From dominant football victories and thrilling hockey matches to rowing triumphs on the Thames and an unforgettable rugby tour in Italy, Shiplake athletes have showcased skill, resilience, and team spirit across every arena. Here is this weeks sports report with all the highlights!
Football
Boys' U14A 3-1 Bartholomew School (Oxfordshire County Cup - Round 1)
A great start for our U14 boys with a convincing 3-1 win over Bartholomew in the first round of the Oxfordshire County Cup. The boys started off on the front foot looking to regain the ball high and use the inside channels to exploit the space and drive at the opposition. This worked out well as Shiplake soon found themselves 2-0 up after an O Pollard shot nestled in the bottom corner and L Hathway tapped home from a few yards out. However, Bartholomew were not completely out of the tie yet and pulled one back on the stroke of half time when they were quickest to the rebound from a free kick. The second half restarted and Shiplake continued with the same momentum and manged to go 3-1 up early on when the keeper lost hold of the ball and enabled Will H to fire the ball into the back of the net. After this the balance started to swing, but Shiplake's defence was terrific in the second half and held out well. There were several standout performances but most prominent was J Geromoschos and Harrison Fielder.
Girls' U14A 0-1 St Helen & St Katharine (Oxfordshire County Cup - Round 1)
In a thrilling encounter, Shiplake U14A faced St Helen and St Katharine in a fiercely contested match that showcased quality and determination from both sides. The opposition featured a standout player, but Shiplake’s disciplined defence and outstanding goalkeeping from M Green kept her largely contained. In the second half, L Hourd was exceptional at the back, breaking up multiple attacks with composure and precision. Shiplake looked dangerous on the counterattack, particularly in the closing stages, thanks to captain A Ellis-Jones, who created several promising scoring opportunities. Ultimately, the match was decided by a penalty awarded to St Helen and St Katharine. M Green produced a superb save from the initial strike, but the taker converted the rebound to seal a 1-0 victory for the visitors in what was an enjoyably competitive contest.
Boys' U13A 4 - 3 Pangbourne College U13A
We played well in the first half despite initially going 1-0 down but we were in complete control at half time at 3-1 and looking to build on this in the second half. Unfortunately, the team lacked focus in the second half possibly thinking the goals would come easily or the bitterly cold weather impacting on concentration as we found ourselves 3-3 and Pangbourne having the momentum. Thankfully Zac Field continued his fine season with the winning goal, but it was not quite the overall team performance we were looking for. Other goals for Harry Ellison, Charlie Maher and Leonardo Marks.
Boys' U13B 11 - 0 Pangbourne College U13B
The perishing cold of Phillimore was the backdrop to a feast of football as Shiplake surged past Pangbourne like a river breaking its banks. 11-0 didn't flatter us and we hit the woodwork on three or four occasions. Moreover, the Pangbourne keeper made a couple of last ditch saves. The goals were shared amongst only three players - Sam Hashimi (6), Jacob Walker (3) and Jack Greer (2). I'm sure this is a match Sam will tell his grandkids about many years from now.
Boys' U12A 7 - 2 Cranford School U12A
The Shiplake U12A continued their perfect 100%-win record in the league with another convincing performance away to Cranford. There were a few boys from the B's who came up and performed remarkably well in what could only be described as freezing conditions. Overall, a game where Shiplake's clinical finish proved decisive and ensured a comfortable win.
Boys' U12B 0 - 4 Dolphin School U12B
The Shiplake U12B side came up against a well organised and determined Dolphin School side in this 7-a-side contest. From the first few minutes Dolphin School took control of the game and quickly saw them take a 3-0 lead, however after some encouraging words the boys quickly grew into the game. After getting some possession of the ball Shiplake started to create a few chances, although these were mainly shots taken from outside the 18-yard-box. Overall, a game where Shiplake could learn a lot and stands them in good stead for their final game of the season.
Hockey
Girls’ 1st XI vs The Abbey
Shiplake's 1st team girls’ hockey played The Abbey and came away with a 4-2 win. Although it was freezing, a slightly more creative warm-up from Mr Bradley kept spirits high and the determination and positivity showed throughout. Leading to us going 2-0 up at beginning and going into the second half 2-1. Even when the Abbey scored a second goal making it 2-2, all the girls put in maximum effort which showed throughout the pitch, resulting in us scoring another 2 goals, leaving us with a win of 4-2 at full time. 2 of the goals were scored by Amelia Gillington from short corners, leading to her getting players player. We also had one goal each from Isabelle Woolfrey and Bethan Thompson. Oppositions player went to Charlie Brown and coaches’ player was Saachi Bhambra. I'm really proud of the team’s performance and determination especially in the cold weather and was glad I had the opportunity to captain while Tilly Nicholson was away.
