Hammond girls excel at Surrey Heath football tournament

​Former BBC pundit Alan Hansen’s famous comment ‘You’ll win nothing with kids’ has become a warning to football coaches at all levels across the country - but the girls of Hammond School did their best to prove it wrong the other week at the Surrey Heath Primary Schools Sports Association football tournament.

​Last week 11 players from Years Five and Six took part in the 12-team tournament at Frimley Park Lodge, under the watchful eye of coach and head of school Kay Dunn – and they came away with plenty to be proud of.

The B team began slowly, losing their first two matches before a golden goal winner in their vital game saw them through to the group final, which they won 2-0. The A team got off to a stronger start, winning their opening two matches to ensure a place in the semi-final, where they thrashed Lakeside 8-0 to set up a final against Ravenscote, where sadly the day’s exertions caught up with them and they went down 4-1.

“It was a freezing cold day and the girls were up against some very tough opponents, but they really did us all proud,” said Mrs Dunn. “The B team showed real character to come back from a slow start and turn things round, and the A team began incredibly brightly but just ran out of steam towards the end against extremely good opponents."

“I’m so pleased with how the girls conducted themselves in this tournament,” said Mrs Dunn. “Team sports are a real character-building exercise, and they had to face up to some challenges and deal with them, which they did superbly. They should really take heart from the way they performed. The whole school is very proud of them."