Netball

1st Team

There is no hiding away from the fact that this was a particularly hard season for the 1st VII, and although we didn’t get the results we wanted, the girls made significant improvements, individually and as a team. The positivity amongst the group was fantastic and the players’ grit and determination to stay in a game no matter what the score was incredible to see.

Millie Isaacs led the shooting circle all season long. Her strong leads and movement off the ball made her an easy option for her attacking unit, and her ability to turn and score from anywhere and everywhere helped instil confidence in her teammates. Her attacking partner in crime was Mia Rawlins, whose speed, strength and timing meant she was always an option. Mia’s ball placement was brilliant, finding the shooters with ease. At the defensive end, we had the incredible Georgia Culley who was solid every single game. She could have set a record for the number of ‘Player of the Match’ performances awarded by the opposing teams. Her timing for the two-handed interception was excellent, helping the team regain possession on multiple occasions and making the shooters constantly have to think of different ways to get free. Alongside her, Tara Madan’s energy and speed to close down space limited the other teams’ time to analyse their options and helped force them into errors. Sian Ellis, who was selfless all season, covered the WD/WA positions. Her fitness levels and energy in every game was top level, making her a coach’s dream and a real team player. A special mention must go to Sofia Trujillo, who was an exceptional captain. She was the driving force behind the team and the engine on court. Her end-to-end play was fantastic, and she was the perfect link between our defence and attack.

At the end of January, after a fantastic Regional Championship run with the talented U16A team, we welcomed Grace Harwood, Annabel Nichols, Isabella Maloney, Tilly Edwards, and Milly Thomas into the team. All players slotted in beautifully. The shooting duo of Grace and Annabel is truly exciting; they complement each other so well and have great connections. Issy and Tilly brought versatility and more attacking options to the team, and along with Grace and Annie, are a phenomenal attacking unit for the future. Milly joined forces with Georgia in the defensive circle and made an immediate impact with her hands over defence.

I was really proud of how the players adapted to the changes made to the team and how they made improvements game by game, scoring more and conceding less. With performances improving, we felt a win was coming. And with continued belief and hard work, they finally got a well-deserved win against Prior Park College. The girls took a commanding lead from the get-go and never looked back. Grace made herself available in the shooting circle with her well-timed baseline drives. The defensive pressure of Tara, Milly and Georgia was relentless and helped secure a 42-18 victory. It was great to finish the season on a high. Well done all and thank you for making me feel so welcome as a new coach to the College.

Chantelle Wopara

2nd Team

Due to the success of the U16A team, the 2nd team formed after the Regional Championships. This team was formed in February with a combination of original 1st, 3rd and U16A players. After not having played netball for two years, the team’s cohesion is a true testament to the leadership of co-captains Gwen Morris and Katie Dolman who made the players vocal in their support of each other and encouraged everyone. The team’s first match against King Edward’s School was an absolute thriller. The girls trailed behind by four goals at half time, but managed to come back and win by one, with a final score of 17-16. It was a whole team effort to get across the line, but congratulations must go to Nina Nissim who was named the player of the match for her defensive skills.

The team had comfortable wins against Colston’s, Cheltenham Ladies’ College and Dean Close. The match against Dean Close was won by eight. Nell Lane was named player of the match for her excellent movement in mid-court and Jessie Auty, who claims she is not a shooter, was put into goals (in most games) to nearly always seal the victory for the team. Her agility, positioning in the D and her shooting accuracy was a large contributing factor to the team’s success throughout the term. Whilst we had a close 23-17 win against Prior Park, our girls continued to excel in all aspects of the game: from Fleur Wagstaff’s defence, to Jemima Thefaut’s intense work-rate in the mid-court, to Olivia Egerton’s height and success shooting in the D. The diversity of this team means that Clifton College netball can only continue to grow, with exciting times ahead for the sport and the College!

Claire McCormack

3rd Team

The season started with what can only be described as torrential rain. There were very few complaints and the players just got on with the game. I knew at this stage that it was going to be a great season. The grit and determination that I saw in that first game set the scene for the rest of the season. The girls lost just one game against King Edward’s, and even that was a very close game at 12-16. Our centre court players, Eva Cully, Issie Hoddell, Nuala Lixton and Amelia Mackay, were unstoppable: their movement around the court was fantastic, and they really kept us in the game. In the middle of the season we had close games against BGS, Marlborough and Kingswood. However, towards the end of the season our shooters really stepped it up, Paige Cox and Lauren Franklin winning against CLC and Prior Park (25-4). Our defenders, Gabriella Whittley and Cerys Jones managed to keep most of our opponents’ scores very low; their determination in the D was simply brilliant. This has probably been the most successful 3rd VII team I have coached, their energy both on and off the court was fantastic and their competitiveness in every game was phenomenal. What a dream team.

