The Summer Term has begun which means that the cricket and tennis seasons are underway! And with the weather also playing ball, it was fantastic to see the first set of matches get underway. Meanwhile, in fencing, Year 11 pupil James Middlehurst was in action at his first national competition and in Monday's Whole School Assembly, we recognised those who had been selected in the Headmaster's Team of the Term for Spring 2025.
Cricket
1st XI vs Exmouth (Preseason Tour game)
Well done to J Wilson who scored 99 in his first game for Shiplake. Fantastic batting which really showed off his talent for cricket. He was unfortunate to have not got a century with having to score 1 off the final ball of the innings.
1st XI vs UCS
Shiplake College won the toss and elected to bat first. Two quick wickets in the first four overs saw Shiplake in a difficult position, but L Crerar and H Terrington steadied the ship with some clever batting. L Crerar played some excellent shots that frustrated the UCS bowlers and Shiplake were 80/2 off 10 overs. H Terrington made his way to a brilliant 50 and after reaching this, started to play some very impressive shots. After 20 overs, Shiplake reached 158 for 5. Shiplake came onto the field to bowl, and it started well with some tight bowling from both opener J Hinton and L Crerar while there was some exceptional fielding early on from B Stokes applying pressure to the UCS opening pair. G Blumfield, J Coe and B Stokes were seen to be in the wickets and UCS came up short scoring 127 in the 20 overs. A fantastic start to the season!
2nd XI v UCS
Things got off to the most inauspicious of starts when, having lost the toss to be inserted on a green top, I Doherty was comprehensibly bowled off the very first delivery of the season. Three more wickets fell quickly, leaving us 35-4 from nine overs. What followed was an excellent partnership between O Perkins (58) and J Scotchbrook (31), who added 73 for the fifth wicket in the next nine overs. In the end, we posted a competitive 114-9 from our 20 overs. The bowling and fielding were excellent. D O'Brien bowled with the pace and accuracy required to increase the run rate quickly. S Gibson turned the ball sharply, allowing F Partridge the opportunity to effect a smart stumping. The pick of the bowlers, however, was A Richardson. She bowled with real control and her prodigious away swing proved too much for the batters. She ended with exceptional figures of 3-6. A fantastic performance resulting in victory by 45 runs
U14As vs UCS
The U14s batted first on a slightly slow looking grassy track. The top order of Shiplake struggled to come to terms with the slow pace of the bounce and the UCS bowlers bowling short of a length - trying to hit through the ball resulted in three early catches for the opposition. This left us on 25-3 from the first four overs. L Moss and G Silver then steadied the innings keeping the ball on the ground with the former pushing singles and the latter hitting boundaries. This took us to 70-3 from 15 overs before L Moss then fell to a good straight ball. However, our mid/lower order supported G Silver, and he continued striking the ball well to get top score of the match – 37 not out – leaving us on 110-6.
The UCS innings went in a similar fashion to Shiplake with early wickets falling. E Hills, L Moss, and M Brown all bowling quick and straight and getting through the defences of the UCS players. A few too many extras given away by us however allowed UCS to come back into the game somewhat. However, good captaincy to bring back on our opening bowlers led to wickets tumbling and UCS were all out for 92 runs. E Hills the pick of the bowlers with 4-11 off four overs. An 18-run victory for the U14As.
Fencing
Well done to Year 11 pupil James Middlehurst who competed at his first Wheelchair Fencing National Championships last weekend in Nottingham. He managed to win two bronze medals in Sabre, and a silver medal in Foil. To give some perspective, the gold medal winner was a Paralympic medallist, and the silver medal winner will be competing at LA in 2028. With James coming 3rd, we’re sure that if he keeps going, there will be some serious opportunities down the line for him to compete at the very highest level!
Tennis vs The Oratory
In their first match of the season, Shiplake College faced off against the Oratory in a mixed seniors tennis match. The teams comprised of F Baikie, S Murray, M Crane, Z Fisher, F Fisher, and last-minute addition E Erb. The match was closely contested, with both teams displaying exceptional skill and determination. Each player contributed significantly to their team's performance, resulting in a thrilling encounter that ultimately ended in a draw.
Shiplake College can be proud of their strong start to the season, showcasing determination, creativity and resilience throughout the match. Well done to all players involved!
Headmaster’s Team of the Term, Spring 2025
The Headmaster's Team of the Term recognises pupils who have been exemplary in sport and are awarded for their exceptional teamwork, respect, and discipline both in training and in matches throughout the term. There are awards for both boys and girls, and across all the age categories from U12s through to U18s.
Congratulations to the following pupils who received an award for the Spring Term:
- P Holmes: Girls’ U12 Netball
- A Mertes: Girls’ U13 Netball
- A O’Shea: Girls’ 1st VII Netball
- F Rait: Girls’ 2nd VII Netball
- B Sauboua: Girls’ 3rd VII Netball
- J Biggin: Girls’ 4th VII Netball
- J Lucking: Boys’ 1st XI Football
- S Bhambra: Girls’ 1st XI Football
- A Godfrey: Girls’ 1st XI Football
- O Bailey: Boys’ 2nd XI Football
- S Massie: Boys’ 3rd XI Football
- K Marsh: Boys’ 4th XI Football
- A Parmar: Boys’ U15 Football
- H Sargent: Boys’ U14 Football
- J Verheggen: Boys’ U13 Football
- Z Field: Boys’ U12 Football
