Category: Sport
On Thursday 13 October the Woodbridge School Cross Country Team competed at the first round of the Suffolk Schools Cross Country Trials hosted by RHS.
An exceptional team performance with 6 medals, 10 top 10 positions and 29 qualifying by right to compete in round two at Culford on Saturday 3rd December.
With no seniors we only competed in 6 of the 8 races, and in 5 of the 6, Woodbridge School finished in the top three teams. Inter girls only had three runners and therefore an incomplete team.
Individual results were as follows:
Medalists:
Gold – Amy Graham – Inter Girls
Gold – Nathan Goddard – Inter Boys
Silver – Amy Goddard – Minor Girls
Silver – Henry Dinwiddy – Minor Boys
Silver – Charlie Turner – Junior Boys
Silver – Sarah Barker – Inter Girls
Four of the 6 above will be racing in the same age group next year!
Other top 10 finishers:
4th – Kit Evans Lombe – Junior Boys
8th – Edward Rufford – Minor Boys
9th – Molly Marshall – Junior Girls
10th – Issy Eaton – Junior Girls
19 other athletes qualifying by finishing in the top 50 : (age group and position in brackets):
Sophie Graham (JG11), Bea Thomas (JG13), George Rufford (IB14), Anna Jackson (MG15), Victoria Burrows (JG16), Ella Pitt (MG17), Emily White (JG20), Charlotte Dinwiddy (JG21), Nathaniel Gunn (JB23), Thomas Harrington (IB23), Will Franklin (JB24), Joanne Garnett (IG25), Mauricio Corfe (JB28), Tom Martin (MB29), James McCarroll (MB30), Jess Elmer (JG33), Billy Zhu (JB40), Katie Norman (MG43), Iris Morton (MG49).
Congratulations to all athletes taking part, not just the qualifiers, and thank you to staff and parents that supported on the day.
Good luck to everyone taking part in round two!
7 Woodbridge school riders qualified for the NSEA Championships, including two individuals and two teams. The age range of riders was from 10 to 18 years old.
The first day saw the youngest team member, Ada Marson age 10, take part in the JwS 70cms Final. This was her first time competing at the Finals, and she produced a confident clear round, taking all the short routes. She scored 3rd highest on Style marks, but finished 11th overall out of 55 individuals competing. She was the youngest in the top 12 riders.
The second day saw the most action for the Woodbridge Teams with the Dressage Team of James Brown, Tabitha Wilson-Smith, Lydia Sida-Page and Francesca Aitchison competing as well as the 80cms showjumping team of Rowena Wilson-Smith, Tabitha Wilson-Smith, Francesca Aitchison and Fleur Ludgrove.
The day started with the Showjumping team. The course was in the outdoor International Arena and consisted of a relatively straight forward first part, with a jump off course offering the option to take tight lines and go for a fast time. With 50 Teams contesting, it was all or nothing to have a chance of a place. Sadly, other than Fleur Ludgrove who produced a good clear and a fast jump off time, the rest of the team had a fence down resulting on a team score of 8 penalties and no placing.
The Dressage team however had a truly successful day. Two riders took their tests in the morning; Tabitha and Lydia rode Prelim tests and scored individual placings of 2nd and 8th places respectively, leaving the team in 2nd place after the first round. Then the final two riders, James and Francesca, took Novice tests in the afternoon to produce the final scores for the results.
James performed exceptionally well and took 1st place in his arena, whilst Francesca was also placed 8th in her arena.
This resulted in a fantastic result of the Team taking 2nd Place at the Championships.
The final day saw James Brown contesting his individual qualification in the JwS 1.10m competition.
He produced a good round with one fence down; but with only one clear round out of 22 competitors this was a superb result. He finished up taking an individual 7th Place in this Championship – another good result for James.
Woodbridge School also was awarded a Training Voucher for coming 2nd in the Regional Points League 2015-2016
The school had a range of riders from Grass Roots rider Eve Marson (8yrs, Yr 4) to Senior Dressage Team riders present to collect the Award, representing all those that have gained points in Regional Points accumulating competitions against other schools in the Eastern Region (Suffolk, Essex, Cambs, Norfolk). This is based on Team points won and includes Grass Roots through to Open classes.
