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RADLEIAN SPORTS SUPPLEMENT
L E N T 2018
HOCKEY 1ST XI P9 W6 D1 L2 Just over a year ago, I was offered the opportunity to coach the 2018 1st XI hockey team and the two minutes it took me to glance through the list of potential players was all that was needed for me to make up my mind. The prospect of working with players who had an abundance of talent and, more importantly, loved playing, wanted to learn and were very ambitious, was very enticing. As I reflect on the season just passed, I am delighted I was given the opportunity to work with these boys as they proved time and again that my initial assessment of them was accurate. There were a number of fine performances with a sprinkling of disappointments along the way but six wins and just two losses is an exceptional achievement, and they should feel very proud of their accomplishments.
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A very enjoyable and successful pre-season tour to Barcelona gave us confidence ahead of the highly regarded M.C.S. team just two days into the start of the term. There was little to choose between the teams, and the scores were level at half-time thanks to Giles Elmhirst’s opener. He then scored a second with a perfectly executed penalty corner early in the second half, and we didn’t look back as we raised our game after that. A piece of individual brilliance from Phil Barnett set Harry Foreman up for a crucial third and then our fullback, Val Brooke, somehow found himself on the penalty spot to add the finishing touches to an emphatic 4-1 victory. Although it was very early in the season, and both teams were clearly rusty, the performance gave us great confidence to tackle Marlborough, one of the favourites for the league, in our first ISHL fixture the following week.
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Master in Charge: GR King Coach: PM Bennett Captain: A Rayne
Our 4-1 victory exceeded expectations and was one of the highlights of the season. Their team was littered with high-quality players, and they caused us several problems in the first half. As was the case the week before, the score was 1-1 at half-time thanks to an Elmhirst penalty corner. We tweaked our structure at halftime and this immediately paid dividends as we dominated the second half. Our pressure told as two of the most valuable players in the team, Matthew Raikes (twice) and Rufus Darwall scored three unanswered goals. Both are very skilful but they are also the hardest working players you will find, and they were both instrumental in many of our best performances. They are fine examples of players who have maximised their talents through sheer grit and determination, and they have been fine servants to Radley hockey.
A scrappy 2-1 win against Harrow followed. We did not play well, but goals from Elmhirst and Darwall were enough to secure the victory. Phil Barnett’s absence through injury was significant, but it did give George Marshall, another young player with a bright future, the opportunity to play in the heart of the midfield. With ten goals in our first three matches, we were brimming with confidence, and the 1-2 loss against Bradfield came as a bit of a shock. Both teams played well in what was a tight match with very few goal-scoring opportunities so when Alex Rayne struck with a well-taken penalty corner deep into the second half, I thought it would be decisive. However, a Bradfield equaliser threw us mentally. Until this point, our defence had been tight, but we were incensed by the umpire’s decision and our composure was lost. Unsurprisingly, a defensive lapse followed and led to a second Bradfield goal with just minutes left on the clock. We did not feel like we deserved to lose, but valuable lessons were learnt that day about the value of composure and our ability to control our emotions when faced with perceived umpiring injustices. Tonbridge are always good and this year was no different. They scored the only goal of the match early on, and this was decisive as we failed to find a way to breach their defence. It was a good game, and for the second week in a row, the defences dominated. We were happy with our performance, and on another day, we might have drawn or even won. However, this time we could not deny that the better team had won. A significant positive to come from the match was the return of Will Todd from an injury sustained in Barcelona. Having already played in the team last year, he was vital to our cause, and our midfield now looked very solid indeed. With two defeats in two weeks, we were under a lot of pressure, and the team responded brilliantly with an emphatic 6-1 victory against St Edwards. They are notoriously difficult to beat so to have scored three unanswered goals by half-
time was a great relief. Ned Gordon is a player with tremendous flair, skill and a wonderful ability to get the ball in the back of the net. Until this point in the season, he had been relatively quiet but three fantastic goals against Teddies gave him a dose of confidence, and he did not look back from that day on. Will Todd, Rufus Darwall and Louis Needham were the other goal scorers on the day. Eton was another highly regarded team, and we were delighted to come out on top in what proved to be the most entertaining match of the season. Giles Elmhirst, returning from injury, opened the scoring with another well-executed penalty corner but Eton soon equalised. Will Jack, who was making his first full appearance, gave us the lead again only for Eton to equalise soon after. The play continued to go from end to end with our young goalkeeper, Sam Richardson, making plenty of fine saves but the defining moment came with Phil Barnet twinning the ball beautifully and setting Ned Gordon up for the winner. He was at full stretch when he belted a backhand into the bottom corner in what was probably the goal of the season. We defended well for the remainder of the match to secure a well-deserved and hugely rewarding victory. Our attention now returned to the ISHL league and a trip to the bottom-placed Wellington. Unfortunately, this coincided with “the Beast from the East” and the wind was taken out of our sails. The match was cancelled which meant we had to rely on other results going our way if we were to win the league. We travelled to Cheltenham a couple of weeks later and produced our worst performance of the season. Apart from some impressive runs on the left-hand touchline from Benedict Yorston, it was a poor quality match, and we could only manage a 1-1 draw. Giles Elmhirst scored from a penalty corner, but we were left to rue countless missed opportunities to win the match. We showed good character to avoid a loss, but we couldn’t help feeling we had let an opportunity get away.
A very good team (they were unbeaten until then) and victory by three goals (which was required to keep our title hopes alive) seemed very daunting. We produced our performance of the season that day, and we duly won 3-0. Our defence, comprising of Alex Rayne, Val Brooke, Benedict Yorston, Hamish Heagerty, Louis Needham and Sam Richardson had been outstanding throughout the season, and it was fitting that they kept a clean sheet in the most important match. Ned Gordon, who was at his best, scored twice while Matt Raikes added our third. Other results did not go our way, so we finished a respectable second in the league. We will regret the cancellation of the Wellington match as this would have given us a great chance to win the league, but there is so much to be proud of regardless of who won the league. Sadly, the “Mini Beast from the East” then struck, preventing us from finishing the season at home against Charterhouse. We were playing such good hockey, and we couldn’t help feeling a bit short-changed when we lost the opportunity to finish the season in style on our home pitch. The boys were fantastic, and I thoroughly enjoyed working with them this term. It was a joy to watch them play, and it gave me immense pleasure to see the smiles on their faces while they went about their business. Special mention should go to the captain, Alex Rayne. His presence in the engine room of the team was immense, and he is one of the most complete defenders a team could wish to have. He led from the front, and his phenomenal competitiveness rubbed off on everyone around him. With three colts in the team, the future looks bright, and those who remain will already be looking forward to achieving more success next year. The team of 2018 has set the bar very high indeed, so they will certainly have their work cut out for them! GR King
Abingdon was next and presented us with yet another tough challenge.
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HOCKEY 2ND XI Coaches: CE Scott-Malden, KM Willis-Stovold Captain: F Milne
P8 W8 GF29 GA5 The “Flagship” (2nd XI) lost one game in the 2017 season. Tonbridge. Away. 1-0. Caught napping; hadn’t disembarked the bus. So, 2018 was all about going one better, whilst retaining the free-scoring calypso style - backed by a rock-solid defence - that had served us so well the previous year. We still had Ed Mair in goal but who was to be this year’s defensive MVP? Last year was W. Getley. This year it turned out to be Fergus Wilson. As Purton, Skinner, Chapman (H), Blythe and Ship’s Captain Milne knocked in the goals, following slick service from Beck, Stalder, Kary and Barker, Messrs. Wilson, Horler, Nicholson and Chapman (M) and Player-of-the-Season Mair remained impregnable at the back. We set sail against Marlborough back in January and moored up undefeated after beating Abingdon in March. A hugely enjoyable season’s voyage characterised by a great squad and great skill. Well done. ISHL League Winners. Squad: Milne, Mair (GK), Skinner, Blythe, Wilson, Kary, Chapman (M), Horler, Chapman (H), Stalder, Beck, Barker, Purton, Nicholson
CESM & KMWS
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HOCKEY 3RD X The 2018 3rd XI season was one of huge success, and will certainly live long in the memory. The team contained a good mix of 6.2 and 6.1 players, a quartet of players who had played for us in the 6.1 and a group of players who had trained hard in the Michaelmas ASP hockey programme. The season began with what would prove to be the toughest game of the season – drawing 1-1 with Marlborough. The team simply got better from this point, and big wins against Rugby (4-0), Bradfield (5-1) and Winchester (9-0) gave the team plenty of confidence going into the tougher part of the season. The next three games would stretch the boys, but thankfully, we had saved our best hockey for this period. We began with a 2-2 draw with Tonbridge, after they equalised with the final play of the game. We deserved to win that game, but luckily we responded well with our first ever win against men’s team Cheltenham Wednesday (3-1). We then travelled to unbeaten Eton (who were yet to conceded a goal in seven matches), and ground out a 1-0 win. It was clear at this point that the balance of the team was just right. Wes Brolly was superb in goal all season, and the defensive unit in front of him was as solid as ever (Angus Corrie-Deane, George Medd, Rob Crawfurd and Jack Maidment). The attacking element of our game was spearheaded by the dynamic duo of Alex Alder and Freddie Jodrell up front, and the creativity (and hard work) came from our midfield players (Lucas Ely, Sam Tucker, Dan Bishop, Milo Daly and Stash Samoilys). However, the driving force behind the team all season was undoubtedly our two screen players. Ollie Sim was outstanding week in, week out, and his exploits were only bested by captain marvel himself, Ed Newall.
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Coaches: TC Lawson, HD Hammond Captain: E Newall
He epitomised everything that was great about this team – skilful, hardworking and motivated – and richly deserved his award of ‘Player of the Season’. Sadly, the season ended with something of a whimper. The Wellington match was postponed due to the snow, and it soon became clear they did not intend to rearrange the fixture (which ended up costing us the league). We defeated Cheltenham 8-0, and
then beat a dogged Abingdon side 2-1. The final game of the season against Charterhouse was also lost to the snow. The boys had gone undefeated – scoring 35 goals, and conceding only 6, in 9 matches. Mr Hammond and I would like to thank all the boys for their heroic efforts over the past few months (especially the 6.2s who played for us over 2 years) and all the parents for their loyal support over the course of the season. We are looking forward to 2019 already!
TC Lawson
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HOCKEY 4TH XI P8 W6 D1 L1 Team from: JAH Barlow, TC Bennett, HEC Christopherson, JW de Watteville, GS EgertonWarburton, NA Greville Williams, RVJ Mathewson, CCH Maunder, TR Novis, JAP O’Leary, TJ Parr, GDM Thomson, TLV Wilkinson, FJS Younger, HDC Vyvyan-Robinson This was the best season for the 4th XI in many years. There were many highlights. Eton’s unbeaten season came to an end after Radley scored on the break in the first five minutes and then sat in their own 23, successfully weathering a ferocious storm to win 1-0 away. Tonbridge had already been conquered by that stage, in a hard-fought 2-1 home win; for many boys in their final year, this was their first win against that opposition in any sport in 5 years. De Watteville competed hard for the golden
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stick with 10 goals, scoring hattricks against both Shiplake’s 2nd XI and Cheltenham. The former was a thrilling 3-3 draw and the latter one of a couple of softer fixtures this year. No doubt both Cheltenham, defeated 7-0, and Marlborough, who the team defeated 6-2 in the opening fixture, will return with stronger teams next year. St. Edward’s offered up their Colts 3, so we welcomed Ledger and Gordon from our own, and survived that 3-1 despite playing too narrowly. Praise should be reserved though for Bradfield, who brought a strong side to us in the second weekend and were just a little keener to the ball, defeating us 2-1 and setting themselves up to push us into second place in the southern league. Christopherson was a rock in defence throughout the season and led magnificently but he would be the first to insist that the successes came
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Coaches: TCH Norton and RMC Greed Captain: H E Christopherson
because every man played their position admirably. Despite that, Thomson’s mystifying runs (and 5 goals), Novis and Barlow’s distribution and Maunder’s expert goal-keeping all deserve mention.
TCH Norton
HOCKEY COLTS 1 P9 W3 D3 L3 Abandoned 2 Team From: Sam Hughes, George Tompkins, Tom Reed, Theo van der Meerschen, Ben Hoddinott, Alex Haynes, George Bishop, Charlie Rosling, Archie Ward, Will Jack, Will Way, Hector Denny, Ed Roest, Richard Butterworth, Phil Barnett, George Daly At first glance a return of 3 wins from 9 matches does not look terribly noteworthy, but this Colts 1 XI were a great outfit. They were excellent company throughout, and not once did any hint of demoralisation creep in, especially given that Sam Richardson, Phil Barnett and latterly Will Jack played for the 1st XI. Instead it provided opportunities (as did a few absences from last year’s JC1 team due to boys playing football) for others to stake a claim to play in the first team. Archie Ward in particular seized this opportunity with both hands, and started all the matches. Hector Denny, Theo vdM and Charlie Rosling also forced their way into the side as regulars.
