Sport

Rugby

First XV

An excellent season from the first XV saw the school unbeaten in regular fixtures and achieve fourth place in the country in the Daily Mail Trophy league. The season started positively with a good win against the OPs followed by a determined performance to overcome a very strong Woodhouse Grove team. We moved on to convincing wins over Durham, Ampleforth and Hymers. Our front row of Charlie Corner, Adam Brown, Paddy Hayes and Angus Wilson were starting to dominate setpiece and provide dynamic carries in open play. We then moved into two of our toughest fixtures, against QEGS and Pocklington. Pocklington had always been very strong at this age-group and we had over the years taken some defeats. A tight game against Pocklington saw us victorious. Ted Patmore and Sam Elliot at half-backs were controlling play nicely and a back line of James Hanly, Will Fordy, Charlie Rae, Angus Barrick, Max Courtis and Oli Fryer were solid in defence and asking questions in attack. Probably the best performance of the season was against QEGS away: we dominated territory and possession to come out on top, with some outstanding individual performances, our second rows George Davis and James Black providing a continuous supply of lineout ball.

We were going well in the cup and confidence was high when drawing QEGS in the next round. Unfortunately after half-term we had lost some continuity and fitness

and QEGS took advantage. This loss spurred the team on to continue the rest of the season unbeaten. Wins followed against St Ambrose, Barnard Castle and narrowly over RGS Newcastle. Our back row of Alex Ingham , Grayson Maguire and Jo Simpson complemented each other well and provided strong ball-carrying, excellent support play and outstanding defence. Our final two wins came against Bradford and Pocklington to complete the undefeated season in regular matches. This was an excellent season from an outstanding team, brilliantly led by captain Joseph Simpson. They were excellent to coach and always gave their all.

The first XV squad was: AngusWilson*, Adam Brown*, Patrick Hayes*, George Davis**, Charles Corner**, Alex Ingham*, Joseph Simpson (Cpt)**, Grayson Maguire**, Ted Patmore*. Sam Elliot*, Ollie Fryer*, Will Fordy**, James Hanly*, Max Courtis*, Charlie Rae**, James Black, Alex Liley, Angus Barrick*, Ben Raubitschek, Charlie Hudson, James Guyer, Jack Williams, Adam Freshwater, George Ingall. *Full Colours **Cap

Representative honours: Charlie Rae, Will Fordy, Adam Brown, Max Courtis: Yorkshire Carnegie Grayson Maguire: Yorkshire under-18s, North of England under-18s

Sevens

The under-14s performed well at our own St Peter’s tournament, reaching the final and losing to a strong Woodhouse Grove side. They continued to improve and reached the semi-final at Hymers and Mount. Unfortunately at Rosslyn Park they did not manage to get out of the group stage.

The under-15s reached the final at Barnard Castle and the semi-final at Hymers. This was an excellent achievement given the fact that they had reached the quarter-finals of the NatWest Cup in the 15-a-side game.

The under-16s were unfortunate to have two tournaments cancelled and performed well at Sedbergh but could not qualify out of the group at Rosslyn Park.

The first VII had another excellent season: they reached the final at Hymers only to lose narrowly to Sedbergh. At Rosslyn Park we qualified from the group, winning every game, then played a playoff game which we won to go into the second day. A round-robin quarter-final saw us draw against Berkhamstead and then beat Felsted. We then had another round-robin semi-final where we narrowly lost to Cheltenham College and then beat Bromsgove. Unfortunately this was not to be enough, but it was an excellent result to reach the semi-final, equalling the best the school have achieved in this competition.

Mr Steve Williams

Second XV

By all accounts the second XV rugby team had a superb season this year. Playing ten games and winning nine, the players should be absolutely delighted with their all-round commitment as well as the massive contribution they have made to the team’s success. There was a distinct sense of camaraderie amongst the players in the second XV and a genuine feeling that every player would give their all to ensure the team experienced continued success. Players selflessly put their bodies on the line during tackle and breakdown situations and from a coach’s perspective it is very difficult to ask for more from one’s team. In attack we were lucky to possess some ruthless and talented finishers and as the season progressed it was great to see players in the squad running with ball in hand with a confidence and belief that they could make it across the line.

While some of our matches were relatively easy victories such as those against Ampleforth, St Ambrose, RGS Newcastle, Bradford, Durham and Pocklington, in other fixtures every player on the field had to dig deep in order to secure the win. The games against QEGS Wakefield, Sedbergh and Barnard Castle fit this description. The game against Sedbergh must rank as the season’s high point as the team had almost been written off before the game had even begun. Faced with a hugely physical, well drilled and highly regarded visiting side it would have been very easy for them to roll over and concede victory. However, this was far from the case: instead the team went toe-to-toe with their Sedbergh opposition for seventy minutes. They threw everything they could muster at the visitors. Despite being camped in their own half for much of the game, the St Peter’s team managed to create two excellently worked tries to keep themselves in the lead. When the final whistle blew it became clear just how much the players had given physically to secure the win and it was wonderful to see the players deservedly celebrating a triumph over arguably one of the best second XV sides in the country.

If there had to be a low point in such a fantastic season it must have been the first game of the season against Woodhouse Grove. Despite being the better rugby side, we played far too loosely, lacked precision and consequently lost the fixture by 20-19, with

them scoring a drop-goal in the last minute to secure the victory. There is no doubt that a loss at this stage of the season is difficult to swallow but it was hugely encouraging that all the players in the team went away, reviewed their personal performances, and arrived determined to secure a victory the following week against Ampleforth College, a game they won 60-0!

Rory Winterburn, second row and second-XV stalwart, wrote the following statement about the team’s performance this season:

Overall, it was an extremely successful season for the all the gents involved in the second XV squad. Despite falling short in the first fixture 19-20 to Woodhouse Grove, the team dug deep in training and with the powerful presence of James Guyer leading from the front, managed to finish the rest of the season unbeaten. With several key players being brought up to the first XV during the term, our squad depth was truly tested, as many influential members had to play out of position. Nevertheless, we treated every game as our cup final. Special mention should go firstly to the dominant forwards pack who took hold of every game up front, with players such as Charlie Tannahill, Adam Freshwater, Kevin Williams, Henry Barker, Rory Winterburn and Marcus Thomson playing pivotal roles in the squad. The architects of the team, Jack Williams and Alex Liley, orchestrated every game masterfully, using the powerful centre combination of Spencer Ingall and Harry Contreras to create space out wide for the pace and flair of the likes of Ben Raubitschek, Felix Van der Borgh and Charlie Hudson to produce some magnificent running rugby week-in, week-out. A truly memorable season for everyone involved. I hope next year’s second XV will be equally successful.

Under-16s

No endeavour is in vain; its reward is in the doing. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

It was hugely encouraging to see the numbers of the squad who attended pre-season training during the summer holidays. The lads got fitter, worked very hard at their basic skills and as the new season approached, looked at patterns of play. I am indebted to the members of the first XV who came and raised the bar in training.

