Southwater Junior Academy’s A team won today’s Year 3+4 Girls Football Festival, an event which they hosted. The festival had originally been scheduled weeks before but was cancelled because of a teacher strike day and the omens did not look great today with an overnight threat of waterlogging and a stormy weather forecast. Despite a few raindrops however everything went smoothly culminating in a high-scoring final in which Southwater beat Heron Way 6-3. So in the end the only thing that rained in any volume was goals.

The eight teams from five schools that played were initially split up into two round-robin groups of four. Heron Way achieved three straight wins to top Group A, with the 2-1 victory over Kingslea A being the key encounter. Southwater A did likewise in Group B but their ascendancy was less assured. They beat Shelley 5-3, overcoming an early 2-0 deficit to eventually triumph and their match against Leechpool A was an almighty battle decided by a single Southwater strike.

Whilst goals went in for fun in the final Kingslea and Leechpool A teams went toe-to-toe to decide third place. They finished 2-2 and it was penalties that decided the outcome in the Kings’ favour.

Both the fifth and seventh place play-offs were tight affairs. A single Shelley goal against Southwater B earned them fifth and a similar scoreline favoured Leechpool B against Kingslea B. Well done to all the second teams of Southwater, Leechpool and especially Kingslea for keeping their heads and spirits high despite some tough group games. Such fight and fortitude bodes well for their future sporting careers.

Thanks go to Southwater JA for hosting and Horsham District Council for helping. The future of girls football in Horsham is looking bright.

YEAR 3+4 GIRLS FOOTBALL CUP 110523 – RESULTS