On a wet, windy Saturday, Shiplake played host to five impeccable games of Rugby, while five further teams traveled to London, where they competed with the Mill Hill School. While the 3rd XV's game was cancelled, the 1st and 2nd teams had incredible victories over their guests from London. After holding a minute's silence for the fallen soldiers of battles and wars gone by, the battle for first place was only just getting started. And after returning from their tour of Barcelona, our girls also had some fantastic results after games with Lord Wandsworth College and Holyport College.
Rugby
1st XV v Mill Hill School
The 1st XV went into the game on Saturday off the back of a tough loss against USC last week. Mill Hill kicked off with a low projected kick due to the miserable conditions and unfortunately, Shiplake knocked the ball on that gave Mill Hill the immediate upper hand. A matter of minutes later, a messy scrum meant the Mill Hill scrum half slipped through to score under the posts. After this blip in defence, the boys knew they couldn’t let their heads drop, as there was still 65 minutes to play. Frustrated, they looked to keep their game tight because of the muddy conditions. After put several phases together and just a few meters out from Mill Hill’s line, the boys changed the direction of attack leaving Coates to dot down over the line.
After another goal from Mill Hill, this left the Shiplake boys frustrated and they immediately hit back with another try, again through Coates. Joachim was next to score, he showed some Ronaldo style skills to kick the ball over the try line and then pace to dive on the ball just before it went dead. This took Shiplake into half time 2 points ahead of Mill Hill, so it was all still to play for.
Despite the score line, Shiplake definitely felt as though they were the dominant side and that showed when they ran a set phase move that put Edwards over the line. Frisby achieved the conversion to extend our lead. Our boys kept the pressure on the attack throughout the game with quick line speed. Both wingers and fullbacks linked up well throughout the game and provided a strong counter attack. Now 18 minutes into the 2nd half, Ashcroft ran in two tries within a few minutes of each other. Rutledge soon had the chance to run in the final try of the game from a pick and go, which left the score at 41-14. We now look forward to hosting Lord Wandsworth on Friday evening at Henley Hawks.
2nd XV v Mill Hill School
The 2nd XV continued their run of excellent performances and in the process secured their fourth win on the bounce. In muddy conditions on New Field, Shiplake had to bide their time against a resilient and well organised team. After 20 minutes of play the score was 3-0 to Shiplake, thanks to a penalty from Joe Kerrison. However, Shiplake had wasted some golden chances to score, with the excellent kicking of fly half Lewis Bishop and the counter-attack running of the back three of Ben Monson, Jack Rees and Oscar Rait causing problems.
However it was the forwards who broke the deadlock, with Callum Brady scoring from close range. This led to two more quick tries from scrum half Callum Theodorou and pack leader Brad Wilkins. 22-0 at half time to Shiplake.
Despite having periods of possession, Mill Hill could not break down the stout Shiplake defence, lead by captain Will Parton. The running of Jamie Gibbs, Josh O’Hare, Finn Wallace and Morgan Taylor made inroads to the opposition defence and the set piece was working superbly, especially the line-out connection of Will Properjohn and Zack Green. Further second half tries from Josh O’Hare, Matt Davies, Morgan Taylor and Zack Green put the gloss on a superb performance from the team. Shiplake finishing 55-0 winners.
Next up on Saturday is Lord Wandsworth, traditionally a well matched opponent. We also wish hooker Finn Wallace well who will sadly miss the rest of the season due to a wrist injury. He has been in superb form and will be sorely missed.
U-16A v Mill Hill School
It was Shiplake to kick-off and it didn’t take long until our boys gained possession of the ball and scored their first try within seven minutes of the game. This continued with Mill Hill trying to find some fault in our defence but Shiplake’s impeccable defence and courageous tackles forced Mill Hill to make an error that Shiplake greeted with open arms. The rest of the first half continued in a similar style to the rest of the game and the score remained level.
In the second half, Mill Hill had a point to prove and so they did. They managed to get a quick ball out wide and their fastest runners escaped the Shiplake tackles, which gave them the try. This was followed by a couple of penalties against Shiplake, which were converted to give them the lead. Shiplake were feeling the heat. However, our boys kept their composure and managed to defend in their own 22 until the opposition made a mistake to relieve our defence. The next try was an extraordinary one; quick hands and straight running lines fouled Mill Hill’s defence which led the ball to arrive into the wings’ hands and a try was scored by Archie Buchanan. The final score was 32-24 to Shiplake.
U-16B v Mill Hill School
Saturday 11 November will go down in ‘Maul of Duty’ history as the day the team finally clicked into sixth gear!
