19th March 2015 Dear Parents and Guardians, We enjoyed some wonderful, musical moments last week that included a beautiful Choral

Vespers with the Preparatory School Choir followed later by our Senior Musicians’ Recital on

Thursday evening, and a superb Chaplaincy Assembly on Friday, when a ‘flash mob’ of samba

players, made up of the Senior Orchestra, emerged from all corners of the Chapel to converge on

the Sanctuary in a pulsating, rhythmic bonanza! The musicians then replaced drums with

orchestral instruments to perform the themes from Pirates of the Caribbean, after which they

were joined by the Senior Choir in an extract from Haydn’s Nelson Mass. The whole performance

was an absolute joy, and we hope that you will come to support the full performance at the

Spring Concert on Thursday 26th March, at 7.00pm in the Chapel.

Friday also saw the annual Reconciliation Services take place during the course of the day, and

I would like to thank the Chaplaincy for giving our students the opportunity to reflect deeply, in

such busy lives, upon what truly matters.

We achieved regional success once again last week in the annual Go4Set competition, run by our

Physics Department for budding engineers, as well as many sporting successes during the week

and again on the weekend. Further reports on these appear later in this E-Newsletter.

Thank you to the Parents’ Association, supported by a plethora of parent helpers, for such a

splendid Spring Fair on Saturday. As usual, the Sports Hall and Theatre were decorated

stunningly and proved to be veritable hives of activity as we raised the magnificent sum of

£5,500 in aid of our chosen charities this year, The Falcon Centre and The Carpenter’s Arms, both

in Loughborough. Also over the weekend, our Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze and Silver Award

students gainfully occupied in preparation for their expeditions, while Boarders enjoyed a Go-

Karting trip after an especially pleasant Mothers’ Day Mass.

We have enjoyed an exciting week, with House Netball for Years 7 and 8; the Preparatory House

Speech Competition Final; the Charnwood Design Award Presentation by the Mayor of

Charnwood to the Chairman of Governors in recognition of the splendour of our new

Preparatory School, when our Years 3 – 6 Choir sang beautifully; a successful Parents’ Evening

for Years 3, 4 and 5; a Nursery Trip to Stonehurst Farm; and a delightful assembly this morning

led by Mrs Walker’s Year 5 Class.

The highlight of the week was undoubtedly last night, when our Annual Sports Presentation

Evening took place, celebrating the excellent achievements of all our boys and girls involved in

Senior School sport. Director of Sport, Mr Gilchrist, ably supported by this year’s Sports

Captains, Angharad Lloyd and Rory Thorne, were all on top form. Their superb presentation was

complemented by our Guest of Honour – Old Ratcliffian, former Tigers, England and Lions player,

and now Ratcliffe College parent – Louis Deacon, who inspired us all as he shared with us some

of his own sporting memories and the life lessons that he learnt through his extraordinary

career. My sincere thanks to all those involved, and particular congratulations to the fortunate

recipients of awards.

Amongst the many fixtures that lie ahead of us this weekend, we shall be hosting the Annual

Netball Festival in the Preparatory School, on Saturday 21st March. Alongside this, the Ratcliffe

College Parents’ Association has organised a fun ‘Boot Camp’ for all parents and other

spectators, incorporating a combination of exercises and team games to give you a full body

workout. The session will cater for all fitness levels and is run by local Personal Trainer,

Elaine Crewe. Boot Camp will run between 1.30 – 2.30pm on the fields behind the Netball

Courts. If interested, please register your place by contacting Mrs Sharon de Caestecker on

07842 775880 or e-mail sdc71@talktalk.net.

May I finally and very politely remind all parents that under the Acceptable Use Policy regarding

use of technology, parents must not post films or photographs that they might have taken of

their children in school-related activities on any website, if it shows other children, without the

expression, written permission of the parents of those other children. Thank you for your

understanding and co-operation.

Wishing you and your family a very happy, healthy and blessed week ahead,

Yours sincerely, Gareth P. Lloyd, Headmaster.

The Mayor of Charnwood presenting the 2015 Design Award to Mr Richard Gamble,

Chairman of Governors, for our splendid new Preparatory School.

From left to right: Mr Lloyd, Mr Gamble, The Mayor and Mayoress of Charnwood.

Dear Parents

End of Term Arrangements

In order to enhance the safety of students at the end of term and to facilitate a safer and more effective

flow of traffic through the school campus, there will be a slightly earlier finish to the School day. In recent

years, we have operated a staggered end to the school day for the various sections of the School,

which has worked well.

The following arrangements will therefore operate on Friday 27th March:

Nursery and Years 1 and Year 2 School will end at 3.15pm. There will be no after school

care, so all Nursery, Years 1 and Year 2 children must be

collected at 3.15pm.

Preparatory School (Years 3-6) School will end at 3.30pm. There will be supervision in

the Newman Hall for any children who cannot be picked

up at 3.30pm until 5.30pm.

