Category: Sport

Position: 3rd Place
The U16 Hockey team did themselves and the school very proud at the recent U16 County Cup. With the school not running an U16 team for regular fixtures during the term, the squad was made up of Y10s, usually playing for the U15A team and Y11s playing in either the 1^st or 2^nd senior teams. With only limited sessions to prepare as a team, the players were very focused to make sure they gelled, and had the key tactical and structural things right as a group.

The evening started on a high as the motivated team took on Framlingham College to won against their more favoured opponents. Woodbridge defended with all they had and made sure they built fast counterattacks, one of which stunned the opposition as the ball ended in the back of their goal. A big onslaught of attacks followed but the Woodbridge defence stood firm giving Woodbridge a 1-0 win!

The team could not quite get their concentration and efforts up to the same level for the next match against Ipswich School. Lack of experience, slow decision making and lapses in concentration resulted in Ipswich School having 3 uncontested attempts at goal and they made no mistake. Unfortunately these three moments decided a game in which otherwise Woodbridge wasn’t outplayed by any stretch.  But it is the score line that counts and Ipswich were deserved winners, 0-3.

Woodbridge started slowly against St Joseph’s but found their stride after about ten minutes. For the second half of the match it was all Woodbridge but we were just unable to score. The St Joseph’s goalkeeper managed to stop the final effort every time as Woodbridge did everything right apart from score. 0-0 was the final score.

The last match of the evening was against Ipswich High. Woodbridge spent much of this game in their own half, unable to build quality attacks reliably. As legs and minds fatigued, players opted to run with the ball rather than pass, resulting in too many turnovers of possession.  Issy Cory made key saves to keep Woodbridge in a match that by the final few minutes our girls were dominating. This last period of possession and sustained pressure on the Ipswich High D was however not enough and again the teams had to settle for a 0-0 draw.

Woodbridge thoroughly deserved their 3^rd place in this event and will look back thinking “perhaps we could have even gone one better”… But that is sport, and our girls were magnificent, and showed great sportsmanship on the night.

There were outstanding performances from a number of players:  Eleanor Berridge and Maud Peel in defence showed composure, speed and good decision making; Harriet Petley was influential in the midfield and was one of the outstanding players of all the teams; Maddie Craig ran miles on the night, winning the ball in the press and building attack after attack, using her speed to good effect; and Issy Cory played well in goal and made some telling saves.

Thanks to Sophie Little who was an excellent team manager and supporter for the evening..

Finished 3rd to secure qualification to County round

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 1^st, George Rufford 6^th, Alex Evans Lombe 13^th, Daniel Davies 17^th, Tom Harrington 20^th and Nathaniel Gunn 25^th.

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 3^rd, Molly Marshall 4^th, Amy Goddard 5^th, Cecily Royal-Dawson 6^th and Anna Jackson 21^st.

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 1^st 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 2^nd place, closely followed by Sarah Barker. The girls scored 23 points: Milly Buckingham 8^th, Sophie Graham 9^th, Victoria Burrows 12^th and Harriet Petley 33^rd.

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.

Score: Won 2-0

The girls first team set off early on Saturday morning to play Wymondham. The journey was well worth it as the team delivered an outstanding performance, outplaying their opponents for most of the game, winning 2-0.

Woodbridge started strong and soon had their first chance at goal when Laura Graham passed a ball across to India Lawson on the left side of the D. India’s first time effort went just wide with the goalie stranded. Soon after this another shot at goal resulted in Maddie Craig having a pin ball battle with the Wymondham goalkeeper, three sharp attempts at goal being well saved. The pressure was building but Woodbridge nearly got outdone by a quick counter attack when a player was unmarked in the D. Sophie Little made a telling save to deal with this situation and kept the score level. Shortly after Laura Graham and India Lawson were again influential in build-up play, feeding the ball to Victoria Williams, who made no mistake and slotted the deserved goal.

After half time Woodbridge continue to dominate and were patient in their play around the attacking D. A great team goal resulted with Alice McLeod-Scott, Georgia Harrold, Mollie Biddle and Laura Graham all being involved. Maddie Craig was the final piece of the puzzle and played the ball perfectly past the left foot of the goalie.

As time went on the pace of the game started to take its toll.  The team managed to get through this period, not allowing Wymondham to convert the chances they were now getting.

The final whistle went with Woodbridge 1st team deserving winners by two goals to nil.

Each player had a role to play and it was a complete team performance. Tildy Paul’s distribution out the back helped Woodbridge get pass the first line of defence time after time. Mollie Biddle was impressive at centre back, winning 50/50 balls and dominating the middle of the pitch. Georgina Warren played excellent and was well supported by Alice McLeod-Scott. Maddie Craig grew into her role in the team and worked tirelessly. But ultimately the player of the match award goes to India Lawson for great work in both attack and defence.

Score: Won 3-1

The Junior 1^st team started their season on a high, beating Norwich School U13A 3-1. Woodbridge dominated the first ten minutes of the match, with the Year 8s, Clara Simpson, Olivia Buchanan, Jessica Elmer, Molly Marshall and Ella Walker making their experience count.  Woodbridge scored first through Bea Thomas after building pressure and attack after attack.  Two more great goals were scored by Clara Simpson and Olivia Buchanan.  Molly Marshall and Ella Walker were solid in defence and Molly managed to react quickly to stop shots at goal when Norwich found themselves unmarked in the D.  Elsa Trevor-Pallares made her debut as goalkeeper and made a couple of telling saves before Norwich School got one goal back from a penalty corner.  Woodbridge had to consolidate their defensive efforts  during the last 5 minutes to make sure they maintained their lead.  This was a great way to start the season and hopefully a sign of many more good performances to come. Player of the match was Clara Simpson for a mature performance –  communicating well, distributing well and making good decisions.

