Sports Academy Match Round Up January 2017

Gymnastics Academy

The Gymnastics Academy had its first competitive event of the year on Tuesday 24th January at the MILANO regional team competition, University of Cumbria, Carlisle. Six gymnasts performed their Sports Acrobatic routines in under 19 mixed and U19 girls trio’s with the hope of regional selection for the National Finals. We are delighted to say that the day was a huge success at the University of Cumbria, Carlisle regional Milano finals (gold medallists in 2 categories) the Gymnastics Academy have made the Milano National Finals place at Stoke-on-Trent on Friday 10th March 2017.

The Gym Academy also have the regional tumbling and acrobatics finals on Sunday 5th February 2017 where 9 gymnasts will represent the College with the aim of qualifying for the National Schools finals in May 2017.

Enrichment Football

All the men’s teams are doing really well in their respective college league. We have over 100 students taking part in football and that includes our enrichment programme which is every Friday morning at the College.

1st Team

Our 1st team are currently 5th in the Cat 1 league which is a really tough league. The standard of football is so good and this is why we regularly have football scouts attend our games. The league is so close at the moment, only 8 points between top and bottom. The lads have had some good results this season. We have beaten the league leaders Barnsley 3-1 which was our best performance of the season, but unfortunately got knocked out of the cup in the quarter-final stage by Selby College beating us on penalties which was disappointing as we were the better team. There is still a lot to play for and I know the boys will give it their all from now until the end of the season which finishes in March.

2nd Team

3rd Team

The 3rd team have had a fantastic season so far, they are currently 2nd in their league and are performing so well, they have had some great results in beating Queen Elizabeth 5-1, thrashing East Durham 10-0, but the performance of the season was beating Tyne-Met 5-3 who are a very good side. This team are fighting to win their league. There is only 1 point between us and Hartlepool, however we also have 1 game in hand so if the boys stay focused they have a great chance of winning the league.

4th Team

The 4th’s are having a brilliant season so far, 3rd in their league with 2 games in hand so they too are challenging to win their league, they too have had some great results. They beat Tyne-Met 15-2, they beat Queen Elizabeth 4-3 and also had a great win over Darlington 4-2. If they win their next 4 games these boys will win the league which I think is a fantastic achievement.

Golf Academy

Dan Twiby Winter is the off season for golf and tournaments are few and far between, so the majority of our focus has been on developing skill on both their mental and physical performance. However, since the last website update here are some notable performances by Dan Twiby:

Reducing his CONGU handicap from 5 and is currently playing off 2
Dan was selected to represent Teesside boys in 2016 and was part of the team which won Yorkshire’s big 6 event. He will most probably be selected again for this year’s team.
2nd in Hunley Hall’s Junior Club Championship
2nd in Hunley Hall’s Men’s Club Championship
Winner of the Brass Junior Open, scoring the lowest score of the day with 70 shots.
Dan was part of the Hunley Hall’s 3-man team that won the Yorkshire team event.

Dan unfortunately narrowly missed out on qualifying for the National AoC championship and was bitterly disappointed after finishing top 10 last year. His focus for 2017 is to reduce his handicap to at least scratch, perform well in the AoC Open Golf event at St Andrews, continue to be selected for his club and county teams and turn those 2nd place Club Championship finishes into 1st place!

Ladies Football Academy

The Ladies Football Academy are the reigning National 7-aside champions, winning the National Competition for a second time in a row. The girls beat rival college, Gateshead, to gain qualification from the regional competition into the National competition, where they continued last year’s success breaking their own record and scoring 21 goals and conceding 0, finishing the competition undefeated beating the best 7-aside teams in England and Wales.

Due to the success and legacy building within the Girls Academy from past and present students, recruitment into the Girls Academy reached an all-time high, recruiting three players that have been involved with international football playing for England at U15 and U17 level. The academy also holds 3 players in which are currently signed for the Woman’s Super League 2nd team, Durham Wildcats and 2 first team players for premier league leaders Middlesbrough ladies. The academy has not only attracted elite players from local centers of excellence and Regional Talent Clubs, but also found some very talented players currently playing within the local grassroots girls teams in the area.

The girls academy currently sit 3rd in the top ECFA category 1 league and aiming to build on its success from previous years and reach the National Play off finals later in the year. The academies successful programme has helped 4 players, within their two-year educational pathway within the college, develop to make the jump from playing grassroots football to premier league football due to additional support given to the girls through 1-1 sessions, strength and conditioning, injury prevention and additional technical training.

The academy is open to all level of players and due to the current success and level of players the girls’ academy is attracting, places are already being filled up with local academy and premier league players already signed up for the academic season of 2017-18.

Table Tennis Academy

Table Tennis academy has developed well this year with 8-10 regular players for 2016/17.

This month saw 4 players in the ESTTA team event qualify from the Middlesbrough area to the North Eastern area finals at Northfield School. Four teams of four compete in a round robin event with 2 teams qualifying for the northern area finals. Middlesbrough winning both their matches against Cumbria and York 5-3 and just losing out 3-5 to Hull.

The next round will played at Grantham Academy with just 1 winner from four teams qualifying for the final in Hinkley, Leicestershire.

Also this month players will compete in the individual ESTTA northern area qualifiers for a place at Derby, Aldersley village in April in the U19 category event finals.

The AOC qualifiers also saw the table tennis academy dominate the tournament with all three boys going through and one of the girls also qualifying for Nottingham in April to represent the North East region at the National Finals.

The main event however JBL (Junior British League) held in Derby Arena was the main aim for the academy this year with joint players from Middlesbrough College and Swerve Table Tennis Club. Middlesbrough College/Swerve Table Tennis Club managed to remain unbeaten in the four man team event with just 1 draw from 10 team games, to win the 1st Division title with a day and 2 teams to spare gaining promotion at the first hurdle to the premiere league for 2017/18. One of the players remaining unbeaten throughout the whole tournament.

