3 October 2016

It was a mixed week for the rugby teams; whilst the 1st XV, U15As and U14As struggled against a strong opponent, the U16As, U15Bs and U14Bs did brilliantly, winning by a solid margin. Despite the mixed bag of results, the matches helped to shed some light on the areas that need work, ahead of a busy week of upcoming fixtures.

Rugby

U16A 29-12 City of London Freemen’s School

Captain Josh Howard offers the following report from a successful match for the U16As:

‘The U16As travelled away to City of London Freemen’s School. The conditions were very wet, and it was going to be a hard game. City of London Freemen’s started off the game very strongly, with an early try to set the score at 5-0. Immediately afterwards, Shiplake replied with Aelfric Philiskirk, regaining the ball of the restart to score Shiplake’s first try. From then on Shiplake’s penetrating runs were too strong, especially from Robbie Cartwright with a solo run, to score. Shiplake had the lead going into half time, but we still had to play well in the conditions, to secure the win. Shiplake started the second half strongly, which increased the Shiplake lead. Despite the wet conditions, Shiplake still played an offloading game, which paid off with a try from James Dallas. Shiplake went on to win 29-12, and put in another great team performance.

Shiplake played the conditions very well, with the forwards controlling the game. There were some stand out performances from Jack Rees, Matty Fitzgerald and Robbie Cartwright. The U16A defence once again was very strong, and this is something we hope to maintain going into our next fixtures.’

U15B 43-17 City of London Freemen’s

Mr James Arney provides the following report from another successful match against the City of London Freemen’s:

‘The match was a tough one, but it was obvious from the start that Shiplake would have the advantage. The defence was strong, and the conditions suited the team. Barney Rivett played exceptionally well, scoring twice. Louis Vickers, Will Kayll, Patrick Kenny, Tom Lynskey and Max Weinreich all scored as well, making it a very successful match. Sam Rogers converted four of the tries, which resulted in the high score of 43 to the opposition’s 17. Man of the Match went to Captain Joe Rayner.’

U14A 21-35 City of London Freemen's

Thank you to James Burgess for the following report:

'After Shiplake's win against Pangbourne we were running high on confidence. City of London Freemen's kicked off and Shiplake kept them in their own half. After some sloppy passes, Archie MCcarther spotted a chance to intercept and did well, making it 5-0 Shiplake. The try was converted. After one more try from James Burgess, City of London Freemen's scored to make it 14-7. Then one more from Angus Wood made Shiplake feel pretty confident. After some missed tackles Shiplake found themselves 28-21 down at half-time. Moving into the second half Shiplake were determined to get this lead back. Soon after some strong carries from Shiplake, the opposition scored once more. After that the Shiplake defence was impeccable and didn't allow anyone to break the gainline. Sadly we couldn't score to bring back the lead, so the game finished 35-21 to City of London Freemen's.'

U12A 30-5 Gillotts School

Mr Tom Crisford offers the following report from a victorious match for the U12s:

‘The U12A team visited Gillotts School in what could be described as a game of two halves, with Gillotts playing completely different teams in both. Shiplake dominated the game, showing a great deal of determination and skill with a number of standout performances. Once again Archie Smith had a good game, scoring some well-executed tries. Lucas Ferrer de Arriba contributed some excellent speed and footwork. Special mention should also go to Finlay Woods who, after a couple of injuries, had a very brave game showing some fantastic defence and tackling. The focus for this team is still to work on how it attacks but overall this is showing signs of promise and with a little more work on the training ground I am sure we will see further progress. With the scoring finishing at a comfortable 30-5 victory for Shiplake it will make the rematch at Henley Hawks a very interesting affair. With Gillotts looking to strengthen their team there is much for Shiplake to do if we are to beat them when it really matters!’