Senior School School will end at 4.20pm; buses leave at 4.30pm.

There will be supervised prep in the Emery Library until

5.30pm.

We appreciate that there are parents who have children in different parts of the school. Arrangements

will be made to look after any children who need to wait for older siblings who are in the

Senior School. These children will be supervised until 5.30pm in the Preparatory School Newman Hall,

from where they should be collected.

The parking area outside the front of the main school building will continue to be reserved for

parents of boarders only. This area is the nearest to the boarding houses and this arrangement helps

those parents who have to pack their cars with their child’s belongings, which can often be substantial!

Thank you in advance for your co-operation.

Kind regards

Jon Reddin

Senior Deputy Head

Dear Parents and Guardians,

A partial eclipse of the sun is scheduled to take place tomorrow morning, with about 85% of the

sun obscured by the moon at 9.32 a.m. As you will see from the following hyperlink, it should

prove to be quite spectacular, weather permitting!

http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/uk/leicester

We hope to enable as many children as possible to witness this rare natural phenomenon, whilst

avoiding the attendant risk of eye damage. We therefore plan to show the event on a live video

feed in various locations throughout the School, rather than taking groups outside.

We will also strongly advise children not to look directly at the sun – whether through a window

or by going outside – unless they have at least 2 pairs of sunglasses.

Due to impending public examinations, lessons for Years 11, 12 & 13 will proceed as usual.

Mr G Sharpe, Assistant Head & Head of Sixth Form

PARENT NEWS

St Bartholomew’s United Church, Quorn, Present

Ratcliffe Chorale

Singing Stainer's Crucifixion

Sunday 22nd March, 6.30pm

Admission Free; Retiring Collection in aid of Macmillan Nurses

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION NEWS PA UNIFORM SHOP

The Second Hand Uniform Sale went well in February with most of the items put in being sold,

and monies owing to parents will be sent at the end of term.

The next sale will be on Wednesday 25th March in the Prep School lobby, so please put that in

your diaries. We, of course, now need more items! We had lots of requests especially for girls’

summer dresses, so if you have a few items that your children have grown out of, please forward

them via Senior or Prep School Reception to us. The forms to fill in are at both Receptions or

e-mail me and I will e-mail a form to you. Many thanks.

Jenny Howling

pashop@ratcliffe.leics.sch.uk

SENIOR SCHOOL STUDENT NEWS

Headmaster’s Assembly 16th March 2015

Merit Badge

Year 7

Finley Back Trisha Bhimani Isabel Burke Stanley Chell Anuj Savani

Year 8

Tom Neuberg

Merit Shield

Year 7

Harry Cusack

On 13th March, seven cadets from the RAF section of the CCF visited RAF Cranwell in

anticipation of a great day flying. The cadets were certainly not disappointed as the weather

was perfect, and many of them had over 30 minutes of flying time, with some aerobatics thrown

in for good measure. Well done to: Brian Leung, Harry Ainscough, Oliver Foulds, Kieran Bonas,

Jamie Lanyon, Harry Goward and Tom Cusack.

Congratulations to Eric Chan, Year 13, who performed a superb recital at Mountsorrel

Methodist Church last Sunday evening to a very appreciative audience.

Emily Cheetham’s team, Icicles, represented Great Britain last weekend at the Junior

World Synchronized Skating Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, and skated superbly.

Twenty four teams from 19 countries competed, with the top 5 countries from the previous

World Championships (Finland, Sweden, Russia, USA & Canada); each were allowed to bring

their two best teams. Teams skated their Short programme (approximately 2 minutes, 40

seconds) on the Friday.

Icicles were placed 15th with the highest short programme score ever achieved

by a GB team in international competition. On the Saturday, the Free programmes

(approximately 4 minutes) were skated. Icicles skated their best ever performance, achieving

the 13th highest long programme score which put them in 14th place overall (9th in the country

listings). Icicles’ total score of 100.33 was the first time any GB team (Junior or Senior) has ever

broken through the 100 point barrier. Afterwards, the team was commended by the judges for

their significant improvement since the last World Championships two years ago. Their world

standing has been improved by one place, overtaking arch rivals, France. Emily was personally

commended for her leadership by the coaches and team managers for her handling of the team,

which saw them jell together as a happy, confident and determined to do well group.

Go4SET Introduction Event, 12tt March 2015, NEC Birmingham

A group of six Year 9 students began their Go4SET experience in excellent fashion at the

Introduction Event, held at the NEC, Birmingham, on Thursday 12th March 2015. The 6 Science

enthusiasts: Poom Hirunwiwatkul, Luke Hodds, Emily Dunne, Anthony Elumelu, Sarah Curnick

and Isobel Hose, were tasked with building a tower out of a limited amount of paper and tape

that could support a bag of nuts and bolts, in an attempt to strengthen their team working skills

ahead of the 10 week Go4SET project. By providing a real and live Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) project, Go4SET will raise the pupils’ awareness and

highlight the exciting future career opportunities in STEM.

