Grosvenor In View Magazine 2025

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from a tight angle before Ben Greer put the result beyond doubt. Before our semi-final against Abbey CBS Newry, we returned to league action, and we had a thoroughly convincing 11-1 victory against Belfast High School at Greenisland Football Club. Zach Anderson scored six goals in this game, with Zach Leeman also getting on the scoresheet for the first time this year. This left the team on five wins from five, and with RBAI conceding the fixture against us, we secured the Under 18 Belfast Grammar Schools’ League for the first time since its inception in 2018. We would face Methodist College Belfast in the final game to see if we could achieve a perfect record in the competition – the first time this would have been achieved by any school. Before that, we played in our semi-final against Abbey CBS Newry at Bluebell Stadium, Lisburn. Despite dominating the majority of the game, we weren’t able to create enough clear-cut chances to make it count on the scoresheet. With five minutes to go, the inevitable happened and Abbey CBS took the lead with a deflected cross looping into the top corner. It was a disappointing result, as the boys deserved to go further and test themselves in a national final once again. We finished the season on a high with a resounding 12-1 win away to Methody. Once of the standout moments in a bizarre game was the team celebrating the goal to make it 12-1 as though they had won the Champions’ League, as this was Reuben Hall’s first goal for the school in his last ever match. This displayed the camaraderie which has been a key factor in the success achieved by the pupils over the last few years. The outgoing Year 14 pupils have represented the school in Boys’ Football tremendously, with many playing in Year 11 in the team which won the Under 16 Belfast Cup for the first time in the schools’ history. They then went on to reach the Under 16 Northern Ireland Cup Final in Year 12, losing narrowly in extra time, before winning against rivals Regent on penalties to win the inaugural Under 16 Belfast Shield. This is a group of boys who have competed against the best in Northern Ireland, and often come out on top in many memorable matches. They can be proud of what they have achieved for the school and leave with many memories and knowing that their achievements will be hard to match by future teams. I wish to thank them for their efforts and commitment to representing the school for four years, and I wish them well in their careers on and off the pitch in the future. Thank you to Mr Thompson for all of his energy and enthusiasm – he has formed a special bond with these players and has been so influential in the team producing the standards of play and effort that they have. Mr M Winters

campaign start in formidable fashion, with a 10-1 demolition at home to Edmund Rice College. Zach Anderson scored a hat-trick, Phil Simpson, Ryder Whyte and Ben Greer scored two apiece, and Sam Logan got himself off the mark for the year too. Zach Leeman was the man of the match with a domineering and controlled performance in midfield. After half-term, we played at Inver Park against Larne High School in the next round, a team who are largely supported by the Larne FC Academy. Despite this, the Grosvenor boys were admirable in their efforts, albeit succumbing to a 2-1 defeat. We conceded in the dying embers of the game, which would prove to be costly in a number of cup matches this season. Lewis Young was the goal scorer for Grosvenor, and he was also man of the match with a strong and stalwart performance at centre-half. We moved into the Northern Ireland Plate competition as a result of the defeat. We played in the opening round of this competition in our next fixture at home, once again, to Bangor Grammar School. In contrast to the opening game, this was a game filled with goals, as we won 8-5. Another hat-trick from Zach Anderson, two goals from Ben Greer, and a goal apiece for Lewis Young, Jonah Marshall and Phil Simpson secured the victory. Our Belfast Cup campaign ground to a halt, as we gave away a 2-0 lead to Our Lady and Saint Patrick’s College, Knock to lose 3-2 with a last minute goal. We played Ashfield Boys High School at Blanchflower Stadium, and succumbed to a 1-0 defeat, but demonstrated great effort and pride against a formidable opponent with an academy set up linked with Glentoran FC. It was a disappointing end to the group stage, but we can be proud of how we challenged some of the best schools in the district. In another crucial game in the Grammar Schools’ League, we welcomed Campbell College to Dixon Park. We had not won against Campbell for a number of years, and it was another important obstacle to overcome to try and secure the league title. The game started out very evenly, but with momentum building we managed to run away with a 6-0 victory. Yet another hat-trick from Zach Anderson, two from Jake Drennan and another for Ryder Whyte completed the scoresheet. The next game we played was against Belfast Boys’ Model School away in the NI Plate, and had a convincing 5-2 win, with the usual suspects (Phil Simpson 2, Zach Anderson, Lewis Young and Jake Drennan) scoring the goals. We played against St. Joseph’s in the next round at home and won 5-3, with the goals coming from Phil Simpson, Zach Anderson, Ryder Whyte and Ben Greer. In the quarter final we played at Avoniel against Rainey Endowed School. It was an intense battle, with the game finishing 1-1 at full-time after Ryder Whyte had equalised. In extra-time, the team dug deep and took their chances as Sam Logan stepped up and scored

GROSVENOR IN VIEW > 2024/25