This week's Sports Report features all of the sports news in which there were block football fixtures for our boys against The Oratory, while our girls had football and netball fixtures against St Edward's and Reddam House respectively. Meanwhile, our boys' U14 basketball team travelled to Bulmershe School, our rowers enjoyed a late entry at the University of Reading's Head of the River, and there was a first table tennis fixture of the year.
Basketball
Boys’ U14 vs The Bulmershe School
Our U14 Basketball team took on an unbeaten Bulmershe School in our most difficult basketball fixture of the season. They were a well-oiled team that had a keen eye for the hoop which made defending very difficult, but we showed great commitment to sniff out a lot of their chances.
Unfortunately, attacking was just not our strong suite on the day but the team never let their heads drop and continued. Nonetheless, it was important to understand that if we do not take our chances, we will not win. The game ended 39-18 to Bulmershe with buckets from K O'Connor, J Satterly, R O'Boyle and W Nicholas. Attacker of the Game was W Nicholas and Defender of the Game went to K O'Connor.
Coach: Mr A Gingell
Football
Girls’ 1st XI vs St Edward’s
On Thursday 23 February, the Shiplake girls’ 1st XI played their fourth game of the season against St. Edward's School. Shiplake started strongly with great defensive play by E Morris and L Schoenmaker helping G Weedon to save many goals. Due to the amazing skill of the opposition, they managed to score three goals quickly within the first 20 minutes of the first half.
E Browne and C Wapshare managed to make some amazing attacking runs down the pitch and had a few shots on goal, which unfortunately were defended by the other team. At half-time, the score was 4-0 to St Edward’s, but the Shiplake girls kept their heads high and regrouped after half time, with E Browne scoring Shiplake’s goal.
After this goal, the Shiplake girls upped their aggression levels on the pitch and defended strongly with great skill from H Boddy and M Berry. The other team managed to score some more goals in the second half, and Shiplake managed to have an indirect free kick taken by L Schoenmaker which unfortunately just missed the goal. The match ended with a score of 6-1 to St Edward’s. The girls enjoyed this competitive game and came off in high spirits. Player of the Match went to L Schoenmaker.
Report: T Firth, Girl's Football Captain
Coach: Mrs C Lovelock
Girls’ 2nd XI vs St Edward’s
On Thursday 23 February, the girls’ 2nd XI took on St Edward’s. The girls had a tough first half as many players were not in their usual positions but despite this, the girls maintained their enthusiasm and continued to chase down players and passed some excellent balls. The opposition had multiple shots at goal, with most of them being saved by E Dickson with her outstanding ability in goal.
At half-time, the score was 5-0 to the opposition, although the girls continued to persevere by only allowing one goal in during the second half. The final result was 6-0 to St Edward’s, although this does not reflect on the outstanding performances from E Dickson in goal, as well as S Goggins and O Parkin playing in midfield with some impressive skill. A great effort from all the girls, it was an enjoyable match.
Player of the match went to E Dixon, and Coach’s Players were R Acton and S Goggins.
Report: A Townsend
Coach: Mrs K Neill
Boys’ 1st XI vs The Oratory
An excellent win for the mighty Shiplake 1st XI against The Oratory. An early goal by J Cooper from an amazing corner delivered by J Biggin was soon cancelled out by two quick goals from The Oratory, which saw Shiplake go into half-time 2-1 down. The second half saw Shiplake keep possession of the ball where every player touched the ball before A Siveter assisted C Kerrison to make the score 2-2. Moments later, A Siveter found L Morgan to make it 3-2. Shiplake were able to keep out The Oratory and showed grit and determination until the final whistle.
Player of the Match: A Siveter
Coaches: Mr B Claridge and Mr A Gingell
Boys’ 2nd XI vs The Oratory
The 2nd XI travelled away to The Oratory this weekend in what promised to be a difficult and physical game. Having been beaten there last season, this was an opportunity to see how far we had come and wow, how far we have come. A dominant performance from the first whistle saw us dominate possession, move the ball quickly and early on, we were able exploit gaps in their defence. A great run by O Prosser, followed by some quick footwork, left their goalkeeper no choice but to bring him down in the box, with H Simmons converting from the spot well.
The team then showed great spirit and managed the game well and with a solid defensive display, and we were able to hold on to get another win. 1-0 and we remain unbeaten this season.
Player of the Match: M Frost
Coaches: Mr K Heaney and Mr E Olhausen
Boys’ 3rd XI vs The Oratory
A really determined performance by the 3rd XI against The Oratory with all the boys putting in a great shift. The match was heading for a 0-0 when A Kimyani smashed in a goal to put Shiplake 1-0 up. However, in the dying seconds, The Oratory pumped the ball long and their striker ran on to it, poking it over our keeper. The game finished 1-1. Standout performances from O Smaje and W Forster, with B Staddon putting in a Man of the Match performance as captain.
Coach: Mr J Wheeler
Boys’ U16A vs The Oratory
The U16As did themselves proud, with at least 20 shots on goal of which one was taken well by L Spence. However, The Oratory managed two and they both went in, making the score 2-1 - an unfair reflection on the game. Big Man of the Match performances from H Rodriguez, T Bell and A Tufail.
Coaches: Mr J Player and Mr J Cooper
Boys’ U15A vs The Oratory
The U15As performed very well against a strong Oratory side. After going down 1-0 in the first half, Shiplake rallied well in the second half and some early pressure led to D Seraille firing home from inside the box. The Oratory then took the lead again, but Shiplake kept their heads up and found an equaliser through a goal of the season contender from C Nash-Steer; taking the ball on the bounce and firing it off the underside of the bar into the bottom corner. 2-2 seemed like a fair result, but The Oratory bundled in a corner - with the last kick of the game - to make it 3-2 to the visitors.
