Sports News from Glenalmond College

Sports News 14 May 2012 

Cricket

In the matches against George Watson's, Glenalmond's U15A were 77 all out (Renouf 22) and were beaten by 19 runs.

In the U15B match, Glenalmond won the toss and elected to bat, scoring 67 for 9 off 20 overs. Watsons' scored 68 for 3 off 12.3 overs, and won by 7 wickets.

Glenalmond's U14B team beat Watson's by 4 runs, with Glenalmond 97 for 7 off 20 overs and Watson's 93 for 7 off 20 overs. Needing 30 from the final 2 overs to win, Watson's smashed 26 of them but Glenalmond's batting (Baldwin 31, Harrison 29, Bidwell 23) had set a challenging total from the allocated 20 overs.

The Glenalmond Junior Colts won their match by 10 wickets. George Watson's were 34 all out (Leader 4 overs 1 for 4, Barne 3 overs 2 for 8, Craig 4 overs 2 for 9, Baretto 4 overs 1 for 3, Porter 3 overs 4 for 5) and Glenalmond were 30 for 0 (Goodfellow 21 not out).

Girls Tennis

The matches against Dollar Academy last week saw mixed results for Glenalmond, with our girls winning the U15C, U14B and U14C matches, but losing the U15 , U15B and U14A matches.

Sports News 7 May 2012

Cricket

Playing against Loretto at the weekend, the Glenalmond 1^st XI were 115 all out (Ross Davies 32, Alexander Campbell 23) with Loretto 116 for 4 (Simon Carmichael 2 for 6), and Loretto won by 6 wickets.

The 2^nd XI won their match, as a result of a close and very positive contest over 30 overs each. Loretto were 177 for 7, Glenalmond 178 for 5 with 2 balls remaining. The star performer in this match was Archie Stover scoring 52 not out and scoring the winning four to reach his half century.

In the U14B XI match, Loretto were bowled out for 19 after a sensational opening two overs from Robert Baldwin. A Loretto hat-trick saw a fight-back, with a very tense final few overs, but Glenalmond won the match by one wicket.

The Glenalmond Colts A won by two wickets. Loretto were 94 all out (Dougal Forsyth 3-22, Blair Goodfellow 2-8 from 6 overs), while Glenalmond were 95-8 (Tom Stoddart 42).

The Glenalmond Junior Colts lost their match by 29 runs: Loretto 120-6, Glenalmond 91-9. The star performer of this match was Ruaraidh Leader with 6 overs 0-7 and 27 not out.

Carly Booth OG

Carly Booth, who left Glenalmond in 2010, has won the Scottish Ladies Open Golf Championship. After a very tense final putt she became the youngest Scot to win a top tour title.

Cricket

Ivan Craig (Patchell's, Third Form) scored a century for the Ayrshire regional U14 side on Sunday.

Equestrian

In the recent Kilgraston Scottish Schools Combined Training Championships, held at Gleneagles, Glenalmond entered the senior team of Amber F, Clodagh M and Robyn B, who excelled themselves with their team spirit. Competing in the Juniors, Emily S (Home) overcame her nerves to produce a lovely dressage test and just missed taking the Combined Training title for the event. Also in the Juniors, Olivia S-S (also Home) had a very successful dressage test, and went clear in the show jumping round to take the title of Combined Training Individual Champion. Overall a very good day for the Glenalmond Equestrian team.

Sports News 30 April 2012

Tennis

After the disappointment of our 1st game of the season being cancelled v Gordonstoun it was great to have a window in the rain on Tuesday afternoon for the match at Dollar. The 1st VI won a very exciting match which came down to the last game and we won by 5 sets to 4. After 2 rounds we were 2-4 down and the girls had to play against their own couples - they won all those ties to take the match - a superb victory after our 0-9 defeat last season. Congrats especially to Olivia and Rebecca who won all their sets to secure our victory. The 2nd VI unfortunately lost to a strong Dollar 2nd VI 3-6 - the team of the Houston sisters, Josie and Kirsty, and the Squire sisters all won one match each in a very competitive afternoon of tennis. The 3rd VI won 6-3. In all a great afternoon of tennis for the Senior Tennis girls.