The squad was not that big, which was a positive, in that almost all players were able to play each week. However it did have the downside that we were not able to rotate the A-team and B-team players as much as I would have liked. Colin Clark was particularly impressed as the season went on with the ball skills and determination of these so-called B-team players and reminded them that their future in senior rugby will ultimately come down to their desire , accuracy in training, physical stature and self-belief. We were fortunate to have two tremendous captains with Ben Lodge looking after the As and Jack Mayfield the Bs. I should also mention Harry Booth who stepped in so well during Ben’s absence, due to injury. Both sides had settled and effective packs and this gave the backs the opportunity to play with good patterns and with confidence. The A team were blessed with some real dogs of war who simply put their bodies on the line all season doing the dirty work at the break down and carrying the hard yards. Alex, Albert, Tayo, Steeny and Henry provided ball for Zac, Henry and Ben to thrive off a little wider. This excellent ball-carrying and link between the forwards and the half-backs, Ben and Freddie, gave us real go forward and enabled us to develop phases of play and not simply

bash the ball up the field. The levels of intelligence required to bring these patterns of play to fruition in the heat of battle cannot be underestimated and we were blessed in midfield with Nana and Tom who gave direction in both attack and defence. Brains without competitive hearts are rudderless. We had both in abundance. Alongside this midfield we had a fine back three of Barney, Sam and – until injury – Marcus; subsequently David and Oli filled this role with real aplomb. The final game of the season at Pocklington saw all of the hard work bear fruit and in a wonderful game the lads played the sort of rugby you would pay to watch. From the lastminute win at Kirkham Grammar in the first game of the season, to the loss at St Ambrose, the lads learned lessons and were prepared to listen in training so they could improve, not only their own skills, but also their patterns of play and when to use them. Freddie was at the heart of this at No 10, understanding that sometimes he needed to get others to take responsibility so he could have the time to give the strike runners the ammunition to fire. One of the greatest strengths of this team was that it was a team, not a set of individuals and this showed very clearly in the way they defended as a group, never allowing players to become isolated. They became much better communicators and grew in confidence, learning to use their own abilities to complement the others on the field. The season comes to an end as the players are reaching the point where they have truly got to grips with the game. It is gratifying to note that many continue with the game at their local clubs and at representative level. This exposure, especially in the cup competitions, certainly does us good as the lads move into senior rugby. There were real highlights for me during the season with wonderful tries scored and tremendous defensive performances given. To single any one moment out would negate the efforts of the group as a team. However there is one area that I would like to compliment and that is the support from our parents who came and watched fifteen lads on the field, not just one! This support gives the lads the opportunity to thrive as they never play under a fear of failure and can express themselves with confidence. They were hugely competitive but always within the spirit of our great game.

The objective is to win: fairly, squarely, decently, win by the laws, but still win. Vince Lombardi

Many thanks to Gareth Sharp, Colin Clark and Eddie Bradshaw whose support, advice and enthusiasm were tremendous all season.

Mr Paddy Stephen

Under-16Bs

Starting this coaching season with a collective coaching unit of Paddy Stephen, Gareth Sharpe and Eddie Bradshaw it became obvious that with limited numbers of players available to enable us to fulfil our fixtures and obtain meaningful games, that an early split of resources would best benefit the players and coaching team.

Eddie Bradshaw and I would focus on the ‘B’ players and build the available players into a team unit with the ability to adapt and rotate as necessary. Our main focus for the players would be on individual, unit and game understanding skills based around highenergy pressure scenarios.

With the growing success of the school, several games took us away from the normal local fixtures and this season saw us take on new venues and the challenges of longer distance travel and unfamiliar surroundings. New fixtures included Stonyhurst College and Kirkham Grammar School.

Our results were: won five, lost four. Our final game of the season proved to be the most challenging, taking on a strong Ampleforth ‘A’ XV away. This game typified St Peter’s rugby and the benefits of working with a squad of players who have bought into the season’s philosophy and progressive development. Although running out 20-7 against, this game showed how all the players had progressed in all aspects of the game and showed the commitment beyond expectation, and from a coaching perspective was the most satisfying game and one of which all the players can be really proud.

Although it is difficult to single out specific players, I wish to give special mention to Jack Mayfield, our captain for the season. Jack could and should have enjoyed ‘A’ game time had we had a wealth of players available to the under-16 group. Jack showed outstanding captaincy skills both on and off the field, always being able to put personal disappointments to one side for the benefit of others. He always led from the front and enjoyed the respect of his team-mates, opposition and the referees.

To all the players who represented the ‘B’ XV, thank you for a successful season in your individual development. Thanks also to the ‘A’ XV squad who supported and challenged the ‘B’ squad players throughout the season’s practices and finally the parents who travelled and supported the team for our matches.

Colin Clark, Eddie Bradshaw

Under-14 Sevens

In the end, it’s extra effort that separates a winner from second place. But winning takes a lot more than that, too. It starts with complete command of the fundamentals. Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice. And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fairness and respect for your fellow man. Put all these together, and even if you don’t win, how can you lose? Jesse Owens

The lads played some wonderful sevens this term and in the end only lost as a full team to two sides; Woodhouse Grove and Wimbledon High School. They lost in two finals to Woodhouse Grove and in the group stage at Rosslyn Park to Wimbledon. It is frustrating to note that Woodhouse Grove won the Plate at Rosslyn Park and Wimbledon the Cup at the same event – small margins!!

Competitive sports are played mainly on a five-and-a-half inch court, the space between your ears. Bobby Jones

I think this is the real message for the lads: success is really up to them and their willingness to turn the disappointment of defeat into victory. We were 14-0 up with a three-man overlap against Wimbledon and failed to convert the chance. Against any other side we would have played the pattern and scored. The key is for us to play better sides more often so that when the pressure moments arrive we make the correct decisions on the field. The lads were a pleasure to coach and understood the fundamentals of sevens very well. As they all grow they will find it easier to absorb pressure from the good sides and to score from turnover possession themselves. Against the best sides it was turnover possession that killed us off. With ball in hand the lads did so well and frankly proved too good for most of the sides they played. The key for the future is to transfer these skills into the games with the best sides. They have the potential to be very good but must learn from defeat in order to improve.

You have to have the mentality of executing your game when you don’t feel like there’s a lot of hope. I think the best feeling is when somebody pushes you to the limit and you dig down a little bit extra. By the same token, you also need a little luck. Sometimes they come together. Andre Agassi

Mr Paddy Stephen

Boys’ Hockey

This has been another wonderful season: the first team scored 54 goals and conceded only 8, and became county champions for the second season.

Freddie Heijbroek was outstanding in midfield: he played for the first team for five years, being one of the finest – possibly the finest – players ever to represent the school. Alex Martin completed four years in the team’s defence and was excellent. It is impossible to overstate this pair’s contribution to St Peter’s Hockey. The senior pros certainly set the standard for the squad! They played with talent and enthusiasm and demonstrated the level of commitment necessary in training to ensure success in matches. It has been a pleasure to be associated with this group of players, and I hope that they continue to play and enjoy their hockey for many years to come.

Over one hundred and twenty players have represented the school, playing one hundred and ten matches. Many fixtures were played by our second-string teams against other schools’ ‘A’ teams and this is a credit to the standards reached by our players. One of the highlights of the term was fielding under-14 A, B, C and D teams simultaneously. Thank you to all who have played, coached, and supported this season

The first XI: Freddie Heijbroek, Alex Martin, Adam Freshwater, Will Andrews, Matty Roberts, Alex Liley, Oliver Hughes, Max Courtis, Alex Ingham, Robbie Greenall, Sam Elliot, Jack Williams, Seth Williams, Charlton Higginbottom, Marcus Taylor, Chris Wood.

Freddie Heijbroek and Alex Martin were re-awarded first XI caps.

Caps were also awarded to Will Andrews and Matty Roberts.

The stick for contribution to St Peter’s hockey was awarded to Will Andrews.

The Mark Burn trophy for the most improved player was awarded to Seth Williams .

The Pandas cup for middle-school player of the season went to Marcus Taylor.

The Hubbard cup for junior inter-house hockey was won by Clifton.

