Category: Sixth Form News
As rehearsals continue in Seckford Theatre throughout the week – and now at weekends – for November’s Sixth Form production of The Trial, we recently met with our Design students involved in collaborating with our Drama team on the programme design. With the designs taking shape for our bespoke programme, it was great to talk to Year 12’s Selena and Laura about their thoughts on progress so far, as well as how it feels to be working on such an exciting project.
Selena:
“This is another great opportunity working with the Drama and Design Departments. After learning more about the plot of the play, we were given the chance to think outside the box, so each design ends up with different elements included, from different people. I truly enjoy the process of producing these pieces and working on this drama collaboration again.”
Laura:
“I’m really drawn towards these Drama and Graphics collaborations, as we are always given a lot of creative freedom when given a brief, making each design unique and personal – but we are also given a lot of support from both Drama and Design. It’s a fun way to explore more styles and different ideas I wouldn’t have thought of within the Design curriculum. It is also gratifying to see your own work on the programme as a finished product alongside everyone else’s work.”
As the finishing touches are put into place, we look forward to sharing the students’ final design with you very soon; in the meantime, tickets are now available from ticketsource.co.uk/woodbridge-school-drama/the-trial/e-gpedrqo for both performances of The Trial on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 November.
Leading into half term, our Hockey teams delivered more amazing performances, great results and fantastic achievements; saving the best for last it seemed, before a little half time break.
Woodbridge Junior 1st Team at U13 In2Hockey
Monday started with the Junior 1st team competing at the U13 In2Hockey Suffolk Cup, an event from which the top two teams will progress to the Regional Finals. The team prepared well, setting team and individual targets at the start of the day. A big focus was placed on the process and making every moment count which would lead to the best possible outcomes.
The opening match against RHS was a tense affair and end to end; chances either end, and Year 8’s Najma making a telling save close to the end of the match, to maintain the lead and a win for Woodbridge. Year 7’s Issy scored the first of her six goals of the day to put Woodbridge in the winning position. The match was swiftly followed by a 1-1 draw against Old Buckingham Hall. Issy again put Woodbridge ahead and the team were seconds away from the win, however an avoidable turnover resulted in a penalty corner against us, and as the final whistle went OBH got their equaliser.
No breaks between matches to brood over the missed opportunity too much, Woodbridge went out hard against Ipswich School and took an unassailable three goal lead before half time. Year 8’s Chloe and Year 7’s Sofia scored field goals before Issy calmly converted a penalty stroke. The Junior 1 team kept this goal scoring momentum going in their final pool game against Orwell Park, attempting to top the pool with a win. A ‘champagne goal’ was scored before 60 seconds had passed, Issy scoring the first of her hattrick in this game. Sofia scored the fourth to make for a resounding win.
A tough semi-final against Fram College now lay ahead, and as expected, both teams produced skilful hockey and disciplined structure. Woodbridge had the upper hand, but the Fram goalkeeper kept them in the game. Year 8’s Martha finally broke the deadlock with a well-taken opportunity. Defenders and goalkeeper, Year 8’s Juno and Najma and Year 7’s Lily did their bit to nullify Fram’s chances, but it was all very tense! Woodbridge played out for the win, being congratulated by their neighbours, graceful in defeat, knowing it was a real battle.
The final against Finborough awaited. Would our team have the mental and physical energy left to win it, knowing they had already achieved a major goal – qualifying for the Regional Finals by making the County final? The opponents came out the physically stronger team with some powerful carries and exciting rotations, which caused some confusion to the Woodbridge structure. Despite an early chance going Woodbridge team’s way, it was Finborough who was the more dominant team, scoring an unanswered goal in each half. County Champions were not to be this year, but what a display from these young players, and achieving a little bit of history of their own. Lessons learned about Finborough to put into action during the block fixture later this term. And on to the Regional Finals at the end of November for this exciting, talented team.
Year 7’s Sofia and Lily, and Year 8’s Juno, Martha, Chloe and Najma were all recognised by teammates and staff for their telling contributions during the day, but the outstanding Player-of-the-Day was awarded to Year 7’s Issy.
Woodbridge U12 County Cup Success
The U12A team sent us into half term on another high. The ten-strong team of Year 7 players travelled to Culford to take part in the recently established U12 In2Hockey County Cup for the first time. No one quite knew what lay ahead as the team brought together players from different Junior teams. What was certain were the motivation, talent and ambition of the team ready to compete.
