Four schools, four doubles at record-breaking Girls’ Nationals

News

Marlborough College
Sunday, 17th April 2016

STOP PRESS  There were a record-breaking 68 competitors from 11 schools playing in this year’s 7th National Girls’ Rugby Fives championships at Marlborough College. Among the winners in the four age categories a different school was represented each time, and in every case the winner of the Singles was able to pair up with a schoolmate to win the Doubles as well.

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In the U18s it was a case of Rugby, a little more experienced, taking on last year’s Malvern U16s, with Christ’s Hospital’s pair in the mix in both Singles and Doubles. In the end it was Malvern who swept the board, with both Singles finalists – Amelia Law and Maggie Wong in a great match –  and that combination winning the Doubles. They will be the pair to beat next year, too!

In the large U16 competition the squad from Rugby stood out, providing three of the semi-finalists in the Singles. That final set Rugby’s Harriet Fagan and Anastasia de Clermont against each other, with Harriet winning comfortably. Harriet then teamed up with Freya Harrison, deemed to be Rugby’s second pair, and duly won the Doubles title with some ease from Christ’s Hospital’s pair.

The U14s provided some of the closest matches of the day, with the two players from Bedford Modern – Katie Sumner and Maddy Kent – fulfilling the promise they showed last year in roundly dismissing all opposition in the Doubles, after Katie had won the Singles event with victories in the closing stages against strong players from Malvern and Marlborough.

In the U13s last year’s champion from Christ’s Hospital Aiysha Alli was too strong for all who encountered her, but defeated finalist Martha Nugent of Alleyn’s showed promise, especially in the Doubles where she and her partner lost a close and exciting first game against Alli and Lisa Thwaites.

The total entry of 68 this year was a record. It set off discussions about the future of the tournament, now difficult to complete comfortably in one day on four courts. We hope to see the same sort of entry next year, perhaps even bigger, when we may have to consider seriously other option for its format.

Results

U18 Singles

1st round: B Crinnion (Christ’s Hospital) bt T. Gordon (Alleyn’s); M Nugent (Alleyn’s) bt R Patel (Aldenham)
2nd round: L Harbottle (Rugby) bt L Calman-Grimsdale (Alleyn’s); I Boddy (Sedbergh) bt F Porter (Alleyn’s); Crinnion bt L Dan (Alleyn’s); M Wong (Malvern) bt N Ross (Aldenham); K Martin (Rugby) bt Nugent; A Law (Malvern by M Ward (Christ’s Hospital); C Bedford (Malvern) bt V King-Forbes (Alleyn’s); P Thornhill (Christ’s Hospital) bt M Ivanova (Aldenham)
Quarter-finals: Harbottle bt Boddy 11-1; Wong bt Crinnion 11-2; Law bt Martin 11-4; Thornhill bt Bedford 11-2
Semi-finals: Wong bt Harbottle 11-7; Law bt Thornhill 11-3
Final: A Law (Malvern) bt M Wong (Malvern) 15-12
Plate: M Ward (Christ’s Hospital)  bt L Dan (Alleyn’s)

U18 Doubles

Group A: 1st Rugby; 2nd Sedbergh; 3rd Alleyn’s II
Group B: 1st Malvern I; 2nd Alleyn’s I; 3rd Aldenham
Group C: 1st Christ’s Hospital I; 2nd Malvern II; 3rd Alleyn’s III
Semi-finals: Malvern I bt Sedbergh 15-5; Rugby bt Christ’s Hospital 15-13
Final: Malvern I (Law & Wong) bt Rugby (Harbottle & Martin) 11-5, 12-11
Plate: Malvern II bt Aldenham

U16 Singles

1st round: S Gray (Fettes) bt E Conway (Aldenham); P Bell (Sedbergh) bt I Minto (Fettes); I Lee (Marlborough) bt H Gale (Sedbergh); A Denton (Rugby) bt E Stevenson (Christ’s Hospital); A Laakonen (Marlborough) bt R Page (Sedbergh); C Kloepfer (Christ’s Hospital) bt C Sutton (Fettes); Y Barnard-Masterson (Christ’s Hospital) bt L Worlledge (Fettes); J Cookson (Sedbergh) bt D Woodley (Rugby); E McGuire (Sedbergh) bt H Hashiba-Charlton (Aldenham)
2nd round: H Fagan (Rugby) bt J Joseph (Christ’s Hospital); Bell bt Gray; Lee bt M Harte (Rugby); S Saunt-Hills (Christ’s Hospital) bt Denton; F Harrison (Rugby) bt Laakonen; Kloepfer bt Barnard-Masterson; A Green (Christ’s Hospital) bt Cookson; A de Clermont (Rugby) bt McGuire
Quarter-finals: Fagan bt Bell 11-3; Lee bt Saunt-Hills 11-0; Harrison bt Kloepfer 11-5; de Clermont bt Green 11-5
Semi-finals: Fagan bt Lee 11-5; de Clermont bt Harrison 11-2
Final: H Fagan (Rugby) bt A de Clermont (Rugby) 15-5
Plate: C Sutton (Fettes) bt D Woodley (Rugby)

