Category: Woodbridge News

Five students from Woodbridge School Sixth Form are thrilled to receive offers from Britain’s most prestigious universities. The successful students have each received conditional offers to read their chosen subjects at either Oxford or Cambridge universities from September 2017.

Oxford University offers went to James Bellhouse to study History at St Hughes College, Sophie Read to study Experimental Psychology at Brasenose College, and George King to study English at Lincoln College. Cambridge University offers went to Lydia Cook to study Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Peterhouse, and Poppy Hill to study Classics at Jesus College. Poppy received her A Level results in July and is currently enjoying a gap year travelling abroad.

The five students, four of whom are currently working towards their A-Levels, had to submit a written application and undergo an interview before hearing about their offer. As well as their academic ability, the pupils had to demonstrate critical thinking, problem solving abilities and a keen understanding of their chosen subject.

Four of the students have been at Woodbridge since the very start of their school lives. Congratulations to all!

The U13As, despite some players down due to illness, still put out four (victorious!) teams v RHS, and played brilliantly! They were always in control of the game and I didn’t doubt their ability to win for a second.  Olivia Buchanan controlled the attacking third of the court brilliantly and shot consistently to put us up 7-3 at quarter time.  Eleanor Wright, as WD played a solid game and made some great interceptions and Issy Eaton and Ariane Bilgen worked tirelessly in the defending circle, with some great turnover balls used to our advantage.  Ella Walker was a controlling influence in the centre of the court and linked beautifully with the defence and attack of Rebecca Yardy who played very well. Cordelia Griffiths and Emily Whyte who both played shooter attacked out of the circle and created brilliant space and won some important rebounds.  We were up 13-5 at half time and gave ourselves some breathing space for the second half.  We were then joined by Molly Marshall and Clara Simpson who had played fantastically for the B team in the first half.  Both girls made their mark on the team and we stretched our lead to 18-9 with 10 mins to go.  A great quarter to see out the match from all the players meant that we had our second victory of the season under our belt – good skills! Bring on Ipswich School at the weekend.

On Thursday 12^th January, Woodbridge School hosted the County Schools’ cross country race. This race was the final competition for the County to select their cross country team for the Anglian Championships. After finishing in the top 50 at RHS in October and top 40 at Culford in December, this competition was going to be tough – however, having the home advantage gave each Woodbridge School runner the incentive, confidence and determination to do well. Coming in the top 12 would gain a place in the county team, so the competition was on!

37 runners made it through to this final round from Culford, but due to injuries and illnesses, only 30 ran – which was still a phenomenal number. 12 out of the 30 runners gained a top 12 place, which was just superb, and is evidence of the depth and level of performer we have at Woodbridge. The top 12 in each race will be selected for the County team to compete at the Anglian Schools’ and if a top 8 place is gained there, then the athletes will go on to represent the County at England Schools’ in March. Good luck to all!!

Special mention and congratulations must go to the following runners who all gained medals; Nathan Goddard, Sarah Barker, Amy Graham, Charlie Turner & Ruby Vinton. These athletes did the most amazing job gaining a top 3 place in their race, especially as they were all running a year up in their respective races. Well done to all the runners in what was an excellent and successful day.
Results:

Minor Girls: Ruby Vinton 1^st, Amy Goddard 4^th & Anna Jackson 32^nd
Minor Boys: Edward Rufford 5^th, Edward Buckingham 7^th, Tommy Burrows 17^th, George Na Nakhorn 29^th & Tom Martin 41^st.
Junior Girls: Bea Thomas 7^th, Molly Marshall 8^th, Sophie Graham 17^th, Issy Eaton 22^nd, Jess Elmer 24^th,  Emily Whyte 35th, Victoria Burrows 37th.
Junior Boys: Charlie Turner 3^rd, Kit Evans Lombe 6^th, Thomas Harper 19^th, Nathaniel Gunn 20^th, Will Franklin 26^th, Tom Turner 33^rd, Mauricio Corfe 38^th & Billy Zhu 45^th.
Inter Girls: Sarah Barker 2^nd, Amy Graham 3^rd & Milly Buckingham 12^th.
Inter Boys: Nathan Goddard 1^st, George Rufford 17^th, Alex Evans Lombe 21^st & Daniel Davies 22^nd.