The opening game of the event was against Finborough Woodbridge dominated and scored two well-taken goals, one by Florence from a penalty corner and a field goal scored by Vivienne. Looking comfortable, Woodbridge perhaps relaxed a bit and let Finborough get a goal back, which made for a tense few final minutes; but the team held strong to start with a win.
Next was ultimate event winners, Culford, who beat everyone else at the tournament – but not this team, who just never gave up! Culford went ahead, and Martha had to be alert in goal to deny more goals. Woodbridge kept making half chances and just when Culford thought the game was done, Coco scored the most wonderful deflection past the GK. 1-1 and another point on the board.
The story was much the same against Ipswich School. Woodbridge had to come from behind again, after Ipswich scored a scrappy penalty corner goal. This time it was Emilia S who passed the perfect ball to Coco who made no mistake in from of goal to equalise and keep the team’s competition alive.
Against RHS Woodbridge camped in their attacking half, having to guard against threatening counterattacks. This, captain Chloe Y and fellow defenders Emma and Emilia B, did well. A goal from Vivienne broke the deadlock after peppering the RHS goal. It was all to come down to the final match against Ipswich High School, the winner to finish second in Suffolk and qualify for the Regional Finals.
Woodbridge showed their skill and made chance after chance but could not convert, both teams now tired! Despite the dominance things nearly got away from Woodbridge but Martha made a number of great saves to keep things level and hopes alive. Finally, Florence scored from a penalty corner to give us the lead. The team managed the closing minutes well to win and make it to the Regional Finals at the end of November; unbeaten with three wins and two draws to show for their efforts on the day.
A great day with a new team and at a new competition and another bit of history written by this group of players. Coco was the Player-of-the-Day playing so much as a forward, attacking so well, defending so well and scoring some telling goals!
The Junior 1st team and U12 Team join our Senior 1st Team in taking part in the Regional Finals during the second part of the season. Well done to all three these teams.
Woodbridge 1st Team vs Fram College 2nd Team
This brings us to the 1st team who produced their best performance in a number of seasons when they hosted Fram College’s 2nd team – the first match under lights for the season. From the start Woodbridge played at a high tempo and moved the ball very well, across the midfield, around the back and up to the forwards. Support around the ball was influential along with good decision making on the ball, which allowed Woodbridge to control possession well and have great build-up play. Year 13’s Georgia and Year 11’s Eve were hard to keep at bay at outside midfield while Year 12’s Charlie controlled the central part of the pitch and getting Year 13’s Lara and Year 12’s Bea into the action, both who showed athleticism and skill in attacking areas. Woodbridge were unlucky not to convert in the first half, the closest miss coming when a great deflection from Bea hit the post.
Two minutes into the second half the luck would change. Another perfect press saw Charlie win the ball in midfield and dribble past a number of stunned Fram players and calmy put the ball in the back of the goal – a deserved lead for Woodbridge. Woodbridge didn’t let up but could not break through. The players defended with such discipline and structure that Fram found it difficult to build momentum with their possession and expose gaps, as there weren’t many. Year 13’s Eve made a very welcome return to the team after an illness and her experience and decisive leadership at the back was telling.
A few minutes from the end of the game, Woodbridge secured the win, after a penalty stroke was awarded when Year 11’s Izzy was denied a sure scoring chance. Year 12’s Bea made no mistake and the score was doubled.
This was a very clinical and professional performance from the 1st team, ending the first half of the season on a high. Congratulations to Year 10’s Annabelle who made her first team debut and joint Players-of-the-Match who were Captain Lara and Bea! Good luck to the team for a busy second half-term ahead.
Woodbridge Junior 2nd and 3rd Teams vs Orwell Park
A new-look Junior 2nd and Junior 3rd team took on teams from Orwell Park on Wednesday before half term.
The Junior 2 team, made up of Year 7 players, worked hard to take a two-goal lead at half time, Sofia and Issy scoring. We all know 2-0 at half time is a dangerous score, and Orwell Park duly launched a comeback to score first in the second half. The score remained the same until two minutes from the end when Darcy scored a lovely goal – well deserved for playing so well all game – closely followed by Sofia’s second of the game.