The students managed to beat all the competition, with a tower that reached a massive 107cm

in height. Well done to them, and I hope a sign of the good things to come. It was a close battle;

the 2nd placed team’s tower was just 2cm shorter.

Not wanting to boast or revel in their success, the students took the accolades coming their way

with cool, calm heads, and even Anthony gave away his prize of a Cadbury Creme Egg to a

member of the runner-up team; what a gesture! The Ratcliffe College way is clearly already

rubbing off on him!

The Ratcliffe College Go4SET team with their winning tower

Model United Nations trip to Bath

Eleven students, accompanied by Mr Cantrill and Mr Lambert, attended the prestigious twenty-fifth Bath International Schools Model United Nations conference at Kingswood School. Our two delegations were representing North Korea and Swaziland, two interesting but politically challenging nations. Friday evening presented an opportunity for delegates to network with colleagues from around the world as lobbying commenced. This intense period of political jostling saw our delegates forge alliances and seek support for resolutions covering a wide sphere of issues including education, disarmament and African development. Saturday and Sunday saw the conference in full swing with delegates sitting in their committees debating resolutions. Olivia Armon, Human Rights delegate for Swaziland, opened up her committee proceedings with a lively resolution declaring support for Russia’s stance on the treatment of homosexuals. One of the key skills developed for the students participating was an ability to argue for points of view they might not personally agree with. Anastasia Benfield-Dexter and India Mitchell-Jarvis later presented an equally controversial resolution to the Human Rights committee on behalf on North Korea, calling for the abolition of the International Labour Organisation and two clauses of the Declaration of Human Rights, to allow for greater productivity among their workforce! Both resolutions were ultimately rejected (passing them would have been a worrying indictment of world politics today) but the students presented them excellently and fought their point of view strongly.

Across the conference, students contributed pleasingly to their different committees, arguing for and against resolutions and submitting amendments. Special mention must go to Luke Gyesi-Appiah, who was a commended delegate for Swaziland on a second Human Rights committee. We hope the experience served all the students well and that they will benefit from their gained political insight.

Mr Cantrill and Mr Lambert World Book Day Shelfie Selfie Competition Winners Joint winner of the Purple Challenge: Alex Purcell, 9MIJ Joint winner of the Purple Challenge: James Berns, 9SB Winner of the Green Challenge: Zoe Duffin, 10AS Well done!

Visit by Jeff ‘Dicky’ Bird DFC WWII Spitfire Pilot

March 11th 2015

On Wednesday, 11th March 2015, we welcomed a number of guests from the Royal Air Forces Association, including WWII Spitfire pilot, Jeff ‘Dicky’ Bird on a visit to see our replica Spitfire project. Dicky had heard about the project some time ago, and had been keen to visit, but it wasn’t until 11th March that mutual times could be arranged. Dicky signed up for the RAF in 1939 following the outbreak of the war, and was sent to South Africa for his advanced training. Whilst on the five week journey south aboard the troopship, he passed the time being taught how to play Bridge by a professional Australian player. As a pair, they cleaned the ship of their competition, disembarking in the southern hemisphere with their pockets bulging with £10 notes! In many ways, Dicky was fortunate to do his training in South Africa, where he accrued some 300 hours on Spitfires before being sent to fight. Following his training, the troopship prior to his was torpedoed on its journey north, with the loss of many trained pilots, so Jeff elected to head to the front across land, a whole story in itself. Dicky and the other visitors were very impressed with the Spitfire as she stands currently, and was also very interested in the original parts from Mk1a P9503 that we had been given last December. He has already expressed an interest in returning for one of our Sunday workshops so that he can meet the boys, and watch them at work on it.

Mr Berry, Head of Art

Art is …

Continuous line mapping the journey of an eye, by William Oswell, Year 7.

PREPARATORY SCHOOL NEWS CERTIFICATES OF MERIT, 19th MarchYEAR 6

Torie Baggott Merit badge Nigel Denham Merit badge

Musafa Mamujee Merit badge

Jasmin Jarvis 2nd certificate Louis Westwood 2nd certificate Amy Whitelaw 2nd certificate YEAR 4 Katherine McCrindell Merit shield Hannah Murray Merit shield Sophie Shield Merit shield Sophie Cooper Merit badge Maddy Dunstan Merit badge

Keira Perry Merit badge

Ranai Popat Merit badge

Avani Gupta Merit badge

Connie Colville 2nd certificate Nyah Gill 2nd certificate

Felix Jackson 2nd certificate

Finlay Spencer 2nd certificate

Harry Watson 2nd certificate

Jessica Westwood 2nd certificate

YEAR 2

Evie Ashford 2nd certificate

Tomas Mason 2nd certificate

Joshua Smellie 2nd certificate YEAR 1 Thomas Bloor 2nd certificate

Theodore Dunstan 2nd certificate

Leo Gabriel 2nd certificate

Phoebe Smith 2nd certificate

Ella McNeeney, Year 6, has received 1st and 3rd rosettes for Arena UK Indoor Cross Country.

