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S U M M E R 2017
ATHLETICS The Athletics season was slightly disrupted by the construction of the new Strength and Conditioning building. Things were a little tricky throughout. However, with NM taking over the administration of the club for the term, a shipping container (shared with RCLTC) and a temporary gazebo courtesy of Mr. Anderson, all was well. The term started with Radley hosting the annual relays, with the Shells winning their medley relay thanks to a notable performance by Jago Gourlay, and the Inters coming a respectable second. Next up was the Marlborough meet and star performances from Giles Elmhirst (high jump/long jump) and Alex
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Master in Charge: JW Schofield
Rayne (triple jump/discus/400m) showed the club was heading for great things. A team of eight boys then competed in the Achilles relays held at Iffley Road track in Oxford - famous of course for Roger Bannister’s exploits in 1954. Even with a strong team, we were up against the best teams in the country, racing against Millfield and Oxford University in the heat stages, and thus we were unable to progress to the final. Unfortunately, we have been unable to put all our hard work into practice as a couple of matches were cancelled later in the term. The athletes in the club all improved in one way or another over the season, especially some
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of the 6.1s, who perhaps started the season as slightly reluctant campaigners. Special mention must go to Sam Richardson, who won the county championship U17 javelin title. A huge thank you to all of the dons who have been involved in the running of athletics this term, as well as all those who gave their time to help with the events held at Radley.
G Elmhirst, H Social
CRICKET CLUB 2017 It has been a very successful year for the club. Three teams (1st XI, JC1 and M2) lost only one game and there have been some incredible recoveries, tight finishes and a tie on Bigside in the final game of the JC T20 festival in the last week of term. In addition the 1st XI saw a game won away at Wellington by just 4 runs in the final over and achieved the incredible feat of taking 6 wickets in 6 balls against Marlborough. Other notable performances included the 4th XI who played a 25-over match away at Harrow. Batting first, we were 48
Master in Charge: SH Dalrymple
for 8 after 13 overs. 12 overs later we finished our 25 overs on 155 for 8 (Seagrave scoring 38 not out and Maunder 52 not out) and then bowled Harrow out for 103 to win by 52 runs. On another weekend JC4 were down to 43 for 5 against Tonbridge, and went on to score 230, and Colts 3 managed to chase down 172 off 25 overs against Tonbridge Senior 6ths. All of this reflects great spirit within the club as games were won from seemingly hopeless positions. What’s more with JC 1 winning all but one game and with 8 different boys taking 3 or more wickets in
an innings, and 5 making over 50 for Colts 1 the future looks bright. The enthusiasm the boys have for the game is clearly demonstrated when they choose to spend their spare time in the nets and the challenge of finding meaningful and competitive cricket for all will require creative solutions over the coming years as some schools reduce the number of sides they put out. This year exactly 230 boys represented the school in 18 different teams and 95 out of the 135 completed fixtures were won. SH Dalrymple
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CRICKET 1ST XI P14 W10 L2 A2 Team: R. Betley (c)*, V. Brooke*, S Hoddinott*, W. Carr+, O. MartynHemphill* (wk), J. Robinson*, J. Cunningham+, H Purton+, H Chapman, M. Martin-Zakheim+, T. Eden+, J Folkestone*. + - half colours and *- full colours Preparations for any cricket season at Radley begin in September as the off-season programme starts. We are hugely fortunate to have a cricket pro who is so generous with his time. In his 34th season in charge you would forgive a gentle slow down but Wags has done more than ever this year and seeing him in the Sports Hall at 6am in the winter is a real testament to him and the enthusiasm and desire of the boys he coaches. The first team
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squad enjoy weekly one on one coaching from Andy and the new Merlyn™ bowling machine that has helped boys prepare for a trial by spin in the summer. The weekly offering is also boosted by open net sessions every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon where Jeremy Lloyds has had a huge impact offering concise technical advice and slightly less concise anecdotes from his time as a pro with Gloucester and Somerset and, more recently, his experience as a first class umpire. The boys know they are being looked after by two coaches with a real knowledge of the game as well as infectious enthusiasm and energy. The jewel in the crown of the winter programme is the Sunday Cricket Academy. Wags raids his little black book of cricketing contacts and each session a number of coaches come
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to impart wisdom on a range of specialist topics. Boys from various year groups are invited to join these sessions and it has been great to see a growing sense of a club identity as traditional year group barriers are broken down. This year’s highlights included sessions led by Raj Maru developing the college’s spin bowlers, Nick Gubbins and Richard Scott who brought lessons from last year’s county champions and the visit of Andrew Strauss. There is always an extra frisson with the Ashes winning captain and head of the ECB in the sports hall and it was great to see boys from the shyest Shell to our 6.2 first team regulars chatting to an OR who has reached the very top of the game. Our thanks go to all who came and imparted wisdom and experience with such generosity and good humour.
Coaches: SH Dalrymple, AR Wagner Captain: R Betley
As the final part of the preseason programme, 14 boys made the trip to Desert Springs in Spain for a preseason tour. The weather and facilities were spectacular and the chance to concentrate solely on cricket before the myriad of distractions of a modern summer term was invaluable. Matches were played against other sides who were at the same resort and the true value of the trip can be seen in the early games of the season back in England. The season began on Easter Monday in markedly contrasting weather conditions. With clouds overhead we won the toss and elected to field first. The seamers Eden, Barker and the returning Robinson in partnership with the trio of spinners Martin-Zakheim, Purton and Cunningham, reduced St Paul’s to 150 for 8 off their 50 overs. Despite
a sticky start to the chase (54-4) we closed the game out relatively comfortably chasing down the target of 151 with 6 wickets down and 15 overs spare. The following day we played in our first Cowdrey Cup match of the season away at Charterhouse. Fielding first, Folkestone and Eden ripped through their top order and after 8 overs, they were 13-4. Two wickets in two balls from Folkestone left Charterhouse down, and almost out. A recovery of sorts was stemmed by Martin-Zakheim and the returning Folkestone as Charterhouse scrambled to 160-9 off 50 overs.In reply, Brooke, Carr and Hoddinott survived a potent Surrey-laden attack, with the latter their only victim in the first 31 overs. We won the match convincingly by 7 wickets with 12 overs remaining.
That Saturday we faced Cheltenham. Again, we bowled first after losing the toss and, again, Folkestone was the figure-head of a relentless display of bowling, taking 4-30, including the big wicket of their captain Jamieson-Black for 1. Every bowler contributed as we limited them to 171 all out. The chase was made to look easy by Hoddinott (67 not out off 88), Betley (40 off 31) and Martyn-Hemphill (27 not out off 25). A midweek defeat to the MCC on the Thursday served as great motivation for the players to eradicate the errors in the Saturday against archrivals, Eton. After having lost by an agonising 3 runs last year, the players’ desire to settle the score was beyond question. Batting first, openers Brooke and Hoddinott set another fantastic platform, reaching 113-0 after 23 overs. Brooke looked in magnificent
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form before chipping a catch back to the bowler. That was the start of a mini-collapse that took place before lunch as the top five were all dismissed within 35 runs and 12 overs before lunch. However, a mature innings from veteran Robinson (33 off 53) allowed Purton to manipulate the field brilliantly in the final few overs to finish on 39 off 31. We reached 242 off our 55 overs, a fantastic score after having been under masses of pressure before and after lunch. After a good start in the field, an Eton comeback looked menacing as they reached 76-1 off 12 overs but, yet again, Folkestone came to our rescue as he dismissed their captain, Hardman, who had smashed 57 off 43 balls. After magnificent work in the middle overs from Martin-Zakheim (1-26) and Robinson (2-45), an impressive innings from their No. 3 got them within sight of victory. Carr defied his lack of experience at this level, to show admirable composure along with Folkestone at the death. He took the final wicket of the batsman on 88 to spark scenes of relief and celebration. If the Eton game felt tight, it was as nothing compared to our match against Wellington. Hoddinott (60
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off 104) had set up the platform for Betley to score 112 off 107 balls, his first Radley century. We compiled 278-9 off our 55 overs. A position of dominance had been established but an abysmal first 17 overs saw Wellington get off to a flyer in reply, reaching 98-0, before Martin-Zakheim (3-47) turned the tables by taking the wicket of their in-form opener. After that, he took 2 wickets in 2 balls, including the big wicket of their captain, Shoff, for 1. However, the game looked as if it was slipping away from us as one of their batsman manipulated the field to get them within 24 runs with 5 overs remaining. Leader of the attack, Folkestone returned after a disappointing opening spell to take the huge wicket of their in-form batsmen for 69. Carr (2-29) and Folkestone bowled extremely well to leave Wellington needing 10 off the final over. After 3 balls (including a wide) the equation stood at 5 needed off 4. The events of the following ball will live long in the history of Radley cricket. A brilliant stop at extra cover by Carr left the eager non-striking batsman in the middle of the pitch attempting a single. Carr, with time to run to the stumps and knock the bails off with the ball in his hand,
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instinctively threw at the stumps and missed. Backing up, Cunningham picked up and threw it back to the bowler, Folkestone, who took the bails off whilst the batsman dived desperately to get back in. After the umpire signalled the run out was successful, the game was rescued and we retained our 100% record in the 2017 Cowdrey Cup. The victory by 4 runs crowned the tensest finish to a Bigside match in living memory. Next up was an away trip to Bradfield. Batting first for the third match in a row Brooke and Hoddinott, yet again, set a superb opening platform of 98 before Brooke went for 56 off 49 balls. Carr and Hoddinott put on an impressive 126 run partnership before Carr was dismissed for 73 and Hoddinott finished with 80 off 118. Some late hitting brought us up to 314-7 off 50 overs. In response, Bradfield set up the game for victory with a couple of large partnerships. Both of those partnerships were broken by Purton, whose 4-46 changed the momentum. From needing 90 off 16 overs with 6 wickets in hand and two settled batsmen at the crease, Bradfield lost 6 wickets for 46 runs in 10 overs as Purton, Cunningham (2-18) and Robinson (3-38) rattled through the helpless tail.