The Glenalmond girls set out with confidence to George Watsons after our victory on Tuesday, no rain, some sun but a bitter wind made it very chilly for spectators. The 1st VI lost a competitive match 3-6. The 2nd VI were outstanding and won 9-0. The 3rd VI also won with ease - a very encouraging morning's tennis.

Clay Pigeon Shooting

A very enjoyable clay pigeon shoot was held, in fine weather, at Cluny Clays. Under the expert tuition of qualified instructor Major Colin Wilson, the eight pupils were formed into two groups, accompanied by College Chaplain and self-styled Master-in-charge of Country Sports, Father Giles Dove and Ordinand-in-Residence Mr William Shaw. Alex Wainwright (S) won the novices section, while Alexander McGrigor was the winner among the experienced guns.

Inter-house Croquet

The Honourable Society of Glenalmond Croquet Players competed for the Ancient and Remarkable Inter-House Croquet Championship in very fine conditions on the croquet lawn in Front Quad on the afternoon of Sunday 29 April. All Houses participated and players were appropriately attired for the occasion. In a hotly contested final, the Skrine's team of Ian Shearer (Captain), Sandy McCleery (Vice-Captain), Joshua Gibson and Sam Smith-Maxwell, were defeated by this year's Glenalmond Croquet Champions, Matheson's with its team comprising Richard Johnston (Captain), Archie Ogilvie, Riley O'Dwyer and George Atkinson. (Self-styled) Master-in-charge of Croquet and Keeper of the College Flamingos, Fr Giles Dove, was ably assisted by Ordinand-in-Residence Mr William Shaw, who assumed the role of Hedgehog Monitor for the afternoon. At the concluding refreshments, Fr Giles was delighted to present the coveted Winners' Trophy to Matheson's.

Sports News 24 April

Rugby Club Successes

A number of Glenalmond boys are celebrating successful seasons with Scottish rugby clubs. Paul Ritch and Walter MacAulay have reached the Caledonia Cup final with the Dundee Eagles team, Will Reynolds and Charlie Winton will be in the U18 Scottish Clubs final at Murrayfield next weekend with Perthshire RFC, and Gordon Porter and Blair Goodfellow have reached a plate final with Aberdeen Grammar School. Congratulations to them all.

Rory Capped for Scotland

Skrine's Fourth former Rory Pritchard had a busy Easter break, meeting up with the Scotland Hockey U16 Development squad over the holidays.

After training with the squad in Edinburgh, he was called up into the team for a three-match series against Wales in Wrexham. The Scots youngsters won the series with a 4-2 victory in the final game. Although the Welsh had equalised to make the score 1-1 after an early Scotland goal, the Scots reached the interval 3-1 up with a double strike from Rory, and went on to win the match and the series.

Congratulations to Rory, and let's hope there's more to come!

Marathon News

Three Glenalmond teachers completed the Paris marathon during the Easter holiday. Mrs Watson, Miss Trygger and Miss Mullin had a great race, with dry but breezy weather - the perfect weather for running but rather cold when they were looking for each other after the race!

Two OGs, Anna Wemyss and Kate Cadzow, ran in the London Marathon at the weekend, both finishing with very respectable times. Congratulations to all these runners!

Sports News 19 March 2012

Swimming Success

Glenalmond swimmers shone at the recent swim meet against Merchiston Castle and Fettes schools. All of our boys came in first or second in every event, and won the O15A, U15A and U15B competitions, resulting in an overall victory for the Glenalmond team. An excellent win, and the result of a lot of hard training in recent months under the guidance of Glenalmond's coach, former Olympic coach Gary Vandermeulen.

