It’s been an exceptionally successful term for our sports teams at Wilson’s. We are proud of the wide range of sporting activities for pupils of all ages and abilities to enjoy, and our dedicated PE Department work tirelessly to ensure that every pupil who wishes to participate in competitive sport has the opportunity to do so. Alongside this inclusive ethos, there is, naturally, great excitement for our top teams when they succeed in competitions.

Badminton

Perhaps our most notable recent achievement is in Badminton. Congratulations to our KS3 Badminton team for their remarkable achievement in clinching the title of National Champions last week! This accomplishment stands as a testament to the dedication and skill demonstrated by our students, marking a significant milestone for our school, as we had not until this year attained this distinction in the School Sport Magazine competition.

Our participation in the School Sport Magazine Nationals began in October, embarking on preliminary rounds contested against local schools. With each subsequent stage, the competition intensified, culminating in a rigorous quarter-final encounter against our own B team. Proceeding to the final, our opponents awaited us, from King Edward’s School, Birmingham.

In a captivating finale, each player took to the court, engaging in matches sequentially. The poised performance of Kai set a strong precedent, securing victory with a score of 21-18 against a formidable opponent, thereby instilling confidence in our subsequent players. Aayush, in turn, displayed resilience, rallying from an initial deficit to triumph with a score of 21-16. Vincent and Abhay displayed exemplary prowess in their respective singles matches, triumphing with scores of 21-14 each, ultimately clinching the tie in our favor. Bharath's commendable performance in the doubles match sealed our victory, concluding the match with a resounding 6-0 triumph.

Looking ahead, we eagerly anticipate the forthcoming Badminton England National Finals scheduled for April. This esteemed event, to be hosted at the National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes, represents another commendable milestone as both our KS3 and KS4 teams advance to the finals. We anticipate an exhilarating weekend filled with spirited competition and cherished memories for our students.

Football

Regular readers will have followed the progress of our football teams throughout the year. The Year 7 A team are through to the Surrey Cup Final, the first time a lower school team has made the final in quite some time. They will also compete in the final of the Sutton Cup. Support for the team is always welcome - the Sutton Cup final will take place on Thursday 18th April at Northey Avenue and Surrey Cup Final will be on Friday 3rd May at Dorking Wanderers FC. The Sutton Cup Final will also feature our Year 8 team, who continue to make progress in the London Cup, too. Our Year 11 and 1st XI teams will compete in the semi-finals of the Sutton Cup, too.

Basketball

Basketball is an increasingly popular sport—more students are taking part, meaning the teams are developing, and we are becoming stronger by the match. Our U16 team last week unfortunately lost in the Semi-Finals of the London Youth games competition to a strong Drayton Manor team, meaning they just missed out on the London Youth Games finals.

Cricket

As the summer approaches, so does the cricket season, and our students have been working hard in the winter to get ready. The first competitive fixture is the Surrey Indoor Sixes series, which our teams will compete in both the Year 7 and 8 final and the Year 9 and 10 final after Easter.

Keep an eye on the website for further updates about the progress of our teams. Sincere thanks must go to the PE Department, who endeavour to give every student the opportunity to experience sporting success.

Rugby

The Rugby season concluded this week for our Key Stage 3 teams with two Rugby Sevens tournaments at Box Hill and Orleans Park. These tournaments give our students an opportunity to showcase their improved skills with more time and space on the pitch. Both the U12 and U13 teams performed admirably, each team coming away with at least one win. The U13 team produced their best displays to win two matches and draw against the eventual winners of the competition!

The PE team are very pleased with how the KS3 teams have developed and we look forward to handing out the end of season awards next week.

Year 7; Year 8

Mohan (Year 8) and Owais (Year 7) have written reports on their respective success in the Rugby Sevens Tournaments:

On the 6th of March, the U-13 Rugby Team travelled to Box Hill School to take part in the Anderson Cup.

The tournament started with a briefing on the rules and then the game was on. After a quick team talk, Wilson’s took the early lead against Box Hill thanks to a penalty from Issak followed by both Denish and Sourish scoring a try each to put Wilson’s into a comfortable lead going into the half. With some substitutions, Wilson’s came back on to score two more tries thanks to Jett and Owen, giving Wilson’s the win.

The next game was against Lingfield and, after conceding the early try, we knew it was going to be a hard match. However, Wilson’s continued to persevere and after putting on an incredible defensive show (especially well done to Rohan, Jayden and Harshit), we scored a try, thanks to a great run from Sourish, tying the game at the half. In the second half, though, Lingfield showed a better attacking performance and scored two more tries to put the game out of reach of Wilson’s. This led to the end of the group stages.

Unfortunately, the number of tries scored was used to pick which second placed team was going into the first division, and we lost out by one try. This meant that Wilson’s entered the 2nd division with Box Hill and the Lingfield B team. Much like their first game, the Wilson’s team were in a 3-2 lead. This carried on into the second half where three tries from Mohan, Xavier and Yi Cong put the game out of reach of Box Hill.

After that, came the tough challenge of the Lingfield B team. However, Wilson’s scored three tries (Sonit, Jayden, and Denish) in the first half to show Lingfield just how strong they are. Lingfield managed to pull it back in the second half, salvaging a draw in what was an exciting contest.

Overall, it was a great day out and the team thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Player of the tournament when to our very own Denish, but the whole team deserves credit for working so hard together.

Mohan, Year 8

On Monday 11th of March, the Year 7 rugby team travelled to Orleans Park School for an exciting Ruby Sevens tournament. Perhaps because it was the first tournament for many of the Year 7 pupils, we travelled with extra enthusiasm.

As the tournament had been rescheduled, eleven teams had dropped out, leaving us to play four intense, fast paced, action packed twelve-minute rugby matches. A memorable moment from the first match was when Liam ran all the way inside his own half to score a try for the ages. His blistering pace left the defenders trying to lay a finger on him.

We ended the tournament with a match against Orleans Park Bs. With both teams looking for their first wins, it was an action packed first half with Jessie bamboozling the defenders with dazzling footwork. The first half score was 2-2. An inspiring half time talk from Olivier led to Bolin and Jessie scoring tries directly after the break. Daniel and Liam put in some hard work in defense to stop them scoring any more tries. After a strong second half performance, we won the match 7-2.

In conclusion, some standout players were Jessie with five tries, Olivier with his leadership and ability to orchestrate play and Daniel and Liam with strong tackles, blistering pace and try scoring aptitude. Overall, the tournament was a fun experience for us, and we left feeling proud about how we represented Wilson’s.

Owais, Year 7