Sports Report – Short Half 2022: Week 11

Tuesday 22nd November: Rackets v Radley (a)

Radley’s rackets’ court is different to Winchester’s and it proved an appealing opportunity to try and get accustomed to its behaviour. First on were Bertie Vallat (F) and Jack Bristowe (A) competing against an experienced Radley 1st pair, featuring twin brothers. In the first game, helped by an excellent run of serve from Jack, Winchester achieved an early lead, going 12-6 up. Reaching 12 and not 13 is a well-known hazardous position in rackets and known to sometimes result in unfortunate consequences thereafter. This is what happened, as the Radley pair fought back with renewed vigour, taking the game 15-13. This proved crucial, as it appeared from the gallery that if game 1 had gone to Winchester, others may have followed. Radley, now confident, prevailed in the next two games, winning 8 and9. Jack arguably played at his highest level seen to date but Bertie struggled to and exert his proven ability upon the game. Winchester’s colts, Rupert Balmain (K) and Ollie Frost (G), found the fast surfaces of the court particularly challenging initially especially when it came to returning serve. Nevertheless, they fought hard and managed to take game 3 before Radley came back to win game 4 and the match.

The best spectacle of the day was the last match involving Sebastian Kingsbury (A) and William Hammerson-Jones (A), playing together for the first time. Their opposition was a confident Junior Colts pair boasting a high seed in the upcoming Nationals. Throughout the match were hard-fought rallies and impressive runs of serve from all 4 players. At times, the level looked well above what you would expect from this year-group. The score line settled at 1 game all but, as the match went on, the home team’s serves were just too precisely executed for the Winchester pair to gain the upper hand. One or two errors at critical moments allowed Radley to capitalise and take the next closely fought 2 games. This was a frustrating loss for Winchester since the match could have gone either way. However, both players had benefitted from the chance to play on a very different, challenging court against highly competent opponents.

Thursday 24th November

Swimming -Warwick School

A very successful afternoon in the swim team’s first outing of the year away at the Warwick 100s. The squad was bolstered by the involvement of Jake Hudson and Selin Mucen who both undertake a significant amount of training away from school with the Winchester City Penguins swim club. Jake Hudson won U18 50m breaststroke (30.55) and the U18 100m IM (1.02.37) and Selin Mucen won the U18 50m fly (32.96) and silver in U18 50m freestyle (30.91).

Squash U18A vs Marlborough College: Away

Although the Sen. V suffered a 3-2 defeat playing away at Marlborough there were some close games and the closest was at number 1 string where Winchester's Shiloh Wu had an incredible battle v the Marlborough No. 1. Both players played a very fast hard hitting game and it was really a test of who could hit the ball to the best length. Marlborough won the first at which point Shiloh started to play really good length, moving his opponent and winning the next two games 11-3,11,7. Shiloh was once again ahead in the fourth only for his opponent to play some good tight shots and narrowly win it 14-12. In the fifth neither player was prepared to give in and the rallies were long as neither player made unforced errors. Eventually at 8 all Shiloh played three great rallies, varying his length for a 11-8 victory. A great match where Shiloh had to show real tenacity to win .

The other winner for the 1st V was Bertie Vallat, who having not played for the team for some time, had a very good 3-1 win by playing good length, short shots and really controlling the rallies. For the rest of the team it was a lesson in getting used to the warm conditions and the need to hit the ball at the appropriate speed.

The U-15 VI had a very good 6-0 win against Marlborough. The Winchester side played very well on the warm courts, putting their opponents under pressure right from the start with good serves. By controlling the rallies and placing the ball they had a very well deserved 6-0 victory.

Rackets v Wellington College (h)

This proved to be a frenetic day of Rackets with over 10 matches played involving 24 Wykehamists.

Representing the first pair were 2 boys who usually play at lower levels. George Gardiner (D) and Jack Bristowe (A) took on a highly adept Wellington pair and competed keenly in all but the final game, losing 3 – 1. 2nd pair, Alex Harker (I) and Stephen Lam (F) fought back from 2 -1 down to level at 2-2. In the fifth game, they impressively pulled out the win, 15 -11.

