Pinfold Head To Dodgeball National Finals

Pinfold Primary School will represent Tameside on the national stage after becoming the Greater Manchester Dodgeball Champions.

Pupils at the Hyde-based school have excelled on the court with high levels of intensity, power and agility, initially being crowned as the champions of Tameside before going on to represent the borough at the GM School Games last Wednesday (2nd). 

Pinfold overcame some tough opponents on the day to be crowned the GM Champions and have, in the process, cemented their place in the National Finals to be held in Stoke in the summer.

Hayden Roters, the school's Sports Coach, has been left delighted with the school's success and believes the hard work his pupil put in behind the scenes  have paid off on court. Speaking to Reporter sport, Hayden said: "We use dodgeball as an after school activity, and the pupils have been playing the sport since Key Stage One, so it's something we do every year and there's a lot of interest and a big intake, with around 30 kids in each dodgeball club. They're forever practicing, and although it's not taught in the curriculum, it's done as an extra curricular activity.

As a school, Pinfold are big advocates of physical activity and encourage pupils to take part in sport. Their aim has become all the more important following Covid-19. Hayden said: "Since the pandemic hit we want to make sure that the pupils are part of a team again and delivering that element of success, especially for those children who aren't academic as we are still giving them the opportunity to succeed.

"We always tend to do well in competitions. Before Covid we were the Tameside Champions in Dodgeball, however we were unable to go on to represent Greater Manchester due to what was to come in the following months. Basically, we're Tameside Champions twice in a row. Even though that was with a different set of pupils, it goes to show how keen we are to improve and maintain the standards year-on-year.

"We always get a wide range of children taking part, whether they can throw, dodge, or play an important role in team building, we try to instil sporting values into all abilities. It's important to focus on team work and being part of a group."

Pinfold will be hoping to enjoy more sporting success next term, with the school booked onto the volleyball and basketball tournaments which are organised and coordinated by the Tameside School Sports Partnership."