The Marlborough innings was most remarkable for the events of the final six balls, which saw the score go from 220-4 to 221 all out. 6 wickets in 6 balls finished the Marlborough innings in the most abrupt and unbelievable fashion. Jonty Robinson took a hat trick with three perfectly delivered slower balls and a run out off the final ball of the over as the batsmen attempted a second run saw 4 wickets fall in 4 balls. MartynHemphill then took a fantastic diving catch from the first ball of Folkestone’s over to secure 5 wickets from 5 balls. The unprecedented 6 from 6 was accomplished in style as Folkestone took the off-stump off their No. 11 batsman. The second half of term saw Hoddinott and Martyn-Hemphill rescue a poor start away against Winchester with battling innings on a tricky pitch. A total of 197 looked a little light as Winchester raced to 36 without loss. Three overs later, the score was 36-5 and we could breathe easier. Then came the visit of Harrow and we lost the toss on a scorching day. Despite missing a few opportunities, we fought well to restrict a powerful batting line up to 296 all out. Our reply was undermined by events
of the first few overs as a couple of rash shots and some probing bowling saw us lose three wickets. Again, the team showed a lot of character to take the game into the final couple of overs rather than folding. This meant that the game against Tonbridge was a must win to keep our Cowdrey Cup hopes alive. At 150-7 just after lunch the situation looked bleak but Oliver Martyn-Hemphill marshalled the tail expertly in compiling 92* and getting us to a total of 261. Tonbridge could only muster 241-7 in reply and we finished the term joint top of the Cowdrey Cup standings alongside Harrow. This was a great achievement for this group of players and, although net run rate denied us the trophy, they should be very proud of their achievements. And so to an incredibly busy final week of term. Tuesday saw the deciding game in the John Harvey Cup and St Edward’s were limited to 198 all out. We were definitely under pressure when the rain set in at 14-2. It felt a slightly hollow victory winning because of the weather but the boys certainly deserved some tangible reward for their hard work both through the
winter and in the season. Victories against Abingdon and the Rangers on Gaudy finished off a most enjoyable year for a talented group of cricketers. My thanks as ever to the scorers, umpires and caterers who make match days go so smoothly and to the parents of the boys who support so cheerfully despite the inevitable churning stomachs that go with watching cricket! My thanks also are due to Adam King and his team who prepare facilities for training and matches that are second to none. We are hugely fortunate to be able to treat the fruits of their hard work as ‘normal’. Lastly, I want to add to my earlier mention of Andy Wagner. I know that he has already started to turn his attention to preparations for next year and I am sure that the boys involved in his 35th Radley season will be lucky enough to call upon his peerless expertise and superhuman commitment and energy. R Betley, E Social and SH Dalrymple
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CRICKET 2ND XI P10 W5 L4 A1 Team: J. Farr (c), C. Williams, W. Todd, R. Wallis, G. Gordon-Lennox, T. Carter, T. Spreckley (wk), L. Neville, B. Weldon, W. Kaye, C. Muir, P. Hayes, N. Greville-Williams, S. Turner, F. Horler Superb wins against Wellington, Bradfield, Winchester, St. Edward’s, and Abingdon only tell some of the story. Regular fifties by Williams and Farr and Gordon-Lennox and
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Spreckley; a five-fer by Horler and four-fer for Williams perhaps shed a bit more light. But it was as a collective that this team under Jamie Farr’s excellent captaincy really shone and most importantly really enjoyed their cricket and entertained the stalwart parent fans. Wonderful wicket-keeping from Theo Spreckley; the robust opening bowling of Hayes, GrevilleWilliams and Turner; amazing catches from Williams; the all-
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Coaches: CE Scott-Malden, CA San Jose Captain: J Farr
rounders chipping in: Neville, Weldon, Todd, Kaye and Muir; the frequent rear-guard efforts of Carter and Gordon-Lennox; the clean-hitting of Wallis. The sum was very much more than the parts. We should like to thank the 6.2s for two years of excellent service; things certainly augur well with the talent pool we have at our service for next year. CE Scott-Malden and CA San Jose
CRICKET 3RD XI P12 W7 D1 L4 The 2017 season began with the usual fixture against Cheltenham, but for once it was a lovely early summer’s day that saw George Gent win the toss and opt to bat. A score of 176 off 35 overs looked competitive with Will Morgan (61) and Dom Anwyl-Jones (32) being the main contributors. Morgan then took four wickets with one each for Charlie Pemberton, Will Lennon,
Rupert Evans and Ludo Curtis (plus two run outs) to see Cheltenham all out for 85 off just over 25 overs. The confidence in the team boded well for the following match against Eton, but despite a battling 52 from Henry Anderson that took us to 115 all out from thirty four overs, it was about thirty runs short of a competitive score and Eton won by three wickets in the twenty-sixth over. Caspar Muir was the pick of the bowlers
Coaches: HD Hammond, KA Mosedale Captain: G Gent
with three wickets from five overs. The match against Wellington was disappointingly one sided and having won the toss and opted to bat, Wellington were bowled out for 104. A five wicket haul for Caspar Muir (three of them stumpings by Ed Mair) was the result of some excellent bowling and three for Miles Greene was a splendid return for some fine swing bowling. An opening partnership of 51 from George Greville-Williams
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and Will Morgan got us off to a flying start and Morgan made batting look easy with an aggressive 59 that took us to victory by five wickets. The weather got in the way of what would have been a relatively straightforward win against Marlborough despite a decision to go for a twenty over match in light of the forecast. Four wickets for George Greville-Williams and a couple for Will Morgam limited Marlborough to 129, but despite George Gent and Lachie Neville scoring fast to get us to 72-1 runs off 8.5 overs the rain came about three or four overs too early from a Radley perspective. The next match against Harrow saw the best performance of the season as we won by forty-three runs on a gorgeous day of uninterrupted sunshine. Jack Kane (57) and Will Morgan (38) put on ninety for the second wicket and Charlie Milner (39) and Henry Anderson (35) saw us to 209-5. Rupert Evans set the tone with the new ball and bowled an excellent spell that was rewarded with two wickets (he came back later to claim a third). Miles Greene also took a couple and Will Lennon took one despite an injured leg. Will Morgan’s three wickets included two stumpings from Ed Mair who was excellent behind the stumps again. Harrow battled on and never threw in the towel so that after a late start, the match ended just before 8pm with only four balls to go. The final match of the season against Tonbridge saw us finish with a whimper rather than a bang. Having been invited to bat first, Tonbridge set a target of 199-6, with Charlie Pemberton’s three wicket haul being the best bowling performance. It looked like too big a total to chase down in thirty overs and we offered little resistance in being bowled out for 93 off twenty four overs. Despite this final match, it was an enjoyable season for everyone who played for the 3rd XI and for HDH and KAM who thoroughly enjoyed the matches and the training sessions. Special thanks are due to George Gent for his captaincy and the excellent way that he kept so many 6.2 boys involved right to the end of the season. HD Hammond and KA Mosedale
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CRICKET 4TH XI P6 W3 D1 L2 The 4th XI cricket team had a reasonably successful season although the fixture list was somewhat curtailed by the failure of two opposition teams to be able to raise a team for the scheduled match. The opening game against Cheltenham College saw a strong batting performance produce 221 for 5 from 30 overs led by Jack Barclay (62 not out) and Daniel Bishop (50). In response, Cheltenham were restricted to 181 for 6 with Milo Daly (from the ranks of the Colts) taking 4 for 32. For the second successive season we lost to Eton but this year we were frustratingly close to victory. Eton scored 150 for 9 (Will Lennon 3 for 20) but disappointingly 34 of those runs were scored off the last 3 overs of the innings and proved crucial
as we fell short in the run-chase by just 9 runs on 141 for 8 (Fergus Wilson 44; Jack Barclay 30). Rain intervened to frustrate us in a winning position against Marlborough who were bowled out for 91 (Tom Johnston 6 for 19). Despite our valiant efforts to force the pace in the run-chase with the clouds gathering, we ended on 43 for 2 off 5.4 overs (a winning draw!). The undoubted highlight of the season was the away game at Harrow. In a 25-over match, we batted first and were 48 for 8 after 13 overs and with the number 8 and 10 batsmen, George Seagrave and Charlie Maunder at the wicket, both on 0. 12 overs later we finished our 25 overs on 155 for 8 (Seagrave scoring 38 not out and Maunder 52 not out) and then bowled Harrow out for 103 (Tom Johnston 4 for 18) to win by 52 runs. Our 9th wicket partnership
Coach: SR Molyneux Captain: T Johnston
scored more than Harrow’s entire innings and we won by more runs than we had scored when our 8th wicket fell. Unfortunately against Tonbridge, although we scored a respectable 183 for 8 from 30 overs (Jack Barclay 54 and Ben Broughton 50), we were beaten single-handedly by their No. 3 batsman who scored 116 not out to take them to a comfortable 7-wicket win. In our final match of the season, we took on St Edward’s 3rd XI in something of a mismatch in which, in response to their 59 all out, we scored 62 for no wicket off 5.4 overs, with Jack Barclay and Myles Brown destroying their attack. My thanks go to Tom Johnston for captaining the team throughout the season. Top batsman for the season was undoubtedly Jack Barclay and the best bowler was Ludo Curtis. SR Molyneux
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CRICKET 5TH XI P4 W2 Team: Grant (Captain), Henry, Elvin, Maidment, Gosling, Beare, Sloan, Kane, Womersley, Campion, Bligh, Allan, Austen, Levinson The Outlaws’ season started with a home fixture against Marlborough. Radley looked in difficulty at 106-9 but thanks to 47 from captain Grant and 48 not out from Senior Prefect Maidment, the boys finished on an impressive 226 all out. Marlborough struggled to catch this and were bowled out for 200 driven by 3 wickets from Bligh. There was another home fixture, this time against historic rivals Eton.
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Radley finished on 159-9 thanks to a superb 79 not out from Kane and 37 from Beare. Radley bowled and fielded well due to 3 wickets from Grant, 2 from Beare and 2 from Austen. Due to a heroic display from the Eton tail batsmen, they finished on 160-9 and won the match. So close! The boys then travelled to Aldworth C.C. for the first leg of our traditional fixture. Kane and Womersley powered Radley to 202-4 with 85 and 84 respectively. Aldworth were all out for 98 thanks to 3 wickets each from Henry and Gosling. We were given a lovely tea and were hosted so warmly after the match.
Coaches: MG Glendon-Doyle, GHS May Captain: F Grant
After Leave Away, Radley welcomed Aldworth to Radley for the return fixture. Despite an impressive 42 from Henry, Radley were all out for 143. Aldworth (and a few Radley ringers!) won the match on 146-4. Although we did not have many fixtures, the boys had a great season. They were excellent value in training, making best efforts to get to the nets amongst all the exams. The team consisted of a talented bunch of players who will hopefully continue their cricket beyond Radley. MG Glendon-Doyle and GHS May
CRICKET COLTS I P9 W6 L2 A1 The Colts cricket season is not always the easiest for the boys with big exams and other non cricketing matters looming large. To their credit, they were committed throughout, worked hard for each other and this attitude was rewarded in their success. The season got off to the perfect start, beating Cheltenham by 8 wickets; a fixture which has been close in recent years. Spinners Needham and Redmayne both bagged 3 wickets and then Needham and Robertson steered us to a convincing win. Two defeats followed against Eton and Wellington, with the latter being
Coaches: CPM McKegney, AJ King Captain: F Horler
were outstanding with the ball, both taking 4 wickets, dismissing the visitors for just 78. After a little wobble, Needham saw us home with an unbeaten 40.
‘the one that got away’. The boys bounced back strongly, and wins over Bradfield and Winchester put the season back on track. These games would see Barker (52) and Southgate (89) hit 50s and Redmayne and Barker take 3 wickets. The highlight of the season was undoubtedly the consecutive wins over Harrow and Tonbridge. We set 184 for Harrow, with Horler (80) and Chapman (68) combining in a 148 run partnership. Harrow never really threatened and were bowled out for 125 with both Chapman and Duncan taking control with the ball. With terrific parental support, we brushed Tonbridge aside by 5 wickets. G Marshall and Peers
It was a pleasure to work with all the boys, and I’d like to give my thanks to AJK for his help and to Freddy who captained the team marvellously throughout. CPM McKegney
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CRICKET COLTS 2 P6 W3 L2 A1 Team: Hamilton-Russell (capt.), Daly, Tucker, Cockcroft, Wilson, RogersColtman, Ship, Stuart-Bourne, Stubbs, Nicholson, Bertie, Stalder, Cox, Terry, Tufnell A cheerful and reasonably able squad assembled in April and it was, as ever, tough to pick an eleven for the first match, away at Eton. We fielded first in front of their main pavilion, ensuring a good crowd, and bowled quite respectably to keep them to a muted 150-6 off their 30 overs, with Will RogersColtman taking 2 for 5 off 5. Our innings got off to a disastrous start and it looked like humiliation was imminent as we struggled from two wickets for just one run to four for ten runs, but a lively and uninhibited partnership of 67 from Hugo Bertie, who finished on 44, and James Wilson, out for 30, ensured a respectable total of 121 all out in the 23rd over. Wellington at home were always going to be a more manageable
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prospect and we reduced them to 108 all out in 20 overs, RogersColtman this time taking 6-30 off six overs. Wicket keeper Eddie Cockcroft provided the champagne moment of the season with a superb diving onehanded catch. An unbeaten 55 from Will Cox saw us win by 10 wickets in only the 14th over, Sam Tucker providing good support. Bradfield were a similar sort of challenge and we had them all out for 108, Rogers-Coltman this time taking 4-10 and Angus Tufnell chipping in with 3-26. We made a bit of meal of knocking this one off, but in the end won by five wickets with eight overs to spare. Away at Marlborough just before Leave Away we were defeated by the weather with the opposition on a much-disrupted 80-7, before reconvening a month later in baking heat to host Harrow. Crucially, they won the toss and we melted in the field, conceding 197 runs in 25 overs. Thanks to Milo Daly, with 43, and Will Nicholson, with 37, we again got to a respectable position at 170-8, but in truth were well beaten. Finally we took on Tonbridge at
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Coach: IK Campbell Captain: W Hamilton-Russell
home in late June and having been 41-2 were soon 53-6 and then 64-7, before Marcus Stalder battered his way to 57 not out. They were very professional in reply and while we bowled and fielded fairly well we couldn’t take a wicket as their openers took them to a ten wicket win. Some of the team show good promise and, if they work hard at their game, they could play good cricket in the sixth form, notably Tufnell, who played lots of beautiful shots without accumulating any really big score, and James Wilson, who bowled with pace and hostility. Will Hamilton-Russell’s captaincy improved greatly as the season went on and his left arm seam bowling finally hit a groove in the last two games. I wish them well.
IK Campbell
CRICKET COLTS 3 P3 W2 L1 Played: Gent (Captain), Stubbs (wicket-keeper), Brolly (wicketkeeper), Boulton, Cockroft, Goodman, Maidment, Mosedale, Russell, Salter, Ship, Stuart-Bourne, Terry, WaltherCaine, Wyrley-Birch. As ever, the Colts 3 Cricketers showed excellent commitment and potential, but were victims of the fact that so few schools now put out third teams at Colts level: Eton, Marlborough, Tonbridge – and that’s about it. Thus, the scheduled six matches dwindled to three. This was a pity, as the momentum building in April inevitably evaporated a little, with no competitive fixtures at all in May and most of June. Thankfully, two of those three matches turned out to be truly gripping contests. Marlborough, away, was our first match of the season. This looked a relatively comfortable win: with Marlborough only managing to score 79, in 19 of their allocated 30 overs (Harry Gent, our leading-
Coach: A Cunningham Captain: H Gent
wicket-taker for the season, taking four wickets for six runs). Indeed, after an excellent first-wicket partnership of 56 (Cockroft 23; Russell 22), Radley seemed to be cruising to this target.
short of what was needed. But the Radley team bowled well (Harry Gent: 3-22; Jake Terry 2-14), stuck to the task and showed tremendous team spirit. It was a great game and a “win for cricket”.
However, twenty minutes or so later, at 69-6, the Marlborough total suddenly looked more daunting. Nonetheless the seventh-wicket pair, Harry Gent and Fergus Mosedate, steered us safely over the line.
With cancellations from other scheduled schools, that proved our only fixture until June 24th, when we played Tonbridge Senior 6ths at home. And what a match this proved. Tonbridge batted first on Kennington and scored 171-7 from 25 overs: Ee-thern Ship taking 3-21 and Harry Gent 2-19. This seemed a daunting total. And in reply, we always looked to be a little behind the pace, despite a solid opening partnership, with Ethan Russell scoring 26, then Wesley Brolly adding a very stylish 37. But somehow we stuck in there. Tom Boulton scored 26 to keep us in the hunt, then captain Harry Gent, scored a quick-fire 22no to take us home, with four balls to spare. It was a great win and a fantastic way to finish the season.
