Sports Update: a final sporting round up of Spring Term 2017

Spring Term sports for 2017 concluded with style, panache, and a flurry of activity well befitting of a term that has seen so many fixtures, such high quality games, and some truly exceptional results for all of our teams across the year groups.

The netball club encapsulated this spirit of activity, ending the term’s Saturday sports schedule with a ‘festival’ day: tournament matches against Cheltenham; Bloxham; and Stowe. The 1st VII finished the season with aplomb, beating all three to win their tier; they are a new, young, but above all talented squad, showing a great deal of potential. The 3rd VII tied their tier after a tight 7-7 draw with Cheltenham, whilst the U14s rounded off an exceptional season for the year group. The final fixtures of the season on the courts rounded off a term that has seen some first rate displays and claimed a number of big scalps. All in all, the club have had a very memorable season.

The hockey club faced up admirably to an impressively strong Marlborough College that have enjoyed good results across the year groups this season. The 1st XI have made great progress this year, and their attitude in both training and matches this season has been truly admirable. Their match against Marlborough epitomised this: they showed grit and guile, carving open the Marlborough defence on two occasions, though they were just unable to see out the game, ultimately losing 3-2. With so many of the boys occupied with other sports as well, it has been an impressive term for the club.

Meanwhile, the footballers had a particularly strong weekend against Stowe, not recording a single loss. The 1st XI, with some strong attacking play down the flanks, and good distribution from the centre, put together a comprehensive 6-2 working over of Stowe. The 2nd XI also picked up a win, albeit by a narrower margin of 1-0, but there were some excellent passages of play from the Teddies players here as well. The 3rd XI fought to the end and secured a draw that ensured an unbeaten weekend on the football pitches. The season concluded against Radley College and the Master in Charge, Nick Bond, was pleased with how the teams played and drew to a close a season that has seen a great deal of progress made.

The Harriers cross country team have had a good season too, with some particularly impressive results for both team and individual events. Particular highlights include the girls winning the Marlborough College event, and the boys placing 4th in a very strong field of 21 at the Radley College Relays. The strength of these performances was clearly demonstrated by Alfie Armitage-Hookes, Jeevan Grewal, Georgina Robson, and Finlay Nicholson racing for Oxfordshire in the English National Schools Championship, with Jack Verschoyle and Georgia Heath reserves for the race.

In what is one of the largest school sporting competitions, the Rosslyn Park 7s, the U14, U16, and U18 boys’ teams all put on some admirable performances. The tournament attracts school teams from across the length and breadth of the country, and the boys will have picked up some invaluable lessons from competing in this field. Wins against Worth, Akeley Wood School, Barnard Castle, Shrewsbury, King’s Worcester, Stonyhurst College, Ysgol Gyfun Bro Morgannwg, and a close game against Wellington College for the U18s, showed the boys’ commitment and efforts over the term paying off, and they were all unlucky not to have progressed further in the tournament.

There are many big tests ahead on the water for our rowers in the Summer Term, but they look set to meet them ably after an impressive start to the season through the spring. The boys’ 1st VIII performed spectacularly well at the Kingston Head to win the J18 event. The boys’ J15 VIII came 2nd, just five seconds behind Radley; the girls’ J16 VIII came 3rd; and the J16 boys also came 3rd in the coxed fours. Sixteen Shells took part in the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships held in London. The boys’ A Crew finished 5th out of 75 entries; the girls’ A crew 18th out of 100. In individual events, Daisy Helling came 29th and Daphne Inglis-Jones 52nd out of 243 entries; Charlie Crisp and Jake Jilla excelled to come 9th and 20th respectively out of 211 entries.

Finally, and perhaps slightly unusually for the Spring Term, the 1st XI Cricket team were in action on the last Friday of term against the Oxford University MCCU XI in The University Parks. The winter training in the nets has clearly been productive, with Oxford University MCCU restricted to 102-6 in the limited overs game by a strong bowling attack, opened by Shell Luke Charlesworth and Harrison Ward. They were followed on by Tom Powell, Jamie Curtis, and Kunal Barman, also in the Shells, setting a target which was challenging, given the condition of the pitch, but attainable. It proved to be just that, with Rory Hipwell and Harrison Ward making a positive start, and Angus Atkinson completed the win with a flourish, sweeping for four with three balls to spare. You can view a gallery of photos from the match here, courtesy of Simon Hipwell.

In other cricketing news, congratulations to Brandon Allen who played for Gloucestershire CCC’s Ist XI and to Ben Charlesworth, who is currently on tour with England U17s in Sri Lanka, for being awarded the Man of the Match in their game against a Sri Lankan U17 national team on 28th March.