Harry Cregeen, Year 4, has received a medal for Leicester & District Mutual Football League

Festival.

Tatiana Lock, Year 4, has a certificate and orange/white stripe belt in freestyle Tae Kwondo.

Harriett Ashford Clark, Year 3, has received a certificate and medal from Stagecoach Theatre Arts

Schools.

Zara Etty, Year 2, has received her learn to swim grade 1 certificate and level 4 gymnastics

proficiency award certificate.

Lily Grieff-Mulvey, Year 2, has received her learn to swim stage 1, 2 and 4 certificates.

SPORTS

PREPARATORY SCHOOL

On Tuesday 24th February, the U11 girls played a strong netball match against Fairfield.

Mrs Gilchrist said that all of the girls played professionally. During the first quarter, the girls

scored one goal but Fairfield scored two, which put them just in the lead. Unfortunately,

Fairfield scored more goals as the game progressed, but although Ratcliffe didn’t win the match,

their performance was much improved. All of the girls played extremely well and Maddi Bryant

was the player of the match. Well done to all the girls that played.

By Amy Mason

The U10 girls also played a netball match against Fairfield. On the way to the match,

Miss Stafford said that this would be a tough match against strong opponents. She was right!

In the first quarter, they scored four goals. After a quick chat from Miss Stafford, we were back

out on the court, but before we knew it, we had conceded another four goals. During half-time,

Miss Stafford gave us another team talk and we came out for the second half determined to score

at least one goal. We scored two! The first one was scored by Ella Clark after an amazing catch

in mid-air by Amelia Wells which had everyone jumping up and down. Unfortunately, Fairfield

also kept on scoring, making the final score 11 – 2 to Fairfield. Despite the result, Miss Stafford

was proud of our performance and our great team spirit. Player of the match was Amelia Wells

for her fab feet. Well done to all the girls who played.

On the afternoon of Monday 9th March, our intrepid U9 and U10 cross country runners travelled

to the other side of Stamford to compete in the annual Copthill Cross Country event. This was

the first time that Ratcliffe had entered a team, and the children were quite surprised when they

walked the course beforehand. The course is part traditional farm land and woodland sections

interspersed with natural assault course style obstacles. Needless to say, our children were

extremely keen to get started and test themselves on the adventure course that lay ahead.

The U9 girls were first to race and they set an outstanding standard for everyone else to follow.

Daisy Reddin ran superbly well, finishing 3rd overall. The other girls in the team: Zoe Howling,

Avani Gupta and Sophie Shield also ran fantastically well, resulting in the U9 girls’ Team finishing

2nd overall. The U9 boys also had a great race with highest finisher, Finlay Spencer, crossing the

line in 8th place just outside the medals. The U11 girls enjoyed their race although it was slightly

longer than the U9’s. Highest finisher was Annie Rose Reddin in 12th. Finally, the U11 boys took

to the course, and Ethan Chapman simply flew around finishing in a brilliant 5th place. The stand

out performance of the day, however, in this race was from Jamie Hollis who had been a late

replacement on the morning of the event. He ran better than I have ever seen him run before but

what was most humbling was his great attitude and pride in representing Ratcliffe. His spirit

and eagerness to do his very best for Ratcliffe epitomises everything that is great about sport at

our school. A huge well done to all the runners who raced, and I am sure they are all looking

forward to returning again next year even if it is only for the yummy flapjacks we all got at the

end!

Saturday 14th March: Grace Dieu U9 and U10 6 aside football tournaments

In less than idyllic footballing conditions, our U9 and U10 football squads travelled to Grace Dieu

to compete in their annual 6 aside football tournament. The temperature was bitingly cold and

the wind was chilling us all to the bone; I was reliably informed by one of our travelling faithful

supporters that it was in fact warmer in Russia!

Both teams started well with wins over St Mary’s; the U10’s victory was only by a single goal but

it was good enough to settle them into the tournament. The U9’s in contrast put away a hatful of

chances to start in confident mood. Their second games saw them play the hosts, Grace Dieu.

Two solid wins later, both teams new they had qualified for the semi-finals, all that was left to

decide was whether they would qualify as winners or runners up.

The U10s won their remaining group game and the U9s drew which meant that both teams

would qualify for the semi-finals as winners of their respective groups. As anyone who has ever

been to a tournament knows, however, winning your group is nothing more than establishing

base camp at the foot of the mountain in preparation for the serious assault at the summit in the

knockout stages. The U9s had a tough match, and although they had been the dominant force

throughout the tournament thus far, fate was to play a cruel trick in the dying moments of

normal time. Ranai “The Cat” Popat who had played brilliantly in goal got injured saving a

powerful shot. This injury resulted in Ranai taking no further part. It was this pivotal moment

that led to the narrowest of defeats in extra time. The boys were disappointed but should not be

downhearted as their play throughout the morning had indicated what a talented bunch of

footballers they are, and that one stumble never knocks true champions off their stride for long.

