It was a brilliant week for the Shiplake teams from across the different sports. The football teams managed victories across the board on Saturday 4 March, after successfully taking on opposition from St Edwards, Oxford and Holyport College. The 2nd VII netball team also celebrated a win in their match against teams from Holyport College.

Football

1st XI 2-0 Forrest School

‘This game seemed even from the off and so it was always going to be some individual brilliance and the side who took their chances who would come out on top - this ended up being Shiplake. Matty Fitzgerald opened the scoring with an expertly taken shot on the turn from 20 yards out which ended up in the top right hand corner. Brilliant. Despite further chances at either end, the half ended 1-0. The second half saw more chances for both teams. On balance Shiplake probably had more of these with Joe Booth unlucky not to be on the score sheet and Miles Bridgman hitting the bar. From one of these chances, we scored our second. A well worked team goal was finished by Elliot Whittingham from a rebound. 2-0 to Shiplake was a fair result.’

Mr Richard Ebbage

1st XI 2-0 St Edwards School

‘The team headed into this game on the back of some impressive form since half term. We started well, dominating play early and creating several chances within the first 10 minutes. There were options down each wing from Christian Miller and Elliot Whittingham. Marcus Hillman was confident with the ball at his feet up top and was supported well by Matty Fitzgerald playing just behind him. The break came from our right back Alex Shean when he finished coolly after a crossed ball in from the right. Our defence coped with anything Teddies had to offer. The back four of Jo Ruffle, Miles Bridgman, Cameron Goodliffe and Shean were organised and worked well as a team. The second half started in much the same vein - Teddies lost the ball. The second goal came from Sam Wisely who stepped up from the 2nd team for this fixture. He scored a crossed ball on the half volley from the left hand side of the opposition box - a fine finish. A good win which in reality could have been by a larger margin.’

Mr Ebbage

2nd XI 3-6 Forrest School

‘A very disappointing result for us today (6-3 loss)! After taking an early lead through Seb Rivett, we failed to capitalise and Forrest drew level with a well taken corner. We then found ourselves 3-1 down but with a few minutes before half time, Ben Monson pulled one back when he redirected a Ben Atkins shot. We started the second half full of intent and drew level through a goal from Ben Monson. To our chagrin, we failed to build on this new-found momentum and in the space of about 15 minutes, we had conceded three more goals. We kept battling and came close with a free kick from Finn Arbuckle, and Lucas Brook missed narrowly. A special mention for Sam Wisely who shares the Man of the Match award with Ben Monson for another excellent display in the right back position.’

Mr Tiki Ebun-Cole

2nd XI 3-1 St Edwards School

'It was great to get back to winning ways on Saturday and the manner of the performance was a bonus. After dominating the opening five minutes of play, we found ourselves 1-0 down. Unperturbed by this setback, the team kept working hard and passed the ball intelligently. It wasn’t long before a well-timed through ball from Kieran Leach put James Roxburgh-Smith through on goal. The referee adjudged that he was pushed by the defender and vice-captain Finn Arbuckle made no mistake from the penalty spot. Immediately after half time, we took the lead through Ben Monson, his third goal in three games. With Sam Neil called up from the 3rd XI, usual goalkeeper, Ben Dinsdale, had a chance to play outfield for the first time this season and he did not disappoint. He wreaked havoc on the St Edward’s defence with his decisive runs down the left side. He combined brilliantly with fellow year 11 pupils Roxy and Atkins. His efforts were rewarded with a well taken goal which dented any hopes our opponents had of equalising. We created many chances in the game and Ben Atkins and Roxy both hit the cross bar. Lucas Brooks shone in the right back position, making many purposeful runs into the opponent’s half and delivering some delightful crosses. Rhys Edwards made his debut for the 2nd XI and did enough to secure a place in the team for the remaining matches. Man of the match was Ben Dinsdale for his exhilarating and breathless performance. We look forward to our next fixture against local rivals, Reading Blue Coat, on the first Wednesday back from exeat.'

