Canterbury High School Handball Success – Under 15 Boys become County Champions!!
The U15 boys represented the school in the Kent Handball Finals held at Medway Park this week having gained qualification to represent the Canterbury District through winning the District Kent School Games playoffs before Christmas. The finals comprised of the top eight schools in the county all competing for a place in the Regional Finals due to take place in Guildford later this year.
After becoming crowned National Champions the previous year at U13 level, the boys have made the step up to the U15 age group. Having high aspirations after previous success, the boys took the competition very seriously and this showed through their professionalism during the warm up period before their first game started.
They were drawn in a group against Maidstone Grammar School, The North School and The Howard School. The boys got off to a flying start with a 7-0 win against Maidstone Grammar. Our second group game was against the North School and our boys were full of confidence and won the game 5-2. Knowing qualification into the semi-final was secure, the boys were aiming to top the group and managed this with a 3-0 win against The Howard in the final group game.
The semi-final against St Gregory’s was tough. They trailed 1-0 after missing two penalties and it was only in the dying seconds that we scored a crucial goal to take the game to extra time. After a quick regroup and re-focus, the boys managed to score early into extra time win and gain a place in the final.
After the semi-final scare, the boys faced Dover Grammar School in the final to earn a place in the South England Finals. Last year Dover Grammar made it all the way to the National Finals at the U15 age group so we knew this would be a tough game. The boys were professional, focused and defended really well. The game was tight and after taking the lead twice, Dover Grammar kept creeping back into the game. However, Sam Alajiki scored our third and final goal to claim a 3-2 win which ensured Canterbury Academy were crowned County Champions and progressed to the next round.
This is another excellent achievement for the boys who will go to Surrey later this year to represent the school at regional level. Please congratulate them on their success and wish them luck for the next round.
Anis Saidi
Josh Barcelona
John Lim
Segun Shodunke
Will Raife
Cameron Lawrence
Charlie Tucker
Max Laleng
Kieran Purkiss
Adam Aitken
Sam Alajiki
Fin Gillies