U16 Doubles

Group A: 1st Marlborough; 2nd Christ’s Hospital I; 3rd Rugby III
Group B: 1st Rugby II; 2nd Sedbergh I; 3rd Christ’s Hospital II
Group C: 1st Rugby 1; 2nd Sedbergh II; 3rd Fettes II
Group D: 1st Christ’s Hospital III; 2nd Fettes I; 3rd Aldenham I
Quarter-finals: Marlborough bt Fettes I 11-1; Rugby II bt Sedbergh II 11-1; Rugby I bt Sedbergh I 11-0; Christ’s Hospital I bt Christ’s Hospital III 11-2
Semi-finals: Rugby II bt Marlborough 11-5; Christ’s Hospital I bt Rugby I 11-8
Final: Rugby II (Fagan & Harrison) bt Christ’s Hospital I (Kloepfer & Saunt-Hills) 15-2
Plate: Rugby III bt Fettes II

U14 Singles

1st round: G Labdon (Blundell’s) bt M Sharp (Christ’s Hospital); L Barton (Marlborough) bt A Hassell (Eastbourne); A Wood (Marlborough) bt E Hitchcock (Christ’s Hospital)
2nd round: K Sumner (Bedford Modern) bt Labdon; L Gonder (Malvern) bt J Whitehead (Blundell’s); B Ransome (Marlborough) bt H Thornton (Christ’s Hospital); A Doroshenko (Malvern) bt Barton; R Sykes (Marlborough) bt A Day (Rugby); L Browne bt P Turner (Christ’s Hospital); K Bell (Marlborough) bt E Hemmimg (Eastbourne); M Kent (Bedford Modern) bt Wood
Quarter-finals: Sumner bt Gonder 11-1; Doroshenko bt Ransome 11-1; Sykes bt Browne 11-2; Bell bt Kent 11-9
Semi-finals: Sumner bt Doroshenko 11-9; Sykes bt Bell 11-9
Final: K Sumner (Bedford Modern ) bt R Sykes (Marlborough) 11-1
Plate: A Day (Rugby) bt J Whitehead (Blundell’s)

U14 Doubles

Group A: 1st Bedford Modern; 2nd Eastbourne; 3rd Marlborough I; 4th Christ’s Hospital II
Group B: 1st Malvern I; 2nd Marlborough II; 3rd Blundell’s; 4th Christ’s Hospital I
Semi-finals: Bedford Modern bt Marlborough II 11-2; Malvern I bt Eastbourne 11-3
Final: Bedford Modern (Kent & Sumner) bt Malvern I (Doroshenko & Gonder) 11-0
Plate: Marlborough I bt Eastbourne

U13 Singles

Group A: 1st Z Freedman (Aldenham); 2nd K Innes (Alleyn’s); 3rd L Thwaites (Christ’s Hospital)
Group B: 1st A Alli (Christ’s Hospital); 2nd M Nugent (Alleyn’s); 3rd T Holding (Aldenham)
Semi-finals: Nugent bt Freedman 11-8; Alli bt Innes 11-4
Final: A Alli (Christ’s Hospital) bt M Nugent (Alleyn’s ) 11-2
Plate for losing semi-finalists: Freedman bt Innes

U13 Doubles

Round robin: Christ’s Hospital bt Aldenham,; bt Alleyn’s.  Alleyn’s bt Aldenham.
Final: Christ’s Hospital (A Alli & L Thwaites) bt Alleyn’s I (K Innes & M Nugent) 12-11, 11-5

 

The U18 Singles winner serving

The U18 Singles winner serving

The Girls' Championships at Marlborough College

The Girls’ Championships at Marlborough College

Crowd watching the U18 Singles final

Crowd watching the U18 Singles final

The Malvern College group

The Malvern College group

U16 champions from Rugby

U16 champions from Rugby

U14 champions from Bedford Modern

U14 champions from Bedford Modern