Manchester Schools Indoor Athletics Competition
Before Christmas the team qualified for the finals of the Manchester Schools Championships. This was held at Sport City in early January. All points from the boys’ events and girls’ events are all collated, so every point counts as it is the top two teams that go on to represent Manchester in the Greater Manchester finals. The team performed really well and managed to come third. They were delighted with their medals, as for many it was their first experience of this level of competition

AJIS Indoor Athletics Competition

Continuing on from the success of the indoor athletics team reaching the finals of the Manchester Schools, the pupils did themselves proud in the AJIS North West Schools competition. We entered full teams for Prep 5 and Prep 6 with both boys’ and girls’ teams. For some this was their first experience of competing in an athletics competition. It is a little daunting as over twenty schools entered. We were all impressed with the effort and skill level pupils demonstrated in their events. January’s virtue is fortitude and it was lovely to see the pupils put this important virtue into practice. Special mention must go to Victor, as he equalled the AJIS record in the vertical jump, and also won a gold in the one lap race. Gabriella also won a silver medal in the triple jump.

Basketball success

It was lovely to give some pupils their first taste of basketball competition by playing in the Manchester Schools Inspire tournament, aswell as the Excel tournament.
The Inspire team had some dribbling, shooting and passing practice to start with. Then they played four matches. There was a noticeable improvement in dribbling and shooting as the matches progressed. It was a tiring evening as we only had five players, which meant no substitutes.

The Manchester Schools Excel competition is a higher standard and is played at regional centres around Manchester. The Excel team had a tough start, playing Rushbrook and Beaver Road. We drew those matches and won the next two. The team have qualified for the Manchester Schools finals, although for us to do well, plenty of shooting practice is required!

Hockey: AJIS Plate competition

It was a bitterly cold day for this hockey tournament held at Queens School, Chester. Three matches were played in total. Against Queens Chester, we had a narrow 1-0 defeat, we lost to a stronger Stonyhurst School and managed to win against Westholme School 3-0. For
several players, this was their first time playing for the hockey team, as they have recently started to attend practices on a Wednesday evening. To see how they improved and gain confidence in each match was very encouraging.

Football

AJIS competition

The Prep 4 and 5’s took part in the AJIS under-10s tournament hosted at Platt Lane, facing strong opposition from schools including Cheadle Hulme, Scarisbrick, Kirkham and Bridgewater. The squad included some Prep 4 players, which proved to be a valuable experience and of great benefit to their development. The boys were highly competitive throughout the tournament, showing excellent attitude and effort in every game. Overall, it was a really positive experience that will stand them in good stead as they prepare for next season.

Manchester City Invitational Festival

A Prep 3 and 4 football team competed in a tournament at MCFC, putting in a strong performance throughout the group stage, with two wins and one draw, to progress to the quarter-finals. Max, Harlow and Ethan scored some great goals.
After a competitive match, we were knocked out by Pownhall School. The boys thoroughly enjoyed the experience; it was great to see them playing together as a group. A special mention goes to Joe and Vasik, who both played up a year and showed great commitment and maturity in their performances. In addition, Mikey was Mr McGrath’s player of the day with some superb defending.

Cross country

Lots of fun was had at the cross country on Saturday. Well done to all the girls who took part, but a special mention goes to Honor. She had her best result so far, finishing 3rd. There was great excitement as Oseto, the Spanish bear, whom Grace K had the responsibility of looking after for the weekend. It was also a family affair with Mr McGrath and his boys, as well as Mrs Harrison and Miss Harrison.