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The Eclipse taken from Ratcliffe College Preparatory School
Official opening of Ratcliffe College Preparatory School
by HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO, 26th March 2015
PRAYER FOR THE EASTER HOLIDAYS
Lord, make me so sensitive to the needs of those around me, that I never fail to know when they
are hurting or afraid, or when they are simply crying out for someone’s touch to ease their
loneliness. Let me love so much that my first thought is of others and my last thought is of me.
Amen.
Fr Ted Mullen
PARENT NEWS
Isabel Ashford (Year 6 & 2 Mum) has managed again to get a 30% discount off Activate Sport
both for Easter and Summer weeks. The code is ASASHRAT15 and is valid until 31st July. If you
book more than one week or more than one child, you should get a further discount. Please
spread the word because the more parents that book, the more discount we will get off next year.
You can either book online or phone.
The dates and full prices are as follows:-
Date
Academy/Camp
30th March - 2nd April
2015
Andrew Flintoff Cricket Academy 4 Day Cricket
Academy
27th - 31st July 2015
Multi Sport & Activity
3rd - 7th August 2015
Andrew Flintoff Cricket Academy 5 Day Academy
10th - 14th August 2015 Gold Medal Academy
Camp type
5 Day Camp
5 Day Academy
SENIOR SCHOOL STUDENT NEWS
Headmaster’s Assembly
23rd March 2015
Merit Badge
Year 7
Sophia Buczkowska
Charlie Foulds
Archie Heaney
Cindy Lee
Rebecca Lindley
Annabel Mills
Isabella Mulvihill
Samantha Seidu
Lily Stevenson-Ward
Emma Turner
Year 8
Merit Shield
Hadia Hussain
Eddy Robinson
Outstanding Reward Voucher 1
Year 10
Kimberly Cheuk
Ben Dexter
Zoe Duffin
Shelly Lam
Alex Mitchell
Jessica Neuberg
Alex Offer
Rachel Sou
Isobel Thomas
Beatrice Waters
Year 12
Edward-Joseph Cefai
Chloe Flowers
Janina Gassler
Year 13
Alana Chin
Outstanding Reward Voucher 2
Tom Cusack
Philip Gyesi-Appiah
Joseph Smith
Cherry Tsang
Lewis Smith
LAMDA EXAMINATION RESULTS
OLIVIA CARPENTER
GRACE CLARK
REBECCA DAVIS
LUKE GYESI APPIAH
PHILIP GYESI APPIAH
ZAINAB HUSSAIN
JAKE KIRKBY
THOMAS LEITE
HERMIONE LANYON
JESS NEUBERG
CHARLOTTE MEADOWS
ANNABEL MILLS
GUY MILLS
OLUTOMI MOSAKU
TSZ YAU TSANG (CHERRY)
ACTING COMBINED GRADE 4
ACTING COMBINED GRADE 4
ACTING DUOLOGUE ENTRY
ACTING GRADE 5 SOLO
ACTING GRADE 4 COMBINED
GRADE 3 ACTING SOLO
GRADE 3 VERSE AND PROSE
ACTING DUOLOGUE ENTRY
DEVISING COMBINED GRADE 3
GRADE 3 ACTING SOLO
DEVISING COMBINED GRADE 3
ACTING DUOLOGUE ENTRY
ACTING DUOLOGUE ENTRY
GRADE 4 ACTING COMBINED
ACTING SOLO GRADE 1
PASS
PASS
DISTINCTION
DISTINCTION
MERIT
DISTINCTION
MERIT
DISTINCTION
DISTINCTION
DISTINCTION
DISTINCTION
DISTINCTION
DISTINCTION
MERIT
MERIT
MOLLIE PAGE PASS WITH MERIT
NICOLE SPENCER PASS WITH MERIT
TILLY WHEELER PASS WITH DISTINCTION
ROBYN HENDRY PASS WITH DISTINCTION
ELLIE BAKER PASS WITH DISTINCTION
MIA BAKER PASS WITH DISTINCTION
ISABELLA WHALLEY PASS WITH MERIT
AARIN POPAT PASS WITH MERIT
JOSH MACQUEEN PASS WITH MERIT
HANNAH GRINHAM PASS WITH MERIT
GRACE LINDOP PASS WITH MERIT
MAX JARVIS PASS
Duke of Edinburgh Awards
Congratulations to Rosie Jones and Max Wheeler, Year 12, on gaining their Silver Award, and to
Harriette Bridgwater, Imogen Power and Kate Scarborough, Year 11, on gaining their Bronze
Award
Jade England, Year 8, recently competed for Rearsby Lodge Riding Club Junior (under 18) team
at the Festival of the Horse Challenge at Osberton. The competition was an area qualifier for the
national championships in May. Jade's team won, and Jade was placed first individually out of all
the Juniors, so she qualifies for the championships both as a team and individual competitor.
