A fantastic season of football, needed to continue into the rugby season for the U13 boys. Having qualified for the IAPS National Football Finals in Oxford and reaching the Surrey Cup Final, meant a big backlog in fixtures.
The IAPS Finals day (held at Summer Fields school) was full of high quality teams and so getting out of a difficult group and into the main cup competition was an excellent achievement. Frustratingly, we drew the strongest team in the quarter finals and narrowly lost out to the eventual winners, The Hall School, but to be considered the 5th best prep school team in the country is no mean feat.
On Friday 22nd November, Cranleigh played Aldro in the Surrey Cup Final, held at Danes Hill School. We had been beaten quite comprehensively in a regular fixture earlier in the season but this match was completely different. Cranleigh played the better football throughout the match and went 2-0 up with goals from Fred H and Josh AB. In the final few minutes, Aldro’s direct play paid dividends and they scored twice in quick succession to force extra time. Momentum then became a factor and Aldro grabbed the winner to take the trophy.
Despite the disappointment, the boys’ progression this year has been phenomenal and they should all be extremely proud of themselves.