Netball

This year’s Netball Scotland Scottish Cup takes a slightly different format due to COVID. Both our 1st VII and 2nd VII teams are in the same Cup competition that sees them play six teams in a knockout league. This is a great experience for our 2nd team coming up against 1st sides and it is also a challenging group for our 1sts to try and progress through against some very strong sides in our region. On Monday, our 1st VII team took on the 2nd VII team in which both teams performed well and fought for every point. Notable performances from our 1st VII were Ailsa P, (GD) Sophie P (GA), and Ellie R (C) who showed excellent court presence and dominated in their positions. A special mention to Francesa S, Emily W, Maya R, Dani R, Francesca D, Kate D, Kirsty D, Josie L, and Sophie P on their first Scottish Cup for the 1st VII. The 2nd VII are showing great potential and are full of fight; they move the ball beautifully through the court and have confident shooters to put the ball away when in the circle. Player of the match for the 2nd VII was Lucy H who is an extremely versatile player, playing GD and C in this match. The final score finished with a win for the 1st VII.

Rugby

Both our S3 teams along with the S2As travelled down to Glenalmond on Saturday morning to play in friendly, development matches. The S2As demonstrated excellent defending against a very big home team which led to turnovers that we moved wide to space and created opportunities. Our scrum was much better and overall RGC gave a very good performance on a beautiful day, winning their match.

It was a win also for S3A who played well against a good Glenalmond side, with glimmers of structure appearing. The slippy surface conditions increased the error count, but the boys stuck in and still managed to get the ball wide. S3B also played a development game, 10 players on 10. It was a game of touch rugby for 40minutes, eventually progressing to full contact for the last 10-15 minutes. 

S4 won comfortably in a development fixture, 11 players vs 11. The boys were pleasing in defence with some strong tackling and counter rucking. In attack we proved we can score from anywhere and we varied our attack well, mixing playing wide with kicking to space. As with 2nd XV we lent a couple players to help Glenalmond so a big thanks to those boys.

2XV played 12-a-side in a game which was scrappy in parts but with some nice tries scored. Everyone had plenty of game time in the match which finished in an RGC win.

The 1st XV lost in their Conference game to an accurate and physical Glenalmond team. Both teams traded score for score the entire game with small errors keeping each team from pulling away but ultimately a few RGC errors kept Glenalmond in the game. Many of the players knew each other which at the end saw them sitting discussing the game together which was a nice image despite the result. 

Girls Hockey

Saturday morning brought another absolutely brilliant performance from the P7 Gordonian squad. Crisp passing, energetic movement and a real team effort. The scoreline could have been very different if it wasn’t for the Kilgraston S2 goalie who made some very good saves. 

Miss Howie felt that S1A gave their best performance of the year on Saturday in their match against Glenalmond. It was the girls’ first 11-a-side game against another school and in the words of Miss Howie, "they were truly awesome!". The first five minutes the team were a bit scatty but then they started playing some excellent hockey with the passing combinations being the highlight of the day. Player of the Match went to Bea who was fantastic in midfield. Miss Duddy reported that not only did the sun come out to play at Kilgraston, but so too did the S1B team. Although RGC started slow, they soon found their groove and were playing some nice hockey. However, some quick play and good skill from Kilgraston caught us off guard and we found ourselves a couple of goals down quite quickly. However, after a regroup at the break, we came out firing and it was like watching a different team. Another goal from Kilgraston saw us follow with three of our own. Now playing with a real sense of calmness and urgency in equal measure, RGC continued to press and had numerous attempts on goal. Unfortunately, we couldn’t quite find the back of the goal again and time didn’t quite come quick enough for us to hold on to a draw, conceding a fourth goal with only a minute to go. Special mention to Lucy M who was excellent in goal and Player of the Match went to Tammy for her relentless hassling and lovely assists for the goals.

The S1 and S2s played a mixed team against Kilgraston due to some last minute call-offs. The 1st half was very exciting where it was goal for goal, then in the 2nd half Kilgraston had a few key players who managed to get through the strong RGC defence and scored a number of fantastic goals. Miss Stephen was very impressed with how well the RGC girls worked together as a team and chased down every ball. They also demonstrated excellent passing from defence through midfield and straight to our forwards which resulted in two goals. Player of the Match went jointly to Lily C (Team Captain) and Lucy M. Despite losing their match, Miss Stephen was incredibly proud of the girls. 

S2 had a tough game against Glenalmond, struggling to get the ball out of the back in the first half. However well done to the girls as they played better as the game went on, working very hard and they were unlucky not to get a goal near the end. Grace was awarded Player of the Match for her efforts in attack.

The prolonged darkness eventually gave way to a Scotland basking in Autumnal shades that would befit a Colin Baxter calendar. The S3A team got back to passing the ball again against Kilgraston which in turn led to the lock being unpicked time after time. In spells of play it was like 'Shootie in' with plenty of chances going abegging. One goal in particular drew a ripple of applause from the spectators due to the simplicity and execution of a well worked counter. Madison was named Player of the Match in the win to RGC.

The 2nd XI were up against it after the first minute as Kilgraston had a couple of very polished players who dictated the play. The second half showed a much better performance from the team in yellow were they had the ball for longer periods of time. Lara H in goals made countless saves and was awarded Player of the Match. 

Unfortunately due to an injury, the 1st XI game against Glenalmond was abandoned and the 3rd XI game did not go ahead.

Boys Hockey

It was an early 6.30am start for our boys teams on Saturday who travelled to play Stewart’s Melville in Edinburgh. The U15 boys had a tough first half, conceding some goals, but started to play hockey in the second half, bringing back one goal. Some great saves from Leo M kept the boys in the game but the pressure from Stewart's Melville was relentless and we couldn’t match them. This was a tough one for the boys but a good learning experience for the level we aspire to be at. 

For the 2nd XI it was a familiar story to last week, with the team starting very brightly and dictating large portions of the first half, but failing to find the back of the net. There were a number of positives, notably the improvement in individual performances from less experienced players. The second half was a more even, with Stewart’s Melville taking the lead with a well worked team goal. Chasing the equaliser, RGC were dealt a blow with a second for the opposition. The game finished with a win to the hosts, which Mr Walker felt was an unfair score line on another good RGC performance. 

The 1st XI had a slow start after their early departure and long journey, and the boys lost two early goals to a strong and well drilled Stewart’s Melville side. As the half wore on, the team recovered their composure and began to play their way back into the game. The second half was a far more even contest and the team played much more like how they have done so far this season. They were rewarded with a well worked goal but it wasn’t quite enough and the game finished in a win to Stewart’s Melville. 

Team of the Week

This week it's our S1 Girls Hockey players who are taking the award with S1A having played in their first 11 a-side experience and S1B players stepping in and playing for the first time. Well done to all the girls who were involved. 

For a full breakdown of this week’s results, please click here.

Sporting Achievements out with RGC

Congratulations to several of our pupils who have been selected for the Caledonian Highlanders U15 and U17 Winter Cricket Squads. At U15 they are: Manu S, Arnav S, Ananth S, Tanish K, Pankaj S, Aditya M & Rudra C. At U17 they are: Adi H, Manu S, Shravan A, Shuban K. With Cricket Scotland rightly on a high just now after their early successes in the current T20 World Cup (featuring our very own Gordonian, Matthew Cross, Class of ‘10), what better time to celebrate this achievement for the RGC boys.