Category: Sport
The Junior 1st hockey team played their first home match of the term, against RHS. The girls started very well and quickly dominated. As early as the third minute a fabulous bit of team play put Woodbridge ahead: Ada transferred to Isabel, wide to Steph at the right midfield, back to Maddy at in the middle, two touched and into D, where Libbie had the perfect first touch, second touch into the goal. A dream start for Woodbridge! As the game progressed RHS built more pressure and Ruby had to make telling saves. Lexie was aggressive in her marking when she went on at centre midfield and gave Woodbridge more control again, not allowing RHS’s key player to dominate any more. With time running out in the half RHS won a series of corners, and as the final whistle went the ball scuttled over our line to make it 1-1 at half time.
It all made for an even more determined start to the second half. The girls would not be defeated. In the second minute good play by Maddy and Georgina opened up space for Libbie to run into the D and score into the far corner: a very well taken scoring opportunity, with Steph on hand to just to make sure it went in. And then Woodbridge scored a third halfway through the second half. This time it was Maddy with a great strike from the right hand shoulder of the D. It was heading on target and Steph made sure with a final touch at the far corner. But Woodbridge had to dig deep to maintain the advantage as RHS kept pushing, getting circle entries and threatening the goal. The defence held strong and the attackers worked very hard to assist and counterattack. The final whistle went, bringing relief and joy to a squad of players who gave their all and deserved the good result. The player of the match was again tough to decide with many vying for the honour: this time it was congratulations to Libbie!
The girls’ first hockey team made its second trip of the season to Cambridge to play in the England Hockey National U18 Competition. This time it was for a round two match in the National Plate against The Perse… and for victory! However, it was all but plain sailing…
Woodbridge dominated the opening minutes, with Georgia making threatening runs into the D, winning a string of corners only for none of the routines to work. With time passing and Woodbridge trying different combinations to convert their possession into goals, it was The Perse who struck first via a penalty corner. This goal against the run of play only added to our girls’ frustration; but Mollie, Ianthe, Flora J and Harriet regained control for Woodbridge in midfield and at last Ianthe converted a great chance from the top of the D. Scores were level at half time but Woodbridge knew they should be dominating more.
The second half saw a much improved team, better urgency and organisation in the press and much better passing in midfield and defence with Annabel moving around the pitch in order to help with distribution. In the last 15 minutes of the game The Perse struggled to keep Woodbridge’s passing at bay. Chances came and went, but few gaps could be found in a crowded D, and The Perse cleared off the line when required until a great passage of play, starting at the back between Maud and Joanne, saw the ball go into midfield, out wide, and back in to Georgia who fed a good first time pass to Ianthe who took the chance well. But, oh woe, at the other end there was a well taken field goal, again against the run of play, to make it 2-2! Woodbridge, led by Victoria now, kept pressing but could not get the winner in normal time. It was down to penalty strokes. Sophie L put Woodbridge on the front foot by saving the first two penalties from The Perse. Annabel calmly stepped up to put Woodbridge ahead only for the second stroke to hit the post. So close! Sophie saved again… Ianthe slotted her stroke. The Perse got the next one in to keep them in the game, but up stepped co-captain Mollie, who had been a very calm influence throughout the match, to give Woodbridge the win!
Annabel, Flora J, Mollie and Sophie L all had player of the match nominations, Mollie B ultimately taking the award for this match.
Out thanks go to The Perse for a match played in excellent spirit.
The Girls’ 1st hockey team started the second part of the hockey season on a high with a good performance and win against Ipswich High School.
The match was the first one of the year under lights and made for a great atmosphere. It was fast paced with Woodbridge moving the ball well and putting pressure on Ipswich High in their defensive areas. The team dominated most of the first half and consistently built pressure which they converted into good chances and goals. First to score for Woodbridge was Ianthe from a second phase penalty corner play. Next, Georgia made a great run on the right hand baseline and deceived the GK, popping the ball in at the near post. Just before half time Flora J rounded off a good personal first half performance with a shot from the top at a PC to make it 3-0.
