Daneshill Diary 24/06/16
Headmaster’s Notes
Obviously it was hugely disappointing to have to make the decision to postpone our Sports Day but we look forward to what will undoubtedly be a glorious day on Thursday 7th July.
All of the residential trips returned safely and it is great to hear what positive weeks these continue to be. The pupils in Year 8 have asked me to appeal for any last minute donations for their fundraising. Having completed the Three Peaks Challenge last week they have raised close to £4,000 which is fantastic. Please visit their Just Giving page should you wish to make a contribution (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/three-peaks-year-8-2016 ).
Mr Spencer
Year 8 (2010) do the Three Peaks again in 2016
June 2010 was the first year that our Year 8 pupils attempted the Three Peaks Challenge. It was such a memorable experience that all of the boys agreed that they would re-group and attempt it again when they turned 18 years old. True to their word the eight boys (who are now 19 years old!) organised the expedition and invited Mr Thacker (now Deputy Head at Lambrook) and myself to accompany them as we had done in 2010.
We all set off from Daneshill on Thursday 9th June. The boys were determined to make it more challenging and slightly different to the last time so Ben Nevis was conquered at night and Scarfell Pike and Snowdon saw us scrambling up what seemed like vertical walls of scree! It was certainly not for the faint hearted! The other challenges of the trip saw us take on the might of the Scottish midges as we free camped at the base of the mountain, catering for the amount of food that the ‘boys’ needed to keep them going, and trying to understand all the banter and political discussions that were nonstop in the minibus and up and down the mountains!
Photos were taken of the group with the Daneshill banner at the summit of all of the Three Peaks and medals were left at each trig point for the current Year 8 pupils to collect the following week.
It really was a remarkable few days and it was so rewarding to see first-hand the bond that the boys had from their time at Daneshill and the happy memories that remain with them. Thank you to the boys, they really are a fantastic example of what Daneshill is all about!
Mrs Caratelli
Nursery Corner
We have had a super week in Nursery enjoying the fabulous book ‘Commotion in the Ocean’ by Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz. Some of the children were familiar with the story and all of them have delighted in the rhythm and flow which continues throughout, making it quite an easy story for the children to join in with.
Many of the characters that we have met along the way have made it to our fabulous new displays, and one little friend in Nursery is absolutely delighted to have a ‘giant squid’ on our walls too – despite not being present in the story! It is fascinating how certain creatures capture the imagination of the children and this one truly has.
We have all had the opportunity to witness nature very close to hand over the past week or two, and behind the nursery building we have been watching a litter of baby rabbits – kittens – sleeping, growing and hopping through their first steps. They have all happily left and we regularly see what we hope are our baby rabbits enjoying the gorgeous grounds at Daneshill.
Have a relaxing weekend.
Mrs Beeching
Sports
Wednesday 22nd June
CRICKET
U.13 A vs. Brockhurst W by 11 runs
Colts A vs. Brockhurst L by 2 Wkts
Colts B vs. Brockhurst W by 2 runs
ROUNDERS
U.13 A vs. Downe House L 5.5 – 12
U.13 B vs. Downe House W 9 – 8
U.11 A vs. Lambrook L 8.5 – 16
U.11 / 10 B vs. Lambrook L 10 – 15
U.10 A vs. Lambrook W 8 – 4
U.10 A vs. Rupert House W 6 – 2.5
U.13s
As Sienna was absent Mrs Blomfield decided to promote Julia and Freya to the As as it was their last match for Daneshill. As a team they batted very conservatively in the first innings only scoring 1 rounder. By half time the score was even. Daneshill fielded incredibly well and introduced a more daring approach in the second innings taking calculated risks to raise their score to 5.5. All girls enjoyed the match and the coach from Downe house commented on their evident cricketing skills in terms of their fielding in particular throwing and catching.
The U.13 Bs had an extremely close match and the girls displayed great team work and encouragement for each other throughout. Their fielding was particularly tight with some brilliantly consistent bowling from Jess B; this resulted in the opposition only getting one rounder in the first innings. The second innings was much more tense, Downe House came back with gusto, however, with some tactical and confident rounders from Daneshill we managed to take the win! The best batter was awarded to Imogen G and best fielder was awarded Claudia D-J.
U.11s
The U.11 A’s had some girls missing this week so Lily B was promoted to the A’s which was well deserved. The girls fielded first and they tried their best but Lambrock had some very strong hitters in their team. They scored 7.5 rounders in their first inning. When it was out turn to bat we batted well but the Lambrook fielding was extremely strong and many of the girls kept getting out. At the end of the first innings the score was 4 ½ Daneshill to 7 ½ Lambrook. The second innings followed a similar vein but special mention must go to Izzy who took three catches. The final score was 16 rounders for Lambrook to 8.5 to Daneshill.
The Mixed team had lots of energy going into their first game in a couple of weeks. We lost the toss and were put into bat. We started off a bit sleepy and were all out for 4 ½ however the girl knew they could bring it back and with some fantastic bowling a fielding Lambrook only got 6 ½ rounders. Our turn to bat again and with some amazing batting form Aline scored three consecutive rounders. We scored 5 ½ rounders in total. Now the girls knew it would be hard to hold onto only a 3 ½ rounder lead but they were ready to try and with a catch and two run out from Eliza the game looked like it would be close. Unfortunately in the last half of their batting innings the girls started to panic and they picked up a few rounders. A great effort from all the girls though!
