Category: Senior School News
Leaving from School in the early hours of last Saturday morning, 23 students across Years 10 to 12 set off for Krakow, and within two hours of landing, they were in the Main Square of the Old Town, learning more about the history of the city. Students then visited the Galicia Jewish Museum which included an emotional talk from a Holocaust survivor. It was an interesting and tiring first day in Poland.
On Sunday, students took a guided walking tour around the Jewish district, and this included a visit to the Eagle Pharmacy to learn about some of the incredible individuals who defied the Nazis as part of the resistance movement. They also visited the Oldest Synagogue in Krakow, as well as the Jewish Ghetto Memorial and the Jewish cemetery.
They then visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, which was the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp; learning more about the Nazi regime and its horrendous atrocities. The visit provided the opportunity for students to understand more about the harsh realities of history, supporting their classroom learning around this topic, and it was clear to see the impact this had on everyone.
After a sobering day, the evening was spent at the hotel enjoying supper, with a chance to decompress after what was an emotional and grounding day. Students spent their final day in Krakow on Monday, exploring Wawel Castle, with some choosing to visit the Cathedral, which included a climb to see Sigmund’s Bell and time down in the Crypt seeing the final resting place of individuals who they had found out about during our walking tour.
Departing for home later that day, it’s fair to say they all had an incredible few days in Poland; thank you to everyone who made the trip possible, and to our students who represented themselves and the School impeccably.
Year 11’s Sophie P shared her thoughts on the trip,
“Our trip to Krakow was full of different activities from visiting castles to exploring the old town. We left early on Saturday morning so that we could visit several places in the afternoon such as the Cloth Hall and Galicia Museum, where we also heard from a Polish Holocaust Survivor; it was interesting to see pictures of her and her family before the war. On Sunday we walked to see a plaza with chair statues, each one represents 68,000 Jewish citizens killed in WW2. Next to this plaza we also got to visit the pharmacy where Oscar Schindler hid Jews from the Nazis, and we also visited areas in Krakow where the movie Schindler’s List was filmed. We ended the day with a trip to Auschwitz; we saw different parts of the camp including the railway where everyone was sent unknowingly walking to their death – Auschwitz was an enlightening and thought-provoking experience, and was the highlight of the trip for me. On the final day of the trip, we got to explore the Wawel Castle and see the Cathedral before heading back home.”
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.
Joining Mrs Parker and her Year 7 students in the classroom recently, we were invited to sit in on their lesson around geometric sculpture – the students’ brief: Create a balanced geometric sculpture from cardboard – learning how to convert a 2D drawing into 3D design.
Taking inspiration from Max Bill (1908 – 1994), a Swiss artist and industrial and graphic designer, students focused on creating their own version of a specific piece of his artwork.
Sharing an image of one of his geometric sculptures, Mrs Parker asked the students to identify characteristics that they could see, and they happily shared a myriad of features and words they associated with the design, including: symmetry, contrast, abstract, simplistic, bold, sharp and more; demonstrating the many different interpretations of his artwork.
They then set about drawing out their ideas using felt tips and a ruler; creating their 2D designs, before being asked to create these designs using cardboard – creating their 3D sculptures.
Identifying the differences between and similarities of 2D and 3D was an integral part of the lesson, and has been the pathway of this particular project for these Year 7 students; this lesson being part of a series looking at this particular element of Art.
After creating and sharing their colourful 2D designs, students had the opportunity to create them in cardboard, using the chomp saw, a unique piece of apparatus in the Art department known to be a safe power tool for cutting cardboard with ease. Mrs Parker first held a demonstration, followed by the students using the saw independently – and so their designs began to spring to life. Colouring each piece of cardboard, there was also consideration of where colours should ‘sit’ on their individual designs, and Mrs Parker revisited the discussion students had recently had about the colour wheel, and how colours next to one another are complementary, while those opposite them on the wheel offer contrast.
