UNDER 8 TEAM WIN TOURNAMENT

With 16 teams represented and playing all of our old friends and foes including Ardingly, who knocked us off our perch a few weeks earlier, this inaugural Ardingly U8 Football Tournament was always going to be hotly contested. Both Handcross Park A&B teams performed exceptionally well and did both themselves and their school proud.

The A’s had a cold start but got better as they went along and they really started playing as a team, passing the ball round like Arsenal, especially in the semi-final and the Final. The B’s started very well but were unfortunate to be put in a very difficult group, which had two A teams. Nevertheless they all played very well and finished fifth overall out of 16 teams.

The As…wait for it…WON THE TOURNAMENT. Yes in the Grand finale HXP faced Great Walstead and were deadlocked at 1-1 after extra time, which meant that the ‘golden goal’ rule was to decide the ultimate winner. Harry Jones did just this slotting the winning goal to record a momentous victory. We have to thank James Haddon, our goalkeeper, who made two fantastic saves in the final to keep us in the game and to all the players for their commitment, hard work and good behaviour. A fantastic result for the boys and a fitting reward for two seasons of high quality, determined and entertaining football. Results were as follows:

Rd 1
HXP As v Ardingly Bs W 4 – 0 (H. Jones x2, Z. Cisotti x2)
HXP Bs v Gt Walstead Bs W 2 – 0 (O. Rogers x2)

Rd 2
HXP As v Gt Walstead As D 1 – 1 (H. Jones)
HXP Bs v St. Brunswick As L 2 – 0

Rd 3
HXP As v Fonthill Lodge As W 2 – 1 (H. Jones, Z. Cisotti)
HXP Bs v Ardingly As L 3 – 0

5th place playoff
HXP Bs v Ardingly Bs W 2 – 0 (O. Rogers, S. Hallett) – FINISHED 5TH

Semi Final
HXP As v St. Brunswick W 3 – 0 (A. Sowton x2, H. Jones)

Grand Final
HXP As v Gt. Walstead W 2 – 1 (H. Jones x2) – CHAMPIONS!

The Successful Under 8 Football Team with Coach NollY

The Successful Under 8 Football Team with Coach NollY