Woodbridge did the hard work in the first half so could feel confident going into the second half. In trying to be even more expansive and move the ball around, it opened up more opportunities and space for IHS to attack. The defensive unit of Annabel, Maud and Eleanor were up to the task, and Sophie L in goal made the necessary saves to keep her clean sheet. Woodbridge came close to scoring on a number of occasions in the second half. Mollie B and Ianthe continued to dominate the midfield and Harriet played some excellent hockey up the right hand side. Georgia, Sophie G, Kiya, Poppy and Victoria were relentless up front and played great attacking hockey, though without further reward.
Deciding the player of the match was tough as every player again contributed to the victory. In the end the honours went to Sophie G and Ianthe as joint players of the match. Well done all: hard work, team spirit and excellent attitudes justly rewarded.
Last Saturday, Woodbridge School had the privilege of hosting the Regional round of the England Schools’ Cross Country Cup.
The Cross Country Cup is a prestigious England Schools’ team competition in its 38th year, where teams of six from Year 7 and 8 compete for honours in the Junior Category and teams from a combined Year 9 and 10 compete in the Inter Category. Any of the 8000 senior schools in England can enter the competition which has three rounds, County, Regional and National. Only the top 27 schools in England, three from each of 9 Regions, qualify to compete at the Nationals.
Woodbridge School had all 4 teams competing in the Regionals on Saturday, after they had qualified in the County round. And what a proud day it proved to be, where all of our athletes raced to form, with some outstanding individual performances and some fantastic team news.
Looking at individual highlights first :
In the junior girls Ruby V picked up where she left off last year storming to victory in the first race of the day. Well done Ruby! In the inter girls April H finished a strong third behind two young ladies who were 5th and 10th at the England Schools’ Cross Country in March. Such was the standard of competition. Saving the best for last, our inter boys were outstanding at the front of the race with Woodbridge vests filling 2nd 3rd and 4th, with Charlie T followed home by George W and Kit E L respectively.
Ultimately of course this is about the team and our junior teams both performed as well as we had hoped, with both the boys and girls teams finishing a credible 8th. Our inter girls fought for every place and were justly awarded third place to gain their ticket to the finals. And our inter boys closed their scoring with Henry D in 14th and were therefore well deserved winners on the day against the very best of Suffolk and Essex. An amazing achievement by these young men.
You may well be aware that Woodbridge School is hosting the National Final of this event on Saturday 24 November. Many of the best school athletes in the country will be in Woodbridge to compete for team honours, and it will be an incredible spectacle not to be missed. How wonderful, therefore, to have two of our very own teams on the start line.
Full results from our excellent athletes on Saturday:
Junior Girls – 1st Ruby V, 26th Eloise R, 40th Issie M, 43rd Sophia W, 47th Millie J, Nancy A unfortunately had to pull up with an injury
Junior Boys – 30th Jonny E L, 31st James H, 37th Edward B, 41st Moses M, 47th Jonjo W, 61st Ethan R
Inter Girls – 3rd April H, 14th Molly M, 20th Jess E, 21st Bea T, 25th Amy G, 27th Anna J
Inter Boys – 2nd Charlie T, 3rd George W, 4th Kit E L, 14th Henry D, 32nd Edward R, 34th Tom T.
Well done to everyone that competed and many, many thanks to the Grounds Staff for all of their meticulous preparation, and to parents, staff and students, all of whom helped make the event a successful day.
For the first time ever, the National Schools Cross-Country Cup is coming to Suffolk with Woodbridge set to host this highly competitive sporting event next Saturday 24 November. This is a huge honour and we are very excited about such a large and prestigious event being hosted in the school grounds.