There will be other days, boys, when your talents will pay dividends and you will reach the

summit and fly the Ratcliffe flag.

Such a day had arrived for our U10 boys. They dominated their semi-final, running out 4 – 0

winners and playing with a confidence and control which was amazing to witness in such hostile

conditions. As they took to the field for the final, there was a sense of destiny in the air,

the metaphorical clouds had lifted form the pinnacle they were aiming to conquer and their

assent to the top seemed assured. The match was their toughest by far, but by this time, the boys

had a unity and belief in one another that was not going to be broken on this day. Every player

contributed a vital touch, pass, tackle or shot which epitomised the belief that the whole is far

more powerful than the individual. From Tom Leighton in goal, through Tyler “The Ice Man”

Black, onto the three musketeers: Sam Gray, Cameron Mulvihill and Harry Gamble to our

triumvirate of centre forwards: Alex Hollinshead, Cameron Gordon and Tilak Pabari. Everyone

played their part and everyone deserves the plaudits they received after their 2 – 0 final win.

They finished with a played 5 won 5 conceded 1 goal record which confirmed just how far they

had all come both individually and collectively over the past few months of hard work on the

training ground. Summit conquered, enjoy the moment, there are many more summits awaiting

us in the future.

Well done to all who played whether the unlucky U9s or the unbeatable U10s.

Ratcliffe College Prep U11A Hockey v Foremarke Hall On Wednesday 11th March, the Ratcliffe U11A boys’ hockey team played against a strong team from Foremarke Hall. We defended brilliantly for long periods of the game against some fast attacking hockey from Foremarke. Ratcliffe managed to cope well in the first half and the score was 0 – 0 at half-time. In the second half, we became more of an attacking threat and we scored a great goal on the counter attack through Guy Heywood. The remainder of the half saw us under increasing pressure and though we defended valiantly in the last two minutes, we succumbed and conceded three late goals. Despite a losing final score of 3 – 1 to Foremarke Hall, this was a fantastic performance from all the boys. The whole team was voted as players of the match for their individual and collective efforts throughout the match. The team was Daniel Keating, William Wright, Roman Carpenter, Guy Heywood, Sam Gray, Cameron Mulvihill and Alex Dring. Well done boys. By Roman Carpenter Ratcliffe College U11A and B Netball at the Leicester Grammar Junior School Tournament Our U11 Netballers travelled to Leicester Grammar Junior School on Wednesday 11th March for their annual Tournaments and found the standard of play to be very high. Undaunted by this however, the girls played superbly well demonstrating a huge increase in their level of performance since the beginning of term. Both Mrs Gilchrist and Miss Prentice were extremely proud of the girls. Although results did not go the girls’ way, this increase in both individual skill level and collective team work is a just reward for all the hard work the girls have put in this term. Well done to all the girls who played.

Ratcliffe College U11C and D v Foremarke Hall Likewise, on the same day, we sent two more netball teams to Foremarke Hall. This was a great achievement in itself to have four Prep Netball Teams playing in fixtures on the same day. As with the girls who had travelled to Leicester Grammar, the girls demonstrated a massive improvement in their individual and collective abilities on a netball court. Yet again, the results did not go our way but we must focus on the performance levels and not the results at this age. All of the girls enjoyed their experience which is the most important thing as this will motivate them further to work even harder still as they move through the School to continue to improve themselves on the netball court. Well done to all the girls who played. Ratcliffe College U11 Rugby sevens at the Elms Tournament Our U11A Rugby squad travelled to The Elms on Wednesday 11th March to compete in the

annual Elms Sevens Tournament. The boys had had a fabulous regular season remaining

unbeaten and they were highly motivated to crown this excellent achievement off with a trophy.

The boys did themselves proud but were a bit rusty to begin with. Their first match was against

Birkdale (who were outstanding and were the eventual winners). We lost 4 tries to 0. Feeling a

little downhearted after that first loss, the boys couldn’t bounce back against Yarlet in their

second game and lost narrowly in a game we should have won. The boys really turned it on

against Barlborough and Derby GS, and won both those games convincingly. We finished 3rd in

the group and qualified for the cup quarter finals as best 3rd place team. We played St Anselm in

the quarter finals (they were eventual finalists v Birkdale) and lost a cracking game 4 tries to 2.

We went into the trophy tournament for teams knocked out in the quarters, and replayed Yarlet

in the semi-final and beat them convincingly; we then went on to beat Fairfield convincingly in

the final. The boys all deserved their medals and we have a nice shield that the boys are

rightfully proud of as it marks the completion of their stated aim at the beginning of the season,

to be unbeaten in regular season matches and to win a trophy. Well done to all the boys.

The players of the tournament were Sam Linnett and Louie Fletcher.

Mr Kaye

On a bright spring Wednesday afternoon, our U11 Boys and Girls’ Hockey squads travelled to

Leicester Grammar to compete in the U11 County Mini Hockey Tournaments.

