The Merton SSP Year 5/6 Best Team Football Borough Championships took place on Friday 9th December 2022 on the frost-covered surfaces of Farm Road Pavilion pitches with a record 32 teams taking part.
The conditions soon improved with pitches softening more so as soon as play began and all teams got underway in 8 groups of 4 teams randomly drawn across 8 pitches for the day.
In the morning, teams battled it out over 3 games for a top 2 finish in their group, aiming to proceed to a round of 16 for the afternoon session.
The new format of the competition for this year took the excitement of competitors to a whole new level and it was wonderful to see such a huge occasion approached with such preparation and respect from all participants, coaches and spectating parents alike.
A big thank you to the following teams in their opening 8 groups and respective standings after the morning sessions:
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Bishop Gilpin, Wimbledon Park, St. Teresa’s, Sacred Heart
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Wimbledon Chase, Dundonald, Aragon, St. Matthew’s
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Haslemere, Hillcross. St. Thomas, Garfield
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Morden, St. Marks, Singlegate, All Saints
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Hollymount, Hatfeild, Poplar, West Wimbledon
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Malmesbury, Joseph Hood, William Morris, Sherwood
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St John Fisher, Pelham, Merton Park, Cranmer
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Holy Trinity, SS Peter and Paul, Abbotsbury, Liberty
For the afternoon session, teams that finished 3rd and 4th on each pitch were placed into another group with teams from other groups in similar positions from the morning session. These groups were played in a similar format with each team playing another 3 round robin games.
All teams that placed 1st and 2nd in their group progressed to a round of 16 match leading to quarter finals, semi finals and finals for all teams. The results per game determined the seedings each team took into the next round to work out overall winners and placings from 1st to 16th across the afternoon. The format, scores and placings were as follows…
Pitch 1 |
Pitch 2 |
Pitch 3 |
Pitch 4 |
|
Round Of16 |
1 v 16 | 2 v 15 | 3 v 14 | 4 v 13 |
| Bishop Gilpin 0 – 1 Holy Trinity | Wimbledon Chase 2 – 1 Wimbledon Park | Haslemere 1 – 3 Dundonald | Morden 0 – 1 Hillcross | |
| 5 v 12 | 6 v 11 | 7 v 10 | 8 v 9 | |
| Hollymount 2 – 0 St Marks | Malmesbury 0 – 1 Hatfeild | St John Fisher 1 – 0 Joseph Hood | SS PeterPaul 1 – 0 Pelham | |
Quarter Finals |
9 v 16 | 10 v 15 | 11 v 14 | 12 v 13 |
| Pelham 0 – 2 Bishop Gilpin | Joseph Hood 3 – 0 Wimbledon Park | Malmesbury 1 – 0 Haslemere | St Marks 2 – 1 Morden | |
| 1 v 8 | 2 v 7 | 3 v 6 | 4 v 5 | |
| Holy Trinity 1 – 0 SS PeterPaul | Wimbledon Chase 2 – 1 St John Fisher | Dundonald 0 – P Hatfeild | Hillcross P – 0 Hollymount | |
Semi Finals |
9 v 12 | 10 v 11 | 13 v 16 | 14 v 15 |
| Bishop Gilpin 3 – 0 St Marks | Joseph Hood 1 – 2 Malmesbury | Morden 0 – 4 Pelham | Haslemere P – 0 Wimbledon Park | |
| 1 v 4 | 2 v 3 | 5 v 8 | 6 v 7 | |
| Holy Trinity 2 – 0 Hillcross | W.Chase P – 0 Hatfeild | Hollymount 2 – 0 SS PeterPaul | Dundonald P – 0 St John Fisher | |
Finals |
9 v 10 | 11 v 12 | 13 v 14 | 15 v 16 |
| Bishop Gilpin 3 – 2 Malmesbury | J.Hood 0 – 2 St Marks | Pelham 0 – P Haslemere | Wimbledon Park D – D Morden | |
| 1 v 2 ( Gold / Silver ) | 3 v 4 ( Bronze ) | 5 v 6 | 7 v 8 | |
| Holy Trinity 0 – 2 Wimbledon Chase | Hatfeild P – 0 Hillcross | Hollymount 3 – 0 Dundonald |
St John Fisher 1 – 0 SS PeterPaul |
Congratulations to Wimbledon Chase for winning a tight final and well done to Holy Trinity who can be very proud of their achievements and a silver medal to end with. Hatfeild and Hillcross took part in a very tense penalty shootout for third place and Hatfeild taking bronze ever so closely! All 32 teams should be immensely proud of their efforts, not just with regards to scores and results but for the contribution towards the REFSPECT campaign on the day and moments of outstanding fair play, honesty and sportsmanship for others. Congratulations to Joseph Hood and to Pelham for being crowned joint REFSPECT winners for the borough championships 2022.
Thank you to our 12 sports leaders from Rutlish school for officiating the fixtures and also to Tooting and Mitcham FC for the use of the Farm Road venue. Merry Christmas to all and see you in 2023!