Dima Kasumov (I) and Oscar O’Carroll (I) posted a convincing win against a pair a year above, 3-0. Dima’s powerful serving, together with Oscar’s lightning movement, combined to form a convincing, effective team.

The match of the day involved Jack Bristowe, in his second appearance, and partner Will Hammerson-Jones (A), playing up a year. There were high level rallies during this match with stunning recovery shots by all 4 boys, together with high quality returns of serve. The final score saw a 3 – 1 Wellington victory although every game was on a knife-edge and could have gone either way.

Our Colts B pair pulled back from one game down to make the score one all thanks to some adept serving. However, the Wellington pair used the side wall effectively to win the critical rallies, resulting in a 3-1 loss for Winchester. In the JC'A's, Arthur James-Duff (D) exhibited a series of apparently unreturnable serves whilst Jamie Mitchell (G) executed impressive winners to jointly take their match, 3 – 0.

William Budden (D) and Angus Hay (I), making a surprise appearance, played against a capable girls pair who adjusted quickly to the different court by taking the first two games. However, Winchester’s quality of play needed to improve drastically and it did. With a renewed consistency, whether returning or rallying, this ensured that Winchester made a comeback to win 3 – 2. There were also some informal Yearlings games, with appearances from Amar Fernando (I), who played impressively for his first Rackets match, Caspar Edwards (A), John Langdon (K) Thai Leetrakul (C). (TERC)

Yearlings A Football v Kennet School, ESFA Cup Rd 3 (h)

On an immaculate surface on Lords 1, we began this cup match positively and soon took control. Redfern regularly provided the forward direction to our play from right-back and, with Oluwabusola such a willing runner, we were quickly creating chances as we attacked up the slope. Oluwabusola twice found himself in on goal after holding off the defenders and calmly finished both into the bottom left corner. At the other end, Stoesser showed good hands and positioning as Kennet attacked, coming to meet the ball around the top of his area and claiming crosses too.

As half-time approached we eased off and allowed Kennet into the game more, which gave them a sense of hope at the beginning of the second half. Stoesser pulled off some good saves and gradually our defence managed to force Kennet into shots from further away. Oluwabusola maintained his constant threat and completed his hat-trick after another early threw-ball gave him plenty of space to run into, drive with the ball into the area and finish firmly across the keeper. We began to grow in confidence again towards the end of the game and looked to play out from the back more often. Bowder and Redfern were always available, the former growing in confidence with the support of Mr Dodd on his touchline and soon providing an assist for Oluwabusola's fourth. Much of our build up play was slick and Coles' presence alongside Kaung in front of Stoesser in the second half gave us the stability from which to build our play, with Zawoda and Jurdjevic providing the width and Laarman gaining a few more chances later on. It was a strong all-round performance from the team, including our first clean sheet of the season! W4-0 (JMB)

Badminton vs St. Edwards College (A)

A long trip to Oxford meant a quick warmup for the squad as the match began soon after arrival. Last time out, Winchester won 14-2 and the team wanted to better that record. This match was no doubt a warm up before our toughest game against Abingdon on Saturday. The first round saw 3 victories, with Vincent and Derek playing a tough game against their first pair, but just coming up a little short. From that point, each pair won all remaining matches. Vincent (MOTM) performed exceptionally well in the game against Teddy's second pair even after underperforming against the firsts. Overall, a wonderful match played with consistency and effort from both sides. Winchester ended up with a 15-1 victory, topping our score from last time. The team celebrated with donuts and hot chocolate! (R. Patel, I)

Saturday 26th November

Badminton vs Abingdon (H)