The lads who represented the second XI this season were a pleasure to coach and to umpire. They played other schools’ first teams and lost without complaint, they beat other schools’ first teams, and also played their normal second XI games. At all times they were as competitive as they could be and yet always had fun whilst playing. We were blessed with a very good goalkeeper in Marcus Thompson who gave real structure at the back alongside the defensive might of our captain, Tom Dowdy, Jack Lawrence, Will Fordy, Niall Collinson

and Ethan Thubron. Our strong midfield was complemented by our ever-present and very hard-working man up front, Max Boswell, who gave real bite all season. The day that summed these lads up so well was at Newcastle Grammar School where we played their full first team, in truly horrendous weather: despite being well beaten, utterly drenched and frozen they worked for each other and retained a sense of humour.

The under-16 boys had a successful season, playing a number of first-team squads and producing some pleasing results. In their first game, against Hall Cross, the team were taken by surprise by the pace and, despite regrouping, lost the game 2-1. A much more organised and tactically aware team won their subsequent matches against Worksop College and Pocklington, 2-0 and 7-0 respectively. In the national schools’ competition, the team were unlucky to lose 2-1 to QEGS Wakefield in the county round of the competition. Despite the defeat in this match, the whole squad left with their heads held high, having organised themselves and defended with maturity and commitment throughout.

It was impressive to see players such as Toby Mayfield, Owen Pudsey and Sam Wordsworth stepping into new positions with confidence and focus. The improvements made during the season had a huge impact on the number of goals scored and led to pleasing wins against Barnard Castle 3-0, Ashville 6-2, Yarm 3-2 and Ampleforth 6-0.

The 2017 season proved to be a great success for the under-15As. Resounding victories against Worksop and Ampleforth, valuable lessons learned against Egglescliffe, Yarm, and Pocklington’s first XI, squad rotations, use of squad players and working through difficulties of the term were all part of the development and improvement process. A wonderful and hard-fought final against Harrogate Grammar in the county tournament went to extra time and then to penalty flicks – somewhat controversially – and we had to settle for second place.

The under-15B hockey side had another successful season and the squad deserves great credit for the way they performed. The majority of the teams we faced this term were opposition under-15A sides and we even played a second XI side.

Early in the season, the St Peter’s under-15Bs played Worksop College, providing a good opening win for the St Peter’s team. Silcoates under-15As possessed some skilful county-standard players so, despite losing our second match, we could be pleased with our performance. We achieved a 2-2 draw against Scarborough under-15A, followed by an unfortunate one-goal loss against RGS Newcastle’s under-16Bs, then a win at home against Pocklington under-15Bs. We lost our toughest game of the season 3-0 at Barnard Castle, but we played in a committed fashion for the full hour, keeping their scoring to a minimum. The last game of the season was against Hymers under-15As away. This was a well-played match with some incredible attacking from the St Peter’s team. It resulted, however, in an unfortunate loss as we just could not block Hymers’ powerful and organised breakaway attack. The team faced a range of opposition, and can be proud of working well and maintaining a strong team camaraderie. The boys did remarkably well to hold their own against skillful and often more physical teams.

Girls’ Hockey

The first XI started their season with the annual tournament at Rugby School where a squad of 15 competed hard to manage a very strong 3rd place overall. The new fifth form provided a positive addition.

With a loss of four key players to university the girls knew the match against the retiring Old Peterites would be tough and with a closely fought match the first XI were pleased with a 3-3 draw.

Although we were prepared for a tough first match against Grammar School at Leeds we were disappointed with our performance, but we worked hard in training and we were prepared to put the effort in to play a great season. The next match was the first round of the Nationals against Queen Margaret’s. At half time it was a nail-biting 0-0, but the team played a very strong game of hockey and a last-minute goal scored by Lucy Lawrence secured their place in the next round.

Three consecutive wins against Ashville (7-0) Barnard Castle (5-1) and Giggleswick (6-1) showed great teamwork and determination, and gave the girls the confidence to win the next round of the National Schools’ Hockey competition and qualify from the North East round. The next two matches against Worksop and RGS. Newcastle were both unlucky with two 1-1 draws.

It was clear that the team were really gelling and these strong relationships made the girls’ performances a joy to watch. Two comfortable wins against very competent teams from Ampleforth (4-2) and Hymers (5-2) emphasised the improvements within the squad and put the girls in great stead for the next round of the National Schools’ Hockey, in which the girls made it to the semifinals where unfortunately they were knocked out by Greenhead College. This disappointing result did not affect their next performance against Durham School, securing a 1-0 win.

The penultimate game of the season, against Sedbergh, was by far the most exciting match. Three goals from each side created a very tense game: the girls fought hard, but they were unable to defend a short corner, resulting in their first loss of the season.

The season concluded with a match against Pocklington and a 2-2 draw. This score did not reflect the performance and it was a very positive end to the season being able to see the improvement and development from the beginning.

The highlight of the season was a visit from Alex Danson, Olympic gold medallist, who provided an inspiring presentation and engaging training session to all the girls involved in hockey. This opportunity gave the girls insight into professional hockey and the vigorous training needed.

Once again, for the fourth consecutive year, the 3rd team have made it through the hockey season unbeaten. As a team, the thirds grew and thrived, playing many 1st and 2nd teams from various schools this season. Although some matches were extremely challenging, the girls all maintained high spirits and always gave 100% to put in some pressured performances. The thirds have developed and executed some new tactical play, and developed their unity in applying it into game situations.

Some highlights of the season include wins over Pocklington 8-0, Sedbergh 3-0, GSAL 6-0, RGS 7-0, and Barnard Castle 5-0.

With only two losses, the 4th team kept up high standards and vastly improved their play throughout the term. Starting with a brilliant game against Scarborough, the girls showed real team spirit right from the start and managed to draw 1-1, then proceeded to win the next match with a smashing 6-0 score against Barnard Castle. This vein continued for the first half of term, including a very well fought game against Bradford, drawing 2-2. All the girls should be credited for their consistently enthusiastic and polite behaviour, turning up to training and matches not only on time, but also with the right attitude to play and learn. A huge well done to: Ella Huckvale, Freddie CowmanSharpe, Immy Matthews, Eliza Withall, Daisy Greenwood, Georgia Edwards, Lydia Palmer, Emily Both, Annie Ellis, Libby Kimpson, Grace Moody, Hannah Bilton, Alex Johnson, Alice Whittaker, Amelia Fennel, Tiffany Cheung, and Farah MckenzieLieu.

The U15 teams set about their craft with the usual measure of enthusiasm and energy that has characterised this group of individuals throughout the season. Speed, great composure and

vision ensured the A squad won all their fixtures bar one, and achieved a tremendous 6-0 win over Pocklington on the final game of the season. The U15B team’s efforts also came to fruition on the final game of the season to reward their equal effort and commitment.

The step up to 11-a-side level is always a challenge for the girls moving up to St Peter’s as they embark on their U14 season. Their previous experience has been just 7-a-side on half a pitch. Learning new positions and adapting to the sheer size of the pitch can be particularly daunting – fitness levels have to be high and new positions understood. For the U14B side a lot of their matches were against other schools’ A teams – consequently their performance improved greatly. The first match of the season for the A team took place after just one training session on the first Saturday of the term. In glorious sunshine the girls very quickly learned how to defend on a full-sized pitch and adopted a very strong press. As usual all the girls learned to adapt to different situations very quickly and their technical and tactical play progressed.

In the National Schools competition the A team progressed to the county round and, following on from a close-fought final (involving penalty flicks), reached the North East finals.