Coaches: N Murphy, BT Knowles
There were two ‘bad days at the office’ over the season - the 8-1 defeat to Tonbridge and the 6-2 defeat to Abingdon. Tonbridge were a good side, with a happy knack of either scoring a goal or getting a short corner with every foray into our 25; the Abingdon match was lost in the first 15 minutes or so with a shellshocked team emerging from exams in the Barker Gym rather ambushed by the neighbours. The only other slight disappointment was snatching a draw from the jaws of victory against Bradfield; a win here might have pushed the team higher up the ISHL league than 4th. Similarly the two cancelled matches (Wellington and Charterhouse) would have proven interesting contests. Strong performances came in the 4-2 defeat at Marlborough, wins away at St. Edward’s, Rugby and Cheltenham, and a really exciting (no, really) 0-0 draw against Eton. Both sides hit the woodwork and both goalies were very busy on a cracking afternoon of hockey, and we probably shaded the match overall. The stars in the
side were Tom Reed and Alex Haynes, and the excellent Will Jack (until his deserved promotion into the 1st XI). Sam Hughes got better and better in goal, and George (Tommo) Tompkins was an immovable object at the back. The midfield of Theo, Bish, Butty, Ed (back from injury) Roest and Hodders terrorised the opposition and worked incredibly hard. Up front Messrs. Denny, Rosling, Way and Ward proved a handful for any defences, and Archie Ward bullied several opposition centre backs very effectively indeed. His reverse stick dribble and shot beggared belief at times - the ‘miracle’. Well done to all of the boys who played regularly on the award of their Colts colours, and congratulations to the Most Improved Player Archie Ward, and the Player of the Season Alex Haynes. Finally, my thanks to Will Jack and Tom Reed for captaining the side, to BTK for a brilliant first season, and to our loyal band of cheerful parents on the sideline. N Murphy
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HOCKEY COLTS 2 P8 L7 D1 This season of hockey for Colts 2 is perhaps most safely described as ‘challenging’. The step up from Junior Colts to the rigours of a strong Under-16 circuit proved a daunting one, and though the boys fought bravely in patches, goals (and therefore wins) were hard to come by. Highlights of the season included a pugnacious display against a talented Tonbridge side and a spirited second half rally against
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Abingdon. It was unfortunate that we were unable to sustain the requisite skill or intensity levels over the course of a full fifty minute match; lapses in defensive organisation were repeatedly and wearyingly costly. The boys were vigorous against St.Edward’s and were clearly the stronger side in hockey terms, as was the case in a fair few of the matches, but lacked the finishing to put the game to bed. This was to be the tale of the season. Many of these boys developed as hockey players, and will have much to
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Coaches: AFC Nash, JM Sparks Captain: G Daly
offer the club in the future. However, as a group, we relied too heavily on physicality and individual skill to put teams under pressure for long. Though the statistics do not cast the season in a favourable light, to put it mildly, there were many flickers of the kind of resilience needed for success in seasons to come. I wish the boys well for their future endeavours in the game.
AFC Nash
HOCKEY JC 1 P9 W4 D1 L4 Scored:19 Conceded: 17 Squad: J Sharp, F Walker, G Hall, R Koudinaris, D Stone, B Dezelsky, M Jardine-Brown (capt), W Blacker, O Barker, O Marshall, G Salwey, J Hayes, T Beattie, H Snell. I really enjoyed this season, for the most part it was a very rewarding one as a group of committed players steadily became better hockey players through their hard work. Our results actually tailed off towards the end of the season with a combination of the snow disrupting our rhythm and the fact we played some fantastic opposition in Cheltenham and Abingdon. In both of these games we had our moments, we went close to leading and levelling in the match against Abingdon and we out passed Cheltenham throughout the game. We suffered two other defeats. The first of the season was to Marlborough, a good team. With 10 minutes to go we looked like we would get a draw before two late goals meant we lost 3-1. The long trip to Tonbridge didn’t help us and we were 2-0 down at half time having played poorly. A slight reshuffle at half time, with Barker playing at the top of the diamond and crowding their centre half allowed us some control in the game. We pulled one back from a short corner, a real strength for the team all season, and went close to an equaliser on several occasions. Now the positive results. A JardineBrown strike from a short corner gave us a last-minute winner against MCS (2-1) before we dispatched Bradfield comfortably 2-0. Bradfield were made to look very ordinary, particularly in the first half, and goalkeeper Sharp was only called into action once in the whole game.
Coach: M Hills Captain: M Jardine-Brown
Shiplake were then brushed aside comfortably (5-0). Hayes bullied the defence scoring 4 and we spurned many other goal scoring opportunities. The negative was the unfortunate injury to Snell which ended his season. The same outcome befell St Edward’s. This was an excellent team performance. We suffocated them defensively, not allowing them to clear the ball easily, and really asserted our dominance on the ball, passing across the pitch and getting in down the right wing on numerous occasions. Perhaps the highest quality game, with two evenly matched teams, came against Eton. We were outstanding throughout this match. Our endeavour without the ball was excellent and though we played part of the game with only 10 men (we had 4 cards!) we showed great resilience until the end. When 2-1 up with 1 minute to go we finally conceded an equaliser with an incredible strike on the half volley. The result was a disappointment but the performance and heart shown was tremendous.
Hopefully they have a better understanding of how to play those positions now and will benefit from that next year. Snell’s time with JC1 was cut short, with his athleticism he will be very useful as a Colt. Lastly I would like to single out Hayes who for most of the season played centre forward, barely getting a rest. He worked tirelessly for the team, held the ball up well, tracked back and made tackles as well as scoring 11 goals this season. His relentless approach and spirit typified the team and he is fully deserving of the Coaches’ Player of the Season.
This group will keep on improving as they have done since they first arrived at Radley. In Sharp, they have a goalkeeper who is brave with good reactions. Walker, Hall and Koudounaris all read the game really well and are good one-on-one defenders; their ball distribution will improve with time. Dezelsky and Stone have progressed tremendously and both have a future in this game. Barker and Blacker both ran themselves into the ground either side of Jardine-Brown. These three did an incredible job considering the calibre of players they found themselves up against week after week. They will all become fine players. Marshall, Beattie and Salwey played predominantly on the wings and were asked to do an awful lot defensively as well as offensively.
I would also like to mention that I was ably assisted by Arthur Jones (grounds). His enthusiasm and energy helped enormously as well as his goalkeeping expertise.
M Hills
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HOCKEY JC 2 P8 W3 D1 L4 Generally, stats tell the story of your season’s success but not the whole story. This was a team with a variety of characters that gelled together to make it an enjoyable season despite the weather. Hockey has evolved from a game of set positions and set skills, to a faster, more fluid game where a squad is required rather than a set eleven. Our aim for the season was to build from a solid defensive unit. Dom Osborne at right back and Freddie Rees at left back developed a good understanding and complimented each other well. Through the centre George Dutton’s performances improved as the season progressed. Between the posts, goalkeeper Alex Pearson performed consistently and whether it was a good day or bad a smile was never far from his face. Jake Parsons played as a sweeper in front of the defense with the discipline and athleticism required of this difficult dual role, being both
the additional defender and pivot or outlet when we wished to change the point of attack. In central midfield Dom Stone impressed enough to be selected for JC1 and deservedly so. Tom Pritchard’s performance on the left of midfield often went unnoticed so simple and efficient was his method of “win the ball, pass the ball”. He was rarely guilty of giving the ball away. Through the middle Max Eastwood’s ability on the ball was there for all to see and like the hard-working Harry Walkinshaw he played in either midfield or attack. Both could be relied upon to give their best for the team. Wide on the left James Harrabin read the game well and supported both in attack and defence. On the opposite flank Olly Taylour showed, on occasions, why he had spent much of the previous year in the top Midgets side. Up front Tom Wilson worked tirelessly to put himself into a position to create a goal scoring opportunity. Freddy Loveland and Kristian
HOCKEY JC 3 P5 L4 D1 Cancelled 2 GF 7 GA 11
lost to snow.
This wasn’t the most successful season for a Radley hockey team, despite a very pleasing first week’s training, where the squad showed great energy and enthusiasm. When it came to facing other schools we became more tentative and struggled to score goals. We lost out first four fixtures narrowly, each by one goal, and then managed a 2-2 draw against Eton. If this were to mark an upturn in our fortunes we were unable to capitalise upon it, as the last two fixtures of the term were
We were indebted to Alec FosterBrown who stepped in as goalie before the first game and got better and better as the season proceeded; the backs were composed variously of Angus Shorthouse, Hugo Carlisle, Alex Rowley and Arthur Horsey; the midfield tended to come from Harry Hoare (the most promising player overall, and missed for several games through injury), Harry Moore, Hector Brown, Matt Rowland, captain Ben Wilson and latterly Alex Cha, while up front we had Gus Adams,
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THE RADLEIAN SPORTS SUPPLEMENT
Coach: M Hills Captain: T Wilson
Gilliat Smith played in a variety of positions, always giving their best without complaint. Of the matches, those that were lost where usually by the odd goal, frustrating because there were moments when the team deserved better. Abingdon however proved a bridge too far where, despite battling hard, especially in the second half , they were just a league above us on the day. Wins versus St. Edward’s, Winchester and Tonbridge were deserved and meant there were occasions to celebrate, the latter being the only away win of the day. Team: Alexander Pearson - Dom Osborne - Freddie Rees - George Dutton - Jake Parsons - Dominic Stone - Oliver Taylour - Harry Walkinshaw - Maximilian Eastwood - Tom Pritchard - James Harrabin Tom Wilson - Kristian Gilliat Smith - Freddy Loveland. M Hills
Coach: IK Campbell Captain: B Wilson
Ben Barton and Max McGee. Boris Pastukhov and George Dutton played one game each for us too.
IK Campbell
HOCKEY JC 4 P8 W3 D1 L4 Team from: A Sweetnam, B Pastukhov, C Collis, C Frei, D Shah, F Cunningham, G Corbett, H Tufnell, H Brown, H Dixon, K Christopherson, O Davies, P Clegg, T Cheng, T Hordern, Z Carter. The team played enthusiastically throughout the season, supplying any lack in hockey skills with strong running around the pitch. In goal, Dev Shah, who had not played in the position before this season, saved the team on many occasions when the defence had not tightly marked their opponents. On the left, Caspar Collis had a good eye, jabbing the ball away from many an opponent meaning the team missed him when absent. At the back, Harry Tufnell and George Corbett always gave of their
Coach: DWS Roques Captain: ZCP Carter
best, slowing opposition attacks so others could assist in defence. Kit Christopherson acted as the hitter for 16s, with his powerful strokes, which at times sent the ball quickly into an attacking position. In the midfield, Hector Brown distributed well, with Otto Davies and Alex Sweetnam always providing a threat on the right. On the left, Boris Pastukhov regularly had the ball at the end of his stick, and although he did not always manage to pass, he often stopped the opposition’s attacks in their tracks. On the left Patrick Clegg and Tianyi Cheng were both very athletic and fast players, although their stick technique was unconventional. Up front, the captain Zac Carter could strike the ball incredibly hard, which meant when he had the time, as he did in the Eton match where he scored six goals,
no one could stop him. Henry Dixon, Finn Cunningham and Cyrus Frei also contributed to the team performance, all producing good hockey on occasion. Overall, this was an enjoyable season, where the team were always competitive against stiff opposition.
DWS Roques
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HOCKEY MIDGETS 1
Coaches: REP Hughes, PM Bennett Captain: T Thame
P11 W9 D1 L1
difference.
U14 County Champions and ISHL South League U14 winners.
