Category: Senior School News
As our Cross Country teams look forward to the upcoming first round of the Area Schools Cross Country at Royal Hospital School next week, we stop to take a look back at last weekend’s result at the National Road Relays.
Those who saw our report from the Southerns will know that Year 8’s Alexandra and India J headed up to Sutton Park in Birmingham to compete for their club in the infamous National Road Relays. The latest edition of the England Running Association multi-stage race has a decorated history going back to 1967, and is one of the biggest events in the athletics calendar drawing to it many national champions, international athletes and world record holders.
The Bury St Edmunds Pacers U13 team of three runners, which included Alexandra and India J, powered to third place beating their previous rivals Brentwood AC, who were the only team to beat them at the Southerns. The girls have worked incredibly hard with determination and consistency to fully deserve this result.
Last Thursday, the first Drama Vocal Masterclass of the academic year took place for our scholarship and enrichment students. Year 11’s Ed shares his experience of the Masterclass below.
Year 11’s Ed
I was intrigued by the idea of a vocal workshop, and I really enjoyed exploring in depth the different ways you can improve the diction, clarity, tone, and professionalism of the human voice.
Mrs Lockwood got us to find out where we hold the most tension in our body, so we could learn and adapt to let go of that tension in a vocal warm-up, or before delivering a speech or going on stage.
Personally, I never knew how much tension I held in my jaw, and just letting go and relaxing it by using a technique of gently massaging the jaw hinge was very helpful and I could really feel the difference in the clarity and clearness of my voice.
Throughout the workshop, we experimented with different vocal techniques which all helped improve our voices dramatically.
I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and recommend it very highly. Mrs Lockwood uncovered parts of my voice I never knew I had. Five stars!
It certainly was a memorable week for Hockey last week, with so much progress and many magic moments. Read our reports below, from Mrs Rix, our Head of Hockey.
The start of last week saw the best so far from the 1st Hockey team, playing against Ipswich High School after School on Monday, followed by an enthralling battle against Ipswich School 2nd team on Tuesday. Both matches saw Woodbridge go behind but come back to secure very satisfying draws! Which felt like wins.
The context of these games is important. Both opponents achieved convincing victories last year in the same fixture, but this Woodbridge team is special and has shown discipline, winning attitude, desire, work ethic, togetherness and attacking confidence which will continue to push them forward.
Woodbridge went into the match against Ipswich High School with a specific tactic to nullify the opposition’s strength. This was executed perfectly; Year 11’s Charlie H showing endless energy, discipline and mental application in this job. The team’s defending work, from front to back, with Year 13 co-captains Millie and Charlotte leading the forward and back lines respectively. Loads of chances were created at both ends, year 13’s Freya in goal doing her bit for Woodbridge while Year 11’s Bea and Year 12’s Nancy came agonisingly close to scoring, being denied by the IHS goalkeeper. Bea got the goal we needed to draw level and push for more. A massive credit to the character and desire of the team to defend a penalty corner well at the death to keep things level. Well done to Year 13’s Lola who made a confident debut for the team.
On Tuesday there was no sign of fatigue as Woodbridge got out the blocks fast against Ipswich School. Our half backs, Year 13’s Rose and Year 11’s Lily had a great day, attacking up the flacks and helping to feed the forwards. Woodbridge created numerous goal scoring chances, much to the excitement of those watching on. Year 12’s Eve was back to top from in defence for Woodbridge, making sure Ipswich School’s attacks were snuffed, well supported by excellent left-hand-low tackling from Charlotte H. One did sneak through but Woodbridge still looked the stronger team and matched fast runs by the Ipswich attackers, not giving them an inch to attack direct. The game was end-to-end and Woodbridge must be commended for their discipline and professional approach to the attacking and defensive structure, and how they executed set pieces. Rose scored for Woodbridge from a penalty corner, just deserves after getting close from open play. It looked like Charlie’s reverse strike in the dying seconds was going to get the win for us but the goalie stuck her left foot out and denied the bottom corner goal. Although every member of the squad must be credited with outstanding play the two player of the match candidates were Charlie and Rose, with Rose taking the honors on the day.