Mr Ebun-Cole

4th XI 5-1 Forrest School

‘The 4th XI today enjoyed a convincing 5-1 win at Forest School. With three wins from four fixtures in the Thames Valley Schools League, the 4th XI are now well placed to push for the title. Callum Brady opened the scoring early for Shiplake with a powerful finish and by half time Luke Mullin and the prolific Will Parton had taken the score to 3-1. The goal of the day was set up by man of the match Todd Harman, who robbed an opposition player on the halfway line and chipped a pass over the defence to allow Parton to add a second. Andrew Fearn was the other goalscorer who's finish capped a strong performance. Toby Holliday-Williams also deserves a mention for what can only be described as typically wholehearted defending.’

Mr Paul McCraw

4th XI 4-0 St Edwards School

‘Shiplake 4th XI managed to follow up a midweek victory against Forrest School with a convincing 4-0 win at home to St. Edwards. Shiplake controlled the game from the start and had a number of chances before team captain Joachim Ridley-Barker opened the scoring with a powerful finish. Will Parton made it 2-0 slitting home after an incisive through ball from Luke Mullin. More pressure from Shiplake resulted in a third goal from Harry Bradbury and a fourth came by way of Ridley-Barker from the penalty spot in the dying minutes after a St. Edwards defender handled the ball. The boys are now looking forward to their top of the table clash with Reading Blue Coats on Wednesday 15 March.’

Mr McCraw

U15B 5-0 Holyport College

‘Shiplake were doing well and pushing forward all the time when Jack Powell put the ball in the back of their net with a great first goal! We continued staying in their end for most of the half, creating some great chances through excellent team work. Powell soon struck again and hit another amazing ball in the back of the net to make the score 2-0. Our confidence was high and we were really passing well and making some great play with Thierry Althorp coming forward and knocking the ball in the back of the net for another beautiful goal to make the score 3-0. Holyport were trying to come back at us but we were holding tight and keeping our defence in place with Jack Underwood making many important tackles. Powell got through their defence again with another wonderful goal, making it a hat trick for Jack and the score now 4-0. We then pushed our strikers forward with some great passes, but Holyport were trying to push back at us. Althorp managed to sneak through again and score goal number 5. Half time score 5-0.

We came out fighting for the second half and had so many great shots in their end of the pitch but just couldn’t get the ball in the back of the net. With the game safely in the bag, we took the opportunity to give chances to those boys who’ve been training very well, with Henry Finnegan showing up in all the right places. An excellent match for Shiplake and a good opportunity for us to build our strength in depth.

Archie Buchanan (Captain U15B)

U14A 3-2 Holyport College

‘The game kicked off and Shiplake were very defensive knowing that their opposition had been unbeaten all season and had had some very high scoring games. Possession changed hands in the midfield with both teams making attacking breaks. Shiplake, however, kept the pressure on and we earned ourselves a corner. A great delivery by Ben Yeoman and an accurate header by Will Symons put Shiplake one ahead at half time. We started the second half wanting to increase our lead but Holyport had found space and after some clever running and passing they made it 1-1. Shiplake were determined to take the lead again but some good defensive play meant we had to keep working hard to create some space. We concentrated on playing the ball wide to get a chance at goal and soon enough that happened. Theo Fewtrell made a break down the left hand side and crossed the ball into the box. It passed through all the defenders and was tapped in by myself, giving Shiplake a 2-1 lead. With not long left we focused on maintaining our one goal advantage. After a good sequence of passes, Sam Redding and Josh Gibson broke passed the defence and put the ball into the back of the net but the goal was disallowed due to them being offside. Holyport launched a counter attack and managed to draw level with not long left to play. Shiplake didn’t give up however, and we got a free kick right on the edge of the area. Josh Gibson stepped up and curled the ball in to the far top corner giving Shiplake the victory. Thanks must go to our solid defence and our keeper Alex Bartlett who made a number of great saves during the course of the game. Although we won, we know it wasn’t our best performance and we have lots to improve on in training ahead of our next game.’

Kai O’Hare (Year 9)

Netball

1st VII 23-52 Holyport College

Last Wednesday the 1st VII travelled to Holyport to play our third to last game of the season. After a win last week, Shiplake’s confidence and morale was high. The game started evenly, with mostly equal goals and possession between both teams. Shiplake used the space of the court to let the ball travel down the court without interception. After the second quarter, Holyport had taken the lead so we decided to switch around our team set up completely. Starting the second half of the match, Shiplake were proving physically stronger than Holyport, keeping possession in our third. We experimented with different position throughout the game, which will take forward to our match this Wednesday vs Redham House. Player of the Match - Brooke Creighton.