Organised by the England Schools Athletic Association (ESAA), the competition final will include pupils from some of the top sporting schools across the country. The national final is an incredibly competitive event and a highlight in the cross-country calendar; any of the 8000 secondary schools in England can enter this competition and after a County and Regional round of elimination it is only the top 27 schools left to battle for team honours. Woodbridge has two teams competing in the event- the inter boys and the inter girls. It is an amazing achievement for them to have got this far and we very much hope the school community will come along to support our teams on the day! The first race starts at 1pm. Parking will be available on the school site until 12.30pm, but St Mary’s school will open their field opposite the Senior School top gate to accommodate late arrivals.
Pictured here are our two competing teams- the inter girls (minus Bea Thomas) and the inter boys. Good luck to all competing!
Even a short journey can dull the senses… and so it proved as our journey to Orwell Park lulled us into a slow start which the opposition exploited. One goal down so early on woke us up, though: we reorganised quickly, Perdi and Alice leading the way with some good runs forward; meanwhile strong defensive work from Millie and Jasmine, and Matilda rock solid in goal whenever she was the only person in the defensive circle, kept the opposition at bay. All seemed set fair for a very close encounter, only for Orwell to steal a second goal on the break just before half time. In the second half we came out with much more assertion and Olivia and Isla played really well, Olivia getting in some great positions up the pitch and Isla clearing the ball from our defence. Havannah played brilliantly in defence as did Kitty who made some fantastic attacking runs up the right hand side of the pitch. Evie and Poppy held the ball well in the centre of the pitch, and Orwell had barely any further chances (those they did were well covered by Faith in goal). We did, though… and many of them… it’s just that on this occasion we couldn’t put any of them away! It was a fantastic second half and one which bodes well for next week against RHS.
Well done girls, and our thanks to all the supporters who came to watch.
The U14A team played a fast competitive game away to Ipswich High School. With several players unavailable for various reasons it again showed the strength in depth of a squad still able to field such a strong team. Helen in goal had a particularly busy time making save upon save; the defence worked hard with Lucy taking quick 16-yard hit outs and Amy working tirelessly in front of her to move the ball up field; and the two Ellas on the right also had fine games.
A decisive first-half break saw all Bea’s hard work rewarded with a goal to put Woodbridge ahead, but the opposition really put the pressure on in the second half, and were a last rewarded in turn with a late equaliser for a final score of 1-1.
This was a fine team effort full of hard work.
Woodbridge 1st XI beat Ipswich 1st XI 4 – 3.
Having played two very exciting games of football last season against Ipswich this was an eagerly anticipated fixture. Some of last year’s players have moved on but the Woodbridge squad looked like a strong line-up; this was their first chance to play together and so inevitably some of the on-field relationships took a little time to flourish. Early on, Seb pounced on a poor clearance to notch from close range and he added to the lead with a well taken header after a sweetly-delivered corner from Joe. Just before half-time the impressive Danny N, on debut, powered home from short range from yet another dangerous set piece. The call at half-term was to keep both nerve and composure and see out the inevitable bombardment that Ipswich would throw at us in an effort to get back into the game. Alas, the Woodbridge character was lacking the necessary steel and Ipswich stole two quick goals which really put us under pressure. As time went on the game was very much in the balance but Joe settled our nerves a little when he burst forward to meet Harry’s cross and headed us into a 4 – 2 lead. But Ipswich came at us again and scored which led to a frenetic and tense last five minutes. The Woodbridge back four, who had been pretty strong all game, held on for a great win. Well played to all the boys, especially Jake, Danny N, Lewis and Charles who all made their debuts in such a combative and competitive game.
I’m delighted to bring news of the first half of the season in a bumper report!
