Category: Sixth Form News
With news from our Junior 4, Junior 1, U14A, U14B and Senior 2nd teams, this week’s Hockey report holds details of matches, players and highlights in terms of development and outcomes.
Hockey Team in the Spotlight: Junior 4s
Our Junior 4s have had a great start to the Hockey season – unbeaten so far and scoring lots of goals. Eleven goals have been scored in their four matches at time of writing and only three conceded.
This team is learning how to grind out positive results, with a good mix of Year 8 experience and composure, and Year 7 enthusiasm and desire to learn. After a big win over RHS and a satisfying draw against Fram College’s 3rd team, the team took confidence into two matches last week. These two games were contrasting wins but proves how a good team gets it done.
Against Ipswich High School U13C, our team grew in confidence throughout the game and started to play nice attacking patterns. This confidence came from solid defending and distribution from our left and right back, Year 8’s Mazie and Isabella, and saves from our two goalies, Year 7’s Nina and Najma. Goals came at regular intervals, two by captain and Player of the Match, Year 8’s India, and one each by Year 7’s Georgie and Year 8’s Amber who made an immediate impact when she came on the pitch with strong passing and a great set piece play at the short corner. Year 8’s Jemima worked tirelessly in midfield and forward positions and was a real play maker for the team. A very nice win to go into the tough game against Norwich School the next day.
This time the team scraped and battled for their win, but so they did. The only Woodbridge team to get a win against the tough Norwich opposition on the day, Jemima continued her spirited play and scored both Woodbridge goals!
Well done to the 4s for such a great half term. Miss Sanders loves coaching you and we love how you play with such good team spirit and enjoyment.
More Hockey Highlights
After the amazing success of Woodbridge School Prep U11’s winning the U11 County Cup, the Junior 1 team was determined to leave their mark on the U13 County event.
Strong performances and mature game management under pressure in their three pool matches, saw the team qualify for the semi-final. This game against Ipswich High School was a great tournament knock out game. Woodbridge executed their plans well but could just not build as much attacking momentum as in the previous two games. A great PC strike was the thing that beat us.
Not deflated, Woodbridge approached their battle against Barnardiston for the third place with their usual search for excellence. After a great power goal by captain India, we played the game out to secure the 3rd place in the County.
One of the many magic moments of the day was a sublime diving stick save by Year 8’s Clem against OBH to keep our lead, a well taken quick free hit and solo goal by Year 7’s Chloe and a all-round Player of the Day performance by Year 8’s Alexandra. Goals on the day were scored by Year 8’s Ella (2), India (2) and Chloe (Y7).
The U14B team of Year 9 girls, are also showing how much they are learning and enjoying playing together. A completely dominant performance against RHS last week, saw them only come away with a draw, but deserving so much more. Lovely passing hockey and good decision making, combined with strong defending allowed Woodbridge to make so many chances. It was just the last touch eluding them, or the GK getting in the way. Imogen was a star up front and deservedly voted as Player of the Match by our team. Marina was dominant in midfield as was captain, Isabel. Mr Wheelhouse will be very proud of the way the team executed their “3 x SPEED” (ball… thoughts… feet). Freya in goal was a game changer at the end too, having to make important saves when there were dangerous breakaways. Well done to this team; such a great group of players and people.
Mr Brous reports
The U14A team also had an end-to-end game at Rushmere, playing against an Ipswich School U14B/A combination team. Mr Brous reported on the match.
This match was a fiercely competitive, and well-balanced in terms of match-up. We dominated the first 10 minutes, but their keeper was outstanding and made several great saves. As the match progressed Ipswich gained in confidence and began to make in-roads into our defence. With fatigue setting in, we began to lose control and started making passes that were intercepted, allowing for Ipswich to counter-attack. However, the defence remained strong, and several impressive saves by Bay kept us in the match. We held on through some strong attacks by Ipswich in the last five minutes to draw the game. Special mention must go to Lottie, who worked incredibly hard up and down the pitch, and was the teams’ Player of the Match.
Our Senior 2nd team made the long journey to Wymondham, to take on their U16A team. It was a journey well worth making as all reports from the match were about how well our team played . A solid win with goals from Year 12’s Lily as well as Year 13’s Amelie and Millie.
Well done to these teams and all the others who represented our School so well last week and over the whole half term.
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.
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 Friday, A level Drama students were treated to an all-day London theatre trip where they were lucky enough to catch a matinee and evening performance. Hear from Year 12’s Phoebe and Emily, as they share their thoughts and feelings about the productions in their reports below.
