Sports

A Word from the outgoing Games Captain

Sports Awards

This year it has been an honour taking the role of the first ever Games Captain at Notting Hill. We have had such a successful year in sport and seeing all the achievements come through each week has really made me realise how much sport everyone participates in at Notting Hill.

Some of the highlights from this year include the U13 and U15 Waterpolo teams both reaching the National Waterpolo finals. The U12 cricket team being crowned Middlesex Indoor Champions at Lords cricket ground. All age groups participated in the netball county tournaments this year placing 5th position or above, with the U12 team winning and becoming county champions! The U18 hockey team also became Middlesex county champions in their last ever year playing together as a team, and the Cross-Country team won the Ealing Cross Country for the 6th year in a row, as well as the Ealing Schools Cross-country relays.

I will miss playing sport at Notting Hill so I really hope you all make the most of your time now and cherish every moment in your sports teams for as long as possible!

Cameron Thomas, Games Captian (2018-2019), Year 13

A Word from the Director of Sport

This year at the Sports Awards we were honoured to be able to hear from both Dame Katherine Grainger and Councillor Eartha Pond. Dame Katherine Grainger told us about how to be the best version of ourselves and her inspiring Olympic journey. Her message was both relevant to our sporting careers and personal lives. We then heard from Councillor Eartha Pond. She also spoke meaningfully about the impact the Grenfell Tower fire had on her local community and the work she did raising money through charity football matches. We greatly appreciated both of these inspirational women giving up their time to speak to us.

After our lovely BBQ dinner, it was time to start the awards. We began by recognising the Junior and Senior Players of the Year and Rising Stars in each sport - huge congratulations to all those who were either nominated or won an award. After the individual sport awards had been announced, the big awards started. The first of these awards was Team of the Year which went to the U18 County Champion Hockey Team. This was particularly special as it was the team’s last year together. The next award was Outstanding Contribution to Sport which went to Jojo (Year 12) and Maddie (Year 8) for their high standards of commitment and volunteering. The Unsung Hero Awards went to Keerit (Year 9) and Eleanor (Year 10). Finally, the Sports Personalities of the Year were awarded to Jasmine (Year 9) and Hannah (Year 12) for their outstanding year in sport.

We would like to say a big thank you to the Sports Department, in particular Miss Adams who made this evening possible, and all who have supported us all season.

By Kira Nygren (Sports Representative) and Jojo Loxton (Games Captain 2019-2020)

As Cameron has already said, it has been another successful year again in sport, with success at County, Regional and National Levels. For those of you who attended the Sports Awards and heard my opening speech, you would have heard me echo the quote that was used by England Netball, “If not now, when? If not us, who?” This quote is now being re-used for the World Cup this summer being “It’s Us, It’s Now”. I love this, as it highlights just what I want pupils to think about their sport - why can’t it be you? Why can’t you try a new sport, take your sport to elite level, or even be the best in the world? This also applies to school level sport, why can’t NHEHS be County Champions, Regional champions or make the National Finals. As Cameron has highlighted, the ‘Why not us?’ is rubbing off on NHEHS girls, with so many fantastic achievements this year. I want to say a huge thank you and well done to every single pupil who has thought ‘why not me?’ and attended a sports club and I hope everyone is inspired for next September!

Netball

Junior Netball Senior Netball

This season the junior netball teams have had some fantastic achievements, whether that is in training, matches or tournaments. The U12A team have done extremely well this year, accomplishing 3rd place at the annual Ibstock and Harrodian netball tournaments and becoming Middlesex County Champions! U13A team has also performed at a high level with winning the Cup at the GSA Tournament weekend at Condover Hall, becoming bronze medallists at the Harrodian Tournament and placing 5th out of 16 teams in the Middlesex County Tournament.

The U14s started the season by playing in the GSA Tournament at Condover Hall, placing 7th out of 24 teams, which showed the team exactly what we needed to be worked on this season. The team then had the Middlesex Prelims Tournament where they managed to win four out of the five matches, beating Godolphin and Latymer, South Hampstead, LEH and Drayton Mannor, placing 2nd overall and gaining a place at the County finals! At the Middlesex County Finals, the team finished 4th overall, a great result as there were 18 schools that entered at the start of the year.