Abi O'Shea, Girls Sport Captain
Girls' 2nd XI vs Reading Blue Coat
The game opened with Shiplake dominating play, but a few mistakes allowed the opposition to drive the ball further up the pitch than we should have allowed them to. The ever-strong midfield play of Tash Pendlebury and Bella Broad kept the opposition at bay and were able to feed some strong passages of play out the running play of I Forrest and Freya Dix. Freya had some strong lead runs down the wing but for the first 15 minutes of the game Shiplake could not find the back of the goal. Chloe Thomas was determined to win back the ball at every opportunity and with Hen Rowton-Lee delivering the ball up to Chloe it was not long before a major attack from Shiplake penetrated the oppositions 'D'. This resulted in a short corner being to Shiplake and a great strike from Tara Bignell allowed Shiplake to get on the score board. The second goal followed in quick succession, and this came from Isla Forrest who played an excellent post position to slot the ball past the keeper after the initial Shiplake strike from the top of the 'D'. At half time the score was 2-0 and Shiplake went out in the second half confident and hungry for more goals. Febe Fisher worked hard throughout the match and with Sophie Reed in defence intercepting the ball Shiplake held firm. Jasmine Todd kept her cool when under pressure at times in the 'D' and was able to clear the ball out swiftly. Unfortunately, the opposition scored with 1 minute to go due to our defence being spread too wide. Lily Boyes made some excellent saves in goal and was paramount in holding this victory for Shiplake. The final score was 2-1 win for Shiplake and Jasmine Todd was awarded Player of the Match.
Rowing: Teddington Head
The Hampton Court stretch of the Thames witnessed an outstanding performance from Shiplake College's rowing squads over the 5.2km course this weekend with their J16 boats in particular triumphing. The J16 Eight delivered a remarkable victory, beating seven other crews to claim first place in their event. Congratulations to the winning crew: Miley Vann, S Lee, Flynn Burrow, Bengy Maggs, James Weeks, Joe Swankie, Franco Bigmore-Wallace, Luke Leamon, and Theo Berry whose teamwork and determination were evident throughout the race. The J16 Quad also put in a strong performance, finishing third in their category which was a commendable result against tough competition. The senior boys and girls' squads split into matched crews for their respective events, showcasing the depth of talent across the program. In the Open 8+ B Event, the boys’ eights secured 1st, 3rd, and 7th places, an impressive display of consistency and power. And on the girls’ side, the Eights competed fiercely in the Women’s 8+ B Event to finish 4th and 6th.
Italy Rugby Tour 2025
Day 1 began with a very early start at Heathrow. We landed and got bused across to our accommodation where we were met by our incredible guide Martino. After some lovely food we did a quick change and got back on the bus to get across to our first fixture against Patavium Rugby Club. The A team held their own against a physical side, and the B team struggled a little against a side whose average height was 6 feet. Great scores from Florian Jenkins and Ollie Adcock kept us in it but the physicality took its toll in the end. After the match we were hosted superbly by the opposition players and local parents. A founding member of the club who played second row cooked us an incredible homemade pasta and then sent us on our way.
Day 2 saw us have a much-needed beach afternoon following a morning of training at a local school. More delicious food, then a swim in the Adriatic Sea, followed by a beach volleyball tournament before some free time. That evening we picked our school dream staff 1st XVs and the formidable front row of Mr. Beckett, Mr. Fuller and Barry the boatman separated the winning team from the rest
Day 3 was a real treat with training at Benetton Rugby Club with Tito Tebaldi the ex-Italian Scrum Half. He put us through our paces and even took the time to give some of us one to on advice. We were then joined by Seb Negri the Benetton captain and Italian flanker who very kindly moved his schedule around to do a Q&A session with us. He spoke about the personal sacrifice it takes to become a professional athlete and how surrounding yourself with good people was essential.
That evening we headed off for our second game. The opposition averaged 6 foot 2 this time and we had to send Mr Jones off to check some birth certificates. After a very physical contest we came off second best but there were some great performances from Max Terry, Jack Prosser, Alex Palmer and Luke Waldegrave who was awarded man of the match. After the match we were once again treated to incredible home cooked pasta prepared by the mums of the opposition, and we were very well looked after.
On our final day we headed to Bologna for a pasta making masterclass at one of the cooking academies in norther Italy. There we started with eggs and flour and after some trial and error finished by cooking our very own cheese filled tortellini that we had made from scratch.
It was an amazing tour that has given us some memories that we won't forget, and we can't stress how incredible, friendly and welcoming the Italian Rugby culture was. We were made to feel at home right from the word go. Thank you very much to Mr Canning, Mr Rossouw, Mr Jones and Mr Edwards for running such an amazing trip. We can't wait for our senior tour to South Africa!
Report by George Silver and Oliver Adcock
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