As we approach the end of the Michaelmas term, it’s a good time to look back on some of the many sporting highlights and achievements that our pupils have enjoyed in recent months. While the cold weather is closing in on Shanghai, our athletes are committed to braving the chill factor on the courts and pitches during the tail end of the term. Look out for future updates on sporting events and trips occurring in the final weeks of 2019 and going into 2020. For now though, enjoy the roundup of our teams’ progression across the different sporting disciplines.
It has been quite a season so far for the U18 A and B squad netballers. During the short season, the A team have had some close games, particularly against NAIS and DCS Pudong, where they ended the matches with a very small goal differences. They have grown as a squad, becoming more trusting of each other on the court; they are beginning to bond well, which impacts on their ability to read their own gameplay better. The B team has remained unbeaten all season while playing extremely well in all their matches. In the recent ACAMIS Netball Tournament the A team placed 3rd overall, after a gruelling end-to-end match against the hosting school NAIS, and the B team won the plate which was impressive in a competition with only two other B teams playing. At the end of the U18 season, A squad placed 2nd in the group ahead of finals in November. I am excited to see the girls do well in the finals tournament, and they are ready to try their best while continuing to work hard on fitness and the fundamentals of the game.
For the first time, Wellington’s boys and girls contested in the SISAC Division One for volleyball, with both teams up against the best international schools in the East division of Shanghai. It was quite a learning curve for our teams, who were at the school the week prior to the start of term for preseason training. All games were tight and nerve wracking for both coaches as well as the many spectators, and we managed a few excellent wins along the way. There were many moments of excellence from our players, and for the girls team Louisa had a great season as a newcomer and Amber will be missed when she leaves this year. The boys were led superbly by Jasper and Owen’s power hitting which helped the team a lot this season. The team has grown over the season and it is with much excitement that we look forward to the ACAMIS championships in Beijing at the Canadian International School. We wish both teams the best of luck.
Our junior football has gone from strength to strength over the last few years. This applies both in terms of the number of pupils we have putting on a Wellington shirt on a Saturday and also the successes our footballers are enjoying across all teams. Recently we had our second tournament of the season at Dulwich College Suzhou. Over 80 of our year 4 to 6 pupils made it to school for the 6.00am departure. We even had more teams competing than the host school Dulwich, which is testament to the passion our pupils have for sport in general and football in particular. It was an excellent day for our teams, with the results listed below. Of special mention are the U11 boys, who have so far won all sixteen matches this term.
- U11 Boys Division 1: 1st
- U11 Boys Division 2: 3rd
- U11 Girls Division 1: 1st
- U11 Girls Division 2: 1st
- U9 Boys Division 1: 2nd
- U9 Boys Division 2: 1st
- U9 Girls Division 1: 2nd
Wellington Swim Squad has once again represented Wellington College International Shanghai at the SSL Round 1 Swim meet. SCIS Hongqiao hosted this opening meet for the season and our swimmers brought back plenty of heat winning accolades and medals.
- Tommaso: 3 gold
- Aurora: 1 gold, 1 bronze
- Ettore: 2 bronze
- Daniel: 1 bronze
- Jason: 1 bronze
Wellington came 6th out of 20 schools overall for team points. This is a remarkable achievement and another indication that Wellington is now well and truly on the Shanghai swimming map.
Since the start of term, our year 9 and 10 pupils have been working hard in preparation for the U15 FOBISIA games in Thanyapura, Phuket. The team departed on the 7th November for a busy three-day tournament with swimming then athletics on the first day, football on the second and finishing with basketball on the third. Last year, we took our U11 and U13 teams and it was a great experience for our pupils. We had a lot of success while pupils made many friends from other schools in South East Asia along the way.
It was great to see so many of our Prep pupils playing for their houses over the last few weeks. House football is a major event as pupils demonstrate their passion and determination to do as well as possible for their respective houses. It was also great to see so many of our sports leaders from other parts of the school assisting with the organisation and refereeing of matches, allowing the teaching staff to enjoy spectating and supporting their houses. This year’s results are as follows:
Lower Prep House Football (combined):1st: Lynedoch2nd: Combermere
3rd: Orange
Upper Prep Football Boys
1st: Lynedoch
2nd: Hill
3rd: Wellesley
Upper Prep Football Boys
1st: Hopetoun
2nd: Wellesley
3rd: Stanley