Let’s start at the very beginning (in the words of Maria von Trapp…)
Preseason training was full of focus, with plans laid and stratagems concocted. And it was great to test out its effectiveness with a challenging match against the Woodbridge RFC colts team – playing friends in a friendly: but this is sport! And the opposition did have some mighty big men in the scrum. Undaunted our boys put up sterling resistance and held the line as equal partners for much of the game. With Will and James incisive in attack and George all-encompassing in defence, and with Saxon’s well-taken conversion securing maximum points on the team’s well-taken try out wide, it was all square at half time. And all square for the match it might have stayed, but for an unlucky bounce which fell to the hosts and offered them the one opening of the second half that either side could take. So honour in defeat by 7-12 for our boys against a team a good three inches taller and two stones heavier man for man.
The next game was against Thomas Mills – another journey into enemy territory. Another redoubtable performance! And victory this time, richly deserved thanks to the excellence of attacking pathways built on firm and resilient defence. Gabe’s early try and Saxon’s conversion settled nerves; Toby’s speedy second brought a swagger to the team! 14-0 – a dream start. What could dampen them? Rain of course! It fell, and with it Thomas Mills found opportunity to respond… 14-7; 14-12… Come on men! Up stepped Will to score and restore some order at 21-12. The second half was a mesmerizingly tight affair – all praise to Will and Toby for their orchestration of our defence, and to Saxon for fine tactical kicking to add to his hat trick of conversions. No more points, and a great victory to celebrate.
Returning to school, the firsts next played King’s Ely with a team bravely covering for peers called away to university open days and the beckoning of their futures. Bravery was to the fore as younger and less experienced players stood tall. But it’s difficult to settle quickly into change and King’s had the advantage of a stable team, leading to two well-worked tries early on. But our players were rapidly building match-play understanding: James and Will combined to score off the back of the scrum; and Gabe crashed over soon after to level the try count. And then – oh glory – Harry stole an interception for a brilliant try to take the lead. The second half started in a frenzy and once again it was Harry who saw the opportunity – a fourth try! A good lead but not a decisive one. And heartbreak followed with only minutes to go as King’s took their own opportunity to strike against the run of play and score – fewer tries but more points. Disaster and defeat; but a great game nonetheless, and sport at its most exhilarating… for the neutrals!
Matches against Colchester, and Bishop’s Stortford in the Cup competition, proved difficult for the team. A small squad and key players called away on university visits once again meant that those who lined up did so more in hope than expectation. That said the spirit and commitment shown was fantastic, and against Colchester in particular the game was very even for the first half only for tiredness eventually to take its toll.
The final game of the first half of term was against Culford. The weather was wintry, and fortune put down a chill finger too… and with both sides struggling to make full squads there was plenty of unpredictability in the proceedings. Culford started the faster, pressing the offside line to the limit and keeping Woodbridge penned in. But slowly our boys asserted themselves more effectively and the whistle blew for half time with all things even at 0-0. The stalemate continued to prove resilient to both sides’ best efforts for much of the second half, only for Culford to take advantage of a bobbling ball and a little space for the referee to acknowledge their touchdown. A successful conversion followed… would be decisive? Not if our boys were to have their way… Will led the charge and Saxon finished it off in fine style in the corner! A conversion from the touchline for the tie… but wind and rain against. Cruelly the conditions prevailed and the ball died just short of clearing the bar. So defeat it was, but glorious in its own way.
A close game that was decided by some fantastic second half magic from Woodbridge. The first half was a scrappy affair with East Bergholt getting off to a flyer scoring a couple of early tries. Woodbridge then bounced back when centre pairing of Henry and Edward scored a try each to equal the score. Erwan has been in exceptional form this year in defence and carried that on with some try saving tackles. He also added a try to his tally in the first half with Henry also getting a second of the match. Into the second half and East Bergholt managed to level the scores. In reply Theo pulled the strings in the backs ever more effectively, with George dominating in the forwards. Jonny’s job for the day was to get the ball to the backs quickly from scrum half and he did this fantastically to help Moses score in the corner to put Woodbridge one try up. Tense dying moments were upon us until James bulldozed over the line to secure the victory to end the half term on a high.