Kath Jeffery

4th/5th Team

The 4th and 5th team squad was incredibly strong. In most other schools, these girls would have been playing in higher teams, which is testament to the strength of netball at Clifton. In addition to their obvious strength as a squad, they should be praised for their approach to training and matches throughout the season. Always enthusiastic, they applied themselves wholeheartedly and made excellent progress in terms of their technical skills and understanding of the game. With regard to competitive fixtures, highlights were a good win in the first game of the season against Taunton, followed by strong victories against BGS,

Kingswood, Cheltenham and Prior Park. The season closed with an emphatic victory against Cheltenham Ladies’ College when, pleasingly, everything that we had been working on in training came together in a superb display of netball. Isabel Bevan and Monique Konje combined superbly to form a formidable defensive unit, while Rosie McCorry, Madeleine Farmer and Livvy Owen dominated the centre court. In attack, Freya Haddon and Alexandra Pearce-Lynch were absolutely superb.

All the girls who represented the 4th and 5th teams should be commended for their effortswell done.

U15a

It was a top-class season for the U15A team, who formed slightly later in the term due to the success of the U16As at regionals. With a whopping 173 goals scored and only 68 conceded they performed superbly all season. It was clear that this team had talent and were keen to progress as a squad, and that they did. Winning every game bar one draw, they really did have an outstanding season. They started their campaign against KES Bath away, and as it was the first game with the new squad, it took five minutes to settle, but then they really found their rhythm. Sophie Langley and Victoire Berjonneau holding well in the circle and Megan Whatley playing the moving GA proved too much for the KES defence, and Clifton took the win (20-12). The team were confident heading up to Cheltenham to play Dean Close, and from the first whistle

Clifton took charge. With Anika Tildesley, Martha Barratt and Bea Willis very much in control of Dean Close’s defensive circle, they really struggled to convert their chances. As always, it’s a physical game against tough opposition, but Clifton stood their ground and came home victorious with a 20-11 win. As the term continued, the team grew on and off court and really showed what they were made of.

Josie Wong, Sophie Houghton, Connie Wedlake and Eloise Moat were dominant all season in the mid-court and their speed of movement on and off the ball left most opposition for dust.

Beating BGS (35-9), Colston’s (19-4), Prior Park (38-8) and CLC (32-15) showed some real talent indeed.

A special mention must go to the whole squad for being truly fabulous to coach; they really are a talented group of pupils who will go far on a netball court. A truly enjoyable season for an outstanding team. I hope I have the honour of coaching them again as they progress through the school.

Charlie Graveney U15B

The U15Bs were a pool of talent, fun and bounce this season. However, at the beginning of the fixture list they failed to translate their prowess into the desired results. Being slow to start in the first quarter each week resulted in three losses in a row, which were only two points short. And then there was a midweek Marlborough away game, which is best we don’t speak of further! Frustrated but motivated, the team focused their efforts and worked hard on some attacking set plays and came back fighting in the latter half of the season. A tight and feisty draw against Monkton Combe as well as convincing wins against Colston’s, Prior Park and Cheltenham Ladies’ saw them turn their fortunes around. Special mentions go to Evie Edwards who was exceptional in all six positions she played throughout the season, and to captain Helen Jones who dominated from the back, scooping several ‘player of the match’ awards. A strong finish for a talented and fun team.

Christa Clark

U15c

The U15Cs had a great season. It kicked off with a couple of tough fixtures against Taunton and Marlborough College, but once they settled as a team and put the hard work in at training, both the performances and results started going in our favour. The girls got their first win against a strong KES side, with Rosie Marson putting in a fantastic defensive display. From that point on, the team went from strength to strength, with great wins against Cheltenham College (21-8) and Cheltenham

Ladies’ (14-9). A special mention must go to Florrie Walsh for her energy and enthusiasm and accuracy with ball in hand. The team created a lovely training environment, which was full of laughter and team spirit. They improved so much as a team and were an absolute joy to coach. Well done all and thank you for a fun season of netball.