Overall, the junior netball teams have had an incredible season, with U12 having A-F teams, U13 A-F teams and U14 A-D teams. All teams have shown commitment and dedication throughout the season to both training twice a week and matches! Well done to everyone who has played for a junior netball team this year!

Jasmine Saha (U14 Netball Captain), Year 9 Last year was a good year for the first netball team as we were able to win ten out of fifteen matches. This allowed us to qualify for the Middlesex Country Finals for the fourth year in a row. To be on the first team, members are expected to maintain a high standard of performance by attending Monday lunch and Thursday morning netball trainings. This ensures fitness is improved and new strategies are constructed. As a team, we are very close due to having preserved our places on the A team since Year 7. This has allowed our team to build a strong bond and therefore we are able to understand each other’s strengths and anticipate players next moves. It is important for a team to be able to pick themselves up after a bad match, reflect on mistakes from their performance and correct them, so that they improve to become stronger as a team and not repeat mistakes. Our team was able to prove this last year, by playing our biggest competitors, St Paul’s Girls School, where we lost our first game. However we were able to go over our weaknesses and turn them into strengths so that when it came to our rematch, we were able to create a clear win.

Cup matches are the hardest games we play each year. They last sixty minutes so they really push our fitness levels. Through this competition we compete against the best schools at netball in the south-east of England. Last year, after unfortunately losing our first match we were able to win three matches consecutively and reach the plate quarter finals. This year we are hoping to improve on this and make it to the finals. As a team we have already started hard training sessions in order to tighten up as a new unit, after the previous Year 13s have now left, and the new Year 12s have now entered. Let’s hope this year’s netball season is even more successful than the last as it will be many of our members’ final year playing as a team.

Alex Michelmore, Senior Netball Captain, Year 12

Junior Hockey

Hockey

Senior Hockey

Leah Mentesh’s (U14 Hockey Captain) memories of this season….

This season of hockey has not only been about the sport but about bonding as a team. At the beginning of the season, the team was just getting to know each other as players, but after a lovely weekend in Bath we got closer as a team and as friends. Playing 11-a side hockey has its advantages as it means more people are a part of the team and have the opportunity to play the sport we love. Our actual hockey playing improved drastically as the season went on, one of many examples of this was coming 2nd in the Middlesex tournament this year. Overall, it has been a fantastic season, we really came together as a team and have made many new friends.

Miss Greenslade’s Comments on U14 Hockey

It is an exciting time as a player when you make the progression from playing 7-a-side hockey to 11-a-side hockey. The team had a bit of a shaky start at the beginning of the season, trying to get use to playing on a much bigger pitch, and getting to use the space more efficiently. But after a trip to the GDST Hockey Tournament held in Bath over a long weekend, this team game back a different team. Not only did they come back as better friends with lots of stories to tell, they really got to grips with how to play 11-a-side hockey. I didn’t expect after the first day there of playing the group stages for us to be seeded in the Top 6 of the U14 Hockey Teams in the GDST. However, we finished bottom of this group, and I just do not think it was our day, as we were a little bit unlucky in some of the games, losing to one school we should not have for example. However, we had a great weekend, and it was an achievement in itself just to finish in the top group. The team had also had the opportunity to meet a famous player, Helen RichardsonWalsh. When we returned from this tournament, I really felt this squad had come together as a really special and good team. They finished the season winning quite a few of their friendly matches, and reaching the final in the fun end of term tournament that Ibstock Place host. Quite a few of these girls have also been asked to step up during this season, and play for the team above because they are solid players that you would want to be a part of your team. I think it’s been a great season, I’m so pleased with the progress you have made this year, and I hope you are all looking forwards to next season! It is fair to say that the U18 Hockey Team has had their most successful season in recent history. We started the season strong with the majority of the team already partaking in club, county or regional level hockey before September.We kicked off the season with a match against Godolphin and Latymer which was tight, but we unfortunately took the loss (2-1). Training hard every Friday before school, the Middlesex County Tournament quickly approached us in October.

