Over fifty former Shiplake sportsmen returned to the College
on Saturday 13 September for the 2014 Old Viking Society Sports Festival. On
New Field, the OVS rugby team renewed rivalries against Old Pangbournians,
while gentleman spanning five decades of Shiplake rowing gathered together for
an enjoyable afternoon on the river.
The rugby players belied their advancing years by making a
ferocious start to the match. The scrums and tackles were as fierce as ever, as
the men put their bodies on the line to protect their school’s honour. The
first points came after 7 minutes as Pangbourne’s skipper slotted over an easy
penalty. The pace was clearly too much to handle for some Shiplake players as
the first rolling substitute entered the field after 10 minutes.
After 15 minutes, a delightful grubber kick from
Pangbourne’s instrumental fly half opened up the Shiplake defence and led to
the first try in the corner. A tough conversion was missed and despite some
more positive running from Shiplake’s backs, including captain Sam Quelch, the
score remained 0-8 at half time.
Shiplake made a fantastic start to the second half but their
first mistake proved costly as Pangbourne pounced on a dropped ball and raced
away to finish under the posts. 15 points looked a tough ask to claw back but
Shiplake never stopped trying. The maroon and whites spent the vast majority of
the second half camped in the Pangbourne 22 but outstanding defence prevented
the crucial breakthrough being made. Shiplake had a try disallowed for
obstruction before finally earning a deserved consolation in the final minute
as hooker Ian Brown powered over. The match finished 7-15 as was a great advert
for alumni rugby!
Down by the river, crews assembled for a friendly regatta.
Crews included the very first Shiplake IV from 1964, the 2013 and 2014 1st
VIIIs and a hybrid VIII from the 1980s, 90s and 00s stroked by double world champion
Will Satch.
With such a mixture of ages, enjoyment was prioritised over
competition but the guys did battle it out in some ferocious sprint racing. It
was lovely to see many Old Vikings bringing their children to the Boat House,
with some sitting in a boat for the very first time. With weary arms and legs having struggled to keep pace with an Olympian, the rowers recovered with a
BBQ and beers served on the towpath. Our guests no doubt enjoyed reminiscing about
past glories and mingling with our current pupils to discuss how times have
changed.
More photographs from the day can be viewed in our media
gallery. This can be accessed from any page by clicking on the camera icon in
the bottom left corner of the menu.