A great win for an enthusiastic team who worked very hard! Darcy, Coco and Florence were all in race for Player-of-the-Match, with Florence ultimately taking the honors.
The Junior 3s followed suit with a convincing win over their counterparts from Orwell Park. The game gave lots of experience to players and definitely lots of fun was had. Year 8’s Elodie was Player-of-the-Match, also scoring two goals. Goals were also scored by Year 7’s Emilia S and Year 8’s Tati.
Well done to all the players who represented the School during the first half of the season. Lots learned and lots of enjoyment gained from playing together and competing. Next week we will report on the great U14 matches against Finborough.
As well as events and activities throughout the first half of Michaelmas term which we’ve featured over the last few weeks in our newsletter and on our socials, Mr Gunn is delighted to share a round-up of life at School House in general.
“We have returned to boarding in School House with great excitement, as new students have brought wonderful positivity and energy, making Welcome Week an exceptional start, full of fun and enthusiasm.
A new Welcome Office has been created, giving boarders a friendly space to greet Matron as they sign in and out, which has already had a very positive impact. The Lubbock Lounge has also been upgraded with new sofas and seating, providing a more comfortable and welcoming environment.
Alongside this, we have launched the wider co-curricular boarders’ activities programme, offering Scrabble, pottery with Mrs Gunn, chess, calisthenics, cooking, and many more enjoyable evening pursuits. With regular activities, trips and social events, such as this term’s visit to Cambridge, Southwold and Indoor Go-Karting to name just a few, students have really made the most of every opportunity to get to know one another better as well as explore the School and surrounding areas.
We look forward to the October half term break, and sharing more news of events and achievements from our boarders in the weeks to come.”
Last Friday our Field Day saw students from Years 7 to 13 take part in a host of different Seckford Scheme activities, as has become tradition in School twice each year.
From Mandarin drumming, calligraphy and Ba Duan Jin, to public speaking, first aid, self-defence, and lots of other activities, it was an enjoyable and enriching day for students, and a great opportunity to learn new skills, build self-confidence and build relationships with other students from around the School.
Over 220 of our CCF also spent a fantastic 24 hours in the field. With Army platoon ambushes and rotation of different stands which included occupying and holding a defensive position, paintball, fire and movement and patrolling skills, while others visited RAF Wattisham and our Navy went to Portsmouth.
RAF and Army visit to Wattisham Air Station
A busy day for everyone, students enjoyed some PT at the start of the day, a race around the gym involving walking lunges, rowing machine, bike erg, star jumps, jumping over things and crawling through things; everyone demonstrated excellent effort. Students then enjoyed lunch in the cookhouse, afterwards they went to the helicopter hanger where they learnt how to change a wheel on a land rover, how to rivet things, had a look around some kit and did another task involving nuts and bolts! At the end of the afternoon, they paraded in front of the CO, and a few cadets were given silver coins for their efforts during the day. Superb effort and enthusiasm shown by everyone, well done!
Navy boating day on the Solent from Gosport
Cadets from Years 9 to 13 enjoyed a super day in Portsmouth, which began with marching across HMS Excellent RN base to the mess for breakfast before going over to the Haslar Marina Gosport for Sailing with the RN on the Solent. Four boats, two powered craft and two sailing vessels, were loaded, safety briefings were given, and then they progressed out onto the river. A lack of wind caused the sailors some issues but it meant that it was calm for the Swans. A good day was had out on the water, with cadets actively helping with the running of the boats. Helming always seems to be the most enjoyable part, but chartwork, logbooks and ropework were all covered too. A great day for our cadets.
LAMDA, Learning how to master public speaking
Year 8 students joined Mrs Lockwood, Head of LAMDA, for lessons in public speaking; a great opportunity to do something a little different, but certainly something that will be useful throughout their lives – at School and beyond.
Students shared that they found the public speaking workshop to be very engaging and interesting, in particularly Sarah shared
“It helped me see how people should and should not speak publicly and how to present a captivating speech using skills like eye contact and hand gesture when necessary. Skills such as public speaking are extremely important for the future as many jobs and careers involve some form of presenting or public speaking. As someone who is an aspiring actress, I feel like I have benefited from this workshop as it helped me gain confidence about speaking publicly and to my peers.”
Honor also shared,
“Mrs Lockwood taught us how to structure a speech and speak with confidence thinking about posture eye contact and clear communication. It was great fun and really helped us with new skills.”