Next month sees the academy at the 4 star event in Blackpool junior event with other local tournaments.

TT Academy

The ESTTA (English Schools Table Tennis) North Eastern Area qualifier for the table tennis academy took place at Northfield school Billingham on Sunday 15th January.

Four teams took part in this; York, Hull, Cumbria and Middlesbrough College.

The four players from the college started off really well with 5-3 victory over York both Josh and Nuradin unbeaten with James scoring a win to put the college 2 points up.

Next Cumbria fielding a strong team, again Josh and Nuradin unbeaten and James again making the second round safe 5-3 with 4 pts from two rounds.Last was Hull St Mary’s school also unbeaten and with both teams already qualifying we were just playing for winners and runner up.Hull also had a really strong 1st Team and slowly edged the last round Middlesbrough just losing out 5-3. The Academy will now play in the Semi-Final of the ESTTA group stage on 5th March at Grantham only one winner out of four will qualify for the finals in London on 24th March for the u19’s title.

Cricket Academy

A new year, a new start for the current cohort of cricket academy players. After a very successful season last year, it has been a pleasure to see so many young players join the academy already showing some outstanding potential.

At the beginning of the year, the academy received a £2500 grant to purchase a bola bowling machine which has already become a fantastic addition to training sessions and has been a colossal recruitment tool for aspiring cricketers.

The outdoor cricket season doesn’t start until April for the academy, nevertheless the academy is currently top of the Teesside Indoor Cricket League which runs right throughout the winter months and involves some of the best players from the North Yorkshire South Durham (NYSD), Langbaurgh and Midweek leagues.

Along with the academy several athletes have gained trials and placements in current league sides and county set ups. Please see below for some of the achievements current academy players have gained already this year.

• Bilal Baig has been chosen to play for Durham CC Under 19’s.
• Helen Fenby has been chosen to play for Durham CC Under 17 ladies.
• Elliot Woolston and Chrissy Ho are currently on trial with Durham CC under 17’s
• Elliot Woolston, Aleem Ditta, Lachlan Kennedy, Chrissy Ho, Helen Fenby &
• Lewis Rowe are all currently training with the NYSD under 17 league side.

Volleyball Academy

Currently in round 4 of the mixed cup which is being played Wed 1st Feb against Salford College. We are through to round 3 of the men’s cup which we are playing at home against our biggest rivals Newcastle under Lyme college which is due to be held on March 1st in the college sports hall. We are also through to the 3rd round of the women’s cup which we are awaiting confirmation for which is due to be played by mid February.

All in all we are progressing nicely in the cups and the local league is going well. Results are not going our way but we are getting some great experience against so experienced sides which is putting us in good shape for when we come up against college teams of players our own age.

We also qualified for nationals again which we are delighted with! Our preparation for this is going well, with the players dedicated to wanting extra morning sessions so they can train more together as a team.

Rugby Academy

A disappointing season so far with only two games and a sevens tournament. Games have been called off due to lack of numbers by us and opposition teams – a worrying sign of the times?

Both games we did play resulted in defeats; 10-44 v. Queen Elizabeth and 12-46 v. Gateshead. Both games were against good side in in both cases Middlesbrough showed great determination and commitment with strong second half performances when it could have been easier to throw the towel in.To date we lay fifth in the league above bottom place Tyne Met on points difference.

Perhaps the highlight of the season so far was the AoC sevens tournament hosted by us at Middlesbrough rugby club, and despite been drawn in a difficult group, a victory over East Durham College ensured a place in the semi-final only to lose to eventual winners Hartlepool Sixth Form College.

We hope for an upturn for the second half of the season.

Basketball Academy

Middlesbrough College continue to keep the pressure on league leaders Hartlepool Sixth Form with some impressive basketball results over Tyne Met and East Durham College, with a lot of novice players in the squad this season the team are developing well and playing well as a team. Captain Brendan Brown continues his fine form averaging over 20 points per game but is well supported by new recruit, Harry Everson. With both players in good form, they have had the opportunity to play for Tees Valley Mohawks in the National League division two men’s team. Having only played 5 league games, Middlesbrough College are currently sitting at 2nd place, with a 4–1 record, but with another win, it will guarantee 2nd place. However, with the college having to host Hartlepool Sixth form twice at home in February and March, the league title is still all to play for!

Men's Football Academy

The football Academy has progressed season by season. So far all our teams have been a credit to the college. Our first team this year is probably the best team I’ve had since I started working at the college 5 years ago. In terms of skill, commitment and desire, the players tick all the boxes. Our last game was against Barnsley who are top of our league. We knew it would be difficult but on the day the boys gave their all, winning the game 3-1. From the first minute to the last we controlled the game. The future certainly looks bright with this group of students.

The 2nd team played Hartlepool away last week and put in their best performance of the season so far by beating them 4-0 2 goals by Jack Cooper who on the day was unplayable, 1 goal by Jack Wollet and a penalty by James Dunn all in all sealed a fantastic display. The pitch was not the best, but the lads played some great football on the day.

Our 3rd team played Darlington (a) and came away with a resounding 1-5 victory. The boys have worked so hard this season. In training they listen and are learning all the time and now in games, their hard work is paying off.

Our 4th team played Darlington at home in their last game which was another entertaining game, but unfortunately the result just slipped away from us. Having been 2-1 up with 5 minutes to go, Darlington scored twice to win the game 2-3 which was so disappointing.

Nevertheless the team have also been fantastic as they too are playing other colleges first and second teams but are doing incredibly well in their league.

A huge congratulations to all of our sports academies! We’re looking forward to seeing what’s next to come!