Both teams were highly motivated to do well and had ambitions of becoming County Champions.

The girls played really well in their three matches, losing narrowly to Leicester Grammar and

Fairfield before registering a fantastic win against Dixie Grammar. The girls all played

exceptionally well and they should be proud of their efforts and the way that they represented

Ratcliffe with such pride and passion.

The Boys only had two games to play, and after a convincing 3 – 0 win against Dixie Grammar,

they faced up against Fairfield to decide who would be crowned County Champions. This was to

be a titanic struggle that ebbed and flowed throughout the twenty minutes of normal time.

Our boys had most of the possession and field position, and poured constant pressure onto the

Fairfield goal but to no avail. As is often the way when you have lots of pressure, you are

susceptible to the counter attack, and on three occasions, Fairfield broke free creating one on

one opportunities to take the lead. On three occasions, however their centre forward was faced

with Ben “the wall” Jackson in the Ratcliffe goal. Three times he stood firm and not only saved a

certain goal but set us back out on the attack with his precision kicking. It was from one of these

kicks in the dying seconds of the match that the ball found its way to Louie Fletcher, who drove

up field before slipping the ball wide to Sam Linnett, who in turn, took one touch to control the

ball, steadied himself and struck a cross of such pace and precision that it only needed a guiding

stick to help it into the corner of the goal; that guiding stick was in the hands of captain and goal

poacher, supreme Guy Heywood. As the ball hit the backboard, the visiting support erupted in

euphoric elation, shortly afterwards the final hooter sounded and the County Championship was

secured. The boys can now look forward to the regional Tournament on 24th April in Cannock.

Well done to all the boys and girls who played in the tournament. It was yet another memorable

sporting afternoon for Ratcliffe College Preparatory School.

Mr Faulconbridge, Head of Preparatory School Sport SENIOR SCHOOL Report as presented at Headmaster’s Assembly on Monday 16th March

Hockey

1st

After not having a game last week, the 1st team made the mid-week journey to Oakham to play

the first of the two games they have had over the next couple of days. Ratcliffe took the initiative

early on and were rewarded for their hard work by taking a deserved two-goal lead, with goals

from joint Players of the Match, Carrick Anderson and James Robinson. Oakham, however,

fought back and at half-time Ratcliffe held a slender 2 - 1 lead, thanks to some gritty defending

and an excellent goal line clearance from joint Player of the Match, Harry Stokes. The second-

half became a very hard fought affair with both teams going in for some strong tackles.

Eventually, Ratcliffe did manage to battle their way through, winning the game 4 - 3,

with James Robinson and Richard Ward scoring the goals.

On Saturday, the 1st team followed on from their hard fought victory against Oakham, to draw

1 - 1 with Princethorpe in another very tough fixture. Both teams started well and Ratcliffe took

the lead midway through the first-half with a calm finish from Captain, Joey Higham.

Both midfields were evenly matched with Player of the Match; Ben Pole, having an excellent

game on the right-hand side. In the second-half, Ratcliffe had to hold firm as Princethorpe

attacked looking for an equaliser. Unfortunately, the hosts did get the equaliser through a fine

finish. Both teams had chances to win the game, and a fine, finger-tip save from Goal Keeper,

Toby Smith, in the last minute, meant Ratcliffe got the draw they deserved.

2nd

The 2nds took on a very forceful Oakham side mid-week and responded in the right way,

winning 4 – 3. After taking the lead early in the first-half through Man of the Match,

Seb Dewhirst, Oakham went in at the break 2 – 1 ahead. The score line, however, did not stay

this way for long as the boys really found their stride in the second-half. Further goals were

scored by Louis Hurst and Seb Dewhirst who completed his hat-trick. Oakham did respond with

another goal to make it a nervy last few minutes, but the 2nds got the win they deserved. Special

mention must go to Paul Newton and Tom Lowe who made some very important contributions

in some of the goals.

On Saturday, the 2nds had a resounding 6 - 0 win against Princethorpe. A score of 3 - 0 at

half-time was just reward for some excellent attacking play, using the width of the pitch well.

The second-half was much the same, which is to their credit as it could have been easy to ease

off. The boys’ effort was outstanding and they deserved to score 3 more goals. There were

excellent performances from Seb Dewhirst, Matt Lewis and Jack Matthews, but Player of the

Match goes to Captain, Niall McWhir, for his desire to drive the team on. Goal scorers were

Joe Jarvis, Matt Lewis, Louis Hurst, Josh Macqueen and two from Seb Dewhirst.

3rd

The 3rd team hosted Uppingham on Saturday in an enthralling game which ended up 4 - 3 to the

visitors. In what was an improved performance, Ratcliffe were unlucky not to get an equaliser in

the closing minutes. Man of the Match went to Ed Purcell for his all-round play.