Hockey 1st team

Results: Ashville

Barnard Castle

Giggleswick Worksop College Ampleforth RGS Newcastle

Queen Margaret’s Hymers Durham

Sedbergh Pocklington won 7-1

won 5-1 won 6-1

drew 1-1

won 4-2 drew 1-1

drew 0-0

won 5-2

won 1-0

lost 2-3 drew 2-2

Hockey 2nd team

Results: GSAL

Scarborough College 1st

Barnard Castle

Giggleswick Silcoates

Ampleforth RGS Newcastle

Queen Margaret’s Hymers U16 Hymers Durham

Sedbergh Silcoates 1st

Pocklington Ashville won 5-0

won 7-2

won 5-0

won 7-0

won 4-1

won 2-0

drew 1-1

won 5-2 drew 1-1

drew 1-1

won 7-0

won 2-0

won 1-0

won 7-0

won 7-0

Hockey 3rd team

Results: Ashville 2nd

Worksop Bradford Grammar

Yarm 1st

RGS Newcastle

Sedbergh Bootham

Sedbergh Pocklington won 2-0

drew 0-0

drew 1-1

drew 1-1

won 7-0

won 3-0 won 6-0

won 3-0 won 8-0

Hockey 4th/5th team

Results: Ampleforth Barnard Castle

Giggleswick 3rd

Worksop Worksop Bradford Grammar

Ampleforth 3rd

Ampleforth Hymers

Hockey Under-15As

Results: Silcoates

Giggleswick Ampleforth RGS Newcastle

GSAL

Sedbergh Pocklington won 3-2 won 6-0

won 1-0

drew 0-0

won 11-0

drew 2-2

lost 0-4

won 2-1

lost 0-2

won 3-0 won 6-1

won 4-1 drew 1-1

won 1-0

lost 1-2

won 6-0

Hockey Under-15Bs

Results: Barnard Castle U15a Worksop U15a Silcoates

Yarm

RGS Newcastle

GSAL

Sedbergh Pocklington lost 1-4 lost 0-5 lost 4-5 lost 1-3 drew 2-2

won 5-1 lost 0-2

won 6-0

Hockey Under-14As

Results: Ampleforth Giggleswick GSAL

Ampleforth RGS Newcastle

Sedbergh Pocklington

Hockey Under-14Bs

Results: Giggleswick Worksop GSAL

Ampleforth RGS Newcastle

Pocklington won 3-2 drew 3-3 drew 3-3 drew 2-2

lost 0-1

lost 1-2

won 2-1

drew 1-1

drew 3-3 drew 1-1

lost 0-2

lost 2-3

won 2-1

Inter-house hockey

Results:

1st Clifton 2nd School 3rd The Rise 4th Dronfield

Girls’ Tennis

Eight teams, four of them senior, have been competing this term and our tennis is at an all-time high. Helped by our all-year-round training, and also with new player Sofiya Aleksandrova arriving in the fourth form, it has been an excellent season. The highlights for the seniors have been winning the Bradford invitational tournament outright, and also winning the majority of their matches on the local circuit. At Eton, Sofiya and her regular partner, Ellie Caley, went through as winners of their round-robin group, only to lose to a strong Bedford pair. Our second senior pair at Eton, Lucy Dabbs and Alex Wood, did well against some very talented opposition. Congratulations must go to the second and third teams who were unbeaten this season, reflecting the standard throughout.

The Shepherd Cup was won by Sofiya Aleksandrova, beating Eleanor Caley 6-2, 6-0 in the final.

In the juniors we held our second tennis festival with 96 players entering in the under-15 and under-14 age groups. The under-15s emerged as winners. We also won the under-15 AEGON national competition for the area and will continue the campaign in September on a knockout basis. Congratulations to the under-15 pairings who competed at Eton this time: Katie Bonner, Lily Williams, Leah-Grace Gath and Amelia Blackburn. The under-14s won the Chapman Cup at the start of the season and also were joint winners of the under-14 York junior team tennis league.

Mrs Margaret Whitehead Inter-house tennis:

1st The Grove

2nd Hope

3rd The Rise

4th Queen’s

Boys’ Tennis

The St Peter’s first team enjoyed another successful season. The highlight of the season was the AEGON LTA National Schools competition where the team finished fifth out of the 300 entered school sides.

The first IV including Sam Tsui, Robbie Greenall, Steven Jones and Captain Freddie Heijbroek, won the regional qualifiers, defeating Pocklington School, Egglescliffe School and Greenhead College on the way. The team then beat the Scottish champions Strathallan School in the knock-out stages, where Marcus Taylor replaced Steven because of an unfortunate injury.

In the final, eight schools battled it out at the Bolton Tennis Arena. The first IV played some exquisite tennis, in particular Robbie and Sam who impressed by both winning two out of their three tough singles matches. The team tied in first place at the top of the group, but narrowly finished third in the group on sets lost in the middle match, missing out on a place in the final. With the results across both groups, St Peter’s finished fifth in the country – the furthest we have ever gone in the LTA National Senior Students’ Competition. Special mention goes to Sam Tsui, who was singled out by the tournament referee for his sportsmanship.

The regular first team summer season was shortened by wet weather. There was a notable win at Ampleforth College by 7 sets to 2, but this was followed by defeats at the hands of the University of York, Poppleton men’s and Rowntree Park men’s teams. However, in the North of England Independent Schools’ Tennis Championships we finished third out of twenty schools at under-19 level.

In the National Independent Schools’ Tennis Championships at Eton College, the first IV’s first-round match was against Reeds School (who were seeded third) in the Youll Cup. Our first team lost two matches to love. All four of Reeds’ players are scholarship players who are going to different American universities to play tennis in September, and their number one played Junior Wimbledon last year, so the defeat stings less than it might have done.

In the Clark Trophy (under-19) Plate we defeated Eastbourne College: Robbie Greenall and Steven Jones won 6-2 and 6-0; Barney Baker and Freddie Heijbroek won 6-4 and 6-4. This took us through to play RGS Newcastle in the quarter-finals. After the doubles we were one match all, our first pair winning and our second pair losing. This resulted in a deciding set, with a new doubles combination of one player from each of the two original pairs. Robbie Greenall and Freddie Heijbroek were 4-2 up but eventually lost to a very good pair, 6-4.

The under-15 boys had a most successful run in the Eton competition. In the Thomas Bowl the boys’ first pair of James Hanson and Tom Harpin had the following pool results: lost 3-6 to Sevenoaks 1, lost 5-6 to Rugby 1, won 6-1 against Merchant Taylors’ 2 and won 6-1 against RGS Newcastle 2. In the plate competition, James and Tom defeated Merchant Taylors’ 1 by 6-3, Hymers 1 by 6-3 and then Loughborough 1 by 6-1. In the knockout stages of the plate – their eighth set of the day – the boys lost to Charterhouse by 6-1.

The St Peter’s 2 pair of Charlie Blackburn and Tom Robins in the Thomas Bowl lost 4-6 to Bradfield 1, lost 4-6 to Loughborough 1, won 6-4 against Yarm 1 before losing to Sevenoaks 2 by 3-6. In the plate they defeated RGS Newcastle 1 by 6-3, followed by a win against Cranleigh 6-4, and in their last match of the day they won against The Leys 6-3. The St Peter’s boys got better and better throughout the day, playing seven sets. In the following day’s play, in the last 32, Charlie and Tom beat Colston’s 8 games to 4. In the quarter-finals they eventually lost 2-8 to Merchant Taylors’ 1.

The second VI played well this season winning two out of their three matches.

The under-15 VI had an outstanding season, winning ten of their eleven matches, with the match against RGS Newcastle being a three-set-all draw. They also progressed to the knock-out stages of the AEGON competition in September.

The under-14 VI, in their first season of full-time tennis, won four out of seven fixtures.

The Alcuin Cup again attracted a big entry this year of 32 students. There were some great matches along the way, particularly in the semi-finals where Robbie Greenall defeated last year’s winner Sam Tsui in straight sets. However, the final was contested between two former winners in Robbie Greenall and his doubles partner Steven Jones. The match itself was a high-class affair with powerful hitting from the back of the court from Robbie and some wonderful changes of spin and variation of tactics from Steven. However, the greater power and control on both forehand and backhand of Robbie Greenall told in the end in a score of 6-2, 6-3.