First, we beat Mill Hill 1-0, building the confidence of the team for the beginning of the day. We then faced St Benedict’s, taking a big win 4-1 despite conceding a goal early on. With two wins behind us, we stepped onto the pitch totake on Godolphin and Latymer – who we had previously lost to early on in the season. Working hard as a team and under great leadership from our Captains Nathalie W and Philippa J, we came out of the match with a 0-0 draw. Going into our last match we tookon a strong team from Latymer Upper School. By half time, we were still in the game as it was a tie. During the half time break, our coach Ms Nicholas informed us that we needed to win or draw to take the title of County Champions and progress to Regionals.However, a loss would put us in third place and we would fail to qualify for the next round. In the final half of the match, we played safe, knowing a strong defensive line was our priority. After an intense second half, the final whistle blew and we knew we had become County Champions!

Regionals were the next challenge our team faced. To prepare for this we scheduled a training session in our half term. We arrived at Bradfield College, in our long sub jackets to keep us warm, ready for thetournament ahead. Despite some excellent play, we unfortunately lost all three of our matches against Bradfield College, King Edward’s Southampton and St Georges. The team pulled together despite some difficult matches and really bonded well.

We would like to say goodbye and thank you to the Year 13s for their commitment and dedication to the team, in particular our two captains Nathalie W and Philippa J who have shown great leadership all season.We would also like to thank Miss Nicholas who has coached us through this year and lead our team to some great victories. We are looking forward to a great season ahead!

Kira Nygren and Jojo Loxton, Year 12

Swimming Waterpolo

This year, NHEHS swimming department has endeavoured to create as many opportunities for us as possible. Whether that is in water polo - where we have had the chance to compete nationally - or in swimming, with galas held frequently. In swimming, we train competitively. Training is available to an abundnce of eager swimmers in Years 7 - 13 and it competitions we often achieve to high standards.

Waterpolo has risen in popularity over the past few years. We have competed in two age categories in the ESSA National water polo finals, both teams playing with impressive talent.

This year has been success after success, with us winning all of our fixtures for swimming but also due to in waterpolo gaining so many new members - well done!

Genevieve Pearce, Year 8 For the past few years, waterpolo has been a growing sport in the NHEHS community - with sessions over five times a week, across the year groups. Mr Bent is keen to spread the love of waterpolo further within our school and is always looking for ways the teams can train more frequently as well as having some more accessible sessions. Sessions regularly take place on Mondays after school for Years 9 and 10 and Thursdays after school for Years 7 and 8 as well as a few lunchtime clubs.

Water polo is a sport effectively described by a fellow player as “fun, engaging and rough”. It bears resemblance to the majority of the team sports played in this school (such as netball and hockey), yet also introduces many positive aspects such as the fact that it “brings years together” whilst playing the game, which helps it become such a brilliant pastime. This sport is worth anyone’s time, no matter their ability or age and I would thoroughly recommendit.

There is also a competitive edge to this sport in the school and every year, across the three age categories (U13, U15 and U18), we compete in regional tournaments, in addition to other matches throughout the year. Last year, this placed our school as one of the best teams in the country. This a fantastic achievement, which we are currently training to get again this year.

I hope this sport will grow in size throughout the coming year and that our numbers of regular attendees will increase.

Genevieve Pearce, Year 8

Junior Athletics

Overall, the Athletics at NHEHS has been an incredible experience for me. I have achieved my personal best and everyone who has done Athletics should be very proud of themselves for working so hard.

At the fixture against Latymer, Godolphin, St Augustine’s and St Benedicts, a lot of Year 7s found it ‘challenging, but fun’ and many said that they ‘wanted to do something like that again’. One also stated, ‘I am glad that I had a chance to perform in something like that’.

