There was excitement, trepidation, calmness, eagerness, heartache, disappointment and pride in the air, when the boys visited Dartmouth for the first of many trust-wide ESW primary schools' tournaments. Two teams of six went and the two teams of six were successful.
Rydon 2, confidently winning their first game, went on to claim third in the group - the subsequent winners, winning that group. Teamwork, resilience, and sportsmanship were the keys to their success.
Rydon 1 also dominated and remained undefeated all day until the final (the game before did have nerves on edge as the winner played the final). The final came and the boys played with their hearts on their sleeves. It was a sterling performance and quite possibly the best football on show on the day. Some excellent passing and many chances going a miss made the affair tense. A goal from a throw in meant Rydon were behind but were not deterred. They fought back winning a free kick in the second half that was rifled into the top corner. The final whistle blowing at 1-1. Penalties!
Our goalkeeper shone!! Saving four out of the five penalties, gave the boys a shot. Their keeper then saved two and rifling the woodwork three times made the result tough to swallow. Losing on penalties, typical! It did feel reminiscent of England in previous years.
All of Rydon consoled one another and felt the result. It was great to see everyone buying into the triumph and misery, showing our school's strong moral fibres.
As for the manager, he left the tournament proud. He was pleased to see the boys enjoy the game in its purest form and playing with smiles on faces, irrespective of results and performances. (He did have to console the boys on one of his many ‘close but not close enough’ sporting moments from his childhood - we all have one!)
We look forward, eager for more game time and performances and hungry for results.
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