To start the season there was only one hockey goalkeeper in the club at U14 level – Harry Lewinton. He played and kept well against MCS for a 3-1 win in our opening game; though as the season went on we used four goalkeepers in Midgets 1 – finally sticking with the dependable Henry Roskill. The defence on the other hand was a constant. Ferdie Spicer and Fraser Woodward held the central positions whilst Toby Szlapak and Alex Wingfield improved throughout the season in the wider positions. With Spicer also striking at penalty corners, we had our
Team: Henry Roskill, Toby Szlapak, Ferdie Spicer, Fraser Woodward, Alex Wingfield, Charlie Hartigan, Rory Fletcher, Jonty Duncan, Toby Thame (capt), Will Mordaunt, Will Smith, Ed Alder, Ollie Mordaunt. This season has been excellent. From the opening fixture against Magdalen College, we looked like a team who would work hard right up to the last whistle – and in some of our games that is what made the
first game in the league, against Marlborough. Ferdie powerfully scored one of the goals in an impressive 4-0 win. Buoyed by the previous result we went to Bradfield and frustratingly drew 1-1; after they had made a silly error to let Ferdie score again from a penalty corner, we foolishly gave them one with just two minutes to go – a lesson well learned for the rest of the season. We t h e n h a d t h e C o u n t y Championships. We played MCS, Abingdon, St Edwards’ and Bloxham – we won 3 and drew 1 meaning we ended the day as Oxfordshire County Champions. A fantastic effort by all
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involved and the prize - a regional tournament on the horizon. Our next game was away to Tonbridge, never an easy game and so it proved. After going 3-0 down in 10 minutes, we looked lost. However, an encouraging fightback meant we finished the game 5-3 down. A good goal from Jonty Duncan but a bizarre finish from Ed Alder – miscontrolling on the top of the D only for the ball to fly past the keeper and in. With leave-away looming, we needed to win against St Edward’s to go in to Leave Away at the top of the league. A great attitude and a good team performance gave us a comfortable 4-0 victory. After a good recovery, we headed off to Eton. We were 1-0 down at halftime and the boys looked like they
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were still on Leave Away. A gentle firing up of the boys from Mr Bennett and there was no looking back. A hat -trick for Ollie Mordaunt saw us win a game with brawn not beauty. Then the snow came and cancelled our fixture with Wellington meaning we were 2 wins away from winning the league. First up were Cheltenham who were quickly up to a 2-0 lead – but as has been the character of the team, we pressed throughout the games only to win it with two minutes to go; another Ollie Mordaunt goal. Our front three played fantastically all season - Ollie Mordaunt (9), Will Smith (6) and Ed Alder (14) – amounting to 29 goals in the 11 games and 2 tournaments. This game was followed by a nervy but, in the end, easy 6-0 win over Abingdon to win the ISHL U14 League. A mention must go to our captain, Toby Thame, who decided
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to wait until the last game in the season to get his first two goals. He has led exceptionally and held a good structure in the midfield with Will Mordaunt, Rory Fletcher, Jonty Duncan and Charlie Hartigan. And so to the Regional Tournament – a day at St George’s in Weybridge in the pouring rain and with only a couple of dugouts for shelter. We soldiered on. We played four games, winning two and losing two – however, this was frustrating as we beat both of the semi-finalists that went through, leaving us 5th out of 9 in the Southern Regional Tournament. The team were brilliant throughout the season and the attitude they have shown will get them a long way as they head through the years at Radley. REP Hughes
HOCKEY MIDGETS 2 P9 W8 L1 A2 Team from: G Acheson-Gray, M Anikin, T Bailey, Hector Bennet, L Booth, J Elliott, M Garson, R Harrap, C Hartigan (C), W Inglis, W Isaacs (C), F Judd, M Phillipson, T Rawlinson, L Rowland, O Vincent, T Way. Having had little preparation as a side we travelled to Magdalen College for a friendly on the 6th January. We had little to worry about however after a convincing first minute goal kick started a promising season. One half later we had put ten goals behind MCS giving Midge 2 the win by 11-0. The rain could not dampen the spirits of Mr Gaunt’s post match pep talk. With the previous win in the bag we entertained Marlborough at home
Coaches: JA Gaunt, H Crump Captains: C Hartigan and W Isaacs
with a teasing 2-1 victory. The battle had raged on until a tense half-time stalemate. Not far into the second half we broke through with a top right belter. The game was put in jeopardy by a lack of concentration but with a swift goal we pulled back to win 2-1. After seeing some changes on line up, we brought the fresh talent of Lucas Booth and Magnus Garson into the pack. Bradfield posed our toughest challenge yet. The opposition tested our latest keeper, Misha Anikin, but got nothing to show for it. The same cannot be said for the Bradfield keeper who suffered the embarrassment of Freddie Judd’s flick rising above the keeper’s outstretched arms into the top of the goal net. We left the grounds with another two goals and a clean sheet.
Taking some time off from the league, Midge 2 challenged Winchester’s first team resulting in a satisfying 5-0 victory with a great hat -trick and another cheeky chip a la Freddie Judd. We set our sights on a Tonbridge friendly feeling confident in our ability. After the tiring two-hour bus journey we dropped our guard a tad long enough to allow four fatal goals to bruise our clean record. We held our own and gave them a game, but were unable to top their standards leaving us with our first and last loss. Mr Gaunt and Mr Crump saw opportunity in the vast break between games to crack down on our faults. The training paid off. We re-entered the league with a stylish 8-0
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thrashing of Teddies putting our name at the top of the board with Rollo Harrap and Will Isaacs scoring hat tricks. Another friendly followed against Eton, renowned for their sporting prowess. However, Midge 2 had adapted their game with their new captain, Isaacs taking charge seeing Charlie Hartigan leave for Midge 1 and Tom Way come down to help the side. Captain Isaacs led from the front against Eton and along with Tom Way’s two goals we created a 3-0 victory. The side then began prepping for a victory against Wellington College with training taken to new and brutal lengths by our coaches. We practised our transfer play on a snow stricken astro in sub-zero temperatures. We ran endless laps of the track after gruelling fitness sessions. We worked on our short corners when we could barely make out the goal. In short, we made the most of the Christmassy
weather. Finally, Cheltenham College gathered the courage to venture to Radley’s grounds, only to be met with an outrageous 6-0 defeat. The ability of the Midgets to rip apart Cheltenham reflected the work they had put into the game and the formation was playing some first class hockey. Finally, we ended our league top of the table in an 11 to 0 conquering game against Abingdon. The team chipped into the score with players all over the pitch slotting a shot in past the keeper. However, despite the easy win, the sportsmanship that had been kept throughout the season was maintained with Radley’s typical courtesy. Sadly, Charterhouse were unable to meet Radley on the battlefield due to the “Beast from the East”, leaving the team with a brilliant end to an outstanding season.
HOCKEY MIDGETS 3 P6 W3 L3 GF15 GA14 Team From: H Lewington, A Andrewes, J Tewes, J O’Connor, T Crawshay, C Graham, J Aikenhead, R Bertie, H Bennett, B Fleming, T Rawlinson, W Inglis, M Phillipson, A Stirling, A Crole, T Bailey, R Harrap, H Elliott, A Crosthwaite-Eyre. After only five hockey practices Midgets 3 managed to piece together a squad to play MCS in the early stages of January at Radley. The game was tight fought, but there were outstanding performances from multiple players on the pitch, including Hugo Elliott who scored a hat-trick. At the end of the day we went home with a five-nil win. Our second match was against Marlborough at Radley where we were against one of our main 16
rivals. At half time it was 1-0 to us with an early goal from Wilf Inglis, putting it into the bottom corner. After a half-time of some inspirational words we conceded one almost instantaneously. This hit our morale but after hard work and determination from players like Rory Bertie who worked very hard at the back and held together at our defence Jash Tewes worked equally hard in this position. As the final whistle blew we won 3-1 with Ben Fleming and Max Phillipson scoring. Our next fixture was against Bradfield where we were playing away. Thankfully it is not too long a drive. We started off well, but they were too strong, and we lost 3-0. Our next match was also away, and we were playing Tonbridge and didn’t fare well and lost 5-2.
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The progress the side made was down to the attitude driven by the coaches who, despite the snow, drilled us relentlessly and ran the laps with us, not to mention the congratulation ice creams, courtesy of Mr Crump. In all, a promising future for Radley hockey.
Johnny Elliot, G Social and William Isaacs, J Social
Coach: J Wilson Captain: A Crosthwaite-Eyre
The second half of term was severely disrupted by the weather, with three games being called off. There was still a narrow away defeat at Eton and a resounding 5-2 victory at home to Cothill, featuring a Rollo Harrap hat-trick and a number of boys facing their former school.
A Crosthwaite-Eyre , D Social
HOCKEY MIDGETS 4 P8 W4 D1 L3 Our first game of the season was against Marlborough. This was a tough match. Marlborough managed to pull off a goal against us which left us 1-0 down. Towards the end of the match we had a last-minute chance, but the keeper managed to save an amazing shot which meant we lost our first game of the season, not the greatest start. Our next game was against Bradfield, we won this game 2-0 when an early goal from Tom Rawlinson put us ahead then Caden Stradling scored another goal in the second half. Tonbridge was the next game and we knew this was going to be a tough game, especially away. Tonbridge managed to score 3 goals in the first half. In the second half Alex Verdin passed a through ball to Jude Ashby who then passed it to Caden Stradling to put the ball past the keeper for an excellent goal. Later
Coaches: MG Glendon-Doyle, JPJ Dodd Captain: P Wilson
on in the second half we had a few other chances but did not manage to convert them. Unfortunately, the score was 3-1 to Tonbridge. Our next game was against Eton on a very good astro. We didn’t start well but after Eton scored two, half time came quickly. Mr Dodd told us what to do and quickly we retaliated scoring a goal very quickly in the second half. Not to our surprise we had opportunities but we did not convert them. The final whistle came too quickly for us and we lost our third game of the season to a very similar side to us. Due to the snow we didn’t have matches for two weeks and our next game was against Cheltenham College against their third side. We played very well and scored three goals in the first half. In the second half we scored five more. This left us with an easy victory trying to keep a clean sheet. We managed it,
with the goals coming from Caden Stradling (4 goals), Patrick Goodwin (2 goals)and Alex Verdin who scored an excellent team goal from the half way line and passing the keeper with ease. This was our best performance yet. Next was St Edward’s who were not as strong as us. After a slow start we managed to score first then in the second half we scored three more, winning 4-0. Our last game of the season was against Abingdon where we won 3-0. Unfortunately our match against Charterhouse was also cancelled due to weather conditions. Thank you very much to Mr. Dodd and Mr. Glendon-Doyle for coaching us this term and helping us improve massively as a team. We had a very good season winning four, drawing one and losing three. P Goodwin, B Social
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HOCKEY MIDGETS 5 P5 W2 D0 L3 GF8 GD5 Despite a mixed set of results there were some hugely positive aspects to this first Hockey season at Radley. M5 is traditionally a proving ground for aspirational players and so this season proved to be. Of the side that started on January 6 against MCS no fewer than five players rose to M4 or above; one of whom, Wilf Inglis, went all the way to M2. Pleasingly, this did not happen all at once and players developed over the term. Captain Henry Milne, for example only got the call up after half term, but then looked good for M3. Our first match was a rout and was
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very spiriting, 9 goals for, just 1 against. Patrick Goodwin shone despite never having picked up a stick. Inglis, Angus Grinstead and Tom Woodward piled the pressure on as Ed Verdon raced down the left and Kasper Mason-Phelps harried up front. Mark Siow was careful and competent and rotation goalkeepers Tom Bracken, Charlie Evans and Henry Morris were reliable backstops. Evans was very versatile and played well in defence as an outfield player and had a brief stint up front without mishap. Marlborough and Bradfield were decent challenges and had the team clicked like they did against
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Coaches: RD Woodling, CM Bedford Captain: O Broke-Smith
Eton then both these matches were very winnable. Bradfield had some classy players and Marlborough some rangy athletes: the simple difference being they could put it in the net when in the D. Tonbridge was again well contested and narrowly lost. By now, players such as Zac Butterworth and stalwart Ollie Broke-Smith were making their marks. Brooky rose to captain and was imperious in this role. The season was marked and determined by an especially pleasing triumph away at Eton. A school with plenty of players, we found ourselves down 0-1 at half time and RDW was feeling the
strain. A minor personnel change to bring on Lucas Bury turned the match as our M6 signing ran riot. George Fearnley-Whittingstall had narrowly missed with a slingshot of a strike, but then Zac Butterworth belted one of the finest goals of the day on any pitch into the back of the net – pleasingly witnessed by the attendant Bigside squad and coach. The team was inspired and rollicked in two more, one from a well-crafted short corner. Eton really didn’t know what had happened and the performance was validation of quick tactical play, letting the ball do the work. Elsewhere, Hugo Medd was reliable and technical at the back and Alex Lu was the fastest boy on the pitch every time. Dom Martin was cultured up front and Rory RichmondWatson could welt the ball into the neighbouring county with sufficient
time to wind up. M4 signing Oscar Pilkington looked the part and was solid at right midfield with a cultured pass and rangy running style. Late signing Jos Carreras looks like he will play for a higher team next season with nimble skills and a rabid tenacity – an awkwardly progressive player to be at left defence. Other players threatened to break through from M6 and I suspect that next season will be the making of many young talents. A great season, then, for Radley Hockey and a very satisfying term for M5 and their coaches.