“Teddy” was the smallest pony to complete the cross country course, and Jade and Teddy were
the only junior competitor to finish on 0 time faults; they were pretty happy as it was their first
ever cross country competition at this height.
Art is …
128 x 88cm drip painting on canvas. By Millie Whowell, Year 13
Requiem Mass for King Richard III
David, Rebecca and Sarah Astill were fortunate to take part, as Altar Servers, at the special Mass.
The Bishop's Secretary complimented the children on their excellent serving, and the Cardinal
was also very impressed with them. They had all been given important roles during the Mass
and carried them out dutifully. It was a very proud moment for the Astill family.
PREPARATORY SCHOOL NEWS
Year 2 History Trip, Warwick Castle
Preparatory School Speech Competition Winners
CERTIFICATES OF MERIT were awarded to:YEAR 6
Ethan Chapman
Ben Ashford
Olivia Crawley
Imogen Ferrier
Ben Jackson
Ethan Bruiners
YEAR 5
Harry Gamble
Thomas Leighton
Amelia Wells
Ella Clark
Phoebe Greenaway
Eleni Malhan
Tilak Pabari
Shreya Patel
David Seidu
Harley Walker
Alex Hollinshead
Isla Jenks
Jonahthan Shaw
Merit badge
2nd certificate
2nd certificate
2nd certificate
2nd certificate
1st certificate
Merit shield
Merit shield
Merit shield
Merit badge
Merit badge
Merit badge
Merit badge
Merit badge
Merit badge
Merit badge
2nd certificate
2nd certificate
2nd certificate
Year 4
Sophia Cooper
Felix Jackson
YEAR 3
Oliver Smith
Jacques Wilkins
Charles Carpenter
Holly Page
Joss Phillipps
YEAR 1
Oliver Kirby-Doughty
Ethan Carroll
Chloe Elsby
Coral Kairamkonda
Rohan Kotak
Merit badge
2nd certificate
Merit badge
Merit badge
2nd certificate
2nd certificate
2nd certificate
Merit badge
2nd certificate
2nd certificate
2nd certificate
2nd certificate
The Ratcliffe Sapphires: Imogen Ferrier, Torie Baggott, Elena Griffiths, Eleanor McLean and
Shreya Patel won the Netball Festival. Well done girls.
Olivia Crawley, Year 6, received a rosette for Arena Eventing.
David Seidu, Year 5, received a medal for fastest sprinter in the 100m Dome Challenge 2015.
Tatiana Lock, Year 4, received a certificate and orange/white stripe belt in freestyle Tae Kwon
Do.
Finlay Spencer, Year 4, received the Man of the Match trophy for East Goscote FC.
Year 6 shared their Holy Communion leaflet with Year 3 as part of RE
SPORTS
PREPARATORY SCHOOL
U11B Boys’ Hockey v Foremarke Hall
On Wednesday 11th March, Ratcliffe U11B team played a strong Foremarke Hall side at home.
The weather clouded over just in time for the first push back. We started the match strongly
with some excellent defending from Hugo Ziff. Foremarke continued to work hard and tested
our defence time after time. It was half-time and Ratcliffe were determined to get some goals
back after conceding 2 in the first half. In the second half, we pressed higher up the pitch but the
Foremarke defence was strong. We pushed harder to score but left ourselves open at the back.
The final score was 6 – 0 to Foremarke Hall but all of the boys played exceptionally well and
never gave up. Player of the match was Thomas Leighton for a superb all round display. Well
done to all the boys who played.
By Jamie Hollis
U10B Netball v Leicester Grammar Junior School
On Wednesday 18th March, the U10B netball team played a strong game of netball against
Leicester Grammar Junior School. Sadly, by the end of the first quarter, Leicester Grammar had
scored 4 goals to our 1. Annie Jarvis had scored an amazing goal for Ratcliffe College but
Leicester Grammar had a strong defence, therefore stopping us from getting any more goals in
the first quarter.
Coming out strongly for the second quarter, Ratcliffe College were able to score 3 superb goals
due to Leicester Grammar’s sudden lack of defence. In this quarter, Leicester grammar were
able to score 2 goals leaving the score at 6 – 4 to Leicester Grammar at half time. We had a good
team talk at half-time and were determined to turn things around in the second half.