Many who went to the Track and Field Cup, (the County Round) worked extremely well and Ella Milner from Year 7 even managed to achieve her personal best of 1m 23 in her first ever time of doing high jump in a competition.Michelle Nogai also did very well in 100m including Sephera Forrester in the hurdles. It was very hot in the morning, however, it soon started to rain after midday. It was a long and tiring competition, however many achieved their goals and the team won 293 points, which made them through to the Regional Round.

Moving on to the Regional Round, the team performed outstandingly, earning 323 points and coming 2nd out of 24 schools. The team worked so hard and actually ended up, winning nearly all their events throughout the day. Maddy Halliday was outstanding in her first ever time of competing in the 300m and Sephera Forrester got a new personal of 22m in Discus, and also won her hurdles race. Wow!

Now, let’s not forget the Bath GDST rally! Nicola Hewitt found the Rally, ‘challenging but achievable’ and said that she ‘did her best in 1500m and couldn’t have done any better’. I found it very nerve-racking but mostly exciting because the rally was very competitive and there were many brilliant 800m runners in the competition. The rain sadly came after a few hours, forcing my mood to darken, however, in my head, I was still celebrating the effort I had made. Sixth out of all the GDST schools is an amazing achievement and I think everyone should congratulate themselves on how well they did at this GDST rally. Senior Athlectics

We have had an extremely busy and successful athletics season this year with many fixtures against a variety of different schools including St Benedicts, St Augustine’s and Godolphin and Latymer. We have again managed to win all our friendly fixtures, using these sessions to develop our confidence in competing.

Both the Junior and Intermediate Teams did fantastically in the first round of the Track and Field Cup. The Intermediate Team scored an impressive 307 points, which lead us through from the County (Middlesex) to the Regional Round (South East of England) of this competition. Impressive runs by Isabella Holmes in the 100m (13.2 seconds), Natasha Jones in the 300m (47.0 seconds), Jasmine Palmer in the 1500m (4 minutes 53) and Grace Kenyon in the Javelin (25m02) all scored the team big points.

The Regional Round fell the day after DofE – so there were some tired legs! A personal best in the Javelin from Grace Kenyon (27.23m) and strong performances from Natasha Jones in the 300m, Sophie Claxton in the Shot Put and Jasmine Palmer in the 1500m all got some impressive points, but the Inters couldn’t match their first round score.

The GDST athletics rally was again a great challenge, with the team hoping to equal or beat their 6th position placing out of all 24 schools. The day was very successful and many who took part made the school proud with their placing- the team again gained 6th place, meaning all went home pleased!

Finally, Isobel Thornton (long jump), Ellie Ritchie (Javelin), Isobel Holmes (100m), Keerit Dhillon (Hurdles) and Jasmine Palmer (1500m) all got selected to represent Ealing at the Middlesex Athletics Championships in June. Jasmine Palmer won the 1500m and with a time of 4 minutes 42 seconds has made it through to the English Schools Championships!

Overall athletics has been great this year and we cannot wait to see what happens next season.

Jasmine Palmer, Inter Girls Captain, Year 10

Cross Country Football

This year the cross country has grown in numbers and the performances have massively improved with huge successes through the year. The season started on the 4th October with the Ealing Borough Championships where we won the whole championships. Some of the highlights were Eadi SolankiJackson who came 7th in the Year 7/8 race. Rosie and Nicola Hewitt also performed extremely well coming in 10th and 12th in the Year 7 /8 race. Jasmine Palmer won gold in the Year 9/10 race and we got a full house in the Year 11/12 race with Anna Mackenzie clinching the gold, Martha Price taking silver and Amira Nuseibeh achieving a bronze medal.

The next stage was the Middlesex Cross Country championships where a record 18 girls were selected to represent Ealing. Jasmine in Year 10 placed 2nd resulting in her being selected to represent Middlesex at the English Schools Cross Country Championships later in the year. Cameron in Year 13, Anna in Year 12 and Eadie and Nicola in Year 7 all placed in the top 16.

On the 26th February Year 7s headed to the U13 OTI Cross Country, where overall the team finished 2nd out of 10 schools. Nicola Hewitt also got the fastest stage run and all the girls finished in the top half of the race meaning collectively the age group finished 7 out of 20 schools.

