, Budbrooke started with a 2-0 win against Woodloes with Henry scoring with a nicely placed finish into the bottom corner and then Cameron fired home to give Budbrooke a strong early lead. Budbrooke tried to score more with Arthur running the length of the pitch taking it around the defenders and Freddy turning and firing wide but a mixture of good goalkeeping and defending kept the score down.

In the second match, Budbrooke played a strong Sydenham team. It was a tense game as both sides went for the win. Freddy in the Budbrooke goal had to be at his best to keep out a low shot and then he needed to be brave as he rushed out to dive at the feet of the Sydenham striker as he was about to shoot. Lucas made a wonderful tackle in defence and then after quick one two with Cameron and Arthur the ball was thread through to Henry. He took a couple of touches to get passed the defence and then curled a shot narrowly wide in what would have been the goal of the tournament if it had gone in. Captain Edward positioned himself well and marshalled the defence well as he shielded the ball and moved the Sydenham attackers out wide and away from danger to keep the score 0-0.

Budbrooke saved their best group stage performance till the last game in what was a must win. Right from kick off, Budbrooke attacked. Teddy and Arthur combined well down the right to set up chances as a low cross just missed Henry. Henry then raced through to power home a shot to give Budbrooke the lead and then after amazing skill from Lucas who jinked passed the defence set up Henry to double the lead. Budbrooke never looked back and Henry again was on hand to complete his hattrick and then slammed home to give Budbrooke a 4-0 win and a place in the tournament final as group winners.

Budbrooke played winners of Group B, Bishops Tachbrook, in the final. Vaughan linked up well with the defence and midfield and created early chances for Henry. In the first half, Henry raced onto a through ball and calmly placed the ball passed the goalkeeper to give Budbrooke the lead. After a few long shots that just  went wide, Budbrooke doubled the lead when a powerful shot from Henry took a deflection and went passed the unlucky goalkeeper.

Budbrooke FC: Teddy, Freddy, Lucas, Edward ©, Cameron, Vaughan, Arthur, L, Henry.

Mr Brereton said: “Everybody played their part in the cup success for Budbrooke. After getting to the semi-finals in the Leamington FC Cup, it was amazing to go one better and experience cup success and win a trophy for the school. The children were fantastic and enjoyed every minute despite the blustery weather. They played as a team and supported each other brilliantly and showed great footballing skill to entertain the crowd. Thanks to parents and siblings who came to cheer on the team and for helping with transport.”

Leamington Football Club Tournament

Budbrooke FC produced an amazing performance to reach the semi-finals of the Leamington FC tournament.

The Year 5/6 event, held on the first team pitch at the Your Co-Op Community Stadium, saw 13 teams from local primary schools battle it out for football glory.

In the first match of the group stage against St Patrick’s, Budbrooke were a little slow to get going as they got used to the pitch and the occasion. Edward and Eli were at their defensive best and once Cameron opened the scoring with a close range shot, the team grew in confidence and did not look back. Henry made it 2-0 with a fine run and shot under the goalkeeper. Sonny made it a memorable performance as he scored a hat-trick and celebrated with a sumersault before further goals from Eli, Finley and the goal of the match, a stunning long range right rooted curler from Cameron, made it 9-0 to Budbrooke.

Next up was a strong side from Hampton Lucy. Budbrooke started strongly and began to control the game with excellent defending from Eli who showed great awareness of space as he dribbled passed players and found Jack on the wing. Budbrooke took the lead when Henry battled for the ball and then drove forwards passed the defender before burying the ball into the corner of the net. Hampton Lucy hit back and had a few efforts. Teddy in the Budbrooke goal then produced a wonder save as he tipped a thunderbolt of a shot wide to maintain Budbrooke’s lead. Henry then scored another and Cameron scored a worldie-chipping the keeper from just outside the area to give Budbrooke a 3-0 victory.

Lillington were the next opposition. Captain for the match, Jack, showed good close control as he won the ball and then weaved his way through the Lillington defence before firing home for a special goal. Lillington got back into the match with a shot that took a wicked deflection and then spun on to hit the post and go in to give them hope. But Ellis then made a great run down the right and his expert low cross was hit home by Ben at the far post to wrap up the win for Budbrooke.

The 3 out of 3 victories meant Budbrooke progressed to the semi-final against Group B winners Clapham Terrace.

Clapham Terrace started the semi-final on the front foot and after closing down passes in defence they took the lead when they blocked a pass and then the striker powered the shot home. Budbrooke did not give up and showed resilience. They battled bravely to win the ball back from a talented team. Jack then went on a mazy run to the by-line and did not give up as it looked like the ball was going out of play. His shot squirmed passed the keeper to equalise. This gave Budbrooke heart and they controlled the next part of the match. Ellis then produced a moment of magic, collecting the ball on the right, cutting inside and unleashing and unstoppable shot to give Budbrooke the lead. Clapham Terrace hit back straight away and despite trying to tackle him, the striker weaved his way through to equalise. Teddy again made some heroic saves but Clapham Terrace found another gear and despite Budbrooke’s best efforts, went on to win 5-2.

Mr Brereton said: “The Budbrooke players can be immensely proud of themselves and to reach the semi-finals was a great achievement. They were excellent. There were so many examples of teamwork skills, lots of fantastic saves and great memorable goals. Thank you to the parents for helping with transport and cheering on the team.”

Barford (0)2 Budbrooke (2)5

Budbrooke girls football team played with great determination as they overcame a spirited Barford side.

The league match played on the MUGA Astro pitch, saw Budbrooke make a fantastic start when Faith scored in the first minute when her shot found the net after being saved by the goalkeeper.

