As the Spring Term gets underway, sport has seen a return to hockey and football. Having had no training over the Christmas holidays, the Shiplake teams were eager to return to the sports fields and throw themselves into training. However, a lack of training did not mean that the Shiplake teams were going to admit defeat at the first hurdle. The 1st XI hockey team draw against a well-matched Henley College squad, whilst the U12A footballers left their match against St Joseph College with a fantastic 8-2 victory.
Hockey
1st XI 0-0 Henley College
‘Shiplake went into the game without a single training session under their belts against a strong Henley College team. Despite the lack of training, Shiplake held their own in the first half, with Orla Brown and Dan Deakin patrolling the midfield well. Shiplake looked dangerous going forward but could not quite find the ball to give Dom Allen or Billy Sayers the opportunity to open the scoring. Youngsters Timothy Herbert and James Smith showed some good touches out wide, and William Gresswell did well to break down several Henley attacks.
In the second half, Shiplake lost a bit of momentum and rusty challenges led to a couple of green cards, but great saves by Jack Tooley and some resolute defending from Chris Baker, Jonathan Meadows and Liam Peachey kept Henley at bay. Shiplake could even have stolen the win with a last minute shot, but were scuppered by the Henley goalkeeper. In the end, an entertaining 0-0 draw was a good result for both teams, and Shiplake will be glad to have run out some of the cobwebs!’
Director of Hockey, Mr Tom Walter
Football
U12A 8-2 St Joseph College
Captain of the U12A team, Matti Hartrup, offers the following report from a very successful first match:
‘We were really proud of this excellent performance from the U12 team, in their first game of the season. The team were attacking-minded from the start with lots of shots on goal. Archie Arnold, Matti Hartrup and Milo Connolly were the goal scorers, and managed to place the ball firmly in the back of the opposition’s net several times.
The half-time break saw some changes to the team, with players on the bench heading onto the pitch. However, our rivals managed to get goals past us, finishing strongly with two very well-taken shots, which left goalkeeper Jai Angell with very little chance of saving them. Despite this set-back, it was an excellent start to our season. I was very impressed with the teamwork and the use of the space on pitch; the players are talented and experienced, and I look forward to watching the group develop!’
