Staff v Thornton hockey
In front of a capacity crowd (the whole school were invited down to watch) and on our brand new all-weather pitch, the Games Department’s end of term was marked with a hugely entertaining three way tournament between the girls and boys from Upper School and a dozen plucky staff. Not only was this a fabulous opportunity to show off the new pitch to the whole school, it also proved a genuine showcase of superb sportsmanship. The girls and boys found themselves equally pitted (drawing their match 1-1) and even outwitted by the staff (who won both their games 2-1); at all times though their attitude was positive and courteous, as exemplified by Ben Mewes’ compliment of Mr Woods’ tremendous save of one of Ben’s goal attempts. The tournament was also a chance for our new Hockey coach Mr Couttie to meet pupils and to demonstrate the level of skill and tactical hockey he looks forward to passing on to them henceforth.
Astroturf handover
Last Monday was a big day for Mrs Walkland: after years of planning and pestering, her dream of an AstroTurf on Cundall grounds became a reality. Just 10 weeks after the start of work on the site, the contractors effectively handed over responsibility of the pristine pitch to the Games Department. After a quick photocall, (Mrs Walkland’s and the players’ eagerness to get going hastening the formalities!) Mrs Walkland blew the whistle for the start of the first ever game on the carpeted pitch. It was an emotional moment for Mrs Walkland, and a very exciting one for the players who certainly seemed in their element.
Cundall Clay Shoot
It was a chilly but beautifully clear day that greeted the guns and guests at the Cundall Clay Shoot last Sunday. Hosted by Mr and Mrs Bell (parents of former pupils Chloe and Toby) at Breckenbrough, the shoot attracted teams and individual shooters from all over the county. With U16 and U18 team classes (for both schools and other groups) as well as individual classes, competition across the five stands was fierce. The day also offered a wonderful opportunity for novice shooters to receive expert caching from BASC coaches as well. And no doubt everyone relished the wonderfully warming stew laid on by Mr and Mrs Bell and their team at the end of a successful, albeit chilly day! All the proceeds from the Clay Shoot go towards the Upper School Summer Expedition, this year to Canada, so a huge thank you to everyone who supported the event. Thank you too, to Mr and Mrs Bell for organising and hosting the event, and to Kevin and Mandy Tonks for offering the coaching services throughout the day. The winners in the various classes are as follows: Best U16 Team Pocklington School Edward Wraith, Jack Nutt, Jimmy Wraith, Ashley Johnson Best U18 Team Ampleforth Harry Huddleston, Jack Ogden , Roddy Saxby ,Seth Smith Best Open shot team Hunting Crew M Parker, G Cribbs Steve Tate, Kevin Handley Best U16 Individual Jimmy Wraith Best U18 Individual Harry Huddleston 1st Open Individual Kevin Handley Best Lady M Parker Best Cundall Junior Sam Bentley 2nd Cundall Junior Luke Bourne-Arton Best Cundall Father Simon Young 2nd Cundall Father Jonathan Turner
Cundall Gymnasts Go for Gold
Congratulations to the Cundall Gymnastics Team for an outstanding performance at the recent Scarborough Gymnastics Academy Teamgym Apparatus Championships 2014. Despite a very early start and the long journey, the girls (from left to right), Anna Edwards, Matilda Ruddy, Ruby Petiffer and Flossie Attwood the girls executed their routines brilliantly and justly earned their Gold medals. Well done to you all, girls!
Well done Bev!
Hot on the heels of her recent accolade at the Hambleton Sports Awards, we are delighted to announce that Hockey Coach and Matron Bev Longthorne has now been selected as an Unsung Hero finalist in the Northern Echo’s Local Heroes Award for 2014. Bev will be attending the Awards Gala Dinner early next month and we look forward to reporting on the evening before the end of term. This is a wonderful accolade for Bev and testament to the enormous contribution she makes to the local sporting community. Congratulations from everyone at Cundall, Bev!
U16 North East England Hockey tournament.