A great team spirit existed across all the ages with everyone supporting each other.
Team members:-
James Brown riding iL Darco G – 2nd Team Dressage , 7th JwS Individual 1.10m
Rowena Wilson-Smith riding Autumn Gold – Team 80cms SJ
Lydia Sida-Page riding OK Mister – 2nd Team Dressage
Tabitha Wilson-Smith riding Ruby Queen of Diamonds – 2nd Team Dressage & Team 80cms SJFrancesca Aitchison riding Wix Spring Realm – 2nd Team Dressage, 8th individual Dressage & Team 80cms SJ
Fleur Ludgrove riding Otter – Team 80cms JS
Ada Marson riding Rolly Rascal – 11th JwS Individual 70cms
Finished 3rd to secure qualification to County round
V RHS Lost 6-8
V Ipswich School Won 16-0
V Kesgrave Won 12-1
V East Bergholt Won 8-1
V Ipswich High Lost 8-14
We had a great afternoon with a new squad and notably Joanne Garnett playing in the year above her own, and in a number of different positions. They all played brilliantly in the rain and sunshine!
We lost the first match in a close fought game in which we actually had the lead but they came back at us strongly in the last two minutes, unfortunately. Against Ipswich School we were totally dominant and enjoyed getting a win under our belts. Against Kesgrave we knew that goals mattered and so kept fighting until the last whistle and proved that we have great versatility as we moved people around positions. East Bergholt were strong but our movement around the court outwitted them and we came away with another victory.
Ipswich High was always going to be a tough match and they have great experience and skill in their team, but we held our own and succeeded in gaining half of their score. Throughout the afternoon Chloe Outen played brilliantly in the centre of the court, linking our attack and defence well. Mollie Biddle never gave up, Flora Johnston and Georgia Harrold played well as WA and Lily Proudfoot, Louise Farthing fought for everything in the defence and Eleanor Berridge had a stormer as GK, coming from nowhere in some situations. Katy Garnett and Jemima Hill shot very well and moved the ball around the circle brilliantly.
Save the date for the County Round: 12th November, at Rushmere!
The first round of the ESAA Cross Country Competition was held at Farlingaye on Friday 7 October and we were lucky enough to have a full quota of runners for each age group.
The Inter boys were up first – a great race, where Nathan Goddard was in the lead (by quite a few metres) the whole way. The boys all ran superbly and finished with 37 points: Nathan Goddard 1st, George Rufford 6th, Alex Evans Lombe 13th, Daniel Davies 17th, Tom Harrington 20th and Nathaniel Gunn 25th.
Next up was the Junior girls. Unfortunately, we had an illness in the morning so we competed with 5 runners. The girls knew they had to work hard in order to gain a place in the next round so gave everything they had. They eventually ended up scoring 18 points: Bea Thomas 3rd, Molly Marshall 4th, Amy Goddard 5th, Cecily Royal-Dawson 6th and Anna Jackson 21st.
Junior boys were next to compete and were all up for the challenge. All 5 boys came in the top 10, scoring 16 points, which is phenomenal. Charlie Turner ran excellently and managed to fight for 1st place against Kit Evans Lombe.
The last race of the day was the Inter girls. We were fortunate enough to have a full team –with Harriet Petley stepping in at the last minute and Sarah Barker fighting her way through illness, and the girls ran another superb race. Amy Graham held her own and gained 2nd place, closely followed by Sarah Barker. The girls scored 23 points: Milly Buckingham 8th, Sophie Graham 9th, Victoria Burrows 12th and Harriet Petley 33rd.
Huge congratulations to all teams as all four qualified for the Regional finals on Saturday 12 November at Lincroft School, Bedford.
Every single runner should be extremely proud of their achievements – a number of them have worked so hard, training throughout the summer. Again, a massive big thank you to Mr Goddard who without his help and support, these students would not be able to achieve what they do. Thank you to all the parents for their support too.