U15

The U15s were unfortunate to lose 2 - 1 in what was an excellent game of hockey. Both sides had

their opportunities to win the match, and both coaches agreed after the game that a draw would

have been a fair result. Princethorpe had some dangerous runners which allowed them to exert

a lot of pressure in the first-half, but the Ratcliffe defence held firm and always looked dangerous

on the break. Sam Bird converted excellently from the top of the D after one of those

counter-attacks. Princethorpe scored early in the second-half and, despite Ratcliffe taking more

control, won the game with a well-taken penalty corner with 2 minutes to go. This cannot take

away from what was an excellent performance by the U15s. Matthew Ward, Sam Bird and

Jack Nightingale played strongly in the middle of the pitch and, despite other good performances,

were equal Players of the Match.

U15B

The U15B team lost 2 – 1 in a very even game on Saturday against Princethorpe. After conceding

an early goal, Charlie Hancock responded with an excellent finish to go in level at the break.

Although Ratcliffe had most of the possession in the second-half, Princethorpe scored from a late

short corner to win the game. Man of the Match goes to Brad Smith for his work-rate out on the

wing.

U14

The U14 hockey team travelled to the Regional Tournament this week and, although they

struggled for results, they were never outclassed. On Saturday, they came up against a talented

Princethorpe side and, despite playing their best hockey of the year, lost 2 - 0.

U13A

In our most exciting match to date, the U13s were edged out 1 - 0 by a strong Princethorpe side.

In what was a very competitive game of hockey, our defence performed admirably when we

found ourselves under pressure but unfortunately we lacked composure in front of goal after

creating 4 or 5 really good chances! The boys should be very proud of their efforts, matching

Princethorpe in every department and on a different day, a reversal of the score line would be

just as likely. Man of the Match was Harry Culpin who pulled off a string of exquisite saves which

kept us in the game.

U13B

The U13B team played out a thoroughly enjoyable 0 - 0 draw away at Princethorpe, in a game

where both sides could easily have won. Ratcliffe thought they had snatched it towards the end

when Ellis Gee had a great opportunity in the last minute which was beautifully saved by the

Princethorpe Goal Keeper. Although they have not had many matches this year, at times it did

not show. Player of the Match goes to Alex Bown, who was outstanding in midfield while the

work rate of all the players was second to none.

U12

The U12s continued their unbeaten season with a dominant performance against Princethorpe.

They played outstandingly well in the first-half with Tom Page, Archie Heaney and Finley Back

all scoring. Princethorpe played better in the second-half but another goal by Finley led to a final

score of 4 – 0 to Ratcliffe. Krishnan Jivanji and Harry Cusack showed good composure at the

back, and Alex Tyszka and Owen Lloyd dominated the midfield. Finley Back and Tom Page were

excellent in attack and Finley was Man of the Match for his excellent all-round game.

JAC Hockey

Well done to Owen Lloyd who represented Leicestershire in a 3 Counties Tournament on

Sunday, helping Leicestershire to win all three games.

County Rugby

The U15 rugby team finally lost their unbeaten record in the County Cup semi-final. For once the

forwards were outplayed and, with the set piece faltering, tries were hard to come by. The backs

had probably their best game of the season with Matthew Ward and Man of the Match,

Harry Heaney, standing out. Sadly it was not enough to carry them through.

Rory Thorne, Boys’ Sports Captain.

Netball

1st

The 1st team have been hit by several injuries over the past few weeks but the players have risen

to the challenges of positional changes. Against Princethorpe, they came back after a loss against

Wellingborough mid-week, to put in an inspirational whole team performance to win 24 - 15.

Player of the Match, shooter Charley Flowers, teamed up well with Holly Blount and they missed

very few shots. The defenders were up against strong tactical Princethorpe shooters but

Adelaide Muskwe showed her true colours, intercepting many passes. Congratulations to

Olivia Back and Kate Tyszka who had 1st team debuts, fitting in well.

2nd

The 2nds faced Princethorpe at home in cold conditions. Ratcliffe had a slow start missing a

couple of early shots, but Princethorpe lost their Goal Keeper late in the first-quarter,

which allowed Ratcliffe to get back into the game, ending the quarter 4 - 2 down. Unfortunately,

Princethorpe had no substitutes so continued with only 6 players for the second and

third-quarters. Ratcliffe were able to capitalise on Princethorpe’s misfortune, utilising their

spare player effectively. Both Yasmin Gill and Angharad Lloyd supported throughout the court

and pressurised the opposition to make hurried passes, which were intercepted by

Chloe Flowers at Centre and Mimi Lallo at Goal Attack. Ratcliffe finished the third-quarter 18 - 9

ahead. In the final-quarter, Ratcliffe loaned Princethorpe a spare player to even out the sides.

Ratcliffe took their foot off the gas throughout the court, allowing Princethorpe back into

the game. Ratcliffe finished the final-quarter 20 - 13 winners. Players of the Match go to

Mimi Lallo for her consistent shooting and defensive play, and Chloe Flowers for her calmness

through court and confident ball handling skills.

