Football

Chilton Cantelo has built a fantastic reputation for football over the last 10 years, not only at a local level but now nationally with our U16 1st XI winning the ISFA U16 Championships in 2012.

Our teams are run from Year 3 upwards and have won or reached finals at District, County and National Levels. Chilton players get the opportunity to play representatively for Yeovil District Schools, Somerset Schools and England.

We are very proud to say that of our current cohort  four are playing for the District at U13, U14 and U15, four are playing for Somerset at U16 and four are representing England - Henry Hawke, Ben Morton and Jack Morton at U16 and Kieran Beardmore, who is currently Captain of the U15’s.

We also have strong links with Yeovil Town Football Club, where nine pupils play for the Centre of Excellence teams at various age groups. Kevin Wagland and Robert Grove, who are both FA Qualified Coaches, not only run the football at Chilton but both are coaches for the Independent Schools Football Association U13 South West Representative Team and Kevin Wagland also coaches Yeovil District Schools Representative team and is a coach at Yeovil Town’s Centre of Excellence.

LATEST NEWS

ISFA National U16 Champions 2012
An exciting season finale saw Chilton Cantelo School’s Ist XI U16 Football Team return home from the Independent Schools Football Association (ISFA) Cup final, carrying the winners’ shield. Amazingly, they played the same opponents as last year’s final – Liverpool College - the team who had robbed them of the title last year!

The team arrived at Hinckley United’s football ground in Leicester to find parts of the pitch under water and a solitary groundsman working hard to get the pitch playable. So in typical Chilton style players, parents and staff rolled up their sleeves, got as many forks, shovels and brushes as they could find and spent the next hour making sure the pitch was playable.
 
Their efforts proved worthwhile as an exciting and eventful National Final ensued.  Chilton Cantelo got off to a flying start when Lewis Bloomer burst down the right and blasted a fine drive into the corner to open the scoring after just one minute.  There was plenty more goalmouth action at both ends in the first half but no further scoring.
 
Chilton extended their lead early in the second half through Kieran Beardmore’s glancing header and it was soon 3-0 when Ben Morton was brought down in the penalty area and Beardmore scored from the spot.  Five minutes later Bloomer’s cross from the right was headed in by Miles Pike.  Liverpool College pulled a goal back when Perry Ng headed home from a corner but Chilton Cantelo completed an impressive performance when Ben Morton’s shot was saved and Piers Luckhurst was on hand to hammer home the rebound and complete a 5-1 victory in a most entertaining match.

Coach, Kevin Wagland, said “I could not be prouder of the team and their achievements. I have seen these boys grow into a fine outfit over the last five years and this is a fitting climax for all their efforts. The school took over 100 supporters to the game and they made it sound like a crowd of 5000 the way they got behind the team, which is testament to the family environment the school creates.”

Selection News
Congratulations to Aiden-Lee Beardmore who has been selected for the Independent Schools Football Association National U14 team and to Owen Price, Marcus Punton and Michael Woodward who have all been selected for the Development Squad.

Second National Football Final for Chilton 1st XI
A well-deserved place in the Independent Schools Football Association Cup Final awaits the Chilton Cantelo School 1st XI, who won through to their second national final in two seasons after coming through a very tight and tense semi final against Chigwell School (Essex).

Chilton made the early headway in the game and looked on top for fifteen minutes though Chigwell were always a threat; borne out on 20 minutes when Chigell took the lead with fine interplay around the penalty area led to Taylor Gershon hammering home.  However, the game turned in a three minute spell before half-time. Kieran Beardmore scored from the penalty spot following a handball offence; then, right on the whistle, a cross was palmed out and Lewis  Bloomer was on hand to smash the ball home from an acute angle and give Chilton a 2-1 lead. The second period saw Chilton very much on top but unable to break down a stubborn Chigwell defence until Ben Morton added a third halfway through the half after some great work by Lewis Bloomer cutting in past two defenders and squaring to Morton for an easy tap in. The game was still packed full of incident with both teams contributing to an attacking game, but Chilton's defence held firm and also hitting the woodwork twice in the closing stages.

The final will take place at Hinckley United's ground in Leicestershire on 26 April against, incredibly, last year’s opponents Liverpool College, where Chilton will be looking to overturn a 2-0 defeat.  Coach Kevin Wagland said “To make it to two National finals in a row is a massive achievement for a school of our size and the culmination of five years hard work for this squad of players. I couldn’t be prouder of them. I am very proud of this School’s reputation for sport and I am looking forward to the final immensely.”

ISFA CUP SEMI-FINAL
Last season’s Independent Schools Football Association U16 runners up, Chilton Cantelo, moved into the semi-final of the same competition with a 6-1 win over Frensham Heights School (Surrey) where they will face a repeat of last year’s semi against Chigwell School (Essex).

The first 10 minutes of the game were a tense affair with Frensham putting the Chilton defence under pressure and giving no indication of the result to come.  After this spell Chilton settled and started to get the ball on the floor, creating opportunities which the Frensham goalkeeper did well to keep out.  The first goal came on 20 minutes with Ben Morton hitting a powerful free kick which the keeper could only parry right into the path of Kieran Beardmore who slotted home. Shortly after the goal a rare piece of incisiveness allowed a Frensham player to win the ball back in the final third and fire in an unstoppable shot from 25 yards.

The second half saw Chilton start very brightly and take over the game. Within 15 minutes Chilton took a 4-1 advantage with 2 goals from Ben Morton and a Lewis Bloomer strike. All three goals were the culmination of some great passing play. Frensham tried to play their way back into the game but by committing players forward they left space for Chilton to exploit, catching Frensham on the break twice more, through Dan Trapnell and Myles Pike, to seal a 6-1 win. Coach Kevin Wagland said “This was a pleasing result against a very big and physical side. Chilton played much the better football and getting into another National Semi Final continues to cement Chilton’s reputation, not only in football but sport in general”