Next up was Eton, away, which proved a fantastic match and a terrific team effort by Colts 3. We batted the full 30 overs and scored 175-9: with Jonty Stubbs and Marcus Stuart Bourne both scoring potentially match-winning 50s. This total was impressive, given that Radley had been 19-4, before Jonty and Marcus built an increasingly confident fifth-wicket partnership of 90. However the Eton openers, Brodie McLean, also played really well, notching up a near-chanceless 68. As the game went into the final 10 overs, our total looked about 10 runs
A Cunningham
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CRICKET JC 1 P12 W10 L1 A1 T/20 Competition – Played 2: Won 1 Tie 1 Team: F Barlow, P Barnett, T Buck, H Denny, J Elliott, S Hack, A Haynes, B Hoddinott, J Miesegaes, T Reed, M Rothery, S Richardson, T. Vincent At the start of the season, we decided that the focus for the term should be two-fold: one that the team should play with increasing maturity, both in terms of as individuals and collectively. Secondly that they should look to enjoy the success of others in the team. Looking back over the season it has been fantastic to see how they have made huge strides with regard to both of these aspects of the game. The season record speaks for itself and were it not for the game at Marlborough and a below par batting display at Tondridge, it could have been a clean sweep. The fantastic thing about the season was that there was no one individual who was largely responsible for the success that was enjoyed. At some point, every single individual played a match winning performance, with bat, ball or in the field. As mentioned by the Master in Charge of cricket, they became “a team greater than the sum of their parts”. The other thing that stands out when looking back over the season was how they not only won a number of very close games, but they won them from a variety of positions. Sometimes batting second in tight run chases such as against Cheltenham College and Eton, winning those games by three and two wickets respectively.
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On other occasions it was defending totals such as in the T/20 competition against Stowe, a win by 10 runs. They became a team who got used to winning and so were unfazed and undaunted by the positions in which they often found themselves but believed and backed themselves to still end up victorious. This required character and personality, something the team had in abundance. In addition to these close encounters, at times there were emphatic wins, often, but not exclusively born out of very accomplished run chases. Here individuals took responsibility for the outcome of the game and grabbed the games by the scruff of the neck. Highlights of this especially were in the victories over Harrow (by 7 wickets) and Wellington (by 6 wickets). At the top of the order, Tom Vincent and Sam Hack often provided us with positive momentum at the start of the innings and both batted with intent and purpose. On occasions Phil Barnett also stepped up to the role of seeing off the new ball with equal accomplishment. The middle order of Ben Hoddinott, Alex Haynes and Sam Richardson often provided stability, particularly in some of those run chases mentioned earlier. Through the course of the season there were 6 fifties with a number of important innings in the 40s as well. With the ball, Alex (11 wickets) and Toby Buck (19 wickets) both bowled with discipline to restrict the opposition batsmen, immediately building pressure through their partnership. Important middle overs then came from a combination of Jamie Miesegaes, Tom Reed and Jake Elliott, each
THE RADLEIAN SPORTS SUPPLEMENT
Coaches: K Willis-Stovold, JA Gaunt Captain: F Barlow
with their own seam styles. Hector Denny was a revelation as a left arm orthodox spinner and provided a crucial variation that became more and more influential as he grew in confidence. Tom Vincent particularly played an often pivotal role in the middle overs with his seam bowling and ended up as highest wicket taker with 22 wickets. Overall then a tremendously successful season. Not only was it successful though, it was also hugely enjoyable due to their willingness to listen and work hard on advice and feedback. Their positive approach led to valuable sessions and interest being offered and shown by members of Bigside and this is a wonderfully healthy sign. It will be exciting to watch their progress, as individuals and as a team over the coming years and Radley cricket has a very bright future ahead of it. K Willis-Stovold
CRICKET JC2 Coach: AFC Nash Captain: H Glassey
P9 W6 L2 A1 Team from: Harry Glassey (c), Arthur Eliot-Cohen, Will Way (wk), Dan Pleydell-Bouverie, Sam Waller, Will Brooks Ward, Ludo Grant, Alec Cooke, George Wallis, Frank Barlow, George Tompkins This year’s RCCC Junior Colts 2 were a band of men both mercurial and merry. Beneath the ‘banter’, however, lurked a unified team spirit coupled with no little skill. Ably led by the Harry Glassey, the team won several games they often appeared to have no claim to. Winning is hard to coach; fortunately there was some mysterious alchemy at play from the moment these boys took the field at Cheltenham. Despite the opposition amassing a decent score, the bowling of Glassey and Wallis made regular inroads. There were promising signs (or possibly false dawns) in the fielding too. Will BrooksWard took an extraordinary steepling catch to help peg back the opposition. The chase, despite being in excess of 150, was made to look almost laughably straightforward. Glassey, Tompkins, Eliot–Cohen and Rothery all contributed scores between 25 and 40. The tone was set. This side would not wilt under the heat of a chase. This narrative continued against Magdalen College School the following week. Another competent fielding performance
was followed by an assured chase. Eliot-Cohen was making the Sanath Jayasuriya role all his own with another quick-fire score of 47. He was supported, in this instance, by the unflappable Alec Cooke who, like his homophonic namesake, gave backward point a torrid time with the cut shot. The only other moment of note in this comprehensive victory was George Tompkins snapping his bat in twain attempting an almost indecently lusty heave to the leg-side. The side’s first real sniff of adversity came against Eton College. Having dismissed them cheaply with particular help from George Tompkins’ 4-8, Radley suffered a shocking collapse, leaving Dan Pleydell-Bouverie and Ludo Grant with much to do. 9 wickets down, and with the eccentric pairing yet to bat in a match, things did not look promising. However, much credit should go to these two for somehow getting the job done. A one-wicket win, snatched from the jaws of the Eton beast, felt like a double victory. Wellington had been enjoying an extremely successful season, until our arrival. Paying the statistics absolutely no heed, Ludo Grant proceeded to tear through a much-
vaunted top order, finishing with 4-16. Our fielding was never better; Eliot-Cohen grabbed two tough chances and Tompkins submitted the first of his entries into the ‘Jonty Rhodes Award’ with a diving left-handed catch. We knocked off the 42 runs required with little alarm, and the season was beginning to feel charmed. A win and a washout against Bradfield and Marlborough followed. Highlights of the Bradfield fixture included Will Way hitting a towering six, Will BrooksWard bowling ferociously and a worrying number of catches being put down. In retrospect, perhaps complacency stalked us then. Then came Harrow. If our fielding and bowling was at its best, then perhaps our batting reached something of a nadir. With Brooks-Ward and Grant bowling exceptionally well up front, and Rothery and Glassey both claiming 3 wickets for not many, Harrow set us 72 to win. In the face of some provocative behaviour and fearsome bowling from the opposition, the boys struggled to get going. Despite Tompkins’s brave 30, we fell short, with Ludo Grant run out, having tried to come
THE RADLEIAN SPORTS SUPPLEMENT
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back for two, which would have secured victory. Tonbridge always pose a strong challenge, and dropping eight catches only made that challenge stiffer. We didn’t get close to their 197 from 35, but a robust 40 from the skipper showed there was some backbone left in the team. We ended the season with a trip to St Edward’s. It is astonishing that a side can make catching look simultaneously so simple and so furiously complicated. We dropped eleven catches in North Oxford that day, but held on to wonderful efforts at fly slip (Grant), down the leg side (Will Way) and in the follow through (Glassey). Despite this profligacy, some wonderful striking from George Wallis kept us well above the run rate in our chase of 165, and Rothery was able to steer the tail towards the total with time and wickets to spare.
CRICKET JC3 P9 W6 L3 JC3 have had an excellent season. We started very positively with two big wins over Cheltenham and Magdalen College (each by over 100 runs). Some very impressive batting performances to start the season too. Most notably from our captain George Daly getting 85 and 50* in the first two games and our
So, in the final reckoning, the team were left with a very decent record to commemorate their season. At one point, it looked as though perhaps we might achieve something very special, but from every loss the boys learnt a little more about themselves and the game. I wish them all well in their future sporting endeavours.
AFC Nash
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THE RADLEIAN SPORTS SUPPLEMENT
Coaches: REP Hughes and MCF Brown Captain: G Daly
dependable Jeremy Shelton-Agar getting 74* and 50*. Another mention must go to Freddie Lindblom who opened the batting for most of the season, a thankless task dealt with very well making 111 runs in the season. It was at this point we realised that we had a very powerful batting line up and that our issue for the season would not be runs but getting 10 wickets in each game.
With that in mind, we played Eton. After posting a modest 137, we struggled to get the necessary wickets and Eton chased it down, only losing 6 wickets. It was at this stage of term that we became determined to work hard on our bowling so that we could compete, especially when we were not batting first. The hard work paid off when we came up against Wellington and Bradfield, both which we won easily and bowled a much tighter game. Our bowling attack was strong from this moment on – Ed Buchanan improved throughout the season, finishing on his strongest game, Josh Rae-Smith had some impressive moments bowling his
direct line, Hamish Fallowfield who was one of our most economical bowlers and finally Bertie Tufnell who got 4 for 18 against Bradfield and dominated their batsmen from the start. After losing the game against Marlborough to the weather, we went on to play against Winchester JC2. This was a frustrating game which we lost due to some sloppy batting from the top order – only George Daly, Harry Young and Hamish Fallowfield making double figures meant we were unable to chase down what was not a big target in comparison to our previous scores. After another
loss against Harrow we were determined to end the season on a high. We had two more games, one against Tonbridge and the other against Abingdon. Driving to Tonbridge we knew we needed to be at the top of our game. Once our batting line up got in they were excellent. Frank Barlow hit 53 off 47 that propelled us to 189 off 30 overs. It was an easily defendable score and we won the game by 42 runs. Our final game, against Abingdon JC2 was enjoyable too. We decided to back our bowlers and put Abingdon in to bat. We restricted them well to 117. One of our bowlers was exceptional all season and ended up our top wicket taker. This is all the more remarkable as he was our leg spinner, Tom Williams-Bulkeley. It is not easy to bowl spin against ferocious batting but Tom has a real style to his bowing and I hope he continues with it. We won the game easily as Frank Barlow again came in and hit 53 very quickly again. An excellent season with a good group of cricketers. Player of the season: George Daly – excellent wicket keeping and batting all season. Most improved player: Tom Beardmore-Gray – bowled well at the end of the season.
REP Hughes and MCF Brown
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CRICKET JC 4 P6 W4 L2 Team from: C Beeson, A Halliday, B Mather, J Sheldon, J Hubbard, M Khano, W Milne, C Sloan, R Johnston, A Gray, H Henderson, C Osborne-Young, C Rosling, N Carter, F Fanshawe, J Metcalfe, Z MartinZakheim. JC4 have played their cricket with great enthusiasm this term, with all the squad called upon and all contributing to the team’s successes in different ways. Whilst unable to crack the hardest nuts of Eton and Harrow, the team were always competitive, taking their responsibilities in the field actively and making many of their catches. As the season settled down, the team were ably led by Johnston, who set an example with his determined batting and accurate bowling. His greatest moment came in the match against
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Tonbridge, where the team were down to 43 for 5, before Johnston scored 67 to turn the situation, allowing the team ultimately to win the game having scored a total of 230. Missing from that match due to injury was Archie Halliday, who had scored a crucial 40 in the Harrow game of a team total of 119. Other sterling batting performances came from Mather, who scored 57 in the Tonbridge match, Sloan, who eked out an important 22 against Harrow and Rosling, who scored 33 against St Edward’s. On the bowling front, the team could call on the services of a wide range of bowlers, with Johnston taking five wickets against St Edward’s. It was also good to see Sloan develop his spin bowling, taking a couple of beautiful wickets against St Edward’s. On his day, Metcalfe could bowl with real venom, although he could be erratic at times, whilst Mather also
THE RADLEIAN SPORTS SUPPLEMENT
Coach: DWS Roques Captain: R Johnston
became more important to the team as the season went on. However, there were many others who contributed to the success of this cohesive team. In the field Hubbard endlessly kept the team going, winning man of the match in the Eton game. Also crucial to the team was the superb keeping of Henderson, whose ability to stop whatever was flying alongside with a stretch of one hand was extraordinary. Very few byes were given away by this team. There was also some great fielding, including a remarkable run out by Rosling in the Harrow match. Overall, this was Radley cricket at its best. Polite in the field, gritty in fielding, and sensible in batting. It was certainly a pleasure to coach this team. DWS Roques
CRICKET MIDGETS 1 P16 W10 L6 Team from: Z Hussain (capt), J Sharp (vice capt), T Beattie (wk), Z Carter, J Hayes, R Koudonaris, M JardineBrown, F Loveland, O Barker, R Elliott, J Beardmore-Gray, M McGee, B Wilson, F Walker, F Barber, T Pritchard The Midgets 1 cricket side had looked very promising since the start of the winter nets. However, a tough fixture list lay ahead of us and after a challenging start the side showed played some attractive and attacking cricket with a steely edge. The season started with a competitive preseason match against a Middlesex Borough side. James Hayes was the stand out performer with an aggressive 40, characterising the way we wanted to play as a team. The season proper started against a strong-looking Cheltenham team. Having decided to bat first on a typical English wicket in April, early wickets fell as the ball seamed and swung. However, Max Jardine Brown held the innings together hitting the team’s first half-century, and helping us to 133 off 30 overs. Things looked promising with the ball with a wicket off the first ball and further tight bowling reducing Cheltenham to 90-8. However, with the game seemingly ours, their 9 and 10 batted superbly and took them to a dramatic victory. After such a tight game, we found it difficult to gain momentum in the following matches. A 35-run loss to Eton was followed by a heavy 10-wicket defeat at Wellington and, despite playing some good cricket, things looked ominous for the rest of the season. But the team knew that a win was round the corner and we stopped the rot at Bradfield. In a thrilling encounter, Radley put together a
Coaches: EG Pearson, OH Langton Captain: Z Hussain
solid total of 150 with Jamie Sharp scoring a very composed 72* and James Hayes notching his first half-century. Although this might have been a little below par for the wicket, a fantastic team bowling and fielding performance, which included a hat-trick from opening bowler Freddie Loveland, ensured a nail-biting 9 run victory.
met. Having put them in to bat on what looked a flat wicket they were bowled out for 160, with all the bowling attack chipping in. This looked a reasonable total at the half way stage but aggressive and dominating batting from Carter (85*) and Jardine-Brown (56*) saw the team cruise home with 8 wickets and 9 overs to spare.
