It was a busy week of fixtures for the rugby teams. Taking on strong rivals University College School lead to a mixed bag of results. However, prior to the all-important Friday Night Lights this Friday, the 1st XV were bent on victory, giving them confidence as a team, ahead of taking on King’s College School on Friday. The girls’ hockey also had a promising week, comfortably beating Magdalen College School.

Rugby

1st XV 34-23 University College School

Thank you to Mr Tom Armstrong for the following report of a great win for the 1st XV team, just ahead of the upcoming Friday Night Lights game…

‘After the half term break, the boys returned to Shiplake determined to maintain the course they had begun at Mill Hill school two weeks earlier. The week’s training was both focussed and intensive, and with all previously injured 1st XV players back from injury and the ‘Friday Night Lights’ fixture on the near horizon, competition for places was at its fiercest. The 1st XV from University College School boast a very good playing record this season, which includes a two-point victory over perennial Shiplake rivals, Merchant Taylors’ School (who Shiplake play in a fortnight’s time) and a nail-biting two-point loss to King’s College Wimbledon, who the Shiplake 1st XV meet this Friday night, at Henley RFC.

The team arrived at UCS to cold, windy conditions which made the pre-game preparations challenging. Just before the scheduled kick off, all boys and staff observed a minute’s silence in memory of a longstanding UCS teacher who had passed away over the half term. At 10:30 the whistle went to start the match; Shiplake were to receive the kick off and had the wind and the slope in their favour for the first half. Game on. To say that things did not go to plan in the first minutes of the match would be an understatement. Shiplake received kick off and within seconds had thrown a wayward pass which was easily intercepted for a gifted five points to the opposition. Less than a minute played, the team was 5-0 down, with the conversion still to come. In previous weeks, this would have been enough for heads to drop and morale to dwindle, but this time was different and from the restart it was all Shiplake…

The opposition were put under pressure from our attack and when they did have the ball, they found the Shiplake defensive line was impossible to break. A lineout on the opposition 5-metre line after sustained Shiplake pressure gave the team our first scoring opportunity. A successful catch and drive lead to a great try for Joe Tucker. 5–5. Joe Booth added the conversation to give the team a two-point lead. The next 15 minutes produced much of the same, with both sides trying to break their opposition’s defences and both meeting strong resistance. A kickable penalty 10 minutes before half-time gave Shiplake the opportunity to extend their lead and Captain Finn Arbuckle didn’t hesitate in sending Joe Booth in to attempt the shot at goal. Joe struck the ball well and it sailed through the uprights. Shiplake 10 – UCS 5. The next scoring opportunity came quickly, and again Joe Booth was at the fore. He scored a fantastic try after three minutes of exciting attacking rugby from the Shiplake backline. In an attempt to relieve the pressure, UCS had thumped the ball downfield, deep into the Shiplake half, but it was caught cleanly by Sam Wisely, the Shiplake full back, who made a fantastic run, linking up with Harvey Hendry to coordinate a terrific counter attack, that ultimately resulted in the points.

Half time. Shiplake 15 – UCS 5.