Our Years 9/10 Intermediate girls’ Athletics team recently travelled to Woodside Stadium in Watford for the A Regional finals of the ESSA Track and Field Athletics event. The top 27 schools in East Anglia: our girls were put in a group with 11 others on the day, the twelve teams providing two competitors for each event. It meant that our girls were up against 22 of the best from East Anglia: it was going to be tough!. Special mention must go to Rosa McInerney whose birthday it was: she celebrated in style, coming away with the most points for the team with 41. She was placed 3rd in high jump and 11th in hurdles, a great achievement! Georgia Harrold was another to perform well: 4th in 100m and part of the relay team to finish on a score of 36. Chloe Outen achieved an excellent PB in the triple jump to be placed 6th and gained a combined score of 36. Maddie Craig scored 37 points from her hurdles and long jump. Others in the 30s were Flora Johnston on 31, Joanne Garnett on 32 (her high placing in discus gaining 21 points) and Ella Holliday on 32. It was a great team effort and a big thank you goes to those who stepped in to cover absence on the day. We wait for our final position in the competition, but reaching this standard is worthy of the profoundest congratulation. T Shirts have been ordered and will hopefully be here for the last day of term to mark this fantastic achievement: well done to all!
As the days get longer and the sun shines warmer, some pupils are still very much busy doing their “winter” sport, or have been awarded accolades for their efforts during the Hockey season.
Suffolk Hockey recently selected their final teams to compete in inter-county competitions. Molly Marshall represented Suffolk U13 while Annabel Yates was a non-travelling reserve for this strong team; Ianthe Hill represented Suffolk U14 (and is progressing to JRPC); Mollie Biddle and Georgia Harrold were selected into the final Suffolk U15 team, performing strongly in their tournament; and Hugo Thomas also made the starting line-up of the Suffolk U13 team taking part in the East region competitions. Miles and Mia King represented Norfolk U17 and U15 respectively, and have now progressed on to JRPC. Tildy Paul, Oliver Juszt and Alex Weir-Simmons have all featured in our reports in recent weeks for their regional successes, too.
Woodbridge School have many pupils and staff representing various clubs in the area, gaining much from the experience, putting knowledge and skill back into the school teams. Most clubs have now also concluded their seasons with their annual awards evenings. Oliver Juszt (Y9) was named IES Men’s (senior) IV’s player of the season. Head of Hockey, Mariette Rix was named Ipswich Hockey Club Ladies’ first team player of the year, while Callum Askins was awarded Ipswich Hockey Club Junior Player of the Year to add to his Woodbridge School first team player of the year award.
We hope we have mentioned everyone in this snapshot of club and county successes, but if not, please do let us know so we can include them next time.
The ESSA English Schools’ Track and Field Cup took place at West Suffolk Arena in Bury St Edmunds over two parallel days recently, with qualifying schools each attending one of the days, Woodbridge competing on the second of them alongside another ten schools. With girls’ teams of thirteen (juniors consisting of our best Year 7 and 8 athletes, and intermediate of Years 9 and 10) and boys’ teams of fifteen, everyone was kept busy, each competitor entering two events, with points awarded according to distances and times.
The top four teams over the two days qualify for the regionals. Our junior girls’ team came 1st with 333 points (the best the day before was way off with 266); our intermediate girls’ team came 1st with an extraordinary 379 points which sets the bar impressively high for the regional finals; the junior boys’ team completed a stunning hat trick, winning in their turn on a score of 329, ten clear of second and even further ahead of the best from the day before; and the intermediate boys, frustratingly one man down on the day, came a very creditable 6th on 264. Wow.
Individually there were some outstanding contributions, notably Amy G scoring 48 points from her events of 800m and javelin, sister Sophie G going one better to score 49 in hurdles and Javelin, Nathaniel G scoring 40 points in 200m and discus, and Oscar B 36 points in 200m and triple jump, but of course the success of the team comes down to consistent high performance from all – and so the congratulations do indeed go to everyone for a brilliant day.
Woodbridge School had a record five pupils, all from Year 9, represent Suffolk at England Schools National Cross Country Championship on Saturday 5 March in Nottingham. 44 counties each sent their best 8 athletes, so over 350 of the fastest children in England were competing in each race. The races are so competitive that there are often a half-dozen athletes crossing the line in a single second. The setting was perfect: cold but sunny conditions on an undulating but not too muddy course.