Both teams were then looking to get a foothold on the game. Ella and A made some strong tackles and clearances, while Amelie, Flori and Faith were looking to pass and move to set up chances.

Romey made some impressive saves, getting down low to stop the low shots from the Barford attackers and Budbrooke were praised for their good communication skills when they defended well, shielded confidently and let the ball roll out for a goal kick.

Chances fell for both teams with Ella shooting just over with a long range power-shot and Flori testing the goalkeeper with a low shot. Then towards the end of the first half, a goal kick cannoned off Poppy’s thigh into the top corner to extend Budbrooke’s lead.

In the second half, Budbrooke showed some impressive passing moves. They confidently passed the ball around in defence with A and Ella and then after a fine one-two Flori raced through on goal and scored with a super shot passed the goalkeeper.

Despite being 3-0 down, Barford were not giving up and replied with a powerful shot to get them on the scoresheet. Faith continued to conjure up chances for Budbrooke when she went on a mazy run, controlling the ball well and taking it passed players. Amelie tested the keeper with a free-kick that was tipped wide.

Then after a lovely team move that saw all players involved, the ball fell to Poppy and she lashed it in with a first time shot to restore Budbrooke’s 3 goal lead. Then with a goal similar to a certain Hadji Wright’s FA cup winning goal, Flori scored with a powerful shot curling into the corner for Budbrooke’s fifth.

Barford scored their 2^nd of the game before the referee the blew the whistle to end an entertaining game.

Mr Brereton said: “The players from both sides were brilliant and showed great spirit and determination. Budbrooke played well as a team and it was lovely to see them confidently passing the ball around and communicating well. Despite being new to the game, Barford players showed super resilience and can be proud of their effort and goals scored. Well done girls! Thank you to all the parents who supported with transport and cheered the team on.”

Kingsley Netball Festival

Budrooke Girls Netball team joined with 16 other local schools to take part in an exciting Festival extravaganza of Netball at Kingsley Sports Fields.

The event, which focused on the School Games values of Determination, Self-Belief, Honesty, Team Work and Passion, was organised by Kingsley and umpired by their school sports leaders.

The wonderful event provided a great opportunity for the girls to showcase their netball talents against other schools as well as developing their defending, passing, footwork, and attacking skills with coaching from the sports leaders.

Budbrooke played 8 games in total earning plaudits for their skills as well as demonstrating all the School Games Values. Medals were awarded at the end for the children who had shown examples of the values such as applauding good play from the opposition, offering netball skills tips to other players and for celebrating everyone’s successes.

Mr Brereton said: “Well done to all the girls who took part. It was amazing to see 170 girls from local schools coming together to enjoy netball. The Budbrooke girls were a credit to the school and everyone showed the School Games Values in abundance. I was impressed with the way they supported and celebrated with each other. The team spirit was amazing as well as the variety of netball passes and goals scored. Thank you to the parents for helping with transport and for cheering on the team.”

Year 5 Warwick Prep Netball Tournament

Budbrooke Netballers narrowly missed out on making the semi-finals of the netball tournament.

Teams from 27 primary schools from the local area attended the event at Warwick Prep. The day began with a series of netball workshops, led by netball specialists which included defending, passing, footwork, and attacking skills drills. The event ended with a tournament where the children had the opportunity to put the skills they'd learnt into action against other schools.

In the tournament, Budbrooke started with a 0-0 draws with Claverdon and Long Itchington. A 1-1 draw with Brookshurst followed with Poppy W scoring the goal and then the team grew in confidence and with a 4-0 victory over Harbury (Poppy W 2, Betsy 2). Poppy W continued her fine shooting form with another goal to finish with a 1-0 win over Westgate.

Mr Brereton said: “Well done to all the girls who took part. It was great to hear that so many children from lots of schools were taking part making it a fun and exciting netball festival. I enjoyed hearing about how well you represented the school and for your confident and amazing netball skills. Thank you to Miss Thorpe for being team leader and to parents for helping with transport.”

Cross Country Festival – Kingsley Playing Fields

Budbrooke’s Year 6 runners showed a lot of resilience, determination and team spirit during the cross country festival.

On a windy and cold day, children from a 15 local schools joined to run the courses which were organised by Kingsley School and marshalled by their Sports Leaders. The 1.48km course saw children run on the road terrain in and out of the playing fields as well as around the fields before joining the home straight.

With the windy conditions making it difficult for the runners and with gazebos blowing away, the Budbrooke Year 6 runners kept on going. Even when the runners were spaced out making it difficult to catch those in front, Budbrooke did not give in and they supported each other and cheered when they completed the gruelling course. They kept on going and finished the race.

In the girls race, Florence came 11^th and Amelie 21^st while in the boys race, Henry came 5^th and Edward 9^th.

Mr Brereton said: “Well done to all the runners to overcome the very cold and windy conditions. They persevered despite difficult conditions and can all be proud of their efforts. It was great to see them cheering for each other. Thank you to all the parents for their support and to Kingsley School for organising the event.”

The next cross country league race is at Myton Fields, Warwick on Saturday, 10^th February

School Games Speed Stacking County Finals

This week Budbrooke had the honour of representing Central Warwickshire in the School Games Speed Stacking County Finals. The Year 3 speed stackers, previously triumphant in the area round, were up against the 15 winning schools from the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire regions.