George explained that what he enjoyed the most was that,
“people who are not that confident in speaking in public had the chance to discover, learn about and think of new and creative ideas in groups.”
Summarising the day’s activities, Helen Richardson, Director of Co-curricular shared,
“Last Friday marked the first of our two Field Days this academic year – days that play an essential part in nurturing well-rounded students. While academic studies build the core of knowledge, co-curricular experiences like Field Day and clubs add important layers of personal growth, character, and real-world skills that help shape our students, by allowing them to step away from their usual routines of lessons and develop abilities that are vital in everyday life. These experiences teach key life skills such as teamwork, communication, and creative problem-solving. As students work together toward shared goals, they also have the chance to strengthen their leadership qualities, something exemplified especially through CCF and sports leaders.
At times, a quieter student may surprise themselves by taking the lead and guiding their peers. In other moments, students discover the value of supporting others – listening, cooperating, and contributing a different perspective. These lessons in teamwork and leadership extend far beyond the School gates, helping to prepare students for future success in professional and social settings.
From exploring Chinese drumming to building confidence in public speaking, from volunteering in another school to learning about safeguarding as sports leaders, from practising self-defence to touring a Naval base, the range of experiences reflects the diverse opportunities of a typical Friday afternoon at School. And although Field Day might appear to be just a welcome break from classroom learning, it is far more than that – it’s a chance for students to grow socially, emotionally, and physically.
Through collaboration, resilience, and enjoyment, co-curricular events such as Field Day play a vital role in shaping confident, capable young people ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.”
We joined students in Seckford Theatre this week for our second round of character/student interviews for this year’s Sixth Form production, The Trial.
Rehearsing a particularly challenging scene in terms of movement and tone, it was an ideal opportunity to see how the play is progressing, and how our students feel about their characters, ahead of performances on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 November.
Tickets are still available, so be sure to book via the following link: ticketsource.co.uk/woodbridge-school-drama.
In the meantime, let’s learn a little more about Year 12’s Ed, and Year 13’s Isaac and Phoebe R in their interviews below.
Year 12’s Ed – playing Guard 2 and Huld
“I play Guard 2 as well as Huld in the play, he’s Joseph K’s lawyer – and quite a character, in himself and to play! He’s serious and growly, which in itself is a challenge, the voice has to be consistent and in character obviously, so that’s going to take focus and concentration to ensure that it comes across throughout the performance; particularly as there’s also a lot of emotion to convey too.
Huld’s also quite a frightening character, in terms of how others in the play feel about him, he’s bold and forceful – but great fun to play. The Guard role requires something quite different in terms of tone of voice and stage presence; in contrast to Huld he’s quieter and speaks in a long and low voice. I’m really enjoying rehearsals, excited about performing, I’ve got some funny lines too and those are always great fun to deliver, particularly when the audience engages or responds.”
Year 13’s Isaac – playing Block
“Block, my character, is a very intense person. He has a lot of similarities to Joseph K in the play, who’s the protagonist. He’s a version of Joseph K further down the line, and further through his own trial process – Block’s been in that process for years and years. I’d say he’s frustrated and ground down by it all, he has very little information about his trial and so he’s become almost animalistic and insane about it all; he’s a really interesting character to play.
Projecting his low and nasally voice is a challenge, it’s got to be consistent. It is so easy to slip out of character when you increase the volume of your voice for example, so I’m being careful to focus on that. I enjoy the physical part of this character too, he moves like an animal, bounding across the stage – it’s not easy, but it’s so interesting.”
Year 13’s Phoebe – playing Leni
“Leni is completely outrageous! She loves being desired and loves desiring – and also loves having someone wrapped around her little finger, namely Joseph K. Vocally she’s very dreamy, a tone of voice that enables her to maintain her power, which she thoroughly enjoys using and holding over others in the play.
I’m so excited about performing, I do get nerves but I shake them out before I step on stage. This in itself is interesting in relation to my character, as Leni is quite still, not nervous at all; so I’ve got to be calm and prepared to be able to play her”.
Throughout the first half of term we’ve received news of a number of personal achievements for our students, including sporting success, acting, dancing, sailing and writing.
