It was a week of mixed results; whilst the hockey and netball players found that they were more than evenly matched, the football teams seemed to have a promising week, showing that the hard work put in is definitely paying off.

Football

1st XI 1-6 Abingdon School

Thank you to Mr Alex Duncan for the following report:

‘Shiplake’s 1st XI are having a tough run. The standard of opposition is superior compared to last season and we have not quite found our playing rhythm…yet. Shiplake welcomed Matty Fitzgerald back into the team and his work rate was noticed but on a massive pitch, Shiplake were outplayed by a team whose average age seemed to be 22 – they were bigger, stronger and faster in nearly all areas! After a solid first 20 minutes Shiplake gave away a sloppy goal when the throw to Quin Wagner-Piggott was a little short, and he subsequently kicked the on-running striker rather than the ball. Penalty and 1-0 to Abingdon. The second and third goal followed fairly quickly, but at half time hope was not lost. The two best goals of the game were scored within 10 minutes of the restart. Abingdon’s midfielder found himself with too much space on the edge of the box but his finish would have graced any pitch. A fierce drive, which struck the underside of the bar and nestled in the top corner of the Shiplake net. However, the Shiplake underdog spirit came to the fore as Alex Shean, Marcus Hillman and Matty Fitzgerald combined neat passes to allow Matty to slot home from 8 yards. It was crucial to get a score and it was the least we deserved for the shift put in. A further two goals were conceded as Shiplake looked tired. Plenty of good saves from Quin were the highlight of the last 15 minutes. Plenty to work on but the boys are learning and we will come back stronger, of course. Final score: 6 -1.’

2nd XI 0-4 Abingdon School

'The 2nd XI had an earlier than usual away fixture against Abingdon School at Tilsley Park on Saturday 4 February 2017. The team took full advantage of the excellent 3G pitch by playing some lovely one touch football. Ben Monson, Ben Atkins, Ben Westbrook-Burr and James Roxburgh-Smith exchanged some delightful passes in the first twenty minutes. 

After a bright start, Abingdon began to take control of the game and were fortunate to score when goalkeeper, Ben Dinsdale's save came off the upright and fell kindly for the onrushing Abingdon striker. Eager to make amends, we pushed forward for the equaliser. Ben Westbrook-Burr struck the crossbar with a direct free kick. With about five minutes before half time, our opponents capitalised on the space left in our defence by grabbing two further goals. 

In the second half, we continued to work hard and refused to let our heads drop. It was tough going as the pitch was big and we had no substitutes to call upon due to injuries and illnesses. Abingdon got a fourth goal but there are lots of positives to take from the game. Captain, Ross Johnstone, was immense in defence. Lucas Brooks showed another facet to his game by putting in a great performance in right back. Debutant, Ben Atkins justified being called up from the 3rds and Finn Arbuckle demonstrated his ability to play in the central defensive position. It's a pity that we now have a two week break for half term because despite the loss, we are beginning to implement the things we have been working on in training.'

Mr Tiki Ebun-Cole

U15A 2-2 Claires Court School

After two weeks of hard training, Shiplake went into the game with confidence and had a clear game plan. However, Claires Court started the game strongly and Shiplake saw themselves on the back foot earlier on. As the half progressed Shiplake played their way into the match and were starting to threaten the Claires Court defence more regularly. A very strong defensive performance saw the teams go in 0-0 at half time with everything to play for.

Shiplake came out full of energy in the second half and took the game to Claires Court. Unfortunately, two direct through-balls from Claires Court split the defence and Shiplake found themselves 2-0 down and with a mountain to climb. Shiplake kept battling and with excellent performances from the subs, and forward Adam Porter pulled one back with 7 minutes to play. Shiplake kept pressing and refused to give up and the pressure was rewarded with the equaliser with just 3 minutes to play. Both teams had the chance to win it in the closing minutes but on balance a 2-2 draw was probably a fair result.'

George Head (Year 10)

U15B 10-1 Claires Court School

‘Shiplake got off to a great start, passing the ball at pace through the Claire’s Court midfield. Alfie Rigby and Archie Buchanan were at the forefront of lots of this good work and Josh Lewis gave excellent service from the left wing. It wasn’t long before Billy Parrish scored our first goal. This was a great boost for the team and we continued this momentum through the first half. We pushed our strikers forward with some great passes and teamwork, and more goals followed - although we unfortunately gave away a penalty just before the half-time. Although Stanley Ingram made a wonderful save, the opposition’s striker followed up and managed to tap it into the back of the net! The half time score was 5-1.

In the second half we came out fighting, ensuring that we kept possession of the ball. We pushed forward to get into their area as often as possible, and we managed to get another five goals with some lovely set plays and teamwork. We gave away another penalty to Claires Court, but luckily they hit the crossbar and Billy managed to clear the rebound. A great game and an excellent team effort from all involved. The final score was 10-1 with goals scored by William Kayll (4), Billy Parrish (3), Jack Powell (2), Toby Gorringe (1).’

Archie Buchanan (Captain U15B).