Viola’s Room – 1 Cartridge Place, Woolwich
Reviewed by Phoebe
Punchdrunk has re-defined immersive theatre with Viola’s Room, a haunting exploration of innocence, womanhood and growing up; themes which connected the group, as well as feelings of awe and anticipation! From shadow puppets, to handcrafted life size popup books, it felt like Daisy Johnson had whisked us back to our childhood, propelling us through a whirlwind journey of nostalgia, chaos, and comfort.
On this audio-described journey, we delved into the fantastical world of the young princess; held under the trance of the ballet slipper she escapes reality, losing herself to the freedom of dancing, freed from the rules of the palace. From beginning to end, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, the suspense and tension of each unfolding event making us feel as though we were losing control, compelling us to grab hold of whoever was next to us!
Guided only by light and sound, we found ourselves travelling around a complex set of tunnels and meticulously detailed rooms – directed every step of the way by the familiar voice of Helena Bonham Carter. It was the attention to detail that put this above anything else I have experienced; it truly was an unforgettable experience!
The Other Place – National Theatre, South Bank
Reviewed by Emily
Directed by Alexander Zeldin, The Other Place is a contemporary reimagining of Sophocles’ classic Greek tragedy, Antigone. This modernisation was expertly handled, and the production did everything we want Greek drama to do; explore weighty themes, such as familial feuds, whilst introducing the audience to complex characters who developed over the course of the play.
This production had a stellar cast but one performance that stood out to me was that of Alison Oliver who played Issy, one of the two sisters at the forefront of the story. Oliver brilliantly captured the essence of the character portrayed in the original tragedy whilst bringing a new grit that only elevated her performance.
The tension created on-stage was palpable and rippled throughout the audience, not only during the climax of the performance but in a range of moments that permeated throughout the production. This left us with a real sense of catharsis as we left the theatre, making The Other Place such an enjoyable watch.
We dropped in on rehearsals late last week, taking the opportunity to meet and speak with Year 13’s Xander and Phoebe, playing the parts of Creature and De Lacey in this year’s Sixth Form production of Frankenstein which will be performed in our Seckford Theatre on 20 and 21 November.
Going through a specific scene, taking time to consider the delivery of their lines, vocally and physically in terms of their movement on stage and gestures, Xander and Phoebe treated us to a sneak preview of what we are all in store for!
Xander plays the part of Creature, the monster created by Dr Frankenstein – it’s a common misconception to think of Creature as Frankenstein, but he was indeed the monster created by Frankenstein himself. Watching Xander rehearse on stage it’s clear to see the hard work he’s already put into researching and discovering more about how he wants to play this character; the scene an early one, yet we already see that Creature has evolved enough to begin speaking and trying to understand the world.
Xander shared,
“I’ve been really thinking about the development of Creature in these early scenes, when he’s born he has no co-ordination, he can’t speak or even move properly, and so I need to make sure this comes across and is communicated to the audience. My thoughts have been about where he might have got the sounds he’s learned to make, what has influenced him to this point in this particular scene and how he’s going to evolve on stage from here.”
He continued,
“I’ve been progressively developing his voice to match his delayed physicality, it’s been a real challenge, but one I’m enjoying.”
He added,
“I have to be ambivalent about my character though, I’ve such sympathy for him, he’s not born evil but the world makes him exactly that, he’s entirely a product of social forces because he knew nothing when he was born so had learned how to scheme, how to be violent – from watching those around him. He and his actions aren’t excusable, but I do understand why he behaves this way, it’s because of how he’s been treated by others – he’s a character of betrayal.”
Phoebe added here,
“I agree, you’re completely on his side – until the end, you can’t help but have sympathy for him, and you do find yourself understanding the choices he makes.”
Continuing to talk to us about her character De Lacey, Phoebe said,
“He’s like a Father figure to Creature, known him since his moment of creation, knows everything he’s faced because of the way he looks and behaves, yet he feels love and sympathy for him, and I want to make sure that comes across in the performance.”
She added,
“My biggest challenge is the my character is blind. In terms of acting this part, the first thing you’re taught about performing is the importance of eye contact and engagement – so it’s almost as though I have to forget that completely. How am I going to overcome this? I’m going to spend some time with a blindfold on while rehearsing my lines, so I can be sure that my movements reinforce that part of the character, making sure I don’t look at objects as I pick them up for example – because he wouldn’t have. The biggest reason for wanting to embrace the blindness is that I feel it’s so relative to the play as a whole; because he’s never seen Creature, he doesn’t have the same prejudice as those who can, he cares for him – in fact I think he loves him like a child, well that is, until he’s murdered by him!”