The game started in now traditional fashion, with Shiplake being on top in terms of territory and possession but the opposition were two tries up after ten minutes. The Mill Hill speedster breaking well to score twice with a total distance of 85 metres ran unchallenged. To compound Shiplake’s luck, scrum half Tom Lynskey had to come off with a nasty looking ankle injury. Fenn Hewitt replaced him and a reshuffle in the backs was needed.
There was a different response from the Shiplake heroes this week though; the look in their eyes was one of desire and concentration, not dread. Within three minutes, Will Carpenter scored in the corner after great build up from Althorp and Head in the midfield. Then, with the Mill Hill players arguing, we struck again, with Sam Rogers’ quick tap penalty going straight into the arms of talisman Patrick Kenny, who bulldozed over the line from the 22. The crowd went wild and with George Head’s unconventional conversion going over, the Under-16Bs led for the first time all season.
Every member of the team had their best game of the season. The front row combination of Mandondo, Wisenberg and Howard-Jones carried, lifted and tackled. Vickers and Langeler tackled everyone and competed well at all the rucks. Richards and Deakin ran their socks off and put in measurable hits. Hewitt and Finnegan secured the ball, keeping the all-important possession. Rogers and Underwood supplied the tactical nouse, kicking superbly and putting the opposition on the back foot. Althorp skipped out of tackles and kept the ball alive….leading to the most important moment of the match. Thierry broke through the midfield and fed the on-rushing Will Richards, who sped through the gap and sprinted 30 metres to score in the left corner. Then it was up to the team to hold out for the final 20 minutes and secure an epic win. Finally, the training paid off – well done everyone.
U-15A v Mill Hill School
The first half was a very end to end start with neither side claiming dominance of the game. Although Shiplake managed to take the lead after an ambitious kick from Archie Mcarthur, Kai O’Hare dribbled the ball to the try line and scored to put Shiplake in the lead.
The second half started with a try from UCS making the score 7-7 with everything to play for in the second half. The weather hadn't got any better, meaning Shiplake had to utilise their size in the forwards. Shiplake were deep in their 22 when Johnny Yulhanson-Hutchins went on an unbelievable run to get Shiplake into the UCS half. After several strong carries, the ball was played out wide to Harry Allen who popped the ball off to James Burgess who ran a hard line from fullback and managed to score, putting Shiplake in the lead. Shiplake defended well to see the game out and won the game 12-7 after a great performance from everyone. Shiplake look forward to their fixture against Lord Wandsworth on Wednesday afternoon.
U-15B v Mill Hill School
This was a very tight encounter between the two teams on a wet and windy Saturday morning. Shiplake opened the game with an excellent try from Luke Theodorou who scored in the corner. He also converted his kick from great distance, which impressed the opposition and crowd alike. Mill Hill returned and their backs ran some strong lines. However, they failed to convert. The half-time score was 7-5 to Shiplake.
Shiplake opened the second half with another great solo run from Luke Theodorou. He kept his composure and ran the try in under the posts despite two of the opposition chasing him down. Suffice to say, he scored the conversion again. Mill Hill came back with a try; and again, they missed their kick. The Under 15Bs held their nerve until the final whistle. A deserving win. Some very good performances, particularly from Luke Theodorou, Ralph Burrows, Hugo Rex and Ben Acton.
U-15C v Mill Hill School
It was a home match for the 15c’s on an early Saturday morning with a bit of rain. The match kicked off and Mill Hill couldn't hold on to the ball meaning Shiplake took possession. The ball was passed down to the wing brilliantly and a few great forward phases took the Under-15s closer to the try line. The whistle blew when a Mill Hill player came round the side of the ruck, and Munro Waller took the opportunity to push through the defence to score a try.
Luke Roxburgh-Smith managed the conversion and made it 7-0. The first half continued, and with more great passing and rucking to secure possession another penalty was given. Freddie Westbrook-Burr took it quickly and scored a try minutes before half time.
The second half started and, again, our boys secured most rucks early on and managed to pass the ball down the line while Mill hill pushed our defence and managed a try and a conversion. The match was well contested but Shiplake won 12-7 overall; the rucking had definitely won us the game.
U-14B v Mill Hill School
For the opening ten minutes, both sides were battling hard for territory and Shiplake found themselves having to doggedly defend their own 22. Strong tackles from Tom Sharp, Louis Holland and Bertie Wallace kept the hosts at bay. This aggressive defence then lead to turnovers which, combined with the mighty Shiplake scrum (props Charlie Neale and Zach Divine in the mood to shove) meant our boys began to enjoy some prolonged periods of possession.
This allowed the impressive Oliver Stalder to dictate play from ten, and unleash the talented backs outside him. Freddie Ellis and Henry Poustie spun the balls wide, allowing the tenacious back three (Finn Cherry, Harris Hanif and Otto Lazzar) to run from deep at the Mill Hill defence. Strong running then led to good territorial position - something Thomas Raitu managed to exploit as he broke through the line to score. This first try gave Shiplake confidence, and they soon became the dominate force in what had been a close match.