U14A 3-3 Claires Court School

'Saturday finally arrived, signalling the much anticipated first match for the Under 14’s football team. Our first game as a team and we were up against a Claires Court team that had already played three matches together. The game started strong for Shiplake as our striker Luke Theodorou, who passed a late fitness test, scored in the opening 5 minutes with deadly accuracy. A quick response by Claires Court equalised to make it 1-1. We didn't let our heads drop and quickly got another goal from Luke Roxburgh-Smith. Another response from Claire's Court made it 2-2 and then came the half time whistle. Overall we were happy to go into the break level after spending a lot of time defending valiantly. Our two centre backs, Billy Bryan and Joe Duncalf, were proving to be rocks at the heart of the defence.

As the second half started each team struggled to find the back of the net. Claires Court continued to dominate and their attack started to get stronger which led to a goal. The score was now 3-2 and time was running out. Shiplake had more of the ball as the opponents tired and on several occasions they just couldn’t quite spring the offside trap. With 3 minutes to go a great run from debutant and midfield general Josh Gibson down the left wing lead to a finish across the goal keeper and into the far corner to make it 3-3 and cue wild celebrations. The game ended at 3-3, a great start to the season and a real platform to build on. Well done to the whole squad on their efforts.'

Luke Taylor and Joe Duncalf (Year 9)

U12A 3-2 Long Close School

‘The first half of the game was dominated by Shiplake. However, we struggled to get a goal past the defence. Finally, after we played the ball down the wing and crossed it in, a deflected shot gave Ollie Lewis the chance to volley the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs. The match continued with more great play from the Shiplake midfield, before we broke through and scored again with another great finish from Ollie Lewis. In the second half, Long Close made strong attacks down the centre of the pitch and scored twice more, making the score 2-2. On the final minute Shiplake made one last push to score the winning goal. We crossed it in and Ollie Lewis touched it down, turned, and blasted it into the back net, completing his hat trick just before the final whistle blew. It had been a great game for Shiplake; despite the fact that we were the visiting team, we played some great football and won the match!’

Matt Grundy, Year 7

Hockey

2nd XI 0-3 Abingdon School

‘The 2nd XI travelled to Abingdon on the back on some (fairly) narrow defeats at the hands of Lord Wandsworth and Pangbourne. With players returning from injury and other commitments, hopes were high for a good performance. After our signature slow start during which Abingdon scored twice, we finally awoke to discover weaknesses in our opposition’s midfield and defence. Direct balls (some too direct) from defence penetrated midfield and gave attackers Freddie Davis and Joe Tucker a fleeting glimpse of the opposition’s goal. Sadly that is all they got and we were unable to score. A final score of 3-0 was respectable and gave us hope for the future. Strong performances by Lewis Bishop and Miles Firth in midfield and, once again, Justin Janse Van Vuuren in goal are worthy of note.’

Mr Nick Brown

U15A 0-3 Abingdon School

‘Apart from a five minute period at the start of the game, this was not a positive match. Without achieving a single goal, there is definitely much room for improvement! However, some good defence ensured it was only a 3-nil loss.’

Mr Richard Curtis

U14A 2-3 Abingdon School

'Shiplake started the game with a positive attitude feeling as though we were going to win. In the first half we created some great goal scoring opportunities but couldn’t quite finish them off. Abingdon used this to their advantage and managed to capitalize on our weakness. The first half ended with Abingdon up by 2 goals.

Shiplake went into the second half with the same positive attitude having made changes to our positions at half time. This worked well and allowed us to make great counter-attacks by the forwards. These attacks resulted in 2 goals (by Joe Durcan and Ollie Rouse-Roberts.) Equalizing the score 2-2. With around 5 minutes to go, Abingdon broke through Shiplake’s defence allowing them to score one more time. This left the score at 3-2 Abingdon. Man of the Match was Joe Durcan, for all round great play throughout the entire game.'

Harry Watts (Year 9)

Netball

1st VII 10-34 Henley College

'On Wednesday, Shiplake played Henley College at home. With many absences due to ilness, all three teams had to be compromised. We started the game with a positive attitude, working the court efficiently through out. Our training of formation play was starting to pay off and was shown in the game through accurate spacing and passes. The first quarter was evenly matched, with Mimi Brough and Brooke Creighton proving to be a great partnership that benefited attacking play. Henley College have always been one of our biggest rivals and this was obvious when watching the game. After every quarter we were beginning to figure out Henley’s strengths, making changes accordingly. I would like to thank all three teams for putting up with the changes and not letting this affect our play too much. We have taken a lot for this game, making some permanent changes to the teams. Well done Brooke for achieving Player of the Match. Final score 10-34 to Henley.'

Lauren Way (Year 13)

2nd and 3rd VII 17-18 Henley College

'On Wednesday the B and C netball team played a shared match against Henley College, playing half the match for each team. The game got off to a good start, with the Shiplake team scoring goals and both teams were very positive. The first quarter was taken by the C team who showed dramatic improvement from the match the previous Wednesday against Cokethorpe.

B Team then took over the second quarter keeping it strong and maintaining our score ahead of Henley College; by the end of the second half we were up by two goals. Both teams then developed a new strategy as Henley College’s centre player came off injured and was replaced by an A team player. In the second half, both the B and C team maintained the same good standard of game play right up until the end of the match.

The final score was 18-17 to Henley College. Well done to all of the girls in both teams, as it was the first time B’s and C’s had played as one; and congratulations to Maddie Chapples from the C Team and Ibby Peacock from the B Team for achieving Player of the Match.

The B Team look forward to their match next Wednesday against Blue Coat.'

Nadia Sherlock and India Gilbey (Year 13)