Batter of the Game- Olivia
Fielder of the game- Eliza
U.10s
The U.10 A team had two very convincing wins on Wednesday.
Batting first against Lambrook was always going to be a tough start and we weren’t sure if our 4.5 rounders would be enough. Thankfully we fielded superbly with Grace T stopping some well hit long balls and Lilias stumping quickly. Lambrook scored 1.5 rounders. We added to our total in the second innings with Eliza scoring two rounders. We finished on 8 rounders and Lambrook were only able to reach our mid-way point. A great win.
Up next were Rupert House. Once again we batted first and scored a superb 6 rounders, with Candy scoring particularly well. We fielded with great confidence and Rupert House only managed to score 2.5 rounders.
It was a great afternoon, full of sensible decisions and a determination from the girls to play well.
Well at least the rain stayed away from some sporting events this week! Unfortunately the away games were all called off due to wet pitches at Brockhurst, but we managed to pull out all the stops and get the matches played at Daneshill. All matches were keenly fought, providing good competition and a learning experience for those involved.
First XI: Won DH 96ao BH 85ao
This was a match the first XI would not have won earlier in the season so the boys should be proud of their efforts as they came back from a tough situation. We won the toss and chose to bat on a slightly damp and green wicket. William Toosey got us off to a flier. Like a train, he steamed through the Brockhurst bowlers taking 22 off the first 3 overs. He was ably supported by Jack Pocock who batted intelligently and kept rotating the strike through some well-placed ones. William played one too many shots in the end and in the fourth over he played on. The Brockhurst bowlers took heart as they finally made a break through and Will Wyatt left as quickly as he came, bowled by a peach of a delivery which snuck past the outside edge to take the top of off. Daneshill then lost wickets in clumps as we found ourselves 50/7 in the 10th over. Virji, coming in at 7, set about steadying the ship. He batted diligently, running ones and hitting the bad ball as he compiled a patient 21 whilst building partnerships with Oliver BD, Harry Stevens and Tom Swart. This got us through to 96 which we knew we could defend if we bowled and fielded well.
Tom Swart was a mixed bag in his opening over, some loose deliveries countered by a lovely wicket as he bowled Brockhurst’s opening bat. 2 more wickets followed to Wyatt and Antelme as Daneshill took control of the match. However, under pressure Brockhurst batted well, putting together some good partnerships as they batted around one of their boys who made 40. We kept chipping away though, bowling consistent lines and lengths and making it hard to score. As the run rate climbed, so too did the error rate from Brockhurst as they chased the game. Jake MacGregor and Sami Virji bowled the most telling spells as the partnership saw Virji pile on the pressure as Brockhurst couldn’t score off him and Jake claimed his reward with a double wicket maiden. Two run outs followed and Wyatt claimed the last two wickets to close the game out; Daneshill walking off as winners. The team had fought back from a serious collapse to show their composure and game awareness by batting sensibly and strangling the Brockhurst chase. Well done, boys.
Mr Baldwin
Colts A: Lost: DH 71-8 BH 72-7
On a gloomy but thankfully dry day, the Colts A’s aimed to back up their victory from their previous game. Fortunately the rain that had fallen didn’t prevent a full hard ball 20/20 game being played. Daneshill went in to bat first and unfortunately it became quickly apparent that the beaches of Normandy and Heatree hadn’t seen much cricket being played! A combination of controlled and accurate bowling, a slow outfield and some careless shots saw Daneshill struggling at 25-5 after 10 overs. Again Thomas Dyer showed his qualities as a batsman, trying to take the game to the opposition with some boundaries, including a superb on – drive over the infield. Alongside Archie Beresford-Davies, Arthur Toosey, Tommy Guy and Guy Stevens, Daneshill managed to edge up to 71 off their 20 overs with Thomas unbeaten on 43. This was certainly no more than a par score on the surface.
Brockhurst came out full of intent at the start of their innings, but also lost early wickets with 3 falling within the first 2 overs. However, a combination of some powerful hitting and wayward bowling allowed the scoring rate to remain high and it looked as though the game was running away from Daneshill. However, in true Daneshill style, the boys kept fighting and Joey McGregor removed their danger man with 10 runs still needed. Another wicket fell before Will Swart bowled a double wicket maiden, leaving Brockhurst needing 4 runs with just 3 wickets remaining. Unfortunately, with Daneshill moving on the attack, the winning runs came with a boundary through the leg side.
Some decent bowling kept Daneshill in the game but they need to be more consistent with their line and length and also learn how to keep the scoreboard ticking over without being too aggressive.
Mr King
Colts B: Won DH 69/5 BH 67 ao
A delightfully tense and satisfying game of cricket. Daneshill lost the toss and were put into bat. The boys made 69 from a fresh wicket and some strong bowling from the opposition. Of particular note was Freddie Cullen who stayed in for the whole 20 overs making 12, and Alex Harker the Captain who hit a fast 11 with a couple of beautifully-struck boundaries. Brockhurst came out strong in their innings, punching boundaries in the first few overs. However, some exceptional bowling from the likes of Harvey Keeling (1 for 1 off 3), Oscar Petersen (3 for 2 off 3) and James Bloom (3 for 7 off 3) saw them in real trouble in the final two overs. The opposition needed 3 to win with 2 wickets remaining off 2 overs, and the bowling saw both of them fall. What a game!
Mr Champness