Year 9 Rugby
25 November 2024

WOW! WOW! WOW! What an evening that was!

After a shock, but not surprising, defeat against Cockburn in our first game, we displayed some good rugby but struggled throughout to get our heads in the right place to compete. Cockburn were a very well organised team who all play together outside of school. We never gave up and continued to challenge them whenever we had ball in hand. Unfortunately losing 4 tries to 1.

We then had a wait to play our final game against Leeds West. Thankfully this did not put out the fire that had ignited after our loss to Cockburn. The boys did not want to finish the evening after their first performance and set out to take the game to Leeds West as soon as it began.

In the opening minute James took the ball and ran around their entire team before straightening up to run in our first try. With some powerful tackling and impeccable discipline, we forced a handling error from Leeds West and regained the ball. With some fantastic plays and strong carries from Harry, Aleks and Emmanuel we got closer and closer to their try line before James again ran straight through their defence to score another try. From here the game evened out with strong runs from Leeds West seeing them cut through our defence and score twice to bring them level. We had a real fight on our hands. With our team’s grit and determination, they wanted to ensure Leeds West did not take victory after meeting them in the Campion Schools league earlier in the year.

We pushed up the field with several strong runs before Evan was tripped in a tackle resulting in a penalty 10 metres from the try line. Evan took a quick tap and ran it in, bursting through tackles and getting over the line himself. Finally, after receiving the kick off, we retained the ball and James was able to go on another of his wonderful, winding runs, beating defenders and eventually crossing the line carrying one of the opposition.

Our final game finished 4 tries to 3.

We WON!! WE ARE GOING TO THE FINAL!! (10th March so plenty of time to prepare)

As the game ended all of the boys began to celebrate like they had just won the World Cup. However, Harry went over and began to shake the oppositions hands, including their coach, thanking them for a great game of rugby. The others quickly realised and followed suit. Harry has really grown into the captaincy he has been given and leads by example both on and off the pitch.

Below are the names of the students that played this evening:

Harry Cawthorne (C), Aleksander Bogdanowicz, Ngaanue Nguvauva, Emmanuel Pelo, Chivuso Amoke, David Batista Neto, Riley Clark, James Kaba, Sekou Kourouma, Simao Marques, Evan Whitford, Chinonso Okunbor, Tiago Malu, Zoel Deji,Demi Awosanya
and Hayden Wright.

Mr S Cooper

Champion Schools competition with a win for
Year 9 Rugby Team

Well what a night that was!

We took 15 Year 9 boys to Allerton Grange, all up for finishing the first round of the Champion Schools competition with a win… what a win it was!

Captained by Harry, he led by the front and put in some fantastic tackles and scored our first try. This set an example to the other players and showed that if they ran with intent they could break through their tackles and make ground every time they carried the ball.

In the last 10 minutes of the first half Allerton Grange seemed to find their rhythm and responded to our first half performance with a couple of their own tries.

Feeling a little beaten after their comeback, we went into half time still holding our heads high but wondering how we would get back on top to prevent them from scoring more. With talks from Harry and others they worked out what they were going to do and were ready to put it into action.

The 2nd half began, and it was clear our boys were ready to take their game to the next level and were seemingly unstoppable. Harry, James and Alex all ran hard at the defensive line breaking through tackles and putting the scoreline out of reach for Allerton Grange.

The game finished with us winning 46 – 18.

With that result we should finish mid table so can expect to progress into the Leeds and Hunslet Schools Competition as well as the Yorkshire Cup.

A highlight of the evening has to be Harry coming and asking me if I knew where their coach was at the end of the game as he wanted to thank him for hosting us.

Because of the spirit the game was played in, and the conduct and sportsmanship of our boys, Allerton’s coach has asked if we would visit again and possibly on a more regular basis for “friendly” games to help them develop.

What a fantastic night and a great way to finish the first rugby campaign before the half term break.

Mr S Cooper

Year 9 Rugby – 15/10/24

On Tuesday 15 October we hosted Leeds West Academy in the “Champions School Cup”, an opportunity for our team to play and develop as a squad. 14 Year 9 students played in their 2nd game of 4 this half term.

When the game started, we were quick off the mark and ran in our first try within the first 2 minutes, all created from incredible strength and speed to break through tackles and cross over the line.

This was not what Leeds West were expecting, and they kicked into gear. Over the next 20 minutes there were several sets of 5 completed, with both teams showing off their abilities but with Leeds West coming out on top at half time.

After a quick team talk, we started the 2nd half inspired. Very quickly from the kick off we regained the ball and scored. The 2nd half saw us going toe to toe with Leeds West scoring 2 tries each. In the final minutes Leeds Wests players’ experience and stamina saw them cross the line a further 3 times to leave the final score at 24-66.