The most anticipated match of the term, Abingdon. Our arch rivals who we had never managed to beat in every year of playing them. This was our opportunity, with our full team fresh and ready to take on the unbeaten side. The team had belief that they could pull off a draw, or even a victory! The team's confidence had risen from the beginning of the season and our form was perfect. As the game started, JohnPaul Cheng gave it everything in the first match against Abingdon's fourth, smashing at every opportunity and taking control of the game. Winchester's first pair got a commanding 21-3 victory over Abingdon's fourth which set the atmosphere for the rest of the match. The first round ended in a 2-2 draw with our first two pairs beating Abingdon's last two pairs. The second round continued in similar fashion bar a magnificent effort from Alvin and Ashmit to come up to 15 against Abingdon's first. The score was level at the halfway point. As the 3 setters began, it was quite clear that Abingdon were pushing for the win, as 2 games went on to the 3rd set. Unfortunately, even after incredible efforts from our team, we lost the round 3-1. To win the match, we need 4/4 wins and victory seemed impossible. However, as pressure came on, Yuyao and Ben smashed through Abingdon's second while Ashmit and Alvin beat their third pair. Due to a close defeat suffered by our fourth pair of Vincent and Derek, it was up to the first pair to draw the match 8-8. Going into the third set, all players stood by the side lines as a win would mean we finally drew against our arch enemies. JP, not affected by the high pressure, moved swiftly, using superb shot selection and precise timing to win him the MOTM award. As our first pair beat Abingdon's first in a 21-13 thriller, the team rejoiced in a wonderful draw in the hardest match of term. We look forward to playing Abingdon away next term, and hopefully stealing a win! (R. Patel, I)

Football v Charterhouse

On Saturday, Winchester’s 1st XI took to Doggers in their final home game of the season, to play a formidable Charterhouse side. Throughout the week, anticipation had been building within the squad at the chance to beat one of the school’s right at the top of independent schools footballing pyramid, and to prove that Winchester are one of those top teams too. We started the game with that exact mindset, and within the opening minutes, we took a 1-0 lead, courtesy of a Maguire-like captains' header from Van Every. As we had discussed, it was going to be a day that would be decided on 50/50s, and for the remainder of that half chances were limited for both sides, apart from the odd cross or pot shot that were well dealt with by both goalkeepers and defenders. And yet, at the half time whistle, there was a hush across the pitch, neither side seeming phased by the proceedings of the last 40 minutes, two teams steeped in success and confidence, and it was at this stage that one realised the second half would be the toughest of our season so far.

Winchester have been here before, against Bede’s and Gordon’s, and expectedly the mentality monsters started the second half brightly, a glorious chance falling to Brant who volleyed wide, before we had another effort tipped onto the post by the C’house keeper. It had never felt like the game was going to end 1-0, and, with a cruel twist of fate, a C’house shot from the edge of the box took a deflection off one of their own players and rolled past the helpless Whitehead in goal. But we didn’t sit off and relax. Continuing to press, another glorious chance falling to Caspar Hall in the six-yard box, but he couldn’t convert. Then, 10 minutes from time, a poor pass back allowed Brant to nick the ball round the keeper to make it 2-1. Pandemonium as he was mobbed by the corner flag. It was hard to describe the atmosphere in those final few minutes on Doggers, as the light began to fade, and the refereeing decisions became more and more dubious, although it could be compared to the Saudi Arabian spirit against Argentina in the dying moments. Corner after corner, free kick after free kick, clearance after clearance, save after save. But then suddenly, the full-time whistle went, and the Winchester roar could be heard across New Field. It was a watershed moment for a team that have proven that they are the real deal, and now, we really have cemented our position amongst English schools’ football elite. We have an ISFA Trophy QF and an ISFA Cup Round of 16 to look forward to, and the dizzying heights of this magic carpet ride of a season are far from over. Thanks for all your support! (W. Whitehead, A)

A disappointing result in the end for the 2nd XI but the game could have been so different, as we controlled the first 20 mins and with a little better finishing or more precision with the final ball would have seen us in front. Charterhouse scored midway through the first half when their left winger ran from just inside our half all the way through to the by line and unselfishly squared the ball to enable a simple tap in. It was a great run, but it was disappointing we did not make a challenge to stop the ball in.