Despite a loss to Marlborough in the next match, after a superb century from one of their openers, the Bradfield win set the tone for an excellent second half of the season. With confidence growing we registered comfortable victories against Reading Blue Coat School and Winchester led by excellent spin bowling from off spinners Zac Carter and Ollie Barker.
With the season drawing to a close, we registered satisfying victories against local rivals St Edward’s (Raph Koudonaris scoring 45*) and Abingdon (Elliott 4 wickets) and although we were unable to beat Marlborough in the inaugural Radley T20 Festival to make it to the final we fittingly ended the season with a comfortable T20 victory over Harrow.
Although Harrow (46 run loss) presented a stiffer challenge the next week, the highlight of the season came at the Cheltenham T20 festival. In the four-way tournament, we were reduced to 17-5 against Stowe in our first game, but a real captain’s innings of 81* from Zayn Hussain inspired the side to victory. The bowlers came to the fore in the next game as Rugby were bowled out for 82 and secured a winnertakes-all final against Cheltenham. In another highly competitive game, the hosts were restricted to 113 with the bowling unit of Loveland, Jamie Beardmore-Gray, Carter, Barker, Rory Elliott and Tom Pritchard bowling tightly on a flat wicket. The real fireworks came with the bat, however, as Carter and Max Jardine-Brown launched the ball to all parts. Although they eventually lost their wickets, an immensely satisfying victory was finally secured as tail-ender Beardmore-Gray struck the penultimate ball for four.
Although the whole side contributed throughout the season, particular congratulations should go to Loveland who led the attack and took the most wickets with 20, closely followed by Elliott and Carter with 17. Max Jardine-Brown finished leading run scorer with an impressive 465 runs at 42 and including a match-winning 62 against Abingdon on a difficult wicket. Sharp also chipped in with 300 important runs. We would also like to thank Mr Pearson and Mr Langton for their help and patience with us in what turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable and successful season. Z Hussain, J Social
With confidence high and the team now playing to its potential, Tonbridge were the next side we
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CRICKET MIDGETS 2 P10 W8 L1 A1 Squad: Dominic Stone (capt), Will Blacker (vice capt), Tom Wilson, Archie Mogg, Max McGee (wk), Ben Wilson, George Salwey, Fred Walker, Freddie Barber, Tom Pritchard, Angus Shorthouse, Seymour Shaw, Kristian Gilliat-Smith This was a fantastic season all round. Graham King and I had a group of boys who were a pleasure to coach and very supportive sets of parents who helped to add to the positive atmosphere. It helped that we had such a positive win record.
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With only one defeat we had the joint best record within the school. The boys are talented cricketers but what really set them apart at times was a determination to get across the line. Twice we collapsed chasing low totals but sensible, calm batting from the lower order got us home by 1 wicket. Batsmen also took ownership of their wicket and it was only against Eton that we did not make it through our allotted overs by being bowled out. Even more impressive was our tight bowling, Barber really led the way there with an economy of 2.66 and 8 wickets,
THE RADLEIAN SPORTS SUPPLEMENT
Coaches: GR King, M Hills Captain: D Stone
and the ground fielding, led by Walker and Blacker, was consistently better than the opposition. I could recount all the matches in detail but this report is not allowed to be 4 pages long. Instead I will pick out some highlights. Eton were strong but we could have beaten them if we had not had 3 run outs including 2 direct hits, Salwey almost winning us the game single-handedly. Bradfield were dispatched by 10 wickets. Mogg (38*) and T Wilson (64*) putting on a clinic as we demonstrated our class. Wellington lost wickets regularly
chasing 140 and needing 12 off the last over B Wilson managed to trap their number 11 stone dead to wrap up victory. Harrow lost by 80 runs at home thanks to 64 from Stone and 4-14 from Shorthouse who blew away their top order. Mogg set the tone in that game pulling his second ball for 6 and a fine game was capped off by Mr Blacker rewarding the team and coaches on a hot day with a Magnum ice cream for the journey home. Winchester had a brief sniff as they scored 120 but a 93-run unbeaten 4th-wicket partnership from T Wilson (73*) and Stone (32) saw us home. St. Edward’s lost by 95 runs in a T20 which demonstrates how their sport is going. McGee opened in that game and showed what he could do against quick bowling on a hard pitch carving the ball to all parts at well above a run a ball.
There are two games that I would like to mention in detail. Firstly Tonbridge away. A substantial 2hr20 coach ride always worries you a little for schoolboy sport but I needn’t have worried as we made an terrific start to the game despite Mogg unluckily edging behind to a ball down the leg side. The innings was gathering pace nicely before T Wilson, Stone and Walker fell quickly. B Wilson and Salwey then took the game to Tonbridge. Some excellent shot making and even more impressive running saw us set Tonbridge 161 to win with B Wilson 45*. They started well in reply but despite not taking many wickets we managed to restrict them to only 82-2 off 23 overs. Gilliat Smith and Shaw who came into the side latterly bowling extremely well. It would be fair to say we dropped some catches in that game (6 in total) but fortunately the pressure started to tell. From the moment Blacker got a direct hit run out from square of the wicket we suffocated Tonbridge. Walker came on to bowl and showed people how to catch taking a huge skier and Pritchard took the last wicket when too many were needed off too few. Radley winning by 23 runs in the end. In a game which mirrored the first game of the season against Cheltenham in many details we were very confident of beating Abingdon, particularly when we bowled them out for 98.We started that game electrically in the field and Abingdon were 30-3 due to 3 run outs. Composure by Pritchard at cover, a bullet arm from Shorthouse in the deep and a dead-eye aim from Walker at backward point sent their top order packing. Batting was a different problem. On what charitably I will describe as a ‘sporty’ wicket we found ourselves 18-4 as we gave Abingdon some catching practice. A determined 5th wicket partnership of 46 by Stone and Salwey put the game in our favour until more good catching saw us needing 12 with the final pair. Enter Shaw and Pritchard. Shaw made a fluent and composed 10* and Pritchard, who had earlier scored his first run of the season, flicked one through midwicket to win us the game.
It was a wonderful way to finish the season and leaves just a few awards to mention. The boys voted as a team and decided on the following. Batsman of the season went to Tom Wilson (268 runs) who was composed at the crease and has all the shots in the book (including a reverse sweep for 4 against St Edwards). Bowler of the season was Will Blacker (12 wickets economy 3.9) who was the most consistent throughout the season, difficult to get away and chipped in with wickets. The champagne moment went to Ben Wilson who took a diving catch against Harrow to dismiss their number 3. The look of astonishment on his face afterwards gave away the fact that he couldn’t quite believe what he had done. The unfortunate Thanks for Coming award goes to Archie Mogg who was run out without facing against Wellington and doesn’t, yet, get to bowl. However he did, and this was a perfect example of the team as a whole, keep his head held high and was a positive, chirpy influence in the field.
M Hills
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CRICKET MIDGETS 3 Coach: EO Holt Captains: OJH Marshall, FLJ Cunningham
P10 W7 L2 A1 Midgets 3 have been enthusiastic, well-mannered and great company all season. They have also won almost all their games very convincingly, boding well for their future seasons at Radley. This began with three matches in the first week – the first against Cheltenham, including a delightful 61 in 47 balls for Finn Cunningham but also an impressive 102 not out in the same number of deliveries for George Salwey, taking Radley to 253 for 4 before Cheltenham were bowled out for 105. Three wickets for the affable Tom Pritchard saw him promoted to M2 for the remainder of the season. Half centuries for Salwey and Oscar Marshall (both retired) helped Radley post 192 off 20 overs against MCS three days later. In the field the very first over saw a truly sensational treble-wicket maiden from Kristian Gilliat-Smith, bowling out three batsmen in a row before graciously stepping aside to allow Jake Parsons to claim a further 3 wickets for just 4 runs in two overs, the MCS innings ending after 9 overs on 32 runs all out. Then came their day of reckoning against the perennially strong Eton. Without the delightful Salwey (promoted to M2), and against much tighter bowling, Radley were pinned to just 68 all out, which Eton swiftly gained with the loss of just 3 wickets. Perhaps the closest contest of the season was at home against Wellington. The visitors posted a decent 157 in 25 overs, with Radley straining to make the run-rate in reply; brave batting performances from Marshall, Cunningham, Radway and Hall left us requiring 40 runs off the final four overs, which newcomer Seymour Shaw brought down to the final ball with a commendable 35 off 25, leaving us a tantalising 2 runs short of their 24
total. A strong bowling performance away at Bradfield saw the opposition restricted to just 66 runs, with 3 wickets for Josh Wheeler, and 2 more each for left arm seamer Henry Snell and leg-break extraordinaire Ivor Radway. The runs were quickly knocked off by Cunningham, Horsey, Fincham and Hall, giving the boys a comfortable win by 8 wickets. And the following week a convincing 161-4 (43 for Arthur Horsey, 47 for Dom Osborne) looked to be leading to another victory, with Marlborough struggling on 0-2 after 3 overs in reply, before rain sadly forced the match to be abandoned. Three more wins by 6 wickets followed against Harrow (50 for Marshall), Aysgarth prep school 1st XI, and Tonbridge – the latter including an impressive 4-4 off 5 overs for spinner George Fincham and arguably the most important partnership of the term between George Hall and Dom Osborne, steadying the team for 63 runs after a top-order wobble to steer the team home to what was in the end a comfortable victory. The final game was another good contest, with Radley batting first against an unbeaten Abingdon side. Facing quality opening bowlers required discipline and patience from the likes of Dom Osborne (41 in 44 balls). This enabled Kristian Gilliat-Smith (with consecutive sixes within his 44 runs off 30) and Arthur Horsey (20) to capitalise later on, converting what would have been a final total of about 100 runs into a really impressive 162-7. A rapid start from Abingdon in reply was then tamed by some careful overs from Fincham and Parsons to help Radley win by 32 runs – an entertaining and well-fought end to a fantastic season.
THE RADLEIAN SPORTS SUPPLEMENT
EO Holt
CRICKET M The opening match was against Eton. On any occasion this would be a difficult match particularly as we were just beginning to build our team. I was delighted with the hard work and endeavour of the boys and an eight wicket defeat betrays the closeness of the match. However, I could see that we had the making of a very useful team. The result against Wellington at home was a more successful affair, with a very easy win. Radley bowled them out for 82, the latter unable to use up the allotted 25 overs, the home side dashing off 83 in 8 overs to claim victory.