On Saturday, Woodbridge School took two teams to the NSEA Championships Showjumping Qualifier at Bury Farm, Buckinghamshire.

This was a huge experience for most of the riders; none had competed in an International Arena before over a full course of imposing fences.

The Team in the 70cms of Fleur Ludgrove, Perdi Ludgrove, Olivia Lubbock and Ada Marson just missed out on qualifying for the National Championships by coming 3rd overall. However, this did qualify them for the NSEA Plate Championship which takes place at Keysoe Equestrian Centre in Bedfordshire in December.

The 80cms Team of Fleur Ludgrove, Tabitha Wilson-Smith, Rowena Wilson-Smith and Farncesca Aitchison did exceptionally well, producing 4 clear rounds and finishing 2nd overall and qualifying for the Main National NSEA Champs at Addington Arena in October.

On Sunday we attended the Grass Roots Qualifiers at Tendring Hundred Riding Club in Essex.

Out of 5 height classes and teams in each class, Woodbridge gained two team 2nd places, two team Wins and one team 4th, as well as numerous individual placings.

Results of note were Zoe Newman and Rosie Hunter-Blair,who were both making their debut as team members. Both were placed individually, and both took 2nd place in their respective classes.

Overall, all riders rode consistent clear rounds with good times, resulting in our good team scores.

At one point, we had 9 Woodbridge riders walking the course in preparation for their class – quite a sight!

The girls’ hockey season has started with a bang. The Juniors already had a friendly tournament at Orwell Park which provided much to be excited about. Senior hockey matches also got underway this week, with the 1^st and 2^nd team playing against Langley.

A young 1^st team took a while to get used to new structures in defence and applying key principles but eventually found their rhythm. It was an end to end encounter and unfortunately Langley took advantage of a few moments of ill disciple in zonal defence from Woodbridge and put two goals away. Georgia Harrold pulled one goal back for Woodbridge but the numerous other chances were just not too be. There were some very good performances, notably from debutants Mollie Biddle, Flora Johnston and India Lawson. Nicole Buckingham was her consistent self and was awarded Player of the Match. Very pleasing was the improvement and growth shown by every player throughout the match.

The 2^nd team provided the highlight of the week when they beat Langley 2^nd team convincingly 5-0. Flo Jackson is the early “top goal scorer” for the school, scoring twice from right midfield. Katie Garnett, Ella Jerman-Riddell and Rowena Wilson-Smith were the other scorers in this exciting match.  Well done to umpire James Meakin for officiating. And Congratulations to Mr Brous and his team.

Congratulations to Minnie Wayman who has been selected to represent Suffolk in the East Region Inter County Swimming Competition at Norwich on Sunday 10 July. This is her first call up for Suffolk so she is delighted: her selection is a fitting  reward for her impressive contributions over a long season.

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!

It’s fun dodging the rain… especially over the course of 90 miles or so!  Barely a drop from above on our journey, despite the evidence of deluges before our arrival at various stages. And even a hint of warmth in the air around Ipswich.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Friday. Loading up and rolling out in minibuses and with trailers. Nervous anticipation. A fine curry at the Horseshoe in Clerkenwell (THANK YOU, Rob Madigan, landlord and friend of the ride, for making us so welcome and feeding us so deliciously). Speeches and exhortations.  Back to the Bridge School (THANK YOU, Headteacher Penny Barratt for your inspiring words, for giving us a reason to succeed, and for your overnight hospitality). A difficult night’s sleep on the school floors – but it encourages the early rise! And then breakfast and a 7am departure, almost to the chimes of Big Ben.

Traffic – more each year – and a cool breeze kept us alert; luck kept us puncture free and so the first stop at Wells Park School field (THANK YOU, Wells Park, once again) came early.  Chocolate, bananas, energy drinks. Then road, road, road (and, yes, a few punctures!) till lunch after 53 miles at Colne Engaine. And what a lunch, hosted by Mrs Spray, Mrs Streat and Rhiannon Humphreys – delicious hot drinks, all you could wish to eat to help towards the 8000+ calories the day would sap from us, and welcoming smiles.  Bliss.

The afternoon is hard, but shorter – under forty miles of undulations (some, frankly, quite abrupt!) – but everyone finished with a big smile on their face and a drink soon in their hands (soft of course!), and by 6pm it was hot baths and deep sofas…

27 riders: six of them pupils (well, well done Owen Butcher, Adam Colbert (who sprinted here, there and everywhere helping people find their way and take the right turnings), George Cory, Will Pilkington, David Spray and Oliver Wroe); staff Mr Garvie, Miss George, Mr Patten, Dr Rickard and me; three OWs Ally, Molly and Cameron; parents Steve, Ed, Sharon, Jenny, Sarah, Amanda, Gary, Paul and Toby; Bridge School parents John and John; and friends John and David. And on the support side Mr and Mrs Hillman, Mr Jackson, Mr Spray, Mr Turner and the lunchtime team.

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