RC Woodling
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HOCKEY MIDGETS 6 P2 L1 D1 The season saw a vast improvement in the skills and enthusiasm of this cheerful squad. Nobody was over enthusiastic to play in goal and so we persuaded three different keepers to try on the kit and they each did well. Henry Morris, Tom Bracken and vice captain Will Cameron made every effort and demonstrated a huge amount of agility and bravery in the D. Eton is never an easy place to play and so it proved once again. To be honest this felt like a 4-4 draw, but our mighty forwards, ably led by captain Caspian Davies, narrowly missed the target on several occasions. Caspian’s fine goal, struck with great venom, left the goalie stranded and non-plussed. Our defenders played with great heart, with Poj Wanglee, Seb Dickie and Joshua Thompson standing out for their tenacious defiance of the opposition forwards. Mr Gong played sensationally well in the midfield, making several slinky runs and dribbling very effectively
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to maintain possession. In terms of possession M6 won this game. Quincy Ng and Mark Siow are effective midfield players and are both fast runners. They cover huge areas of the pitch and have great stamina for the battle. Without their contributions more territory would have been conceded. Cothill U13bs are usually tentative at the start but then they gain in confidence. However that was not the case this year. They stormed up the far astro and we were on the back foot initially. By half time it was 1-3, and Caspian’s tremendous shot was all that we had to show for a determined effort. However following a rallying cry at the break, M6 surged back and within seconds of the restart were only the one goal behind, with Arthur Pease’s deliberate, cunning, well placed push dribbling neatly under the goalie’s kicker. Tom Bracken played with authority in attack, and Tom Copinger-Symes needed to be restrained by his team mates, and coaches, for attempting on more than the one occasion to strike the
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Coaches: SA Hall, RJ Adams Captain: C Davies
ball into the lower stratosphere. Toby Marriott is a fine player, fast moving and agile when in possession. Tom Seddon remains calm under pressure, and shows a great sense of vision when passing. Moreover, he always displays the high energy input that much lauded toast breaks confer. Louis Leouzon is arguably the most improved player in M6 and, for that matter, in global hockey – he is wonderfully dextrous with the stick. He robbed Cothill of possession, and is one of the reasons for the marvellous comeback. Mr Gong surged down the pitch on countless occasions, made half chances from almost nothing and never gave up the chase. Dogged resistance is a prize worthy quality in this game. Finally Captain Caspian drew M6 deservedly level with a final fire cracker of a shot. It felt like victory and M6 rightly celebrated. Our thanks go to Mr Adams and Dr Bedford for their devotion to the cause, and to Mr Woodling for his comprehensive advice to the M5 and M6 squads. SA Hall
FOOTBALL 1ST XI P10 W1 D0 L9 Captain: Nico Rooth, Patrick Sayer, Eddie Cockcroft, Theo Spreckley, Lachlan Neville, Caspar Muir, Max Richardson, William Morgan, Thomas Vincent, Hugo Carr, Rory Betley, Henry Day, William Kaye, Freddy Campbell-Gray, Oscar White, Hanno Jewell, William Carr, Henry Carson. By any measure this was not a good season, particularly when viewed in the light of last season’s LB Cup success. Eight losses and a solitary win away at Marlborough tell a sorry tale! Yet, there have been many positive moments: Hugo Carr’s dogged determination in the midfield to keep marauding teams at bay; Theo Spreckley’s endless energy and commitment in the tackle from right back; Max Richardson’s similarly never-ending running down the left; and Will Kaye’s relentless leading of the line, often alone. Most impressively, in the face of a poor run of results, the team kept going onto the pitch and fighting for the best result possible right up until the very last game. The season began full of optimism after a brilliant pre-Christmas trip to Villareal. The boys, guided by Mr Perkins and Mr Newell, trained hard and enjoyed spending time under the stewardship of our professional Spanish coaching team. Conditions for our first game against Harrow were not quite those experienced on a balmy winter evening near Valencia but the team went into the game looking to get some sort of result – difficult, given that we hadn’t beaten the Harrow 1st XI for some years. What we didn’t expect was to be on the end of a 7-1 defeat and that took the wind out of our sails. As is often the case with games of football, the floodgates can open and so they did in the last twenty minutes as we were chasing a goal; the final scoreline was certainly not reflective of the
Coaches: CA San Jose, LP Newell Captain: N Rooth
efforts expended by the team. Our next game saw the season’s solitary win against a weak Marlborough side on a blustery, soft pitch. Tom Vincent scoring a remarkably varied hat trick, including two headers. From then on came a succession of games, which were, to be frank, exceptionally tough for the boys. Berkhamstead and Haileybury, both good footballing schools, just had the better of us, Haileybury playing their typical brand of ‘robust’ football, Berkhamstead preferring to play the ball around. In both games, the boys gave a good account of themselves in the first half, going in at 0-0; the second halves were a different story and saw us run out of steam – perhaps something to think about for next season’s pre-winter training schedule. The season’s nadir was certainly travelling three and a half hours to Ely only to be knocked out of the LB Cup (as holders) having gone one nil up. Once more, the boys’ efforts were beyond criticism but perhaps conditions and the pitch didn’t help and our game just didn’t come together.
were this year. We are undoubtedly competing in an exceptionally tough league: more and more schools are playing competitively in the Michaelmas Term – there is little we can do about that – but it does mean we are starting from a handicap come January. CA San Jose
One should always look at the positives! To have both Toby Buck and Tom Vincent playing full seasons (whilst fifth formers) is certainly something to be excited about. There is an exodus of 6.2s this year but the upcoming Colts year group is strong and promises much. May I take this opportunity to thank our incredibly loyal band of parental supporters for travelling far and wide (including to Ely!) to cheer on their sons. Also, may I (and on behalf of Mr Newell), thank the boys for their efforts to keep going right to the end of the season in the face of a difficult term. Next season will likely be as tough again but with the benefit of hindsight, I hope that our preseason training will help prepare the boys to be even fitter than they
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FOOTBALL 2ND XI P11 W5 D4 L2 GD +13 Many players selected for the first match against Harrow had been on the excellent pre-season tour to Benfica and so we all were optimistic of the upcoming season. Our opening encounter against Harrow at home was a challenging affair and evenly contested. After Will Kaye’s equaliser in the second half, the momentum of the match was firmly back with us and a draw was the likely outcome. However, Harrow never gave up and scored a winner at the death to win 2-1. However, it was clear from day one that we had the makings of a very competitive team and the ambition and desire of the squad was established that day by our captain, Freddie CampbellGray before his much-deserved call up to the 1st XI later in the
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season. Our next opponents were Marlborough on top of the lofty Wiltshire downs. We dominated proceedings and it was fantastic to get a confidence-boosting 3-1 win with Butterwick pulling the strings in midfield and Anderson, Tregear and Kaye all netting. Our 4-4 draw with Berkhamsted was hugely entertaining for the neutral but not for the coaches. The lead exchanged hands several times and it was a frustrating game not to win, as all four goals conceded came from set pieces. We had worked extremely hard to create our goals scored by Kaye, Tregear and a brace for Barlow who was exceptional down the left flank that day. Planning training the following week was easy: defending corners repeatedly! Next up was the first of two challenges against 1st XI
Coach: SJA Perkins Captains: F Campbell-Gray, J Tregear
opposition and the very first Cheltenham football fixture on Chapel Pitch. Despite being the better side for large parts, we were just not quite clinical enough to secure the win and a 2-2 seemed like a fair result at the end of the day. If it was not for Eddie Cockcroft pulling out some wonderful saves, we may have even lost. Our attentions returned to the league once again and Haileybury away was a bizarre match indeed. The pitch was predominantly underwater, there was no referee to officiate, and so Mr. Smith very honourably stepped forward to take charge. In a scrappy game, it was pleasing to run away worthy 4-1 winners in the end and Jacob Tregear, who had now taken over the reins as captain, was leading by example through his dogged tenacity and scored an important goal himself, alongside Kaye, Barlow and Jewell. The local
derby day against Abingdon is always a keenly contested match but our quality once again shone through on Bigside with Henry Carson carving down the right wing with ease. Baz Butterwick also scored a sublime long-range effort and Henry Anderson got a brace to seal the 3-1 victory. We had certainly found our feet and were playing some superb football and all players appeared comfortable in the adopted 3-5-2 formation and understood their individual roles. However, Tonbridge had other ideas when we met later that week and although the fixture was very competitive, Tonbridge were more clinical in front of goal and took the match 3-0. This was our second and last loss of the season. The match against St. Johns was the highlight of the season, as everything seemed to click and all players showed a ruthlessness not always seen by Radley sides. Some targets were set at half-time and the boys delivered an emphatic 7-1 win with a classy Jewell hat-trick, a Carson cross that the wind carried home, and Anderson and Butterwick all contributing further goals. Baz
was again showing his class with his vision in midfield. Sadly, the “Beast from the East” curtailed the last couple of weeks with the Epsom and St. Pauls fixtures being cancelled and assigned 0-0 draws in the league, which meant a very respectable fourth place finish for us, a fine achievement amongst some very talented football Schools. There was one last opportunity to play a friendly versus St. Edward’s 1st XI back on Bigside which resulted in a very convincing 4-0 win and a great scalp to beat a 1st XI for this group of players. Betley scored twice, Tregear another and an own goal from Teddies from a whipped in cross was the difference and GilliatSmith had an impressive defensive display.
XI throughout the season and a fourth place finish in the Southern Independent Lent Term League is an achievement that everyone can be proud of. I would like to thank Jack Smith for his excellent coaching and help in the running the team so professionally and the ever present and enthusiastic Mark Pizzey. SJA Perkins
The most pleasing aspects of the season included the ambition and style of football played by the team, the wonderful team spirit that developed and the fluidity and breeding ground of 1st XI players this season and next. No less than 23 players represented the 2nd
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FOOTBALL 3RD XI P8 W8 D0 L0 Team from: I Mayfield H Seaton O Friend G Batty J Wilson B Broughton A Martin D Lodge M Martin-Zakheim (capt.) T Onslow G Seagrave A Barrow P Hayes D Anwyl-Jones J Dobby M Browne The playing record of this season’s 3rd XI speaks for itself - and, for the first time in Radley’s participation in the Lent Term league, these history-makers have delivered tangible reward for all the hard effort over the course of the season. A place on the honours board had so far eluded any of the Radley teams, but this assembly of battlehardened 6.2 and up-and-coming 6.1 proved to be the dominant force at this level. Ultimately the league title was secured without the need for the final two games of the term (both initially postponed due to the sharp March weather) needing to be rescheduled. That says something for the way in which we imposed our collective will on games and the league as a whole.
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Facing Harrow at home on the first Saturday of term (and more specifically facing them down) proved to be pivotal. A hard fought 3-2 win established early momentum and a platform for ultimate success. In between comfortable wins in friendlies against Marlborough and Cheltenham there was a somewhat inefficient win against Berkhamsted: allowing 6-1 to become ‘only’ 7-5 by the end was the only sloppy performance of the term. Normal service was resumed over at Haileybury, with a 3-0 win in what can only be described as a mudfest. Leave-Away came with our 100% record preserved, courtesy of a 2-0 win against our local rivals Abingdon. By this stage we could imagine that silver polish might need to be on the 3rd XI shopping list.... but only if our most pressing rivals Tonbridge could be seen off in the first game back after the break. James Wilson’s goal from a set-piece ahead of half-time set us on our way and a stirring team performance saw further goals from
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Coaches: PW Gamble, AJ King Captain: M Zachiem
two other key players, Tom Onslow and Monty Martin-Zakheim, to secure the points. When we headed over to St John’s and defeated the mud and our opposition again (4-1), the league title was effectively secured. As other results involving our rivals came through, we did indeed emerge as champions. There was a certain sense of anti-climax in that games against Epsom and St Paul’s could not be squeezed in - the team would have enjoyed trying to make it a clean sweep of victories against our league rivals. As it was, we had to ‘share’ the points. AJK and PWG thoroughly enjoyed the responsibility of applying a light touch to the tiller of this squad - who showed others in the league what wellmotivated Radley teams can do on a level, if sometimes puddle-strewn*, playing field. *applies to away matches only! PW Gamble
FOOTBALL 4TH XI P8 W6 D1 L1 The season began on January 13th with a decisive 2-0 win over Harrow at home, both of the goals coming from Tristan Southwell whose pace was unstoppable for just about the entire season. A solid clean sheet and a man of the match award for centre back Dom Lodge sealed a good defensive performance. Next up was Marlborough: the pitch and the wind challenged both teams, and after a slow start, going 1-0 down, we started playing through balls to the formidable Dom Anwyl-Jones who managed to grab 3 goals in the end. Jude Dobby also picked up a hat-trick with Bertie Southgate, James Duffy and Tom Sweetnam all getting a goal in a hard-fought 9-3 victory. To follow this good attacking performance, we played Berkhamsted the next week and this proved to be one of the more difficult fixtures of the season. AnwylJones grabbed another two goals with Sweetnam scoring another and Bertie Southgate scoring a stunner from 30 yards out. A man of the match performance from captain James Strain was topped off by another clean sheet.
