In what was an action-packed week of sport, there were block rugby fixtures which included matches against Dragon School and UCS. Additionally, our girls' hockey team took on The Oratory and our rowers showed their might at Reading Small Boats Head. And, in football, our girls' 1st XI were treated to a special guest from Watford FC Women.
Girls' Football & Jade Bradley (Watford FC Women) Football Training
Last Tuesday, 4 October, a group of girls had the opportunity to experience a football training session unlike no other - a session delivered by Watford FC Women's Jade Bradley. In what was truly an inspiring afternoon for the girls, our footballers were put through their paces in a number of drills and exercises.
Speaking after the session, Jade said "It was great to get involved today at Shiplake College with the girls. They took all the details given on board, were competitive with each other in every aspect of the session but above everything, they were continuously engaged and had fun throughout!"
Head of Football, Mr Ben Claridge, added “Having a talented player and coach from Watford FC come down to both inspire and educate our Shiplake footballers was a true privilege. Jade has showed our girls just what they need to do to play at the highest level possible.”
Girls' Hockey v The Oratory
On Wednesday 5 October, the Shiplake hockey girls took on The Oratory, going into the game with a positive attitude and great mindset. The game started with an Oratory push back, however the girls did not shy away from the ball and put the pressure on The Oratory attacking side. The girls created some prominent space for the ball to travel nicely down the pitch and also put The Oratory under pressure making it a challenge for them to get the ball through. A Townsend, G Bradbury, E Young, C Watthey and H Boddy all made some intense tackles and did not let a ball through in the second half.
The Shiplake girls played exceptionally well, communicating on and off the field. By half time the score was 4-0 to The Oratory, however the girls-maintained enthusiasm and kept the heads up going into the second half. Goalkeeper R Allen played outstandingly well, not allowing a goal through in the second half. This allowed the Shiplake girls to carry the ball up the attacking end, having a few short corners and demonstrating great skills in our half. Overall, the girls played extremely well ending the match 4-0 to Oratory. Well done to O Parkin, who received player of the match and to M Firth who received players player. WELL DONE GIRLS!
Report: Eve Browne, Hockey Captain
Coach: Mrs C Lovelock
Rowing - Reading Small Boats Head
On Saturday the Boat Club competed in their first Head race of the season at Reading Small Boats Head. Most of the 36 rowers raced in two divisions over the 3,700m course. All crews gained some valuable racing experience and showed that Shiplake are back to their winning ways.
Our crews came away from the event winning eight of the events on offer.
- Men's Open Coxed Fours: L Byca, F Fox, F Middleton, C Kenna
- Boys J17 Quad: J Duggan, C Wallis, J Meiswinkel, E Houghton
- Boys J17 Coxed Fours: J Duggan, C Wallis, J Meiswinkel, E Houghton, O Joiner (1 minute 31 seconds ahead of second place)
- Boys J18 Pairs: F Fox, F Middleton
- Boys J18 Doubles: L Creighton, G Fitzgerald
- Boys J16 Doubles: D Wilson and his rowing partner
- Girls J18 Quad: G Catlin, M Jackson, E Downing, L Vahlé
- Girls U17 Quad: L Vahlé, E Over, S Foreman and G Morrow (56 seconds ahead of second place)
The rowers also took four second places and two third places from their 22 race entries.
Rugby
U13A v Dragon School
In a somewhat one-sided match (9 tries to 3), Shiplake scored three very early tries. At half time, we agreed that speed to the ruck and the shape of the attacking three-quarters line were two areas we could be tighter on. These have become our "basics" for the season. Dragon were allowed more space and possession in the second half and competed well (with some creative refereeing assisting this). We tightened up on our "basics" and our final try came from some wonderfully quick hands and close support play. Congratulations to the players of the match, B Oliver and J Callow who ended the game with three tries a piece.
Coach: Mr N Brown
U13B v Dragon School
The U13Bs enjoyed a comfortable afternoon against Dragon School, in a match that was played in really good spirit. Powerful running in all areas of the team, combined with regular turnovers saw Shiplake through as winners, 16 tries to 1. What was heartening about the performance was that there was plenty of unselfish play, as the team exploited the space they created, fizzing the ball down the three-quarter line to the wingers. A Massie ran in four tries, and there was a brace apiece for F Padrick, I Walmsley and O Thomas.
Coach: Mr J Ralph
U12A v Dragon School
Once again, we played a team which was very much at the same standard as us and the winning team was going to be the one that took their chances. Credit should be given to all in the team as everyone was prepared to tackle and be fully involved in the game. I was particularly pleased to see L Currie, on his debut for this team, displaying some textbook tackling and driving the opposition back behind the game line. Powerful running from F Jenkins resulted in him scoring a hat trick and further displaying his talents as a rugby player. B Keown also scored our final try with an opportunistic break down the touchline to score his first try for Shiplake.
Frustratingly, we were just the wrong side of the score line finishing with a 6-2 loss, but the match has given us two objectives to work on. The first is to take the tackle if the off load is not on and secure the ball for the next phase; and the other is to improve our basic handling and let the ball do more of the work!
