Parents' Information
for students on IB - Pre-IB - E16+ courses
Winning cups againThe Tonbridge School in Kent played host to 8 teams in their third annual International Schools Football tournament October 2003. Under the watchful eye of Kevin Hennessy and Paul Lennon, St. Clare's Football Club were beaten in the final by a much stronger St. Bede's outfit. It is worth mentioning that four of the players on the St. Bede's squad train with Brighton FC, a Nationwide Division 2 team. Tournament
Report St. Clare's FC Captain, Ollie Nabarro, led from the front in a hard fought 0-0 draw with the Australian representatives. Frederick Schlimmer and Rodrigo Dauajare both had shots that rebounded off the woodwork. Our second game against Brentwood was a display of Brazilian flair from Pedro Meirelles and Pedro Monteiro. They combined well for Pedro Meirelles to chip the goalkeeper for the only goal of the match. Milo Dee and Wilm Franke were outstanding in defence and Mateusz Szala worked tirelessly in midfield to break up attack after attack from the Brentwood squad. At the end of Saturday's proceedings, St. Clare's FC were top of Section A with one game to go. The Tonbridge parents hosted our players on Saturday night. The boys enjoyed a great evening of entertainment with players from the other 7 squads. On Sunday morning it was back to business. St. Clare's needed a draw or a win to secure top spot in Section A. The display against the British School of Paris B team was dominated by St. Clare's blend of English and continental football with Latin flair. Francesco Toniell and Federiko Marletta played some of the best ground football on display at the tournament. Reinier Deiters in his new role at full back made some very timely tackles. The 0-0 result was enough for the team to top their group and meet the British School of Paris A team in the semi final. The semi final was a tense affair with both teams playing a very open and quick passing game. In the final ten minutes the Paris team won a penalty and converted it. However the introduction of Mustafa Bello to man mark the Paris team's chief play maker changed the fortunes for St. Clare's. In the final minute of normal time, Milo Dee floated a free kick into the Paris area. Franceso Toniell contested it and the ball broke kindly for Ollie Nabarro to drill it into the back of the net from close range. St. Clare's had equalised and forced the semi final into a penalty shoot out. Vasil Kalamarov was the hero of the day. Not only did he save two penalties but he walked up and converted a penalty himself. St. Clare's FC qualified for the final on a 4-2 score line. The final was played against St. Bedes. This team were well organised all over the field and outplayed St. Clare's on a 3-0 scoreline. Nevertheless, this was an excellent overall performance from a squad that has only trained together for 4 weeks. Captain Ollie Nabarro accepted the runner's-up cup on behalf of the team. This was a tremendous display by 13 individuals from all over the world who represented St. Clare's, Oxford. The tournament organisers were full of praise for the players attitude and behaviour both in victory and defeat. The cup is currently on display on the Activities Department. |