Lacrosse

Glenalmond won both the Scottish Closed Tournament and Ryden Rose Bowl competitions that took place last week. In the SCT competition, the 1^st team tournament, we were tied with Fettes but won on goal difference, having won three matches out of four. In the Ryden competition for 2^nd teams, the Glenalmond girls won comfortably with 18 points, well ahead of second-place Fettes on 13 points.

In separate fixtures, the 1^st XII scored an emphatic 15-5 win over St George's School, and the 2^nd, 3^rd, U15A and U15B XIIs won their matches against Fettes.

Boys Hockey

A well-ordered and disciplined Glenalmond U15A boys team beat Fettes 3-2 at the weekend. Despite suffering reverses twice in the first 20 minutes, a quick recovery mid-way through the first half left the half time score 2-1 to the Fettes home team. Coll gathered energy and continued to contest the play with heart and confidence. The final five minutes were tense but Glenalmond soaked up pressure and ended the contest as winners.

The U15B boys lost 2-0 at Fettes, in a game that was closer than the score-line suggests. The boys have developed their hockey skills significantly over the year, and this was a good end of season performance from the team.

Netball

In the last netball match of the season, the U14A team played a hard match against Kilgraston, losing 21-16 despite their determination and strong pace.

Islands Peaks Race Training

The Glenalmond team are already in training for the Scottish Island Peaks Race which starts on 18 May. Joining OG Chris Brydie on a 17-mile training run at Ben Talaidh on the Isle of Mull were Dougie Wainwright, Patrick Galbraith, Will Reynolds and Andy Richardson.

Shooting

In a competition against an OG team at the weekend, the College Small Bore Rifle team won the event. The OG team included two members of the Glen family (donors of the Five Generation Trophy) and a third member of the family was in the College team. The OG team was short one of their star competitors, Jonathan Hammond OG, who is in West Virginia training for the Olympics.

Waiting for Snow

The Glenalmond Girls' Ski Team have been given a new set of ski suits by Mr Hugo Barker, but are still waiting for the chance to use them in action. The Scottish Ski Championships at the Lecht would have been their first chance to compete in their new suits, but the event was cancelled due to lack of snow.

Sports News 12th March 2012

---

Boys National Hockey Win

The Glenalmond 1^st XI are celebrating after an outstanding win in the national finals of the Scottish Schools Cup against Loretto at Peffermill on Thursday. The first half gave them a strong base, with the score sitting at 3-0 at half time, and they managed to hold off Loretto and score again in the second half with the result a resounding 4-0. An excellent game, and a brilliant result in this important Scottish competition.

The Glenalmond development squad, a mixed U14 and U15 team, won 15-0 in their recent game against Stewarts Melville. U14players were in all positions and brought no weaknesses to the team. On the contrary, creative movement and incisive passing were the hallmarks of their contributions. Fergus Skinner played a strong and penetrating central midfield role, releasing fast forwards to get behind the SM back line with weighted passes on the edge of the D. Tom Stoddart got 4 goals, two of which were from well-drilled penalty corners. Will Porter made a hat-trick with stylish and intelligent hockey. Angus Sandison continues to run a disciplined team and he sets the standard for hard work and industry.

Despite it being a leave out weekend, five pupils represented Glenalmond at the Scottish Schools Cross-Country Championships in Irvine, Ayrshire on Saturday 10th March. Rosie Roberts (Home 3rd Form) did excellently in finishing 12th out of a strong field of 86 girls in her age group. Robbie Swift (Reid's) led home the boys' senior team, with Peter Glen (also Reid's), Dougie Wainwright and Ian Shearer (both Skrine's) running well to enable Glenalmond to finish third in the team event.

In the U15 XII National Schools' Lacrosse Tournament in London last week, Glenalmond's U15s were a force to be reckoned with and narrowly missed out on a place in the play-offs. All our players gave 110% and they were a real credit to Glenalmond and Scottish Lacrosse. Well done!

