A squad of eight boys from Birchfield School in Albrighton travelled to Taunton, Somerset to compete in the finals of the IAPS U13 six-a-side football finals towards the end of last year. The squad had seen off some very stiff competition in the Midlands contest and joined 13 other regional champions at King’s College.
Birchfield started confidently, beating three schools and only succumbing to New Beacon. A strong performance in the morning meant a finish at third in their group – and on to the plate competition. In the afternoon, Birchfield faced their strongest challenge against much larger schools Millfield and Ludgrove, Prince William and Harry’s old Prep School. These two teams overpowered Birchfield despite courageous play from every boy and strong support from the sideline, and the team finished in seventh, with a top 10 placing in the country.
Birchfield head Paul Reynolds said, “Over 70 schools took part in the competition; Birchfield was the smallest school in the competition and as the fantastic result proves, we punched above our weight when it mattered. We’re hugely proud of our sporting tradition of developing young players to achieve success in every field.”