The lesson was a brilliant opportunity not only for learning, but for expression; students shared their thought processes, ideas and learnings throughout the lesson, as they created their very own balanced geometric sculptures.
Callum shared,
“I really enjoy Art lessons, you can let your mind go wild, and really be creative!”
Talking about choosing Art as an option in the future Lucy said,
“I love the teacher, the experiences and the lessons – I’m learning so much, I might consider choosing Art as one of my options because I enjoy it so much.”
Sharing his favourite creations in Art lessons so far Aiden said,
“I absolutely loved making balloon dogs, I learned lots of new skills and it was so much fun!”
Talking about how much she enjoys Art, Anasuya shared,
“I literally can’t take the pen from the page when I’m drawing, I love it. I really enjoy experimenting too.”
Mrs Parker shared,
“Year 7 is predominantly about enjoyment and fostering a love of making things. Throughout the year we cover a range of materials through the teaching of short, but nonetheless productive, projects. The children are always incredibly enthusiastic and open minded to taking creative risks and it is these qualities which are so important when it comes to developing as an artist!”
To find out much more about Art, including GCSE and A level Art at Woodbridge School, visit woodbridgeschool.org.uk/the-arts/art/.
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.
Our Equestrian team had an incredible weekend at the NSEA Addington Championships during half term, with every rider performing brilliantly and showing great competitiveness throughout the event. Our riders included: Year 8’s Daisy and Tati, Year 9’s Jazzy and Kirsty, Year 10’s Avery and Grace, and Year 11’s Harry and Zac.
Our riders kicked off the show with the 70–75cm Jumping with Style team, featuring Daisy, Avery, Tati, and Kirsty, who rode beautifully to finish in 6th place. Our 80–85cm Team of Harry, Tati, Daisy, and Kirsty followed with another strong performance, securing 5th place.
Later that day, two teams competed in the 70–75cm Showjumping Championships; the top eight teams from the first rounds qualified for the evening jump-off. Our team of Daisy, Tati, Kirsty, and Jazzie placed 8th, earning a spot in the jump-off. Daisy, Tati, and Kirsty all delivered three clear rounds with quick times, climbing the leaderboard to finish an impressive 4th overall.
The second class of the evening was the New Windsor Challenge 90–95cm Showjumping, where Grace, Zac, and Harry represented team Woodbridge. The atmosphere was electric, and all three riders produced outstanding clear rounds, finishing in 3rd place — a fantastic result in a highly competitive class.
Saturday marked our riders’ second day of competition, starting with the 80–85cm Showjumping Championships; following the same format as the previous day, the top eight teams advanced to the evening jump-off. This time, both our teams made it through! Daisy, Kirsty, Zac, and Harry rode superbly to take 2nd place in a fast and exciting jump-off, while our second team of Grace, Harry, and Daisy finished a strong 8th.
Riders also competed in the 90–95cm Jumping with Style Championships, where our team of Grace, Zac, and Harry delivered another excellent performance, finishing in 4th place.
Congratulations and well done to all of our riders!
Photo credit: Spidge Event Photography
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.”
Woodbridge School Touch Rugby team triumphed in their first ever match this week, making a memorable debut against Orwell Park School, securing a thrilling 4–3 victory in an exciting and hard-fought match.
The mixed Year 7 and 8 side, consisting of Bronte, Joe, James, Stefan, Tilly, Hollie, Robin, and Arthur, showed teamwork, energy, and determination throughout, taking on an all-boys team.
From the first whistle, Woodbridge played with confidence and enthusiasm. Their speed in defence kept the opposition at bay, with Tilly, Joe, Robin, and Stefan leading the charge with aggressive running in defence that consistently put Orwell Park on the back foot.
In attack, Bronte, who was deservedly voted Player of the Match, was exceptional, controlling every breakdown and distributing the ball superbly. James, Joe, Hollie and Arthur dazzled with mazy runs, beating defenders and creating scoring opportunities that helped secure the win.
