Pocklington School Newsletter Lent Term 2020 | Page 7

Successful Sporting Start to 2020
We have had a fantastic start to the year, from
House Sport to inter-school fixtures and regional
and national recognition. The recent Boys’
Hockey and Girls’ Netball Divisional House
Tournaments saw students from First Year to
Upper Sixth competing together, with many
parents cheering and encouraging their
children’s Houses.
In netball, Maddie Parkinson (Fourth Year) has
been selected to represent the competition
squad for the prestigious Leeds Rhinos. And
First Year pupil Emily Marshall is the Under 13
Northern High Jump Champion after achieving
a personal best jump which was 8cm clear of her
nearest rival at the Northern Championships.
Three students - Lucas Walton (Fourth Year), and
First Years Laura Brooks and Imogen Stevens,
represented Humberside at the British Athletics
Inter Counties Cross Country Championships
earlier this month, on a challenging and muddy
course near Loughborough.
Lucas was also among three of our students
selected to represent Humberside at the New
Balance English Schools' Cross-Country
Championship 2020 in Liverpool, competing
against the best young athletes from England,
plus overseas competitors. Lucas finished 327th
in the intermediate boys’ race and Ollie Nicholls
(L6) finished 313th in the senior race – both
impressive results in a tough, competitive field.
Toby Cheung (L6) also qualified but was unable
to attend.
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In Rugby, Alex Preece (Second Year) is the latest
Pocklington student asked to take part in the
Yorkshire Rugby Academy U13 ERDPP training
sessions, Ed Hasdell (L6) continues to impress
and has another U18 Yorkshire Academy fixture
away at Worcester.
Squash player Lydia Robinson (U6) was named
Junior Sportswoman of the Year in the Hull Daily
Mail Sporting Champions Awards after topping
every age group of the England Squash
rankings. Bella Byass (U6), the school’s 1st XI
hockey captain, was shortlisted for the same
award. Bella has represented England Whites as
part of the England Hockey Diploma in Sporting
Excellence Programme, and was last year
named as England Whites’ most improved
player.
Finishing on hockey, Second Year pupil Niamh
Clements has been selected to play for Team
North East in the UK Lions’ Under 13 Girls
Regional Tournament this summer. Our U11 girls
qualified for the North Counties Schools Hockey
Finals at Leeds University, which was cancelled
due to the coronavirus.
So far it has been quite a year!
David Byas, Director of Sport