Second Annual Soccer Event Celebrates our Twinning with Hastings Sierra Leone in Style
Eight of our primary schools in Hastings and St Leonards celebrated their links with schools in Hastings Sierra Leone on Friday 10 July with the second annual 7-a-side soccer tournament.
The tournament was held at Filsham Valley School, being the secondary school in the Borough with links to a secondary school in Sierra Leone. The afternoon was bright and breezy in every way and the floods of two days before had drained away leaving the ground pleasantly soft.
The event was brilliantly hosted and organised by Teresa Bennett, Filsham Valley School’s Sports Coordinator and by Dave Amiet, Community Project Manager with the County’s Fire and Rescue Services.
Each team was allocated a trainer for the afternoon and all the match officials were either students at Filsham Valley or members of the Fire and Rescue Services.
Schools entered teams of boys and of girls. The boys’ tournament was organised on a two-pool basis with play-offs to decide the final winners. In Pool A, Blacklands were the clear winners with the second place having to be decided on goal difference between Sandown and St Leonards. The winner of Pool B was hotly contested between Little Ridge and St Mary Star of the Sea. The former just edged ahead on goal difference. In the play-off final Little Ridge emerged victorious for the second year running. As there were fewer girls’ teams their event was played on an all-play-all basis and here again the winning margin was narrow. St Mary Star of the Sea with 17 points ended just clear of Elphinstone with 15 points. Other teams of boys’ and girls’ battling it out though the afternoon were from Christ Church, Robsack Wood and Sandown.
Filsham Valley students provided English-style refreshments while Sierra Leonean friends from London brought with them a selection of African delicacies.
The Mayor, Cllr Maureen Charlesworth, opened the afternoon’s events and we were greatly honoured that the High Sheriff of the County, Mr Bill Shelford, made the presentations of medals and trophies.
Every participant received a ‘silver’ medal with the Sierra Leonean flag embossed upon it while the winning teams received similar medals in ‘gold’. The winning schools also received a shield to hold for a year until next year’s tournament. Medals and shields were again generously donated by a good Friend of the Hastings SL Link.
PLEASE NOTE that the date for the 2010 Seven-a-side tournament at Filsham Valley School is Friday July 16th.
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