Player of the Match: A Mullens
Coach: Mr D Miller
Boys’ U15B vs The Oratory
Final score: Shiplake College 4-7 The Oratory
Coaches: Mr J Burgess and Ms S Lane
Boys’ U14A vs The Oratory
The Oratory started brightly with more possession and attacking intent. However, Shiplake showed good knowledge of our defensive formation and gave very few chances despite the opposition's possession. The Oratory used a long throw to effective use, putting our defence under pressure resulting in an own goal. Shiplake then got a goal back through a penalty. In the second half, a change in formation for Shiplake put pressure on The Oratory's defence with many good through balls. This led to a late flurry from Shiplake, scoring three goals in the last 10 minutes. An excellent team performance, showing discipline and patience and counter-attacking intent.
Player of the Match: D Litchfield
Coach: Mr D Bradley
Boys’ U14B vs The Oratory
Final score: Shiplake College 1-2 The Oratory
Coach: Mrs K Neill
Boys’ U13A and U13B (Triangular Tournament)
We played a triangular tournament at Caldicott Prep School - two narrow losses (2-1 and 3-2), with goals conceded in the dying moments of both matches. There was great spirit and team play - we were the better team when we kept the ball at our feet, but too many passes to the opposition rather than our own teammates cost us. Lots of positives though, and the next match should be a fantastic opportunity to show that the team can learn from their mistakes.
Players of the Match: W Hunt and C Cooper
Coaches: Mr A Dix and Mr R Guillaud
Boys’ U12A vs Caldicott
The U12As built on a much-improved display in their mid-week fixture with a fine 3-0 victory against Pinewood School. The passing and shooting continued to be slick and resulted in the goals flowing in a short game. The match against Caldicott proved to be a more challenging match against a very physical team and sadly we lost this 3-1 but the score flattered Caldicott and I am sure if a rematch was scheduled, we could reverse this result.
Coach: Mr T Crisford
Netball
Girls’ U18A vs Reddam School
On Wednesday 22 February, the girls’ netball A team travelled to Reddam School. The match started well with strong defence from A Townsend and T Firth. Motivation was high with support from the girls on the side-line. Shiplake dominated with the ball, utilising their chances with quick fast passes moving down the court. After the first quarter, Shiplake were level with Reddam after strong attacks from A Botterill and G Weedon.
Shiplake started the second quarter in high spirits, with strong lines and strong attacks. After continuous pressure in attack, Shiplake came out of the second quarter with a draw. After half-time, Shiplake went back into the match with high motivation to up the score. It was a strong half with our defence turning over several centre passes. In the final quarter of the match, Shiplake played strongly, but got knocked down after some tough umpiring from the opposition. The final score was 25-23 to Reddam. Congratulations to A Botterill for being awarded Player of the Match and to P Sanderson for achieving Players’ Player.
Report: R Allen, Girls' Sport Captain
Coach: Mrs C Lovelock
Girls U18B vs Reddam School
On Wednesday 22 February, Shiplake played against Reddam’s B team. It was a tough match and the final score was 6-4 to Reddam. During the first two quarters, both teams were tied, however Reddam managed to slip away in the last half of the match. It was clear that Shiplake had developed skills from their previous matches with much more communication and handling of the ball.
Shiplake played well as a team with S Reid scoring three of the goals and R Pendlebury scoring one. The Reddam attackers were strong, however the Shiplake defenders managed to intercept almost all of their passes, especially L Stokes who received Player of the Match as well as Coach's Player at the end of the match. Players’ Player was awarded to E Dickson who played in both attacking and defending positions. Everyone should be proud of their performance today and should all be excited to continue developing their skills for further on in the season.
Report: R Pendlebury, Stand-in Netball B Team Captain
Coach: Mrs A James
Rowing
University of Reading Head of the River
The Boat Club were supposed to be racing at Hammersmith Head on Sunday 26 February, which unfortunately was cancelled. However, luckily, it was possible to get a late entry into the University of Reading’s Head of the River on Saturday (25 February) afternoon.
On the day, we were greeted with cold but good conditions and the 4.7km course made for some good racing. The boys’ 1st VIII demonstrated their strength by finishing 2nd overall, finishing only behind Oxford Brookes University’s 1st VIII. We were the fastest school, beating St Edward’s by 10 seconds and Eton College by 15 seconds.
The 2nd VIII also had a great race, beating St Edward’s and Eton's 2nd VIIIs.
The girls’ VIII raced well and finished behind St Edward’s and the girls’ Quad won the senior women's event finishing ahead of 2nd place Hartpury College by 26 seconds.
Meanwhile, the Year 9s had their first ever formal fixture, racing against St Edward’s and Radley College. Each school entered three octuples to compete in some side-by-side friendly races. In the race, our Year 9 boys got the upper hand, beating both St Edward’s and Radley College. This marks a great start for their rowing here at Shiplake and we look forward to seeing them continue this success.
Report: Mr D Currie
Table Tennis vs Sir William Borlase’s School
Shiplake College took a squad of 12 table tennis players to an away fixture at Sir William Borlase on Tuesday 21 February. 36 matches were played with the opponent coming out on top with a 21 to 15 game victory.
Thank you to SWB for being such excellent hosts and we look forward to welcoming them back for a rematch. The standard of play was very high, with the standout performance coming from W Rider who beat SWB's number one player in a three-game thriller.
Coach: Mr E Olhausen