The next quarter, Ratcliffe were able to pull through and score 3 more goals; with a joint team
effort, the girls powered through. In the third quarter, Leicester Grammar only scored 1 goal so
the score was now 7 – 7!
The fourth quarter would now decide the entire match. It was a tough quarter for both teams,
and Leicester Grammar managed to gain an early advantage scoring first. We couldn’t believe
that they had gotten through our amazing defence. After 5 minutes, Ella Clark and Matilda Miles
worked well together to gain goals for Ratcliffe. This gave us the momentum, and the final score
was 12- 8 to RATCLIFFE. Player of the match was given to Isabella Illsley Ridge. Team captain
was Niara Popat. Well done to all the girls who played outstandingly well.
By Isabella Illsley Ridge
SENIOR SCHOOL
Sports Presentation Evening, with Guest of Honour, Mr Louis Deacon
Full Sports Colours were awarded to:Rory Thorne, Sibella Chew, Adelaide Muskwe, Samuel Nightingale, Emily Cheetham,
Emma Furlong, Toby Smith, James Robinson, Olivia Back, Isobel Knight, Angharad Lloyd and
Olivia Gilchrist.
Report as presented at Headmaster’s Assembly on Monday 23rd March
Hockey
1st
On Saturday, the 1st team entered their final weekend of the season, knowing that they would
have to be at their very best against a particularly strong Worksop side to maintain their
unbeaten record. Unfortunately, they set themselves a hard task, after showing the opposition
too much respect in the first-half, going into the break 4 - 1 down with a goal from James
Robinson. In the second-half, they began to show signs of their true potential and their
confidence returned. This was largely fuelled by joint Players of the Match, Toby Smith, who
pulled off some fine saves, and the non-stop running James Robinson up front. Both sides had
chances to score, with Worksop adding 2 more to their tally, while Ratcliffe got a well-deserved
goal through Sam Nightingale. Final Score 6 - 2 to Worksop.
The 1st team went into the Old Ratcliffian game less than 24 hours after their first defeat of the
season, also knowing that a Ratcliffe side had not beaten an Old Boys’ side for a few years. From
the start they showed great determination and discipline as they soaked up Old Boys’ pressure
and then looked to punish them on the break. These tactics worked, as every counter-attack put
the opposition under immense pressure and enabled Ratcliffe to go into a 2 - 0 lead just over
midway through the first-half, with goals from Carrick Anderson and a fine solo effort from Jack
Watson. The Old Boys pulled one back just before the break to set up a tense second-half.
The opposition pushed hard but Ratcliffe stayed firm, and again it was Ratcliffe who had the
better of the chances to finish the game on the break. Even when Ratcliffe lost Captain and Player
of the Match, Joey Higham, who put himself in the way of an opposition stick to make the tackle
and prevent the shot being made, they still held strong. Sam Nightingale stepped up from
vice-captain to lead Ratcliffe home in the last 5 minutes, as the side secured victory and regained
the trophy.
2nd
The 2nds suffered a disappointing 3 - 0 defeat against Worksop in their last game of the season.
Unfortunately, Ratcliffe could not find their passing game in this match and relied too much on
individual ability. However, the boys should be pleased overall, after a good season. Player of the
Match was Harry Redding for some excellent saves.
U15
A severely depleted U15 side played in an excellent game against Worksop on Saturday. A 4 - 0
defeat does no justice to the team as they battled valiantly throughout the game. Several players
who had been in the B team for most of the season stepped up to the mark and certainly did not
look out of place. Matthew Ward was awarded Player of the Match for the control that he offered
in midfield.
U14
The U14 team rounded off their season in style with a 4 - 2 win at Worksop. With the score tied
at 1 - 1 at half-time, Ratcliffe came out fighting in the second-half to score three goals on the
break. Good work by Man of the Match, Maciej Buczkowski in goal, ensured the victory was
completed.
U13/12 A combined
In the final game of our season, a strong U13/U12 combined A-team thoroughly out-performed
Worksop in every department, winning 10 - 0. Every player was on top form and did not give
their opposition number an inch to breath, never mind try and control a hockey ball.
The midfield was outstanding, run by Oliver Welch, Joseph Evenden and Owen Lloyd, and our
forwards had a field day on their supply of passes. So great was our possession that even our
defenders had good opportunities to get involved in attacking play as we transferred the ball
with intent and precision. Goal Scorers were Owen Lloyd (3), Joseph Evenden (2), William
Westwood (2), Harry Best (2) and Thomas Binnie. Man of the Match was Joseph Evenden, who
played with such intensity and will to win that it really set the tone for the rest of the team!
