Achievements celebrated
Andy Wang qualified for the English Primary Schools’ Chess Association U9 and U11 Championships thanks to his standout effort as part of the Cheshire and North Wales Junior side.
The gifted seven-year-old caught the eye of selectors at a host of recent tournaments, where he has defied his age to gain high finishes despite facing older and more experienced opposition throughout.
Most recently Andy represented us at the Delancey UK Schools Chess Challenge Megafinal, which is the world’s largest competition attracting more than 48,000 hopefuls from 1,400 education establishments.
The pupil produced another wonderful series of performances to finish third in the U7 category, claiming four out of a possible six points to earn qualification to the Northern Gigafinal later this year.
Mr McDuff, said: “Andy continues to show just what a talented chess player he is, and the experience of playing on the national stage is going to be a fantastic experience.
“He thoroughly enjoys playing chess here with his classmates, and this has led to him achieving some outstanding accolades despite his tender age."
Eve Durrans and Fflur Pierce came away with a pair of notable accolades from Colwyn Bay Hockey Club’s end-of-season award ceremony, which was held recently.
Year 6 pupil Eve, who will be soon be joining the Senior School on a Sports scholarship, produced a number of exceptional efforts throughout the campaign to earn the U11 Player of the Year award.
There was further success in the form of Year 4 pupil Fflur, who rounded off an outstanding year with the Player of the Year award for the U9 side.
Also claiming an award from the event was Isabella Peevor, who secured the Most Improved Player of the Year honour in the U11 category.
Mrs Hind, said: “This is fantastic news and a huge congratulations to all three pupils that claimed awards for their efforts with Colwyn Bay Hockey Club.
“We are proud to have very strong links with local sides and you can see by the results and achievements our pupils have managed to attain this year just how much good this is doing for their overall development.
“Hopefully this is just the start for them all and I look forward to hearing of their progress.”
Jonathan Osbourne produced another stunning effort to come away with a pair of medals from the North Wales Regional Championships, which were held in Wrexham.
The 10-year-old equalled his personal best to take gold in the high jump event, before putting in another eye-catching display to come away with bronze from the long jump.
Rydal Penrhos’ athletics captain rounded off his success by making the 100 metre sprint final in the face of vastly older and more experienced opposition, eventually finishing in sixth place.
The pupil, who recently accepted an Academic and Sports scholarship to join the Senior School, has been working with the Strength and Conditioning team with a view to improving his overall development, something that is bringing with it superb results.
Mr Boyd, said: “Jonathan is a very hard worker who is growing in both stature and confidence with every event he participates in.
“He has an enormous amount of natural ability which is being nurtured by our dedicated staff here, and we are extremely excited to see what the future holds for Jonathan when he becomes part of the Senior School in September.”
Our U11 Rounders' side travelled to St Pius in Preston on Friday, May 19, where they tested their skills against six other schools from across Cheshire and the North West.
Led by newly appointed captain Martha Hind, the side produced a number of memorable performances to surge through their opening five clashes with a 100 per cent record.
This was down in no small part to the effort from Ariana Milligan, Eleanor Tunstall and Ruby Merrick, while Eve Durrans, Kalis Wilson-Lawrie and Ella James also caught the eye in what was a dominant series of triumphs.
They rounded off the group stage with a draw ensuring they qualified for the final, and it was left to Year 5 pupil Jasmin Beckett Donald to steal the show with a last-gasp rounder to secure the crown for Rydal Penrhos by a half point in dramatic circumstances.
Mrs Hind, said: “This was yet another marvellous effort from our U11s, who have demonstrated throughout the year just what talent they have in a variety of sports.
“Special mention goes to Jasmin, who proved that age is no barrier and showed tremendous maturity to come up with the goods under pressure to bring home the trophy.”
Tomás Milligan, a Year 1 pupil, came away with the Most Improved Gymnast of the Year award from Grays Gymnastic Club in Colwyn Bay.
It has been a memorable campaign for the young hopeful, who was crowned the overall winner of the U6 category at the North Wales Beginners Floor and Vault Championships, which were held at the Wrexham Gym Club in October.
The six-year-old, who was competing in his first competitive event picked up three silver medals throughout the contest, including for floor routine and vault.
The pupil is following in the footsteps of siblings Ariana and Cieran, who have achieved notable sporting success throughout their time art Rydal Penrhos.
Mr McDuff, said: “This is a very deserving award for Tomás, who has shown an enormous amount of potential in the relatively short time he has been competing in Gymnastics.
“He has big shoes to fill in terms of matching the achievements of siblings Ariana and Cieran, but he has already begun to make a name for himself which is extremely encouraging.”
Xavier Poynton picked up a podium finish at the Summer Race League, which was held at Ski Rossendale in Lancashire.
The six-year-old turned in a memorable effort to come away with third place in the U8 Boys’ category, despite competing against older and more experienced opposition throughout.
He was awarded a certificate and ski hat for his fine achievement, and this is the latest in a long line of successes for the child prodigy, who has gone from strength-to-strength in recent months in what has been a promising young career to date.
Xavier was also part of the school side that were crowed National Primary School Champions at the national finals earlier this year.
Mrs Hind, said: “We were delighted to hear of Xavier’s continued success in what was a highly competitive event featuring some of the top young skiers from the region.
“To achieve a podium finish against older competitors’ is a wonderful achievement and it is sure to give him plenty of confidence for similar events in the future."
Anna Heyes, Cerys Williams and Gabriele Subkovaite recently came through their Modern Dance assessment with flying colours, and received their certificates at the school’s Celebration Assembly on Friday, May 19.
The trio, who all hone their craft at the Pearl Shaw School of Performing Arts in Colwyn Bay, will now begin working hard in the hope of further honours in the future.
Anna performed well to achieve a Merit grade during her exam, while both Cerys and Gabriele managed to secure Distinctions for their efforts.
This is the latest in a long line of extra-curricular success stories for Rydal Penrhos, with many committing their own time to achieve success in various fields including music, drama and performing arts.
Mrs Hind, said: “Congratulations to Cerys, Gabriele and Anna on their Ballet grading success.
“Achieving things outside of the classroom is something we actively encourage here, and our pupils do a fantastic job of making the most of their time and maximising their huge potential.
“All three are racing through various assessments at a rapid rate, and this bodes very well for even more success in the future.”