Late afternoon saw the heavens open up, as well as the goal scoring floodgates for the 3rd XI. The Tuesday after School match saw a replay from the draw the previous week, this time Woodbridge hosting Fram College. The team’s spirits were high despite the delayed start and relentless rain. The girls worked hard moving the ball around playing a passing game and were rewarded with four goals. The scoreline of 4-0 may sound one sided, but this was not the case. It was end-to-end but Woodbridge School goalkeeper, Year 11’s Poppy, proved the difference between the sides. Poppy was our Player of the Match, keeping everything out which Fram threw at her. A very positive performance, keeping the clean sheet and setting our team up for the win. Our Captain, Year 13’s Bee, also had an influential performance in the middle of the pitch, distributing well and excelling in one-on-one defending.
Juniors Make History
Four Junior teams (made up of Year 7 and 8 students) played against Fram College. Our Junior 3 and 4 teams showed true Woodbridge School values, in how they hosted and supported our visitors. Arriving without a goalkeeper for their team(s), Woodbridge GK’s Nina and Najma, both Year 7, were roped in to help the opposition out, and doing so very well. The Junior 4 team played an adjusted game and achieved a draw, while the Junior 3s dominated in a convincing win. Well done to the goal scorers for this team, Year 8’s Elle and Bella, and Year 7’s Katherine. Miss Hinton was very proud of this great team performance.
On the other half of the hockey pitch, the Junior 2nd team played out a closely contested draw, getting the equaliser close to the end. Year 8’s Imarah in goal, made plenty saves to keep the scoreline down and Woodbridge in the game. Year 8’s Imogen M got Woodbridge’s goal in the last few minutes, after battling hard. A lesson to learn for this team is to stick to their patterns and plans and not adopt those of the opposition. A strong performance from Year 8’s Rebecca in the second half, and drives from Year 8’s Issy helped Woodbridge build more attacks, attacking the opposition’s left foot, and create chances.
The Junior 1 girls made history in a dominant performance from start to finish, beating Fram College for the first time at this level! Every player delivered a clinical performance, executing the game plan to perfection and the opposition had no answer. When they tried to change Woodbridge was still too good. Captain, Year 8’s India, scored a hattrick of goals, playing her central midfield role perfectly on the day (also winning the Player of the Match award). Year 8’s Lottie played with class and confidence, executing all of her skills and her position to perfection. Year 7’s Martha scored her first goal for Woodbridge School, with Year 8’s Ella completing the scoring. Year 8’s Jasmine at forward was outstanding in pressing and attacking. Well done to this team on such a great performance and achievement.
The U15B team topped off the week with a well-earned draw against Norwich High School.
Well done to each of our players, who are working so hard in lessons, practices and matches. Thanks for all the support and hard work from staff too, who guide these teams and players to be their best.
Woodbridge School Showjumping team had a fantastic show last weekend at Beechwood Equestrian Centre.
The day began with Year 7’s Tati taking second place in the 70-75cm, with Year 7’s Daisy closely behind her in third place. Congratulations to both of those riders on qualifying as individuals for the NSEA Championships which take place in October.
In the 80-85cm qualifier we had two teams competing. The team of Year 10’s Harry, Zac and Edie along with Year 7’s Daisy, finished in second place meaning that they also qualified for the Championships, so congratulations to them also.
Our team of Year 9’s Grace, Year 7’s Tati and Daisy, along with Year 10’s Harry, finished in third place, so unfortunately just missed out on qualification, but a huge well done to all of them who did very well.
Daisy finished in fourth place, which meant she qualified as an individual.
Our final class of the day was the 90-95cm the team of Zac, Harry, Edie and Grace who all jumped four brilliant clear rounds to win the class and take another team championship ticket.
It was a great day for everyone, congratulations again to all those who qualified, and well done to everyone who took part and rode very well.
We are looking forward to the NSEA National Schools Equestrian Championships at Addington Equestrian centre from 18 to 21 October. Good luck to our teams and riders!
It has been a busy start on the Netball front (even though it is not the netball season yet!).
