MOUNT House Under-9s were in action in both the rugby and girls' hockey festivals at St Peter's Lympstone, and both teams enjoyed successful afternoons.

The U9 girls played some great hockey, putting into practice some of the things they have been working on in training and winning all four of their matches. Aggie Cox was superb in defence, while the trio of Annaliese Wright, Alice Lamb and Tess Campbell–Bareham linked superbly together and made great passes that split the opposition defences time and time again. Player of the tournament Tess scored 5 of the team's 6 goals, and also helped out in defence when needed. Goal of the tournament came from Annaliese who made a brilliant solo run from her own half, before dodging St Peter's sweeper and finishing with a super shot into the corner. The Mount House girls beat St Peter's and St Michael's both 2-0, and Exeter Cathedral School and Stover 1-0.

The Rugby Festival at St Peter's was the first outing of the season for the Mount House U9 team and gave a good indication of their progress since last year, when they failed to win a game. The boys played with real passion and aggression that other teams found difficult to counter.

Joe du'Gay and James Elderfield both made great runs and strong tackles, Nicky Crighton defended superbly, whilst Crispin Newman and Rowan Brudenell-Bruce grew in confidence steadily through the afternoon. With wins over Kelly (5-0) and Stover (15-0), a 10-10 draw with St Peter's and a single defeat (15-20) to Exeter Cathedral School, the boys showed that a year has made a real difference to their game.