Coach: Mr T Crisford
U12B v Dragon School
The U12B team travelled to Dragon School on Wednesday. We were expecting a tough game, as Dragon are a strong rugby school. Before the game, the team talked about focusing on tackling low and passing cleanly. Shiplake came out of the blocks flying with G Dallas scoring a great solo try within the first minute. The boys believed they were going to have an easy afternoon, but this proved not to be the case. Dragon scored two tries, to take the lead, before T Lane scored, with a wonderful individual effort, followed by M Lane who scored from a flowing team move.
Despite some good tackling, Dragon School reasserted their dominance with three unanswered tries. During this period of play, we needed players to stand up and be counted. Captain, O Houldsworth, did just that with a wonderful try-saving tackle. This was followed by another great solo try from T Lane. A series of decisive passing moves allowed T Siveter to go over, followed quickly by T Lane completing his hattrick. The team had real belief going into the last couple of minutes, but it was not to be. Dragon School scored three unanswered tries to take a tight match 8-6.
Coach: Mr A Davis
1st XV v UCS
Final score: Shiplake 33-7 UCS
Coaches: Mr S Beckett & Mr T Armstrong
2nd XV v UCS
On Saturday 8 October Shiplake hosted UCS. After a tough start to the season, it was good to see the team come together and play some good, structured phases. We knew that keeping possession of the ball would be the key to victory and managed that well. N Scotchbrook tested their defence repeatedly and was rewarded with a try. Tries were also scored by C Kerrison, M Gardiner, S Chambers and O Lewis. Try of the match was scored by O Lewis who covered half the pitch to dot it down under the posts. The final score was 29-0 to Shiplake. We look forward to playing tThe Oratory next week.
Coaches: Mr W Nel & Mr J Wheeler
U16A v UCS
Saturday saw the Shiplake U16 side take on UCS away from home. After a positive week of training, the boys were keen to implement all they had learnt in this fixture. The game started off with great intensity from Shiplake seeing four tries scored in the first 15 minutes with two from H Edwards and the other two from F Hawkes and A Siviter. This saw Shiplake take an early 24-0 lead. This fast start required a bounce back from UCS, and they responded with a try of their own, which wasn’t converted making the score 24-5. Before half time Shiplake scored another two tries coming from H Edwards and A Siviter once again, to further extend their lead to 36-5 at the break. The second half saw UCS grab two tries back to narrow Shiplake’s lead, which saw the boys then step up the intensity for the final 15 minutes scoring another three tries, seeing F Hawkes grab his second, and H Edwards grab a couple more to get his fifth try of the game. This made the final score 55-17 to Shiplake. It was a great game from Shiplake and there were a lot of strong performances out on the pitch.
Coaches: Mr A Dix & Mr D Miller
U15A v UCS
The U15As came out of the blocks fast on Saturday scoring a try in the first 90 seconds of the game. What followed was a true display of all they have been working on over the last three weeks which saw them go into the half 30 points ahead. Brilliant control of the game by the halfback partnership of O Perkins and E Jones allowed the forwards to punch holes in the middle of the UCS defence which only made the central partnership of A Cheek and F Partridge even deadlier.
There were passages when UCS challenged the defensive capabilities of the Shiplake squad, but they recovered well from a couple of missed tackles and only allowed 2 tries to be scored against them. A slightly weaker opposition than previous weeks, however everyone hopes this is a glimpse of what’s to come with a much sterner test this weekend against The Oratory.
Final score 54-14 to Shiplake. Player of the Week: F Partridge.
Coaches: Mr R Edwards & Mr K Heaney
U15B v UCS
A slow start to the game led to the team being 17–0 down after the first 15 minutes. UCS looked like a well-trained team with a solid structure in attack. Once Shiplake managed to gain more ball and get our backs running at UCS, the game really changed. We broke down their structure and caused many problems. The lead into half time was much more of an even contest. This continued into the second half where the scoring was then very even. Both teams scored two tries, resulting in a final score of 31–12 which left Shiplake frustrated at a poor start, yet full of energy and pride at an excellent comeback performance.
Coach: Mr D Bradley
U14A v UCS
The U14As started brightly with three quick scores from some rampaging runs from Shiplake's superior athletes. A lack of composure on the ball allowed the opposition back into the game for a short period of time before the break; before Shiplake regained momentum with another well worked try before the interval.
With lots of positional changes at half time, Shiplake allowed the opposition much more time on the ball and if it wasn't for some sterling efforts in defence, UCS could quite easily have scored. After some solid defending, the U14s finally broke free and went on to score the try of the game with some fantastic interplay between backs and forwards.
Final score 36-0, with K O'Connor picking up four well-earned tries!
Coaches: Mr R Curtis & Mr J Cooper
U14B v UCS
The U14Bs have continued to develop into a strong team and left the field winning 55-7. The game started relatively even before a wonderful solo try from D Licthfield got the ball rolling and it didn’t take long for us to continue scoring with H Taphouse, S Lingard and J Terry adding to the tries before half time. In the second half, it did not take long for the boys to sink their teeth into more action with superb tries from H Taphouse (x2), D Litchfield, D O’Brien and A Invest. Our kickers also got a taste of point scoring with H Kyle getting three, and D Litchfield and L Hilton getting one a piece.