Playing into the wind and against the slope meant that the second half was going to be a real lung-buster and Shiplake knew they would need to be wary of UCS’s tactical kicking advantage. Four substitutions were made, with Els Frisby and Miles Bridgman being replaced by Casper Wise and Rhys Edwards in the backline and Ollie Brown and Will Thomsett coming off for Seb Rivett and Callum Brady. Five minutes into the half and Joe Booth was on the score sheet again, another try and another conversion. This was followed by several brilliant phases of attacking rugby which eventually put Harvey Hendry into space on the wing. Although he managed to wriggle through two tackles, Harvey was held up before the line but was able to offload to Finn Arbuckle who showed great footwork to step through the defenders and score under the posts. 14 more points in as many minutes brought the score to 29-5. Despite the deficit, UCS were not done and they fought back hard. Their attempts were hampered slightly when a frustrated player shoulder-charged Joachim Ridley-Barker in an off-the-ball incident, and was sent to the sin bin. On his return, UCS recorded the next score with a very good try and a narrowly missed conversion. The final 15 minutes were tense to say the least. Will Gresswell aggravated an old knee injury and had to come off the pitch. Joe Tucker, who had been a workhorse in the Shiplake pack all morning, came off for a breather and Finn Arbuckle came off for an injury assessment. The team made a couple of basic errors on two occasions, five meters from our try line, which ultimately lead to two converted tries in favour of the opposition. As frustrating as this was, Rhys Edwards’ try, two minutes from the fulltime whistle, was to be the nail in the coffin for the opposition and ensure a Shiplake win. The final score was 34 – 24 and, although UCS had been a good opposition, the post-match analysis confirmed that all but five of their points came as a result of basic, Shiplake errors and the opposition players capitalising on them. While the score line suggested a close game - and in many respects it was - the Shiplake performance was dominant and demonstrated excellence in both defence and attack. The team now goes into preparation for the Friday Night Lights fixture with confidence and a desire to be even better. They look forward to lots of support!’

2nd XV 5-17 University College School

Thank you to Mr David Sharkey, for providing the following report of a tough game against a strong rival:

‘This game was difficult to play in; this game was difficult to watch. Being outplayed when you know there is much more fight and quality in you as a side is a desperately bitter pill to swallow. Mr Mallins' assertion was that UCS "wanted" it more and it is hard to argue with him. The longer the game wore on, the better UCS started to look. They weathered the early territorial and possession dominance from Shiplake and never looked back. Uncharacteristic errors cost Shiplake dearly as there was no way to generate momentum. Some positive carries at the start of the match came from James Vizard, Hugh Rutledge and Tom Coates. It was a shame that we could not build on these and get over early for a score which may have settled the early-game nerves. Some good Shiplake pressure resulted in a score from Lewis Bishop who touched down after UCS attempted to run it 5m out from their own tryline. A slender half time lead of 0-5 was hard to fathom. Shiplake had been the side with most of the ball, and looked like they could open up the UCS defence if they could "build a score" through a few phases.

If Shiplake had dominated the first half then UCS took charge of the second as they raised their game and scored 17 unanswered points. A sense of frustration perhaps began to take hold, as Shiplake started forcing passes that were not on and becoming ill-disciplined at the breakdown.

It was a well-deserved victory for the hosts who were the better side on the day and left Shiplake with a lot to ponder. There was a real sense of frustration with a range of things as we spoke in the huddle after the game. One thing that was clear was how we need to own this loss and control the controllables. There is no point wasting energy on those factors outside of our control. One factor we can control is how we train and how we execute basic skills in matches. A chance to respond to this challenge starts in Monday's training as we prepare for the arrival of KCS on Saturday. An opportunity to test ourselves against a very accomplished outfit will be a tough test but one that cannot come quick enough.’

U16B 53-7 University College School

Thank you to Mr Alex Duncan and Mr George Miller for the following report on a fantastic game for the U16Bs:

‘Another week and another mesmerizing performance… The team were again fully committed, defended well and scored some genuinely beautiful tries. Josh Lloyd finished off a team try, which both coaches have agreed is ‘try of the season’ so far. A turnover won outside our 22 was quickly converted into a brisk attacking move. Richard Adams ran a superb line of the scrum half and broke the line, soaring over the half way. The resulting ruck was quick and ball moved into a central position. More quick ball off the floor saw it move the same way to the left, and extremely quick hands (with accuracy and timing of the passes) released Josh for a 25-metre sprint around the winger to score eventually under the posts. This was typical of the match, with an overloading and direct running game which is being developed in training. A fantastic 53-7 win has lifted the spirits going into next week’s crunch fixture with King’s College School Wimbledon. Last year, Shiplake did not travel well to this game and experienced a heavy defeat. We are expecting a tough game but the result will certainly be closer – a memorable win is a possibility and the boys are showing the belief they need in order to obtain victory and continue to play with smiles on their faces.’

