An impressive twenty football, hockey and netball fixtures have been played since last Monday, not to mention the U13s and 1st VII taking part in the Rosslyn Park Rugby 7s tournament, and six rowing crews taking part in the Schools' Head of the River. The footballers won 7, drew 1 and lost just 3 of their fixtures, the girls won two and lost one in the netball matches, whilst the hockey teams didn't have quite such a good week, losing 5 games (awaiting 2 results).
Football
1st XI 0-4 Cokethorpe School
The 1st XI played their last game of the season on Saturday, which would have been the last game playing for Shiplake for six of the boys. Mr Duncan commented on Twitter: "It has been a pleasure to coach these fine gentlemen this season.Great people at a top school"
2nd XI 4-3 Cokethorpe School
'Congratulations to the 2nd XI for their victory on a glorious, sunny day. It was a thrilling and evenly contested match. We have been notorious slow starters all season but today we started well and were rewarded with an early lead through Ben Monson. Cokethorpe responded and equalised within five minutes. We continued to play well and create a number of chances but we were unlucky to have shots drift just wide or be blocked by a defender. The first half ended with us trailing 2-1 but there was a quiet confidence at half time that we could turn things around. Kieran Leach wasted no time in pulling us level with a goal of the season contender from about 30 yards. He then tried his luck from even further out and again he found the back of the net. We continued to threaten on both flanks with Ben Monson and Ben Atkins causing havoc. James Roxburgh-Smith put us 4-2 up with a goal from close range. Cokethorpe pulled one back with less than ten minutes to go to ensure a nail biting finish. A big thank you to the entire squad for all their hard work and dedication throughout the season. Looking forward to next season already.'
Mr Tiki Ebun-Cole
U15A 3-0 Cokethorpe School
'After an unbeaten season, Shiplake went into the game knowing nothing but a win would do, and soon went into half time 2-0 up with goals from George Head and Rory Diez Harrison. The home team was getting frustrated with Shiplake's skillful play and they couldn't break down Shiplake's strong and disciplined defence. The second half was more of the same, with Shiplake dominating and Cokethorpe becoming increasingly frustrated. George Head found himself through on goal and finished the game off with a great strike. The game ended Shiplake 3, Cokethorpe 0, a fitting end to a brilliant unbeaten season.'
Mr Duncan Miller
U14A 10-0 Cokethorpe School
'It was our last game of the season and so we were eager to end on a high. We started well and put them under pressure from kick off. After just one minute, Joe Durcan placed the ball into the back of the net giving Shiplake a very early lead. This was quickly followed by a second goal from Kai O’Hare to give us a two goal advantage. Cokethorpe reorganised their defence and made it hard for us to get a third goal, but good pressure by Theo Fewtrell and Sam Redding lead to a third goal by Josh Gibson. Shiplake created several chances but struggled to find the back of the net. We won a corner, took it short and what was meant to be a cross turned into a successful long range shot by O’Hare. A few plays later, a miss kick by the keeper ended up at Max Way’s feet for him to chip the keeper from outside the box, giving Shiplake a 5-0 lead at halftime.
The second half kicked off and we were eager to extend our lead further. After many attempts and chances, Luke Theodorou managed to find the back of the net. Hard work from Freddie Diver and Durcan in midfield lead to Gibson finding space for a shot at goal and finishing it well. Soon after, a cross from O’Hare was successfully poked in by Gibson. The match was then comfortably wrapped up by Way finding some space and finishing from close range and Fewtrell running through the defence to put Shiplake into double figures.
Man of the Match goes to Freddie Diver for nonstop running, tackling and passing and for maintaining control of the midfield for the whole game.'
Kai O’Hare (Captain, Year 9)
U15A 3-3 Abingdon School
'Although in a confident mood, the Shiplake players were conscious that they had lost to Abingdon in a mixed A/B squad friendly during pre-season, and despite the A team's unbeaten run, this was likely to be the biggest test so far. After a lively start, Shiplake saw themselves 1-0 up through a good goal from George Head. The celebrations didn't last long though as Abingdon quickly equalised through a lucky goal. However, Shiplake kept pushing forward and regained the advantage just before half time with George Head bagging a second goal. As the second half progressed, Abingdon got stronger and having equalised earlier, suddenly found themselves in front with 10 minutes to play. However Shiplake weren't willing to give up, and pressed hard until Sean Farrell slotted an equaliser after a good pass from Harvey Greenaway. The drama wasn't over as Farrell then hit the bar in the dying seconds. The game ended 3-3, but on reflection Shiplake was the better team and deserved to win on the day.'
