Now back into the swing of daily College life, the tropical heat and sandy beaches of Antigua seem a distant memory for our Easter sports touring party. For many, the sun tans and relaxed Caribbean vibes are fading, but the experiences and enjoyment shared by the group will last for a very long time.
The travelling netball, cricket and tennis players assembled for a 5.30am start at College, and headed to Heathrow for the 8 hour transatlantic flight to V.C Bird international airport. There was no time to waste as the students quickly dumped their suitcases in their rooms and headed for the pool. The Jolly Beach resort staff challenged Shiplake to a game of pool volleyball, but judging by the scoreline the sport is not likely to be added to our sporting calendar any time soon!
Over the next few days, the fixtures came thick and fast for all three teams. Looks proved to be deceiving for the tennis squad, as they came up against young but extremely talented Antiguan players. They suffered defeats in the first two matches, but came back fighting in the remaining fixtures. In the final match they came desperately close to securing a series draw after fantastic performances from Charlie Sichel and Matt Horsfall.
Mr Mallins was pull of praise for the Shiplake team: "The tennis squad were well-behaved, focused and a pleasure to spend time with on the tour, and I am very proud of them finishing the series with a win and a draw."
The netball girls faced an extremely physical challenge against local sides. The size, strength and at times intimidating tactics of the opposition made life difficult, but Shiplake applied themselves well to achieve respectable scores in all three matches. Coach Mrs Porter commented: “The girls impressed me hugely in the way they calmly coped with the aggression of the Antiguans and the searing heat! It was good to experience the cultural diversity, and certainly in the later games we were able to play some flowing netball and rack up a lot of points.”
The cricketers also enjoyed mixed fortunes in their games. They played on a variety of surfaces, ranging from an ‘interesting’ outfield at the on-site resort pitch to a 12,000 seater international test venue. An Antiguan Combined Schools XI featuring some extremely powerful batsmen were Shiplake’s strongest opposition.
After losing the first three matches, Shiplake earned a 7 wicket victory against St Joseph’s College at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Callum Boyd, sporting a braided hairstyle, batted well throughout the tour and his 40 from 43 balls helped push Shiplake over the winning line. Mr Seccombe said: “Overall it was a successful tour. The squad faced some very tough opposition but should be proud of the way that they bounced back to win the final game in which everyone made a valid contribution.”
Whilst there were some positive results, the major purpose of the tour was to allow Shiplake sportsmen and women to experience a new culture and test themselves in unfamiliar conditions. Great enjoyment was had by all, both on and off the pitch. Other non-sporting highlights of the trip included a Catamaran boat trip, visits to the exclusive harbour and a karaoke night at the resort!
Further stories and photos from the trip can be viewed on the Antigua Tour Blog.