The event, held at Coventry AT7 Centre and organised by Di Baker from Speed Stacks UK, saw the children being timed to complete the 3-6-3 stack, where twelve cups are organised in three stacks: The first stack contains three cups, the second stack contains six cups and the third stack contains three cups.  The competitors begin in the down-stacked position. All three stacks are up-stacked from one direction to the other. The Stacker then goes back to the beginning and down-stacks the three stacks. There was also the 3-6-3 team relay, the Stack and Back and the Caterpillar relay events which were timed and scored.

In the end, the Budbrooke speed stacking team’s combined score earned a very respectable 9^th place.

Mr Brereton said: “Well done to all the Speed Stacking challengers. It was great to see so hundreds of children from lots of different schools all enjoying the challenge of Speed Stacking. It created such an exciting atmosphere. It was great to see the children keep on trying and trying to achieve their personal bests. Since Budbrooke hosted the area round, it has been lovely to see the cups out at break times and the idea to run a Speed Stacking club. Keep aiming to beat your personal bests!”

Aylesford (0)1 Budbrooke (0)0

Budbrooke FC showed great fight and determination but were narrowly defeated in a game where defences were on top.

In the first half, Aylesford started on the front foot. The ball was bouncing higher and rolling quicker on the astro pitch surface and Edward and Sonny needed to be alert to clear the ball to stop the Aylesford attacks.

Budbrooke FC grew in confidence and after some neat passing from Finley and Jack, Henry was able to get a quick shot away that just went wide. Budbrooke were also having success down the right hand side with Eli and Ben playing some nice triangle passes to get the ball down the pitch but the strong Aylesford defenders were proving difficult to get passed.

With Aylesford looking to bring the ball forward, it took some strong tackles from Ben, Finley and Jack who disposed the tall midfielders by standing up strong and not diving in too early. Sonny continued to make some excellent blocks to stop the shots and Teddy made some confident saves as the first half ended 0-0.

In the second half, Budbrooke were playing the ball out of defence nicely. A Teddy goal kick found Eli galloping up field as Budbrooke looked to create more chances. Aylesford then played a ball through to the attacker who turned brilliantly and his shot found the bottom corner of the net in off the post to score the first goal.   

Budbrooke continued to look for a way back into the game. Edward found Jack who played a ball to Henry on the half way line. Henry then powered forward and with great control unleashed a shot on goal only for the defender to make an excellent last ditch block.

Jack then set himself up for a chance by playing a few Matthew Le-Tissier style keepie-uppies before volley to the far post. Sonny also got onto the end of a great cross from Arthur and aimed a header that would have gone it if the goals were bigger.

As the game was coming to an end, Teddy made a series of great saves with his dragon hands goalkeeper gloves to keep Budbrooke in the game. Budbrooke kept trying and showed great resilience but just could not find that equalising goal as the entertaining match finished 1-0 to Aylesford.

 Budbrooke FC: Teddy, Sonny, Edward, Eli, Ben, Finley, Arthur, Jack, Henry.

Mr Brereton said: “Well done the team. It was a very close game and Budbroke showed great reliance and belief to continue to try and score. They played football the right way and passed the ball around very confidently and tackled well against a strong Aylesford team. Thank you to all the people who helped with transport and came to cheer the team on. It was a great atmosphere!”

Primary Schools Girls Football League Competition

Well done to Budbrooke Girls for their performances during the Girls Football League event and for finishing joint 4th in the table.

The league event was played across 3 dates and saw 8 teams from the local area play each other at Myton School.

The competing teams included- The Priors, St Pauls, Ferncumbe, Long Itchington, Aylesford, Clapham Terrace and Kingsley.

In the first match against Long Itchington, Amelie, Faith and Flori made some advancing runs with the ball but the ball proved to move too quickly. Amelie then turned well on the half way line and passed to Flori to set up a chance that saw the goalkeeper make a good save. Anna was keen to make important tackles and blocked several Long Itchington attacks. Romy was confident and vocal in goal and made some wonderful saves. She also caught well and produced the biggest goal kicks of the night which set up chances for Budbrooke. Ella showed great resilience and Poppy battled for every ball. With the game looking set to end 0-0, Faith chased the ball and hassled the defender who was forced to play the ball back to the keeper. Faith was then on hand to knock the ball in and the team celebrated together what was a fantastic 1-0 win.

Budbrooke then came up against a very experienced and well organised St Paul’s team. Budbrooke needed to defend and despite St Paul’s scoring several goals early on, the girls kept on going. Romy again made lots of good saves to keep the score down, especially a great diving save that tipped the ball onto the post and earned lots of praise from the spectators.

Results:

Ferncumbe- D 0-0

Kingsley- W 1-0

The Priors D 0-0

Clapham Terrace- L 0-1

Long Itchington W 1-0

St Paul’s – L 0-8

Aylesford – W due to Aylesford not attending.

Mr Brereton said: “It was great to see so many girls enjoying playing football. It was a pleasure to see the girls play and support each other and enjoy playing as a team. Seeing them celebrate scoring goals. There will be more girls football matches in the Spring term. The girls played some fantastic football and the team spirit and passion shone through. Thank you to all the parents who supported with transport and cheered the team on.”

Budbrooke (3)6 All Saints Leek Wootton (0)0

Budbrooke produced a fine performance full of quality attacking play in a thrilling victory over local rivals.  

With the sun going down quickly, Budbrooke started brightly and good link up play on the wings between Finley and Jack created plenty of chances. Henry was definitely wearing his shooting boots as he scored a hat-trick early on with a selection of well placed shots into the corner.

All Saints grew into the game and played some attractive passes on a bobbly pitch. They created chances and it took some strong tackles and excellent defending from Eli and Edward to stop their attacks. When the defence was beaten, Teddy produced some great saves, tipping shots wide, and then Jack and Eli made some outstanding blocks and clearances off the line to stop the away side scoring.