Suffolk finished 16th in the Junior Boys and 20th in the Junior Girls. Nathan G finished an amazing 25th with George R 260th in the Junior Boys, while Sarah B finished 88th, Amy G 192nd and Millie B 297th in the Junior Girls.
There are just two cross country fixtures left for this winter, the Inter Counties in Birmingham on Saturday 12 March and the East Anglian Prep Schools Cross Country Championships which Woodbridge School is hosting on Sunday 20 March. Please come and support your school as defending champions at this final event!
Nathan Goddard reports:
On Saturday, 5 February, eleven pupils from Woodbridge School made their way to Boston Lincolnshire, where in wet and windy conditions, they would compete in the East Anglian Cross Country Championships.
The first race of the day was the Minor Girls. Bea Thomas finished eighteenth, Isabelle Eaton twenty-fourth and Amy Goddard forty-fourth helping Suffolk to a team victory.
The following race was the Minor Boys where Kit Evans Lombe finished joint third, the School’s best result of the day, Henry Dinwiddy finished seventh, Charlie Turner twenty-third and Will Franklin twenty-sixth aiding Suffolk to another first place.
Junior Girls came after that race with Sarah Barker finishing in tenth place, Millie Buckingham thirty-second and Amy Graham thirty-fourth.
The final race with Woodbridge School interest was the Junior Boys. In this race Nathan Goddard finished fifth and George Rufford nineteenth. In both the Junior Boys and Girls, Suffolk achieved second place in the team competition. Through all the different races Suffolk managed a narrow team victory.
On Saturday, 5 March, Nathan Goddard, George Rufford, Sarah Barker, Milly Buckingham and Amy Graham have all been selected to compete for Suffolk at Nottingham in the ESAA Cross Country Championships.
On Sunday 24 January at The Jays Stud, Bury St. Edmunds, the hotly-contested NSEA Qualifier to represent Suffolk at the Cortaflex National County Championships took place.
Classes started with a warm-up class of 60cm and then the first of the qualifier classes at 70cm.
In each class the highest placed Suffolk individual rider and the highest placed Suffolk-based school team would qualify for the class Championships to be held at Bury Farm Equestrian Centre on 23-24 April 2016.
Woodbridge School fielded a young team of riders for both the 60cm and 70cm classes.
The team produced confident clear rounds to win the 60cm with the youngest team member, Ada Marson (10yrs) on her 13.2hh pony, Rolly Rascal, winning the class individually.
With one member change, the team then contested the 70cm.
12 teams and 42 individuals contested the class; drawn to ride late in the class the Woodbridge team had seen some fast rounds already posted.
Ada went first and produced an excellent clear with tight turns to take the lead. A further two members (Olivia Brown & Francesca Aitchison) also went clear.
After a nail-biting wait to the end of the class the results announced a 3rd place for the team, missing qualification by one place, and a WIN for Ada Marson and Rolly Rascal qualifying them to represent Suffolk and Woodbridge School at the NSEA Cortaflex National County Championships.
Olivia Brown on Ashley Challenger was placed 6th.
Ada and Rolly Rascal will now travel to Bury Farm Equestrian Centre, Bedfordshire, in April for the Championships.
60cm team: Ada Marson, Olivia Brown, Olivia Lubbock and Oliver Reid
70cm team: Ada Marson, Olivia Brown, Olivia Lubbock and Francesca Aitchison
one place, and a WIN for Ada Marson and Rolly Rascal qualifying them to represent Suffolk and Woodbridge School at the NSEA Cortaflex National County Championships.
Olivia Brown on Ashley Challenger was also placed 6th.
Ada and Rolly Rascal now will travel to Bury Farm Equestrian Centre, Bedfordshire, in April for the Championships.
60cm Team: Ada Marson, Olivia Brown, Olivia Lubbock and Oliver Reid
70cm Team: Ada Marson, Olivia Brown, Olivia Lubbock and Francesca Aitchison