On 22 May, the Year 10 girls’ football team participated in the John Jenkins Cup which included 6 teams from in and around Portsmouth to have an opportunity to see what post-16 education looks like in ‘Pompey In The Community’ as a root into a career in sport. All schools were sorted into two groups of four, playing a robin format competition, with the top team from each group progressing into the final. 

To begin with Springfield had a strong start as they beat Porchester 4-2, with some nice finishes. Porchester put up a good fight, but the girls remained on top throughout the entire match. As they progressed through the group stages, we ended up facing Admiral Lord Nelson School. However, the game was very tight as there were goalscoring opportunities going both ways. Unfortunately, the team couldn’t put away all their chances, and it finished at a 2-2 draw. Another match in the group stage was against Trafalgar School and after some wise words from Miss Woolgar the girls came out with a monster of a game. In the 15 minutes, the girls managed to score 5 goals coming from all over the pitch. Our final opposition in the group was The Petersfield School, and Springfield took early control of the game, and scored two composed goals and maintained possession towards the end of the match ensuring them a place in the final. Overall, the Year 10 girls ultimately got a well-deserved 10 points in the group stages earning them a spot in the final against Durrington High School, Worthing.

At the start of the match, the girls had multiple attempts at goals but none of them were successful. Durrington had some standout players and they took control of the game. The girls tried to cope with these players, but sadly failed to stop them from scoring.

Durrington ended up scoring two goals in total, but the girls showed determination even though the match wasn’t going their way. A special mention to Sophia Welch (10S) for bravely putting herself in goal when no-one else wanted to and stopping Durrington High School from scoring more goals. The final whistle blew and Durrington High School won the John Jenkins Cup, however the girls showed true resilience to achieve a place in the final. 

Matilda Watts (10G)