Cameron was covering all the pitch to win the ball back, Finley’s passes were setting up chances for Lucas but the goalkeeper kept making super saves to stop Budbrooke scoring. Arthur then nearly scored with a volley off his knee in what would have been the goal of the match!

In the second half, Tom was putting in a dogged display. Jack and Eli were working the ball around nicely to get passed the defence on the right hand side. Eli used his football intelligence to spot space and threaded the ball through nicely to set up chances for Arthur and Lucas. With Budbrooke in search of more goals, Arthur was whipping in some quality crosses that Jack headed on goal only to be denied by the goal keeper’s super saves. Then Arthur weaved his way through the defence and scored via a deflection to score a special goal.

Lucas worked hard to win the ball back and after a great save from the goalkeeper, the ball fell kindly for Henry to finish off from close range and top off what was a fantastic team performance.

Budbrooke FC: Teddy, Eli, Edward, Cameron ©, Finley, Jack, Henry, Tom, Arthur, Lucas.

Mr Brereton said: “What a fantastic performance. Well done to all the players. The whole team showed great determination and produced a great performance they can all be proud of. On a difficult pitch and with darkness setting in, the players wanted to play an attractive brand of football. I was so impressed with the passing accuracy, the powerful tackles and the expert finishing. Budbrooke showed they can play football and I am looking forward to the next fixture. Thank you to all the people who came to cheer the team on.”

Hockey Festival

Budbrooke showed great resilience and team spirit as they competed in a hockey festival at St Nicholas’ Park.

Teams from 4 local primary schools took part in warm up activities organised by the young sports leaders from Kingsley.

In the first game, Budbrooke came up against  a well organised Ferncombe team. Impressive defending from Alex and N deflected shots onto the post. Budbrooke were defending resolutely but a break away attack saw Ferncombe score their winning goal.

Next up was a match against Shrubland Street. This time, Budbrooke showed plenty of attacking spirit with good dribbling from Robbie and Rupert. They attacked well with good skill from James, and Caitlyn creating chances but Budbrooke just could not get the ball over the line. Then with the final whistle approaching Shrubland Street scored despite the best efforts of Romy who tried to clear the ball off the line.

In the third game against Bishops Tachbrook, Budbrooke lost 2-0 but they then saved the best for the final match, a replay against Shrubland Street. Lois made some confident tackles and passes, Ella won the ball back well and James was full of running. James picked the ball up on the right hand side by the half way line and then proceeded to dribble the ball confidently into the area before scoring with a well placed shot into the corner. N and Caitlyn came close to adding a second for Budbrooke but the ball was saved well. Towards the end of the match, Shrubland Street made a break away and equalised despite an amazing effort from Alex and Rupert to tackle and clear the ball off the line. The score finished 1-1

Budbrooke: Caitlyn, Ella, Elissa, Lois, Rupert, James, Alex, Robbie.  

Mr Brereton said: “Budbrooke played brilliantly. They worked hard together, showed great resilience and played well as a team despite many being new to the game. It was a pleasure to watch them play with great spirit and determination and to see their confidence grow. Many thanks to all the parents who helped with transport on the day.”

Budbrooke Cross Country - Priors Field

Budbrooke runners had a very muddy experience at the first cross country race of the season.

The Primary Schools cross country league event, which was organised by Leamington Athletics Academy, took place at Priors Field school and included teams from 25 schools.

Heavy rainfall the night before had made the course muddy and presented potential tricky cross country conditions for all the runners, especially with the brook being waist deep for some. Running shoes needed to be tied tightly or risked being lost in the mud!

The 1.6km route took the runners around the school fields, along a road, around farmers fields before leading through a stream into the home straight to the finish line.

The Year 5 girls raced first and they supported each other to get around the course with a particularly strong finish from Lola who found some energy to sprint home in 55th place. Hattie ran at a constant pace to finish 56^th.

Then the boys had to attack the course which had been made muddier and slippier by the girls. In what a very fast paced race, Jack and Sonny showed great determination and commitment to overcome the muddy obstacles and powered to fabulous 26^th and 14^th place finishes in their first cross country race.

The Year 6 girls can be very proud of their efforts as they both finished in the top 50. Ella (44^th) had the stamina to overtake other runners in the home straight and Amelie (48^th) showed character and resilience to ensure she finished strongly when legs were aching.

The last race of the event was the Year 6 boys’ race. It was a very fast start and the pace kept up around the first field. The course by now was a mud bath and Henry and Robbie did immensely well to not slip round the first bend with other runners falling. Henry looked determined as he emerged confidently from the brook. He picked up the pace before crossing the line in an impressive 10^th place. Robbie found energy as he came to close to the finish line overtaking others to finish in 82^nd place.

Mr Brereton said: “Well done to all the runners to overcome the very muddy conditions. It was fantastic to see the commitment of Team Budbrooke, some had played in football matched before running the race or went to play football matches after the race. Others had arrived early and supported all the runners. This shows their enthusiasm for running and representing the school and they created a great team spirit. They all supported each other and cheered each other on. They persevered despite difficult slippery conditions and can all be proud of their efforts. It was great to see them run through the brook completing the race. Thank you to all the parents for their support and to Leamington Athletics Academy for organising the event.”

The next cross country league race is at Myton Fields, Warwick on Saturday, 27^th January 2024.

Claverdon 2 v Budbrooke 10

The Budbrooke netball team produced a fantastic performance to beat a hard working Claverdon side.

