Yr 8 Northumberland Tour

The Year 8 Tour to Northumberland set off in a brace of minibuses and a support van with all the kit in and headed north for Hexham.
Our first port of call was Mowden Hall Prep School, who kindly gave us lunch and looked after us really well.

Boys Yr 8 XV v Mowden Hall 1st XV
Amid a glorious setting of mature trees and sunshine the boys ran out for their first match. Some were still not feeling well, and demonstrated this visibly into the bushes, but they soldiered on. The game started at a fierce pace and we were lucky to get a penalty early on that Alex W slotted home. This was quickly followed by a sniping try from George M who snuck around the side of a ruck and scored. Alex dutifully slotted home the conversion (he as kicking well). Just as we thought it might be a comfortable win, Mowden struck back with their No8 Picking up and running in a try amid feeble tackling. The first half ended with a flurry and Henry T crossed the line for a try which was once more countered by Mowden’s No8. A half time score of 15-14 to us, meant it was anyone’s game.
In the second half we kept the pace high – with excellent placing of the ball and good fast rucking. Tries from Henry T and Cameron D and some more excellent kicking saw us score 17 unanswered points. The final score was 35-14, and we had achieved a good win against an organised side. Player of the match: Henry T.

Girls Yr XI hockey v Mowden 1st XI
This was a tight game and one that saw goalmouth action at both ends. The match was made difficult for our girls given the long grass surface which meant it was difficult to move the ball accurately. Having said that we played well and had opportunities to win the game which sadly we did not take. A final score of 0-0, showed just how tight it had been. Player of the match: Georgy H.

Following this we set of for our hotel and camped down for the night. Everyone was tired and sleep was gratefully received.

Thursday 20th October

An early start at breakfast ensured we were on our way to Kielder Water for our Mountain biking. It was a cold day with a heavy frost, yet beautiful blue skies – so an ideal day for mountain biking. We split into two groups – one went to a local salmon farm for a brief look around and talk, the other went for a bike familiarisation course, with obstacle courses and elements of control. This was finally wrapped up with a great bike ride around Kielder Water and a visit to Silvas Capitalis (a wooden sculpture). This was a perfect end to a physical morning. The buses rocked as the girls sang us back to Newcastle!

The afternoon saw us Go-Karting which everyone said was brilliant fun. We split into three groups and raced each other with the fastest lap times winning the day. People’s driving styles said a lot about them! Some were fearless, some cautious, some scarily quick! Speeds of upto 60mph were achieved by the fastest!

Finally we went off to the Metro Centre for a Pizza Express meal, and then bed. The “rest day” had been exhausting!

Friday 21st October

We got up and had a hearty breakfast before heading off to Bamburgh Castle where we practiced our skills, and played on the beach. The hockey girls used the flat sands for short corner practice, and the boys ran through their moves. It was a magical 90minutes that everyone thoroughly enjoyed.

We then went to Seahouses for allegedly the best fish and chips in Britain. Good though it was the jury is still out on whether it is the best!
We then set course for Berwick Upon Tween and Longridge Towers, and our second match.

The boys played well against a decent Longridge side. There was some great team play and despite early tries from Andrew C, Jonathan D, Charlie S, and Cameron D, we did not have it all our own way. The second half proved more difficult to score with only Matthew N sneaking over. A final score of 38-17 saw another good win in difficult and windy conditions. Player of the Match: Jonathan D for his two tries and great defence.

The girls were frustrated by not winning their first match and took it out on the Longridge side. Arabella H scored a hat-trick and Captain Jess scored two more. It was an emphatic win from a determined and motivated side. Player of the match: Arabella H.

We returned to Newcastle and went out to celebrate Charlie S’s birthday during supper!

Saturday 22nd October
This saw the boys up early and off to Gosforth to play on an enormous pitch! Newcastle School For Boys were a well organised side who gave us our sternest test. Henry T, Andrew C, and Charlie S all scored good tries in a tight game that saw us come home 17-5 in the end. Player of the match was Theo H for his defensive work in particular.

The girls watched the first part of the match and then went off for a fitness session – Mrs N do you have no heart? This did not subdue their spirits as they sang all the way home!

Many thanks to all the parents who came on tour and supported the teams so positively. Also huge thanks to the staff who came and made all this possible: Mr Tadman; Mrs Northcott; Mrs Thomson.

Finally the biggest thanks go to the pupils who made this tour a pleasure. They were great company at all times, unfailingly polite and looked smart. They understood timekeeping and were quite simply delightful. I hope you enjoyed yourselves and come back recharged for the second half of term.
Mr N