Our U11 girls hockey team faced a difficult pool with many skilful players in the IAPS tournament. The girls worked hard to win their first match 4-0, with Tanja scoring 2 goals. After the match Mr. Jones ensured all the children were drinking enough water to keep their energy levels up and focus on the game.

The second match of the pool was against Pembroke, the girls playe skillfully and worked well as a team, finishing with a strong 2-0 victory. This was followed by another win against Banda, 1-0. The girls were on a winning streak and looked prepped and ready for winning the tournament. Their final match of the pool stage was against Brookhouse. This was the only time the girls lost focus and allowed a goal to sneak past them, finishing in 0-1 loss. However even with the one loss, the girls had won all the other matches with some of the top scores in the entire pool stage, enabling them to finish top of their group and pass through to the semi-finals.

The semi-final was against Greensteds. A quick team chat and team shout and the girls were off! Nervous parents watched from the sidelines as the game progressed. Thankfully in what seemed a lifetime the girls scored and won the game 1-0. They were through to the final to face Kenton. 

The final came around quickly and with crowds of parents building, Braeburn felt the pressure. A quick goal was scored against them putting them on the back foot. The girls worked hard to convert a goal. Kenton had a tough defense and there was no room for error, in a final attempt a cross fell short and a Kenton player managed to get another goal. The final whistle saw Kenton win 2-0. Not once did the girls Braeburn complain, they were proud to have got to the finals and demonstrate their skills in front of all the IAPS schools involved in the tournament with heads held high.  The girls played wonderfully in the tournament and enjoyed great performances all season. Well done.

The sun graced us with its presence on 17th of March for the tournament at Peponi. The girls had been training morning and evening for the past 9 weeks and it all came down to this one day.

Nerves were running high to start the pool matches, a minor mistake allowed a quick goal to be scored against us by Peponi B, the only goal of the match. After a quick team discussion morale was running high once again and we drew against Banda, 0-0. We then came head to head with the pool leaders Pembroke. The girls supported one another and worked hard as a team to convert two goals against a strong Pembroke side, winning 2-1. Our final pool match was against Hillcrest. The scores for our pool were relatively equal, however, a win in this game would see us finish top of the pool. The girls, positive from their previous win, were prepped and ready for this last match. They managed to score a beautiful goal two minutes before time, finishing the game 1-0.

The semi-finals ran straight away, Braeburn played a strong and determined Kenton side; Braeburn proved equally so. No goals were scored in the allocated times which meant that we ran into 5 minutes ‘Golden Goal’. Tension was running high but a swift ball crossed by Kiana made light contact with Liana to the inside of the back post, resulting in a 1-0 win over Kenton.

After a swift team talk and group cheer, the final began. The weather was on the turn and the hope of securing the title for another year was looming. Standing in Braeburn’s way was Pembroke with their skilful players. Having already won against Pembroke, the girls were quietly confident; however, the crowds gathering to watch from all the schools increased the skill levels and focus further for both teams. With only 1 minute 10 seconds remaining on the clock, the girls caught the Pembroke team with a direct hit into the D, where Marie-Ange was waiting patiently for the ball; turning she made a great connection with the ball, sending it into the bottom left corner of the goal. It proved to be the only score of the game and with the final whistle the girls erupted into celebration.

Braeburn won this tournament by working as a team and supporting each other up and down the field. We are so proud of all of our girls for their consistent morning, lunchtime and after-school training sessions, and the support from our parents! A big thank you to everyone involved, we will always remember this moment!

A well balanced team took to the field last Saturday consisting of year 11, 12 and 13s. The girsl had high hopes of retaining their place as u19 champions. Captain Nzakwa led as usual by example and opposition found it very difficult to score against us. The team cruised through to the semi finals and won 2-0 against a solid St Christopher’s team. Hillcrest also suffered defeat in the group matches. Finally we faced a surprisingly strong Greensteds side and the game was an end to end spectacle. Both teams had their chances and finally, it was Greensteds who broke the deadlock. The team, although a little disappointed through their own high expectations must be congratulated once again for their commitment and ability to make finals against the best in Nairobi.

The U11 and the U13 children had great fun during their inter-house hockey competition, held on the field this week to conclude another exciting hockey season. Some friendly competition commenced showcasing some excellent hockey. If they weren’t playing they were cheering on the side of the field, with some friendly banter being passed among players and spectators. Congratulations to the winning houses:

U11 Girls - Ndovu, U11 Boys - Kifaru, U13 Girls - Kifaru, U13 Boys - Kifaru

Our U9s play on Monday and the staff and students look forward to the upcoming staff verse U13 students match in the last week of term.

The IAPS Swimming Gala saw some very strong performances by children from all the participating schools. Braeburn swimmers put in great performances and Risha (pictured above) set a new meet record for the U13 Individual Medley. Overall we finished 4th, coming away with a number of medals.