MIDGETS 4 Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the afternoon was the fact that where Wellington’s discipline left something to be desired, Midgets 4 remained steadfastly polite and professional. The following match was also at home, this time against Marlborough. It was a lesson for Captain Soundy that on a pitch which had endured rainfall only an hour before, that upon winning the toss, electing to bat first is perhaps not the best policy. Radley were bowled out for 91, which was a stunning total given that half our wickets fell before the scoreboard had reached double figures. The ball kept low and irregular, and unfortunately the batsmen did
Coach: ME Walker Captain: O Soundy
not adjust to the conditions. It was left to the middle order backbone of Knatchbull, Corbett and Lewis to rescue the team and get us near to century. Marlborough themselves toiled at the crease, but in the end it was the rain which won the day, and the match was finally abandoned. By the time we got to play Winchester we were finally in our stride. The captain, Orlando Soundy, led the team from the toss of the coin. Although our fielding left a lot to be desired there was never any doubt with regard to the final outcome and we overturned the disappointing Eton result and won by 7 wickets. After completing a number of fielding drills we marched
out to play Harrow. In the five years I have taken Midgets cricket I have not seen a better bowling / fielding performance. We reduced Harrow to 60 runs. Our two strike bowlers – Freddie Rasch and Freddie Bulmer – were on fire. After a nervous batting performance we beat Harrow by 3 wickets. With confidence high, Midgets 4 made the long trip to Tonbridge a week later, but on this occasion despite an excellent 62 partnership between Eastwood and Rowland, the team lost by 19 runs largely due to a stunning fielding performance by Tonbridge. ME Walker
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CRICKET MIDGETS 5 Midgets 5 had a very exciting season with a couple of tight losses and a number of striking victories. Highlights include a stunning victory over Harrow, with Radley setting an impressive 130 (Bligh 45) and restricting the opposition to a mere 61 within twenty overs, and a masterclass in aggressive batting against Marlborough, with the boys reaching 163 runs – credit here going to Moshe Levi with a joyous 63 and Boris Pastukhov with 40. The final match of the season against old rivals Abingdon proved to be the most nail-biting, and exemplified the positive attitude that the boys had displayed
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throughout the season. In twenty overs Radley (batting first) produced a reasonable score of 122ao, with honours spread out amongst the batting order, and when the visitors were reduced to 29 for 3 a final victory looked to be imminent. However, with changing conditions came a change in fortune as Marlborough dug in and slowly accumulated runs at a rate exceeding their target. With four overs left in the match, Marlbrough were 109 for 4 and looking like holding on for the win. Nonetheless the team stood firm, and bowlers Max Eastwood and Moshe Levi each collected three wickets under very
THE RADLEIAN SPORTS SUPPLEMENT
Coaches: P Asbury, DJT Scott Captain: E Bligh
intense circumstances, resulting in a win for Radley with 4 runs and 5 balls to spare. Notable shout-outs for the season go to our ever-vigilant captain Edward Bligh, breakthrough batting star Mark Lertiendumrong and superb all-rounder Moshe Levi… though all TWENTY-FOUR who played for Midgets 5 at some point in the season deserve credit – congratulations to you all. P Asbury
CRICKET MIDGETS 6 P2 L2 Team: Charlie Batty, Alexander Bhandarkar, Eugene Chow, Will Codrington, Whit Cook, Alexander Dayes, Cyrus Frei, Alexander Knipe, Mark Lertiendumrong, Max Morgan Stark, Nicolas Mosquera, James Taylor, Yuhan Yan This is a novice squad, with little experience of playing cricket, and it has been heartening to see the improvement over the season. At Eton we played a very impressive side who would not have looked out of place playing M2 or M3. We managed to capture four precious Etonian wickets – including three catches - and we kept the run rate down to about 8 an over. Will Codrington was masterful in rotating our 6 bowlers and each of them produced what could be described as wicket taking balls. Morale remained high and we fielded with some energy and urgency, devotedly chasing to their rather distant boundaries. A fine tea interrupted the game three overs into the Radley reply. When it came to the resumption, Yuhan Yan produced the shot of the day, an overhead swipe straight back over the bowler’s head for 5 in all. He top scored with 17 and was, for some time, supported by
Coaches: SA Hall, PW Gamble Captains: W Codrington, J Taylor
Mark Lertiendumrong who amassed 10 runs. Mark also pounced on two catches. In all Eton dropped three catches and we dropped none – so that means, by that measure at least, we were the better side. The rest of the batting order simply enjoyed the experience, expressing themselves with the bat, one could say, and it was without doubt a fine team effort. Following this cheery match M6 duly celebrated by collecting several plates laden with fine fare left over from the tea interval, and we made short work of the cakes, in particular, on the boundary edge. At Winchester M6 won… the toss. Well done to James Taylor, the new captain, who led by example and the side put on an aggressive and attractive spectacle, an afternoon’s entertainment to warm the cockles of our loyal crowd of supporters. Without hesitation James opted to bat first and M6 calmly and patiently amassed a huge 65-3 in this exciting T20 match. Charlie Batty was man of the match, comfortably the highest scorer on either side, and he elegantly stroked the ball away from the square towards the nettles and canal on several occasions. Eight men batted in all, and only one did not get off the mark. Useful contributions
were made by Yuhan, Alexander Knipe, Alexander Bhandarkar, Alexander Dayes and Eugene Chow, the specialist wicket-keeper. All of them looked quite comfortable at the crease and rotated the strike successfully. Following a delicious tea M6 bowled with great heart and made the chase a long and challenging affair for the home side. Marvellous efforts were made to deny runs: Whit Cook hurled himself at the nettles, Max Morgan Stark pursued the ball with a singleminded determination, and Nico Mosquera painstakingly repaired his spectacles to ensure that the deep square boundary was effectively guarded. In the final analysis Winchester just scraped home by 6 wickets, with a few overs to spare. This was a performance to savour and naturally enough M6 celebrated by eating some more tea. M6 have learned a great deal about cricket and they have reminded me constantly that enjoying games is by far the most important aspect of any team sport at school. They have achieved that exceptionally well throughout the term. Our warm thanks to Mr Gamble who was an invaluable coach and supporter of this squad. SA Hall
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GOLF SENIORS P15 W14 H0 L1 Regular players: Sanjay Anand (capt), Arthur Tapner, James Duffy, Alex Beare, Freddie Horler, Will Todd & Andrew Liu. It has been another remarkable year. 14 wins and 1 loss. I should end the report there! The main targets for the year were to continue the level of recent success, achieve a spot in one of the two national competitions and develop the talent in a promising Shell year group. The golf season kicked off in week one of term with our now annual strokeplay meeting with Wellington and Tonbridge at The Berkshire. This is valuable in gauging the state of the top 6 golfers early in the term as the “major” matches come thick and fast before the daylight hours recede. What became obvious from the outset this year was that our top golfers would be difficult to displace from the side as the level of consistency was high. Our campaign in the ISGA National Schools’ Championship got off to a good start with a number of onesided ties. These early successes culminated in a home semi-final win against Oratory School at Frilford and meant that the boys faced Reading Blue Coat in the regional final on neutral territory at Huntercombe G.C in early March. A coveted spot in the national finals at Royal St George’s and Prince’s was the carrot dangling for the two sides. After near misses in the previous two academic years, it was a case of third time lucky! Captain of Golf Sanjay Anand led from the front. A strong start found him 2 under par through 5 holes and 4 up – a lead that was never relinquished. Anand raced through and won his tie on the 15th green and was able to return to support his team-mates on the back 9 holes. Playing at number two was Arthur Tapner. Young Taps had his hands
Coach: KJ Reid Captain: S Anand
full with his county level opponent and holes were changing hands at regular intervals. The lead bounced between Radley and Reading until a late burst of good golf from the Blue Coat meant that things levelled at 1-1. Thankfully, Vth form student James Duffy had read the script and had extinguished any threat. Some consistent but unspectacular golf on the front 9 meant he was 6 holes to the good and, despite attempting to give me a heart attack, he won comfortably on the 16th green. The boys were there for the first time in our history! Quite an achievement. The finals were played at the start of the summer term over 36 holes of strokeplay golf (18 holes at Prince’s on day one and 18 holes at Royal St George’s on day two) and comprised the 16 regional winners (Loretto, Bedford, Merchiston, Reed’s Birkdale, Millfield etc) from all over the UK. Also in the field were last year’s winner and runner up, Wellington and Whitgift. There were only a couple of schools present who were not fully fledged golfing “academies” - it was going to be a big ask to make the top 10, never mind bring home the silverware! The boys prepared well, tried hard and thoroughly enjoyed the experience but, ultimately, it was men against boys in terms of the overall scoring. To put it into perspective, the leader shot 65, 68…..not bad at all! However, to watch our lads strike the ball on the warm up range was interesting - there was little difference between ourselves and the top guns. It really came down to match sharpness and exposure to that sort of competition – something that we currently cannot offer on a weekly basis. Our only loss this year was a sore one. After some early victories in the HMC Foursomes, we met Bradfield in the regional semi-final at their chosen venue of Calcot Park GC near Reading. Over the past few years, it has shown real improvement and
despite the tie taking place in late February, it was in great shape. Our top pair of Anand & Duffy were not at their best and were easily despatched. It must be noted though that the Bradfield top pair comprised of England cap and Carris Trophy winner Angus Flanagan and the son of tour player Paul McGinley. Taps & Will Todd were formidable in pair two and won by the handsome margin of 6 & 5 – things were momentarily looking good! On this occasion though our third pair of Alex Beare & Freddie Horler were having a day to forget. The boys only managed a solitary par on the opening 9 but, miraculously, they were still at the races. We were also in the box seat on the 10th, 11th and 12th, but could not close the gap. A few poor shots and a bad decision left a mountain to climb coming down the stretch and despite some fight, they went down on the 17th green. We would not be returning to the HMC National Finals in 2017. Burnham & Berrow G.C. again provided the venue for the West of England Schools’ Championships. The club now control the event with Tony Hill in a more backseat role. They have decided to tighten the entry process with every boy or girl having to provide CDH details in advance of the event and all teams must be selected in order of handicap. From our perspective, this has been welcome although it has meant the exchange of a few schools in and out of the event. The boys were again well prepared for their tilt at a 5th victory in the past 6 years. Anand, Tapner, Duffy, Beare and Todd were the quintet chosen based on their form at the time. It was tough on Horler as he narrowly missed out at the final selection hurdle. He will be right in the frame for next year though! The team played some decent golf over the 3 days and, although not as one sided as last year, the boys
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only lost half a point during the event. Each tie was won with relative ease (very few matches continued beyond the 15th hole) and some good golf was played in the process. The star of the show was undoubtedly Todd in the 5th spot. From tee to green, his golf was tremendous and he thoroughly deserved his spot in the side. If I could have played him higher up the order then I would have been delighted! He stayed calm, played some good, steady golf and guaranteed us an early win in each tie. The boys swept aside Marlborough in the final and victory was complete – 4 wins on the bounce and the 5th in 6 years. Next year could see history being made as no school has won the trophy 5 times in a row since its inauguration in 1959. Aside from the major competitions, we have again played an array of friendly fixtures. Over the past academic year we have competed
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against Wellington, Tonbridge, Bradfield, Stowe, Cheltenham, Eton, and, of course, the ORs. Venues for these matches have included Sunningdale, The Berkshire, Frilford Heath, New Zealand, Studley Wood and Huntercombe. The course at Radley has, again, been in stunning condition this year. Adam King and his team do a remarkable job on a daily basis and we are all very fortunate to have such a facility at our disposal. The large extension to the putting green is much improved and bunkers have been re-modelled, removed or added on the 1st and 9th holes. We were again invited to host the National Prep Schools’ finals in late June and the event proved to be another huge success. The event saw the top 14 prep schools, who qualified regionally from the length and the breadth of the UK, here to play 18 holes of strokeplay golf. We also added an Open Prep School event
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in the Michaelmas term which was co-sanctioned by the ISGA on their national order of merit. 80 spots filled inside 48 hours and it proved to be another day of some high quality golf. With a bit of luck we may see a few of these youngsters feed into the college in the months and years ahead. ORs and parents are also very welcome to play the course if they are in the area, however, it would be extremely useful if they could email through in advance so that arrangements can be put in place. We are also indebted to Mark Walker (OR) and Adam Wootton at the Oxford Golf Centre in Binsey. As I have mentioned for the past few years, Adam is a coach who the boys really relate well to and we have been able to embed him more deeply into our programme this year. I would also like to extend my thanks to the ORs for kindly hosting the boys at The Berkshire to play against a part
Hewitt side. The young guns managed a good victory again! I have also been fortunate to have the assistance of OR Tom Beasley during the year. He has worked with the top players on short game drills, encouraged the boys during matches and been a great source of help for me as well. It will be interesting to see how he plays this summer on the amateur tour and I wish him every success. As the year draws to a close, I am left to say a few goodbyes. Captain Anand departs after 2 stellar years in the sixth form and he is followed by his self-proclaimed deputy and all round good guy, Alex Beare. I remember Sanjay’s first day at the college well….I received a call from his housemaster TCL in E Social: “Reidy, I think I’ve found you someone who can hold a golf club!” he proclaims. I go to investigate. I witness ball striking that I have only seen once before in schools golf (he is now plying his
trade on the PGA tour in the USA)…. to say that it was spectacular would be an understatement. If Sanjay could steal my chipping and putting, then he could probably forget university and start earning some big cheques! His time here has (unsurprisingly) been the most fruitful in the college’s history and he leaves us a wellrounded young man. I will miss him enormously. His charm, wit, humility and sportsmanship are all first rate and he will be one to watch for the future. However, he must first negotiate 2 years of national service in Singapore – rather him than me! His partner in crime AB was a success story that I did not see coming. Alex’s golf really developed in the 6th form and he leaves us a good mid-single figure player. If only he had been able to jump the rugby ship sooner!
half Muriel and young daughter Ciara to The Royal Hospital School in Suffolk to take up the post of Head of Mathematics. It is going to be a very different challenge for us all but the timing feels right. I have been able to bring Radley golf into the 21st century and have been fortunate to lead the most successful sport in the college during that time. The boys in and around the team have bought into the programme, worked hard at their games and lifted silverware at regular intervals. It will be interesting to see how the college will build on these foundations and there is no reason why Radley should not join those academy schools at the top table in the years ahead. Time will tell! KJ Reid
Finally, it is time for me to say a final goodbye. After 6 years at the college, I am now moving east with my better
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GOLF JUNIORS P14 W7 H3 L4 Regular players: Andrew Liu, Max Wetton, Tom Williams-Bulkeley, Ben Mather, Zac Carter, Charlie Deram, Jamie Beardmore-Gray, Ben Dezelsky, Dom Stone & Oliver Reed-Daunter. Fixtures have been played against Wellington, Bradfield, Stowe, MCS, St Edwards Oxford, Marlborough and Warwick and are largely contested over 9 holes of matchplay golf. On occasions the boys have competed in fourball and stableford formats. The team is selected on a rotational basis and, aside from the termly tournament with Wellington and
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Bradfield, we will always aim to match our team with the opposition to ensure a fair and sporting match. One disappointment this year has been the depletion of junior golf in our usual circuit. Cheltenham and Canford have been unable to field sides and this has meant more regular contact with Stowe and Marlborough. Many of the younger boys will make the step-up into senior golf in the next year or two and the current Shell crop is our strongest in 6 years. That said, we are seeing the introduction of some sports scholars and golf is an area in which we will be targeting.
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Coach: KJ Reid
As team players, professional coaching is available each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from October until March. Any other keen golfers in college can arrange one-one golf lessons with the Master in Charge of Golf during their free time at school and can then work diligently on the improvements suggested. KJ Reid
REAL TENNIS
Coach: MF Dean
This has been a year of considerable success, with a clean sweep of the National Schools doubles titles and notable achievements on the National and International stage.
Many other school matches were played, of course, against Oratory, Canford, Clifton, RCTC, Queen’s Club, Cambridge, Oxford, Hardwick and the Dedanists.
Pride of place should go to Olly Martyn-Hemphill and Freddie White who climaxed the season by winning the GB U19 doubles title, coming from behind to win the final set 6/5. Freddie’s volleying based on the foundation of Olly’s mature and athletic retrieval was, at times, remarkable. This followed their victory in the National Schools’ event at Queen’s Club, where they beat Radley’s 2nd pair (Benedict Yorston & Ned Gordon), who had earlier distinguished themselves by beating a strong Wellington pair.
Highlights include the victories over an Oxford Blues side (Olly and Freddie again!) and the Dedanists (virtually a GB junior team) where Olly, Freddie, Ed and Benedict all claimed outstanding wins against higher ranked opponents. Will Barker and Harry Purton completed the team, and promised much for next year.
Several other Colts distinguished themselves in battle (besides Harry Purton and Will Barker); Milo Daly showed real potential with some increasingly mature tennis, winning an excellent match at Queen’s Club. Max Wetton continued to produce a high standard at all times while Harry Carr, George Medd and Will Hamilton-Russell all produced good wins at other times. Ned Gordon’s apogee was at Queen’s in the National Schools’ doubles, where his intelligent support play to Ben Yorston’s fireworks was most impressive. Jack Sykes and George Bishop, too, both continued to
Seb Hill & George Eaton won the senior B grade doubles, also at Queen’s Club, while Ed Crowston & Max Wetton won the Colts doubles, coming from 2-5 down to beat an outstanding Wellington pair. Max’s sensible support allowed free reign to Ed’s explosive attack in snatching victory against the odds. Will Barker and Harry Purton finished a noble 3rd. To complete the ‘full house’, Max Jardine-Brown & Archie O’Donnell won the U14 doubles, also coming from 6-1 down to beat Canford 8/7. Benedict Yorston reached the final of the French Junior Open, as did Ed Crowston in the U16 event, with Max Wetton losing only in the semi-final, all at Fontainebleau. Ed Crowston also reached the final of the GB U16 singles at Queen’s, losing 1/6 4/6 to an excellent French marauder. All three players, along with Olly Martyn-Hemphill, also represented GB in international matches against either France or the USA.
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ROWING 1ST VIII impress, though often ‘around’ their other sporting commitments, as did Oscar White before his injury. Seniors Jonty Robinson and Fergus Ryan represented Radley in beating Oratory both home and away. Matches against new rivals, Wellington, were consistently fiercely contested and we look forward to even better battles in the future. Both Milo Daly & Ed Crowston and Benedict Yorston & Ned Gordon played outstandingly well to beat their opposite numbers at Wellington shortly before the Nationals. An extremely keen group of Midgets showed great potential and huge enthusiasm. Archie O’Donnell and Nick Tompkins led the way but were eventually surpassed by MaxJardine-Brown who (with Archie) won the National Schools doubles. George Hall, Freddie Bulmer, Freddie Barber, Ben Barton all combined to win matches at Oratory and Wellington before the Nationals. Huge thanks must (as ever) go to Chris Ronaldson, our professional, who is so generous with his time and to Zak Eadle, his assistant. More huge thanks are owed to Ed Pearson (EGP) for his enormous contribution as MiC and example on and off court. It is with unreserved gratitude and no little regret that we bid him farewell this year. Andrew Bishop (the new MiC) and Benedict Yorston (Captain for 2017-8) have some large shoes to fill, and we wish them the very best of luck.
MF Dean
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After a highly productive Easter training camp in Varese, the 1st VIII seemed to be gearing up for a good summer of racing. Four of the crew had been selected to attend the GB trials regatta at Nottingham, and their pairs came 9th and 13th respectively, leaving them with a high chance of being selected for final trials. Freddie Elwes moved to the stroke seat for a very windy Wallingford regatta, which had mixed results. After an average time trial which we were a bit disappointed with, the crew rallied for the next race and had a better row and came 2nd, just 0.4 seconds behind Winchester. At Nottingham City Regatta the boys had a much more successful time. After a change of stroke man, the 1st VIII trounced Abingdon and beat Hampton to win and get the first pot of the season.
Despite near constant minor injuries and illnesses (not including Joshua Bowesman-Jones’s pneumonia) the 1st VIII was still able to build momentum up to the weekend of the National Schools’ Regatta. On the Saturday, the crew had a decent row in the time trial, coming fifth and earning themselves a place and a good lane in their semi-final. The semi proved to be a serious slog against Shiplake causing the crew to expend more energy than they would have liked as it became a bit of a dogfight between the two crews. However, they made it into the final comfortably. In what turned out to be one of the most hotly contested Champ Eight finals in recent memory, the 1st VIII came out with fifth overall. This was not the result that the crew was hoping for but it spurred them on to make a real push for Henley. On the Sunday, the 1st VIII was split into
Coach: JE Gearing Captain: J Bowesman-Jones
two fours. Despite both being scratch crews, the first four won a bronze medal and the second four came fourth in the Championship Coxless and Coxed Fours respectively (which made the second four the fastest second four in the country as they were competing against other schools’ first fours). The following Sunday, the boys were back in the eight racing at Dorney again at the Metropolitan Regatta after spending the Thursday and Friday seat racing. With the new addition of Luke Miles, the eight came second in their heat, although they came close to not making it in to their final. In the final, the boys came away smiling after leading crews like Eton and Leander to the halfway point and right up until the last 500 metres and eventually coming across the line third, in a very fast time of 5:51.
The next weekend brought the crew to the Reading Amateur Regatta for some one-on-one racing over a 1500 metre course. The crew had a different line up; with Will Heagerty ill, Josh Bowesman-Jones was parachuted in, having been racing in his single at Marlow Regatta in the morning as a test run to see if his lungs could stand up to a maximal effort after over two months out with illness. In our heat the crew came up against Lea Rowing Club, beating them to make it to the semi against City of Oxford: a local derby. In the semi, the boys didn’t quite manage to shut the race down early on and so with 500 metres to go Oxford started to come back, but the crew held on to reach the final. In the final the 1st VIII came away with a good win over Bedford School, having been able to get out in front from early on.
And now it came to the final regatta before Henley: Marlow International, which would be very important for getting “selected” for Henley. First there was a time trial in which the crew placed fifth overall which gave them a place in the A final in a very competitive field. The eight stormed out of the blocks in the final, leading Oxford Brookes C, Imperial College and Thames Rowing Club to the 1000m mark. However, our second kilometre was not quite as quick and unfortunately Brookes and Imperial passed us in the third 500 metre and Thames rowed through in the final 250 metres. It seems however, that this was enough to gain us a selection for Henley as we were the second fastest schoolboy crew, two seconds behind St Paul’s. We had a very good Henley campaign, winning the first two rounds fairly comfortably against Episcopal
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Academy and St Edward’s. In the quarter-finals we raced St Alban’s of the USA who had beaten the American champions in the previous round. We had another good race to secure a win which meant a semifinal against Shiplake College who had won the Schools’ Head and the bronze medal at National Schools’ Regatta. Although we had not been able to beat Shiplake all season, the crew had an outstanding row to come back from a length down just before the half-way mark to win by a length. This set us up for a clash against Scotch College, the Australian national champions in the final. Scotch had beaten Eton and St Paul’s on the way to the final and had also produced a time of 5:40 at a regatta in the Netherlands just prior to coming to Henley so we knew the race was going to be a real challenge. The crew raced well, but were unable to match the Scotch crew who went on to win by just under two lengths. It was an excellent Henley for the crew and a result that very few would have predicted at the beginning of the season! An added bonus was equalling the record to Fawley which had been set by Eton in 2009. In the first week of the holidays, four of the Radley 1st VIII were invited to the GB trials in Nottingham and after five days of gruelling testing, Archie McChesney was selected to represent Great Britain at the World Junior Rowing Championships in Lithuania and Max Dunlap, Joshua BowesmanJones and James Innes-Ker were selected to represent Great Britain in the Coupe de la Jeunesse in Belgium. It was an amazing achievement to get four boys selected to represent GB in the same year and was a great way to finish such a successful season.
J Bowesman-Jones
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ROWING 2ND VIII The second eight had a slow start to the season, struggling to find a rhythm in training which showed in their head race results. However, it did allow a broader group of individuals the opportunity to develop and try close the gap to the more experienced athletes. From camp, a corner was turned, as the crew started to find an identity and a good work ethic. This translated to a better understanding of boat feel. Internal competition started pushing the crew on and making some large gains in boat speed to start seeing their potential with some great wins at several local regattas.
These wins started instilling the belief in their potential. Wallingford regatta, while windy and eventually blown out, showed them what they could achieve by being right in the mix with the other top second eight crews in the country. Efficiency continued to be the biggest area for improvement. This is more easily developed through miles of water time through the winter. NSR is a big step up in competition to other regattas. Not only is the competition of a high level, but there are also several races back to back each day. Being able to race hard
Coach: S Wells
while conserving energy to peak for the final is a difficult skill to learn, which takes experience. The eight had a decent time trial, placing them fourth. They had a great start in the semi final with good strength in the crew. As the race progressed the crews who had been together for more of the season started to take the advantage through the second half of the race. The crew did well to qualify for the final. In the final, the crew again had a good start, however as the race progressed, efficiency and fitness started to take its toll. While the guys may have been disappointed with the final result, I think they should be proud of how far they came
in the second half of the season. They came together as a crew and found belief in a common goal and worked well together to achieve it. While it has been the most successful second eight in many years, as individuals they still have more potential. Hopefully they have learned from the season what they can still achieve. Setting personal goals before the onset of the season, defining interim targets to achieve them, then putting in the work required to reach them.
winning a medal at NSR is great, it is more of a target, to get a group of individuals to come together and enjoy the process of teamwork and self-discovery of doing something meaningful.
S Wells
It has been a pleasure working with the guys and helping them see their potential and enjoy the process of working together as a crew. While
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ROWING J16 It was a mixed season for our J16 group, with some excellent performances, and some tough days of racing. It has also been great to have such a large number of boys with which to work. The season began very well, with some strong displays in the early Head Race events and some good internal competition with mixed crews. There were good wins at Pangbourne Junior Sculls and Reading University Head. The racing at a shortened Schools’ Head was a bit disappointing for our J16 crews, on a very challenging day due to strong winds. However, the year group rallied after this disappointment, and trained hard together and made the most of their camp in Varese. This led to some much improved performances
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at BASHER, Nottingham City and Bedford. Unfortunately, at National Schools’ the J16 1st VIII just missed out on the podium in 4th in a very competitive field. The J16 2nd VIII stepped up very well to make the A Final finishing 5th. The latter part of the season saw a Senior 2nd and a 3rd VIII form, comprising a large number of J16 rowers, attempting to qualify two eights in the Temple Challenge Cup at Henley. Although neither crew quite managed to qualify, the group gained valuable experience at Henley, and acquitted themselves very well, picking up a win at Marlow Town in the process. A special mention goes to the six athletes who attended GB vs France
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Coaches: M Genchi, D Cox
trials at the end of the season. Eventually, Ned Rae Smith and Theo Metcalf gained the honour of representing GB in the eight and won their race. We now look forward to a large number of boys taking their J16 experience forward and continuing into their senior years as rowers at Radley. The six boys who trialled for the GB vs France match:- Henry Taylor, Felix Rawlinson, Felix Reynish, Rory Gearing, Theo Metcalf, Ned Rae Smith.
SW Townsend
ROWING J15 Going into this this season, the J15s had much to look forward to with a squad of 26 boys giving strong competition for two eights. Winter training began with mixed boats creating competition with each other and giving each boy the opportunity to prove himself. With the boys introduced to morning Strength and Conditioning sessions and a more demanding indoor rowing programme gave us a solid base that resulted in some promising 5000 metre erg times, we were eager to see how we matched against other crews from varying schools. This opened with strong performances at Hampton Head, followed by races at Reading University and Kingston, we were ready to give our best at Schools’ Head of the River. This is the biggest race of the Lent season, racing over 6.8k. Unfortunately due to a strong headwind the course was shortened to 1500m, however the boys took all this in their stride and came away with a solid 5th place.
The Summer Term began with a productive three-day camp at Reading University Boat Club, giving the boys valuable time in singles, doubles and fours preparing them for the regatta season. Following camp, first and second crews were starting to take shape ready for their first test at BASHER regatta. With a strong time trial they were put in a category racing crews older than them giving solid experience with some exciting racing. After some impressive 2000 metre scores crews were finalised for National Schools Regatta. To prepare and gain more vital race experience the boys raced at Wallingford, Bedford and Thames Ditton Regattas winning trophies at each event. At National Schools Regatta 15-1 had a flying start in their time trial giving them the best opportunity to perform in their semi-final. With a strong, committed start by the whole crew they managed to get a length lead by 500m then keep pushing for more and more, until finally winning in a comfortable margin giving them a lot of
CoachES: CA Ingham-Clark, AR Rhodes, BJ Holden
confidence for the final later that evening. In the final, we were alongside St. Paul’s who we had not beaten yet this season, so we were keen to go at them. The boys built themselves up into the fighting spirit and sent themselves into action. With a fast start, the boys got an early lead that grew to ¾ of a length at half way. As the race started to develop St Paul’s started to fight back taking the lead at 500m to go but the boys fought on and won a highly respectable silver medal. Through hard work, commitment and a real racing sprit these boys grew into a great team. This year’s J15 silver medallists were (from bow to stern) Louis Ashforth – Pook, Fred Dreyer, Charlie Spraggs, Hector Thorneycroft, Henry Martin, Alex Senior, Freddie Nielsen, Joshua Beck and cox Ted Williams. CA Ingham-Clark
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ROWING J14 1-3
Coaches: SW Townsend, H Lyons, DS Borthwick, LRI Smart
The Shells started rowing this year, with the option of Monday Sculling, where the boys could choose to go out in singles as part of their Monday Activity. Further opportunity came on a Tuesday and Thursday after rugby training where the boys could choose to go down to the river to try attempt their ‘Sculling Socks’, a feat of sculling to Sandford and back, without falling in. Coming into the end of the Michaelmas Term, as the days drew shorter, the boys started to make good use of the tank, and learning the crucial technique of the rowing stroke out of the boat. This was great for the boys to get a good taster of rowing before their Games choices at the end of term.
