News from PE

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Football

vs St Albans High School

Well done to the U15s football team who reached the semi finals of the County Cup beating St Albans High School (STAHS) 2-0.

This was an accomplished performance with Presdales dominating throughout. STAHS defended exceptionally well and it proved difficult to find a breakthrough despite our control of the game. The first half ended 0-0.

The breakthrough came early in the second half with Sienna R winning a penalty which was coolly dispatched by Mia SR. The girls left it late to secure the result but a great header from Amy L direct from a corner put the game beyond STAHS.

Lots of great performances from the girls. Joint Coaches PotM goes to Mia SR and Amy L, who were outstanding throughout. A well deserved win and we now look forward to the semi final against either STAGS or Parmiters. Well done girls!

vs Ashlyns

An outstanding performance from the U15s football team beating Ashlyns 11-1 in the 5th round of the National Cup to reach the Round of 16. This is a fantastic achievement by The girls started a little bit slowly for the first 10 minutes, but started to find their rhythm.

A beautifully worked goal between Mia SR and Liv W gave Presdales a 1-0 lead. The girls never looked back after that and went into the half time break 6-0 ahead.

The second half continued much the same with Presdales playing some wonderful flowing football and some great goals. We are now looking forward to the Round of 16 and the chance to reach the Qtr Finals.

Goals were scored by Mia SR x 5, Ava M x 2, Marlee S x 2, Liv W x 2.

Very difficult to pick a PoM with so many accomplished performances, but it’s hard to overlook a 5 goal tally plus a fantastic all-round performance. Coaches PotM is Mia SR! Well done to all the girls. I’m really proud of all of you!

Indoor Athletics

On Monday 20th January, a handful of our talented athletes took to the track at the Lea Valley indoor athletics centre.

Here they competed against 12 other schools in a variety of events in the annual LVSSA Champs.

Notable performances from the minor girls included:

Millie 800m 1st place

Sky LJ 2nd place

Layla 60m hurdles 3rd place

Overall position 3rd – well done girls!

Junior girls notable performances included:

Sophia 60m hurdles 1st place

Jess shot putt 1st place

Skye 60m sprint 3rd place

Lilianna TJ 3rd place

Anna 800m 3rd place

Overall position 1st! Champions!

Student News

Please see more student achievements in non-school sporting activities on our PE Facebook page. We have recently had student successes in Football and Swimming!

Student Success

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Congratulations to D’arcy Wright, Year 13, who has been selected to represent GB at the 2025 Horseball World Cup and has previously competed at the European Championships.

Please find below D’arcy’s article explaining what Horseball is and outlining the experiences that she has had.

What is horseball?

Horseball is a fast-paced, team equestrian sport that demands high levels of skill, agility and determination from its players. While riding horses, two teams of four compete to score goals by throwing a small ball (which is covered in leather handles) into a 4.5-meter vertical hoop. The game requires players to pick the ball up from the ground at speed (known as a pickup), make three passes between three different players on their team and head towards the goal – all whilst avoiding the defence and keeping excellent control of their horse by mainly using their legs (or at least trying to anyway).

Originating in France, Horseball remains a hidden minority sport globally. However, with its fast-growing community and endless explanations to others why someone would willingly swing their body vertically off a galloping horse to grab a ball, the sport is steadily gaining popularity. 

Representing my country in Horseball has been a deeply rewarding and extraordinary experience. Competing at the European Championships in 2023, training and competing with teams in Barcelona and Canada in 2024, and now preparing to represent my country in the World Cup and second European Championships in 2025 have provided me with some of the most enriching, valuable experiences of my life. 

The camaraderie among the players has always enhanced my love for the sport. Every player feels part of one slightly chaotic family, all united in our shared love for the crazy adrenaline rushes and horses. Travelling to different countries, experiencing diverse cultures and bonding with international teammates has provided me with the most unforgettable experiences. 

That said, competing on the international stage demands rigorous training for both horse and rider. It’s a partnership built on trust, discipline and countless hours of practice. My journey has included many 6am rides before school, late-night training and countless weekends away, dedicated to perfecting my game. Balancing the demands of an international sport with studying for A-levels may sound like a recipe for stress, but competing in Horseball has given me more than just physical and mental skills- it has instilled me with discipline, resilience and strong communication skills.

Being part of a minority sport like Horseball, has meant continuously advocating for its recognition and growth, which has boosted my confidence and public speaking skills. Thus, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities Horseball has offered me so far and all the constant support from my family, friends, teachers and teammates. All their support has been, and always will be invaluable.

D’arcy Wright (Year 13)

News from PE

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HOUSE : Benchball

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PE Stars of the Month – December

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News from PE

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Football

U16s
Well done to the U16s football team who won 7-2 in the County Cup against Monks Walk last week. Great credit to Monks Walk who played the entire match with only 9 players and put in an incredible effort. Presdales played lovely football at times and scored some good goals, with Mia SR bagging a hat-trick. Coaches PotM goes to Mia for an accomplished performance in midfield capped by her goals. Well done to all the girls!

