Girls' Sports Dinner

5 May 2014

Last week, all those involved at Girls’ sport at the College congregated in the Great Hall for the annual Girls’ Sports Dinner. It was a fantastic evening, which kicked off with a champagne reception on the terrace in the evening sunshine. This was followed by a delicious 3-course meal provided by Shiplake’s fabulous catering team.

The College was delighted to welcome nutritionist Sarah O’Neill, who works professionally in the fitness industry, as the Guest Speaker at the dinner. Sarah has undertaken magnificent fundraising efforts for HOPE HIV charity, which culminated in her running 12 marathons in 12 days! The theme of the inspirational talk was ‘use who you are to make a difference’.

Sports Captain Sophie Arnold, then gave a great report of the year, with ended with details of the recent tour to Antigua. The Shiplake netball team enjoyed a season of mixed fortunes, with an even record of wins and losses across the campaign. The girls competed well in all matches, including a battling defeat against local powerhouses Henley College. When Shiplake were able to field full-strength sides, they invariably achieved great success. Squad rotation was always in evidence allowing many girls the honour of representing their College. The term ended with a hard-fought 24-21 win over Bearwood College. Sharp shooting from Meg Barron-Cutts and Chloe Goodman helped to hold off a Bearwood comeback and ensure the season finished on a real high.

In the Autumn Term, many girls enjoyed trying Touch Rugby, a sport which is sure to go from strength to strength at Shiplake in the years to come. Girls have also made significant progress on the river. The dinner was concluded with an awards ceremony, celebrating the most notable achievements of girls this season. The award winners were as follows: