Ten boys from Years 7 and 8 at Stamford School put in a strong performance competing at the fives regional competition in Bedford last weekend. The sport is new to the School this year, so this was a new experience for them, and the Year 7 boys in particular did very well as they were playing up an age group in the U13 category against boys, who had played for a year already.In the singles, Cameron Drutman, Chase Burgess and Laith Nusair-Palmer got through their group stages to the knock-out rounds, with Cameron winning his group and then reaching the semi-finals. Cameron then went on to take third place in the singles in a play-off game which he won with a nail-biting 11-10.In the doubles competition, the first pair of Laith and Chase got to the semi-finals, whilst the second pair, Cameron and James Laud, reached the plate final but did not have enough firepower and experience to beat a strong Bedford Modern pair – but they had a cracking game which they eventually lost 15-8.This fantastic performance means the boys have qualified for the Nationals Finals to be held in London on 17th March.Alex Smith, fives coach commented “All the boys played incredibly well, really enjoyed the day and improved noticeably. They were supported by a number of parents who came along to watch and very much enjoyed it too. Most of them have another year in hand at the U13 age group and I look forward to seeing them improve.”