Despite the score line we saw further developments in the team’s ability asthey continue to bond. They consistently show impeccable sportsmanship, which keeps their morale high, even after tough games. The Leeds West staff were impressed with the boys’ conduct throughout the game and were over the moon that once the game finished, both teams came together to chat with each other and walk back to the changing rooms together.

I must mention Harry Cawthorne as it was his first time as captain of the team. He held himself and the team accountable for any infringements and, when given the opportunity, pulled players aside to offer advice and encouragement. Harry was amazing again and set the example for the others to follow throughout the evening.

A special shout out goes to Alissia Johns who was my designated photographer and captured some fantastic photos.

Mr S Cooper

Library Clubs

Since the beginning of the school year Chess Club has been popular among our students, so popular in fact, that Ms Fennelly and Ms Bennasser have now started to take things slightly more seriously … by making a display wall with the players’ names on it. The goal being to get your name to the top of the list.

Do you like playing chess? Do you enjoy competition as well as challenging yourself? Join us on Wednesdays at lunchtime and test yourself. You can also simply learn how to play: everyone is welcome and the Simpsons chess set is a fun way to get acquainted with the game. Who knows? You might become an expert by the end of the year!

Chess, however, may not be everyone’s cup of tea. That’s fine. Perhaps your brain has a different, fantastic way to shine: you might be a dreamer, have a creative mind.

At Mount St Mary’s, we know how essential reading is. We know it and we promote it. We are readers and some of us are also budding writers and creative poets—perhaps the authors of tomorrow. This is what Ms Fennelly and Ms Bennasser believe in and encourage and is why Writers’ Club was born and takes place in the library, each Thursday after school, from 3.10pm to 4pm. If your head is full of stories and characters, or if you simply enjoy writing and inventing plots, why don’t you join us, savour some biscuits, practise your writing skills and share your work and ideas with us?

We can’t wait to see you!

Year 11 Girls’ Netball

The Year 11 Girls had their first netball fixture against Gateways School on Wednesday 25th September. The final result did not go in our favour, however, I have never seen the girls play such wonderful netball.

Their play was outstanding, passing fluidly up and down the court and creating chance upon chance to score. Unfortunately, on this occasion, Gateways were simply more clinical in the shooting third.

Well, done to all the girls involved. (Mrs Leeson)

Helping Hands

Helping Hands is celebrating its 3rd successful year after starting in September 2021. The club is open to Year 7’s twice a week and Year 8’s once a week, encouraging social, emotional, and cognitive development and providing a safe space to build new relationships.

The club, which is supervised by Mrs Holdsworth, from SEND, aims to encourage students to build new friendships, widen their social circles and develop their confidence, all whilst engaging in a range of fun activities such as Board Games, Card Games and Arts & Crafts. We have also had Christmas quizzes and Easter Egg competitions with lots of prizes and celebrations. All games help expand their skill set, proving that learning is not just about what happens in the classroom.

The club has had amazing attendance, doubling the previous year, creating a real sense of community within the Year groups. Because of this successful year we have celebrated the students’ enthusiasm and dedication to Helping Hands with trips and lots of prizes.

Helping Hands promotes learning and growth and makes our students happier and capable of taking on any task or challenge in their school life.

Mrs M Holdsworth

Cooking Club – Years 7, 8 & 9

Each week since September 2023 we have had 15-20 students from Years 7, 8 & 9 attending our Cooking Club. We provide students with the space and time to learn new skills and experience new food that they may not otherwise be exposed to. This club gives students the opportunity to create a healthy meal that can then be recreated at home for their families through the meal cards which they can take home.

We have now had over 54 students attend at some point since the very first session last year. At the beginning only 4 students engaged but the word very quickly spread, and more students began to show an interest. I now have a waiting list of students hoping to participate from Years 7, 8, and 9.

The club runs for 2 hours after school on a Wednesday, unlike any other club in school, and to have this level of engagement, especially as we enter the winter months, is amazing, I am extremely happy and impressed by the students’ commitment so far! Their engagement and positivity have been fantastic in this first term, I am excited to see them continue throughout next year.

Mr S Cooper

Year 8 Rugby

On 16 May I took 11 students to Bruntcliffe Academy for the Rhinos 9’s Super League Play Offs.

This is the first time, for a number of years, that a MSM team has made it through to the “Super League play offs” for the Rhinos 9’s tournament. Our team are now placed within the top 8 school teams for their age group within Leeds.

Unfortunately, we have not placed high enough to qualify for the finals at Headingley Stadium, however, the passion and camaraderie the boys have shown gives me hope for next year!

We were one of 7 teams in attendance, meaning we had to play 6 games of rugby with very little rest between matches.