The U15As played their first league tournament at home and won all three of their matches, a week later, they played St Joseph’s College in the Sisters ‘n’ Sport Cup competition at home, in the newly refurbished dome, and put on an incredible performance, where they won 51 – 25. The team worked superbly together and turned over several loose balls in order to gain an advantage, which they converted into goals. A great performance! They are looking forward to their next round match.
The U14As had their first league tournament at home, and after a slow first half of their first match, the team realised they had to set up a gear and played some really good netball. Although they lost their first match by one goal, they won the other three matches and luckily, came out on top, on goal difference. Well done!
The U19s travelled to Norwich School last Friday to play their first-round match in the Sisters ‘n’ Sport competition. Although we came away with a 45-35 loss, our girls should be proud of their performance, especially against a performance side where a number of the opposition play regional for their local teams.
The team’s grit and determination cannot be faulted as they never gave up trying. Year 10’s Georgia C was drafted in to help with the shooting and Year 11’s Millie B and Lyrah B also joined the team, as we had some players who were absent, and Year 11’s Lyrah received Player of the Match.
Charlotte worked superbly in the shooting circle with her new teammate and Georgia, Millie and Phoebe fed the circle perfectly, always backing up on the circle edge. Georgie along with Lyrah and Juno worked tirelessly in defence, applying pressure as much as they could to an extremely tall shooter (who was so hard to defend!). Meanwhile, Issy and Marina worked well both with our defence and attacking players to bring the ball down. A superb team effort and performance – one which the team should be proud of!! Well done!
Georgia and Lyrah
As you may have read in the Woodbridgian Weekly or seen on our socials this week, Year 11’s Lyrah has been selected for the England Netball Pathway, following her selection for the London Mavericks U19 Professional Development Pathway squad, placing her as one of the top netballers in the East Region, including Cambridge, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Lincolnshire. Lyrah’s selection was slightly unusual, yet demonstrates her level of skill, since she was trialing for the U17 squad.
Year 10’s Georgia has also been celebrating, having been selected for an Essex U15 hub. Competing against over 1,000 U15 players in a trial for the London Pulse Super League franchise, including others from across London, the South Coast and Home Counties, this is an incredible achievement, as from this hub, London Pulse then screen for girls to move up into the Player Development Pathway or into the Academy.
Congratulations to both of them.
On Monday, Woodbridge School hosted the Suffolk round of the English Schools Cross Country Cup, and we had five teams competing across the age groups. Our Junior runners were from Years 7 and 8, our Inters from Years 9 and 10, and our Seniors from Years 11 to 13.
Junior Girls Team
With the top three teams in each race progressing to the Regionals, we are excited to report that all five teams qualified in style, with five team victories!
Senior Boys Team
We had individual winners in three of those races with Year 8’s Dex winning Junior Boys, Year 10’s Romilly winning Inter Girls and Year 13’s Iwan winning Senior Boys.
A special mention for the Junior Boys, with all six Woodbridge School athletes finishing in the top seven. Some achievement!
Junior Boys Team
The top four athletes’ finishing positions of each school are added together in each race and lowest score wins:
- Junior Boys : Woodbridge 12, second school 58
- Junior Girls : Woodbridge 16, second school 32
- Inter Boys : Woodbridge 20, second school 34
- Inter Girls : Woodbridge 17, second school 26
- Senior Boys : Woodbridge 15, second school 35
Congratulations to every athlete and good luck to our teams racing Regionals in Essex, at Felsted School on Thursday 7 November.
A huge thank you to all of our staff and parents for assisting with the hosting of the County round!
Last week was a very busy one for hockey indeed, with no less than 10 fixtures played and two County Cup events competed at! There was lots to celebrate and performances developed and built on.
While the 1st XI took part in the U18 County Cup, the 2nd and 3rd XI travelled to Framlingham College for late matches. Mr Pineo and Mrs Scahill report from these matches respectively:
Woodbridge School 2nd Team
The first seven minutes, Woodbridge played fantastic hockey and worked to be defensively strong. However, despite an early goal, the team didn’t carry on with what was working and we became our own worst enemy! Framlingham took advantage of our lapses in and made several good attacks. Half-time was a good reset, with some promising hockey played after the break, but the team unable to convert possession and chances. Despite the narrow loss, lots of learning and a game which will ultimately see the team become stronger for it.