At half time I felt we had played well, but had lacked a little energy, so I asked the lads for a little more. We responded really well and were unlucky not to score when Pat found himself with the goalkeeper to beat on the edge of the area. As Pat was about to shoot, it felt that he was caught late by the GK, but unfortunately the Ref did not see it that way! Unfortunately, this seemed to knock us a little and very disappointingly we conceded 3 goals in five very poor minutes, probably the worst 5 minutes we have had all season!

To our credit we kept going until the end and had several chances to score, but alas we were unable to capitalise. On refection, we looked a little tired and lacking our normal energy, so hopefully a good week of training will put us in good shape as we approach our last game of the season next Saturday away to Wellington. L0-4 (PNG)

After only one training session under their belts, our first ever girls’ football team pulled on their boots (some for the first time) and arrived fired up to challenge Charterhouse.

The first 10 minutes saw Winchester dominate over the Charterhouse ladies, with the ball rarely seen in our half. Anna Pasfield (A) and Amara Moore (H) both had strong attempts at goal but both narrowly missed. Midway through the first half, Charterhouse picked up the pace and Kate Robinson (A) pulled off some brilliant saves to deny the opposition any chances at scoring. In the last ten minutes of the first half Charterhouse brought on some fresh legs and took advantage of Winchester not having any reserves by booting two balls in the back of the net before half time.

Half time arrived and with some positional changes made, shifting Fran Wyse (H) upfront, Anna in central midfield and Ali Bunn-Livingstone (B) in goal we were ready to attack the second half. Anna started on the front foot and pressed well with Selin Muncen (B) and Fran close by. Their communication and increased intensity forced Charterhouse to make errors in the box with Fran taking advantage and scoring a killer shot into the bottom right hand corner. Our defence became impenetrable with Ali pulling off some unbelievable saves and Kate and Maya Gordon (K) not allowing anyone past the ‘Winchester Wall’. In the latter part of the second half, taking advantage of our tired legs, Charterhouse brought on some strong reserves and within 5 minutes scored two scorchers. The last few minutes of the game saw some fantastic footwork and excellent defence from the Winchester ladies but our lack of training and no substitutes on the bench showed tiredness and we conceded one more goal. The final whistle blew with the final score 5-1, however the result did not reflect the effort and sheer passion our ladies had on Saturday. They were proud to wear the Winchester colours and showed sportsmanship and were well respected at the end of the game. We will be back and eager to win. L5-1 (FIJ)

In the end, this was an emphatic victory for the Sen Colts Cs, and one which wrapped up a good season. What the scoreline doesn't reveal is the twists and turns of a game which refused to settle. Charterhouse poached an early goal to go 1-0 up; Haddad and Gens connected well throughout to pile on the pressure in reply; and Smith screeched to the back post, narrowly missing one from a corner. Berlingheri then struck back with two well-deserved goals, jinking away from the Charterhouse centre backs, before Charterhouse rolled an errant backpass into the net past their own confused keeper to make it 3-1 Winchester at half time.

Clearly there was something in the half-time oranges, though, as Charterhouse came out firing - two goals in quick succession in the first ten minutes, with Ohiwerei making a glorious initial save for the second, arms outstretched and body thrown backwards, only for the rebound to be tapped in to level things up to 3-3. The panic was palpable at this stage as things hung in the balance with 10 minutes to play in the final match of the season, but some muscular defending from Baghobati and Humphreys settled the nerves and Winchester started to assert themselves on the game once more. Winchester picked up a free kick just on the edge of the Charterhouse box - Gens's favoured Ellis Pot area, and one in which he wasted no time striking a rising ball past the keeper and into the top of the net to make it 4-3. With the wind in our sails, Gens picked up another: this time a free kick on the left hand side of the box. A fine strike was aided by the Palmer pitches, as the Charterhouse keeper was left flailing in the mud, Winchester peeling away to celebrate a 5-3 win to cap off a good season.