Lauren Way, Year 13

2nd VII 31-11 Holyport College

‘Last Wednesday, Shiplake 2nd VII played a league match against Holyport College. With a good start quickly getting some goals in Shiplake were positive. We realised that Holyport College had a strong line of defence, so strategized ready for the next quarter. After the first quarter, both teams had settled into their positions and gameplay began to improve. By the second half Holyport had caught up with our score, and we realised we needed to be communicating better across the court, as well as slowing the pace down to boost our score back up. The partnership in the shooting circle between Darcy Timms and Ibby Peacock was flawless and centre court players worked hard consistently throughout the game. In the final quarter, Holyport began to slip in their standard of gameplay whilst Shiplake maintained both a strong attack and defence, resulting in the final score being 31-11 to Shiplake. Well done to all the girls; and congratulations to Darcy for achieving player of the match- great shooting.’

Nadia Sherlock, Year 13

3rd VII 9-30 Queen Anne’s School

‘Last Wednesday the C team played Queen Anne’s School. The match was tough, as their team consisted of B team players, however we did not let this get to us. We started well with Megan Tooley scoring two goals within the first 10 minutes. As we started to get more confident our game improved throughout the quarters, with Tayla Caldeira giving excellent centre passes to Mimi Brough, who was constantly moving ready to receive them. We were good at getting the ball quickly into Megan who managed to score almost every time. The third and last quarter were our best with everyone listening to advice given by myself, each other and Miss Anna Morgan. The team worked well together and all of the girls improved their game dramatically. In the last quarter three shots managed to be scored by Megan, bringing us closer to the Queen Anne’s score. Well done to all girls that played and particularly Tayla who received Player of the Match from the opponent and Anna Whitelaw and Mimi who also played well. We look forward to our match next week.’

India Gilbey, Year 13

Hockey

Hockey 1st XI vs Lord Wandsworth 7s Tournament

The 1st team travelled to Lord Wandsworth for a 7-a-side tournament, a format of the game in which Shiplake had never previously taken part, but were excited to get stuck into!

Group Stage

A shaky start lead to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Ryde School in a game Shiplake really hoped to win, with Callum Creighton scoring the goal from a deflected cross. The long journey and rushed warm up, as well as coming to terms with the format of the game, played a part in the result but the team re-grouped and went into the second game confident of turning things around. Despite conceding an early goal, the team fought back with great courage to claim a fantastic 2-2 draw against KCS, with Arthur Langelaar and Jack Rees scoring the goals. Shiplake’s next game against Lord Wandsworth was an exciting match, with plenty of attacking threat and captain Will Gresswell netted a brace as Shiplake took the game 2-1. One of Gresswell’s goals was particularly spectacular, as he dribbled through the Lord Wandsworth defence before powering a reverse stick drive past the helpless goal keeper. Shiplake’s final group match was against Bedales and once again Shiplake found themselves on the back foot after a breakaway goal. The team showed real fight in the second half of the match and the turning point came when Jamie Gibbs made an outstanding double save from a penalty corner, just reaching the ball as the attacker attempted to lob him. From there, Shiplake broke away and won their own penalty corner, which Harry Rees slotted home at the third time of asking, and with the final touch of the game, to bring the scores level.

Shiplake’s win and two draws, along with a point for each goal scored, secured a second place finish in a tough group.

3/4th Place Playoff

2nd place in group A was Worth school, who Shiplake knew would be a tough battle. It seemed that it had become routine for Shiplake to concede the first goal and that routine was not broken her, with a Worth goal hammered in from the top of the D. However, Shiplake recovered again and looked dangerous on the attack, and more secure in defence with Ollie Brown, Harry Emmanuel and Tom Gorringe impressing. With a few minutes remaining, Shiplake thought they had equalised through Jack Rees, only for the Worth umpire to harshly rule the goal out for dangerous play. The boys certainly did themselves proud and a fourth place finish from 10 teams was a fair reflection of the boys’ efforts.

Player(s) of the Tournament: Harry Rees/Will Gresswell/Jamie Gibbs.