Senior 3rd Team
The first outing for the senior 3rd team was he proverbial ‘game of two halves’. Woodbridge were rusty and getting used to playing together in the first half, going two goals down. A much improved performance followed in the second half, pressing better and controlling possession better with good passing. There were promising attacking runs and through balls, breaking the defensive lines, which created opportunities to score. Goals were scored by Year 11’s Libby and Year 13’s Phoebe to level the scores and give the team a deserved draw in their first match.
Junior 1st Team
Wednesday saw our Year 7s and 8s play their first matches of the season. Five teams were able to play against RHS, matching the five teams they could field. Lots of excitement followed in the afternoon, with good performances and outcomes.
At RHS, the Junior 1st team achieved a come from behind draw, despite being the superior team. Woodbridge showed their skill and tactical structure, playing some very attractive hockey. Some good saves in goal by Year 8 goalies, Clem and Imarah, kept things at bay, but RHS still managed to score two goals against the run of play. Not deterred and sticking to their process and systems, Woodbridge continued to push and were rewarded for their efforts. A well-taken penalty corner goal by Year 8 Lottie closed the gap, before Year 7’s Chloe slotted an excellent team goal into the net to draw the game. Chloe and team captain Year 8’s India were voted Players of the Match by the opposition and Woodbridge teams. A shout out to Year 8’s, Ella, Alexandra and Lottie who showed their experience and skill with influential performances.
Junior 2s: Mrs Johnson reports
A good sound game with lots to work on in our first game versus RHS. We started working well as a team, putting our press together and putting RHS under pressure. They took the lead in the first half and after half time we applied the pressure with Imogen scoring our equaliser; a clinical receive in the D and clever reverse push past the GK. Clem secured the draw with an awesome save in the dying seconds!
Junior 3s: Miss Hinton reports from the convincing win against RHS
An excellent display of moving the ball down the right and winning the ball up the pitch, the Junior 3 team started strongly. Year 7s linked up on the right, Daisy and Issy to get the ball down to the baseline and fired across for a tap in from Katherine. The next goal was a piece of art; a team passing it with purpose on the short corner for Year 8’s Bella to fire in at the post, perfect example of Tuesday’s deflection practice!
In the second half, a strong run into the D from Year 8’s Ellie and a powerful shot from the top was enough to surprise the goalie and a final goal from Year 7’s Issy capped off a wonderful team performance where every player contributed wonderfully, and captain Mariella was voted our player of the match.
Junior 4, 5 and 6: Miss Hinton reports
The Junior 4 and Junior 5 teams completed the afternoon of wins for Woodbridge School. The 4s ran away with it and dominated and camped in the RHS half. Year 7’s Georgie and Year 8’s India B each scored a brace, while Year 8’s Lilia was the players’ Player of the Match. The Junior 5s, playing at home, competed well and came out the winners by narrow margins, each player putting in their best effort and learning fast, including Year 7’s Emily in goal, playing well. The deciding goal was scored by player of the match, Year 7’s Sarah.
The Junior 6 group hosted a team from the Prep School, getting match practices before a first fixture. Year 7’s Nina was the star of the afternoon, playing super well in goal.
U15A Match: Mrs Johnson reports
At the end of the week two U15 teams travelled to Magpies to play against Greshams. Traditionally a strong opponent, Greshams proved a real test. The U15B team learned loads from the game and have identified areas to improve to become a challenging opponent themselves.
A physically strong Greshams side put us under pressure from the beginning of this game and although we went two goals down within the first 10 minutes, we rallied and started to work better as a team. A slow start in the first half for our Year 10 players, took the game out of reach but there were some positives and sound performances from a number of players, including Rosa, Eve, Amelie in the outfield, and Eva and Emma our two goalkeepers were kept busy in goal!
