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Supporting Local Football
160 players from local football club Berkhamsted Raiders travelled to the Sandford Holiday Park in Bournemouth for their annual Bournemouth Tour over the May bank holiday weekend. The Raiders touring party was 304 strong with 10 boys’ teams covering the U7 to U12 matches and 3 girls’ teams at U9, U11 and U12. This jump from 1 to 3 girls teams last year reflects the huge growth in girls football and is something the club are continuing to focus on.
The weather on Saturday 5th was glorious and kick-offs for the boys teams started at 9am after a bacon roll or two. The girls had afternoon games so spent the morning in the Sandford swimming pool before playing back to back matches in the exhausting heat. The Raiders tour shirts all featured the number 18 which was more than a little confusing for the opposition, who could be heard calling “mark number 18”!
On the Saturday a local company supplied burgers, sausages and salads and the Raiders were joined by parents and friends to sample the BBQ flavoured by Zims Tribe, a local producer of sauces and marinades who also is a Raiders parent and sponsor. Those with energy left at sunset, moved to the bar and arcade before Sunday’s football saw similar heat, and featured epic finals, penalty shoot-outs and undefeated teams.
Car Magic at the Football
The Car Magic sponsored sports bottles were very much part of the weekend – especially with the high temperatures. The Raiders held a competition to win a £5o voucher for the Kings Arms in Berkhamsted (another of the local business sponsors). The photo entries had to include our logo on the bottle and there were some great entries – as you can see from above! The winner of the photo competition was this action packed shot. Well done to the winning football family!
Football – Highlights
The U12 girls team. the Wildcats, won 5 out of their 6 matches and their age group trophy! They also had the best overall player in the tournament in the team. The Firehawks, also known as the U11 girls, missed out on victory in a penalty shoot-out, but wowed the crowds with great skills. The U9 Foxes, the youngest girls team, won the Fair Play Trophy.
There were two mixed U12 boys teams, with representatives from every team in the age group. They won more friends than games but were still competitive. The U11 Boys team the ‘Mustangs’ had a successful tournament, winning 5 games, scoring 15 goals and conceding none! The Eagles (U11’s) had a mixed team from four different teams in the age group with a win, a draw and three losses but very gracious in defeat despite the tight scorelines. The U11 Jaguars also all enjoyed the tour – displaying true Raiders grit on the pitch and enjoying the high life in the arcades.
The U10 Hawks thoroughly enjoyed the tour coping well with challenging opposition and hot conditions. Two players were also awarded player of the match, one of them twice in the tournament. The U11 Pumas had four really tight games (and one not so tight) but had total commitment and excellent team spirit. The U9 Wolves loved their football but also enjoyed the arcades, swimming pool, boxing match and watching seagulls eating chips from opposition roof at 6am! The U9 Coyotes ended the tournament as runners up, only losing the final on penalties. Most importantly they had fun. The U8’s team the Sharks also won the Fair Play Trophy.