Coaches: EO Holt, PJ Taylor Captain: JJ Strain
Next up was an interesting away game at Haileybury, with a pitch highly suited to sliding challenges. After a while getting used to the conditions, Anwyl-Jones struck again, this time with 5 goals. Sweetnam, Southgate, Browne and Dobby also managed to snatch a goal each. The following game proved to be one of the tougher matches as we faced Abingdon. After going down 2-0, a brilliant half-time talk spurred the team on to get back two goals, both coming from Tristan Southwell. The game finished 2-2 but, owing to the many chances we had in the second half and the poor defensive performance in the first, it was a disappointing result to say the least. This was followed by another disappointing result against Tonbridge, where much of the game was even but we could not come out on top, losing 3-1 with the goal coming from newly enlisted Valentine King. An away match at St Paul’s was then cancelled due to the snowy conditions so our next match would be away against St John’s Leatherhead. With James Strain and Toby White missing due to injury, vice captain Miles Greene at a job interview and Elian Rosswag temporarily moving
into the 3rd‘s, the entire defence was missing; the team did well to achieve a 3-2 victory, with 2 fantastic goals coming from Val King and another goal from Tom Sweetnam. The back four returned for the final game of the season against St Edward’s. At 0-0 Miles Greene had a crack from 35 yards out on the half volley which flew a couple inches wide. The deadlock was broken when a header from a corner was turned in by Ee-thern Ship who managed to get another two to complete his hat-trick. A fantastic curling effort from Tom Sweetnam topped off his high goal-scoring season and Elian Rosswag completed two bicycle clearances to take his tally for the season to 3. A couple of brilliant saves from Theo Bantoft gave him the man of the match award. This was a fine all-round performance and the perfect way to end the season as the final match against Epsom was cancelled, also due to snow. Many thanks go to EOH and PJT for another fantastic season. J Strain, K Social and Miles Greene, C Social
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FOOTBALL 5TH XI P5 W4 L1 Last season the fifths went undefeated so this year there was a lot of expectation. The first match of the season was a tough game against Harrow. We took the initial lead, however late in the second half they equalised – yet the team rallied, and a late winner by man of the match Freddie Fowler resulted in a 2-1 victory for the mighty fifths. The next opponent was Berkhamsted School. It was another hard-fought game but following a screamer from Tom Lennon, and a second from Will Lennon, the fifths rolled on with a 2-0 victory. The next game was against Haileybury. By this time the team was hitting its stride resulting in a 10-1 victory: a hat trick for both Henry McCoy and Val King, 2 for Tom
Warner and debut goals for Dom Deely and Marcus Stuart-Borne. The next match was against another unbeaten team – Tonbridge. The task was daunting and the team was missing some key players in Freddie Fowler, Luke Howard and Val King (who had recently been transferred to the fourths for an undisclosed fee). The first half was a testament to the fifths defenders, with an exceptional performance from super goalie Kacper Rutka and a stellar performance from Andy Liu keeping the score at 0-0. However, following a corner in the second half a 1-0 loss could not be avoided. After this devastating loss, the team was eager to get back out there and demolish some other schools, much like how they had dispatched the fourths on multiple occasions over the last few
FOOTBALL 6TH XI P5 W5 D0 L0 GF28 GA8
highlights were John Peers and Hugo Bertie who performed to an exceptional standard and played The 6th XI had a fantastic season, some beautiful ‘Brickside’ football. we played with passion and enjoyed Robert Revell’s crunching tackles every minute. It was a season that and physicality gave us an extra defied the odds and expectations of dimension in the latter half of the all involved and it was the perfect season, and formed a remarkable way for the 6.2s to end their Radley partnership with Archie Browner and football careers, and I hope the Ludo Curtis, whose aerial presence 6.1s can kick on and have another terrified the opposition. Gus Cayer’s great year next season and keep temperamental coordination also the passion and desire that was made us laugh and remind us why exhibited throughout this great we were playing! Thanks again to ‘Brickwall’s 6th XI’ season. There Ed Tolputt and Keith Halliday for were some memorable performances, some astute managerial nouse and especially a tightly contested battle Archie Browner for his inspirational against Tonbridge. Despite this leadership. It is clear that our team lower team not receiving the same possessed not only the skill set attention as others, I thought that required to win but the longevity and this season showed that everyone temperament to win on a regular regardless of their ability can enjoy T H E Rgreatly A D L E I whilst A N S Pperforming O R T S S U P P L E M Ebasis N T throughout the season. Yet 26themselves again, cheers boys and thanks to all to the highest level. Some particular
Coaches: R Johnson, JW Schofield Captain: T Warner
weeks. Our last match was against St. John’s and the team bounced back fantastically demolishing them 6-0, with a Jonty Stubbs hat-trick, a Tom Warner screamer, a phenomenal finish from Henry McCoy and a superb penalty from goalie Kacper Rutka. All in all, it was a great season for the fifths, the team had the perfect balance of flair and aggression – with some beautiful rugby tackles from Douglas WyrleyBirch, and next season I am sure that the team will continue to get better and better.
T Warner, G Social
Coaches: EJ Tolputt, K Halliday Captain: AWS Browner
those who helped contribute to this perfect season. Harrow School : 6-2 Cheltenham : 3XI 7-1 Abingdon : 4XI 4-2 Tonbridge : 2-1 St Edward’s School 3XI : 9-2
AWS Browner, G Social
FOOTBALL COLTS 1 P7 W2 D2 L3 GF9 GA17 The Colts 1 season has been something of a roller-coaster ride. We played 7 games in all, 6 of which were in the very competitive ISFA league. This year’s squad was extremely strong (although we had to give up Vincent and Buck to the 1sts) and included a quick and creative strike force, an aggressive midfield and an extremely solid defence who rarely found themselves breached by the opposition. With a naturally talented goalkeeper of Jamie Miesegaes it would indeed be difficult for him to be beaten on his day. Overall, it can be judged a successful season, with the team being coached by MRJ (and Mark Pizzey), encouraging the side into playing some attractive football by the end of the season. We tried various formations over the course of the season, playing somewhat attacking until Leave Away and gradually dropping the wingers into the midfield to provide some defensive support as well as attacking, ending up using the traditional 4-4-2. The team was led by captain William Brooks-Ward,
Coach: MR Jewell Captain: W Brooks-Ward
who made the CDM role his own, ably assisted by magician-like Harry Glassey whose energy and bravery were an asset at both ends of the pitch. Our biggest – certainly most enjoyable - victory of the season was the local derby against Abingdon. It was a close match between two evenly matched sides, which was settled in our favour by a great strike by top prospect Dan PleydellBouverie who slotted the ball into the bottom right corner to settle the match. This match proved to the team that we had become much tighter than our first match against Harrow where we conceded six. One disappointment was against Marlborough, a game we dominated. Pleydell-Bouverie put us into the lead at half time and the game seemed secured by a sublime strike from Miles Rothery with ten minutes remaining. However, Marlborough came back with a score from a free kick. We became complacent in the final few and from their last-minute goal kick, a miscommunication at the back saw us pegged back to a draw.
Unfortunately, due to snow and a cancellation from St. Paul’s it came down to the game against St. John’s to decide who stayed off the bottom of the league. We played with great determination and used the big pitch to our advantage on Radley’s Bigside. Hatrick-hero Dan P-B secured a well-earned (3-1) win with some great through-balls from Pratt (7 and 33 minutes) and Glassey (47 minutes). This lead was ably defended by Alex O’Dowd (h) and his back line, although Miesegaes had to make a brave double-save on 22 minutes. Our lead may well have been increased on 28 minutes by Freddie Pratt’s stunning free kick that rattled the underside of the bar and a missed close-range follow-up header. You can see this performance on Radley’s website, thanks to MPH’s excellent video unit. We ended the season unbeaten at home! All told, this season was a term of much progress for a team that gelled together well and will grow stronger in the years to come. W Brooks-Ward, H Social
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FOOTBALL COLTS 2 P7 W3 D1 L3 This season for Colts 2 has been an interesting run of form, with different tactics, players and events. Our first fixture was against Harrow, a strong opposition to commence our season with. It was early in the season and teams weren’t set in stone, however, we were in such good favour to have Zac Martin-Zakheim and Moshe Levi amongst us for this fixture. Ben Fletcher got on the scoresheet this game through a shot/ cross from far out, deliberate or not, a great finish nonetheless. The match finished with a 2-1 loss, we were unlucky to concede a late corner, a lack of communication and no one on the back post allowed this corner
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to swerve over Alec Cooke into the side netting direct from the spot. It was still early in the season and we were fairly pleased with the team performance against a very strong Harrow eleven. Next, we faced Marlborough, a confident victory in this match, 7-1 the final score. Even with many players having to leave at the halfway point due to a classics examination. For this match Colts 1 midfield maestro Harry Glassey made an appearance and put in a strong shift for the team. Tim Ojo also made his debut for the squad, scoring a couple. Captain Ollie Green also bagged his first of the season. Even defenders George Clackson and Rafe Lang made the scoresheet.
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We then trekked to Berkhamsted for our third fixture of this season. The Berkhamsted pitches were rather under-par from the usual pitches at home, especially after some awful weather in the days leading up to this fixture. We conceded late in the first half. After a powerful team talk from our coach George May, we upped the tempo and changed tactics, we removed the attempt of short tiki-taka passes and gave the good old long ball in behind a shot. Soon enough, Tim Ojo was played through and passed it across to Ollie Green who tapped in an open goal. Shortly after this, a cross resulting with a rattling bar and a counterattack from Berkhamsted, causing a goal. Another 2-1 loss, a frustrating loss for the whole team.
Coach: GHS May, SR Molyneux Captain: O Green
Our next match was a home fixture against Haileybury. It was a swift start from Colts 2, Ollie Green played a ball across to Tim Ojo who found space in the middle and finished easily. From here, our pressure dropped, we allowed Haileybury to get chance after chance. Finally, after many attempts on goal a well weighted corner flew into our goal to make it 1-1. This would be how the game played out. Leave-Away was fast approaching but before we could go home we had to face Abingdon, our main rivals. The game started swiftly, Radley went 1-0 up when Green gets on the end of a ball in behind. Then Karl Von-Sanden smashes one into the top corner from outside the box. After a couple
of wasted chances, we scored our third goal through Chris Sloan. The game ended 3-2, it was a rewarding win and a close match. After leave-away, we faced Tonbridge away. We played Wallis at centre back due to injuries. This was our hardest match and our worst result. No matter how hard Tufnell worked in the midfield, we were the weaker team and nothing seemed to go our way this match, the final score was 3-0 Tonbridge. Then we played St. John’s Leatherhead. We didn’t know what to expect after losing to them the previous year. We switched things up for this game, we went with a 3-4-3 formation. We moved Fanshawe up into the midfield
and left the defence as Lang, Grant and Clackson with Metcalfe on the bench. The game started well when Green and Lindblom played a onetwo and Green curled one under the keeper. Then, on the brink of half time, we conceded a corner. At half time the score was 1-1, however we were playing better football. Then mid-way through the second half Green dribbled into the box and layed it off to Fletcher who placed it into the top corner. Only a few plays later Von-Sanden played a one-two with Green and slotted it away into the bottom corner. The final score was 3-1 to Radley.
O Green, C Social
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FOOTBALL COLTS 3 P5 W3 D1 L1 The Colts 3 team delivered a most creditable term of football – we played 5, we won 3, drew 1 and lost only 1 game - and that was in a very close game against Harrow. The 2-1 loss against Harrow in our first game did not deter us in the slightest and we went on to play three very good games – beating Berkhamsted and then Haileybury, and then drawing in our away match in the far-flung reaches of Tonbridge. In our early games we were helped greatly by the presence of Tim Ojo (whom we wish continued support in his recuperation) in the first two games and Jack Metcalfe in the first three games. Alas for us, Mr May noted their talent and Tim and Jack moved-up to the Colts 2 team. Yet we were never without a deep pool of talent in the Colts 3: in our defensive line-up (4 boys for the most part with the odd fancy bit of Fifa-nomenclature with CAMs and CDMs making the odd appearance despite the protestations of the coaches) we were well-served with Caspar Osborne-Young in the centre alongside our assertive and motivational goalie – Sam Palmer-
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Tompkinson ensuring that the defence did their job well. Harry Rugman and Archie Halliday, with Harry Henderson – did a sterling job in every game. In the midfield we were very well-served by our Captain – Rapha Chu – whose tenacity and assertiveness ensured that every ball was chased and often won. Ed Crowston ran at everyone and usually got past them – creating a threat from almost every ball than went through the centre of the park. Chris Beeson floated between the so-called CAM (Central Attacking Midfield) and a Centre-Back (for those of us who are over forty and remember these archaic terms) emulating Crowston in his ability to chase every ball – but showing real commitment in his willingness to run back and support the defense. Max Wetton and Tom Beardmore-Gray were also tenacious and committed midfielders willing to run at players and take-them-on. In attack – Wissam Attou and Josh Rae-Smith, alongside Tom Williams-Bulkeley – made for a skilful and articulate set of forwards who showed grace on the ball as well as the ability to get the ball in the net, often from the edge of the area.