Year 13’s Luke Completes his First Half Marathon
Taking on the Larking Gowen Ipswich Half Marathon, marked Luke’s first ever attempt at this distance; having previously completed many local 10K races. A significant step up, he rose to the challenge brilliantly finishing the race in 2 hours and 5 minutes – a fantastic achievement for a first half marathon. The experience hasn’t deterred him — in fact, he’s already looking forward to taking on another one soon.
Year 8’s Kitty’s Part in Borley Rectory: The Awakening
Borley Rectory: The Awakening premiers on 13 October, featuring Kitty, who appears opposite well-known names including Julian Glover (James Bond; Indiana Jones; Star Wars) and Patsy Kensit. Wishing Kitty and everyone else involved in the film, the very best of luck as it is released to audiences.
Year 7’s Bronte Dances her Way to Success
Having competed in the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) qualifiers, taking 2nd place in Latin, 5th place in Ballroom and going through to the Grand Finals in November, Year 7’s Bronte has also recently competed in the European Cup taking two British Open titles for Latin Sequence dancing, going through to the Championships. These achievements are fantastic, and we look forward to hearing more about her dancing achievements.
Year 10’s George Became Inland Sailing Champion
Sailing at Queen Mary Reservoir in the UK Cadet Class, Year 10’s George has recently become the Inland Sailing Champion. Racing took place over two days against a fleet of 51 boats from across the country. Enjoying windy conditions and winning all three races, his success is on the back of a busy summer of sailing when he competed as part of the GBR team at Lake Lipno in Czechia. George is now looking forward to team selection for Lake Garda in 2026.
Literary Success for Year 11’s Ambrose
Year 11’s Ambrose has been celebrating having his writing published in the Woodbridge and Melton Society newsletter. Sharing details of his skating experiences in Woodbridge, it’s been a fantastic first journalistic enterprise and we’re certain Ambrose will go on to celebrate more.
Last week, Sixth Form Drama students had the pleasure of taking part in a workshop run by the amazing Frantic Assembly. Sharing her thoughts and experience of the day, read our report from Year 13’s Georgia.
“Our external facilitator Steve instantly created an energetic yet comforting atmosphere for us to embrace. He provided us with various physical activities that would influence our practical pieces that we are soon to embark on.
One of my favourites was ‘family portrait’ in which a group of us would create a sequence of six images around a row of chairs, each position capturing a different freeze frame. This fast-paced exercise reduced overthinking and made some excellent stories within the pictures.
Overall, this workshop pushed our imagination skills and encouraged us to adapt to new challenges quickly.
Thank you to the Drama department for this wonderful opportunity and we cannot wait for more to come. “
It has been a busy start to term with numerous Rugby fixtures being played, including our Senior XV playing Ipswich High School, and our U16s playing Framlingham. Our report below shares news of those matches and our players.
Woodbridge Senior XV vs Ipswich High School
Earlier this week the Senior 1st XV played against Ipswich High school.
Our 1st XV dominated the first half of the game running in some fantastic tries including a great hard running line by Year 11’s Charlie in the midfield, who scored under the posts and a first half hat-trick by Year 12’s Arthur on the wing.
The second half was an end-to-end affair with lots of substitutions and students playing in different positions; with new combinations on the Woodbridge side. Ipswich tested our defence with more possession and a few penalties led to us conceding twice. However, the team bounced back and finished strong to see out the game with a comfortable victory and total of ten tries, including a brace from Prop Forward, Year 13’s George.
A great start to the season and well done to all involved!
Woodbridge U16 vs Framlingham
The U16s had their first fixture of the season, two weeks back away to Framlingham.
We started the game strong going up 7-0 after only a few minutes. The teams were very evenly balanced with there only being one score between the sides for the majority of the game.
We dominated field position throughout, however we struggled to convert as often as needed when in the opposition 22.
Some fantastic individual performances with demonstrations of leadership from captain, Year 11’s Liam and Player of the Match award going to Year 11’s Oli M who showed great game management and awareness in hinge moments.
The U16s narrowly missed out, losing 34-22. A great performance and shame to miss out on the result on the day.
Well done to all who played a part!
Moving straight into County rounds for the National Schools’ Netball competition was a new format this year for Suffolk Schools. All three age groups played schools from North, South and West Suffolk to compete for the top two places to represent the County at the East Region tournament in February. Our reports are from Mrs Johnson and Miss Sanders.
