Sports Report 6 March 2018

As Shiplake emerges from the snow, we look back at the week's sports events. Unfortunately, due to the weather, all Football, Hockey, Rowing and Rugby 7s events were either postponed or cancelled. Despite this, our Netball players couldn't be kept off the court, as all three of the girls' fixtures took place without issues. 

Shiplake Girls’ 2^nd VII vs Reading Blue Coat School

The 2^nd girls began their first quarter with a high level of intense play, however Blue Coat scored two goals almost straight away. With Shiplake’s defensive team working well to defend the ball from the opposition, the team was able to push the ball back up to Shiplake’s end, resulting in our girls scoring repeatedly. It was apparent to the team that perhaps Blue Coat had a very similar game play to what our girls know, resulting in the score remaining tight throughout the first quarter. With a few position changes, Shiplake started the second quarter with a lot more enthusiasm, despite blue Coat taking the lead. With excellent centre play from Hannah Burnett and the rest of the attacking team, the girls were able to get the ball up to our end, leaving Charley and Tory able to score. With Shiplake now ahead of Blue Coat, the team became eager to continue with the same enthusiasm.

Throughout the third quarter, Blue Coat became slightly less focused, which did not affect Shiplake’s play as they continued to score goal upon goal. Great defensive work from Georgia and Hannah Simmonds-Gooding meant that Blue Coat had less chance of being able to score. In the final quarter, Shiplake were a comfortable amount of goals ahead of Blue Coat but the girls didn’t let this phase them as they upheld their positivity until the end of the match. The final score was 34-21 to Shiplake, which was a well-deserved win.

With thanks to all of the team for their exceptional efforts and thank you to Tory and Charley for playing for us. A well-deserved player of the match goes to Georgia Mae-Frye.

Report provided by Captain Emma Renwick

Shiplake Girls’ 3^rd XII v Claire’s Court

Last Wednesday Shiplake's C team played a match against Claire’s Court on home courts.

With a quick start to the game, it was clear to see that the opposition was very skilled in their defence, making it hard for the Shiplake attackers to maintain possession of the ball. This allowed Claire’s Court to win the first quarter five goals ahead.

With the Shiplake squad focusing on control of the ball and spacing out on the court, their gameplay began to improve. Sadie and Mimi worked well together in mid-court and were able to work the ball up the court. With some great teamwork from our shooters Eve and Sophia, the girls were able to score a few goals. However, during the last quarter, the team began to tire giving the opposition the upper hand.

The final score was 17-3 to Claire’s Court

Congratulations to Sadie Foster for achieving player of the match

Shiplake Girls’ 3^rd VII v Licensed Victuallers School

Last Wednesday, Shiplake's C team travelled to Ascot to play our match. Confidence levels were low, knowing that the opposition may have been a more advanced team, however having a wider range of players and new shooter, Mary; the team was able to stay positive.

The game started off at a fast pace, meaning our girls were rushing and making small mistakes, allowing the opposition to take control of the first quarter. However, after a team talk with Coach Lou, the Shiplake girls were able to slow down and focus on their spacing on the court and their control of the ball.

With some excellent attacking skills from the midcourt players, Shiplake were able to get the ball up the court to the shooters, with Mary securing a goal. The defenders had to work hard as the opposition subbed on some new, skilled attackers, and therefore had to work hard to maintain possession of the ball.

The girls all worked very well together as a team. However, LVS took home the win. Well done to everyone who played. Player of the Match, Tayla Caldeira