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Coaches: KA Mosedale, RK McMahon Captain: R Chu
Overall, the team displayed the values that I most wanted to see: sportsmanship, controlled aggression directed properly and the ability both to win well and lose well. Once I have finished basking in the vicarious glory of the season what I will remember most is the game against St John’s Leatherhead who arrived with 9 men against our squad of 12. We discussed what to do and Ed Crowston and Max Wetton agreed to play a half each for the opposition – and we agreed that they would do so with 100% commitment. I thought we would lose when we were at 1-1 with two shots of ours hitting the paintwork, but we came back to win 5-1. I recall the Warden giving an Assembly in which he discussed one of our top cricketers agreeing to play for Eton in a home match here at Radley – and praising the boy for his professionalism in so doing. I would echo these words in relation to the St John’s match – and note that this match was a microcosm of the way we played and the spirit in which we approached every game.
RK McMahon
FOOTBALL COLTS 4 P4 W1 L3 Team from: C Ames, R Pope, R Woods, J Wakeley, L Giffard-Moore, H Fallowfield, A Eliot-Cohen, T Southwell, T Bracken, N Carter, A Goaman, M Wetton, C Curtis, T Uglow, F Hervey, W Power, A Sobhan Despite a losing record and a fixture list due to the snow in the second half of term, the Colts 4 boys had an enjoyable season and played some attractive football. The first game (Harrow, away) was always going to be hard and so it proved. Radley were a little rusty after a year off from football and never recovered from going two behind in the first few minutes. It also took us a while to get our heads around the offside rule. Despite having a few shots on target in the second half, we were comfortably beaten 8-0. The next game (Abingdon, away) was a much more hard-fought affair. The boys
Coach: MCF Brown Captain: J Wakeley
played their hearts out in driving rain, but eventually lost 4-3. It was frustrating to hit the bar with the last kick of the match. Angus Goaman and Jude Wakeley were the standout players. Just before half-term we played a return match against Abingdon. We started a little shakily, but we had clearly learned some lessons from the previous game as we soon took control and eventually come out 4-1 winners with goals from Wetton (2), Fallowfield and Giffard-Moore. Wetton took man of the match honours, but special mention should also go to Power for his dominant performance in goal.
lost convincingly 7-2. The rest of the season was a little frustrating: the boys trained hard mid-week but due to the weather and other reasons the matches against Berkhamsted, St John’s Leatherhead and St Paul’s were all cancelled.
MCF Brown
Unfortunately we were unable to maintain the winning momentum when we travelled to Tonbridge at the end of February. They put up a strong team, and despite two goals from the ever-reliable Wakeley, we
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FOOTBALL JC 1 P8 W1 D1 L6 GF9 GA37 GD-28 Player of the season: Arthur Cornet, B Social Golden Boot: Zayn Hussain, J Social The bald statistics suggest this was an unrelentingly hard season with scarce few positives. In reality, it doesn’t feel that way. We play in the Independent Schools FA League, a competition in which there are no easy fixtures, and we play against schools who suffer none of the institutional straitjacketing imposed upon RCAFC. Many of our competitors benefit from a combination of playing football at U14 level and having complete freedom of choice between Football and Hockey at
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U15 level: two pipe dreams for the Football Club here. We were, then, outclassed on several occasions, often finding ourselves several goals down before we had a chance to stoke the fires and mount a fightback. Superb second-half performances against Harrow, Berkhamsted, and Tonbridge proved we could compete with the very best: they only made the frustration of our poor first-half performances all the more bitter. Those games finished 6-2, 6-1, and 5-1 having been 4-0, 5-1, and 5-0 at half time respectively. And on the occasions we rallied ourselves from the start – against Abingdon, St Paul’s, and St. John’s Leatherhead – we ran out of puff in the second half.
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Coaches: PWG Ford, LM Ryan Captain: H Glover
Despite huge improvement, the defence remained leaky throughout the season, a problem not helped when the imposing Jamie BeardmoreGray was ruled out through injury in February. At his best, Rory Elliott was an inspirational shot-stopper who kept the scoresheet looking vaguely respectable on a number of occasions. Arthur Cornet produced several lion-hearted displays in the centre of defence and is deservedly the coaches’ Player of the Season. Defensive frailties meant we preferred to play 4-5-1 and break on the counter using the pace of Eugene Chow and the determination of Ivor Radway, both of whom were hacked at and chopped down by clumsy defenders across the south of England: they had stellar seasons.
FOOTBALL JC 2 The centre of midfield remained an enigma: we had four impressive individuals who could never quite function as a team. Skipper Harvey Glover’s leadership, industry, and creativity were invaluable. Zayn Hussain had several moments of individual brilliance: a thirty-yard free kick to equalise (briefly) against Abingdon and his cool-as-ice penalty to record our only win (2-1 against Marlborough) were the highlights. Moshe Levi had opposition coaches cooing over his technique, and Louis Donaldson ran box-to-box all season with little to show for it. All have improved their game awareness, positional play, and basic technique this season, and all have had their eyes opened to what the standard of football is like in other schools, which is no bad thing. They were a good group to work with and we look forward to following their progress in the years ahead: if the boys can combine their first half performance against Abingdon with the second half from Tonbridge then they will be an attractive, wellorganised, and hard-to-beat team. Team from: Elliott (GK), Barber, Cornet, Beardmore-Gray, Knatchbull, Radway, Hussain, Donaldson, Levi, Chow, Glover (C), Southgate, Batty, Baglietto, Mogg, Parsons.
PWG Ford, LM Ryan
Coaches: R Burns, A Cunningham Captain: G Fincham P8 W1 L7 The Junior Colts had a very tough season, but what was remarkable, was the attitude and good spirit the boys turned up with every week. Overall, the team played 8 matches, won 1 and lost 7. These were by no means ‘easy’ fixtures and the results don’t reflect the hard work the boys put in. It takes a great deal of courage and determination to come out week after week after suffering some heavy defeats. However, in true Radleian fashion, the boys got their heads down and gave it their all. It was a slow start to the season and it took some time for the boys to come together and gel as a team. After only two training sessions, they were thrown into their first match against Harrow and suffered 6-0 defeat. For their first fixture, they put in a solid performance and, despite the defeat, showed good potential. Some fantastic goal keeping from O’Donnell made sure that the boys held their own against such tough opposition. The lows of the season were the two heavy defeats against Berkhamsted School and Abingdon. To suffer a 15-0 defeat against Berkhamsted and be able to come back to training as a team is a remarkable achievement and one that the boys should be very proud of. The high of the season was our 3-2 win against Marlborough College in the second fixture. Wheeler, Bligh and Coulson put in an outstanding performance and each scored their first goal for the JC2 squad. To win a match so early in the season was fantastic for morale and gave the boys the confidence boost they needed.
joining JC2, the squad felt stronger than ever and went into the match with a positive attitude. Everyone on the field put in a strong performance, especially Moshe who scored his first hat-trick of the season for JC2 and Parsons who followed up with his first goal of the season. Sadly, despite their best efforts, they lost 7-4. The boys knew that their main problem was their fitness and said that they simply ran out of steam towards the end of the second half. Throughout the season, the boys made good progress and made a concerted effort to take on board the advice they were given. What started out as a disorganised group of boys struggling to find the ball, gradually turned into a team of 11 young men who worked together and showed that they could produce some good quality football. Particular praise needs to be given to the defensive line who dug deep every match and, by the end of the season, showed good skill and team work. After a promising performance against St. Paul’s School, the team was disappointed that the fixture against Epsom was cancelled. They were fired up and felt confident that they could end the season on a high and with their second win. Sadly, this was not meant to be. The JC2 squad were an enjoyable bunch to coach and every session, despite the ups and downs, was filled with fun and laughter. We would like to thank Fincham and Parsons for their dedication in leading the team and commend all the squad on their hard work and sheer grit throughout season. B Burns and A Cunningham
The match that had everyone on the edge of their seats was the fixture against Haileybury. With Moshe THE RADLEIAN SPORTS SUPPLEMENT
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ROWING The Lent Term has been one of hard training and slight frustration for the Boat Club, with many events unfortunately cancelled either due to high winds, or more frequently, fast river conditions which made the events unsafe to run. The 142-strong members of the Boat Club have been training hard regardless of the lack of racing opportunities, with the new J14 recruits making particularly good use of the Jock Mullard Rowing Tank. In total, the J14s had only managed 7 outings on the river all term due to the fast stream conditions. However, eighteen boys did manage to make their Radley racing debuts at the Oarsport Junior Scullery event held at Dorney Lake towards the end of term. Considering the crews’ lack of water time, they performed outstandingly, placing 17th and 28th out of 57 crews, with one crew picking up gold medals as the fastest ‘B’ crew of the event: an excellent achievement and a credit to the J14s’ patience and persistence during a challenging term. A special mention must also go to the J14 coaches who have worked tirelessly to keep morale high and sessions varied during a very much ‘landbased’ term! Other squads have been pressing on with their training, with the J15 year looking to find their feet in their first season of ‘sweep’ rowing. They had their first ever outing at Wycliffe Head, and raced in mixed crews at Schools’ Head, acquitting themselves well against the other mixed VIIIs from Eton College. The focus will now start to narrow down towards 1st and 2nd crews in the Summer Term. The J16 group has had some issues with illness and injury during the Lent Term, but they are starting to
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Master in Charge: SW Townsend
find some consistency as they move into the Summer Term, and will undoubtedly be looking to make use of the week-long training camp in Slovenia to find that little bit of extra speed moving into the sideby-side regatta season next term. The senior squad have had a large contingent training extremely hard during the Lent Term, with some encouraging mixed eight results at the Quintin and Wycliffe Heads. This looked to be leading towards a promising day at the last event of the season, the Schools’ Head. This was the case for two of the three crews, but the 1st VIII had a disappointing day, only managing to finish 10th in Championship VIII’s. However, the 2nd VIII achieving 3rd in their category, and the 3rd VIII finishing 2nd in theirs, shows the depth that we have in the senior squad, and there is still confidence among the coaches and squad that there are three fast eights that will emerge from training camp to attack the summer racing season. Radley also had six boys who attended the GB Rowing Long Distance Trials in Boston, Lincolnshire, in February. All of the pairs gave their best over the two days of racing, with two boys, Archie McChesney and Theo Metcalf, performing very well which led to an invite for them and cox Matt Dawson to GB Spring Assessments in Nottingham during the Easter Holidays. These trials will determine whether any of the boys will go on to represent GB at the Munich Junior Regatta in May, before they continue the trialing process through to the end of the season, with the aim of representing their country at either the World Junior Championships or the Coupe de la Jeunesse.
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The Boat Club begins its summer campaign by taking its largest group of boys ever (36) on training camp to Lake Bohinj in Slovenia, before racing at the first event, BASHER, on the 28th April. The main focus of the club, as always, will be to produce fast crews for the National Schools’ Regatta on the 25th - 27th of May.
SW Townsend
RACKETS Following a successful Michaelmas term, the squad have continued to build on the firm foundations being laid, particularly at the Junior end of the club. Competition for spots in the top Shell pair is intense, with G. Acheson-Gray (f), E. Alder (j), J. Duncan (j), M. Garson (c) and T. Thame (e) still leading the charge. Inevitably, this healthy competition is driving up standards and whilst they are still learning about how to read the game, especially when it comes to doubles, their eagerness to get on court and improve is an invaluable commodity. G. AchesonGray and J. Duncan fought hard at Queen’s in the National Schools’ Doubles at the end of term, but sadly went out to a solid Rugby pair. However, next year as Junior Colts, they will be well placed for a strong run. The Junior Colts continue to go from success to success and the first pair of M. Jardine-Brown (k, R) and D. Stone (j, R) have come on leaps and bounds again this term. Following good wins on the school
Master in Charge: KM Willis-Stovold Coach: JC Rock Captain: H Foreman
circuit during the course of the term, they went into Queen’s full of confidence. They performed admirably and played well to get to the quarter-finals. Sadly, at this stage, in an absolute epic, they were knocked out by Wellington in a terrific match that ebbed and flowed. Again, plenty to look forward to next year with another year’s experience and coaching. The Colts pair of E. Crowston and T. van der Meerschen have had another strong term with wins over Cheltenham College, Clifton College and Rugby, to name but a few. As a recognised pair on the school circuit, there was some hope that this might translate into a threatening run at Queen’s. As it was, their run also came to an end in the quarter-finals against a Tonbridge pair who made fewer unforced errors. At Senior level, Harry Foreman (e, 6.2) and Harry Purton (6.1, h) have had a tremendous year as First Pair. Whilst things sadly have not
quite clicked for either of them at Queen’s this year, over the course of the two terms they have notched up some fantastic wins against strong opposition. The win in the penultimate week of term against St Paul’s was a fitting end to the school season for them both. We look forward to Harry Purton leading the club next year and competition is stiff for the other first pair place – a nice position to be in. At the same time, it is right to acknowledge and thank Harry Foreman for his efforts over the past five years. He has been as loyal and committed a member of the club as one could wish for and has put in huge amounts of work, often behind the scenes during the course of his time at Radley. The Summer term offers some respite, with no school fixtures. However, with the developing wider love for the game in the school and the insatiable appetite for improvement of many of the boys, the court will not be quiet for long! KM Willis-Stovold and JC Rock
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REAL TENNIS It has been another stellar year for the Real Tennis Club, with success across all age groups. With the new court at Wellington now in full flow and that school providing plenty of competition, it is heartening to see Radley’s continued strength in depth, shown by so many of the matches in the Michaelmas Term. Particular highlights included overall wins of 8 matches to 1 and 8 matches to 2 away at Canford at both Senior and Junior Colts Level, a 7-1 win at home to a very strong Dedanists team, and a 5-0 victory over Wellington in November, avenging a tight earlier defeat at Hardwick.