Congratulations to Peter Glen (Reid's) who has been short listed for the UK Cadets Shooting Tour of the Channel Islands in August. The final team of 12 will be selected following a three-day selection process at Bisley towards the end of March.

Congratulations also go to Fergus Sandison (Reid's) who has been selected for the Scotland U18 Hockey Squad. Fergus is aiming to be included in next year's U18 European Championship squad and so will be working very hard on his hockey over the coming months. Fergus was a key player in the Glenalmond 1st XI team that won this year's Scottish Schools hockey competition.

Sports News 5th March 2012

Boys' Hockey - Glenalmond in the Scottish Final

Glenalmond seized victory at the semi-finals of the U18 Scottish Schools' Cup at the weekend, drawing 2-2 with Fettes but then winning 2-1 on penalty flicks. This success takes the Glenalmond team through to the finals at Peffermill at 4.20pm on Thursday 8 March against either Loretto or Gordonstoun. Spectators are welcome!

Boys' Hockey 2^nd XI

On Saturday the 2nd XI showed great determination to battle back from two goals behind to earn a well deserved draw against an experienced Loretto side. Glenalmond dominated for large periods of the game and their control on the ball was much improved. The team now prepares for a trip to Stewart's Melville on Tuesday.

.

Lacrosse U19 National Schools

The Glenalmond 1^st XII had an excellent trip to London to participate in the U19 National Schools competition, and just missed out on going through to the semi-finals as runners-up in their section - by one point!

Lacrosse v St Leonard's

Glenalmond's U15A XII continued their unbeaten season with another convincing win against St Leonard's. The heavy rain made for a challenging match but our girls were strong throughout, with a 15-1 as a result. The U14A XII drew their match 6-6, while the U14B XII played extremely well to win 7-0 against the Fife team.

Netball v Gordonstoun

The Glenalmond girls started off well with quick and efficient passing and a strong defence, and they soon had a few brilliant goals under their belts. However, the Gordonstoun opposition picked up and we narrowly lost the match 19-21.

Sports News 27th February 2012

---

Steeplechase

The Glenalmond College Steeplechase was a typically hard-fought competition. The winning overall boys' house was Patchell's, whilst Home took the overall girls house title. The Patchell's team were obviously having a good day, winning also the junior boys' house and senior boys' house titles. For the girls, Home won the junior girls' house competition and Lothian the senior competition. Athletics

Boys Hockey

In the U18 Schools' Cup Quarter Final vs Bellahouston Academy (Glasgow School of Sport), Glenalmond scored an excellent victory, with a 6-2 score. We now go on to play Fettes in the semi-final. With an energetic start the home team managed to secure an early lead through a goal from Gordon Porter (P), continuing the good form throughout the first half two later goals came from Will Jack (P) and Fergus Sandison (R). The second half started with Glasgow School of Sport gaining the upper hand and getting an early goal back, however Glenalmond's calm and composed response lead to some attractive hockey in which some clinical finishing lead to three further goals from Will Jack, Fritz Spieth (G) and Archie Farquharson (G) who was later named man of the match.

Lacrosse

In the fixture against Loretto at the weekend, the Glenalmond girls had an excellent day. The 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and U15A teams all won their matches convincingly, and the U15B team had a near miss with a 4-3 loss. Just our third 1^st XII match of the season due to cancellations, but the girls were match fit and played an extremely good first half against a determined and speedy Loretto side. Great and determined play by all. Players of the match were Olivia and Katie. The less experienced U14B teams lost their matches, but overall the day was definitely one for Glenalmond to celebrate.

Cross-Country

The Glenalmond Invitation Cross-Country Race took place on 21 February, with runners from a number of Scottish schools joining the Glenalmond runners over a challenging course. There are photos on the Photo Gallery page, titled "invitationx-clent2012".

