Golfers take part in Pochin Cup
Richard Watson, winner of the Pochin Cup
Rydal Penrhos Golf Society
Pochin Cup report September 25th 2020
We had a successful day at Sandiway on a sunny afternoon with a full complement of players for our allotted tee times. It was great to have former Sandiway member and scratch county player, Henry Branch, joining us from Surrey.
An added attraction was seeing Tommy Fleetwood who was at the club doing some filming for the BBC!
L-R Richard Watson, Robin Forster, Andy Hurst
A blustery cold wind and little run on the fairways made scoring difficult. It was good to see several of our younger members playing and one winning the cup.
Many thanks must go to John Millington and Sandiway golf club for making this event possible whilst following strict Covid 19 social distancing rules.
Richard Watson won the trophy by one shot from Ian Cochrane and was presented with the Cup following a meal in the clubhouse.
Guy Watson, Golf Secretary (RS 1957 – 1966)
Three former Rydal Penrhos pupils managed to complete a gruelling cycling challenge to raise funds for a worthy cause.
Tom Harding, Jake Lovatt and Dylan Kerfoot Robson who all left Rydal Penrhos in 2014, set off from Porth Eirias in Colwyn Bay in the early hours of the morning of Saturday 15 August.
The trio were aiming to complete the daunting 187-mile journey to Cardiff Bay in around 12 hours, and they were supported along the way by a school minibus that contained teaching staff Sally-Ann Harding and Dave Robson, in addition to former teacher Mike Leach.
They encountered almost every climate possible throughout their journey from north to south. But despite some testing moments, the group managed to reach their destination by late afternoon on the same day.
Tom was joined by fellow members of the Royal Marines for the challenge, which was to raise funds for The Walton Centre in Liverpool.
This is a cause that is close to Tom’s and Rydal Penrhos’ heart, with his father Timothy spending time at the centre over the last 15 years.
Dylan is no stranger to cycling, with the former pupil competing at a high standard professionally. He also represented Wales at the Commonwealth Games, which represented yet another outstanding achievement to add to the illustrious sports history of the school.
Jake is a former rugby captain at Rydal Penrhos who has since gone on to become part of the Royal Air Force. And his sporting exploits saw him play a leading role in the RAF Spitfires team securing a notable tournament victory at the Calcutta 7s.
This reunion is testament to the affinity that pupils of Rydal Penrhos have with the school after moving on to the next stage of their life.
The school will always go out of its way to help former pupils with anything they need, and we are delighted to be supporting this challenge in some small way.
The group raised £3,154 for Walton, a marvellous effort!
Freddie MacLaverty, a Year 8 pupil at Rydal Penrhos, tested his skills against some of the best young sailors in the country at the RS Tera Pro UK Nationals Championships over the Bank Holiday Weekend.
The aspiring star travelled to Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy – which is the United Kingdom’s national centre – for the RS Tera’s biggest event of the summer. Freddie worked incredibly hard during training sessions prior to the competition and on the day itself adjusted well to the conditions
Freddie adjusted well to the conditions and produced a series of outstanding displays to eventually come away with second place overall.
This represents a significant achievement for the pupil, who developed a love of sailing thanks to his involvement with the school’s thriving programme, which has its own boat park on the Colwyn Bay coastline and has produced a large number of nationally recognised sailors over its 60-year history.
Freddie himself is an RYA Cymru Wales squad member alongside fellow pupil Keira Luke. He also achieved selection to the Team GB National Youth squad for their winter training programme in his single-handed Tera boat.
The Llandudno Sailing Club member even managed to gain some racing success during the lockdown period, with Freddie chosen to represent Wales at the virtual 2020 Eric Twiname Junior Championships, which was a virtual regatta held recently by the Royal Yachting Association.
He eventually came away with a superb silver medal finish to further add to his ever-growing list of accolades.
Rydal Penrhos school’s sailing programme is available to both Prep and Senior pupils. It is led by a team of specialist and fully qualified coaches with a wealth of experience.
Rocco Molina-Franco, a Year 13 pupil at Rydal Penrhos, produced a series of outstanding displays for Buckley Cricket Club, who did manage to get some competitive action in despite a much-changed outlook across the region due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The teenager was at the top of his game throughout the summer, emerging as the team’s top-scorer at the crease with an impressive average of 41.13 from 19 appearances in the middle.
This resulted in Rocco securing 648 runs during this time, in addition to four half-centuries and a season’s best score of 104 not out in Buckley’s 103-run victory at Hawarden Park.
Rocco’s efforts with the bat accounted for just over 24 per cent of his team’s run total throughout the campaign and it is a testament to the pupil’s ability to rise to the occasion in the face of older and more experienced opposition.
This represents an outstanding achievement for the Sixth Former, who has been playing senior cricket since a very early age and made his full debut in 20-15. Over the past five years, Rocco has attained 3,200 runs from 143 innings’ and boasts a career-high of 137 which he achieved against Brymbo in August 2019.
In addition to his batting exploits, Rocco also plays a significant role in the field as a wicket-keeper and has recorded 91 catches, 38 stumping and four run-outs during a standout young career to date.
Rocco turned 17 in August but has already made a substantial impression for his local club, which has also caught the eye of Cheshire squad selectors.
The pupil was part of their youth set-up last summer and made it to the final selection process this time around before it was cut short amid increasing fears surrounding Covid-19. He was also selected to play for North East Wales Cricket in 2018 despite his tender age at the time.
Rocco’s outstanding efforts during the season resulted in the aspiring player making the Cricket Wales batting honours board on numerous occasions.
Keira Luke, who is a Year 8 pupil at Rydal Penrhos, was recently called up to the Royal Yachting Association's Regional Training Group – Feva (Midlands), for their 2020/21 winter coaching initiative.
This recognises her potential to progress within the British Sailing Team, with the aim of winning selection to the UK Youth Squads or beyond into the RYA's Olympic Development programmes.
Keira attained selection to the programme on the basis of performance and commitment to training and competition over a period of several years. This establishes her status as a British Youth sailor with potential to represent Great Britain at major international events in the coming years.
This is the latest in a series of exceptional achievements from Keira, who took up sailing as a Prep School pupil at Rydal Penrhos and has developed into one of the country's best young prospects.
She is looking to emulate brother and 2018 leaver Ewan Luke, who was also a Team GB sailor during his time at the school.
The commitment required to achieve the objectives of the programme will increase significantly for Keira in the coming months, and she will be supported by the school to balance these alongside her academic studies.
The training weekends are set to be intense and will include time on the water, fitness training, classroom-based theory sessions and work with specialist support staff and coaches.
Keira has acquired a wealth of experience in a sailing capacity in recent years, which has resulted in regional and national competition achievements, in addition to Welsh squad selections and even winning the U18 General Handicap Fleet alongside fellow pupil Freddie MacLaverty at the British Youth Sailing Welsh Regional Championships despite their tender age.