Woodbridge U14s
The U14s put on an excellent display on Monday afternoon at Rushmere. The sun was shining, and it was like a summer’s day – some would say, it was too hot for Netball! As there were 13 schools competing, teams were split into two pools, so the girls knew we had to give everything if we were in with a chance of getting to Regionals.
We started the competition positively and put up a strong performance against locals, Farlingaye and came away with an 11–4 win in our first match. After a short break, we then played five games in a row, which was tiring and didn’t give us much breathing space between each one.
Next were Finborough – a tough team, who we had to try and beat. It was all even until the last few seconds of the game, when we managed to turn their centre pass over and score, going ahead by one goal. Luckily the final whistle went, and we came away 10–9 winners.
Ipswich High were next, and we had not beaten this team yet this year, so knew they were strong. The girls fought so hard and didn’t give up. Our shooting was consistent, along with our court play and defending out of our skins, to try and turn the ball over. Again, another match where it was all even and we managed to score off our centre and come away with the win. We were ecstatic at the 8-7 score! The girls were on a high and even more up for getting through as they were proving to themselves, they could do it!
Our next two matches were a lot easier, so less pressure, although we needed to score as many goals as we could as every goal mattered, in case there was a draw. We put up good performances against both County Upper and Hartismere, resulting in 13-2 and 10-0 wins.
It was all to play for in our last match against Fram. It was another match where the play was even, both teams scoring off their centre passes, which is tournament play as any missed goal can result in a team going behind by two goals. Just as the half time whistle went, we scored a penalty to take us one ahead, but the umpire disallowed it (not sure why!), so we went into the second half with a fight on our hands. F ram took the lead and unfortunately, the final whistle went, resulting in 8-7 loss. Our heads dropped a little, but the team were so proud of what they had achieved and were looking forward to seeing where we can in our pool.
Coming 2nd in our pool, we faced a super slick and amazing RHS team, who played faultlessly. Tiredness was kicking in and we couldn’t prevent them from their super play. After losing, we knew that we could not be in the top two teams, but we had a 3rd/ 4th match to play, so found that last bit of energy in our match against Ipswich School.
Unfortunately, we did not have enough energy in our tanks as we had used it during the afternoon, but we still continued to play our hearts out and with determination and were drawing at half time. We struggled to make it to the last hurdle and Ipswich went ahead by four goals, so out of our reach in the last seven minutes of the match.
A superb effort by all and coming 4th overall is an excellent achievement! Woodbridge played exceptionally well and should be proud of what they achieved together, as myself and Mrs Johnson were so proud of you all! Well done to our team, Year 9’s India J (Captain), Alexandra, Imogen M, Imarah, Sienna, Mariella, India B and Year 8’s Martha, Grace and Matilda.
Woodbridge U16s
An excellent afternoon of netball was had by the U16s where every single player worked their socks off and gave 100%.
Drawn in two pools with 11 other schools competing we started with a close game versus Farlingaye and edged ahead to win 16-13 with some amazing shooting from Izzy, Amelie and Georgia. The defensive team of Eve, Pip and Cleo performed really well in our game versus Stowmarket for us to take our second victory 8-3.
Next up was RHS and our dominance in the centre court from Eva, Georgia, Frankie, Annie and Felicity enabled us to win a tight game 11-9. We then had Culford, another pool favourite, but after going behind we came back to win 9-7 with some cool, calm and collected play from the whole squad.
We then took on Hartismere after a long break but dominated and were able to up our goal difference winning 20-3.
Having won our pool, we then faced Ipswich High in the semi-finals. Having narrowly beaten them in a recent friendly match, we knew they were going to be tough opposition but took to the court with everything to play for – a place at the Regional Finals!
It was so close, going from end to end with every centre pass and each team scoring. In a seven minute each way game every goal and turnover counts; unfortunately, IHS gained a turnover and capitalised. They pulled two ahead and although we never gave up that advantage was never lost, and we went down 8-10.
Disappointed doesn’t even explain it as the girls had given everything – we just didn’t have that last bit of luck on our side which is always needed in tournament play.
The girls were an absolute credit to the School and went on to beat Culford 14-8 in the 3rd/4th place playoff. They played for pride and were fantastic, each and every one of them and we couldn’t be prouder of the way they played or conducted themselves. Well done to our team, Year 11’s Georgia C, Frankie, Annie, Izzy H, Felicity, Amelie, Eva P, Cleo, Eve S, and Phillipa.