The girls grew in confidence and put together some fine, fast paced flowing passing moves. Hattie excelled in the Goal Keeper position intercepting many passes and Poppy was a livewire at Centre covering a lot of the netball court with great energy to gain possession of the ball and then use a variety of passing techniques to move the ball to the attackers. Elissa, Goal Defence, Poppy W produced a great display at Wing Defence, breaking up the play and making great runs out wide, while Ella and Betsy showed great resilience and desire to score for Budbrooke in the cold windy conditions. Ella in Goal Attack and Betsy in the position of Goal Shooter got closer and closer to the net and then worked well to find space and open the scoring for Budbrooke.

Budbrooke grew in confidence as the game went on, producing their best team display in the 3^rd and 4^th quarter. The team confidently moved the ball around quickly with Sophia and Tegan linking the play from defence into attack leading to Betsy (6) and Ella (4) scoring with a brilliant shot.

Team: Hattie ©, Poppy W, Elissa, Poppy B, Tegan, Ella, Betsy, Sophia.

Mr Brereton said: “It was lovely to see the girls put the skills together that they have practising at netball clubs at school and outside of school to produce a fabulous performance for Budbrooke. They were all brilliant and used different passes and tactics to find space and create many chances to score. It was a very entertaining game in what were very windy and cold conditions.  Thank you to the parents for their support and for Miss Thorpe’s help coaching the team.”

School Games Rowing Competition

This week Budbrooke sent 2 teams of rowers to Campion school to take part in a rowing competition challenge. There was a boys and girls team and they competed in an individual and a relay competition against other schools from Central Warwickshire and South Warwickshire.

Across the day, 15 boys and 14 girls teams from local schools rowed in individual and relay races to see which teams would progress to represent Central Warwickshire in the county round of the competition.

In the individual events, each member of the team had 90 seconds to row as far as they could and in the relay every competitor had 1 minute.  In the end all the distances added up with the winning team being the one which rowed the furthest.

There was some very competitive rowing with Budbrooke rowing some great distances as well as showing some amazing resilience and team spirit.

Teams

The team said: “The competition was lots of fun. We worked well as a team and needed to communicate well in the relay challenge. The values that we showed during this were enthusiasm, challenge and collaboration we also gave lots of motivational support to our teammates.”

Mr Brereton said: “It was fantastic to see so many determined rowers from all the schools. The atmosphere was amazing. I was very impressed with how the team members supported each other and even when things didn’t work out, members of the team overcame difficulties, showing great resilience and they did their best.  They were very thankful to the organisers of the competition and ensured the others teams were congratulated.  Well done to all the Budbrooke rowers. Thank you to parents for all your help with transport.”

St Anthony’s (3)4 V Budbrooke (3)4

In the first competitive league match of the season, Budbrooke and St Anthony’s played out a thrilling draw in a match that was end to end and produced plenty of excitement and end to end action.

In the first half, St Anthony’s started well and Edward and Sonny needed to be on hand to make vital clearances and blocks to thwart the goal mouth efforts and stop the attacks. Against the run of play, the ball found its way to Henry on the half way line and he used his power, pace and skill to run past the defence and slot the ball past on the onrushing goalkeeper to give Budbrooke the lead.

St Anthony’s equalised soon after when, despite several attempts to clear the ball, the ball landed by a St Anthony’s attacker for a simple tap in. Budbrooke did not let the setback affect them and straight away they were on the attack again, with Ellis, Ben, Cameron and Henry linking well to drive through the defence to restore the lead with Henry’s powerful finish. Edward then stopped a certain goal when he blocked 3 shots all within 10 seconds before clearing the ball as St Anthony’s pushed for an equaliser. T was playing well in goal and pushed out a corner and saved well from the follow up shot.

Vaughan closed down the attackers well and worked well with Sonny and Cameron to win the ball back and stop the talented St Anthony’s wingers.

Despite St Anthony’s equalising for the second time, Budbrooke always hit back and Henry latched onto a Cameron’s pass to smash the ball passed the keeper to complete his hattrick. Henry could have scored another soon after but his thunderbolt of a shot cannoned off the cross bar with the keeper beaten.

With half time approaching, the ball deflected to a St Anthony’s striker who equalised with a low shot to make the score 3-3 in what was a frantic, high-energy half of football.

Ben grew in strength in the second half and played some nice link up passes with Sonny and Cameron. Cameron himself showed some lovely touches to get into a good position but shot just wide. Ellis also showed good skill to beat the defenders and just missed the target with a curling effort. Sonny continued to show his array of skills, blocking shots and making outstanding tackles when it looked like St Anthony’s would be through on goal. He also created chances for Budbrooke, setting up Ben with a perfectly placed header that saw Ben narrowly volley over.

Henry continued to battle for every ball and after twisting and turning away from several challenges he restored Budbrooke’s lead with a deflected shot into the corner.

T made an outstanding double save, showing strong wrists to keep out a curling long shot and then slide tacking the striker for the follow up. Late in the game a fine through ball from St Anthony’s gave their striker the chance which he took to equalise to make it 4-4.

Budbrooke FC: T, Sonny, Edward, Cameron ©, Ben, Ellis, Vaughan Henry.

Mr Brereton said: “Wow! What an exciting game of football. Well done to all the players. The whole team showed great determination and produced a great performance they can all be proud of. They kept on going and showed a great team spirit full of exciting football. Every player played his part in a great team performance. The team kept on running and they played with their hearts on their sleeves. There were so many blocks to stop shots and tackles put in to win the ball back and so many goals. Thank you to all the people who helped with transport and came to cheer the team on.”

Primary Schools Girls Football League Competition

Budbrooke girls football team made a successful start to the league this week.

