Friday 20 November saw the Shiplake 1st XV brave the cold and wet weather and head down to the Henley Rugby Club, home of the Henley Hawks, to take on rival Merchant Taylors School in the fifth annual Friday Night Lights competition. The rain did nothing to deter supporters, who flocked to the ground to show solidarity for their team; a healthy turnout of parents, family, friends and Old Vikings surrounded the soggy pitch to cheer on the Shiplake players.
Tension was high; with three consecutive wins under their belt, the Shiplake team were eager to maintain their winning streak. Lead out of the changing rooms by Captain Charlie Sichel, with fire in their eyes and loud encouragement from the crowd, the team started well. Despite playing against a heavier pack, the Shiplake team held their own, not allowing the opposition past the 22. A small gap in the defence allowed Merchant Taylor’s to find their first try and the first try of the match. The Shiplake team took their prompting from this, playing their strengths by putting the ball wide and exploiting the opposition’s weak back line. This resulted in their first try; Billy Sayers got the ball over the line and Els Frisby followed up with a fantastic conversion: the score was tied at 7-7.
Refusing to become complacent, Callum Heppner-Logan got the ball over the line for the second Shiplake try, with Frisby completing a penalty conversion soon afterwards. With Shiplake in the lead at 15-10, the game continued with strong play from both sides; the full length of the pitch was utilised, with Merchant Taylors desperate to level the score, and the Shiplake defence playing well to stop this.
Unfortunately, this is where the weather turned; the heavens opened and torrential rain poured down over the match. Finding themselves camped in their 22 for a good 10 phases, Shiplake's determination was waning and Merchant Taylors eventually found a gap in the defence, making the score 17-15. With supporters forced inside by the relentless rain, the Shiplake team felt victory slipping further away, and in the dying seconds of the match a lack of discipline meant that a final penalty conversion for the opposition left the final score a disappointing 24-15 to Merchant Taylors.
Despite the result, the Shiplake team played an incredibly strong match and left the pitch heads held high, knowing that they had put in the strongest team effort of the season. Captain Sichel said of the evening that ‘I’m so proud of the boys and the way everyone played. The supporters and coaches who came down to watch made it a really enjoyable evening and we’re really touched, knowing we had that support.’ Director of Rugby Mr Sam Beckett added that ‘in terms of spectacle, this was the best Friday Night Lights yet! Although the score didn’t go the way we had hoped, the boys played exceptionally well against a very able opposition, and the experience was great. Special thanks to Captain Charlie Sichel and Jonnie Reed, who provided a perceptive commentary on the night.’