Colours and Caps

Caps were awarded for the first time ever in boys’ tennis to the captain, Freddie Heijbroek, and to Steven Jones and Robbie Greenall. Colours were re-awarded to Sam Tsui, Barney Baker and Marcus Taylor.

Mr Bob Shread Frederik Heijbroek (Captain of Tennis)

Cricket

St Peter’s 1st XI Cricket

‘Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, some don’t turn up at all.’ Sam Ewing

The first XI enjoyed a season full of triumphs as a team, and excellent achievements as individuals in cricketing accomplishments and in life lessons.

The season began on a blustery weekend in April with two preseason fixtures at home to an exceptionally strong Sedbergh side. However, there are never any winners or losers in pre-season and the boys took away some valuable lessons and many positives.

Defeat to Worksop in the opening game of the summer was disappointing. A simple, but profound message to the players: stop doubting yourselves, work hard and make it happen. Strong, dominant wins against the Yorkshire Gents, Ampleforth and Durham, and two 80-run victories in the first round of the National T20 against Ashville and Bradford, sparked the belief and confidence required for success.

Friday 26 May will live long in the memory for everyone who was there: after comfortably beating RGS Newcastle in the north-east semi-final we came up against Worksop for a place in the North of England Final. Worksop were left needing six to win from the final over. After singles from the first two balls, Cameron Burdass held his nerve to take the final wicket, caught by Alex Liley with the third ball of the over. Ecstasy and elation – a thrilling and memorable game, all down to the hard work and confidence of the boys.

We scored further wins against Pocklington, Bradford, RGS Newcastle, and Hymers. The only blips in the second half of the

National T20 at the hands of the mighty Sedbergh, who went on to win the competition at a canter.

The last week of term saw the start of the new first XI festival with Repton, Epsom College and Warwick. The annual OP classic clash was one of the most equally contested games in recent times, with the school winning by one wicket to round off a wonderful summer for the team.

First XI 2017 (+ cap *colours #half colours): Ted Patmore *+ (Captain), Cameron Burdass *+, Sam Elliot *+, Chris Wood *+, Alex Martin*, Alex Liley*, Harry Contreras*, Jack Amsden #, James Black #, Matty Roberts, Jack Williams, Charlie Rae, Ben Raubitschek, Oliver Tomalin, Joseph Bates, Amman Mulla, Ben Lodge

The second XI season started off with a thrilling encounter against Worksop and our closest loss of the season. Against Ampleforth at home, we finished the day with a magnificent 67- run win, the first of the season. In our next match, Durham were waiting to put us to the sword! With a 43-run loss, it was a very quiet and sombre drive back to York.

Hymers at home returned the second XI to their usual fine form. Five replacements from the under-15A side lived up to the standards set by the more senior players, and one of our super subs, Isaac Giannini, hit a superb 40 runs to see us clear and seal our second hard-fought victory. Our final match of the season was against Bradford, away. With a depleted side of players from third form to lower sixth, things did not go to plan. It was a disappointing finish to an enjoyable season, but the boys and Coach Battersby left with their heads held high.

The under-15 lads started their season right back in January with pre-season nets. It was good to see a little more grass on most of the pitches that we played on so the seamers could get some life out of the pitches.

The B-team played the majority of their matches against very strong sides. They achieved a good level of individual and team success during the season. Because of the high quality of the opposition at times, some hard lessons were learned, most notably when batting, to really concentrate and defend good balls.

In the T20 competition we had a main squad of thirteen that rotated as the competition progressed. We played some very good cricket and learned a great deal about playing under pressure in these competitive games.

We entered the North Yorkshire final with considerable confidence and lost it off the last ball, with ourselves and some great batting from Lady Lumley`s middle order to blame. The development side started well with a fine pre-season coached game against a selection of Ampleforth first-team and under-15 cricketers. It showed that we had real strength in depth with Harvey Gration, Flynn Southgate and Charlie Bramley all coming into the mix well with the rest of the under-15s.

The Norwich festival was a great end to the school season in which we beat Trent on the first day, lost by one wicket to Cheltenham College on the second and lost to Norwich in a T20 match on the last day. The other coaches and umpires highlighted our competitiveness and sportsmanship throughout.

Chris Wood represented the North of England at under-15 level at the Bunbury Festival at Stowe School.

The under-14A side had an excellent season, winning six matches, with one loss to North Yorkshire Select. In our first match, Worksop were bowled out for 22: a convincing start to the season, reiterated when Ampleforth were bowled out for 46. Sterner opposition came from North Yorkshire under-14s, who amassed 191-7 in 40 overs. We struggled in reply to 112 all out. It was, however, a good experience for the team showing them what to aspire to.

Durham were bowled out for 100, Hymers for 66, and Pocklington for 70. In the final match of the season against Bradford, once again our bowling was too strong for the opposition, who were all out for 57.

The team is to be commended for their understanding of how difficult it is to ensure everyone is involved, especially when we are consistently stronger than the opposition.

The under-14B cricket team had a good season with around 25 in the squad and the team rotated most weeks. They played five matches, winning three and losing two, with notable victories against Worksop and Ampleforth.

Thanks to the ground staff, George and Andy, for their tireless and determined preparation of the facilities; to David Foster, for his continued energy and enthusiasm with all the St Peter’s cricketers; and to all the boys for their continued commitment, good humour and effort throughout the season. A special thanks and the best of luck to Ted, Cam, Sam and Alex for their combined services to St Peter’s cricket.

Netball

The level of netball being demonstrated across the whole senior programme has been exceptional. It has been pleasing to see the high levels of participation this year and the overall success that has been achieved across the board.

This season has seen the senior teams take a clean sweep against challenging opposition including Queen Margaret’s, Ampleforth, Sedbergh, Yarm, Pocklington, RGS Newcastle, Giggleswick, Ashville and Barnard Castle. The 85% success rate is an extremely impressive figure considering the stronger opposition added to the programme this season – a real testament to the breadth and depth of talent across the school and the commitment shown by all.

In the National School tournaments the under-19, under-I6 and under-14 teams were all unbeaten in their area rounds, and went on to represent York and Selby in the county tournaments: a great achievement with all tournaments being played out of season.

The under-19 and under-14 teams both reached the regional rounds of the nationals convincingly, for the second year in a row. Both age-groups contested throughout the competition, displaying advanced techniques and principles of play to a consistently high standard with accuracy, control and fluency. Well done to all involved!

First Team

The first VII worked collaboratively with enthusiasm, dedication and commitment to achieve one of the best netballing seasons to date. There was a sense of solidarity, to act decisively in committing to the game-plan with real intent, and executing this across all games with the utmost confidence. The players demonstrated that they are building a platform for success and performance, showing a mature approach to evaluating their game-play and making adjustments to this in response to challenge; this has been key to their success this year.

They accomplished some remarkable results against high-class opposition, including beating Sedbergh 39-31 in an end-to-end game of intense netball. The willpower of the girls and the early preparation from through-court, and centre pass attack enabled them to capitalise on the opposition’s error rate and successfully transition to goal, to finish the game with a comfortable victory.

Yarm was another challenging game of netball. The versatility of the girls helped them secure a 32-27 win. In attack the team played with a high tempo to move their opposition around the court and to produce some very impressive shooting stats to take the lead early in the game. Yarm fought back in the latter stages of the game, but the lead from the first VII was too much for Yarm and it ended with a proud victory.