Player of the season: Nikita Haddad - always busy, tenacious, and creative, releasing the ball effectively across the park. (TDQ)

The JCBs found a strong opponent in Charterhouse. The opposition started with intensity and managed to put in a strike from range. Winchester responded as Piers Fletcher muscled his way through the defence and put one past the keeper. The Carthusians used their excellent striking to rack up four further goals, but Winchester again responded. Piers scored a cool penalty and for the last 20 minutes of the match Winchester not only kept the Carthusians out, but applied pressure of their own. Charterhouse and Winchester parents alike commented on the captivating entertainment unfurling before our eyes. Captain Zain Naqui nominated Tom Gordon as his man of the match for excellent intensity throughout. The final man of the match was Piers Fletcher for superb physicality up top. L5-2

In the shadow of a particularly brutalist boarding house, Winchester JCC kicked off against Charterhouse. Charterhouse seemed to be the slightly stronger team, in a game suffering from a lack of space, but Winchester took the lead just before half-time when Arthur Duckworth scored a goal-of-the-season contender with a fine strike from well outside the box.

Charterhouse continued to apply pressure in the second half and eventually levelled the score to 1-1, but Winchester kept battling as Vardhan Mehrotra hit the post with another fine long-range strike. Charterhouse were then awarded a penalty, which was saved by stand-in goalkeeper Monty Callaghan, before Charterhouse's pressure finally paid off as they took the lead for the first time in the match. However, Arthur Duckworth scored again at the death as he lashed the ball home as it was ricocheting around the penalty box. The game ended 2-2. This was a good draw against a strong Charterhouse side, and an even better result given the other JC scores. (JWS)

The JCEs fought hard to repel a physically imposing and technically talented Charterhouse side. Tireless first-half defending, along with excellent work from keeper Yash Sawhney (who made a crucial penalty save), kept the half-time score level at 0-0. It was not until midway through the second half that Charterhouse finally managed to break the deadlock. A first goal was quickly followed by three more, producing a full-time result that did not reflect the closeness of the first half. L4-0 (JL)

The scoreline perhaps flatters our hosts in a Yearlings A game that was much more even than it suggests. The early exchanges were mostly played out between the midfields as both sides sought control of the game. Feyita began positively and with MacCabe and Santagati broke up most attacks and looked to play in our forwards. However, a pacy Charterhouse side nullified much of our usual threat in behind. Kaung and Sullivan dealt with most early attacks until a quick-witted Carthusian took a quick throw-in with our defence out of position and the striker neatly finished into the bottom left corner. They soon added another before half-time.

Feeling like we could get ourselves back into the game, we were shocked to concede a third, as the left winger cut back onto his right foot from the left-hand touchline and delivered a ball that cleared everyone, including the keeper, and nestled in the far corner of the goal. We pushed on and Laarman and Oluwabusola soon began to link up well, the former finding the net from outside the area as the ball squeezed beneath their keeper. Again, we felt the momentum was with us but then conceded again, this time from a free header from a corner. Despite more chances for Laarman, Maithya-Garcia and an excellently saved free-kick from Oluwabusola, it was Charterhouse who again scored from a well-constructed move off their own goal-kick. L5-1 (JMB)

Before the match, I warned the YBs not to be as timid as against Bradfield. The team responded well and fought in every department from the go. We twice pulled a goal back through George and Prince and at 2-2 it could have gone either way. Then Leo went down in the penalty area like a clown being thrown out of a helicopter. Amazingly, the ref gave it and Greg slotted home to put us 3-2 up with only a few minutes to go. Then carnage ensued as Charterhouse threw everything at us and scored two quick goals to win the game. The team were sad to go out on a loss, but we did have a winning season. Alex was excellent in goal. Man of the match was Fergus for his tireless defensive and attacking work. L4-3 (PAH)

