Fair play in France

GOOD SPORTS: Dover Boys' Grammar School pupils with their trophies from France

FORGET Euro 2000, young footballers from Dover Boys' Grammar School have been showing just how to behave in an international soccer competition - and how to win a penalty shoot-out!'

From year seven, they were invited to a tournament in Racquinghem, in northern France, and came away with a clutch of trophies. They formed two teams, one, called Benjamins, for a nine-aside competition, and the other, called 13ans, for an 11-a-side competition. Both were run on a league basis, but with the top two teams in the nine-a-side event progressing to a knock-out competition.

In that event, Benjamins lost 1-0 to Aire Sue La Lys, but beat the host club, Jeunesse Sportive, DeRacquinghem 5-0 with goals from Lynton Lythgoe, Liam Marsh and a hat-trick from Liam Friend.

In the final group game against St Martin, the Dover boys needed a win to progress to the knockout stage. Goals from David Oxenham and Jarred Cole led to a 2-1 victory.

The semi-final match against Renescure, with goals from Liam Friend (two) and Liam Marsh, resulted in a 3-2 win.

In the final they again met Aire Sur La Lys again, and tired legs were a contributory factor in their 3-1 defeat, the only Dover goal coming from Liam Friend.

In the 11-a-side competition, 13ans lost 2-1 in their first match against an older and bigger Renescue side which included a girl. David Oxenham grabbed the Dover goal.

The second game, against St Omer, ended in a 1-1 draw resulting in a penalty shoot-out, which Dover won after keeper James Dray, a last-minute substitute, saved the second attempt.

The results of the other matches in the league made it impossible for Dover to win the title.

A David Oxenham goal in the last match resulted in a 1-0 win against JSR, but the Dover boys had to be content with a creditable third place on goals scored.

At the prizegiving, the Dover boys picked up awards for fair play, as none had been sin-binned, sent off or offered any back-chat to the referees during the entire competition.

PE and Games teacher Keith Onions also picked up the coach's award, and the Dover boys were presented with two vases from the Mayor of Racquinghem in recognition of being the first English teams to have taken part in the competition.

The invitation came via student teacher Linda Defrance who is currently at the school and it is now hoped to make it a regular fixture for the year seven teams.