She continued,
“I think the audience will be conflicted about their feelings for Creature too – it’s inevitable, they’ll want to love him, think De Lacey is a good person – but then they will also think he’s a fool for trusting him as they’ll be able to see Creature turn into the monster he’s perceived to be! It’s going to be such a great production, I’m really excited to be part of it!”
Looking ahead we’ll be meeting with other cast members at rehearsals, hearing how they feel about their characters and the play overall.
Tickets will soon be available for both performances of Frankenstein, 20 and 21 November, we’ll share the link as soon as we can.
Our 1st and 2nd Hockey teams made the first journey of the term to Harleston Magpies, to play against Norwich High School this week. Both teams put out big squads to get maximum exposure early on and two very positive matches followed.
For the 2nd team, Woodbridge dominated from start to finish with some excellent passing, strong wing play and impressive defending. Every player got excellent pitch time and improved throughout. Year 12’s Phoebe D and Phoebe R ran the Norwich High defenders ragged and only some super goalkeeping stopped the score line being much higher!
Year 13’s Olivia got a well-deserved goal after hard work in midfield, to add to the Phoebe D’s brace and Phoebe R’s well-taken goal on debut for Woodbridge School. A great start to the season!
The first team had to deal with an early blow, conceding a well taken PC goal in the opening minutes. Another one followed after a slight lapse in defensive concentration. Going behind did not deter, and the players started to find their feet playing a new system. A well taken goal by Year 11’s Charlie halved the deficit before half time.
A focus in the second half was to have more control in possession and move the ball better – this was achieved, and Woodbridge started to build.
After another Norwich High goal, Year 11’s Bea pressed well as a forward and manufactured a scoring chance, which she calmly slotted. A last gasp effort to get an equaliser saw Woodbridge sub the goalkeeper for a forward, and it nearly paid off! So close, but a great start by our senior group. Six goals on the opening day of the season.
Well done to Year 12’s Phoebe D and Year 13’s Charlotte H who were given the Player of the Match awards for the two games.
The last weekend of the summer break saw a sixteen-strong team of Year 11, 12 and 13 Hockey players making their way to Nottingham to take part in the Nottingham High School U19 Pre-season Tournament.
Seven matches were to follow in the next two days, but first there was the matter of being successful (or unsuccessful) during the Escape Rooms activity! The good news is that two teams were successful, while the third one needed to recover from preventing a 100% success rate – but then maybe it would be too easy, and we love a challenge! A dinner-time quiz also proved tricky for some teams, but the Year 11 quartet of Bonnie, Eve, Georgia and Nancy, won this one outright.
Saturday’s three matches saw the group start a little slowly in the first, after a picturesque morning stroll to the amazing venue and Nottingham Hockey Centre, with their five full size Astro turfs. However, after consolidating defensive principles and standards, the team was set up nicely for the second half of the match and rest of the weekend, being difficult to score against.
Game two was time to experiment with a new, more attacking formation, and the target to be better in possession. The excitement when both these proved to be successful was palpable for players and staff.
Game three was time for victory! Head Girl Georgie scoring the first goal of the season!
A tired group, having toiled hard in the heat and sunshine, returned to the hotel to refresh before refuelling with a social team dinner out in Nottingham centre.
Sunday’s four matches were competitive and end-to-end. Woodbridge continued to make big strides forwards, dominating larger passages, learning so much so fast, and getting better and more confident as individuals and a team. Frustrating goals went against us, but these things happen and no spirits were dampened as it was clear to the touring group, and those watching, that growth was happening fast. Tired legs and sore muscles can never stop big and determined hearts from achieving what they set out to do! A thoroughly deserved and joyful win came in our final play-off match to end off the perfect weekend.
Several targets were set and achieved over the weekend: increased communication, accountability, skill, strength, confidence, decision making, defensive dominance, goal scoring chances, learning formations and more.
Success on every level and staff and students looking forward to the Hockey season ahead. Well done to each player who played so well, put so much in and was superb ambassadors for our School.
Congratulations also to new first team Co-Captains, Year 13’s Charlotte and Millie, on getting the best out of every player as well as helping leadership grow through the whole group.
