St John's school skittleball team lift the cup
St John’s School clinched the double in the annual skittleball competition at Hammersmith Town Hall after a last-minute victory in extra time.
The school from Filmer Road, Fulham, beat their local rivals Sir John Lillie in the Year 4 tournament on 9 February. Just days before their Year 3 peers were also crowned champions in the H&F Primary Schools’ Sports Association’s skittleball championships where the borough’s schools compete in a knock-out competition.
Jamal Beggs, nine, scored the winning point for St John’s Walham Green in a tense final after they cruised past Larmenier & Sacred Heart with a 6-0 win in the semi-finals.
“I am so happy we won the final. I got a bit nervous when it went to extra-time but then we scored and it was great,” said Jamal.
Playoffs
This year’s competition was the first time that playoffs were introduced to determine which second-placed teams from the group stages went into the semi-finals.
“No matter if they won or lost, all the kids who took part today had a good time and really enjoyed themselves,” said tournament organiser Calum Fairley.
“The competition is a great chance for Year 3 students to compete for the first time in an inter-school competition and it is a memorable day for all the children as they spend the day in the Town Hall having such a great time.”
The reigning Year 4 champions from last year, All Saints, crashed out in the semi-finals after a dramatic penalty shoot-out defeat against Sir John Lillie who were unbeaten throughout the group stages. But the run came to an end when they clashed with their Fulham neighbours St John’s in the championship game.
“I am really proud of all my players today. They trained really hard during PE classes and got better with every game today. They played as a team and did the school proud,” said St John’s coach James Welch.
Earlier in the day, St John’s topped their group with 16 points ahead of nearest rivals Addison who finished in second place with eight points.