A strong second half performance from Woodbridge saw them match their tough opponent and the scoreboard unmoved, until right at the end when Greshams scored at the final whistle from a penalty corner.
Lots to learn from and lots to build on. Well done to all the Year 10 players on the day, for their resilience and determination.
U14A County Hockey Cup
Our U14A team of Year 8 and 9 players had a productive and successful day at the U14 Hockey County Cup last week. The first match against Ipswich High School proved frustrating, with Woodbridge unable to score half chances, and just allowing the key playmaker for the High School too much space and time. Goalkeeper, Year 9’s Bay, reached top form so early in the season and made powerful save after powerful save. She was finally beaten by an unfortunate deflection off a defender right in front of her – nothing could be done. With Woodbridge pushing they conceded two more penalty corner goals and there was not time to get goals back.
With the first game out the way, so were nerves and worries, and great flowing hockey followed. Woodbridge outplayed RHS in terms of skill and tactics and walked away worthy winners; goals scored by Year 9’s Amelie and year 8’s India. The last line of defence of Year 9’s Bay, Ella, Charlie, Jemima D and Tabby showed so much composure which gave our team confidence to attack – this lasted all day. Great individual defending and distribution forward, sideways and back helped Woodbridge have a lot of possession to play with.
A change of pitch left little time to talk before the third game on the trot against Culford. Woodbridge created chance after chance and entertained all those watching. The “oohs” and “aahs” were many as Woodbridge game agonisingly close to scoring too many times without making it count. Year 9’s Eirann snuck an important chance to secure the win, but Woodbridge would come to rue all those missed chances.
Going into the final game against Finborough, Woodbridge knew they needed to win by at least five goals to progress to Regionals. The team worked so hard, and peppered the Finborough goal; saves, near misses, hitting the posts, and goals! Year 8’s India scored two in the game, Year 9’s Tabby scored a cracker from a PC to set us off and Year 9’s Eirann scored her second of the day. In the end the clock ran out and Woodbridge was one short.
Sharing top of the table, it all came down to the goal difference, we needed one more goal in one of those matches – so close but so great too. A very promising display of hockey by the team, whom everyone watching named as the best team on the day and best team they played against.
The defenders have already been mentioned, but special mention also to our co-captains, Year 9’s Jemima B and Annabelle who controlled the midfield and ran endlessly, Amelie who led the forward line. Special mentions also to the three Year 8 players, Ella, Lottie and India, who made such a positive impact.
The future is bright with our young Hockey players.
Last week our Year 9 and 10 Hockey players kicked off their season with various matches. Holding details of the players and the games played, you can hear from their coaches in our reports below.
Our Year 9s got their first experience of 11-a-side Hockey, playing their first competitive match on the full pitch. The U14A and U14B teams played against Finborough, both starting their seasons with convincing wins and producing some very promising hockey so early on; lots of passing all over the pitch, confident carries, and excellent individual defending.
Mr Brous reports from the U14A match:
The season started off with a bang, with a superb result for our Year 9 team against Finborough. We dominated from the outset and everyone in the team was committed and worked extremely hard. The central combinations of Jemima B, Annabelle and Ella meant we controlled the centre. The first goal took a while to arrive, as several shots went wide or were saved, but great positional play by the forwards meant we were finally rewarded. In the second half we were totally dominant and meant we ran in several goals.
On occasion the opposition attack broke through, but Jemima D was outstanding at the back, winning our Player of the Match award. Goals came from Jemima B (x2), Annabelle, Eirann and Amelie. I was so impressed with the whole team, especially since it was the first time they had played 11 a-side, so were all learning a new formation and new positions. I am excited to be their coach this term if this is a sign of things to come. Well done, team!
The U14B Year 9 team, coached by Mr Wheelhouse (a great new addition to the senior School’s Hockey coaching team!) were equally impressive in their away game against Finborough. The goals didn’t quite come as frequently, although attempts on goal were plenty! Goal scorers on the day were Georgia and Millie. Shout out to our three Year 9 goalkeepers, who kept a clean sheet in both matches, with some composed and confident saves.