Mid-week, the 2nd team faced a number of challenges throughout their match on Thursday

owing to a number of injuries resulting in players having to play out of position. Despite this,

the girls pulled together as a team to perform the best they could. Chloe Flowers received

Player of the Match for her exceptional work rate and movement around court. Her dynamic

movement allowed her to put pressure on the opposition and intercept a number of passes.

3rd

Mid-week, the 3rds had a tough game against an experienced and very athletic Wellingborough

side. The girls had to start with six players and were always chasing the game after that.

However, they battled hard and played some great netball. Charlotte Hull, who stepped in to

play at shooter, made some great shots. Player of the Match goes to Laura Hayes.

On Saturday, the 3rd team ended their season with an emphatic 49 - 6 win after taking control of

the game in the first-quarter. Excellent shooting and interplay from Olivia Thompson and

Charlotte Hull, coupled with full team cohesion, despite several substitutions, meant that

Princethorpe struggled to get possession. Laura Hayes fully deserved being Player of the Match

for her well-timed interceptions.

U15A

The U15s lost 27 - 21 against tough opposition, but worked really hard to raise their game.

After both the first and second-quarters the score was tied, with both teams playing excellent

attacking netball. In the second-half, Ratcliffe struggled with fitness and so a few mistakes crept

in and Princethorpe were able to turn over and convert possession to take the lead.

Despite some excellent interceptions from Player of the Match, Georgia Holt, we were not able to

turn over enough centre passes to steal a win.

U14A

The U14A team faced a tough Princethorpe side this weekend, losing 29 - 10. Player of the Match

was Izzy Hose for her fantastic pressure in the defensive circle along with some incredible

interceptions. All the girls played their hearts out and, as a squad, couldn’t have played

any better. When put under pressure, it was great to see that the girls remained focused and

executed their game plan.

U13A & B

The U13A team lost 27 – 7 to a very well organised and athletic Stoneygate team. It was hard

going for much of the game, with the girls being put through their paces. However, the girls

didn’t give up and battled hard, moving and defending well. The girls learnt a few key things

from this game and need to continue to build on their fitness and retention of the ball. Player of

the Match goes to Ellie Hollinshead and Players’ Player goes to Sofia Henderson.

Another tough weekend for the U13 teams, with both losing (A team 17 - 7 and B team 12 - 7).

Both teams were slow to start; however, they soon stepped up their game and put in some

impressive performances, but couldn’t quite claw themselves back. Player of the Match for the

A team goes to Kate Woodhouse, who worked tirelessly, and Players’ Player goes to

Lucy Grinham. U13B Coach’s Player goes to Elle Hall and Players’ Player to Bo Henderson.

U12B

The U12s lost 10 - 2 but played some great netball, working the ball around the court well

in attack and winning some important interceptions. The score was level after the

second-quarter at 2 - 2, but unfortunately Princethorpe managed to up the tempo and were

eventual winners in a closely fought game. Coach’s Player goes to Annabel Mills and Players’

Player to Emily McBallantine.

County Netball Tournament

The U12 girls had their County Tournament this Saturday. Having a tough group, the girls came

second losing only to Loughborough High School. They played well against Welland Park and De

Lisle, putting in place tactics worked on all week, in particular stages of defending.

Coming second in the group meant we played winners of Group B, Oakham. A strong side meant

the girls had to excel to compete with this team. The girls did more than excel and played the

best match of their season to win a very close game. The girls, who were ecstatic to be in the

final, remained composed as they faced Loughborough once more. They started well,

leading 2 – 0; however, Loughborough’s attacking play and accurate shooting brought them back

into the game. After all the girls’ effort, they couldn’t quite see off Loughborough. All 9 girls

were a credit to the School, with perfect attitudes and superb effort in every match, earning

every girl Player of the Match.

Cross Country

Well done to Mia Atkinson who finished 82nd, Alice Daniel who finished 32nd and Emily Hollis

who finished 120th in the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships at the weekend.

Angharad Lloyd, Girls’ Sports Captain.

Sporting Fixtures Sat 21st March

Loughborough HS (girls netball)

9.30 am 1st, 2nds, 3rds, U15A, U15B

H 8.45 am

Loughborough HS (girls netball)

9.30 am U14A, U14B, U13A, U13B, U12A, U12B

A 8.15 am

Sun 22nd March

ORA (girls netball)

14.00 pm

1st H 13.15 pm

Mon 23rd March

U12s County Rugby Tournament

14.00 pm

U12 LGS 13.00 pm

Tuesday 24th March Tues 24th March

U12s Boys Hockey Tournament

14.00 pm

U12s ST MARGARET’S

13.00 pm

Leicester Grammar (girls netball)

16.40 pm

U13A, U13B, U12A, U12B

H 16.20 pm

Wed 25th March

Welbeck College (Mixed Volleyball)

17.00 pm

Senior A 16.30 pm