Mr Duncan Miller
U14A 5-1 Abingdon School
‘Shiplake started strong against an Abingdon side that we had played only a few days ago. Good work in defence from Sam Redding and Billy Bryan led to a counter-attack that resulted in an accurate goal from Luke Theodorou. More chances came to Shiplake as Ben Yeoman came close to scoring, before Theodorou scored his second goal making the score 2-0 to Shiplake going into halftime. We started the second half just as well as we had the first, with a well-worked goal from Josh Gibson. Abingdon did manage to claw back a goal but it was not enough. Good play from Shiplake in midfield led to a goal from Kai O’Hare and a header from Josh Gibson meant his second goal of the game and made the end score 5-1 to Shiplake against a team that, only four days ago had beaten us 6-0. A fantastic effort and turnaround, well played! Man of the Match: Sam Redding.’
Will Symons (Year 9)
U14A 5-2 Leighton Park School
‘Shiplake had a very dominant start to the game, scoring an early goal to get us in the lead by Luke Theodorou. We continued our passing game and Luke Roxburgh-Smith scored an astonishing volley from outside the box into the bottom right corner where the keeper had no chance of saving. We thought that we had the game in-hand, but Leighton Park fought hard and won a free kick in dangerous territory. Their free kick taker scored a good goal into the bottom left corner, before scoring another well-deserved goal minutes later. Wanting the Nando's at the end of the season Shiplake fought hard and Will Symons scored another goal for us to make it 3-2. The halftime whistle blew.
At the start of the second half Leighton Park broke through our midfield but Joe Duncalf and Billy Bryan were there to save us from conceding. A great save from Luke Taylor meant that we had possession of the ball. A great clearance again from Taylor to our strikers won us a corner, taken by Theodorou. Luke played it short to Freddie Diver, who then chipped it to Ben Yeoman, who scored an outstanding “bicycle kick” (was only a volley). Now Shiplake was 4-2 up and knew that we had the win in the bag. A great tackle from Duncalf deflected off to Will Sharp who passed it to Theo Fewtrell with a good touch he then knocked the ball into the inside of the post and put us 5-2 up. A great game for Shiplake College put smiles on our players and walked off the pitch proudly.’
Jake Wiggins (Year 9)
U14B 4-1 Abingdon School
'The team was very excited for the game and some people were so excited that they brought the wrong kit. The game went on and we continued to attack. Finally, the Abingdon defence had had enough and gave away a penalty. Joe Durcan, with a powerful shot, put us 1-0 up. We went on another attack and Ben Willis was through past the keeper and just as we thought we had scored he fumbled it past the post. This was the first of many misses but it didn't stop us from pushing for more goals as Theo Fewtrell made a great pass to Joe Durcan who took us 2-0 with his second goal of the day. Just before half time Abingdon scored a good goal to make it 2-1. We came out into the second half winning and striving for more as Fewtrell hit it across the goal to make it 3-1. Johnny Yulhanson-Hutchins came on as a super sub and within a couple of minutes hit the crossbar from halfway. The game went on with both teams defending well but towards the end of the half I was through and made it 4-1 with an acrobatic goal. 4-1 the final result. Well done to all who took part and another great win.’
Freddie Diver (Year 9)
Other Results
- 3rd XI 2-0 Cokethorpe School
- U15B 1-2 Abingdon School
- U15B 2-4 Cokethorpe School
Netball
1st VII 12-11 LVS Ascot and 7-14 Leighton Park School
'Last Wednesday, Shiplake 1st VII travelled to Leighton Park to play in the Finals Tournament for the Super 9 League. Our first game was against LVS Ascot, competing for 6th and 7th place. Our previous match was tight with Shiplake winning 31-28. As a result of this win, the Shiplake girls were keen to keep their position in the league table. The match was extremely competitive, drawing 11-11. As this was the finals, we had to play an extra minute. Shiplake kept the pressure on LVS, intercepting their first centre. We worked the ball down to our attacking end with Brooke Creighton scoring the winning goal. Due to this win, Shiplake moved up a position in the table.
Our final match was against Leighton Park, battling for 5th and 6th position. Hopes were high from Shiplake after our win. However, the pace of Leighton Park lead them to take the lead. Shiplake didn't give up, with great defence and effective attacking. Sadly, Leighton Park kept in front, winning 14-7.
Shiplake 1st team finished 6th place. I am very proud of all the girls for the effort they have put in this season, especially being our first year in the league. Thank you to all of our coaches and their commitment to the team. I hope next year Shiplake will follow on to excel in the League.
Lauren Way (Year 13)
2nd VII 8-5 Leighton Park and 11-10 Upton Court Grammar School
'Last week, Shiplake’s 1st and 2nd teams travelled to Leighton Park for the league finals tournament; we had to play two matches each that had been split into halves. The Bs first match was against Leighton Park. Throughout the first half, the Shiplake side was adjusting to a change in positions and the score was relatively equal. However, following a motivating team talk, the second half was played at a much better standard, and Shiplake took the win at 8-5.
