In the first Sports Report of the Spring Term, our boys' senior football teams kicked their seasons off with matches against Pangbourne College. We also catch up with the team following on from their recent trip to the home of English football, St George's Park. Meanwhile, our rowers return from a training camp in Seville, Spain.
Boys' 1st XI Football vs Pangbourne College
A classic clash with Pangbourne which saw Shiplake win 3-0. A fantastic performance by all saw top tier defending by J Cooper, L Poundall, T Gill and C Fitzsimons. A tough first half saw it level at the break at 0-0, but a breakthrough goal from J Cooper saw the mighty Shiplake go 1-0. Two goals followed shortly after from W Diver and Z Wilson. J Biggin won player of the match for a dominant midfield display.
Goal Scorers: J Cooper, W Diver, Z Wilson
Coach: Mr B Claridge and Mr A Gingell
Boys' 2nd XI vs Pangbourne College
The 2nd XI performed extremely well and after 50 minutes of frustration in front of goal, managed to win the game convincingly 3-1. It was clear that the Shiplake philosophy was coming to fruition and the boys executed our instructions well. Year 11 F Hawkes received Man of the Match after an assured performance from the first whistle.
Goal Scorers: H Wallace, H Inch, L O'Donoghue
Coach: Mr K Heaney
St George's Park Football Trip
At the start of the new year, we took a selection of pupils up to St George's Park to experience the 'Home of English Football'. From staying in the same beds as the England players to playing on the surface that has hosted international teams, the boys were able to experience what it means to play at the very top of the game. During our first day we had a session delivered by the FA's finest coaches and then a recovery session in the hydrotherapy pool. We finished the day with preparation for our fixture against Monmouth School the next evening.
The next day had us playing on a full-sized replica Wembley pitch for a training session and our match against Monmouth School. Highlights from the day included C Kerrison and T Gill scoring their first goals for the Shiplake 1st XI and a defensive masterclass from J Cooper, L Poundall and T Gill. The tour has allowed us to prepare for the start of our exciting fixture list that is lined up this term.
Report: Mr B Claridge
Seville Rowing Camp
On the first day of our camp, we competed in a regatta against clubs from across the whole of Spain, France and Portugal. It was a huge learning curve for all of us as we had to communicate and comply with all the instructions in Spanish! This was a successful day for everyone from Shiplake competing, which included the boys' VIII winning their category. The day after we had our own regatta against two other English schools: St Edward’s and Dulwich, which resulted in our boys’ 1st VIII beating St Edward's by a seat.
Many of the evenings in Seville were spent on the water. We went on 15 kilometre paddles into the centre of Seville, rowing past lots of clubs and busy restaurants. It was amazing to see the town from a different perspective, while still getting some valuable training done.
We also had the opportunity to race a local Spanish club and, although it may have not been as competitive as we hoped, it was still valuable to gain some more racing experience. As well as the many hours of training we completed, we also had two afternoons off to walk into Seville and immerse ourselves in the local Spanish culture - which for a lot of the squad meant a trip to Five Guys for a burger!
We learned a lot during our camp, and the squad has made huge improvements both in strength and technique. It was an amazing opportunity to invest a lot of time and effort into a sport that is so rewarding and we are confident that the camp will give us an edge in the season to come. Thank you to our coaches and the school for making the camp possible.
Make sure to check out Shiplake Boat Club's Instagram page where a highlights video, as well as many more photos, of the trip can be found.
Report: G Catlin and F Fox