Hector Brown, Freddie Bulmer, Tianyi Cheng, Pip Chetwode, Charlie Clarke and Alex Sweetnam.
good racing made it into the final, and won against the London Oratory School by just a canvas.
The boys then went on to split into 5 boats for the Junior Sculling Head, our first external race this season, to mark the end of the Lent Term. We had 20 Shells in matched boats across a Quad scull, and two Octuple Sculls of equal ability, to train against each other for 4 weeks, the boys had a good regatta and learnt a lot. The quad placing 36/63, with the octuples placing 13th and 20th out of 61.
We then had 2 weeks left until the National Schools’ regatta, which the boys were now very excited for. When the day came the boys came 4th in the time trial and went into the semi-final confident, and after a good start and composed race, managed to win their semi-final in tough conditions. They went onto to fight a hard fought final, with 3 crews within 0.6 seconds, St. Pauls came away with the win, with our boys holding their nerve and taking second ahead of the London Oratory School.
We started the Lent Term with just under 50 Shells. We split these boys into 4 teams, in which for the first 6 weeks they did all of their rowing in their teams of 12/13. Crew were constantly rotated and moved in different combinations and competing against the other teams, on the water, and in land cross training, including ergo challenges, dodgeball, basketball and circuit challenges. The eventual winners of this 6 week competition was our ‘Shark’ team, Ralph Adams, Orlando Alford, Jose Amusategui, Ben Barton, Edward Betton, Ned Blackburn,
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As we came into the Summer Term we started to formulate 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4 and 14.5 crews, with constant chopping and changing between the crews, to help the boys learn from each other, and how to row with different people. 14.1 had a good start to the season, with a win at BASHER regatta being the fastest octuple as well as racing against our own 15.2 crew in the final. They then went on to Bedford regatta, having a great race against Hampton School in the second round, but unfortunately losing out by ½ length. The boys, fired on by this, went on to have a very focused week’s training, and went into Thames Ditton regatta with something to prove, after some
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Our last half term of rowing saw 14.1 racing in doubles at Marlow Town Regatta, racing very well in 2 matched octuples with 14.2 at Marlow International Regatta, one of the octos leading the field to 750m, and coming in 4th ahead of some other strong 14-1 crews. In the last week we held our first ever Inter-Social Shell Sculling Competition, with all 46 remaining Shells competing well, in a time trial with the top 16 doing a knockout competition in singles. The first winner being Clem Giuseppetti of J. H Lyons
SAILING The sailors had another busy year, from the ever-popular ‘Shell Sailing’ afternoon to racing our SB20 at Cowes Week. The competitive year started slowly, with Radley sailors suffering the annual Seaview Regatta defeat at the hands of the Wykehamists, whom they have vowed to beat one day when they least expect it (all being well, next September). Victory would be particularly sweet, as the Wykehamists also beat us on our own turf at Farmoor in a team racing competition in May. Another event for which we hope to turn the tables next year. In happier news, with a plucky new crew and lots of practice, Radley finally managed to win the SB20 fleet event at the Warsash Spring Series. The boys sailed over six weekends undaunted by the merciless Solent weather of March and April, and a huge well done is due to Captain, Dominic James, and his trusty team of George DillonRobinson, Kit Merrill, Felix Reynish, Richard Butterworth, Charlie Spraggs, Jamie Richardson, and of course, our very own coach, George Barker. Everyone involved worked incredibly hard leading up to and during the event and truly made Radley proud. Not only did they win but also came 3rd in the hotly contested Championship series of the same event and, for the final icing on the cake, received the Helly Hansen
Master in Charge: A Muhlberg Captain: D James
Sponsor’s trophy for their perseverance and improvement over the past three years. The boys’ excellent sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct were highly praised at the final prize giving, thus confirming everything of which the Captain of Sailing had been trying to convince the Master-in-Charge all year. The last week of the school year saw four boys taking part in Itchenor Schools Week. Richard Butterworth and Jamie Richardson fought valiantly in the 104 boat strong Feva fleet to come 67th after battling through a windy first day and very light and tricky conditions for the rest of the event. Toby Bennett and Charlie Spraggs very capably represented Radley in the 420 event to come 2nd overall and to win the Mini-Series team racing event, which was a fantastically positive note on which to end the regatta.
(ably assisted by Bertie Barker) and Kit Merrill and Charlie Spraggs on T & S. Huge thanks are due to the boys for their enthusiasm and commitment this year, as well as to our two new sailing dons: to Ms Henderson, who is already proving an enthusiastic and invaluable addition to the sailing team, and to Mr McChesney, whose company we have greatly enjoyed this year and whom we will sorely miss in the future. No doubt, our paths will cross again somewhere on the water! PS: One last competition has yet to be sailed by time of writing: the SB20 World Championships at Cowes at the end of August. Please watch this space for a (hopefully exciting and impressive) report in the next Sports Supplement. AK Muhlberg
Finally, Radley again took two SB20s to Cowes Week during the Summer Holidays. The crews faced breezy and choppy conditions throughout, which challenged the boys’ racing skills as well as their stamina to the limit. Nevertheless, both crews managed to complete all races with ‘Teenage Kicks’ (helmed by Toby Bennett) finishing 14th and ‘Trouble & Strife’ (helmed by George Dillon-Robinson) finishing 19th overall. Trusty crewmates were Richard Butterworth and Jamie Richardson on TK
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TENNIS 1ST VIII P12 W9 D0 L3 Points For 44 Points Against 29 The “Lads and Dads” tennis tournament, organised by Mr Woodling, is a wonderful event and has grown year-on-year. This year, 24 pairs of brothers, mothers, fathers and dons contested the tournament in which Alex and younger brother, Edward Alder came out on top versus the tenacious pairing of Will and Peter Caplan. I think it is a real showpiece in the tennis season and I want to thank the families for their support of Radley tennis throughout the summer term. It was a pleasure to have the company of the parents on the side-line and no one can deny that the 1st VIII is one of the best supported teams in the College. Mr Woodling has grown the tennis club into one of the premier institutions at Radley and I know that the boys are proud to represent R.C.L.T.C.
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It is clear that none of this would be possible without his endless enthusiasm, dedication and relaxed sense of humour. The boys are lucky to have such a committed don who would do anything to allow them to succeed. He truly is a man of quality. I was delighted to be able to use the occasion of the “Lads and Dads” to mark five years of service to the 1st VIII by Toby Ryan and Freddie White. They have played in the team since they were in the Shells and have had multiple career highlights, winning everything there is to win on the circuit: RHWM, OXIST, 3rd in the ISL, Rugby Tournament, Radlingdon, Aegon matches, “Lads and Dads” and Social tennis. They have challenged the best of the best and come out on top against Millfield, Eton and even Reed’s. Toby leaves us to go and play tennis in the United States and he leaves behind a legacy of
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Master in Charge: RD Woodling Coach: DJ Cresswell
hard work, gritty determination and mental resilience. Freddie is headed to university in the UK where he will excel at any racket sport he chooses. He leaves behind a legacy of smiles, sportsmanship and outrageous drop shots. I want to congratulate them on an extraordinary career in the tennis club at Radley College and thank them for all they have done. The 1st VIII trained throughout the Michaelmas and Lent terms under the watchful eye of coaches Dave Tuck and Lorrayne Gracie, and strength and conditioning expert Warren Beattie. I would like to thank RDW for taking the boys down to the White Horse every Wednesday evening to make sure that they had some quality time on court, as well as some fixtures vs Oxford Sports Men’s B and C. The preparation rolled into the tennis tour to Mallorca, which was once
again a highlight of the year. We were very lucky to train with Ali Yenilmez and his team of coaches on the red clay of Peguera. The training schedule was gruelling: 3 hours training in the morning, followed by match play in the afternoon. Benedict Yorston showed his tenacity, which forced SB to practise his IGCSE role-play in Spanish (Area A). Another thank you to Mr Woodling for his tireless organisation and particularly Simon Barlass and Harry Crump for their company, friendship and dedication to the Mallorca trip and the tennis club over the last 7 years. Watching SB and HC interact with the boys is school mastering at its very best. The ISL was the first weekend of the term and I was delighted with the team performance. Ryan, White, Foreman, van der Meerschen, Caplan, Alder, Crowston and Hill played exceptionally well. The team hardly dropped a set in the first round and duly qualified for Group 1 of the ISL vs Reed’s, Eton and New Hall for the second time in two years. The second weekend was a highly anticipated fixture and Radley had to work for every point, let alone every set, eventually coming 3rd in the group and thus 3rd place overall in the tournament. This was an achievement of note. The lower end of van der Meerschen, Crowston, Alder, Hill and Caplan had a good afternoon, particularly the two players in the Remove year group who were making their debut for the 1st VIII. They both continued to improve throughout the term and quickly adjusted to senior play. They have the potential to be a formidable force in years to come. Ryan, White and Foreman led from the front, but had a tough afternoon against the best players on the circuit. Ryan and White beat the top pair from Eton by dominating the net and creating chances from first phase plays. We have grown accustomed to this, but it shows how far their play has come in the last couple of years. The next couple of weeks was packed with fixtures and the 1st team did very well to win the majority of matches, putting in some solid performances against Harrow, Bradfield, Eton and Marlborough. The D Social doubles pair of Hill and
Crowston were starting to become more dominant. Seb Hill took Ed under his wing and showed little to no ego in helping Crowston to improve his game. He deserves much credit for the way in which he played himself, but also encouraged the rest of the team. Foreman and van der Meerschen were also finding their feet. Indeed, Foreman’s forehand was starting to find a balance between power and spin and his service was becoming more consistent. This was crucial in the lead up to the RHWM at Harrow, which had to be played in a slightly curtailed format (only doubles). However, the team felt that this would suit them and they were right. They won the trophy handsomely, playing some excellent doubles in challenging conditions. The team philosophy of getting to the net and out-thinking the opposition through aggressive tactics was paying dividends. This was the same for the OXIST tournament at MCS on grass later in the second half of term. Ryan and White were on form and hardly dropped any games as the team romped to winning the trophy. Their performance against a quality Abingdon 1st pair was a highlight and shows what they can do to opponents when they are ruthless. Toby was crunching the ball from the baseline and Freddie was able to be clinical at the net. The rest of
team followed suit and it was a very enjoyable afternoon. All of these fixtures and tournaments led to the end of season tournaments at St George’s and ISTA. Radley supplied two pairs to St. George’s to contest respectively the first and second pairs’ tournaments. Captain Toby Ryan teamed up with stylish Theo van der Meerschen, but lost to Abingdon (a seesaw term) after a persuasive win against Bradfield. Abingdon stole a march and preyed upon the younger player. Theo regrouped and dominated against Trinity, Radley coming second in their group. A match against Tonbridge followed which was won with verve only to qualify for a showdown with Reed’s. Reed’s fielded a pair of the stand out players of their generation but Theo and Toby rose to the challenge, employing textbook doubles tactics and asserting themselves with oomph from the get-go. Body shots and old-fashioned looks ensued, but at length Reed’s got the break. Further breaks were traded until Reed’s held out for a 6-4 win. Reed’s went on to win easily in the final; Toby and Theo watched on knowingly. Elsewhere, Foreman and Crowston had a bumpy ride and dropped into the second pairs’ plate, which RDW was grumpy about. They then turned things around and won the silverware that remained, even if it was only made of tin.
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Moving on a week, the team were looking forward to the Youll Cup at ISTA, but it is fair to say that the draw looked like it was going to be tough. As expected, the 1st IV of Ryan, White, Foreman and van der Meerschen made light work of the team from Colston’s. The next round was the superstar team from Culford School which comprised four of the top junior tennis players in the country. Foreman (best overhead in the club) and van der Meerschen (best single hander) succumbed to the second pair and learned some lessons for another day. Ryan and White made a bright start, but were broken in the first game having been 40-15 up. The pace of the hitting and reaction time was considerably faster than anything they had faced in the season and it took some time to adjust to it. Ryan made some inroads with some blistering groundstrokes and drive volleys, but the margins were so close that even the slightest mistake handed the points to the opponents.
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They made the match last, but lost in two straight sets. The crowd of assembled family members and faithful supporters were quite rightly impressed with their play. Their opponents gave them the respect they deserved and I am very proud of their development over five years. However, it was really the play in practice sessions with Jon Maskens that impressed me. Alex Alder improved immeasurably throughout the term and started to play some dominant doubles in the second half. Crowston started to make excellent decisions in service games and showed how his matchplay has improved. Benedict Yorston, along with Seb Hill, were two of the most difficult players to beat in training, both in singles and doubles. They were able to play with intelligence, spin and imagination. Will Caplan found rhythm with his serve and
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was able to throw down some bombs from well over 10ft. From a coach’s perspective it was exciting to see, but what impressed me the most was the team’s willingness to move forward and dominate the net. I hope that this will continue to be a trademark of Radley 1st VIII tennis.