The defensive unit this season have used their experience and composure in team defence to utilize on set principles of play; this has exploited some successful sides including Ashville, where a 29-23 win was achieved. Overall a brilliant season of netball.

A special mention should go to Phoebe Phillips – a true leader on and off the court. Her drive to succeed and determination to commit wholeheartedly to tactics rubbed off on her teammates and played a major role in their success.

First team: Phoebe Phillips (Captain), Madeleine Bletcher, Rebecca Green, Jessica Webster, Katherine Robinson, Sophie Wilson, Harriet Kirkwood, Amy Webster, Jenny Elliott.

Miss Stephanie Wilson

Second Team

Without having played or trained together beforehand the second team faced Newcastle High away for the first match of the season. The result was, to say the least, disappointing with a 10-50 loss! If we ignore that result, the second team had a fantastic season and won all their remaining matches.

Our squad consisted of three different year-groups and although we didn’t know each other initially we quickly gelled as a team.

High-scoring wins against RGS, Pocklington, Barnard Castle, Yarm and Giggleswick demonstrated the experience and high standard of all the players with 203 goals for and 43 against. Ellie Brierley, Laura Aspinall, Emily Booth and Grace Freshwater defended brilliantly in these matches.

Matches against GSAL, Woodhouse Grove, Ashville, Ampleforth and Hymers proved slightly more challenging with 141 for and 74 against. Again defence played well enabling Annabelle Blackburn, Emilia Proctor and Amelia Bell to feed the ball through court and into the shooters Liv Calvert and Frankie Chapman.

Rain stopped play against Hull Collegiate as the home courts became too dangerous to play on, although we were leading 7-3 when the match was abandoned.

Queen Margaret’s away was one of the toughest matches we played but we still managed to win 23-18. The most difficult match was towards the end of the season against Sedbergh at home. We knew this would be the most challenging as they have a strong team and had beaten us in the past. Despite this we were confident as we had played well up to this point with everyone working as a team. The match was very tight, but the determination of the whole St Peter’s squad proved successful and although the results could have gone either way the final score was 29-25 to St Peter’s.

The last event of the season was a tournament at Queen Margret’s. The team was depleted through injury but the squad showed enough versatility to cover the missing players, with the inclusion of Maddie Wylie and Lucy Moss. We fought hard in all areas of the court and were unbeaten, going on to win the whole tournament.

In total thirteen matches and one tournament were played and won.

Although we had a successful season it is not just down to the squad as we have also had fantastic coaching from Miss Wilson and Mrs Sellars and would not have had such a great season without them. Thank you!

Frankie Chapman, V

Third and Fourth Teams

Impressive strength and depth in the senior squads meant that both the third and fourth teams were able to field strong players which led to an impressive match record. Continuity of team composition and dedication to training saw a good improvement in individual skills and match play during the season.

Mrs Cath Hempsall

Under-15s

This group of talented girls approached their netball with as much energy and enthusiasm as they have all their sporting commitments. An absolute joy to coach, with a strong work ethic and a large measure of enjoyment, this was a successful term in relation to individual improvement and team cohesion.

The A-team was particularly strong, with attacking fast play at every opportunity. Within the school circuit they lost just one of their nine fixtures and in the area competition were crowned winners without the loss of a game.

The B-team achieved this as well within their area tournament, again remaining unbeaten across the afternoon. Within their fixture programme they lost just one fixture out of ten, to complete a tremendous season also.

We also played a string of C-team matches which served to illustrate the tremendous strength in depth across this group of performers. Well played all!

Carly Jackson, IV

Under-14s

Pleasingly many third-form girls opted to play netball this year which enabled us to field three very competitive teams. The under14As, who enjoyed a very successful run in the national schools competition, trained on a number of occasions with the senior girls: they needed to be pushed and to learn very quickly how to play a highly contested and physical game, but pleasingly they rose to the challenge. Unfortunately their run in the national schools competition ended at the county round. The fact that 90% of the team were ill may have been a contributing factor!

In the regular school fixtures there were many outstanding matches: the under-14A team began to settle down and play a more structured, less frantic, game. Their skill level was extremely high from the outset and as play patterns emerged they began to trust each other. There were many impressive games – particularly worthy of mention were their wins against Woodhouse Grove and Sedbergh. In these matches they remained focused and resolute throughout.

The under-14B and C teams had a number of challenging contests: they were sometimes matched against other school ‘A’ teams. This experience was invaluable to them and will most definitely help them develop as they progress through the school.

Football

The St Peter’s first XI of 2017 have completed a historic season after going unbeaten across all matches with a phenomenal 100% record of playing, and winning, all nine matches.

With the squad having maintained a strong core of upper-sixth players from last season, expectations were high as we began the season attempting to defend our trophy in the now-traditional St Peter’s Sixes - a six-a-side tournament hosted at Playfootball York. A strong squad swept all before them defeating Barnard Castle (40), Bootham (7-1), Woodhouse Grove (5-2), Hull Collegiate (6-1) and Ampleforth (6-1) to top their group and become champions for the second year in a row.

This perfect warm-up for the regular season and a convincing 5-0 win over the Old Peterites meant we were fully set for the run of games ahead. We opened our account with a 1-0 win away to Woodhouse Grove with Cameron Burdass getting the key goal

and Ben Raubitschek making some outstanding saves to ensure our clean sheet. Two big wins followed as our pacy attacking play was too good for Ampleforth (5-0) and Ackworth (5-0) as we turned the Colts pitch into a fortress. RGS Newcastle were the next to visit and with the score 1-1 at half-time in a tight game, it took two poacher’s goals from Tom Hawksworth to take the game away from RGS as we finished 4-2 winners. An away trip to GSAL is always one of the biggest challenges of the season and despite missing several key players due to rugby 7s duty, the boys who came in played superbly and again it was two Tom Hawksworth goals that gave us a 2-1 win. A hard-fought 3-1 win away to Barnard Castle followed before we dispatched Bootham 4-1 to win the local ‘derby’ convincingly. Returning to Ampleforth for our final fixture, we saved some of our best football until last as we constantly played some excellent ‘pass and move’ football to win 4-1. This concluded an incredible season and full credit should go to all players who pulled on the 1st XI shirt and represented St Peter’s so well for this 100% record.

However, after such a season we struggled to maintain the intensity going into the ‘Hull 8s’ in an end of season tournament where wins against Birkdale, Fulneck and Scarborough but losses to GSAL, Bootham and Hull Collegiate meant we finished

in seventh place out of twelve teams. Before enjoying an afternoon of ‘footgolf’ to finish the season, we celebrated the term’s work on the football pitches with the end-of-season awards where the following trophies were awarded:

Top Goalscorer - Tom Hawksworth

Goal of the Season - Cameron Burdass

First XI Goalkeeper - Ben Raubitschek

Manager’s Award - Ted Patmore

Most Improved Player - Matt Ubhi Players’ Player - Peter Konstantynov

Player of the Season - Ed Bottomley

In the final assembly of term full colours were awarded to Ben Raubitschek, Charlie Rae, Ted Patmore, Edmund Meredith Clark, Adam Brown, Charlie Hudson, Felix Van der Borgh and Peter Konstantynov for their significant contribution to first XI football. In recognition of their outstanding performances in first XI football over the past two years, Ed Bottomley, Cameron Burdass and Tom Hawksworth were awarded their school cap whilst we look forward to the captaincy of Peter Konstantynov in 2018.

Mr Ben White

Athletics

This year’s planned athletics programme sadly fell victim to wet weather, and a couple of meets which we were due to host were cancelled.