U13B
In a dominant display, the U13B team outclassed Worksop, eventually winning 11 – 1. Connor
Foster and Ellis Gee were a constant threat up front with Ellis scoring a hat-trick. Harry Cusack
played superbly at the back, but it was the midfield trio of Alex Bown, Dempsey Mayne and Josh
Chapman who were the stand-out performers. They worked tirelessly to win and distribute the
ball, creating numerous goal-scoring opportunities. Dempsey and Alex were Men of the Match
for their all-round excellent games.
Cycling
Congratulations to Tom Chandler who won the opening race of the 2015 road season at Darley
Moor on Saturday. Tom now looks forward to the Junior National races to come.
http://m.meltontimes.co.uk/sport/other-sport/cycling-old-dalby-junior-takes-darley-moorwin-1-6636360
Harborough rugby squad, County Cup winners. Amongst them, playing in prominent positions
were Adam Stamp & Harrison Grimmett, Year 10. This was their 6th County Cup win!
Of this squad, 15 players play for Robert Smyth, the team that defeated Ratcliffe in the final this
year.
Rory Thorne, Boys’ Sports Captain
Netball
1st
A fitting end to a very successful season for the 1st team as they beat Loughborough High School
convincingly, 24 - 12. It was a whole team effort from start to finish as they gradually pulled
away in the final three-quarters. Shooters, Holly Blount and Charley Flowers, made the most of
well-timed interceptions from Player of the Match Adelaide Muskwe, Nima Patel and Megan
Vincent. Olivia Back chased down every loose ball and brought a dynamic attack during the
match. The attitude and determination that the 1st team have had all season are exemplary and
they fully deserve their successes.
2nd
The 2nds welcomed Loughborough High School for their final game of the netball season on
Saturday. The girls started very slowly in the first quarter, scoring only 1 goal to Loughborough’s
4. The second quarter saw Ratcliffe make a change owing to injury, bringing on Imogen Power at
Goal Defence who had a strong game, making interceptions in the defensive circle. Ratcliffe now
looked like they turned up to the game making interceptions throughout the court from Chloe
Flowers and Yasmin Gill, which were then successfully converted by an on-form Mimi Lallo and
Becky Astill. Ratcliffe overturned a 3-goal deficit to a 2-goal lead, going into half-time 7 - 5 ahead.
The third quarter saw Ratcliffe take their foot off the gas allowing Loughborough back into the
game, finishing the quarter 10 - 9 ahead. Ratcliffe knew what they needed to do for the finalquarter, where Emma Taylor-Clark came back on and gave the defence more height in the circle
in which they capitalised, gathering many rebounds. Ellie Cooper provided fantastic support out
of defence, allowing Angharad Lloyd and Yasmin Gill to calmly bring the ball down the court and
convert. The 2nds finished with a strong, positive performance and won the tightly battled game
14 - 12. Player of the Match went to Ellie Cooper for her strongest performance of the season,
gathering rebounds and providing an excellent back up for her team mates. Congratulations to
the 2nds for winning the final game of the season, you’ve had a positive and successful season.
U15A & B
The U15A and B teams both lost narrowly to Loughborough and should be proud of the way they
came back. The A team were slow to get started and were 5 goals down in the first quarter. After
some encouraging words, they played the rest of the match with fire in their bellies, led by Olivia
Back and Kate Tyszka. Natasha Walsh and Issy Thomas were up against some very strong
shooters who made it difficult for them to penetrate the circle. Olivia and Natasha were Players
of the Match.
The B team played some good netball, showing a concerted effort in the second-half. Some
excellent shooting from Nicole Wong earned her Player of the Match
U14A
Following the absence of a few influential players, the U14A team pulled together to put in a
solid performance. Jenna Pole received Player of the Match for a tremendous game playing as
Goal Attack. Her movement was exceptional and her feeds into the circle were spot on. Sarah
Astill shot consistently throughout the game and played particularly well under pressure. Ru
Tsatsa and Olivia Carpenter worked tirelessly in defence, putting pressure on within the circle,
while Mollie Page, Emily Grimmett and Molly Edwards continued to demonstrate great
movement of the ball through the court. The final score was 15 - 33. The girls have had a
fantastic season and should be so very proud of themselves.
U14B
The U14B team played their best game of the season on Saturday. Individual skills and team
tactics all came together in their game against Loughborough, in what was a nail-biting forty
minutes. It was end to end the whole game with only two goals in it at three quarters time.