Chantelle Wopara

U14a

Although the major netball term falls in the Lent term, the A teams start their season during Michaelmas with the county tournaments. The U14A were excited to play their first competitive netball for a long period of time. They spent the afternoon getting to know each other on the court and really started to gel as a team. Sadly, they didn’t progress to the county finals but, importantly, they had started to lay the building blocks for the Lent Term. There were some close games to start the term. Against Taunton School it was going goal for goal, and the U14A suffered from a few mistakes made in the third quarter and couldn’t quite do enough in the last quarter before the final whistle, losing by only two goals. It was a similar story against Marlborough the following week but they secured a strong win against Bristol Grammar School (17- 12). The team grew in strength in every game they played, becoming more tactical and precise with their skills. Such improvement was reflected in three out of four wins in the second half of term. Their only loss after half term was against Redmaids’, a team who progressed to the regional finals. The U14A went into this game fighting and with much team spirit. It was a fantastic display of netball from both sides and a respectable score line of 18- 26. A highlight was their last game of the season against Prior Park. From the starting whistle, all players were in fine form, play throughout the court was slick and Prior Park found it hard to get through our defence. The final score was a 31- 16 win for Clifton and an excellent showcase of how far each player had come during the term. Special mentions go to Matilda Mortimore for her superb shooting, Hattie Wells for her interceptions and defensive work, and Emilia Puddicombe for her relentless through court play. The whole team progressed immensely and will continue to do so next year. A wonderful term of camaraderie and determination!

Kirsty Willis

U14b

After a shaky start, the U14Bs found their feet and had some absolutely incredible wins and tight draws against some very tough opposition. A storming win, 25-6 against Colston’s, and a 21-13 win against Dean Close were particular highlights. Our core defensive trio of Tilly Alkin, Mabel Moloney and Amy Fowler were ably supplemented by the versatile Bea McEwan (who also played a key role in the shooting team) and members of the centre court squad of Darcy Shields, Jaimie Roberts and Meg Titcomb who proved a formidable trio in getting the ball from defence up to our super attack squad of Aspen Prole, Emmerson Herbert and the team’s ultimate all-rounder, Polly Lloyd. I cannot praise the girls’ enthusiasm, resilience and team spirit enough. They were a glorious team to coach and a real credit to the school.

Anne John

U14c

The U14C team started the season on fire, securing three straight wins against Taunton, Marlborough and BGS. Unfortunately, King Edward’s Bath put a stop to their winning streak, but not their enthusiasm and commitment to the game. The combination of Mitzeeé Taylor, Madi Savory, Izzy Hambley and Flo FraserHawkins as shooters proved to be a formidable force all season, as did the defensive work of Alana Peto, Olivia Grewcock and Olivia Breakwell. Millie Smith and Amelia Lucas were unstoppable in the centre, with Joung Youn Hoang and Jodie Byas supporting brilliantly in the wings. With such a big squad, training and matches were bundles of fun, energy and cooperation. Well done on a great season!

Emma Kenyon

1st XI

After the enforced hiatus from competitive football in 2021, there was much anticipation as Lent Term 2022 approached and the 1st XI took to the pitch once again. The majority of the team already had a full term of football under their belts, having been involved in Development Football in the Michaelmas Term, and this certainly showed in the first fixture of the season against Wycliffe. With captain Ben Kellaway leading by example, Clifton raced into a comfortable 3-0 lead in the first half, blowing the opposition away with their slick passing and excellent wing play. The game finished 4-1, with Charles Rendle putting in a man-of-the-match performance on the left-hand side. A tough, rainy mid-week fixture against Monmouth followed in which the boys had to dig deep and defend stoutly against a well drilled opposition. A cagey game from start to finish, Monmouth scored midway through the first half and were looking good for the win until a late rally from Clifton resulted in Henry Davis deftly vollying in a cross from close range after tremendous trickery down the wing from Rendle.

The local derby was next, which was arguably the highlight of the season. The 1st XI played some of their best football of the term to beat local rivals BGS (5-2), with Mika VorenkampBeriro, Clifton’s new signing from Spain, showing his class in front of goal with two second-half strikes to put the game beyond the opposition’s reach. The only loss of the season (against another school) came in the next match against Marlborough, a torrid affair in which both teams struggled to play proper football due to the extremely windy conditions. Shay Sainsbury, making his debut in goal, saved a penalty in the first half, but Marlborough managed to nick a goal late on to secure a 1-0 win. The remaining four games produced four wins, 12 goals scored versus three conceded, and two hat-tricks (Rendle and Vorenkamp-Beriro) in a series of dominant performances where Clifton demonstrated both their defensive solidity as well as their attacking guile. A hard-fought 2-1 win against Bromsgrove preceded a 5-0 thrashing of an unusually uncompetitive Sherborne before a comfortable 3-1 victory against a scrappy Taunton team who seemed more intent on kicking the Clifton players than the ball.