The U15A team of Year 10 girls proved too strong for Langley, as they kicked off their season with a good win after a spirited journey to Harleston. We dominated the game and some great defending was done by Sophie, Georgia, and Annie who also supported play well up the pitch. Emma was kept awake in goal making some good saves and every player had to play their part in every zone of the pitch to get the outcome they did. Good leading upfront was rewarded with passes up to the forwards and Frankie, Izzy and Amelie were able to put the ball in the back of the goal to reward a great team effort. Lots learned throughout the game, and we look forward to the rest of the season ahead. Well done!
Last weekend, eight of our athletes went to Aldershot where they competed in the South of England Road Relay Championships. Our race report below comes from Elisa Bostock, our Endurance Running Coach.
Four of our U13 female athletes kicked off the day competing in two different teams for their club.
Year 8’s India J on the second leg of the A team, and Alexandra M on the third and final leg. Both ran well under 12 minutes for 3km, with both recording the fourth fastest time for their legs to help the full team finish 2nd place overall. To gain a silver medal at such a championship for their age group at their first attempt is really special.
Year 8’s Ella K kicked off a fast leg for the B team coming in 18th place in just over 12 minutes which is really impressive, passing the baton onto Year 8’s India B who held onto their position determinedly, losing only two places before passing to their third athlete who pulled them back up to 17th overall out of 42 teams, which is also a great achievement at this level.
Our U15 girls including Year 10’s Romilly and Year 9’s Alice, were short of a full team on the day due to illness, losing their third leg runner which was incredibly unlucky. However, it didn’t stop these relentless athletes blasting out their first runs of the season as a duo finishing a noble 20th for Romilly and 32nd for Alice in their legs. This is also Alice’s debut as an under 15.
Year 9’s Digby had a great run as a first year U15, running well under 11 minutes for his 3km and almost a minute quicker than his club team mates. Their team finished around midfield in 36th place.
Year 12’s Angus had an incredible run, coming in 5th in his leg in the U17 men’s age group. Angus’ super strong run, that even surprised himself, was off the back of a long stretch of consistent training and dedicated hard work. Very exciting start to the season! Although their team finished 31st we calculate that Angus was racing at 16:20 5km pace for the 4.8km leg.
The relays mark the end of the summer track season and the start of what will become a busy winter for us as a School in the cross country season.
Whilst many of our athletes will target the National Cross Country Relays in Mansfield in early November, for India J and Alexandra there is now an additional fixture as they head to the National Road Relays in Birmingham on Saturday 5 October. With their silver at Southern’s, this team will be competitive on the national stage!
Huge congratulations to all those who competed at the Southern’s and good luck to the team heading to Birmingham!
Having returned from their Junior French trip last week, students from Year 8 have been reflecting on their time and learnings from their stay in Normandy. You can hear more about the trip first-hand from Lilia, Giles, Kirsty and Will Th in their joint reports.
French Trip Student Reports
Last week, Year 8 went to France for five days, staying at La Château De La Baudonnière.
We did lots of fun activities at the Chateau, including climbing, orientation, fencing and aeroball – which was my favourite.
Outside of the Chateau we went to an aquarium, a French market, landing beaches and a World War II museum. The trip gave us the opportunity to learn about and now understand a lot more French language, as the staff did not speak any English to us!
It was fun sharing a room with all of my friends. At the chateau we enjoyed lots of different food, like spaghetti, a BBQ, lots of French bread and croissants – and we also got to try snails! Overall, it was such an exciting trip, and we all had so much fun.
Arriving at La Chateau de la Baudonnaire, we got to grips with French language and culture straight away, as instructions were in French and meals were typical French cuisine. Croissants at breakfast were one of my personal favourites – to be continued!
We took part in lots of activities, orienteering, aeroball, and archery, once again all instructions in French. This immersion got us speaking French in real situations.
We also went out to the local markets, and interacted in French with the traders.
On the last night, we even had a typical French dish, snails, which were surprisingly nice!
Overall, this amazing opportunity has broadened our knowledge of the language and culture – I can’t wait to go back!