We ended the season on a high in March where we took 4 teams to the Ealing Schools Cross Country Relays. Our A team consisting of Nicola Hewitt, Rosie Hewitt, Eva-Marie Weintraub, Jasmine Palmer and Cameron Thomas came in 1st place, regaining out title as Ealing Schools Relay Champions! Our other three teams came in 4th, 5th and 6th of 10 teams who were against other schools A teams! Nicola, Jasmine and Cameron also go the fastest times for their age category. A huge well done to the whole cross-country team who have done incredibly well this season.

Cameron Thomas, Year 13 and Jasmine Palmer, Year 10

The Cross Country team at the Ealing Schools Cross Country Relay Junior Football

Junior Football at Notting Hill consists of a group of enthusiastic, talented footballers, eager to build their skills, develop their abilities and encourage their team mates to create a seemingly unstoppable team. It contains girls from Year 7 to 10, all of which come together to train on the astro on a Friday lunch. The girls are divided into 3 main teams: an U12 team with more than 10 members, and an U14 team with many solid players, (some of which playing at a professional level) and an U15 team.

The U12 team began the 2018/2019 season with 3 players who werefamiliar with football and excited to play with a new school team. To their disappointment, they soon realised there were not enough players to create a team, but their bad luck didn’t stop them. Since the training sessions on Friday were not exclusive, they managed to convince their friends to come along. In only a few weeks, the amount of Year 7s attending football club had skyrocketed. Girls who had never even kicked a ball before, were now playing confidently with their peers. In a few weeks they had their first match. It was against Godolphin and Latymer, and with the help of the U14 team, they won it 2 nil. This only encouraged them to continue, and they played more and more matches, some withthe older years, and some alone.

Whilst the Year 7s were developing their team, the U14 squad was thriving. Playing, winning, losing and gaining from more and more matches. This eventually lead to them playing in the U15 Football Round Cup. This was an exciting game for the year 9s and 10s as they set off to play Headington High School. The game was long and harsh, and the lack of experience in this fairly new teamlead to a defeat, but they left with their heads held high.

Lewhat Yosief, Year 8

Senior Football

The Year 13 football team has done really well this year. Everyone brings so much enthusiasm to the after-school training sessions at Trailfinders and, with the help of Mr Futter and Dr Stocker, we have improved massively. We took on the challenge of entering the schools cup, and whilst losing against some tough opponents at the start of the season, we worked harder and managed to secure a few wins (one being 7-0 against UCS).

Our last match was a nail-biting draw where everyone showed off their skills that we’d perfected throughout the year. Overall, we have had a fun year, bonded as a team and will miss it so much when we leave!

Isobel Stronge, Year 13

Badminton Tennis

The lunch time Badminton Club has been popular this year. It is one of the more recreational PE Department activities, and has proved to be a fun and active way to spend lunchtime with your friends. The sessions, led by Mrs Scott & Mr Smith were a mixture of skills, fitness and game play. It was lovely to see so many pupils from all year groups taking part and mixing together to improve their level of play. To accommodate the more competitive members, there were several fixtures against other schools, and various Inter-House events for different age groups.

The final club session was a space themed event – inspired by a news item Mrs Scott saw the previous evening. Nasa’s InSight Lander had successfully touched down on Mars, after an epic 300 million mile journey from earth, taking almost seven months. With just a lunch time in which to celebrate, Badminton Club members were informed that their mission (should they choose to accept it) would include four games, for which points were awarded according to the success of each mission.

The Badminton Team in a relaxed mood after a friendly match against St Augustine’s. Road to Wimbledon Tennis Tournament Results.

Tennis is increasing in popularity at NHEHS. This year we entered the prestigious ‘Road to Wimbledon’ Tennis Competition. This is a national 14 and under challenge event, open to all schools in the UK.