U14s
Fantastic comeback from the U14s who were 0-2 down at half time to Thomas Alleyne in the County Cup 3rd round, but responded brilliantly to eventually level the scores 2-2 and go on to win the match 4-2 after extra time. The girls showed incredible resilience, determination and will to win against a capable opponent. Lots of good performances, especially in the second half. Coaches PotM goes to Ava M for an outstanding performance in midfield and scoring with a fantastic strike to get us back into the match. Special mention to Ella R in Year 8 who played her first match for the U14s and scored our 3rd goal with a fantastic finish. Other goals from Sienna R who scored our equaliser and AJ who scored the 4th. Well done to all the girls who can look forward to the Quarter Final.

U13s
Well done to the U13s who beat Chauncy 1-0 in the District League. The U13s had a number of players missing through injury and illnes but showed great determination to win the match against a good Chauncy team. Thanks in particular to Scarlett F and Lily F in Year 7 who helped the team out at short notice. Both girls were prepared to play in goal as we didn’t have a keeper. Coaches PotM was Ella R. Well done to all the girls!

Netball

Year 7
More of our year 7 netballers in action this afternoon against John Warner. Great to get some competitive game play and a nice little win to top it off! Well done to all involved PoM = Evie

Year 8, 10 and Senior Teams vs RMS
Well done to the Year 8, 10 and Senior netball teams who all won against RMS last Wednesday in the County Cup! The Year 8’s won 27-4 and the Players of the Match voted by the opposition were Tami and Daphne. The Year 10’s won 45-5 and the Player of the Match was Sofia. The Seniors won 28-18 and the Player of the Match was Mia. Congratulations to everyone who played!

Year 8, 10 and Senior Teams vs Goffs
Success for our Year 8, 10 and Senior netball teams this week in the County Cup against Goffs! The Year 8’s won 38-12 and POTM was Sophia. The Year 10’s won 48-15! POTM was Georgia W – Only 7 players and scored a massive 16 goals in the 1st quarter. The Seniors won 41-5 and POTM was Lucy W. Well done to everyone who played!!

Dance Evening 2024

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Dance Evening 2024! As always, we are very fortunate to have such enthusiastic and talented dancers who work extremely hard to get their performances ready on time! The Dance Club Leaders have worked so hard to choreograph such fantastic dances around their GCSE and A Level studies. They have been committed to run numerous practices and I am very appreciative of the hard work involved and I know the girls are as well, so well done and huge thank you to Erin Shiel, Erin Taylor, Sienna Akore, India Elkes, Lydia Botting, Amelia Dimitrova and Lexie Rowley. Also, a massive thank you to Miss Fentiman for putting a show-stopping Gymnastics piece together! It is not an easy job but the girls have been dedicating their time before school and at lunchtime on a weekly basis to get their performance ready. The show doesn’t happen without the people behind the scenes! Thank you to Annabella Johnson and Laila Mirza who did the sound and lighting for both performances, you did an amazing job!

This year we had a record 112 students in the show! They all chose brilliant songs to represent this year’s theme; ‘a night at the movies’. It was a pleasure to hear a huge variety of music. Students from all years performed in routines from tap, ballet, Irish dancing, hip-hop and an amazing gymnastic display, creating an evening which was entertaining and captivating. The Year 8 Dance club opened the show with their colourful dresses as they danced to ‘Someone in the Crowd’ from La La Land. Sophia Wright performed on an incredibly emotive piece to ‘What was a I made for’ from Barbie and then we saw a contrasting upbeat number from Reyyan Demetriou to ‘Don’t stop believin’ from Bedtime Stories. In addition, Lexie Rowley, Olivia Kinnear and Sadie Sutton performed a stunning number to ‘Men in Black’ and Rose Dedman, Chloe Evans, Millie Bradford, Emily McCutcheon and Ronni Horncastle performed a hip-hop routine to 16 shots from Honey. Izzy Statham, Ruby Templeton and Teah Gregory put on well-choreographed gymnastics numbers to finish the first half in style.

The second half of the evening led off with a fantastic show case of skill, timing, and creativity; Gym club, choreographed by Miss Fentiman to ‘Life is a highway’. Following this, a variety of dance genre kept the audience captivated; a stunning Irish number by Elsie Fordham to ‘He’s a pirate’, a ballet piece by Kiri Lobb, tap numbers by Hermione Curzon and Sienna Akore, a cheeky jazz routine from Amelie Martin and Lois Vinall and a classy ballroom piece from Cleo Lambourne. The second half was also full of beautiful duets from Olivia Coghlan and Erin Shiel; Holli Jenkins and Charlotte Doyle, Emily Hoskins and Olivia Rigby. The Year 9 dance club put on a glitzy number to ‘A little party never killed nobody’ from Great Gatsby and the show finished with the Senior Dance Club performing to ‘Freedom’ from Despicable Me 3. We finished the show with everyone on stage dancing to ‘Can’t stop the feeling’ and the audience clapping and enthusiastically cheering!

Finally, the Dale Dance Trophy Award this year was awarded to Erin Shiel and Erin Taylor for their commitment to Dance during their time at Presdales. Erin and Erin have been dance leaders and performed in Dance Evening for many years. We with you both all the best and thank you for always embracing dance at Presdales and being fully committed as a dancer and a dance leader.

