We were back to a full complement of co-curricular clubs this week with the milder conditions along with a busy Saturday at Countesswells. It was also the start of the Cross Country Championships for P5 upwards and Fun Runs for P2-P4.

Cross Country

During this term at RGC, there is always some focus put on Cross Country and our very own school Championships with medals on offer for boys and girls from P5 upwards in their respective events. There is also a competition between Form Classes for the highest place finish. This year we are placing a big focus on the House element of the Championships, where pupils are encouraged to run in their House colours and represent their House with pride. All pupils taking part in the Championships are awarded a House point and those who finish in the top 20 for their House and contribute towards the House Championship competition are awarded a further House Token for their Form Class. This makes the event something for everyone to aspire towards. Well done to all our pupils who took part in their events this week. S4 and S5/6 will compete in their Championships on their return from exam leave.

For our younger pupils in P2-P4 there was the opportunity to participate in their Fun Run. It was fantastic to see everyone giving their best effort and they were excited to be cheered on by our very own RGC mascot, Pele!

Hockey

On Saturday morning our P7 hockey teams played in a mini tournament with the S1A and S2B teams. This was a great opportunity for them to test out their composure, decision making and physicality against older players. Mrs Roberts was delighted with how they played and they certainly displayed excellent skills and resilience. 

We were delighted to welcome Ashley Road School to Countesswells for our Primary teams and our P5 and P6 teams mixed with the boys squad to create 5 teams to play against 3 from Ashley Road in a round robin tournament. This week the players worked on possession in training and this was evident in some of the game play throughout the morning. 

The Senior School hockey teams took part in training sessions and internal matches while the 1st XI Boys team were up against Gordonians Hockey Club 2nd XI as they continue preparations for their Scottish Schools Plate match in a few weeks. A club side with plenty of experience was an ideal test for our boys.

Rugby

S3 gave a mixed performance on Saturday morning against a very competitive Deeside team in their first Caledonia Cup fixture of the year. The team had a strong first half followed by a solid start to the second half to take the lead. Unfortunately, the team switched off just as Deeside were finding their feet, with the visitors taking their opportunity to score 3 unanswered tries in quick succession. RGC players responded well and laid siege to the Deeside tryline for 10 minutes, desperately searching for the tries needed to get back in the game. Deeside defended resolutely and RGC started to narrow their attack as the game came to an end. RGC eventually managed to muscle in a try at the end of the game but unfortunately it was too little, too late as Deeside took the win by two conversions.

The 1st XV played Aberdeen Wanderers in the Caledonia Cup in good weather and favourable conditions following on from the cancelled game against Highland last weekend. The RGC pack were powerhouses and proved to be too much for a dedicated and committed Wanderers side. Special mention to Emmet B who opted to play for Wanderers towards the end of the game to allow the game to remain at 15 a side. 

Team of the Week

Our TOTW this week is all of our JS and SS Cross Country medalists from P5-S3 who took part in their Championships. The effort of each and every pupil was outstanding and Mr Harper would like to acknowledge this through Team of the Week.