DJ Cresswell
SECONDSIDE TENNIS P9 W5 D0 L4 Points For 55 Points Against 35
occasion three ‘First Sixes’ could have been on court.
Senior Tennis remains in rudest health at Radley. We have tremendous strength in depth and cheery goodwill, sportsmanship and competence amongst a total group of 90 or so players. Of these 40 play socially but that leaves a combined squad of some 50 players to choose form for Senior matches.
In addition to competitive matchplay, Radley Seniors enjoyed social trips to Westonbirt experiencing rich hospitality and finding the tennis to be very game. It must be recorded that Charlie Pritchard played for all Senior teams apart from Bigside (including the Gentlemen) and volunteered to play for the dons against Cothill. SB queried his exam status, and had it not been for Pritchard’s honesty he would have been perhaps the College’s most variously capped player. My thanks for Harry Foreman and Ben Yorston for filling in. It should also be recognised at this point that the dons won both fixtures against Dragon and Cothill comfortably with a creditable final win for RDW and DJC against First Class opponents Duncan Bailey and part-time partner Alistair – a big step up from the Reverend.
Several Senior Secondside players would be well in contention for a Bigside place were they to submit to the gruelling training regime and match schedule. Of these men are notable Bigside retirees Harry Osbourne, Ned Rees and Oliver Donaldson: punchy players who could be relied upon to bring home the bacon. Ned and Ollie performed with distinction to secure the RHWM and were Secondside Royalty, able to play both impressive doubles and gritty singles. There can be no doubt that Will Jones and Freddie Peake at Third Pair, and Monty Browne and Tom Whitbread at Second Pair would have won routinely at first team level. It is testament to their quality that DJC protected his squad somewhat from their threat as the Secondsiders had the freedom to hit with abandon and might have bruised and bloodied more highly rated players had they the chance.
Amongst the lads, Harry Rogers epitomises the cultured quality of
Master in Charge: RD Woodling Coach: DJ Cresswell
the Senior Radleian Lawn Tennis Player. He has beautifully schooled shots and plays with athleticism and verve and style. His game really came good in the closing weeks of the Summer Term and he is sure to play seriously at university. Harry Osborne could be relied upon to grit out a match against First Team opposition and was experienced at elite level; Jonny Dewhurst had Bigside credentials, but a Socialside approach, meaning he never quite reached his potential. Charlie Rougier possessed a rollicking forehand return of serve and a meaningful first and second delivery. Younger men Seaton, Milne and Gordon play proper dubs and possess rasping serves and groundies and are not at all afraid of the net - Bigside aspirants for 2018. Max Armfield got it together and eradicated the unforced errors. A Third Team regular he will be pushing for a Secondside place or better next year. Joe Trafford has one of the fastest deliveries in the Club, but is somewhat under the spell of his own power, making far
It is a tremendous pleasure to be able to choose from a pool of boys with the sole purpose of providing competitive teams to offer our opponents a good match. Such is the quality of the squad that likefor-like matches against all bar Eton result in a Radley rout, and so playing to win becomes secondary. That being said, it should be recorded that Radley III beat Eton twice over two fixtures; Radley II split the matches; and Radley IV beat Eton the only time they played. On any given afternoon Radley fielded up to five Senior sides, on
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too many errors for a player of his quality. Joe played for all teams bar Bigside and enjoyed mixed success on every occasion. Other notable men included Tom Parr who played with punch and athleticism for Secondside (and Bigside OXIST) and Patch Sayer who demonstrated cultured guile and cheek. S2 players often played for the Seniors with regular representation for Diamandis and Christopherson. Both players played with skill, style and tenacity and usually won. Secondside did suffer an annoying loss to Harrow, 4-5, after Will Caplan, Bigside grandee, relegated himself to Secondside part way through the tie - unbeknownst to RDW. Caplan pleaded a groin strain but this did not wash with the Harrow dons who duly claimed victory in a close match they
had just lost. There was partial satisfaction to be gained from knowing how important it was to the Other Place to win. Caplan was also involved in another, similar, 4-5 Secondside defeat to Bradfield. RDW feels he should stick to playing with the Big boys. Senior Tennis is well supported by experienced dons SB, MRJ, DJP and IJA. The cultured coaching of Ms Lorrayne Gracie brings tone and legitimacy to games afternoons and the lads (and dons) vie to play their best in front of their instructress. I should like to record my great thanks to all the above for making practices such a pleasure and for developing the boys’ play, meaningfully, over the season. Several Senior players enjoyed pre-season play in Mallorca and it is hoped that this will again be
COLTS 1 TENNIS The season always begins in a difficult fashion with the first round of the Independent Schools’ League. This time was particularly tough, with Sevenoaks, Whitgift and hosts KCS Wimbledon making up the tournament. Radley lost only narrowly to KCS, but were soundly beaten by the indoor-court-primed Sevenoaks and the Sutton Academy players from Whitgift (whose top U16 seed was in Year 8!). Congratulations must go to Ely and Southwell who, at second pair, were the only team to beat Whitgift all afternoon. A few days later came a mid-week away fixture to Harrow. This was a closer affair, with Radley coming out on top in two of the sets, but narrowly missing out in others to lose 2-7. Two days later a similar result came against Tonbridge: their first two pairs were strong (Radley did not win a set against these) but Radley came away with three of the four sets contested against their third pair (Beck and Brett 6-2 and an increasingly convincing 46
Carr and Thomson 6-2, 6-4). It was a shame to travel all the way to St Paul’s to come up against a side short of players. Their tennis master stepped in to even up the head count, though there was a bit more oomph behind his serve than our men had perhaps expected. This was the last warm-up match before the second round of the ISL, this time featuring better-balanced sides. Radley Colts left this afternoon unbeaten, against Wellington, Charterhouse and Epsom. Sadly, Wellington then withdrew from our next encounter with them, which was due to be in the RHWM Tournament vs. Marlborough. So too did Harrow, and thus the tournament – which Radley Colts have won for a number of years – fell by the wayside, a shame since it looked set to be one of the closest in recent memory. A mid-week match against Winchester was pleasant despite the rain, and elicited a 5-4 win (hard to come by in this season), as we
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the case in 2018. Sadly, DJC will not be joining us, but his legacy endures. His has been perhaps the single most significant contribution to Radley Tennis in the Club’s history. His professionalism and determination has meant that decent players can aspire reasonably to excellence, and can see a pathway to achieving this. I should like to record, formally, my eternal gratitude and that of the Club’s to DJC. Next season Jon Maskens, Senior Coach, will be more heavily involved at Bigside level; expectations are rightly high, and Senior players can confidently look forward to a another enormously successful season.
RD Woodling
Coach: H Crump
shuffled the pairs around somewhat. As with the RHWM tournament, the OXIST League collapsed in the week beforehand, though Radley Colts split up and entered one pair into the Senior League A team (where Joe Beck and Milo Brett did not drop a set all afternoon) and four more as a ‘B’ team, who fought hard against the top players from MCS and Abingdon. Some slightly more informal tournaments towards the end of term saw the two Colts pairs a single point from making it an all-Radley plate final in the Radlingdon tournament, but Thomson and Southwell could not quite capitalise on their match point and the opportunity slipped away. The final engagement of term was for those who dared invite their fathers to partner them in the Lads and Dads tournament which provided a lovely end to term, accompanied by RDW’s barbecue and Pimm’s. H Crump
JC1 TENNIS P9 W3 D1 L5 Points For 144 Points Against 172 The results above bear no reflection of the outstanding tennis year group that is Junior Colts. The reality of the season is that all regular season matches, outlined above, were contested without Theo van der Meerschen and Ed Crowston (both representing Bigside with style) and Harry Haigh (side-lined from first pair due to serious knee injury). In addition to this, Captain Will Power was also side-lined for several matches with a badly injured hand. Accordingly, the performance of a team, largely comprising 15B players, against sterling opposition from Britain’s leading schools is excellent. A number of JC players attended the elite Wednesday night sessions at the White Horse. Captain Will Power made perhaps the greatest strides and beat Bigside occasional Ben Yorston out in Mallorca on pre-season tour. This was a fine win, throwing down a marker and giving notice to Senior lads that the Juniors are hot on their heels. On the same trip Ed Crowston took Captain Toby Ryan (Oxfordshire First Class) to 6-3 in a gritty and entertaining
Coach: RD Woodling Captain: W Power
encounter. Top JC players van der Meerschen and Crowston played all representative matches for Bigside and the only other players to do this were Captain Toby Ryan, partner Freddie white and 2018 Captain Harry Foreman. This speaks volumes as to the young men’s quality. The JC pair began the season playing in a knockout tournament for the College up at Rugby School against pairs from 15 other clubs. After successfully negotiating several early rounds Ed and Theo won against a classy Shrewsbury pair in the final. The format involved singles and doubles and the win was a fabulous foundation for the season to come. These two lads did play in the U15 Aegon National Championships for the College and teamed up with the excellent Karl von Sanden and Will Power to win the Oxfordshire region and qualify for national knockout play later this year. This was a real highlight. Throughout the season, Will Beukers and George Bishop combined with Karl von Sanden, Archie Ward and a chorus of supporting players
including Alex O’Dowd and Freddie van den Arend to play gallantly and with style for JC1. Notable achievements were: a draw against a decent Harrow side; a win against St. Paul’s; and a thumping drubbing of Winchester and Shiplake. At the end of the season, Will Power joined Ed Crowston and played in the Thomas Bowl national tournament at Eton. The lads played with verve and determination and won through their group stage to play against a pair of lads from Culford, one of whom was the top ranked U15 player in Britain, Harry Wendelken. A 6-2, 6-3 loss was outstanding and provided a lifetime benchmark for play and a recognition that, with teamwork and focused determination, anything is possible. My thanks to a brilliant bunch of talented lads who listen and want to develop their play; and, of course, to James Rock and Mick Dean for the expert coaching these worthy players received. Mastermind James Ambrose must also take credit for coordinating a tricky season of disparate practices and an elusive squad. I look forward to welcoming several JC players to Bigside next year! RD Woodling
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JC2 TENNIS P8 W1 L7 It is a truism of sports reporting to say that the results on paper do not reflect either the true strengths of the squad, or the vicissitudes of the games played. But truisms contain truth, and nowhere have I seen this work out more mercilessly than in the JC2 tennis season 2017. The narrow losses this summer, against Marlborough away and against St Paul’s at home, were knife-edge contests, and countless times there and elsewhere the results in
Coach: JM Ambrose, MF Dean
individual games came down to attritional play ebbing and flowing around numerous advantages either way. The boys who played for JC2 - stalwarts Angus Goaman, Alex O’Dowd, Freddie van den Arend, Archie Ward, Wilf Pease, and Rafe Lang, along with regular subs Rupert Woods, Hipolit Hodges, Ben Fletcher, Arthur Wills and Kippy Curtis - were clearly excellent doubles players from the start. They were always primed to respond to coaching from Mr Dean, and improved in skill and grit throughout. Their trouncing
JC3 TENNIS P6 W2 L4 It is a testimony to the strength in depth of this year’s tennis squad that the JC3 team were largely more successful than JC2, and indeed spent parts of the season lending JC2 their better players. Kippy Curtis, Ben Fletcher, Hipolit Hodges, Arthur Wills and Rupert Woods belonged to this elite mobile group. Albi Tufnell and Alfie Cameron were an unbreakably cheerful partnership almost throughout, and stalwarts Wissam Attou, George Clackson, Torquil Gordon and George Wright learned much about strategy and indeed from each other’s varied temperaments over the course of the matches. Honourable mention also goes to Jude Wakeley and Louis Giffard-Moore for acting as outstandingly game sporting subs at
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of Winchester was a pleasing culmination to the season, a fitting tribute to their commitment, and a long-overdue end to the bad luck. JM Ambrose
Coach: JAS Sheldrake
the eleventh hour. With substitutions evidently frequent in all directions, the team did find it hard to establish an esprit de corps on matchdays, but each game showed them fighting for points, even when all was apparently lost (or indeed already won).
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JM Ambrose
MIDGETS TENNIS The 2017 Shells tennis squad arrived on the scene with perhaps slightly less raw talent than in recent years, but a training attitude that was second-to-none. The squad were lucky to have an able fitness and movement coach replacement for SJAP in the form of PMB (Mr Bennett) who moved up from the rather more trivial task of overseeing the Hockey training programme. PMB pushed the players hard at the start of the training sessions and they responded superbly. Tom Francis followed this up by providing excellent tennis skills coaching through the season. As the season progressed it was clear that despite their hard work the first team were slightly under-powered, losing all 8 of their schools fixtures, but some by the closest of margins (4-5). The second team could also have had a similar score-sheet, but managed a couple of memorable 5-4
Coaches: SR Giddens, PM Bennett
wins, firstly against Harrow, and later in the season against the mighty Eton C team – the win of the season for the squad. Overall the Bs won 3, drew 1 and lost 6 matches. The C team had a similar win ratio (2 wins and 4 losses), but it was the Ds who managed to achieve a 100% win record (1 win against Abingdon) and set the standard for the squad. Many individuals worked hard through the season and the work ethic was exemplary. These efforts came to the fore at the end of the season in the OXIST league (doubles knockout vs Abingdon and St Edwards). Despite some top quality opposition this year, some of the Radley pairings finally found the belief in themselves that had been lacking at times and pulled out some huge wins. Donaldson and Glover came third, Hordern (perhaps the hardest worker of them all) and Hoare came fourth, and Rowley and
Rees came fifth. After a tough year on the circuit these were excellent endof-season results and showed that there is plenty of potential in these players that the club looks forward to developing in the coming years.
SR Giddens
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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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