Daneshill Diary 05/05/17

Headmaster’s Notes

I am delighted to report that we received news over the weekend that Stanley Jiang has been elected to Winchester College for September 2017. Approximately 14 scholarships are awarded each year by the College so this is a fantastic honour for Stanley and a truly remarkable achievement.

The final list of awards that our pupils have won to Secondary Schools for this academic year now reads:

Felicity Young                  Dr Gray All-Rounder Scholarship       Bradfield College

Jessica Bettesworth         Music Exhibition                                 Bradfield College

Lilias Hoare-Nairne          Academic & Art Scholarship              Downe House

Camilo Cowan                 Art Scholarship                                   Lord Wandsworth College

Hal Gavin                         Academic & Drama Scholarship        Lord Wandsworth College

India Fulford                     All-Rounder Scholarship                    Lord Wandsworth College

Stanley Jiang                   Academic Scholarship                       Winchester College

I would like to congratulate all of the pupils on their fantastic achievements and the teaching staff throughout the School who play such a vital role in preparing the pupils for these awards.

Mr Webster

Warrior Adrenaline Race

As I sit here writing this, there is not one part of me that does not ache…the old adage of ‘No pain, no gain’ is probably fitting here…and the gain is hard to quantify exactly but it is almost immeasurable.

On Saturday 29th April Mrs. Caratelli, Mrs. Blomfield and I set off with a group of Year 8 pupils to take part in a Warrior Adrenaline Race. On arrival at the site I think it’s fair to say that I have never seen mud like it in my life. Wading through the river seemed positively blissful in comparison to some of the challenges. I’m not great with heights and to say every obstacle was difficult for me is no exaggeration. I decided early on that my strategy was to simply not look down and hang on for dear life. Sometimes you have to call upon resources that you don’t even know you have!

It got tense towards the end of the adult race, as we kept checking our watches. We were desperate to finish in time to see our Year 8s start their race. To me that was the most important part because it was about being there for them. They were so supportive shouting words of encouragement to us from the side and we were desperate to make it through our last obstacles and across the field to see them set off. We made it only by sprinting; any additional seconds and we’d have missed their starting orders. We were so proud of them. Their attitude and determination was phenomenal and when a group of very muddy girls and very muddy boys came over the finish line it was a pure joy to see them.

One student was unsure about the last water task, which was a tough one. Submerging yourself three times in muddy water to get under the planks is no easy feat. So the rest of the pupil team got back into the tank to do it again with their friend. Another student was finding it difficult to get to the top of a tall obstacle- on the fourth attempt (bearing in mind this involved running at an almost vertical wall) with sheer determination they made it. Moments like that are priceless. What a fantastic year group- we were super proud of them!

At a time when C.E. finals are beckoning, we feel that experiences like this out of the classroom are essential for what happens inside the classroom and for life skills they will take with them when they leave us. I think if our pupils can show such grit and determination in a warrior race, they will come out of it true warriors of a different kind, where anything becomes possible and no obstacle is insurmountable. Thank you to Mrs. Blomfield, Mrs. Caratelli and all the Year 8 parents who supported in many different ways and with a special mention to Mrs. Pocock who took care of the children while our race was taking place.

Miss Clegg

Chess Success

On 23rd April the annual Hampshire Junior Chess Mega-Finals saw around 160 entrants contesting against each other across a variety of age group competitions. Two Daneshill chess players took part in the challenge and did exceptionally well.

Edison Brown (Year 1) was playing in his first competition and played to a good standard in the U7 section; managing to score 3 out of 6.

Daniel Yu (Year 5) played some exquisite chess and picked up the Supremo prize at U10’s with 5.5 out of 6. Well done!

Pre-Prep News

Reception were treated to the most thrilling afternoon when they had the opportunity to handle wild animals; Barnaby even held a real live scorpion! Safari Pete arrived in school with a jeep full of exciting critters and even commented on how impressed he was with the children’s prior knowledge about the exotic animals. What a wonderful way to learn! A huge thank you to Mrs Beauchamp for organising this experience.

Year 1 have been particularly enjoying their Maths this week. We set up shop and much to the children’s excitement they were invited to come and select different toys to purchase with their pretend money. The challenge was for pupils to select the exact coins that they would need in order to buy items of their choice. No surprises that the children were in their element and we really do have some little shopaholics amongst us! Parents be warned, you’ll have to keep a close eye on them when you let them loose in the ice cream shop over the summer!

Our new after school clubs have already proved to be a huge success. Training for Wimbledon has begun early this year! The children were excited to get their rackets out and show each other their volleying skills and ground strokes. We look forward to next week when the children will be focusing on the rules of ‘short tennis’! The ‘No Bake – Bake Off’ has also arrived at Daneshill. Hats were worn whilst the children from across the Pre-Prep measured, mixed, rolled and ate their delicious recipes. Chants of “Yes chef!” could be heard down the halls and trails of icing sugar are still being found.