The event was brilliantly organised (a comment from the Suffolk Association Chairman),  and the course was challenging and perfectly set out. Such a fantastic event could not happen without the help of so many people, so our thanks go to the following:

Mark Goddard, parents and volunteers on the day (and in preparation for the event – taping the course etc.), grounds staff for excellent organisation of the course, and all our staff for marshalling.

Miss Sanders reports: Three out of our four Cross Country teams travelled up to Liverpool on Friday 2^nd December to compete in the ESAA XC National Cup competition. Departing Woodbridge School excitedly, the runners were looking forward to having a night away but it was evident they were anxious about the race the following day – especially as a number of runners had been off school ill during the week. Although every runner had done the hard work to get the Nationals, competing in the area and regionals rounds, they wanted to give it their all and do their best. Arriving in Liverpool, Mr Goddard and Mr Turner took the three teams for a quick jaunt (well, run) around the docks to stretch their legs, before we all headed out to Zizzi’s for a carb-filled dinner and birthday celebrations for Amy Graham.

Saturday morning arrived. All runners stocked up on breakfast as they knew they needed the energy for their race and we made our way to The Range School in Formby. Luckily, the weather was kind to us – although a little chilly with a bit of wind. After walking the course, the Inter girls were up first. With their numbers on and chips around their ankles, they were lined up in their pens and ready to go. We heard Woodbridge School mentioned on the loud speaker, the organisers explaining that Dr Challoner’s High School and we were the only two schools with three teams competing at the Nationals, which made it even more exciting. The start was difficult, with all 140 competitors trying to get to the front of the pack, but Sarah Barker managed to fight her way through. It was an anxious time waiting at the finish line to see Woodbridge vests cross, but finally they came in sight. With only the first four counting towards our final score, the other two runners knew they have to work hard to prevent the oppositions’ 3^rd and 4^th runners from getting a better placing. Finally our results were in, 10^th (Sarah Barker), 33^rd, 52^nd & 96^th, which put us 12^th overall out of 24 teams. Well done!

The Junior boys were next – very excited and definitely up for their race! Again, waiting in their pens for the starting gun, the boys knew they had to work hard to ensure they got themselves in a good position at the start. All six got away well, and towards the front of the pack, and at the finish line, they crossed in great positions… top five perhaps?

While waiting for the Junior boys’ results to come through, as there had been some issues, the Junior girls were last to run and although anxious, they were all determined to do their best. All penned in and waiting in anticipation for the starting gun, the team looked ready. With Bea Thomas fighting her way through, along with Molly Marshall just behind, it looked promising. Finally the girls came through the finish line – shattered but glad it was all over.

Still no news for the Junior boys’ results… then the Junior girls’ came through – 52^nd, 58^th, 76^th, & 99^th, putting us 19^th out of 24^th, another great result. Well done!

Finally, the Junior boys’ results were in…. Not fifth, nor fourth, third or even second… We had come FIRST! We were National Champions (by just 1 point!)… what an extraordinary achievement. Placings were 14^th (Charlie Turner), 22^nd, 23^rd, & 54^th. The boys were ecstatic and couldn’t stop jumping around – tears were flowing too (from Miss Sanders mainly).

All three teams should be extremely proud of what they achieved on Saturday – just getting to Nationals is a superb achievement, but actually winning is just phenomenal. Bruce Andrews,   Secretary of the Suffolk Schools Athletics Association, told Mr Goddard that as far as he is aware, no Suffolk School has ever even won a medal at the England Schools Cross Country Cup Finals, let alone gold!

Well done to all, and thank you so much to all the parents who travelled up to support.  Special thanks, of course, to Mr Mark Goddard, whose coaching, dedication and belief enabled these runners to achieve.

Mr Graham and I had such a great time… Roll on next year!!

Runners:
Junior Girls: Molly Marshall, Bea Thomas, Amy Goddard, Isabelle Eaton, Cecily Royal-Dawson & Anna Jackson
Junior Boys: Charlie Turner, Henry Dinwiddy, Kit Evans Lombe, William Franklin, Edward Rufford & Thomas Turner
Inter Girls: Sarah Barker, Milly Buckingham, Amy Graham, Victoria Burrows, Sophie Graham & Charlotte Dinwiddy.

Nine Woodbridge School cross country athletes have gained their first County recognition for the 2016/2017 winter season.

Seven athletes have been included in the Suffolk County Team to compete in the South of England Inter County Cross Country to be held in Oxford on Saturday 10th December 2016.