U15B 5-54 Gillotts School

Thank you to Mr James Arney for the following report from a tough game for the U15Bs:

‘On Wednesday 2 November, the U15Bs lost to Gillotts U15A team. We did manage to score one try, thanks to Taryn Ruparel. However, the U15As proved too strong a team for the Bs to take on. Man of the Match for Shiplake was Jack Powell.’

U15B 10-27 University College School

‘On Saturday, the U15Bs lost to University College School. Despite a difficult game against a strong side, Marcus Coulter and Benjamin Brockway both scored. It was a very good performance by the U15Bs, who had a few decisions go against them. In the forwards, the U15Bs dominated UCS, and it was a vastly improved performance from the week before. Congratulations to Man of the Match Marcus Coulter!’

U15C 40-34 University College School

Thnak you to Mr Chris Lehane-Kendrick for the following report of a well-played and successful game against an accomplished rival:

‘In the first half we sadly conceded three tries as our defence stood back, allowing UCS space. We fought back with two tries, with both conversions perfectly executed by Sam Rodgers. In the second half Shiplake fought back to a one-point game with one minute remaining: the tension was real. UCS dropped the ball by our try line, and a lovely move, finished by Cameron Dalziel won the match in the dying seconds. Man of the Match goes to Cameron Dalziel.’

U14A 21-14 Gillotts School

Thank you to James Burgess for the following report on a successful match for the U14As:

‘Shiplake were keen to start off the new half term with a win, as well as Gillotts being our local rivals, which added that extra incentive to play our best. Shiplake kicked off and defended well until their centre broke through, and scored the first try of the game. Shortly afterwards James Burgess scored to level things up. After that, Shiplake got caught out again and allowed them to go over to take the lead. However, just before half-time James Burgess scored again to level the scoreboard.

In the second half, after quite a bit of defending from Shiplake, we made a break and a well-worked move ended up underneath the posts from Theo Fewtrell. For the rest of the game Shiplake were camping in their own 22, but some excellent defensive play from the whole team saw Shiplake hang on until the end to get the victory. The final score of 21-14 is an indication of how we played. Special mention to Archie McArthur who was awarded Man of the Match.’

U14C 5-50 University College School

Thank you to Mr Chris Alcock, for a poetic and sobering depiction of the U14C’s difficult match:

‘Does it Matter?

Does it matter- losing the game?

For people will always be kind

As the 14c s tried to unwind

After a bad drubbing from UCS,

But next week won’t be the same!

Does it matter, missing tackles galore

As they score their umpteenth try,

And the coaches let out a sigh,

As you gather under your posts,

To lick your wounds so sore.

Do results matter?- 5 points scored, not zero,

Elliot Richards, down the blind from a scrum,

And you thought a comeback would come,

Yet even as Shiplake spirits slipped and sinews slowed,

Next game we’ll be the hero!’

Hockey

Girls 1st XI 4-0 Magdalen College School

Thank you Issy Webster for the following report of the girls’ first win of the season!

‘The girls 1st XI hockey team had a great game on Wednesday, as they secured their first win of the season. The first third of the game was one of the best the team had ever played. Everyone stuck to their positions and had total control of the ball, while playing as a complete team. The ball was in the opponent’s territory for the majority of the third, leading to two well-deserved goals from Issy Webster and Olivia Bartlett. The second third did not deliver as much success as the first, this being due to pace of the first third tiring the legs of both teams - although Lauren McNally continued her excellent powerful running with the ball to carve open a few chances. However, in the last third, the team came back to life and played as well as they had been at the beginning of the game. There was excellent use of skills by Beth Findlay in particular, which worked in Shiplake’s favour, earning them a short corner and eventually two more impressive goals through Brooke Creighton. The match was an overall success and proved to all the girls that they could work together well and had skills and mentality to win a tough game. Hopefully this will be the first of many wins this term.’