The girls entered the Track and Field Cup, and also had a very successful meet at the independent schools’ competition at Barnard Castle School, competing against a number of schools from the North of England including Sedbergh, RGS Newcastle, Newcastle High, Pocklington and Carmel College. As well as a number of excellent individual performances, which saw Angel Norza place first in the 100 metres, Maddie Wylie second in the 100 metres and 300 metres, and Elicia Race first in the high jump, the girls put in some impressive overall team performances. The under-14 team scored 70 points, and the under-15s 63 points, earning them both second-place finishes.

Elicia Race was also selected to represent York and District at high jump.

Rounders

Thankfully, the summer of 2017 started off in glorious sunshine which enabled us to undertake the first few fixtures of the term. All the girls trained hard and were keen to participate in the matches. Using only one person on base enabled us to set a tight field which meant that the passing between bowler, backstop and first base had to be accurate.

All the girls in the under-14 and under-15 teams who opted to play rounders were given the opportunity to represent the school. It was very pleasing to see the under-14 team make great improvements during the season and I hope that they continue to progress at under-15 level. The under-15s had some particularly demanding matches: their effort was commendable but unfortunately, at times, small errors in fielding cost them runs.

Yet again the senior team encountered a lack of continuity, especially in the latter half of the term because of study leave, school examinations and open day visits. However, as usual, we were able to fulfil all our fixtures because of the flexibility and helpfulness of the girls. On many occasions we proved too strong for the opposition: the trio of Sophie Wilson, Charlotte Hollinrake and Katherine Robinson stopping batters from progressing past first base time after time! The following girls represented the senior first team: Harriet Kirkwood, Charlotte Hollinrake, Sophie Wilson, Madeleine Hunter, Victoria Brook, Lucy Lovisetto, Kitty Clapham, Amelia Fennell, Emilia Proctor, Lydia Palmer, Emily Booth, Katherine Robinson.

Senior inter-house rounders:

1st The Grove

2nd Clifton

3rd Dronfield

4th School

Junior inter-house rounders:

1st School

2nd The Grove

3rd Clifton

4th Hope

Girls’ Squash

What a fantastically successful season for the girls’ first squash team this year, finishing top of their division in the Ladies York and District league.

With an unbeaten season in the league from Lucy Lawrence and Yulia Trubacheva, the girls team had strength at seeds four and five. Izzy Cotter and captain Julia Crowther both lost just once in the league and Livi Whitehouse, playing at the extremely challenging number-one position, had some excellent matches with probably some of the best squash being played at this level for many years. A committed group of girls helped the success of the team and this is especially an achievement as the matches are played in the evenings.

Lots of team spirit, fun and determination culminated in a thoroughly fine year of squash. I would like to thanks all the girls involved in squash and wish them lots of luck in the future.

Louise Moss

Girls’ Swimming

The swimming team had a fantastic season this year, winning seven out of eight matches and being part of a successful trip to Stonyhurst for the annual John Parry Relays.

A small but strong team of under-14 girls came up from St Olave’s, all very competent and always willing to help out in the higher age-groups if they were required. This is often hard to do when they are all coping with the extra demands required of them during the transition over from the junior school. The under-15s were a very capable group of girls who, again, always gave their best and never left the team short if anyone was off due to illness or injury. It is the senior age group, though, who never fail to impress me with their ability to juggle the many aspects of school life alongside studies and sporting commitment. It is something that is hugely evident in the team and the girls have a great work-ethic in all these areas, always working together and getting the best out of each other. Alongside the girls mentioned below who represented the school, I must also mention the core group who continued to come down to training not only to increase their fitness and improve their wellbeing but also to help me on poolside and generally add to the tight-knit community that we have down at the swimming. So those thanks go to Gaby Richardson, Cassie Bythell, Holly Drake, Katy Colthup and Evie Cumberland.

Girls representing the school: Under-14s: Olivia Bone, Jennie Durham, Phoebe Holmes, Jazz Nixon, Phoebe Stephenson Under-15s: Sophie Adeley, Sophie Bone, Katie Bonner, Molly Smith, Maddie Wylie Seniors: Katarina Bonner **, Sophie Green, Abi Harrison*, Lauren Moir, Nicole Moir**, Ellie Richardson, Gaby Richardson, Katherine Spencer**, Lydia Theos** *Full colours awarded **Full colours re-awarded

The Fowler Cup, for the best performance in swimming in upper sixth, was awarded to Nicole Moir.

Inter-House Swimming

Hope once again won the inter-house swimming, for the fourth year running, although it has to be noted that the winning margin wasn’t quite as large this year so maybe the other houses are finally catching them up! As ever the event was fantastic and the girls entered into the house team spirit wholeheartedly. Five new records were set: one in the juniors for Jazz Nixon, and in the senior age group Maddy Bennison gained one record with Kat Bonner setting another three. This means Kat now holds seven school swimming records in total, which is an incredible feat in itself.

1st Hope 124 pts

2nd School 111 pts

3rd The Grove 101 pts

4th Clifton 90 pts

As ever, I would like to give huge thanks to the captain Nicole for the dedication and commitment she has always given to school swimming, and in this last year the particular help she has given to both me and the team.

Finally, I would like to thank all the girls who have swum in the teams since I started coaching at the school nine years ago, and all those pupils in the five years before that when I helped out with Clifton School swimming. Some of the girls who are 2017 leavers are the same ones that I started helping to swim when they were in Year 1 – very many lengths have been swum since then! It has been a pleasure watching them all grow up and I have very many wonderful memories. Throughout the whole of this time the girls’ swimming teams have always been a credit to the school and I shall miss them greatly. I wish every single one of them all the best for the future: they made my job an absolute joy.

Mrs Karen Burdass

St Peter’s School Boat Club

Ancholme Head

The Boat Club had a successful first away trip of the year at the Ancholme Head in Brigg. Racing over two divisions there were wins for the fifth-form boys coxless quad whose time of 10mins 10 secs for the 2,700m course placed them second overall. Equally impressive were Jack Coulthard in the J18 single sculls and Katarina Bonner in the women’s novice sculls. Not only did they win their individual categories but both proved to be the fastest male and female single scullers of the day. The day was completed with wins for both the senior women’s double scull of Sophie-Rose Haslam and Maddie Day and the fourth-form boys’ double scull of Joe Johnson and Andrew Liang. Across the boat club many other good performances were registered – an encouraging start to the year.

GB Trials November

Boat Club captain, Jack Coulthard, represented St Peter’s at his first GB rowing trials in Boston, Lincolnshire. Up against 120 of the country’s top junior oarsmen, Jack raced hard, placing 44th, a strong performance in this new environment and less than 15 seconds away from placing in the 20s.

York Small Boats Head

The Boat Club had a small but dedicated core of rowers competing in the annual York Small Boats Head on Sunday 21 November. The fifth- and sixth-form boys combined to produce three competitively-matched boats, racing in a category dominated by university rowers. Despite not winning, their times showed they have moved on with more to come.

The sixth-form girls double of Sophie-Rose Haslam and Katarina Bonner. however, proved too much for their competition. A combination of their experience and dedication produced a winning margin in excess of 30 seconds that was well deserved.

After a difficult year last year the fourth-form boys and girls took the opportunity to gain valuable ‘water time’. The quad of Joe Johnson, Guy Jenkins, Andrew Liang and Nick New coxed by James Connolly, the double of Freddie Dorling and Alexander Coates and the girls double of Lottie McKelvie and Valentina Cross experienced at first hand the competitive nature of head racing. Despite their inexperience they performed well in a strong field and returned to row again.

Newark Head

On 3 December 27 pupils returned to Newark Head after a ten-year break. All the crews gave a good account of themselves on the challenging twisty course, with six from twelve St Peter’s crews emerging victorious! Scullers Jack Coulthard and Kat Bonner were followed by winning crews in boys’ J16 coxless quad, boys’ J15 coxed quad, women’s intermediate 3 double and boys J16 double.