The league event, to be played across 3 dates, saw 8 teams from the local area play each other at Myton School.

The competing teams include- The Priors, St Pauls, Ferncumbe, Long Itchington, Aylesford, Clapham Terrace and Kingsley.

In the first match against Ferncumbe, Sophia made some clever turns and passes to set up chances for Faith and Flori. Ella played well in defence and made some fine clearances while Romy in goal made some great saves, tipping the ball onto the post and gathering on the line, to keep the scores level. The first match ended 0-0.

In the second match for Budbrooke, Amelie and Flori dribbled the ball well and Anna made some vital last-ditch tackles to the Kingsley girls from scoring. Flori put in some good crosses and Faith made some skilful runs down the wing. In the end, Poppy scored with a powerful shot with the last kick of the game to give Budbrooke an exciting 1-0 win.

Budbrooke will play the next set of fixtures at the next two events in November.

Mr Brereton said: “It was great to see so many girls enjoying playing football. It was a very exciting finish with Poppy scoring Budbrooke’s first goal of the league competition with the last kick of the match. The Lionesses’ Euros win and World Cup success has seen a growing interest in the sport and it has been lovely to see the enthusiasm for girls football at Budbrooke. The girls played some fantastic football and the team spirit and passion shone through. Thank you to all the parents who supported with transport.”

Future league dates at Myton:

November 14^th

November 28th

Claverdon (4)6 V Budbrooke (2)5

Budbrooke showed great resilience and skill to battle back from 4-0 down to make it 5-5 but a late goal earned the win for Claverdon in a match that could have gone either way.

Budbrooke started brightly with Henry setting up Finley for a series of strong shots that just narrowly missed and also a shot that hit the post.

Eli and Edward marshalled the defence well but Claverdon then grew in confidence and took the lead with a deflected shot. Jack made many great saves especially when he tipped a shot over the bar and also when he saved a powerful shot onto the bar. In a bizarre 5 minutes Claverdon scored 3 more.

Despite being 4-0 down, Budbrooke were not giving up. They played with great heart and after some mazy, skilful runs, Henry scored the first with a powerful curling effort. This lead to Budbrooke having lots of shots to get back into the game. Cameron was a driving force in midfield and Sonny looked to play in some nicely threaded through balls to create chances. Henry scored again to make it 4-2 to Claverdon at half time.

Claverdon brought on some strong substitutes and scored again early in the second half. Again, this ignited Budbrooke’s passion. Jack, playing up front in this half, got behind the defence on many occasions and forced the goalkeeper into many good saves. Jack was finally rewarded when he scored a tap in after the goalkeeper palmed a save to in. Jack was again on hand to score another and Henry completed his hat-trick when he lashed in an unstoppable shot to complete an amazing comeback.

The match could have gone either way. Teddy, now in goal, saved brilliantly with his legs and the Claverdon goalkeeper kept on making wonder saves when a Budbrooke goal looked a certainty until a corner for Claverdon saw the ball deflect in off the midfielder’s chest.

Budbrooke FC: Jack, Teddy, Eli, Edward, Cameron, Ben, Finley, Henry, Sonny.

Mr Brereton said: “I am so proud of the Budbrooke footballers. Even when they were trailing 4-0, they never let their heads go down. They kept on playing and were rewarded with a thrilling comeback. It could have been the comeback of all comebacks but the Claverdon goalkeeper made some fine saves. Budbrooke kept on going and showed a great team spirit full of exciting football on a difficult pitch. Budbrooke showed they can play football and I am looking forward to the next fixture. Thank you to all the people who helped with transport and came to cheer the team on.”

School Games Gold Award 2022/23

Budbrooke Primary School has once again been awarded with the prestigious School Games Gold Award for its commitment to school sport and competitive games.

This achievement is in recognition of all the opportunities the children have to be active, to play and learn new sports within PE lessons and extra-curricular activities, as well as competing in a large number of School Games competitions such as rowing, infant agility, speed stacking, girls and boys football and sports hall athletics. There were also many other competitions such as Aylesford Athletics and Edmondscote athletics, and cross country that has seen a high number of children from the school compete and enjoy representing the school. The sponsored fitness circuit with Joe Roebuck and the skipping challenge also saw the whole school joining in and being active. The award also recognises how the children have been inspired by the and have had the chance to organise and promote their own competitions within school allowing different year groups to join in and enjoy their sport.

This year the Year 5/6 Well Being Ambassadors have organised lunch time skills sessions for different age groups to as well as setting up the Well Being Wonders club to inspire children to enjoy being active.

They have also delivered the Well Being Festival, the 30-30-30 challenge and organised activities for nursery and pre-school children as well as supporting and cheering on all the children during sports day.

Our sporting achievements this year include:

- Having a variety of sport on offer for all children.

-Welcoming Team GB swimmer, Joe Roebuck, to the school to deliver an inspirational assembly about his life in sport and complete a sponsored fitness circuit for the whole school to take part in.

- Having 9 Well Being Ambassadors to run fun and engaging lunchtime activities for all age groups, deliver the Well Being Festival and organise events including community link up events with nursery and pre-school.

- Providing opportunities for children of all abilities to represent the school.

-Organising a fully inclusive Sports Day linked to the female sporting stars. Providing the whole of Year 6 with sports leadership roles when organising sports day round robin events for the younger children.

- Entering teams into a variety of School Games competitions including rowing, sports hall athletics, football, dodgeball, infant agility and cup stacking.

-Giving children the chance to beat their personal best in School Games, Personal Best Challenge and Specialising in Sport coaching events.

- Winning the School Games Small Schools Sports Hall Athletics competition and representing Central Warwickshire at County Level.  