The Pre-Prep Teachers

Sports

Wednesday 3rd May

CRICKET

U.13 A vs. Holme Grange                   L by 21 runs

U.11 A vs. Holme Grange                   W by 8 Wickets

U.11 B vs. Holme Grange                   L by 29 runs

U.10 A vs. Holme Grange                   W by 34 runs

ROUNDERS

U.13 A vs. St Neot’s                            W 11 – 8

U.13 B vs. Dolphin                              W 11 – 10.5

U.13 C vs. Dolphin                              L 6 – 9

U.11 / U.10 A vs. St Neot’s                 W 28.5 – 8

U.11 / U.10 B vs. St Neot’s                 W

U.11 / U.10 C vs. St Neot’s                 W

U.11 / U.10 D vs. St Neot’s                 W 13.5 – 12

U.11 / U.10 E vs. St Neot’s                 L 11.5 – 15

Friday 5th May

CRICKET

U.9 A vs. St George’s                          Late

U.9 B vs. St George’s                          Late

U.8 A vs. St George’s                          L by 10 runs

U.8 B vs. St George’s                          W by 40 runs

ROUNDERS

U.9 A vs. Marlston House                   W 15.5 – 13

U.9 B vs. Marlston House                    W 7 – 5.5

U.8 vs. Marlston House                       W 12 – 4

Reports

U.13 A

After losing the toss, Daneshill batted first with St Neots shouting ‘big hitter’ on every ball, applying the pressure. India was the first to score on ball eleven, so a slow start. Emily was caught out and after a few stumpings our score only crept up to 5 1/2. We had to field well. Olivia, Phoebe and India all caught a St Neots player out, with confidence, and Daneshill fielded brilliantly as a team and had a one rounder lead before the second innings. We achieved the same score with Chi Chi scoring two, and was awarded batter of the game, so eleven for Daneshill in total. Phoebe quickly stumped four out at second base, Jess bowled accurately to the left handers and there were a couple more super catches. India was fielder of the game, stopping the longer, harder hits with ease. Final score 11-8, unbeaten after three matches. A great start to the term.

Mrs Barnes

U.13 B

Tilly was excellent at second base and team did incredibly well to hit anything off the fast paced balls from the Dolphin bowler. Maddie Woodcraft made an excellent deep catch in the second innings and Isla Rattray was a solid back stop. The girls took their chances at the end of the match and a rounder and a half from the last two balls earned them the win.

U.13 C

Oliviya Howe played well at bowler; gaining confidence with each ball. The girls must learn to settle their nerves and trust each other. At 6-6 deep into the second innings the girls lost their cool and made some rash decisions which cost them the game. This team has promise but they must work on their cool, calm and collected decision making skills.

Mrs Blomfield

U.11 / 10 A

Excellent batting and quick thinking, accurate fielding throughout the game. Outstanding hits & amazing catches from some of the team members. A decisive win 28.5 – 8.

POM:   Batting – Fechi.     Fielding – Ava.

First XI

On a very cloudy day with patchy rain we travelled to Holme Grange to see if we could keep our winning run alive.

We made a great start with Harry Burleton opening the bowling and grabbing a wicket to make the score 0-1. From there Holme Grange, however, took control with some lovely batting. Both batsmen scored 50 and retired, batting intelligently. I was very impressed with our stickability and discipline under these circumstances. We stuck to our task, bowling full and straight, Jack moved the field about intelligently and we always supported our fielders and bowlers which meant we were able to limit them to 138 runs despite the quality batting on show.

Our chase got off to a tough start as we lost 5 wickets for 20 runs. To be fair the bowling was very good with swing from one end and pace from the other. However, from a technical point of view we did not use our foot movement to counter it and paid the price as were stuck on the crease. The McGregor brothers came in at 5 & 7 respectively and had to steady the ship. They did so admirably as they put on a partnership and got us to 80 with 6 overs left. From here the chase was on as incoming batsmen came and went. We batted very intelligently and though we were always 10-15 runs behind the rate we gave ourselves a chance to win. Jack Pocock and Harry Burleton finished the game with a lovely little partnership of around 15 but alas, it was not enough to win the day.

Onto the next one!

Mr Baldwin

U.11 A Cricket

The U11s bounced back from their first-game defeat with an outstanding run chase away at Holme Grange. Set 113 to win, Daneshill were undaunted by a challenging total and reached their target in just 13.2 overs. Barnaby C opened the batting sensibly, scoring a very patient 11. He perfectly exemplified how to value one’s wicket – this was exactly what was needed after last week’s batting display from most of the team. Ably supported by cameos from Marios (9) and Will (3*), Captain Arthur played a fine captain’s innings, finishing on 32* (retired). He took full advantage of any leg-side bowling – flaying the ball through midwicket and square leg – but also defended his stumps with caution and diligence.
Although, by their own admission, some of the ground fielding needs to be sharpened-up, this was a brilliant performance. The boys should be commended not only for their fine all-round display, but also for their sportsmanship. They quietly and sensibly watched and supported their teammates from the boundary, and were very gracious and mature in the way that they celebrated their victory. Very well done.

Mr Kinsey