Ballard School’s girls’ football team have won the National Independent Schools Association (ISA) Girls Football Festival under 13 cup and had their trophy presented by international women’s football players.
Welcoming over 400 girls from schools across the UK, the festival took place in Ascot, Berkshire. The girls from Ballard School in New Milton battled it out in a round-robin and then in a knockout competition. After coming away as champions, their trophy was presented by famous international women’s football players including England’s Josanne Potter and Jade Moore plus Arsenal WFC’s Heather O’Reilly.
In the tournament, Sophie Stocker, Sophie Goodfellow and Freya Childs were commended for a superb defence against Holme Grange School. Hannah Hughes scored the first winning goal with an exceptional free kick. Growing in confidence, the girls won 8-0 against LVS Ascot Knights. In this match, Brogan Bennett and Amber Marlowe moved the ball past defenders with accuracy, whilst Isabel Tu’ivai put the opposition under a lot of pressure.
Against Sancton Wood, the Ballard girls maintained their momentum, coming away with a 5-0 win. In the semi-final, the girls defeated LVS Ascot Royals with a 4-0 win. In the final game goalkeeper, Daisy Crowton made two fantastic saves in a row, performing with great composure under pressure. In the end, Hannah Hughes scored twice to clinch the champions cup.
Alastair Reid, Headmaster at Ballard School, said: “We were delighted with the girls’ attitudes and commitment throughout the day. Enjoying a fantastic tournament, we can celebrate a great achievement for the girls and the school, who were also thrilled to meet some truly inspirational women’s international players.’’