Clay Pigeon Shooting

A very enjoyable clay pigeon shoot was held, in fine weather, at Cluny Clays on Sunday afternoon. Under the expert tuition of qualified instructor Major Colin Wilson, the eight pupils were formed into two groups, accompanied by College Chaplain and self-styled Master-in-charge of Country Sports, Father Giles Dove. Top Shot in Group A was Harry Moat (S). Joint Top Shots in Group B were Alexander McGrigor and Charlie Strang-Steel (both S).

Pupils Qualify as Lifeguards

Eight Glenalmond Sixth Form pupils have qualified as lifeguards, earning their Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) Pool Lifeguard Qualification. The training involved 40 hours of training in the pool, along with theory work, including training in resuscitation and first aid. In addition, the school has been verified as a training centre for lifeguard courses in future.

Sports News 7th February 2012

Athlete Development Programme

Glenalmond's talented athletes, who take part in the Athlete Development Programme, had a detailed and interesting talk from Ian White, Director of Run4it. He explained the considerations necessary when choosing kit, and the importance of a good fit in preventing injuries as well as promoting performance. Ian White will be returning to Glenalmond in the summer to talk to our athletes about gait analysis and running technique.

Football

Glenalmond College and Gordonstoun School "celebrated" a football first at McDiarmid Park, Perth when a 10 goal thriller heralded the start of the SISFA league season. Gordonstoun were indeed worthy winners as their experience and sharpness showed but Glenalmond were by no means disgraced and seasoned observers of Glenalmond football saw many encouraging signs. Naïve defending and inexperience were the main reasons for an unflattering 7-3 score!

 The hospitality at St Johnstone was, as ever, excellent and the warmth of the Premier Suite was enjoyed by parents, players and staff alike. The Glenalmond coaching team led by Bing Wang has much cause for satisfaction and optimism. The team will face St. Leonard's at the weekend duly "blooded" by this valuable match experience. Another bonus of the occasion was the opportunity to meet new St. Johnstone manager Steve Lomas who was with his new signing from Tottenham. Glenalmond football can only benefit from its links with McDiarmid Park.

Climbing

Last Sunday a group of Third Formers, along with an Upper Sixth pupil and an OG, visited Ratho indoor climbing centre, to tackle both the climbing wall and the aerial assault.

Girls Skiing

In the British Schoolgirls Championships which took place in France, the Glenalmond girls were a credit to the school. Ours was the only team of completely unregistered racers to make it to the quarter-finals; a great achievement from a field of 51 teams.

Sports News 30th January 2012

---

Junior Girls' Run

The Junior Girls' January Run took place, with 41 girls competing. The event was won by Olivia Strang Steel (H) in 16.24 minutes, with Mollie Maclean and Poppy Robertson (both H) tying for second place.

Boys' Hockey

Glenalmond College 1st XI vs. Robert Gordon´s College 1st XI

The 1st XI headed to Robert Gordon´s, knowing precisely the way the match was going to be played. They had spoken about tactics, patterns of play and structure in both defence and attack. Stirling Fenton (R) captained the Glenalmond side and they went into half time with a 2-1 lead over Robert Gordon´s. In the second half the momentum swung towards the Glenalmond side, with very few mistakes made in all areas of the field. The 1st XI players were still eager to raise the scoreboard and 2 more goals were achieved. All in all a very good performance by the 1st XI team.

Final score: Glenalmond College XI 5-1 Robert Gordon´s College XI

Lacrosse

The season got off to a good start for the Glenalmond girls, with the 1^st team winning their away match against Fettes. The 2^nd and 3^rd teams and U15 team matched this success, with the U15B and U14 teams suffering losses.

Inter-House Hockey

The Junior Inter-House Hockey Tournament at the weekend was won by Patchell's. In the course of the competition they beat Skrines 6-0, Reids 6-1, Matheson's 6-0 and Goodacres 3-0. Of particular note was Gordon Porter who led from the front scoring 10 goals during the afternoon.

Sports News Pages