When the U13As & Bs took to Condover Hall this year, it was to face a new set of opposition and start the season on the front foot. The progress made by both teams was fantastic. Following on from Saturday’s performances, the As secured a place in the Trophy and the Bs the Plate. Sunday was a closely contested day for both squads, with Bs pushing themselves hard all day against tough opposition. Their resilience and grit shone through, and the support from the sidelines was fantastic. The As had a fiercely contested day with matches coming down to single goals. It was a brilliant full squad performance, and both squads should be incredibly proud of their achievements on court and for the way they approached the whole weekend. It was great to see them fully immersed in all the exciting activities that Condover Hall has to offer. 

U13B vs Croydon High School

The girls produced an encouraging performance in their first competitive fixture of the season, demonstrating determination, teamwork, and plenty of promise for the months ahead.

One of the standout performers was Constance, who consistently troubled the opposition defence with her confident dribbling and attacking intent. Time and again, she beat defenders and drove the team forward, creating several positive attacking opportunities.

At the other end of the pitch, Lexi was outstanding in goal. She made a number of excellent saves throughout the match, with her bravery and composure particularly evident in several one-on-one situations, helping to keep the team competitive throughout.

The match also marked the debut of Nora for Sydenham & Dulwich Girls. Nora settled into the game well and demonstrated many qualities that will make her a valuable member of the squad moving forward. Her positive attitude and contribution throughout the match were very encouraging signs for the future.

Overall, it was a strong first outing for the team. While there are areas to continue developing, the girls showed excellent effort, resilience, and enthusiasm, providing a solid foundation on which to build for the rest of the season.

The Under 16’s travelled down the M2 to play Rochester Grammar School in the first round of the Kent County Cup. A tense and tight battle between two closely matched sides ensued.

SDG’s team shape and solid defence gave the team growing confidence through the first half and into the second, and we slowly seized control of the game. The telling breakthrough came late in the game when a penetrating run by Serena into the opposing box was met by a foul resulting in a penalty kick. Charlotte stepped up confidently to score and ultimately win the game for the girls. Well done to the whole team for a solid away performance, but with special mention to Bea making her debut in goal.

Two days later the Under 14’s made the much shorter trip to Langley Park Girls School for their 1st round match.

After a slow first 20 minutes which ended with the hosts scoring a penalty due to a hand ball in the box, the girls finally realised they were the better team and took control of the game. Elsa rounded off a much stronger final 10 minutes of the first half with an equalizer at the back post from a corner. The team then went out and created multiple chances in the second half before Kalypso finally settled the game with a well taken goal from a through ball by Charlotte.

Well done girls, a much deserved victory!

U13A Sisters in Sport Cup vs The King John School. 

On Monday 21 September, fresh from Condover Hall, the U13’s began their cup campaign. The King John school was a well drilled unit, who shot with accuracy. Our girls were fierce and battled hard in their individual match ups. It was a close contest, but in the final quarters SDG were able to pull away and win by 6. Fantastic play by all the girls, on to the next round!

U13C&D vs Bromley High 

The U13C&D teams played against Bromley High School last Wednesday. It was great to see huge squads for both teams, and girls play a variety of positions throughout the matches. With both teams winning, it was a well balanced fixture and very positive afternoon of good netball. 

U18 vs Bromley High School

Brilliant performance by the team today. Well done to Izzy for stepping into the match and playing so well in both WA and C positions. We worked hard on implementing centre pass strategies and we saw a lot of success on these. In defence, Anna, Erina and Samuela made at least 4 successful interceptions per quarter and put a lot of pressure on Bromley’s attack. Despite going down in the first half we won the second half, raising team spirits and proving that continued efforts pay off!

U12 Netball vs Croydon High School 

This afternoon we had well over half of Year 7 participating in a Netball fixture. It was great to see so many girls representing the school and embracing the competitive spirit. The results were mixed but it was fabulous to see the progress made throughout the matches. On to next week.

This morning the U16 hockey squad went to their Tier 4 London Schools tournament. With tough opposition in Colfes and Croydon High School, the stage was set for a strong morning of hockey. In the first game, we went goal for goal with Colfes, in a 4-4 thriller. The second game was equally exciting and finished with Sydenham winning 4-2. It was an unprecedented number of goals for SDG at this tournament. Stand out performances from Matilda, Lilias and Audrey helped rally the team throughout the morning. A fantastic performance from the whole squad.