By Isle of Wight Observer
Bembridge CE Primary School and Haylands Primary School flew the flag for the Isle of Wight & Hampshire at U-11 Pokémon Cup South West Finals in Keynsham, Bristol.
The Primary Schools’ Cup is a national football cup competition for primary-aged children in Years 5 and 6. Every year, thousands of school teams and tens of thousands of children take part, with the aim of reaching the national finals.
Both schools were victorious in the Isle of Wight round of the competition, with Bembridge overcoming Shalfleet in the U-11 Small Schools Cup and Haylands winning against Gurnard in the final of U-11 Schools Teams Cup at the end of 2024. Both schools were then crowned Hampshire champions, qualifying for the South West Finals in Bristol, taking on regional champions from Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Wiltshire and the Channel Islands.
In the Small Schools competition, Bembridge started with a well-contested draw against a skilful side from Cornwall. In their second game, Bembridge were unable to score with the opposition’s defence keeping them out. This left the team in second place in the group before taking on a Gloucestershire school, in their final league fixture. The team competed well but the team had to score to go through to the semi-finals but lost 0-1. In the play-off they took on Tregoze Primary, from Wiltshire, where they won 1-0, with Edward O’Neil scoring the decisive goal as Bembridge finished fifth overall.
In the School Teams competition, Haylands got off to a great start by beating their first rivals 1-0, thanks to a Oscar Parsons goal, before losing 0-1 to a strong Devon team. In their third game, the team drew 0-0 with visitors from Jersey, before winning 2-1 against an Oxfordshire competitor. Haylands finished in second place, taking on rivals from Somerset in the semi-finals.
A very tight match ended up going to extra-time, when striker, Kayden Chesters, lofted the ball over the defender’s head before volleying the ball into the top corner, winning Haylands the game. In the final, Haylands faced a very strong Middle School side who secured the win. Both teams now go through to play in the National Finals, at Stoke City Football Club’s ground, on Friday, May 16.
Haylands Primary School are asking for support in order to play in Stoke in May, with costs of £2,500 to cover transport, accommodation and expenses for the trip. If you are able to help visit Haylands’ Facebook page.