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It was very clear from the Shell Games Circus in September that there was no shortage of talent amongst Radley’s new boys. Some came with some previous experience of the game, whilst others picked it up quickly, resulting in a team that was simply too strong for any other school. It is testament to this strength that they beat Wellington both home and away by comfortable margins (including a rather impressive 10-0 victory), using very different teams on each occasion. All this success boded well for our main target of the year – the
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Masters in Charge: MF Dean Captain: B Yorstron
National Schools’ Doubles in February. The Shells, with a home advantage, showed their domination over all competition. Edward Alder and Jonty Duncan became champions by beating another Radley pair, Magnus Garson and George Acheson-Gray, in the final, whilst 3rd and 4th place were also Radley pairs! Certainly promising signs for the future of the club. In the U16 competition at Wellington, Max Wetton and Ed Crowston succeeded in making it to the final, where they lost a close match to Portsmouth Grammar School 8-5. With the success of Junior Colts in school matches, hopefully Max
Jardine-Brown and Dominic Stone can regain that particular trophy next year, although they will have stiff competition from the current Radley Shells that will be in the same age group. The U18s, held at the prestigious Queen’s Club, was a competition of extremely high quality. Radley Pairs 1 & 2 met in the semi-final stage, where Ned Batstone and Benedict Yorston defeated Harry Purton and Harry Foreman. In a final where the momentum was constantly switching, Yorston and Batstone managed to win in three sets against a strong Wellington 1st Pair to take the crown. With both Purton and Batstone in 6.1, there is a strong chance to retain the trophy next year. The last half of the Lent Term
was filled by the school Singles Competitions, complete with brand new trophies. The Shell competition saw ten entrants displaying an incredibly high standard of Tennis, given their age. Eventually Edward Alder and Toby Marriott faced off in the final, with Alder winning 8/3 to make his the first name on the cup. The Senior Competition, including Colts players and Max Jardine-Brown from Removes, included some very high quality and intense matches. Doubles partners Batstone and Yorston, after defeating Purton and Foreman respectively, met in the final in an epic battle lasting an hour and 45 minutes. Eventually Yorston prevailed 5/6 6/5 6/2 to cap off his final year at Radley, although Batstone will be favourite to get his name on the trophy next year. As ever, such success is only possible because those helping to coach, organise matches, and retain endless patience with the boys. Both MFD and APWB gave up many hours to help with matches, whilst MFD also played a key part in the National Schools’ Competitions. On the coaching side, CJR and Zach Eadle helped improve many of the boys’ games, whilst the recently arrived assistant professionals, Saskia and Adam, have already made a big impact. The future of Radley’s Real Tennis is certainly safe with them. Seniors: B. Yorston (captain), N. Batstone, H. Purton, H. Foreman, G. Medd, O. White, W. Hamilton-Russell, F. Armstrong, H. Walther-Caine. L.Ely, F.Stone Colts: G. Bishop, M. Wetton, M. Jardine-Brown, E. Crowston, D. Stone, N. Tompkins, A. O’Donnell, G. Hall, F. Bulmer, A. Goaman, W. Blacker Midgets: M. Garson, E. Alder, J. Duncan, G. Acheson-Gray, G. O’Connor, T. Seddon, C. Stradling, O. Mordaunt, W. Mordaunt, T. Bailey, T. Marriott
FIVES Coach: OD Wills Captain: Hugo Halford-Harrison
The 2017/18 Fives season at Radley saw a small but dedicated group of players developing their skills further and playing a handful of fixtures in the Lent term. The team was captained by Hugo Halford-Harrison, with Edward Andrew completing the first pair and the second ‘pair’ made up of Jamie Bell, Henry Wiggin and Andrew Shaw. The fixtures included a visiting team from Tonbridge, played on a particularly slippery set of courts, an away fixture at St Paul’s, played on their usual warm, fast and bouncy courts, and a season-ending RFA/ OR fixture at home. The latter will hopefully lead to more cooperation between the school, ORs and the RFA to provide more diverse training and fixtures and a closer link with the RFA thanks to Duncan Neale, an OR and RFA member. Half colours are awarded to Hugo Halford-Harrison. The most-improvedplayer award goes to Henry Wiggin, stepping into the first pair for the final fixture of the season. With three 6.1 boys in the team and one Vth, we look forward to a healthy 6th form showing next season. We are looking to resurrect the Fives careers of any who have played at their prep schools and will be entering the Vth form next year and, as always, fostering some novice talent from interested parties.
OD Wills
B Yorston, B Social
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GOLF The Senior Golfers remain unbeaten in competition this academic year, and our three best golfers, Arthur Tapner, Freddie Horler and James Duffy have managed to progress through several rounds against other schools in the south east to make the national finals of the HMC tournament, the premier independent schools singles matchplay tournament, to be held at St Mellion GC in April. Our 6 most senior golfers, comprising the aforementioned three plus Will Todd,
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Coaches: P Miron, JRW Beasley
Andrew Liu and Zac Carter (who is, remarkably, still in his Remove year), will also be competing against Wellington, one of the country’s strongest golfing schools, in April for a place in the finals of the prestigious ISGA tournament. The term was brought to a particularly fine end by our fifth successive victory in the West of England Public Schools Championship at Burnham & Berrow Golf Club. The team of Tapner, Duffy, Horler, Liu and Todd came from behind in both the semi and final
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matches to seal a fine victory. We have managed to increase the quality and quantity of coaching this year, with regular range trips and regular sessions with our Pro, Adam Wootton, both of which have seen the boys continue to develop and lower their handicaps. The Junior Golfers have enjoyed wins in friendlies against Stowe at home, and wins against Marlborough both home and away. They have also played the two away legs of
our regular triangular fixtures against Wellington and Bradfield. The first fixture, played at Bradfield, saw us outclassed by extremely strong opposition, but we held our own in the second match where we finished in second place, with Ben Wilson achieving the joint highest Stableford score of the day. The boys have also continued to develop their skills with range sessions through the winter which will be key with a full summer of matches just around the corner.
Dezelsky, T Beardmore-Gray, Adams
P Miron
Senior Squad: Tapner, Duffy, Horler, Todd, Carter, Liu, de Watteville, Chirstopherson Junior Squad: Carter, Wilson, Deram, O’Connor, Mason-Phelps, Melvin, Spicer,
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SAILING Team: M Lopez, A Bhandarkar, S Collis, W Cook, A Dayes, M Morgan Stark, C Rooth, G Turner There have been no competitions this term but plenty of training sessions to prepare for the Warsash Spring Series (sailed in March and April in SB20s on the Solent), which is our warm-up event for Cowes Week later in August. We have a relatively new team of sailors this year, ably captained by George “Boris” Dillon-Robinson, who has been (literally) showing everyone the ropes with incredible patience and bonhomie. Following good progress over the Michaelmas Term in dinghies, the newcomers have progressed to sailing SB20 keelboats this term. This has been a huge challenge not just in terms of getting to grips with bigger, faster boats and sailing in a larger crew of four, but also in terms of
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Master in Charge: AK Mühlberg Coach: G Barker Captain: G Dillon-Robinson
coping with the extremely cold and windy conditions this year. When the wind was not full on, it disappeared completely, making for tricky drifting condition – also not ideal. On the upside, this allowed the boys to practise their powerboat skills, their knots, and (slightly unexpectedly) to exercise their vocal cords. The reservoir and its resident wildlife and fishermen have certainly had their fair share of Radley boys’ singing this year, no doubt testament to the crew’s enjoyment of their time on the water and each other’s company. Many thanks is due to the Music Department for making this as bearable an experience as possible for all concerned! Joking aside, we hope that with much kinder weather on the way, our rookie team will keep improving and soon find themselves ready to compete in earnest. Apart from further training on the SB20s, they will return to
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dinghies (Fevas in particular) with a view to competing at Itchenor Schools Regatta in June. May the excellent team spirit prevail and bring some decent results over the next few months! AK Mühlberg
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BEAGLING The 2017/18 season has flown by faster than I can believe. It seems like just yesterday we were cycling with the hounds in Lower Radley in the post-summer heat to get hounds fit for the start of hunting. This year we have had unprecedented support from boys, with around fifteen boys choosing beagling as their full-time sport during the latter part of the season and a very promising group of Removes in particular. We have enjoyed many events this year, such as the annual October “Tour de North”, as it has been coined, to Yorkshire. We were hosted
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Master in Charge: TM Morris
incredibly kindly by the Colne and Holme Valley Beagles, who allowed us to kennel with them and hunt in their country. Our opening and closing meets were very well attended; a field of over fifty boys, ORs and parents followed at our closing meet. The start of the season was frustrating, as we did not get out as often as we would have liked due to standing crops and shooting, but nevertheless notably good days were had at Woolstone Hill Barn (near the Uffington White Horse) and Black Bourton
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early on; a very successful Clay Pigeon Shoot helped boost funds. As we approached the October half-term there was overwhelming excitement in anticipation of our northern trip. We had two fantastic days’ hunting over beautiful Yorkshire grouse moorland, by kind permission of John Taylor and Joan Martin, and one fruitful day of ferreting with long dogs and nets. Soon Christmas was upon us and it was time for our yearly reeling evening, which was very well attended and very successful in raising necessary funds for our
year-on-year expenses. This event, like all RCB events, is organised by the beagles committee, boys and parents as we are partly self-funded. During the Christmas holidays four days’ hunting were had all in different parts of the country including Gloucestershire at Calmsden Manor hosted kindly by Mr and Mrs Mike Tufnell (current Radley parents; Mike is an OR). We also visited Chetwode Manor in Buckinghamshire by kind permission of Mr and Mrs Rupert Sweeting (another OR): this was arguably the best day’s hunting we had all season with hounds hunting hard from 11:30 until we successfully concluded the day at 3:30. We were also hosted at Christmas by The Hon Mr John Greenall in Derbyshire (another Radley parent) where a fantastic day was had in rather thick
snow that came up to the knees in parts.
We hope to see both schools out again next season.
The holidays were soon over and it was back to school. From February 1st we started hunting three days a week; due to the colder weather, scent for the hounds became far better and this meant longer, faster and on the whole better hunting. The later part of the season saw notably good days at Pidnell Farm, Step Farm and Woolstone Hill Barn – the latter was a joint meet with the Warwickshire Beagles (Simon Timbrell’s old pack) as a celebration of retiring huntsman Martin Weatherhead, who started hunting the Warwickshire in 1989.
The 2017/18 season has been tremendous fun and I am very much looking forward to next year when William Stubbs (C) will join me in the Mastership – a well-deserved appointment. I mentioned our strong team of Removes; I have appointed Oliver Mullen, Rupert Lowe, James Taylor and Luke Kilsby as honorary whippers-in who will hopefully soon become full whippers-in. Next season will see the move to our new kennels; the future of the Radley College Beagles looks strong.
We hosted two visits by girls from St Mary’s, Calne and also a visit by the Summer Fields Beagling Club.
F Thackray, A Social
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RUGBY 7S After the close of the 15-a-side season at the end of the Michaelmas term, the rugby club reverts to the 7-a-side format for the Lent term. The Senior VII normally compete at the Shiplake, Windsor and Rosslyn Park tournaments, however with the effects of the ‘Beast from the East’, the squad were only able to compete at Shiplake and Rosslyn Park. The Shiplake tournament was on a gloriously sunny Sunday at the start of March, with the college pitches in fine condition. Radley were in a group with Cheltenham College, Caterham and Emmanuel. After a tough game against Cheltenham, in which we picked up a knock to James Skinner, Radley picked up momentum in their remaining pool games, with notable performances from both Zac Nearchou and Alfred Mawdsley. A few barnstorming runs and delicate offloads to supporting players saw Radley finish third in the pool and head into the third tier knockout stage. First up, in the semi-final, Haileybury. This match promised to be a real challenge, given the pedigree of Haileybury’s rugby in recent years. Charlie Robertson, a stalwart of the 2nd XV last term, stepped up to the plate. He was everywhere, dynamic, aggressive, skilful and provided the foundation for a hard fought Radley victory. Will Nicholson, having worked enormously hard over the previous two terms, was a revelation in attack, with an elusive sidestep and blistering turn of pace. After a tense, narrow victory over Haileybury, the men in black and white of Tonbridge awaited Radley in the Shiplake Vase Final. This was an even closer game than the semi, with Radley’s two unconverted tries only providing a slender lead over Tonbridge’s converted one. Will Nicholson played out of his skin in both the semi and the final, with his try against Tonbridge proving to be decisive in Radley walking away with silverware.
