DGS Girls’ U18 Sports Tour to Cambridge
Self-confidence, teamwork and competitiveness – three of the key skills developed by aspiring and talented sportswomen from Dartford Grammar School’s netball and rugby squads on their annual Girls’ U18 Winter Sports Tour.
On the 6th March, the rugby and netball squads supported by the expert tutelage of Dartford Grammar School sports coaches Miss Paige, Miss Collier, Miss Connell and Miss Oakes all set off together at 1pm from our school to Cambridge for what was set to be an exhilarating sports tour.
Three hours later, we had arrived ready for our first matches of the tour. The rugby team then participated in a tournament against three opposing tours, beating the Langley School, but narrowly losing their other two games despite putting up a great fight all the way to the end of each game.
Whilst the rugby games were underway, the netball team faced Wisbech School in our inaugural game of the tour. We demonstrated excellent teamwork skills, and our communication and unity grew as each quarter passed. We tried our hardest until the final whistle, but unfortunately it was not enough as our opposition took the match with a final score of 36 – 23. Despite the loss, the team and I walked off the court feeling as though we had won, as we had all done our jobs on court and showed competitive determination, regardless of the outcome.
After all the matches, we got back onto the coach and headed off to our hostel, firstly making an all-essential stop at McDonald’s as a post-game treat. We finally arrived at our home for the next couple of nights, and all headed off to our rooms to get a good night’s sleep, ready to face the next day.
The next morning, we all got ready and headed downstairs for breakfast. The rugby team were going to have a tough fitness session ahead of them, led by Miss Oakes and Miss Connell, whilst the netball team had a game against Stephen Perse, so it was important that we were all fuelled up for the day.
At 11:30 am, the netball team walked through Cambridge to our game. We arrived at the school, warmed up and were ready to play. Four 10-minute quarters later, and we had been the first netball team to win a game on tour ever. The team and I were extremely proud of ourselves, having played with motivation and passion throughout the game, and it payed off.
We walked back to the hostel, with smiles on our faces, ready for the rest of the day, where we explore Cambridge, followed by a fun and competitive evening of bowling.
After walking back from bowling, all the girls played games, listened to music and ate snacks in the kitchen, making that night one of the best. It was a great bonding experience for all of us, highlighting one of the reasons why this tour continues to be such a success.
We all woke up on Sunday, the final day of the tour, sad that it had come to an end so quickly, but thrilled with the close bonds that we had formed. We loaded all our things onto the coach, and set off for the final match of the tour against Haileybury School.
The rugby team had an inspiring training session ahead of them, led by a Saracens rugby team member. They faced all of the challenges of the session head on, picking up some great new skills to help them win their future games.
Whilst the rugby team had training, my team and I played one of the most challenging, but rewarding games that we had played all season. We played against an incredibly strong Haileybury side, each contesting for the ball the entire way through the match and defending every pass, making it a close game. We unfortunately lost at the final whistle with a close score of 27 – 28 to our opposition. Whilst we had lost, spirits were still high, as it was truly the most amazing game that we had played as a team.
We met with the rugby team after the game, had some refreshments, and made our way back to school, ending what had been a truly outstanding weekend spent with all the girls and teachers.
Submitted by Gabrielle Iyaniwura 12D
Images from © Miss Paige