An amazing show of character from the entire team with every single one of them putting in a stellar performance consisting of comradery, respect and positive attitudes, even in the face of adversity. Proud would be an understatement for this young group of men.
Coaches: Mr P Jones & Mr B Gingell
U13A v LWC Festival
Four 15 minute, 10-a-side matches really put our players through their paces and tested their stamina. Our first opponents were hosts, Lord Wandsworth. A very physical game saw our players tested to the limits and doing the basics incredibly efficiently. The score changed hands a number of times and, with three minutes to go, all was even at three tries each. Sadly, a few defensive lapses allowed LWC to sneak two late tries. The draw was against us as we then went straight into a game against Portsmouth Grammar. We struggled to regain our composure and organisation and lost a game we should probably have won. We drew the next game against Ryde School, and then narrowly lost to the team of the tournament, Dauntseys, in an incredibly spirited and gutsy performance.
The twelve-man squad played their hearts out throughout the morning and should be very proud of their achievement. Special mention should go to skipper J Callow who scored five tries, and pack leader B Oliver with two.
Coach: Mr N Brown
U13B v LWC Festival
This was the metaphorical ‘tough day at the office’ for the U13B side. What was extraordinary, however, was that they completed the 10-a-side tournament (75 minutes of rugby) relying on just 10 players, with no substitutes available until the final match. This speaks volumes about the loyalty and passion of these young men. We began just five minutes after arriving at LWC, against King Edward’s, Witley. This was a tight match which swung both ways and, as the final whistle approached, the score was 2-2 with S Lee haring down the wing to the corner. An unbelievable worldie of a tackle saw him bundled out into touch, and from the resulting line-out, King Edward’s broke free and scored the decisive try. Small margins.
The match against Dauntsey’s was a proper schooling for our boys – quicker, stronger and more organised; we were cut apart on numerous occasions. That we came back in our next game to draw 3-3 against Lord Wandsworth College, was symptomatic of the boys’ unwillingness to let their heads drop. By the time we faced Portsmouth Grammar School, the physical nature of the morning was beginning to tell. PGS were able to throw five reserves on half way through the match, and in the end, we succumbed to a heavy defeat against a side that was, truth to tell, not that strong.
Our final match, against the Island School, was cancelled as the opposition did not want to miss their ferry back to the Isle of Wight. In their place, the hosts offered to play us again, and our boys – remarkably, given how much rugby they had played – accepted the challenge. With some reserves nabbed from the A team, Shiplake dominated, and ran out 5-3 winners. The boys all played superbly, but special mention goes to our skippers: Z Sanders, H Webb, I Walmsley, D Siddiqui and P Grewal.
Coach: Mr J Ralph
U12A v LWC Festival
A great morning was had at Lord Wandsworth in what was near perfect rugby conditions with four matches for the team.
In the first match against Lord Wandsworth, they faced a physical team and perhaps could be considered unlucky to finish the match as the losing team with just one try scored by Lord Wandsworth. This try was a lucky kick that had an unfortunate bounce that gifted Lord Wandsworth a try. Nevertheless, we could have been far more accurate with our play.
The second match against PGS was an equally tight affair and with an early try for PGS, the Shiplake team fought throughout the game and the team spirit was there to be seen by all. In the final play of the game, Shiplake counter rucked at the breakdown to secure the ball and O Owen ran down the touchline to finish the game as 1-1.
Our next match was against Ryde School and despite for most of this game being very much in touch with Ryde at 2-2, in the final five minutes the extra physical power of our opposition resulted in a 4-2 loss.
We saved our best for the last game of the tournament against Dauntsey, who were by far the best team in the tournament. This was an end-to-end game showing some fantastic rugby by both teams with the final score ending at 3-3. All in the team should be proud of their performances and with still plenty to work on, our confidence will continue to grow.
Coach: Mr T Crisford
U12B v LWC Festival
After a tough midweek game, we travelled to Lord Wandsworth on Saturday for a three-match tournament. Our first game was against the hosts. Playing uphill against a strong home side, we conceded early before a now common sight of T Lane breaking through the defensive line and evading all tackles to score a great solo effort. Sadly, we were unable to build on this and conceded a late try to lose 2-1.
The schedule was not our friend, as we then went straight into a game against a strong Dauntsey's side. Despite scoring a well worked team try, the game finished 7-1 to Dauntsey's.
Portsmouth Grammar was our final opponent. We saved our best rugby for this game, scoring a couple of tries that involved most of the players having an integral part. This was backed up by T Lane scoring again, after another mazy run. However, our first win was just out of reach as Portsmouth won 5-3.
The spectators were extremely impressed with how the team has improved over the first few weeks. We hope to continue this progress in our next game, at home, on Wednesday.
Coach: Mr A Davis
Flickr album: Sports Report 11 October |
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