The final game of the season against Malvern produced a fantastic comeback. Malvern were 1-0 ahead with five minutes to go, but Clifton had been piling on the pressure and deservedly equalised with one of the goals of the season, a wonderful strike into the top corner from 20 yards out by Andy Small. Not content with the draw, Clifton continued to pour forward and their front-footed approach was rewarded in the last minute of the game when Ewan Bullough was on hand to bundle home a rebound from close range; cue wild celebrations from the home side/supporters and a fitting end to a highly successful season.

It truly was a whole team effort in securing such a successful run of results but Ben Kellaway deservedly took the playerof-the-season award. A box to box midfielder with immense versatility who played every fixture, Ben led by example and was an excellent ambassador for the school, both on and off the pitch. Players’ player of the season was a close-run affair, but the award went to Henry Milne, whose stellar defensive performances and strong leadership skills were instrumental in securing positive results in several matches. Overall, the boys should be commended for their sporting conduct, as well as their hard work on the pitch and the strong sense of camaraderie that ran through the team. The mixture of talent, workrate and team spirit was a recipe for success and the boys should be proud of their achievements.

Liam Bull

2nd XI

This was, by far, the most successful football season for the 2nd XI for a number of years. The boys were not only a joy to coach, but also the definition of what is needed to work collectively towards a common goal. The team had a lot of talented players but their real strength came from their motivation to work together, work for each other, and in how they wore the Clifton College shirt with such pride. They repeatedly challenged the 1st XI and even beat them on a few occasions, which added to the fun in training. It is important to note that this team went unbeaten throughout the entire season, scoring 28 goals and only conceding four, keeping five clean sheets. The highlight of the season must be the impressive 5-2 victory against a strong Bromsgrove side with a hat-trick from Jack Goodwin. All the players in the squad were responsible for the success of the season but Cameron Longman was voted the Players’ Player of the Season and Jack Goodwin was the Player of the Season. This was a hugely enjoyable term and all the young men deserve to be congratulated, not only for their success but for the way they conducted themselves both on and off the pitch; you all did the school very proud indeed.

Dan Janke and Nick Luker

3rd XI

From the moment the 3rd XI ambled onto the hallowed turf of the Beggar Bush 3G pitch, it was clear that the pandemic’s role in turning more young people to YouTube football skills videos had paid dividends. Papa Obeng made it look like opposition defenders were still fighting lockdown lethargy, while Louis Afford Lessof’s ability to poach would have had Cristiano Ronaldo taking notes. The season was remarkable for a number of reasons. Firstly, the 3rd XI’s winning record was immaculate - but only when Oscar Green, the most valuable player, took to the grass. It was a blessing that the 2nd XI had not tried Oscar Green at central defensive midfielder; Oscar - like an untalented drummerconstantly disrupted any rhythm of the opposition.

Perhaps the most memorable moment of the season, due to an unprecedented mix-up, was the 3rd XI unknowingly passing the Marlborough 3rd XI on the M4; this was the closest they got to each other all season. While Marlborough’s mistake led to them playing a triangular with Clifton’s 4th XI, Clifton’s 3rd XI were left to either bolster the numbers of a 5th XI match in Marlborough, have a friendly kickabout, or complain relentlessly about the poor organisation of the fixture. As a mature group of players, led by Oliver Simcox, they most thankfully opted for the kickabout. A testament to their resilience, spirit and integrity.

A season highlight swiftly followed, with the 3rd XI being treated to a cold, wet and windy match on the 1st XI grass pitch. At 1-0 down, Sam Neil seized his first opportunity in the 3rd XI and scored two excellent goals in a 5-3 win - a match in which Oscar Green scored a 40-yard screamer.

With several committed players, like captain George Smith and the defensive rock Simon Koupparis, it was a pleasure to coach the 3rd XI this season.

Stephen Cross

4th XI

It was a season of mixed results for the 4th XI, who started brightly in an away match at Wycliffe with a Jack Bayliss hat-trick, a screamer from Oscar Wright and a clever finish from Max Gillings, resulting in a 5-2 victory. The team then won 3-1 away at Monmouth with another Jack Bayliss hat-trick, prompting his well deserved and swift promotion to the 2nd XI.

Unfortunately, there followed a series of postponements, narrow 1-0 defeats to Marlborough and Malvern, and an edge-of-theseat clash with Sherborne in which Sebastien Haddon scored early on with a fantastic effort from the edge of the box and Ahmed Syed added a quick-fire brace to ensure a 3-1 half-time lead. Playing into the wind in the second half, the team rallied well. However, with seconds left to play and the scores level at 3-3, the Sherborne captain let loose a 40 yard thunderbolt freekick to break Clifton hearts.