A chilly day at Charterhouse saw the Yearling Cs brimming with confidence after a successful season so far, though knowing the opposition were likely to be strong. A lively start saw the wingers, Lewis and Edwards, taking on the defence, and Du Ry coming close at the far post. We dominated possession but couldn't quite convert. Charterhouse took the wind out of our sails with a goal against the run of play from a rebound, after a strong save from Howard, who was typically reliable in goal. Colin Kirk calmly slotted a superb penalty to bring the scores level. Findlay Kirk capitalised on an error in the box to poke the ball home, only for an outstanding strike from outside the area to make it 2:2 at the half time break. In the second half the defence were busy and Wang, Crewe, Okolo and Mannion Miles communicated well to relieve the pressure on numerous occasions. We applied pressure and forced an own goal with twenty minutes still to play. Another strike from outside the box punished a weak clearance and levelled the scores 3:3. Both sides might have still won it but, in the end, a draw was probably the right result. D3-3 (JRM)

The YD team were up for a victorious final match of the season. We started well and all signs were that this was going to be a close game. Corners came and went opportunities drifted by. We could have been 2-0 up. The defence was solid. At half time it was even with both teams having several chances. At the start of the second half a goal keeping mishap resulted in a goal. We tried to get a goal back but it wasn’t happening. Charterhouse scored again with a solid shot. Right at the end we had a good opportunity, this thought was turned around and they scored a third just before the whistle. A well-mannered and competitive game. L3-0 (PM)

Our best game of the season by a mile, the YE boys gave it a really good go. In the first half we were the better team but we hit the post and didn''t convert our well-worked chances. On the other hand, 2 very nice goals from only three shots saw Charterhouse the happier team at half time. The second half started poorly as we conceded an easy third goal. Going into the last 15 minutes we got the goal we deserved with a lovely finish from Ehaan. We tried to keep the momentum with us and bring the result back but the game was killed off when we conceded the fourth one from a fast counter attack. L4-1 (JOC)

Other results

3rd XI L1-2 4th XI W2-1 5th XI W3-2 6th XI W5-2 7th XI L2-5

SCA L0-1 SCB L1-4 SCD L0-3 JCA L5-1 JCD L4-0

Sunday 27th November: Schools’ Winchester Fives Tournament

The Schools’ Winchester Fives Doubles Trophy this retained on Sunday. Given home advantage and blessed to have the deft skills of Shiloh Wu and the steadfastness of Chris Lee, this was not unsurprising. As first pair, Chris and Shiloh were simply too good for the opposition from Alleyn’s, St. Paul’s, Tonbridge and Winchester. However, I think Winchester’s second and third pairs deserve their own mention:

The final was an all-Winchester affair after Winchester II, Henry Akerman and JP Cheng, battled through several tough games to reach the final. They may have lost the final 11-0, 11-2 to Chris and Shiloh but it was really impressive, in particular, to see JP playing so well despite being out of school and unable to play Fives throughout MP and VBk.

Meanwhile Winchester III, our two U16s Anthony Cloke Browne and Jeffrey Chan, made light of their relative youth and inexperience to beat older and stronger players to win the plate competition – enjoying a pleasingly comfortable 15-7 win over a very decent Tonbridge pair in the plate final. (JM)

Inter-House Football

With one more round still to play Hopper’s have sown up the Flower Pot title but it’s all to play for between Beloe’s and Furley’s to claim the runner-up spot. Ellis Pot will be resolved on Saturday. The semi finals of Chawker Pot take place this Thursday and Foster Pot next Monday.

Chawker Pot: B v H I v A Thursday 1st Dec 2.10pm ko

Plate: F v E C v K Thursday 1st Dec 2.10pm ko

Foster Pot: D v B A v F Monday 5th Dec 2.15pm ko

Plate: G v X I v K Monday 5th Dec 2.15pm ko

All fixtures details can be found on: https://sportsfixtures.winchestercollege.org/

Sporting quote for the week:

“For a player the responsibility of leadership CANNOT be turned ON and OFF. Your ability to play well may fluctuate but your leadership cannot.” (Tom Crean, NCAA Basketball Coach)

M.S. Burley

Director of Sport

29th November 2022

Twitter: @WinCollSports