U16 North East England Hockey tournament. Cundall as U16 county hockey champions went to Leeds University for the North East round. The girls played extremely well in the group stage and beat Grammar school at Leeds 2- 0 and Teesside High 5-2. In the semi finals against Hymers, Cundall were the stronger team in the first half and had a number of opportunities. At half time it was 0 – 0 but Hymers came out with renewed vigour in the second half and scored 2 goals, one of which came from a suspect penalty corner. The girls should be very proud of themselves and be aware of how much they have achieved in becoming county champions and reaching this stage.
Sports report
This last week was a slightly quieter affair for Cundall’s sporting pupils. It was girls’ games that dominated the Wednesday afternoon fixture list: against Yarm the Under 13 hockey team won 5-0 and the Under 12s drew 2-2. At Scarborough College the Under 11 hockey team demonstrated their strength by winning comfortably 9-0 and the Under 9s found matters tougher losing 1-3. In Rugby, the boys Under 13s travelled north to Red House and, following a faultless performance, they returned victorious with a staggering 76-0 win. On Thursday the Upper School boys played a third game against Ackworth School and, having drawn the previous two games, this too was a close encounter. With honours even with 5 minutes to go, a goalmouth scramble resulted in Cundall conceding to eventually lose 2-3. On Friday the Under 8 boys were once again displaying their skills at tag rugby when they entertained Gateways School and recorded two victories to finish off another successful Cundall sporting week. Apologies for the omission in last week’s sporting news: congratulations to the the U13 girl’s hockey team whose performance at the mini tournament at Queen Margaret’s saw them successfully qualify for the County stages, having scored 21 unanswered goals in the process.. Well done girls
U15 Hambleton and Richmond Area Netball
Cundall had a brilliant tournament and played out of their skins, the result resting on the very final match – Cundall v Queen Mary’s. This time, crucially, Cundall won! Congratulations to all the girls, particularly to Sophie Lake for such good shooting and to Lucy Auckland for captaining the winning team.
Honours for our own hockey hero
We are delighted to bring news this week of a wonderful accolade for our matron and hockey coach Mrs Bev Longthorne. Bev’s commission and passion for hockey was formally recognised by Hambleton District Council at the recent Hambleton Sports Awards. Bev was one of a group of sports performers, coaches and volunteers whose contribution to their chosen sport deserves particular recognition; Bev’s involvement in hockey at county level is extensive and it is lovely to see it recognised by so many in the form of this award. Well done Bev. Bev, top left, is pictured with fellow Hambleton District Council Sports Award recipients
Sports report
Boys and Girls of the Main School and Upper School were once again busy representing the school in several disciplines. On Tuesday the Under 14 boys had a cracking game against Ampleforth College with the lead changing several times, only for the game to finish in a thrilling 28-28 draw. On Wednesday it was the turn of Main School with the boys having the return block fixture against Aysgarth and demonstrating much improvement since their first encounter. The Under 13A team demonstrated great courage and endeavour despite the 0-27 loss, the scoreline not reflecting the closeness of the game. The Under 13B team continued their winning ways with a close 12-5 victory. The Under 11 teams also displayed improved performances in their losses by 10-45 and 0-31. The Under 9s then finished the fixture on a high with a 5-5 draw for the A team and a 9-2 victory for the B team.For the girls there was a block fixture with Gateways School in which the Under 11A team won 6-0 and the Under 11 B team won 7-0 at hockey. For the Under 13 and Under 12 girls the focus turned to netball: the Under 13s had a close match, coming out as winners by 10-8, whilst the Under 12s found things slightly tougher in their 3-23 loss. There was also a victory over Hill House for the Under 10 hockey team.On Thursday the Under 8 boys enjoyed another tag fixture, this time against Aysgarth, in which all those Form 1 boys who had had less competitive experience during the term competed. They performed extremely well, scoring many tries in the process. For the Upper School the Under 16 girls continued their impressive season with a 7-1 victory over Silcoates. For the boys it was their turn to compete in football against Ackworth School and in very windy conditions they played some nice football at times and finished with a 1-1 draw.Finally on Saturday the Under 13 boys completed the week with two resounding victories over local rivals St Martin’s, Ampleforth. The Under 13As romped home by 51-0 and the Under 13 Bs once again recorded a convincing victory by 42-0.