We started with a very difficult game against Leeds West. We were able to get the better of them with our physicality and pace, scoring 2 very early tries. Unfortunately, they were able to find their feet and score 3 unanswered tries to win the game, so we lost 3-2. This was a similar story for our next 2 games, losing by one try each game, but the team’s passion could never be faulted. One of those games was against the tournament runners up who only lost to the overall winners. With passions running high we went into our final 2 games against Garforth Academy and Carr Manor, wishing for a win. Exceptional carries from James, Jack and Harry put us on the front foot, cutting through the defence at every opportunity we had. We won our last 2 games of the tournament 5-3 and 5-2. This left us in joint 4th and 5th place at the end of the tournament.

Whilst the team were feeling slightly disheartened, they found joy in finishing mid table as no other MSM team has done this for quite some time.

I could not pick a better bunch of MSM students to take out to represent our school. They played with their hearts on their sleeves and gave their absolute all during every minute of every game they played. I hope that despite the upset they have experienced, they continue to attend training on a Tuesday night, giving them the opportunity to continue to grow into the game, hopefully maintaining the passion that I have seen in them over the last 2 years.

We have recently had Luke Littlewood, a former MSM student, join them at training in school to encourage them to join his team at East Leeds Rugby Club. Should any of our students decide to take him up on this offer I believe next year we will be a team not to be messed with.

Year 8 Rugby

We were never supposed to be at the tournament on Monday 29 January 2024, but because of the team’s ability and sportsmanship we were once again put forward to attend. A real testament to their characters.

We arrived early to allow a training session beforehand, ensuring the boys knew what was expected of them. We were one of 4 schools in attendance and with the other schools qualifying through the earlier tournaments we had a huge mountain to climb.

We played 3 games of around 13 minutes each. I had spoken to the organisers before we kicked off to gain some information on the other teams and who we needed to watch out for. Carr Manor seemed to be the one school we needed to be cautious of as they are a well drilled team and have been playing some very good rugby in recent times.Our first game happened to be Carr Manor, I gave very clear instructions to the team and laid out expectations from all of the players.

Despite playing what would possibly be our toughest game first, our boys came out ready to prove who they were. Jack Hood scored within the first few minutes from a fantastic offload from James Kaba, giving the team a huge confidence boost. We ended up winning this game 5-3, dismantling the top contenders for the Leeds & Hunslet plate.

We played Leeds Trinity Academy next, a team which our players have friendships with out of school. Drawing this match 5-5 showed that tonight we were on a mission and knew what we needed to do. This also meant we were heading into our final game with the possibility of walking away victorious.

Garforth, our old rivals from the last tournament, set out and scored a very well worked try leaving us stunned. Quickly James stepped up with an amazing run, beating 7 defenders to respond with a try of our own. We ended this game 3-3. Leaving us and Garforth in the top spot, which would come down to total points scored throughout the night.

As we sat waiting for the results, it was shared that this had been the most competitive night of finals so far, displaying some fantastic rugby. Trinity Academy came 3rd, Carr Manor came 2nd and joint at the top, with no way to separate us, Mount St Mary’s and Garforth Academy won the Leeds and Hunslet plate final.

I know I often say this, but… The attitudes of all 15 players I took with me on the evening is the exact reason I continue to give my time to the MSM rugby team. They were a pleasure to spend my evening with. I set them the task as we arrived in Kirkstall to go out and prove what MSM rugby teams are capable of and they absolutely did that. To go from bottom of the group, be invited to the final and come joint first, is a testament to each and every student that came with attended. I cannot pick a stand out player as they all did so well. However, please enjoy the pictures of Jack Hood, tonight’s captain, holding the plate with Garforth’s captain.

Unbelievable night! Mr S Cooper

Year 10 Football Team

The Year 10 football squad is by far the most talented school team I have ever had the privilege to manage, and I have had some good teams over the years! Currently unbeaten in the league, and sitting top of the table, they have only conceded 3 goals and scored 15 in three games so far. The weather has slowed us down but as this improves, we will continue to get fixtures and hopefully qualify for the city play offs. The players are tremendous, their chemistry infectious, but what they can do on the pitch to the opposition is mind blowing. I once said to them, “I pay nearly £20 to watch York City and I’d rather pay £20 to watch you guys play” – that’s good they are!

Squad: Victory, Mirad, Bradley, Dylan, David, Lamek, Aden, Ashen, Mark, Roy, Edwin, Carrick, Kim, Rohame, Leeroy, Scott, Godwill, Bryan

We began with a 5-0 win against Dixons Trinity, this was followed up with an 11-2 win against Oulton, our last game before Christmas was a closely edged game against Morley, coming away with a 2-1 win. Watch this space as this team will go on to to do great things I am sure!