Woodbridge U19s
With a slightly different format to the U16s, the U19s found themselves in a pool of eight teams, therefore the afternoon was a round-robin competition with again, the top two going to Regionals.
The team were up for it, (even though our warming up was a little lacklustre!) but not looking forward to facing Ipswich in our first match. The girls knew this would be a tough match, although we did beat them in a full game at the end of last season, so had an idea of their tactics and specific players’ strengths and weaknesses.
We unfortunately were slow to get out of the blocks, so allowed the opposition to take control and win 10-3. With new combinations too, it took us a while to get regrouped and play as a team who meant business, but we were ready for our next match against Farlingaye.
Drawing at half time, we were in it, until we unfortunately missed a goal, therefore enabling Farlingaye to go ahead by two goals. With only a minute to go, we couldn’t fight back, so narrowly lost by two.
With two matches down and five to go with Finborough next, the team knew this would not be an easy match. Again, we had beaten them in a full game last season, but we feel the pressure more in tournament play. Another match where it was all even at half time, but let the pressure get to us, plus the on court noise from the opposition and our heads went down, therefore enabling them to take control and the lead. A 16-7 loss. Although we knew we were no longer in contention for 1st or 2nd place, we still wanted to prove to ourselves that we could come 3rd or even 4th, so kept on fighting in the last four games.
What a difference these matches were! Various combinations of shooters, defenders and centre court players proved we were a versatile team and everyone gave their all. We dominated St Jo’s resulting in an 11-6 win, Fram were next and again, we played brilliantly and came away with a 14-5 win.
With a positive attitude and a drive to win the last two games, we put 100% in and played with tenacity and determination. Culford were next up and from the starting whistle, we played some super Netball and defended out of our skins. This performance resulted in a 12–7 win.
Last up, it was RHS. Although we felt a little physically and mentally drained, a win was what the team were after. Dominating from the starting whistle and not giving up until the final whistle, we were again successful and won 13-3.
Well done to all the girls – a superb squad effort, even though we took a lot longer to warm up than other teams. Coming 4th overall was another positive result and one we were super pleased with! Our team comprised Year 13’s Lara (Captain), Georgia P, Georgia G, Issy C, Phoebe D, Yr 12’s Lyrah, Millie, Scarlett, Aurelia and Bea.
Thank you to Mrs Johnson, Mrs Pilkington and Mrs Pineo for all their help and support, but especially giving up their time to be with the tournament teams. It was much appreciated by Miss Sanders (who was stepping in for Mrs Gray).
Last week Year 10 players in the U15A and U15B teams took on the strong teams from Norwich High School for Girls.
The U15A team dominated the start of the match with Tabby scoring early to give us the lead. This gave Woodbridge confidence to move the ball around with creativity and flare. Just before half time, an improvised penalty corner was scored by Eirann to double the lead.
The second half saw a goal for each team, with Tabby scoring her second to secure the win for Woodbridge. Ella B was awarded Player of the Match for her outstanding performance in defence.
The U15B team fought out a gutsy draw, especially fighting hard to defend a penalty corner against them close to the end of the game. Well done to Year 9’s Imarah, Kirsty and Imogen M who played up, Imogen also helping to set up the goal for Year 10’s Imogen S. Imogen S was also awarded joint Player of the Match, alongside Imogen M.
Woodbridge Senior 3rd vs Norwich High
Earlier this week the Senior 3rd team also played against Norwich High School for Girls. This match was end-to-end with both goalkeepers playing outstanding to keep their teams in the game. The first half ended goalless with good performances being put in for Woodbridge by Year 11’s Honor and Year 12’s Valentina.
Ten minutes into the second half the opposition scored, somewhat against the run of play. Not to be deterred, Woodbridge pushed forward and was duly rewarded with a penalty corner which Year 11, Sophie K struck well from the top of the D to convert this chance. The game ended in a well-battled draw. Year 12’s India E was given Player of the Match alongside GK super star Year 12’s Poppy H-B.
Our Senior Hockey players are making us very proud in how they are playing, representing the School and attending extra-curricular practices in huge numbers. An excellent example is being set to the younger years who are following suit with excellent attitude, play and using every opportunity to practise and hone their skills and team play. Well done to all!