The final score was 16 - 20. Grace Clark, Ru Tsatsa and Eve Baxter worked fantastically as a unit
in defence, showing how valuable team work can be. Izzy Coombs, Jenna Pole and Eleanor
Brambell moved the ball through the court swiftly, making it incredibly difficult for defenders to
make an interception. Megha Patel and Izzy Pullen worked as a partnership in the shooting
circle, shooting very well. Players of the Match were Ru Tsatsa and Eve Baxter for their brilliant
marking and countless interceptions.
U14A/B
A mixed U14A/B team faced a dynamic Rawlins side mid-week. The girls showed great
movement and tactical defending, but unfortunately lost by a small margin. A few little mistakes
saw the opposition take advantage of this; however, Holly Bown, Eve Baxter and Ru Tsatsa
worked their socks off in defence, applying pressure and forcing a number of errors. Mollie Page,
Izzy Coombs and Olivia Carpenter worked particularly well in attack, demonstrating an excellent
work ethic. Their drive and determination resulted in great team morale throughout the game.
U13A
After a couple of tough games for the U13s, the girls were ready to bounce back and were
determined to get a good result, which they did. Ratcliffe played some lovely netball, moving well
and passing the ball with more control and confidence. A lot of girls ended up playing out of
position towards the third and fourth quarters, and it was great to see them still thinking about
their tactics and roles in each position. The quality of netball remained high throughout the
whole game with the final score being a 22 - 5 win for Ratcliffe. Players’ player went to Holly
Vinall and Coach’s player to Ellie Hollinshead and Hannah Ball.
U12A
The U12 A team faced a tough Loughborough High team on Saturday. Off the back of their
success at the County Tournament, the girls were ready for a hard match. The girls worked hard
on getting in front of their players. Centre-court players, Maddy Lindop, Aimee Cleminson and
Becky Lindley worked hard to get free from their player and create space. Ellie Gallacher and
Eleanor Shaw worked hard on their movement in the circle to create shooting opportunities.
We had to work very hard in defence with a welcomed addition of Izzy Burke at Goal Defence.
The final score of 31 - 9 did not reflect the play on court, and the girls should all be very proud of
all their achievements in this match, as well as this season. Player of the Match was Ellie
Gallacher who shot excellently and worked well under pressure from double marking for a large
majority of the game.
U12B
The U12 B team were up against a very strong Loughborough High side this week. The girls
worked hard to maintain possession of the ball and get in front of players to receive passes.
When we were attacking, the girls were unstoppable, with accurate shooting from Mimi Khan
and Becky Lindley. Unfortunately, Loughborough’s sharp defensive skills allowed them to turn
over play, resulting in a final score of 16 - 4 to Loughborough. Player of the Match was Lucy Antill
for her relentless work in the centre-court throughout the match.
County Netball Tournament
On Saturday, the U13s played in their County Tournament at Leicester Grammar School.
They faced some unexpectedly strong opposition in the group stages and struggled to find their
rhythm. In the third and fourth gamesm the girls started to play with more fluency, and they
were rewarded in the fourth game with a good victory over Leicester High School. Sofia
Henderson was excellent in defence and Abigale Sanataney was excellent in the shooting circle;
both were awarded Players of the Tournament. Well done to all the girls.
Fencing
On Saturday 14th March, four Ratcliffe College fencers took part in the East Midlands regional
qualifier for the British Youth Championships in Mansfield. Three qualified for the final at the
Sheffield Institute of Sport in May. Jonathan Bellamy took silver in the Sabre U12 group, while
Finlay Noble took Bronze in the U12 Epee and Niamh Noble also qualified with Bronze in the
U14 Epee. Harry Palmer was unlucky meeting a very experienced fencer in direct elimination in
the U16 Epee.
On Wednesday 18th March, Niamh Noble and Harry Palmer took part in the Public Schools
Fencing Championships at Crystal Palace. It was a very long day for both with Niamh facing 47
other entries in the U14 Epee category. Niamh won her first round of poules, clearing the
elimination and went on to place 2nd in her 2nd round of poules, again avoiding the cut easily.
She finished her poules 13th out of the remaining 26, not enough to get a bye for the first-round
of direct elimination. Her first eliminator was a very fast and convincing 15 - 6 win, she then
drew the number 5 seed but again gave a swift and efficient performance winning 15 - 11. In the
quarter-finals, she began well and took a lead, fighting a very defensive fencer. Niamh battled on
but lost the match 15 – 11, sadly missing the medals and leaving the competition in the quarterfinals. A nice mature fight that showed some great improvements. Harry performed very well
considering he was up against some very well-heeled schools and their coaches. He ranked very
well in the poules avoiding elimination, unfortunately losing in his second DE fight.
All the fencers should be proud of their achievements.
Angharad Lloyd, Girls’ Sports Captain