Every player gave their all, showing teamwork, resilience, and pride in representing Woodbridge School.
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 our Junior, U14A and U14B Hockey teams were in action! With news of their matches and our players, read more in our reports.
Junior Matches
Last Wednesday we had our first full block of Junior Hockey matches, playing with all six teams against Norwich School. This brought two challenges – almost 60 excited Hockey players travelling to Magpies on some windy country roads; and the Hockey challenge ahead against a very tough opponent. Last season saw Norwich School dominate the block with four wins, two draws and only one win going Woodbridge School’s way. Can we turn it around? Yes, we can!
After some unforeseen transport delays, our teams made a rushed arrival at Harleston Magpies and had to get warmed-up sharpish. They did this with great focus and professionalism to get us underway almost on time and not lose any playing time.
The Junior 1s match started with a bit of a blow in the second minute when a transfer pass resulted in an interception and clear route to goal for Norwich. They put this chance away to take an early lead. This only spurred the team on and from then Woodbridge controlled the ball, played beautiful expansive Hockey and peppered the Norwich goal, only to be denied by their GK. Norwich struggled to cope with the speed and aggressive play of Year 7’s Sofia and Year 8’s Chloe who created lots of turnover and exciting attacking plays. Year 8’s Martha was also influential in her leading and pressing while Year 8 Captain, Matilda did a great job controlling the centre of the pitch. Year 8 goalkeeper, Najma made some excellent saves to counter the early goal and keep Woodbridge in the game, fighting for a win they really deserved for their play. Year 8’s Juno and Year 7’s Lily were composed defenders, distributing well and clearing away any danger after good interceptions and strong tackles. Year 7’s Issy worked tirelessly at right midfield, varying her actions and choices on the ball well, which makes a player very difficult to defend. Woodbridge kept pushing but just could not get their goal. And then, with time running out and only seconds remaining, Issy posted up for a pass from the defence, followed by an attacking roll out to feed the ball down the right side-line for Sofia. Receiving in space and running at speed she drove the baseline, drawing defenders in and then putting the ball across the goal, where Chloe arrived at just the right time to get the touch to redirect the ball into the tiniest gap in the goal! Such joy for a draw that feels like a win – for the quality of play the team produced and their never-give-up attitude! Player of the Match was jointly awarded to Chloe and Sofia.
An overall great performance by the Junior 2s against Norwich School. Playing with confidence, supporting each other, giving space on the pitch and executing chances were the names of the game and the whole team played so well! Woodbridge dominated from start to finish, scoring wonderful team goals at regular intervals and simply proving technically and tactically superior to their U13B opponents. Goal scorers were Year 8’s Katherine (2) and Ava, and Year 7’s Florence and Coco. Special mentions to Year 7’s Chloe Y who sees the space so well, Year 8’s Grace for her first time shot on goal and Ava for always working hard. Player of the Match was awarded to Coco, always in the right place at the right time and doing her roles as a forward excellently.
A massive well done to the Junior 1s and 2s who turned around our fortunes against Norwich from last season. Two heavy losses with 10 goals conceded, turned into a win and a draw and a very positive goal difference in Woodbridge School’s favour. Credit to our students who always work so hard to be the best they can be.
The Junior 3s were frustrated in their two-goal loss but remained resolute in our process to play modern rolling-sub Hockey to give maximum play time to all members of the team. “You don’t lose if you are learning”, and we have taken a lot from the game to keep improving as individuals and a team. Our goal was scored by Year 8’s Elodie while Player of the Match was awarded to Year 7’s Lucy.
The Junior 4 girls started brightly, attacking the right with Year 8’s Abigail and Ellie providing the service up that wing. The players worked hard to get into an effective press and won the ball back many times high up the pitch but couldn’t connect with the final ball into the D. After going down halfway through the first half, they regrouped and when Year 8’s Izzy S-C was put through on goal; she made no mistake with the touch past the keeper. All even at half time, the girls were positive and ready to go again in the second half. They had the majority of the ball and pressure but were undone 30 seconds from the end with a pinball style goal finally breaching the defence. A tough loss but lots of learning and positives to take away.
