10 December 2021
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Rugby
1st XV (played 16 - won 16 - lost 0 - drew 0)
The 1st XV have had a very successful season so far with some excellent victories over Denstone College (33-5), Northampton Boys School (29-10), RGS Newcastle (57-7), Ipswich School (13-10) and Ballymena Academy (22-3) being the pick. Well lead by Aaron Pope, the team have matured into a strong defensive unit which opponents have found difficult to break down. The pack, with Yande Ngonge, Will Riley, Huw Davies, Patreece Bell and Rhys Fray, have scored numerous tries. The chief benefactors being Patreece Bell and Rhys Fray who lead the way in the tries. Centre, Josh Lynch, has been outstanding in defence and has formed a pleasing partnership with fellow centre, Aaron Pope.
The 1st XV finished their normal season unbeaten for the second time in 3 years. The season closed with two excellent away wins; firstly at top Ulster School Ballymena Academy with tries from Harry Thompson , William Riley and Yande Nkonge allowing KGS a well-deserved 22-3 win in horrific conditions . The second win was a 24-5 win at Bloxham School with tries from Harry Thompson (2), Wils Austin and Daniel Harris . This season, KGS 1st XV took on an extra adventure, the National Under 18 Cup which meant playing fixtures outside of the normal fixture list. After battling through the first four rounds KGS faced a quarter final opponent in top rugby school, Bedford School. Playing once again in difficult conditions KGS, well led by Captain, Aaron Pope, controlled the game and took a 10-0 lead after a try by Harry Thompson and a conversion and penalty from Aaron Pope. Kirkham closed out a place in the semi-final with a further 2 tries from William Riley and more points from Aaron Pope (2 conversions and 1 penalty). The semi-final will be played in March and will definitely be an occasion to look forward to as KGS try to reach a final they last achieved in 1997.
Mr Trenhaile
Headmasters XV (played 9 - won 7 - lost 2 - drew 0)
The Headmaster's 1st XV have had an excellent term, losing only 2 games since August. The best performance was at Sedbergh in September and although a 20-5 loss was recorded, one could not fault the endeavour and skill level of the players.
Fine wins were recorded against other 1st XVs beating St. Ambrose 14-7 and Manchester GS 26-6. The latest result against The Grange School, Northwich was a nail biter, however two tries by Kirkham proved the difference. The squad has been led superbly by Ben Campbell who has led the way with a very high tackle and turnover count.
Mr Lyon
Under 16s (played 7 - won 6 - lost 1 - drew 0)
So far this season the U16’s have played seven, won six and lost one. Kirkham opened their campaign with a pre-season friendly away at George Watsons College. In a fiercely contested game Kirkham narrowly lost 12-10, however the Kirkham side took a lot from the experience. From that point on, the U16 have not lost a game beating Wirral Grammar School 55-0 RGS Lancaster 35-5, Denstone College 32-6 and AKS Lytham 59-10 in the Lancashire Cup. After half term Kirkham travelled to RGS Newcastle where they came home with a hard fought win 10-7 and then travelled to Belfast to face Ballymena Academy who had just been crowned the Ulster champions. In testing conditions Kirkham won the game 19-5. The U16 have a fixture against Sedbergh to look forward to at the end of term and also hope to continue to progress in the Lancashire Cup.
Mr Roddam
Under 15s (played 11 - won 6 - lost 4 - drew 1)
The Under 15s have made excellent progress this season and after a slow start have won 6 of their last 7 games, with over 30 players representing the school's 'A' team during the Michaelmas Term. Stand out performances from forwards Max Carter, Ewan Huck and number 8 convert, Connor Norman, have laid an excellent platform for an increasingly threatening backline, where Oliver Kollard and Ben firth have formed an excellent foil in the centres. The foundations have been laid for the Lancashire Cup campaign where they will take on either Ormskirk Grammar or Lancaster Royal Grammar School in the quarter-final.
Mr Unsworth
Under 14 A (played 13 - won 9 - lost 3 - drew 1)
Under 14 B (played 6 - won 4 - lost 2 - drew 0)
The U14s have made good progress this season, after losing to a strong George Watson College team in pre-season, they went on to win their next 6 games against Wirral Gramar, St Ambrose, Lancaster Grammar, Denstone College, Manchester Grammar and Scarisbrick Hall in the Lancashire Cup. Before losing to Sedbergh before half term, which has certainly motivated the boys to continue to work hard at their skills and pull together as a team.
They then lost to Newcastle during half term with a depleted squad but bounced back well with a good win against Queen Ethelburga’s and a draw against a very physical Leicester Grammar.
The most recent game was against Merchant Taylors which was a double header; Lancashire Cup and School Sport Magazine National U14 Cup, the boys put in their best performance of the season winning 35-5.
Will Kelso and Charlie Bray with 21 and 13 try’s respectively have been outstanding, as have the leadership group of Ciaran Milligan, Rowan Edwards, Lewis Simpson and Anton Gildea. 20 different boys have scored try’s which highlights the strength and depth of the squad, which is promoting competition for places.
The B team have been very competitive picking up wins against Wirral and Denstone and losing narrowly to St Ambrose and Lancaster.
Mr Sutcliffe and Dr Rollins
Under 13s (played 9 - won 2 - lost 7 - drew 0)
The Under 13s have had a heavy away fixture list so far this year with plenty of opportunity for the whole year group to represent Kirkham Grammar School at rugby. Despite the travelling, the teams have shown what Kirkham Grammar School rugby is all about showing real strength, determination and a positive attitude. The Under 13A team have won 2 games out of 8 beating Denstone College and Leicester Grammar School by a significant amount. The Under 13B team have had a rocky start to their season losing their three opening matches. All the boys involved have developed since September and we are sure they will continue to develop as they progress through to the Under 14s.
Mr Robinson
Under 12s
The Under 12s have had an encouraging start to their first year of rugby in the senior school. Both sets of mixed teams have had some brilliant results and have continuously progressed since September. It has been brilliant to see every boy in the year represent the school successfully. Some highlights so far have been beating Sedbergh, Denstone College and Manchester Grammar School convincingly. More importantly the boys are enjoying each training session and bonding well as a group.
Mr Brookes and Mr Madill
Rugby Teams 2021-22
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