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Master in Charge: ND Wood Coaches: TC Lawson, LJ Clogher
The two series of 3 minute defensive blocks in either half were testament to the strength and conditioning work the boys had been putting in, under the watchful eye of S&C coach James Marshall. Ollie Friend’s exceptional defensive work in the final was something to marvel. If only Ollie hadn’t been on the end of a couple of unfortunate hand injuries in Michaelmas, he would’ve been an even greater asset to the 1st XV. All in all, a fine Sunday’s work for the first hit out of the term. With the tournament at Windsor on the 4th March cancelled due to the inclement weather, the squad were keenly aware that they might be entering the big competition of the school calendar, Rosslyn Park, undercooked. Finding themselves in much the same boat, our local rivals St. Edward’s were keen to find time for a conditioned game or two. The Senior VII first played a conditioned touch game on the astroturf at Radley and the following Monday, two days before the start of Rosslyn, both the Seniors and the newly formed Midgets VII headed across to Teddies. After warming up, both squads played two full games of 7s, with extended squads. This was invaluable to both teams in their preparation and both sets of coaches were indebted to the boys from both schools for the way they embraced the opportunity to challenge themselves, particularly given the bitter conditions. On Wednesday 21st March, the Senior VII squad arrived at the Richardson Evans Memorial Fields, home of the Rosslyn Park 7s, ready to take on a tough group - Gower College, Windsor School for Boys, Liverpool College and Wellington School, a late replacement after another school dropped out. First up, Liverpool College. A tight first half, with a try each for Zac Nearchou and Toby White. Toby has real pace,
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something we were lacking at Shiplake and put it to good use straight away. Unfortunately, we were to lose Toby in the first half of the second pool game due to a knock. Zac’s try, unsurprisingly, was a blend of subtle hands, raw power and a deceptive turn of pace. With the scores neck and neck at half time, Radley went up through the gears in the second half and the boys ran in a handful of tries for a comfortable win. The second pool game vs. Windsor was nailbiting. Trailing by 19 points at half time, the boys fought hard and, with a slight tactical change, ran in 5 tries to win the game 27-19. Once again, Alfred Mawdsley delivered when it was needed most, however the work rate of Felix Milne and Murdo Blythe was exemplary. Murdo played nearly every minute of every match. Murdo plays the game with a smile on his face, wherever you need him and his attitude sets the standard for the rest. Felix worked hard as one of the pivot men, continually looking to get his hands on the ball to find and exploit the space. A robust scrum half, he is more than capable of taking a hit or two, as was often the case as he looked to put other players through a gap. The third pool match against Gower would be tournament defining. Another electric start by the opposition left Radley trailing 15-0 at half time. Once again, character and fitness shone through in the second half. Marcus Stalder proved how much of a handful he can be. With his blistering speed, natural sidestep and turn of pace that has caught many a defender off guard, Marcus found two opportunities to score and took advantage, bringing the score back to 12-15. With Radley’s defence forcing Gower to knock the ball forward, there appeared to be time for one last roll of the dice. Sadly, however, after
awarding the scrum, the referee then blew for full time. A fine effort against a very strong Welsh team. The final pool game was against Wellington School - the alma mater of RMCG (not to be confused with Wellington College). There was still an outside chance to qualify as one of the best runners up, so the Senior VII set about their work, in an attempt to score as many points as possible. What transpired was the best fourteen minutes of 7s the team had put together. Paddy Langdale was everywhere - offloading, tackling, turning the ball over, running a ball in from 40 metres out and even putting Alfred Mawdsley away from a lineout trick play straight from the training ground - the proudest moment of Mr. Lawson’s tournament! Sadly, the difference between making it to the second day of the tournament and going home emptyhanded was the three point losing margin to Gower - such is the nature of the Rosslyn Park 7s, with over 700 schools entering the tournament. The Senior VII can be incredibly proud of their efforts. They have continued in the spirit of the 15-a-side season, always looking to keep the ball alive, take risks and play with enormous smiles on their faces. The 6.1s who return in Michaelmas 2018 will have benefitted from the experience and from challenging themselves in a version of the game that champions individual skill, decision making and resilience.
ND Wood
MIDGETS 7S Coaches: JA Gaunt, RMC Greed
In order to maintain the impressive progress made by the Midgets 1 rugby squad over the course of the Michaelmas term, it was decided that we should enter the squad into some Sevens’ competitions. Unfortunately the two preparation tournaments were lost to the Beast from the East and then Storm Emma; weather that cruelly affected so many fixtures country wide. In order to compensate for this the squad travelled to St Edward’s Oxford for some conditioned practice. This was tremendously useful, teaching the boys many valuable lessons, namely about the need to fully concentrate throughout ever second of the game. Rory Fletcher returned to action having missed almost all of the 15’s season but was so unlucky to pick up another injury ruling him out of the National 7’s at Rosslyn Park. Rory has shown throughout the session just how valuable a player he will be to this squad moving forward and I am sure he will have more luck next year. The squad travelled to Rosslyn Park to take its place in a very tough group alongside Clifton College, Eton, Hymer’s College and Birkdale High School. We started extremely well, racing into a 17-0 half-time lead against Clifton College. Toby Thame and Oliver Mordaunt both showing extreme levels of skill and bravery in their defensive work throughout the game meaning that we ran out 17-7 winners after Clifton showed their true colours in the second half. Unfortunately the excellent start was undone by a poor performance against Hymer’s College; the squad lacked urgency and intensity in the opening half and were 19-0 down at half time. However, the second half was a different story and had the game gone on for another minute or two I am confident that we would have won having got ourselves back to 19-17. Lessons were nonetheless
learned! Eton lay in wait next and confidence was good having beaten them 19-5 in the XV’s fixture. We took an early lead and were hanging on at 19-14 with one minute to play when the powerful Eton centre powered his way over from a short range scrum. The conversion was missed and the game drawn. The returning Harry Pitt was immense in his defensive work throughout. How we had missed him in the XVs season! With all sides in the group having lost, all possibilities were open going into the last game. We needed a draw between Eton and Clifton and also to win by 64 clear points against Birkdale despite. The squad were focused and warmed up with real intent. After two minutes of waiting for our opposition it soon became clear that Birkdale had headed homewards, not honouring their last fixture. This was enormously disappointing but the boys, led by the impressive Harry Silman, were superb throughout and have certainly encouraged us to maintain the U14 7s programme in future years. Well done to everyone involved.
JA Gaunt, RMC Greed
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SQUASH It has been another strong year for the Squash Club, not one without disappointment, but certainly with enough victories and fine performances to define it as a success. 42 different boys represented the club in matches against other schools, with an overall record of 16 matches won, and 8 lost. The win percentage of 66.7% is the envy of all other sports at Radley. The loss of a number of key players last year resulted in a very different looking first team, and allowed opportunities for some unexpected stars to rise. Benedict Yorston and Harry Foreman at the top of the rankings often found themselves against very
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Master in Charge: SR Giddens
high quality opposition, but still managed to produce some fine wins between them, including some battling victories against Harrow and Winchester. Oscar White and Tom Sweetnam showed that they will be a match for most at the top of the rankings next year, with some excellent squash from both. Oscar’s swift return to form after a number of enforced injury breaks also demonstrated the fine fighting spirit engrained in the Squash Club’s DNA. Tom Novis and Ben Broughton also played admirably in their final year when called upon to play in the 1st team, with Broughton improving immensely through the year – he lost only one match in the entire Lent term. Baz Butterwick was another to
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take his squash to new levels, and hopefully he can continue that upwards trajectory to compete with White and Sweetnam next year. Perhaps most excitingly of all was the regular presence of a Shell performing at the highest level in the form of Magnus Garson. Having only been at the school a couple of weeks, he announced himself by beating (much to their chagrin) a number of rather senior club players, including then-Captain Tom Novis. Such potential for quite a few years to come bodes very well for the future. The Second Team also showed that they were a force to be reckoned with and claimed some fine wins themselves. This included facing
(and beating) a full strength St. Edwards first team. I guess imports aren’t everything. Will Pockney led strongly in his matches, whilst Freddie Armstrong defeated everybody he came up against. Radley can certainly boast greater strength in depth than any other school. The junior teams were strong throughout the year, often making the difference in matches where the Seniors struggled. Ed Crowston and Arthur Eliot-Cohen led the Colts team from the front with fine winning records, whilst Dom Stone claimed the the Club’s best winning record of the season from those who played at least 4 matches, with 8 wins from his 10 matches as the Number 1 Junior Colts player. Fred Walker also deserves a mention for his 100% record from the 3 matches he played (hence the previous sentence).
Despite the frequent absence of their best player to Bigside, the Midgets were also a force to be reckoned with, with the best winning record of all the age groups. Caden Stradling and Edward Alder proved a match for any school’s best, whilst an impressive 16 Shells represented the school at one point or another. It is safe the say the future of Radley squash looks stronger than ever before. Even snow cannot stop the Radley squash club it seems, as the delayed Inter-Social Tournament eventually took place at the end of the Lent Term. J Social showed their strength in depth, with top players in every year group, to defeat C Social in a close final by 3 matches to 2. The snow could also not stop Bigside from competing in the club’s major tournament for the year, the Roehampton Schools Invitational. Despite coming up against the strongest competition in our time in the tournament, the team managed to avoid relegation to division 2, with Ben Broughton producing two wins, and Tom Sweetnam and Ben Yorston one each. This was a great result from Ben who was recently elevated to the position of captain.
Handley, who often even treks to far off matches with us just to help us improve and become better players. He’s done a terrific job in all the time he’s been here, continuing to help us all improve. The final mention must go to SRG, who continues to be a phenomenal MiC despite so many duties elsewhere. The sheer amount of organisation he does for matches, inter-social squash and training sessions cannot be over-emphasised. He even goes so far as to let some of the boys beat him to keep their confidence up. In summary it’s been another brilliant year for the Club, with so many people playing such highquality squash. Long may it last.
B Yorston, B Social
As ever, none of the success enjoyed by the club this season could have happened without a huge amount of support and organisation. MEH, AJH, JASS and LMR were all unbelievably helpful (and patient) with the boys and they can’t be thanked enough. The high quality of squash is in part down to our Pro, Scott
The bigside team at Roehampton. From left to right: Scott Handley (pro), Oscar White (g), Ben Broughton (j), Ben Yorston (b, capt), Harry Foreman (e), Tom Sweetnem (j), SRG (MiC)
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FENCING Every Thursday Central Hour several boys attend a fencing session with Mr. Bickley, our external fencing coach. Numbers have steadily been on the rise, and fixtures are beginning to take shape - particularly against Abingdon. However, towards the end of the Lent Term comes the Public Schools’ Fencing Championships. The PSFC is the largest competition in the UK, and it is held every year at the National Sports Centre (Crystal Palace). On the first day was the boys’ Senior Foil, with Christoph Wallendahl (6.1, f) going through to the last 16. Here he lost to a long-time rival as he tired towards the end of the long day, losing the last point, after starting a comeback, due to a weapon failure. His opponent went on to win the bronze medal. Peter Stern (6.1,
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Master in Charge: N Murphy Captain: C Wallendahl
k), Felix Rawlinson (6.1, f), Alex Dayes (R, f) and Andrew Shaw (V, h) also took part on the Tuesday, with Andrew Shaw improving on his last year’s performance considerably. On the Wednesday Morgan O’Connell (S, f) competed in the boys’ Mount-Haes Foil. He started the day well, winning all his poule bouts, and put in a convincing first knockout round victory, but unfortunately lost out to a similarly-ranked fencer in the last 32. However, in the boys’ Senior Epee Felix Rawlinson surprised everyone in the poule and knockout stages. After the poules he was ranked 5th, and he eventually finished 9th overall, losing 15-14 to an international fencer who eventually won the bronze. Overall, it was a strong performance by the club, illustrating a general upward trend
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in the club’s performance over the past four years. With Rawlinson and Wallendahl competing next year, and some emerging talent in Shaw, O’Connell and some keen Shell boys, there are excellent foundations for future success. Thanks to NM and Olly Bickley for all of their efforts on behalf of the club this year.
C Wallendahl
TEAM PHOTOGRAPHS We are very grateful to Gillman & Soame for supplying team photos. Parents can purchase team photographs (those featuring a watermark in the bottom right corner) by contacting Gillman & Soame directly as highlighted below.
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