It was a great game for our Junior 5 team, which saw the ball move down the right a lot with passes wide as well as forward. The team pressed well to win the ball high up the pitch and create plenty of shots at goal; these were much more successful once they were into the corners of the goal. Confidence improved for all players as the game progressed and they all played a part in winning this game! Well done to Year 8’s Maddie who was named Player of the Match.
After a long journey to Magpies the Junior 6 team warmed up well and were ready to play as soon as the whistle went. They pressed the ball from the off and quickly gained possession. The forwards passed the ball effectively and managed to cause quite a few problems in the D for Norwich. After a few near misses from Year 7’s Lola D and Tweel, Year 7’s Lola M managed to find the goal despite some excellent goalkeeping from the Norwich GK. Two more goals were scored by Lola M and Year 8’s Iyla respectively, demonstrating a desire to push up the pitch and attack. The midfield of Year 7’s Jess, Tweel and Lola D worked hard when defending and distributing the ball well out to the wings. There were some lovely passages of play which included well-rehearsed set pieces from a long corner. Year 7’s Maisie and Year 8’s Poppy E were solid in defence, tracking the ball effectively and communicating clearly with Year 8’s Poppy B in goal. The second half brought another goal each from Lola D and Iyla. A very pleasing whole team performance, resulting in another convincing win and showing the depth of our Junior players. Well done to Iyla who was awarded Player of the Match.
Woodbridge U14A and U14B vs RHS
On Thursday last week the Year 9 players in the U14A and U14B teams played against RHS.
The U14A team showed how much they have learned since the County Cup, despite a changes in the team. The team settled on the 3-4-3 structure but experimented with some changed personnel in various positions. This proved successful and the team outlet and passed through the midfield with more success, freedom and creativity. The midfield players of Jasmine, Kirsty, India and Rebecca worked tirelessly and was so impressive both in and out of possession. Ella in a new centre back role controlled things so well and looked undeterred by most things that came her way while Alexandra found space on the right to attack with more flare and use her athleticism well. Issy really impressed with her work as left defender. Imogen M made a real impact when she took the pitch up front and lead the forward line and many attacks. Woodbridge played confident and constructive Hockey, trying to move the ball through the lines; they had to keep mentally in the game to manage the more direct and hard hitting style of play from the opposition. Unfortunately Woodbridge just could not get their forwards away enough and despite a number of efforts at goal and half chances just could not get their goal. A few minutes from the end Woodbridge somehow thwarted a sure breakaway goal, only to get the blow of a last-minute winner against them a few minutes later. A loss but a victory really for the play shown, knowledge shown and the desire from each player. The team got much better in their press, outletting and midfield play which allows the focus to shift onto forward leading and getting into those important spaces higher up the pitch. Player of the Match was a difficult choice, with four players being consistently outstanding – well done to Rebecca, India, Jasmine and Ella.
A first match for the U14B team against RHS at Ipswich Hockey Club Tuddenham Road pitch, and they gelled from the outset, connecting passes and following tactics to protect the middle and pushing the RHS attackers wide. Going down an early goal was a wakeup call as we started passing to the right, Mariella carrying into the D culminating in scoring a wonderful strike from Cecily just before half time. In the second half, Woodbridge dominated proceedings and were rewarded with a short corner from which captain, India B scored a brilliant strike into the corner. For the rest of the match, the defence held strong with Maizie distributing confidently out to the wings, Honor was a terrier in the D and the team came together to win their first match this year. Player of the Match was shared by Maizie and India B.
After half term we will report on how our Junior 1s got on at the U13 County Cup and the Year 7A team at the U12 County Cup.