The keenest players in Year 7, 8 and 9 elected to take part, and for a couple of hours a fiercely contested singles tournament took place. The prize for the winner is to go through to the county round, and the winners from each county then have the opportunity to play at Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club, where the famous annual championships take place.

The joint runners up were Jo Carter and Amrit Mander. Congratulations to our winner, Lydia Minko, who won all of her matches. Certificates were also awarded to the following:- Emma Levison, Genevieve Pearce, Ava van Straten, Caitlin Thompson, Iva Ristic, Sylvie Reay, Alice Jenkins, Pooja Pillai, Vysali Sivakumar and Neve Grosvenor. Miss Scott

Tennis Trust Rally

This prestigious competition took place in the sumptuous grounds of Queenswood School in Hertfordshire. Our team of six had been working hard all term to prepare for the event. Their games took place on the astro courts, with each pair playing 7 games against the opposing pair. The team came 4th in their group, and qualified for the plate competition, where they finished a respectable 6th place. Good team work is essential in a successful doubles pair, and there was some promising play against some tough opponents. Congratulations to the team of Amelia Morgan & Lily Sideso, Esmée Huet and Josie Lloyd, Amelia Samtani and Sophie Claxton.

Team Tennis Schools Competition

Keen tennis players took part in the Team Tennis Schools Competition. Both teams won their Local Middlesex League Group stage.

Lydia Minko Emily Ames Jo Carter Caitlin Thompson

Pooja Pillai Neve Grosvenor Alice Jenkins Sylvie Reay Amelia Morgan Esmee Huet Sophie Claxton Amelia Samtani

Rounders Dance

Junior Rounders

This year, U12 rounders was a great experience for me and everyone in our Year 7 squads. We had four teams, A-D and all girls who came got to play a match for the school. We lost a few close games, but we ended our season on a high note, winning comfortably against West London Free School with 4 1/2 rounders to 8 1/2 rounders! In total there were 6 exciting matches altogether for the A-D teams. My most memorable experience was when we won against St Augustine’s with 21 1/2 rounders to 7 1/2 rounders, as that was the first game we won.

We have many talented players in our teams, and to beat the teams that we lost against this year will definitely be our aim for next season. I can’t wait to play rounders again next year, to improve more on our rounders skills and tactics!

Thank you to Miss Dunkley and Miss Munro-Hall for their immense support and the coaching throughout!

Kikuko Kato, U12 Rounders Captain, Year 7 Dance this year at NHEHS has been extremely exciting having already gone to 3 competitions and we now have 6 squads across the school. We started the year with the Year 8 and Year 11 teams going to the Dance National Finals in Blackpool. Being in Blackpool was an amazing experience, it is the home of ballroom dancing and it was incredible to be able to dance in the finals. After a long day in Blackpool we were very happy as the Year 11 squad got 6th place in their category and the Year 8 squad came 14th in their category.

This year we also took part in The Great Big Dance Off where the Year 7 squad competed for the first time, the Year 9 and 10 squad also competed with their new routine and the Year 8s performed their national final routine. It was so nice to see how we came together as a team and supported every group competing from our school and although we didn’t come away with a trophy it was a good experience seeing what different dance competitions are like.

Most recently, the Year 7 squad and the Year 9 and 10 squad got the opportunity to represent Ealing at the London Youth Games. Both teams performed really well, and both got praised for their good technique and performance skills.

Overall dance at NHEHS is a fun and inclusive sport; hopefully in the next few years to come we will be able to add more dance trophies to the cabinet.

Jessica Low, Year 11

U15A and U14A&B Rounders playing against Godolphin & Latymer

Senior Rounders

The recent rounders season went well for NHEHS as it brought numerous wins for the U14 and U15 teams. The U15A and U14B teams each won two out of three of their matches while the U14A team won three out of four matches against schools such as St. Paul’s Girls’ School and St. Augustine’s Priory. The players also attended regular training sessions and showed great levels of enthusiasm and dedication, which was reflected in the match results. Overall it has been a good season in rounders and we look forwards to the next one in 2020.

Alice Szlachetko, U15 Rounders Captain, Year 10 Junior Dance Team at competition