SADDLEWORTH SCHOOL’S Key Stage 3 girls and boys and KS4 girls and boys badminton teams have qualified for the Greater Manchester Championships in January for the third successive year.
It was a great achievement with some stand-out performances from several individuals in both competitions as Saddleworth swept the boards.
In the girls’ KS3 Oldham Schools’ Championships at Oasis Academy, Yasmine Roebuck was undefeated in singles and doubles, coming away with two golds. Danni Rhodes and Lauren Marston won a gold and silver medal, with Isabel Kinsler, who was a last-minute replacement, due to illness, also winning a gold medal in the doubles.
In the boys’ KS3 competition, Adam Jones, Archie Duncan, Luke Taylor and Niall Grant all ended up with team silver, narrowly losing out to Failsworth for the gold, but both schools qualify for the county finals.
The KS4 girls and boys teams equalled the efforts of the KS3 teams and qualified for the Greater Manchester Championships, also for the third year running.
In the girls’ Oldham Schools’ Championships, also held at Oasis Academy, Tara Phethean and Emma Brewster were magnificent in singles and doubles, only losing out to a very strong Failsworth pair and coming away with gold and bronze individually and silver as a pair.
Daisy Shepherdson and Grace Malone won silver medals both individually and as a pair, enabling Saddleworth to finish joint first with Failsworth.
In the boys’ competition, Johnny Marston, Toby Kershaw, Matthew White and Oliver Keane won 15 out of their 20 singles and doubles matches, ending up with team gold medals, beating Failsworth by two points.
THERE WAS also a victory for the year 10 basketball team that defeated Failsworth School 32-29 after overtime in a dramatic final of the Oldham Schools’ under-16s championship.
Saddleworth now qualify to represent Oldham in the Greater Manchester Championships in March at the Amaechi Centre.
THE YEAR 10 football team has enjoyed further successes in the English Schools’ FA under-15s PlayStation Cup.
They beat Chorlton High 5-4 despite adverse weather meaning this home fixture had to be switched from the ‘swamps’ of Churchill Playing Fields to the perfect 3G of Oasis Academy, Oldham.
Saddleworth made a great start and were 4-2 ahead at half time through two goals from Cavan Purtill and one apiece for Adam Howarth and Joe Ireland.
Chorlton pegged it back to 4-4 with 10 minutes left only for Saddleworth to score a last-minute winner from substitute Olly Griffiths to spark massive celebrations.
Saddleworth then made it through to the last 64 after defeating Rawmarsh School and Sports College, from Rotherham, 4-1 with goals from Purtill, Ireland, Matthew Barlow and Danny McGroarty.
THE YEAR eight rugby team fought back from 14-10 down to defeat Cardinal Newman, from Warrington, 32-14 and reach the semi finals of the North West Champion Schools’ Cup.
The team will now face St Peter’s, from Wigan, for the chance to run out in front of over 1,000 spectators at the annual finals day in Widnes on January 16.
Notable performances on a wet and windy afternoon came from Lewis Smethurst and his opposite centre Gabriel Payne as both scored two tries.
THE YEAR nine rugby team was defeated 30-4 in the NW Schools’ semi final despite putting up a spirited performance against a strong and well disciplined St Eddie’s side from Wigan.
Having conceded home advantage due to every pitch in the Oldham borough being waterlogged, Saddleworth faced an uphill battle.
Sterling displays from Will Marston, try scorer Sam Thackeray, full-back Kieran O Reilly and relative newcomer Lewis Hulse were not enough to deter their talented opponents who won through to the final.
AND THE year seven rugby team exited the prestigious Carnegie Champion Schools’ Cup at the quarter final stage, losing 18-0 to Wade Deacon School, from Widnes.
The scoreline flattered the visitors as the game had been evenly poised at 0-0 in horrendous conditions until the 25th minute when the deadlock was broken.
Utilising the slope of the pitch to their advantage and making fewer errors than the hosts, Wade Deacon stretched the lead beyond Saddleworth’s reach with three further tries in the second half.
Dylan Slater was awarded the player-of-the-match award for the home side who must now concentrate their efforts on the Oldham Schools’ Cup if they are to gain silverware this season.