The team was nervous for the second match against Upton Court Grammar School. This is because we had lost against them in the past. For the duration of the match tension was high and each team continually caught up with each other, ending the match on a draw. This meant we had an extra minute of gameplay to decide who the winner was going to be. At the end of this minute the score was still 10-10, so we then were playing for the ‘golden ball’. During this time, we scored and won the match, finishing 4th in the league.
Captain's player of the match: Emma Renwick
Nadia Sherlock (Year 13)
3rd VII 24-15 Gillotts School
'The Netball C Team set off on Wednesday with positive and good spirits. We arrived at Gillotts School slightly nervous but as a team, with Tayla Calderia as our captain. Lauren Way, Jem Evans and Anna Whitelaw kept a strong base line, letting very little into the net, allowing the attackers to score the vital goals and constantly add to our score. Half time came and we were in the lead with a score of 11-7. A team talk from Jem and Tayla gave strong words of advise on how we can maintain our lead. The final whistle went and the score finished at 24-15 to Shiplake College. A fantastic end to the season and a great friendly game. Well done C Team on a brilliant season overall.'
Tayla Caldeira (Year 12)
Captains' Players of the Season
1st - Brooke Creighton and Charley Burgess
2nd - Beth Findlay and Emma Renwick
3rd - Tayla Calderia and Maddie Chapples
Hockey
1st/2nd XI 1-0 Pangbourne College
'With the end of the season drawing close, injuries, field trips, rowing and rugby took its toll on the hockey squads and the Senior Hockey Management team of Mr Walter, Mr Brown and Dr Snellgrove had to put their heads together to draw up a mixed 1st and 2nd team to take on local rivals Pangbourne.
It is always a feisty encounter and the match started in a competitive and determined manner. Both sides were keen to exert some early control in the game and it was clear neither side was going to sit back and throw caution to the wind. Shiplake started to get the lion’s share of possession, but were struggling to break down the Pangbourne defence and had few clear chances on goal to reward their efforts. Captain of Hockey and midfield maestro Will Gresswell was clearly up for the afternoon and showed a number of good touches and searching passes alongside big game player Freddie Bowcock and 2nd team captain Freddie Davis, both of whom had good afternoons. Mr Brown was given control of a healthy looking substitutes bench and played his cards well, keeping the legs fresh and providing some inspiration from the side-lines.
Year 10 part time hockey magician Arthur Langeler continued his fantastic form with some dazzling runs down the left flank and Lewis Bishop was obviously keen to impress the 1st team coach, throwing himself into challenges and making life difficult for the Pangbourne midfielders. As the sun continued to bare down on the sides, the energy levels started to drop in the Shiplake ranks and just before half time, a rare Pangbourne attack resulted in a free hit just outside the 25, which was smashed into the D and a lucky touch managed to deflect the ball past Jamie Gibbs in the Shiplake goal, whose cat like reflexes were not quite enough to get the ball before it crossed the line. Shiplake went into the break 1-0 down and the message from the management was clear – more energy and more composure around the D!
Shiplake started the second half slowly, but grew into it. Despite being on the front foot, enforcers Harry Emmanuel, Tom Gorringe and Ben Fletcher still needed to be aware of the Pangbourne counter and did well to break down a couple of attacks. Gibbs also had to make a couple decent saves as Shiplake started to throw men forward in search of the draw. 1st XI hockey’s Marcus Hillman, who has offered a lot to the team since his promotion from 1st XI football, continued his impressive form with a number of important interceptions and passes. This season’s top goal scorer Brandon Tan had a couple of half chances and the industrious Jack Rees was working hard to link up the play, but it just did not quite click for Shiplake and the game ended in a 1-0 defeat.
This was a good performance from a team who had not played together before and it may well be the last game for a few of the Year 13 students, so good luck to them in their future hockey endeavours. A special thank you to those parents who have supported the hockey teams throughout the season.
Mr Tom Walter
U12B 6-1 LVS Ascot
'After a thrilling 1-1 at LVS with Shiplake managing to get a late draw they were ready to play hockey and try and achieve a won. In just a few seconds Shiplake were on the brake, with Finlay Woods and Luke Byca pacing out the defenders down the wing. It only took a few attempts for Shiplake to break free of LVS’s defence and score 1-0 from Luke Byca. Shiplake could keep possession and break through the defences twice more to make LVS struggle to achieve the ball. But after an error in passing Shiplake allowed LVS to score and make it 3-1, Shiplake were now pressing for more goals and too secure a victory, after high pressing and great defending by Josh Sommerville, Matt Grundy, Finlay woods and Luke Byca. Another outstanding three goals which secured a victory for Shiplake College.
Man of the Match: Luke Byca.'
Zac Morrison (Year 7)
Other hockey results:
- U15A: 0-1 Radley College
- U14C: 0-7 Radley College
- U12A: 2-8 LVS Ascot
