All posts by Mr Hamilton

U-15 Scottish Cup: 1st Round

U15 SCOTTISH CUP 1ST ROUND: KILSYTH ACADEMY –v- BRAIDHURST HIGH

On Thursday afternoon the under 15 boys football team for their Scottish Cup campaign underway with a resounding 11-0 victory over Kilsyth Academy which sees them progress to the next round where much stiffer competition surely awaits.  Playing conditions were never going to be conducive to flowing football; however, at times the standard of play from the Braidhurst boys was exceptional.  Short passing, one touch football along with some mazy runs from wingers Scott Brownlee and Jordan Molina meant the Kilsyth defence were kept on their toes the entire game.  After some inaccurate, long range shooting and excellent stops from the Kilsyth goalkeeper the deadlock was finally broken by a curling effort on the edge of the box from Robbie Watson.  Not long after this Braidhurst got a second through Jordan Molina.  After some good work down the right wing by Scott Brownlee the ball was fizzed in with venom and Jordan was in the right place at the right time.  Goals 3 and 4 following in quick succession, the first of these from Josh Payne with a relatively simple tap-in and goal number 4 the result of some indecisive defending allowing Scott Brownlee to slot in at the near post from close range.  With half time approaching the game was all but over.

Half time:  Kilsyth Academy 0 – 4 Braidhurst High School

The second half saw Mr Gardiner ringing the changesd and giving all his boys a run out as the game was as good as over.  On came Robbie Leighton, for his first game in the colours of Braidhurst, along with Jamie Leslie.  With the Kilsyth heads already firmly down it was only a matter of time before Braidhurst got a fifth and it came shortly after the break with Josh Payne getting a second after a succession of tremendous 1 touch passes down the right hand side.   After/-

After this it was time for the defence to get in on the scoring act with central defender Greg McKenzie getting forward to great and placing one in the bottom left hand corner.  Goals 8, 9 and 10 all came in a two minute blur in which all who were watching struggled to keep up.  This time it was the turn of Robbie Leighton (a goal on debut), a second from the ever impressive Scott Brownlee and Josh Payne to round off his hat trick.  The final goal of the game came from the first goal scorer, Robbie Watson.  The game was wound up early by the home referee as the game had become more like a training session and the light was fading.  This game could prove to be nothing more than a confidence builder for the Braidhurst boys but a win is a win and the second round waits.

Final score:  Kilsyth Academy 0 – 11 Braidhurst High School

Nurture Training

Braidhurst High hosted a group of Head Teachers and Depute Heads from Glasgow last week who visited the school to find out about the Nuture Unit running in the school.  The rector, Mr Derrick Hannan, delivered a presentation on the subject followed by a visit to see the facility in the school.  Those attending expressed their thanks and admiration for the work going on in the school.

Halloween Disco

Braidhurst High pupils dressed up last week to enjoy the annual Halloween Disco organised by the House Captains.  The event was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone in attendance and the pupils were unrecognisable in their fancy dress.  The House Captains made an excellent job of ensuring the younger pupils had an exciting evening especially with the ‘corridor of darkness’ set up by them before entry to the hall.

German Theatre

Braidhurst had the pleasure of hosting a German theatre performance organised by the Goethe Institute this week.   Pupils studying Higher German in schools throughout North Lanarkshire Council were invited to view the play ‘Uber die Grenze ist es nu rein Schritt’, written by the acclaimed German director Michael Muller and starring German actors Janna Lena Koch and Patrick Abozen.   The play tells the story of an African youngster who has been living in Germany for five years.   However, when it emerges that he and his family are living in the country illegally, the situation threatens to get out of control.   It is a tragic yet comic German play for young people and draws attention to issues such as migration as well as exploring themes relevant to young people, such as identity, dreams and the search for self-issues which are just as relevant and important in the UK as they are in Germany and beyond.

Pupils engaged in a follow up question and answer session with the actors and director themselves, and thereafter divided into groups to take part in three workshops, focusing on the topics of ‘Characters and Plot’, ‘On the Run’ and ‘Friends and Family’ in order to further develop the pupils’ comprehension of the play and their linguistic competencies in German.

All pupils thoroughly enjoyed the experience and made use of the opportunity to improve their German listening and speaking skills, as well as making new friends from other schools.

Parkinson’s Group

Peter McInally, representative of the Parkinson’s Group in Bellshill recently dropped into Braidhurst to lead the S3 XL pupils in a discussion about the condition.   Pupils were keen to ask questions and accepted an invitation to provide some entertainment for the group as a part of their St Andrew’s Day celebration.   Pupils are now busy rehearsing and perfecting their Scottish themed programme of entertainment!

BHS U-14’s Football

Braidhurst Under 14’s started the new season in fine form hitting double figures in a comfortable victory over league visitors Larkhall.

The Motherwell side took the early initiative, with the excellent Jake Hastie, ably supported by Nicholas Mullen, dominating midfield.   Hastie’s pinpoint through ball to Dylan Falconer allowed the forward to lob the oncoming keeper to open the scoring in the sixth minute.   It was one way traffic after that with Mullen and Hastie both scoring to make the half time score 3-0.

The second half followed a similar pattern with the home side creating chance after chance with three of the seven second half goals arriving in as many minutes.

The full list of scores were – Jake Hastie (4), Dylan Falconer (2), Nicholas Mullen, Derrick Boafour, Darren Wilson and Ross Park.

The boys can now look forward to the defence of their Scottish Cup title facing a tricky tie away to St Modans of Stirling.