Shiplake's 1st XV made it four wins in a row with victory against University College School, while teams in younger year groups had a very mixed week. Strong wins for the U14 year group were counterbalanced by disappointing results for the U15s and U16s. Meanwhile, the 3rd XV continued their epic Seccombe Shield series against local rivals Pangbourne College.
Saturday 8 November
Shiplake 1st XV 22-15 University College School
(UCS)
After another lengthy
away trip, the Shiplake 1st XV made a lethargic start to the game and
struggled to build any sustained phases of play. A penalty from Toby Howe did
briefly put Shiplake in the lead but they soon conceded a very easy try to make
the score 7-3 to UCS at half time. Poor conditions limited Shiplake’s attacking
intent and also led to mistakes at line-outs which had been so strong in recent
weeks.
The half time team talk
focussed on giving the backs clean ball and the boys came out in the second
half eager to prove they were the stronger side. UCS scored another try but
Shiplake were unperturbed and eventually found the form which had seen them
register three wins in a row. Will Janes and Howe crossed the line to reclaim
the lead, before UCS closed the gap with a well taken penalty.
As Shiplake’s superior
fitness showed in the latter stages, Janes made sure of the win with his second
try.
Shiplake 2nd
XV 7-7 UCS
Shiplake’s second team shared the spoils in a scrappy encounter at
University College School. Conditions made handling difficult for both sides
but a try from Ben Arnold was enough to secure a draw. Many Shiplake players
put it strong performances to stake a claim for a coveted place in the Friday
Night Lights matchday squad.
More photos from the
match can be viewed here.
Shiplake U15B 0-45 UCS
Shiplake won the toss and lined up to receive the ball on a narrow
pitch. After a clean catch,. UCS came up fast and immediately showed Shiplake
what to expect from the match. A series of strong defensive rucks managed to
keep them out of the Shiplake 22, which was appreciated by Mr Duncan and the
travelling parents.
The strong start was maintained for a long while but Shiplake
began to struggle in scrimmages and we repeatedly pushed back towards their own
line. By half time the maroons had conceded twoo more tries but kept their
heads high using the forwards to pick and run in order to hold a high line.
In the second half, with the wind behind their backs, Ben
Westbrook-Burr and Lewis Bishop tried several inventive and powerful kicks to
gain crucial territory. This yielded many chances to score but unfortunately
Shiplake were eventually pushed back to halfway. Jack Turnbull, Tom Ibbotson
and Bilal Akeil made some strong tackles but UCS ran in further tries to give
the scoreboard a one-sided feel.
In truth, despite the scoreline, this was a very encouraging
Shiplake performance against a strong side and the boys had plenty of positives
to take into the next set of matches.
Mr Duncan
Shiplake
U14A 33-0 UCS
The Shiplake College U14A XV have been working throughout
the year on a series of weekly themes. This week saw us approach the cloudy
area of the offload. Unfortunately when match day arrived the heavens opened
which meant putting practice in to game sense purpose was always going to prove
difficult. The first half was one of frustration; quite often strong or subtle
line breaks would be met initially by a good offload followed by another
disastrous one! At half time the score stood at 14 – 0 courtesy of a try by
Matty Fitzgerald and another by Finn Wallace. The second half proved less
frustrating with the boys appreciating that you have to earn the right to offload
by getting initial go forward. Alex Shean finished off what was a marvellous
team try and Rory Diez Harrison scored two more. Rory deserves a special
mention; he was simply superb in what was his debut for the U14 A XV and his
work rate in both attack and defence was a prime example of how hard I would
like every pupil at Shiplake College to work when it comes to representing the
College.
Mr Gaunt
Other
Results
Shiplake
U16A 10-14 UCS
Shiplake
U16B 7-24 UCS
Shiplake
U15A 17-50 UCS
Shiplake
U14B 52-0 UCS
Shiplake
U14C 22-5 UCS
Wednesday 12 November
Shiplake 3rd XV 12-12 Pangbourne
College
After the confidence-boosting victory in round 1 of the
Seccombe Shield trilogy, Shiplake entered the second match in confident mood,
ready to seal glory for the second consecutive season.
From the outset, however, Pangbourne looked a different
side. It was apparent that former Shiplake teacher Mr Cane-Hardy had bolstered
his ranks with some senior players to help cope with the almighty Shiplake
squad.
It was an intense match and both sides were applying maximum
pressure throughout the whole game. Shiplake spent the majority of the game
playing in the opposition’s half, but Pangbourne held a strong defensive line.
At half time the score was 0-0.
Shiplake began the second half on a mission to send Pangbourne
home with their tails between their legs, inspired by a strong tackle from Guy
Pollard. After a frenetic spell, Tom Riches finally found a gap and scored a
fabulous try. Almost directly from the proceeding kick off, Pangbourne
responded with a try of their own to snatch the lead. Both sides were now trading
punches and Jack Turner dealt out the biggest blow by smashing through the
defence to score in the corner. A magnificent conversion made the score 12-7.
Pangbourne equalised in the dying minutes but the conversion
drifted inches wide. The draw ensures Shiplake will retain the Seccombe Shield
but they will be looking to win it outright by avoiding defeat in the final
match of the famous trilogy.
Guy Pollard
Shiplake U15B 29-27 St James School
From the start, we showed we wanted to play with
quick tempo and very soon after kick of we ran hard finding ourselves inside
their 22 but knocking the ball just as we were about to score. Our scrum was
dominant and pushing hard, but regrettably they soon had to become uncontested.
After a few phases of play we turned the ball over and with the back line
passing it out and going over for the score. St james did bounce back to make
the score level, but quickly afterwards we went over to score again twice.
At half time Shiplake had the lead of 15-5, but
some quick phases from St James got themselves over the line twice and
converted one to make it 17-15.
Once more, Shiplake bounced back quickly and
went over to make the score 29-15, St James continued the topsy-turvy encounter
with 2 more tries of their own but Shiplake held on to make the final score
29-27. Our tackling and defending was much better, and our attacking line
improved as well. Well done to the U15Bs for their win.
Mr Duncan
Shiplake U15C 10-46 Pangbourne College
Company Headquarters Chargers
Regiment
Under 15 Battalion
Logbook Extract 13th
November 1914
1400 Troops assemble, ready to
repel expected enemy attack at 1430 on Riverside Somme Quagmire
Conditions: muddy, damp, bright
sunshine.
1430: Enemy attack in great
strength. Forward positions overrun initially.
14467: Counterattack
launched , one position recaptured.
1500: Brief lull in combat
operations.
1501: Briefing on tackling the
enemy and holding the defensive line.
1502: Reinforcements from Under
14 C /D brigade arrive.
1505: Enemy driven back and put
under severe pressure. Tactical errors lead to enemy recovering lost
ground.
1515: Lieutenant Tomkins leads
desperate, dogged, rearguard action. Recommended for MC.
1530. Under 15 Chargers, having
suffered heavy losses, forced into tactical withdrawal.
Mr Alcock
Other Results
Shiplake U16B 0-62 St James
School
Shiplake U15A 47-5 St James
School