Thank you to those who came to watch, I hope you had an enjoyable evening!

Mrs Dann and Miss Fenitman

PE Stars of the Month – November

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News from PE

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Table Tennis

v Sele School Well done to the U16 and U13 table tennis teams who recently played against Sele School. Congratulations to the U13 team are automatically through to the county finals on 29th November.

v Ridgeway Academy Well done to our U13 table tennis team who played in the county finals at Ridgeway Academy. The standard was extremely high and the girls had lots of very close games. Well done on finishing in 5th place overall in the county!

Football

U15s v Cedars School Our U15s football team recently faced a tough test and a long journey to Cedars School in Leighton Buzzard in the 3rd round of the National Cup. The game ended 1-1 in normal time with Presdales taking the game into extra time with less than 2 minutes remaining through a goal by Ava. Extra time could not determine a winner, so penalties were required. Always tense and this was no exception with penalties going into sudden death. Poppy W saved Cedars 7th penalty then Aleks stepped up to confidently dispatch her penalty to win the match. The girls were jubilant after a real battle with Cedars from start to finish. This is an example of the tough tests you will encounter in the National Cup and the girls did incredibly well to win and progress to the 4th round. They will need to get through another 5 rounds to reach the final! Everyone played their part, with particularly impressive performances from Willow, Ava, Mia and Annabel. Coaches POTM goes to Ava who was outstanding throughout and scored the late goal which kept us in the match. Well done to all the girls!

U15s v Redborne School Another tough battle in the 4th round of the U15s National Cup vs Redborne School in Bedfordshire, but the girls prevailed winning 3-2! The game looked comfortable at 3-1 but then a goal from Redborne with 5 minutes left made it a nervy end and ‘backs to the wall’ to secure the win.
This competition is certainly providing some stern tests for the current Hertfordshire Schools County Champions and pushing them much harder than they are used to. They are coming up against teams with a much greater physical presence and running power.
The girls now progress to the 5th round and the last 32 of the competition. This is one round further than last year, so we look forward to the challenge of trying to reach the last 16 nationally.
Coaches Player of the Match was the whole team as it really was a whole team performance to get over the line. Well done girls!

U12s v Broxbourne Well done to the U12s football team who beat Broxbourne 4-3 on Wednesday in the district league. The girls put in a really strong performance and dominated the majority of the game. With only 2 minutes to go the score was for 4-1 to Presdales but two late breakaway goals from Broxbourne make the game look closer than it was. The girls played some great football and on another day could have scored a lot more goals. The Broxbourne GK was busy making a number of good saves. Joint Coaches PoM goes to Scarlett and Lily but all the girls performed really well. Broxbourne awarded their choice of PoM to Elsa. Well done to all the girls! I’m looking forward to seeing you grow and develop as a team, lots of potential!

Netball

v Heath Mount Well done to all the Year 7 and 8 netballers who played Heath Mount last week! Team 1: lost 6-10 – POTM Molly Ling – Team 2: lost 7-4 – POTM Tiger Lampard – Team 3: lost 6-1 – POTM Shaza Najah – Team 4: won 34-10 – POTM Sophia Pettengell and CPOTM Liv McCarthy – Team 5: won 35-7 – POTM Olivia Kemp

v Sandringham A dominant display on Tuesday from Year 9 in their County League campaign. After a rather delayed start we needed the first quarter to find our way. Once settled there was no looking back!
Final score 40-7.
POM was Lottie.
v
v Robert Barclay Well done to the Year 7 and 8 netballers who played Robert Barclay in the rain last night!
The Year 7’s lost 14-1 but remained positive throughout, joint POTM was Iris and Jasmine.
The Year 8’s won 15-3; showing excellent team work and defensive work! POTM was Mollie.

Hockey

On Thursday 28th November the U16 hockey team headed over to Ipswich to play in the Regional (East) round. An icy start meant timings were pushed back 30 minutes to allow the pitches to defrost. We started our tournament playing Stephen Perse (the team we beat in the final last year 2-1). An even game but unfortunately a quick break meant they scored and ended up winning 1-0.

Next up we faced Wymondham College, we dominated from the start, several short corners and some great through play putting us 3-0 up at the end of the game!

Next match was against Coopers Coburn, a strong team which we held our own against until the last 5 minutes when they overloaded our D and managed to score a couple of goals.

Next up…. Bedford Girls School…. The girls were brilliant, Bedford were a strong team and we held our own, even our younger players, who were playing 2 age groups up! Bedford scored first against the run of play, and we battled back to score an excellent equaliser drawing the game 1-1.

Finally, we played Finborough. The girls also dominated this game. Confidence high, the girls were moving the ball around the pitch well scoring a couple winning 2-0.

Well done girls! You were amazing and did yourselves proud it was a pleasure to spend the day with you all!

HOUSE : Basketball

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Presdales School
Hoe Lane
Ware
Hertfordshire
SG12 9NX

Tel: 01920 462210
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Headteacher:
Mr Warren