- Winning the Year 3/4 speed stacking competition and representing Central Warwickshire at County level.

- Winning a Spirit of the Games award in the Year 5 School Games dodgeball event.

- Having 24 Year 5/6 boys and girls competed in the returning Warwickshire Cross Country events with 1^st place and many top 30 place finishes.

- Having 9 children win their events at the Aylesford Athletics competition and go on to represent Warwick in the District Athletics competition at Edmondscote Athletics track.

Mr Brereton said: “It is great to see so many children taking part in and enjoying sport at Budbrooke. They have a lot of opportunities to learn and show off their sporting skills and our gold award recognises that. We promote a good team work ethic and it has been a pleasure to give so many children the opportunity to represent the school in all the different sporting competitions. A personal highlight for me was having everybody together to take part in sports day with a fantastic opening ceremony. A special thanks must go to all the children for being enthusiastic, keen to try new sports and beat their personal best, the Well Being Ambassadors and the parents for their support and for helping with transport. We look forward to applying for the Platinum School Games Mark in 2023/24!”

Keep playing sport!

Mr Brereton

Budbrooke Sports Day 2023

Famous Female Sporting Superstars was the theme for this year’s sports day. Each class chose a female sports star and they researched them to find out about their sports career, as well as facts about the sport they played and records. The children then combined these with the school games values (Determination, Honesty, Passion, Team work, Self belief and Respect) to create a banner to parade and a chant to perform at the opening ceremony. Examples of the sports stars included tennis players Billie Jean King and Emma Raducanu, athletes Jessica Ennis-Hill and Paula Radcliffe, swimmer Ellie Simmonds, skateboarder Sky Brown and cricketer Rachel Heyhoe-Flint.

The Budbrooke Well Being Ambassadors and House Captains helped run the KS1 sports day races, which included sprinting, skipping, egg and spoon, hopping, obstacle and relay. Children from Nursery also competed in the sprint and hopping events. After the track events the Year 6s then organised and led a variety of team activities for the children to participate in during the round robin events which included hockey, javelin, curling and speed bounce amongst many others.

In the afternoon, KS2 sports day events included shuttle running, skipping, sprints, hurdles, obstacle, 600m and the team relays.

Final House Results

Mr Brereton said: “It was a great day of celebrating all the children’s sporting prowess and lovely to have parents and family there. We found out about lots of female sports and all the children demonstrated the school games values in the different sporting events. The chants and dances were amazing and very creative!  They were all excited, enthusiastic and keen to be active.  It was also lovely to see the children support each other and cheer everybody on. Thank you to everybody for coming to support the children. A special thanks go to the Well Being Ambassadors for supporting the younger ones and making everyone feel part of the games. Thanks must also go to Mrs Tabb, Mrs Merritt and Mrs Jarvis and the house captains, who supported with important jobs as well as PTA for running the refreshment stall and selling delicious cakes. It was a very enjoyable day despite the drizzly weather!”

You Skip Challenges/Well Being Ambassadors 30-30-30 challenge

There are lots of exciting skipping challenges for children to participate in at school and at home. The Well Being Ambassadors are also encouraging children to be active for 30 minutes a day as part of the 30-30-30 challenge and YouSkip would be perfect for this challenge.

YouSkip is partof a You v You programme where the focus is on young people challenging themselves to be the best they can be. This whole school challenge is suitable for all ages and aims to engage Budbrooke Primary School in lots of skipping fun!

If you visit the school sport section on the website you will find details and videos of the skipping challenges introduced by Dan the Skipping Man. The children will be able to follow a variety of skipping challenges at school and at home aimed at improving their skipping, and many other life skills.

There will be the single bounce challenge, double bounce challenge and a run challenge and for each challenge there will be the chance to earn bronze, silver or gold. The children will have a skipping passport to record their achievements.

There will also be a variety of tricky skipping challenges for the confident skippers and some supportive challenges for those that are new to skipping.

Enjoy being active,

Mr Brereton

Central Warwickshire Athletics Championship Finals 2023

Athletes from Budbrooke performed brilliantly as they represented Warwick in the Central Warwickshire Athletics Championships at Edmondscote (June 28^th).

The competition saw the winners of the area competitions represent their district. Warwick was competing against Kenilworth, North & South Leamington and Southam in the track and field events at Edmondscote Athletics Track.

In the sprints, Bradley (Year 5) ran a technically superb focused and controlled 75m but just missed out on 3^rd place by fractions of a second in a very competitive race.  There were also excellent efforts from Poppy (Year 4 and Georgia (Year 6) who earned valuable points for Team Warwick.

In the 600m Thomas ran an expertly paced race to finish 2^nd, staying in contention during the first lap and then attacking the bend but just couldn’t overtake the eventual winner.

The Year 5 Boys relay team (Henry, Edward, Robbie and Cameron) showed great determination, passion and perseverance to finish 3^rd and were a credit to the school.

In the field events, Poppy (Year 6) threw the javelin well for Team Warwick to finish 2^nd overall.  Edward followed up his relay success with a 2^nd place finish in the long jump.

Mr Brereton said: “Well done to all the children who represented Warwick. It was fantastic to have 9 children from Budbrooke be part of Team Warwick and they all performed brilliantly. It was great to see the children support and congratulate each other as well as thanking all those who had worked hard to organise the event. They all showed the School Games values of determination, self belief, passion, team work, respect and honesty and can be extremely proud of their achievements. Thank you to all the parents who helped with transport and cheered the team onto success.”

Playground Equipment

Playground equipment, purchased using the Sports For Schools voucher, has arrived at Budbrooke and is being used to create fun, friendly active playtimes.

