On Monday 26 September, Mr George Miller, Mr Jonnie Howorth, and Shiplake’s eager swimming team headed to the Oratory School, Woodcote, to take part in the first swimming gala of the autumn term and new academic year. A keenly anticipated event, the swimmers had been spending the long summer months preparing to try and steal the title as victors from the local rival. Mr Miller provides the following report from the closely-fought battle:
‘On Monday, Shiplake College set off to the Oratory School, where they were competing in their first swimming gala of the academic year. This was a fantastic chance for the seniors to take revenge, after a narrow loss of just two points in the previous year, whilst for the junior team it was a chance for them to showcase their swimming prowess. Captained by sports scholar Ross Johnstone, the boys entered with full confidence and, apart from some missing goggles, fully prepared!
The races were close – the swimmers worked tirelessly and managed to post some excellent times. Ben Dinsdale and Josh Gibson were both outstanding in all of their races, as were many of the others. It was an impressive team effort and – much to the relief of the boys – all of the hard work paid off. The Shiplake team left Oratory victorious, having won by 285 to 245. A big thank you to Mr Jonnie Howorth, who not only drove the bus but also dealt with all of the maths! We are already looking forward to the next event…’