Great rucking from Holland, Divine, Taylor-McDowell and Horn, led to more Shiplake possession. This in turn allowed captain Sam Horn and (man of the match) Charlie Beale to make some powerful runs close to the ruck. Shiplake then spun out wide again - allowing the quick-footed Hanif to score in the corner. More tries then followed from Freddie Ellis and Harry Batchelor (Shiplake’s star second row/ winger).
The second half saw more of the same, with Thomas Raitu running in another try (his third in two games), and Harry Batchelor using his enviable wheels to achieve the hat-trick. Great support came from Otto Lazzar. The game became a little scrappy due to the slippery conditions, but a moment of class from fly-half Stalder put the icing on the win. Good quick ball from Bertie Wallace allowed the number 10 to throw a dummy pass on the halfway line, and then use good pace to evade two Mill Hill defenders and score between the posts.
Final Score: 42-7
U-14C v Mill Hill School
Mill Hill started strong, scoring two tries and exposing Shiplake’s defensive line. Communication between backs and forwards saw an improved passage of play with ball in hand. Many offloads between Abdul, Hashim and Hal Booth saw Shiplake make inroads into Mill Hill’s 22. Some stern defence from Mill Hill saw a couple of breakaway tries from their quick wingers. Hashim crashed over the line for Shiplake’s first try after some lovely forward play. Tom Petrie scored the first of two tries with some quick thinking in the corner. However, Mill Hill utilized their superior bench to make several changes, refreshing the team and scoring more tries. Olly Hart got Shiplake going again, beating four defenders and offloading to the forwards who went on to take Shiplake up the pitch for Tom Petrie to score again. Shiplake’s heads never dropped and that really sums up the resilience of the U14Cs so far this year. Men of the match: Hashim, Petrie and Hal Booth.
The final score was 15-67.
Hockey
1st XI v Holyport
The Shiplake girls were in a buoyant mood following a successful tour to Barcelona and were keen to put their new-found skills in to action against an unknown opposition in Holyport. The game started well with Rhian Edwards and Lauren McNally enjoying their combative roles in midfield and breaking down any threat that came their way. Up front, Sophie Weldon and Olivia Bartlett were clearly hungry for goals, often finding space in good positions but the final ball lacked quality more often than not. The defensive back line of Izzy Smith, Daisy Stuart and Ella Nolson were rarely troubled but they showed impressive progression, stepping in front of the Holyport attackers to intercept the ball on numerous occasions. Despite having the upper hand, Shiplake couldn’t quite convert any chances in the first half and were left frustrated at 0-0 as the half ended.
The girls were encouraged to pick up the pace in the second half and after Weldon missed a glorious opportunity at the start of the half, the spectators must have been wondering if this just wasn’t going to be Shiplake’s day! However, Georgie Stebbings had different ideas, and after some swift interchanges, she managed to smash the ball home – not once, not twice, but three times in quick succession to score her second hat trick in as many home games! This completely deflated Holyport and as their legs were tiring, Shiplake powered through and showed superior fitness. Jem Evans and Hannah Simonds-Gooding, who impressed on tour, were also given a run out and performed fantastically, making a number of hefty tackles and offering plenty of support. Brooke Creighton continually drove forward with the ball and was unlucky not to score, and Emma Renwick and Hannah Stevens both looked like they had more confidence on the ball, perhaps because of the tour to Barcelona. At the other end, Mary Keswick had relatively little to do, but did make a couple of important clearances when Holyport managed to build the occasional counter attack.
There was still time in the game for Lauren McNally to hit home and Olivia Barlett, never far from the score sheet, got the goal she deserved with the last hit of the game to give Shiplake 5 second half goals and a 5-0 win. An impressive performance, which moves the team up to 3rd in the league table with 3 games to play. A big well done to all of the girls and a thank you to the supporters who braved the cold weather!
2nd XI v Lord Wandsworth College
The 2nd XI went into the match feeling confident, bringing in newly learnt skills from their recent Hockey tour. The match started well, and with the ball largely staying in the Shiplake half thanks to Tory Wyatt’s strength in getting the ball down the pitch. This strength carried on through the first half and the match was close. Weazy Harman and Ella Roullier’s strength up front kept the ball in their end and the half time score was 0-0.
After a team talk, they came on to the pitch with a different formation. The 2nd XI carried on playing a strong game with Shiplake looking dominant. Especially good work came from Darcy Timms, who was always in an open space. However, with a quick tackle from Lord Wandsworth, they got the ball down the pitch and scored. The girls remained positive and great defence came from Jem Evans who didn’t let any more goals in. Well played to everyone on the 2nd XI and man of the match goes to Hannah Simonds-Gooding.