Children, from Reception to Year 6, have access to a variety of new and different resources to such as stilts, scoop catchers, juggling balls, diablos, plate spinners, skittles and table tennis equipment.

Mr Brereton said: “The sports resources will help the children continue to enjoy being active at break times as well as developing their catching, throwing and jumping skills in PE. It has been great to see the children developing their table tennis skills and to have children state that they will design a Champion’s League style competition for skittles shows they have great enthusiasm and the equipment will be used well and have a great impact.”

Personal Best Follow Up Challenge

Specialist sports coaches, Edward and Adam, from Specialising in Sport visited Budbrooke again this week to challenge the children to beat their personal bests in the throwing, running and jumping events.

Every child in Years 4-6 had completed a series of events including relay races, obstacle races, speed bounce, standing long jump, chest pushes and javelin throwing in January. After practising each event they had the chance to beat their personal best.

Mr Brereton said: “All the children enjoyed taking part in the challenge and performed brilliantly in the exciting events. The event focuses on individual achievement and having a personal challenge. It was great to see the children being active and proud of their efforts. Keep striving to beat your personal best!”

St Paul’s V Budbrooke Girls FC

Budbrooke girls football team recently played against St Paul’s.

Despite the extremely hot conditions the team defended brilliantly at the start and showed great teamwork to stop St Paul’s strikers scoring.

The games was played in 4 quarters of 10 minutes so drinks breaks could be had to keep the players hydrated in the sauntering heat.

There were lots of positives on the pitch.  These included Ella being an amazing defender getting in lots of last ditch blocks, Abi didn’t stop running and tackled well and Maisie made lots of wonder saves tipping the ball over the bar to stop a powerful shot and saving the ball onto the post. After the first quarter, St Pauls were winning 1-0. When the game restarted, Budbrooke grew in confidence. Maisie, now a hard working midfielder, Flori and Faith linked up well and troubled the St Paul’s goalkeeper with long shots.

Chloe showed immense bravery flying into tackles to stop the St Paul’s attackers and Anna and Maisie skilfully started taking the ball past the opposition to create chances for Budbrooke. Plenty of chances came but Budbrooke just couldn’t find the finishing touch to score a goal.

Even when St Paul’s striker scored more goals, Budbrooke showed great character and didn’t give up.

Mr Brereton said: “The girls were a credit to the school. Even though they were losing against a strong team, their heads were always up and they kept on trying. Poppy took the biggest goal kicks I have seen and Budbrooke were always looking to pass to each other and create chances. Well done to all the players and thank you to the parents who provided transport and came to cheer the team on.”

Aylesford Athletics

Budbrooke enjoyed lots of success in the track and field events in the local athletics competition at Aylesford this week and will now have representatives in the Warwick Area team at Edmondscote.

Budbrooke were again the sprint specialists! In the boys events, Bradley came first in his 75m heat (10.61s) and Cameron (11.05s) and Henry (10.15) were both victorious in their individual heats. Thomas showed great commitment and battled well in his 600m race and was selected for the Warwick team while Edward finished in an impressive 3^rd place.

In the girls events, Poppy was a winner in her 50m race with a time of 6.91s, Georgia won her heat and Ella (11.25s) finished 2^nd. Faith (3^rd) and Florence (4^th) showed great determination to finish a difficult 600m race in very hot conditions.

The boys relay teams continued Budbrooke’s impressive form in the sprints. The year 3 (4^th place) and 6 team (3^rd place) competed well while the Year 4 team finishing in an excellent 2^nd place. The Year 5 team (Cameron, Robbie, Henry and Edward) stormed to a stunning victory in front of the enthusiastic cheering crowd. In the girls’ relays, the Year 4 squad came 2^nd and there were 3^rd place finishes for the Year 5 and 6 teams. The Year 3 team showed great character and resilience to carry on despite unfortunately dropping the baton.

Budbrooke also enjoyed great success in the field events with Poppy coming 1^st in her Yr 6 javelin competition, Edward winning the Year 5 long jump event. There were also 2^nd place finishes for Ben (Yr 3 javelin), James (Yr 4 javelin), Thomas (Yr 6 long jump), Henry (Yr 5 triple jump), Tabitha (Yr 3 long jump) and a 3^rd place for Evie (Yr 3 javelin).

Mr Brereton said: “Well done to all who took part in the competition. It was a fantastic afternoon of athletics and Budbrooke did very well in the hot conditions. The team spirit was tremendous and it was lovely to see all the children cheering each other on. It was lovely to see the enthusiasm and pride of all the athletes who represented Team Budbrooke. To once again have children from Budbrooke in the Warwick team at Edmondscote is a very special achievement. A special thanks must go to all who came to support the team on the day.”

The Central Warwickshire Athletics Finals will take place on Wednesday 28^th June at Edmondscote Athletics track.

Sports For Schools Sponsorship Update

Sports equipment, purchased using the impressive £1463 voucher raised from the Sports For Schools sponsorship event, has arrived at Budbrooke.

Each class discussed what equipment they would like to have at school. The delivery includes sports resources that can be used for active playtimes as well enhance PE sessions. The Well Being Ambassadors helped unpack the new items that include: rounders equipment, tennis balls, a variety of balls for all year groups, skipping ropes, hurdles, bean bags, stilts, movement skills,

Mr Brereton said: “Thank you for all of your support. The children enjoyed the sponsored fitness challenge in March while also supporting Team GB athletes. The sports resources will help the children continue to enjoy being active at break times as well as developing their catching, throwing and jumping skills in PE.”