South Yorkshire Head

The Doncaster weather was typically mixed with occasional sleet and rain but the biggest challenge of the day was trying to stay warm with temperatures barely making it above two or three degrees.

Jack Coulthard set an excellent example with wins in both his J18 single and open single. Jack was the fastest single sculler overall on the day which was great preparation for the forthcoming trials at Boston.

The senior girls of Maddie Day, Alex Johnston, Katarina Bonner and Sophie Haslam also rose to the occasion and sculled with control to win the WJ18 quads by over a minute from their nearest rivals. Later in the day the WJ18 double of Maddie Day and Sophie Haslam and WJ16 double of Alex Johnston and Eve Gilbert also claimed victories.

The J18 boys’ quad continued to show progress whilst the J16 quads had to battle against each other as their opposition failed to show up. Grayson Townend and Elliot Millman took the victory in the J16 doubles with a display of determined sculling.

The development squads consisting of the J15s and J14s, some of whom raced for the first time, showed just how far they have come in a short space of time. Not only did they defeat the unrelenting cold but they also demonstrated great spirit both on and off the water.

Yorkshire Head

Saturday 11 March saw the Boat Club again competing on our home water in the Yorkshire Head. The weather was perfect for the event, seasonally warm, low wind with sunny spells.

Sixteen crews represented the school and all continued to show great improvement with competition coming from as far as Hampton School. The boat club recorded two wins, an impressive feat against tough opposition, with numerous second and third placings in very large categories. Elliot Millman and Grayson Townend won J16 doubles and Sophie Haslam, Alex Johnston, Katarina Bonner and Maddie Day won the open women’s coxless quads.

Schools Head of the River Race

As in last year’s Boat Race, the weather had a major effect on racing and as conditions deteriorated the organisers shortened the course to just under 2 km. Undeterred, the senior boys racing in the championship quads put in a solid performance against some of the top quads in the country. They maintained their focus despite being hit by waves breaking over their heads only two strokes into the race.

The J16 boys’ quads had similar experiences and were forced to dig deep and drive their boats hard to finish fifth and tenth overall. The results were a vindication of their hard work and commitment throughout the term as a whole.

The senior girls’ quad also demonstrated tremendous grit, determination and skill in the hostile conditions that continued to deteriorate throughout the afternoon. Many crews struggled to make headway but the St Peter’s crew stuck to the task and finished in 17th position overall.

Junior Sculling Head

The Boat Club’s first appearance at this event was blessed with bright skies and a tricky headwind. Five St Peter’s crews made up of girls and boys from the third and fourth forms competed in the coxed quads events racing two legs of 1800m on the famous Eton Dorney course.

The fourth-form boys quad of Hanno Brach, Joe Johnson, Adam Dalton and Ethan McKinney, coxed by Paddy Renwick, rowed with purpose and overtook three other boats out on the lake to finish comfortably in the top third of their event. For many of our crews this was their first experience of Eton Dorney and in true St Peter’s spirit they made the most of it both on and off the water.

On the water they may have been divided by age and gender but off the water there was no such division. Seldom has the Boat Club seen such an excellent display of cohesive teamwork throughout the day.

Ghent Rowing Camp and International Regatta

Fourteen seniors made the trip across the North Sea to Belgium in order to train and compete in the Ghent International Regatta. For the second year in a row the weather was fabulous which allowed the St Peter’s crews to gain the most from their experience.

Jack Coulthard raced in both the J18 and U23 single sculls and produced some of his fastest times of the year to date. His pace off the start pontoons was particularly impressive and gave him an advantage that many of his competitors could not close down.

Nine of the J16 boys’ squad travelled to Ghent and raced in various combinations of doubles and quads in both J16 and J18 categories. There were strong performances across the board with one memorable race on the Sunday afternoon where two of the quads battled all the way down the course with the outcome only decided in the last ten strokes of the 2 km race.

Not to be outdone the senior girls also raced various combinations of doubles and quads in the WJ16 and WJ18 categories . It did not matter which combination went out to race as the senior girls’ crews raced hard and showed tremendous determination against the international field.

Tees Regatta

The Tees Regatta in May has proved to be a popular event with our junior rowers. For the third form this was their first experience at the regatta but they were not overawed. Both the girls and boys dealt well with everything that regatta racing throws at you and came away stronger for the experience.

The fourth form however were back for the second time and were determined to make amends for last year. The boys’ quads raced well but met stern opposition as they had been drawn against student rowers from Lancaster University. The double sculls

however were matched with their own year-group and took full advantage by taking first and third places in the final.

Equally determined were the fourth-form girls who were similarly mismatched in their first event but dug deep and took a fantastic win in the women’s novice coxed quads by a length.

National Schools’ Regatta

The National Schools’ Regatta returned to Eton Dorney and is one of the highlights of the rowing year. The third and fourth form were the first to take to the water on the Friday with the time-trials. The glorious blue skies could not disguise the strong head wind that was blowing over the 1,000m course. St Peter’s crews battled hard and performed to the best of their abilities but with such a high standard across the board qualification was tough. Despite not making it through to the final stages all the crews gained valuable experience that they will hopefully draw on in the future.

Day two saw Jack Coulthard compete in the championship single sculls. His progress across the year was evident when he secured thirteenth position in the time-trial, earning him a place in the semi-finals. An unfavourable lane draw meant that despite his efforts he could not secure a place in the final.

The third and final day brought greyer skies but more importantly the wind had dropped and the racing conditions were near perfect. Both the senior girls and senior boys made it through their timetrials.

The senior girls’ quad of Maddie Day, Alex Johnston, Eve Gilbert and Sophie Haslam were unfortunately at a disadvantage before the first stroke was taken as they were having to compete against girls in older years. Giving away such an advantage at a national level is hard but they stuck to their task and were rewarded with a welldeserved place in the ‘C’ final, finishing in fifth place.

The senior boys in two coxless quads made the ‘B’ final in the ‘A’ category and the ‘A’ final in the ‘B’ category. The ‘A’ crew of Kieran

Whyte, Grayson Townend, Elliot Millman and Sam Gowland finished sixth in their semi-final, whilst the ‘B’ crew of Tom Raper, Will Foster, James Smith and Harrison Smith finished fifth in their final.

Hanno Brach teamed up with Jack Coulthard to race in the championship double sculls. Once again this crew saved the best for race day and secured a place in the semi-finals. Having only a limited period of time together this was a tremendous result which placed them in the top fourteen doubles in the country. Only nine seconds separated the crews in the semi-final with Hanno and Jack just being on the wrong side of the cut.

Peterborough Junior Championships

Thirteen third- and fourth-form crews travelled to Peterborough, and four made it through to represent the school in their finals.

The J14 quad gained a bronze medal which is an encouraging result from a crew in their first year of St Peter’s rowing.

Hanno Brach and Joe Johnson raced in J15 ‘A’ doubles, winning a fantastic gold medal, followed soon after by Hanno racing again in his single, losing out on a second gold by the smallest of margins.

Guy Jenkins and Adam Dalton raced in J15 ‘B’ doubles and were rewarded with a bronze medal.

The Boat Club has enjoyed a successful season and is looking forward to 2017-18 with renewed enthusiasm.

Henley Women’s Regatta

A fabulous weekend of racing in June saw the senior girls’ quad of Maddie Day, Sophie Haslam, Alex Johnston and Eve Gilbert fight hard. Unfortunately they were unable to progress beyond the timetrial after coming up against top-class opposition.

York Summer Regatta

The senior boys swept to victory at the York Summer Regatta registering wins in four events, two of which were in open competition against non-junior rowers. Mr Ian Doyle