So the season had mixed fortunes, but the spirit of the squad was positive throughout, with many encouraging individual displays as well as some positive moments of team play. All of the students should be proud of their efforts and how well they represented the College, a particular example of this being when playing three halves of football against two different Marlborough opposition after a team mix up! Well done the mighty 4ths!!

Matt Deacon & Charlie Balfour

5th XI/ Development

This group of players should take enormous credit for their commitment to training, which they clearly enjoyed. They were fun to coach and the development was obvious to see; by the end of the season they had established a decent pattern of play and made huge improvements in their passing game. Results in the school fixtures did not go their way, but this did not appear to diminish the enthusiasm and willingness to represent the school. It was a real pleasure working with this group and many of them can look forward to the next football season and the chance of playing at a higher level.

Simon Tait

U15a

The U15As bonded quickly owing to many of them playing rugby during the previous season together. Despite the results not always going their way, the boys played with fantastic spirit and camaraderie. Even when the team were a few goals down, this didn’t stop their optimism or enjoyment of the beautiful game. Notable results were a 1-0 victory over Marlborough College thanks to the excellent football wizardry of Adam Davison and a 3-1 victory over Sidcot School led by the highly experienced Ricardo Thompson. The boys can look forward to building on the positioning skills and technique learnt in training sessions when they move up to the seniors next season.

Dom Harris & Max ErnestJones

U15b

The U15Bs began the season promisingly with an opening-day win, but as is often the way with B teams, this resulted in some of the star performers being poached by the As. A few defeats followed, including one against an alarmingly mature-looking Oratory School (“Sir, we’re not playing against those men over there, are we?”). However, the team did eventually rally, ending the season with two excellent victories.

The season’s standout player was Alfie Bilney, who lived out most of Gareth Bale’s career in just three months, progressing from dynamic left-back to freescoring forward (we assume he’ll spend next season being paid millions to sit on the bench).

Toby Young was tenacious and skilful at right-back, while centre-back Arthur Haimes, who kept on insisting that he didn’t know anything about football, nevertheless managed as many clearances as a Next store stuck in a Boxing Day time loop.

Captain Rio Wardzala pulled strings in the middle of the pitch, while Tom Bilney was everreliable both as a goalkeeper and centre-back.

The overriding impression I’m left with is of a squad filled with enthusiasm, good humour and camaraderie. I still hear shouts of “U15Bs” sometimes when I bump into a group of them together, which is a mark of how much we all enjoyed this season.

Greg Laing

U14a

From the first training session, it was clear that the U14As would be a competitive side; skill levels were high and there was an understanding of tactics and positional play not often seen at this stage. With lots of competition for places, a large squad was selected for the opening game, which saw a very positive start to the season, bringing an 8-0 victory over Wycliffe College. However, the first half against The Oratory School brought the team back to earth with a bump as a skilled and physical Oratory side took a 2-0 lead into half time. Clifton dug in to limit the lead and in the second half their resilience was rewarded as they mounted a spirited comeback that saw them achieve a hard-earned draw. The remainder of the season saw some disruption, due to the legacy of Covid, with only three more fixtures being played. These were completed in style, three wins bringing a rare unbeaten season for the U14As, including a 1-6 victory at Sherborne that was the highlight of the season. All of this was achieved with an impressive goal tally of 30 scored to only five conceded, a testament to both the attacking prowess and solid defending of a team that will be looking to go from strength to strength.

Clive Jones & Charlie Callander

U14b

The boys of the U14B team bonded quickly and developed a strong team spirit, which grew week-on-week. The team’s approach and their attitude to training made them a real pleasure to coach. Their season started off with a flurry of goals, leading to an emphatic 8-0 win over Wycliffe College. However, despite scoring eight goals in the first match of the season, Clifton’s spirits were dampened the following week when they conceded eight in a heavy 8-2 loss against The Oratory School. After a high-scoring start to the season, Clifton played Cathedral School, Llandaff, in a tightlyfought match and emerged 2-1 victors after going a goal behind. The following week, a sloppy start against Sherborne School saw Clifton concede four goals within the opening 10 minutes in a match that finished 1-6. Having so far won two and lost two, the team were looking for a win from their final match of the season. Hosting Malvern College at home, Clifton had a spring in their step and put right their previous losses in a masterful 2-0 victory. Well done on a successful season!

Patrick Jones & Kate Dodd