Congratulations to :

U13 Girls – Amy Goddard
U13 Boys – Charlie Turner, Kit Evans Lombe and Edward Rufford
U15 Girls – Sarah Barker
U15 Boys – Nathan Goddard and George Rufford

Two further athletes are currently on the standby list for the U15 Girls – Amy and Sophie Graham

We wish them well in this event and the rest of the winter.

It may have been a damp November day but somehow the cross country athletes from Woodbridge School brushed that aside with considerable ease. Spirits were high, with all four teams competing following their wins in the Suffolk leg. Anything seemed possible. We were up against seven counties including the might of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

The fact that Woodbridge School had never had a Team qualify for the National Finals gave the task ahead some context. 21 Teams (top three from each of the seven counties) would be reduced to three for Nationals in each of the four races.

First race of the day was the Junior Girls (u14) and although the team had worked hard and were likely to finish as a fairly compact unit, we were not expecting this young group to qualify.
How wrong we were!

Bea Thomas ran an exceptional race and every athlete raced for the line making every position count. The result – A Trip to Nationals by finishing third, beating 4th by just two points.
Individual results were Bea Thomas 5th, Molly Marshall 15th, Amy Goddard 20th, Issy Eaton 34th, Cecily Royal-Dawson 35th, Anna Jackson 66th.
Congratulations Junior Girls!

Second race was the Junior boys (u14), our strongest team and the one where we genuinely felt we had our first chance of qualification. We were not disappointed as the Woodbridge vests soon made their way to the front of the race and the boys finished second, a single point behind the school that won.
Charlie Turner was the star performer running an exceptionally well judged race to close in on the lead pack and then power home for second place.
Individual results were Charlie Turner 2nd, Kit Evans-Lombe 7th, Henry Dinwiddy 15th, Will Franklin 22nd, Edward Rufford 32nd, Tom Turner 47th.
Congratulations Junior Boys!

Next up were the Inter Girls (u16). Perhaps an outside chance we thought. Better than that the girls qualified for Nationals in a strong second place. Sarah Barker and Amy Graham worked their way through the field and were full of running in the closing stages to claim 3rd and 4th respectively. Special mention should also go to Charlotte Dinwiddy who ran a brave attacking race to finish 23rd.
Individual results were Sarah Barker 3rd, Amy Graham 4th, Charlotte Dinwiddy 23rd, Milly Buckingham 31st, Sophie Graham 38th, Victoria Burrows 40th.
Congratulations Inter Girls!

Final race of the day saw the Inter Boys (u16) line up. Whilst the Team realistically knew qualification was unlikely, the boys had trained well and were keen to improve on last years 7th place.
With Nathan Goddard leading from the front with another of his powerful displays for 2nd place, the boys packed well for the team to come home in 5th place.
Individual results were Nathan Goddard 2nd, George Rufford 19th, Daniel Davies 28th, Alex Evans Lombe 29th, Tom Harrington 35th, Nathaniel Gunn 42nd.
With that effort is has to be – Congratulations Inter Boys!

So off to Nationals we go. Formby, Lancashire on Saturday 3rd December.
With some 4000 secondary schools in England only 25 make it through to the Nationals and Woodbridge School will be in three of the four races.

We are one of only three schools in England to qualify more than two teams – Now that is something!

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 3^rd highest on Style marks, but finished 11^th 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 2^nd and 8^th places respectively, leaving the team in 2^nd 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 1^st place in his arena, whilst Francesca was also placed 8^th in her arena.

This resulted in a fantastic result of the Team taking 2^nd 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 7^th Place in this Championship – another good result for James.

Woodbridge School also was awarded a Training Voucher for coming 2^nd 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 –   2^nd Team Dressage , 7^th JwS Individual 1.10m
Rowena Wilson-Smith riding Autumn Gold – Team 80cms SJ
Lydia Sida-Page riding OK Mister – 2^nd Team Dressage
Tabitha Wilson-Smith riding Ruby Queen of Diamonds – 2^nd Team Dressage & Team 80cms SJFrancesca Aitchison riding Wix Spring Realm   – 2^nd Team Dressage, 8^th individual Dressage & Team 80cms SJ
Fleur Ludgrove riding Otter – Team 80cms JS
Ada Marson riding Rolly Rascal – 11^th JwS Individual 70cms

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.