We joined our friends from St Joseph's Strangford, St Malachy's Kilclief, St Joseph's Killough and St Mary's Dunsford at Ballynagross FC for our first ever soccer competition.
The children from all schools were put into different teams - Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Uruguay and Venezeula. It was lovely to see them mixing together, chatting and then pulling together as team mates on the pitch.
While the emphasis was on fun, the competitive spirit of all the children started to come to the fore when the games began. All the matches were tight and well refereed by the teachers. The league table was updated and at the end the two teams who contested the final were Argentina and Uruguay. It was a match that swayed back and forth with both teams taking turns to be in the ascendency. They couldn't be separated and extra time was the same, leading to penalties. All the other teams were now supporters and their screaming and shouting could probably be heard at the top of Slieve Patrick! In the end a single goal gave Argentina the win.
It was a brilliant morning of sport and fun for everyone, with the staff of all schools enjoying it nearly as much as the children. Thanks to Ballynagross for hosting and to all the schools for coming along. Big thanks to our children for getting stuck in and making it another great memory before they finish up with us in a few weeks!
