Sports Report – Short Half 2023, Week 4

Tuesday 3rd October 2023

Badminton v Bradfield College (a)

A weakened Winchester badminton squad left for an away match at Bradfield without two core players from the 1st VIII. With new pairing options, we mixed up our players: Alex came in with a steady and consistent playstyle and Ayson played some cheeky dropshots. On the other hand, ruthless smashing from the 2nd pair, Josiah and Yuyao, quickly swept the opposition. Next, Ben and Ollie played comfortably but had a tight match the Bradfield 3rd pair which went up to 3 sets. Lastly, Derek and Bryan's effective aggression pierced enemy defences. Overall, we decisively won 16-0 and only dropped two sets. [Yuyao Xie, H]

Football

Junior Colts A v King’s Winchester (h):

The first half ended with a score of 0 - 0. With Gabriel (B) missing a notable scoring opportunity, and Prince (D) scoring with his first touch after a great cross from Freddy Matthews (X), but was quickly flagged offside. King's scored shortly after, but had it chalked off as yet another offside goal. In the second half, the game saw a quick succession of King's goals, with them scoring within 2 minutes, followed by an outstanding goal to make it 0 - 2 shortly after. The trend continued, resulting in a score of 0 - 4, with a missed penalty in between. Oli managed to score a sensational volley bringing the score to 1- 4. After the goal the JCAs football began to flow, unlocking the King's defence a few times, with a stunning Laarman strike headed off the line in the closing stages. Despite the final score line, there were a handful of good chances throughout the game especially in the last ten minutes, compared to the initial 60. Lost 1-4. Prince (D)

1st Girls v King Edward’s Witley (a): Lost 0-2

Golf - 1st team: HMC Singles

In a very high quality field of 67 low-single-figure handicappers, the Winchester College boys performed solidly but overall fell slightly short of expectations. Harry Ho (I) finished a commendable 23rd, with Seb Wells (G) finishing 28th (on countback) on the same score. Reed's School won the team event with a 3-man cumulative score of -1 gross. The day proved a valuable insight into the standards that need to be met by our own very talented group as we move forwards. [R Moore]

1st v Dauntsey’s School

The golf team skilfully negotiated the windy conditions sweeping the Salisbury Plains on Tuesday, to achieve a convincing 3-0 win over Dauntsey’s at Upavon GC. Taanvir held his nerve in the lead match, winning the 15th and 16th holes to then close out the match on the 17th (2&1). Sander and James both raced away to 4UP after 6 holes in their respective matches, and played well to maintain this advantage throughout their rounds. [TDF]

Sailing v Bryanston School (h)

Match started but not completed due to excessive weed in the lake making sailing very difficult.

Wednesday 4th October 2023 - Football: ESFA U14 Cup, Round 2: Yearlings A v Thornden School (a)

Away at Thornden School we began the game well enough in possession, finding opportunities to move the ball around but without managing to create many opportunities. In contrast, our hosts were keen to move the ball forward quickly and looked to play in behind us. We managed to deal with most of the secondary phases initially but eventually conceded from a loopy shot into the far corner. Thornden struck the bar and missed an easy chance before adding their second when we failed to clear from our area. We did not let our heads drop though and soon found a goal after some neat play in midfield found Husband with time and space to thread a pass in behind for Irvine, who arrived from the right wing and struck it cleanly first time.

With the game in the balance at the start of the second half, we stood off another attacker in our area and allowed him to turn and shoot from close range. Going down early in the second half was then compounded by conceding from a corner, with a header from 4 yards a gift for our hosts. We lacked penetration for much of the second half and conceded another from a corner. Some late moments in possession again offered some promise but lacked the cutting edge required on this occasion. We were certainly not at our best in this game but get an opportunity to give a better account of ourselves in another Cup tomorrow. Lost 1-5 [JMB]

Thursday 5th October 2023

Badminton: School Sport Magazine National Schools Cup, U16A v John Hanson Community School (a): Lost 4-2

Football

Sen Colts C v Frensham Heights School U16A (h)

Although nominally a C team fixture the Geography Field Trip meant some unfamiliar combinations were running out together and a fairly even first half saw chances go close from both teams. After Hugo Brett scored to give Wincoll the lead it looked like the home team would go onto extend their lead further but Frensham pegged one back so the scores were all square at half time. The second half saw the visitors step up the intensity with their front two players causing problems for our defenders and four unanswered goals gave Frensham a 5-1 victory that was probably a little harsh on the Senior Colts Combo team. (MSB)

Jun Colts A v Cranmore School (n):

The JCA’s went into the game with a good mindset against Cranmore in Rd 2 of ISFA, hoping to continue from their massive win in the first round. The game started and we pressed every ball. For the most of the 1st half we were in their half mounting pressure. This ended up working out because Gabriel Oluwabasola (B) went on the break after winning the ball high up the pitch and dribbled around the keeper to make it 0-1 for the away side. Unfortunately we could not hold our advantage and Cranmore scored with a beautiful half-volley off a rebounded free-kick 1-1. We were a bit disappointed because of our domination so far, but kept playing well until the end of the first half. There were good performances across the whole pitch. With Mike MacCabe (A) and Giovanni Santagati (D) fighting for every ball and a good defensive line with Oli Kaung (X) and George Kashirin (E) winning most of the aerial balls. Everyone else was putting in a good shift and working very hard.

The 2nd half was very dull and not much happened except both side were very even. This was characterised by Cranmore’s physical strength and our relentless pressing and contesting for every ball. We went into extra time very gassed and ready for what was about to come. The first half of extra time ended all square and in the second half Cranmore took the lead 2-1 with a corner that we failed to clear in time. Even though there were just a few minutes left we kept our heads up which has not been common in our recent fixtures. With 3 minutes to go we earnt a corner and Oli Kaung (X) turned in a loose ball in the penalty box to tie it 2-2 with 2 minutes to go. The next minute we pressed high and forced the keeper to make a poor clearance which fell to Frederic Laarman (C) who shot from distance noticing the keeper was off his line to make it 2-3. This raised the atmosphere on the pitch and the players could hardly believe it. Later in injury time Gabriel added a 4th to make it 4-2 with a powerful shot that the keeper only got a touch to. This was almost unbelievable. Strong performances all around the field and this was the best the JCA’s had played this season. [JPT]

Yearlings A v Hounsdown School (a): Lost 1-5

Rackets v Marlborough College (h)

1st pair, Henry Nicholls (A) and Jack Bristowe(A), made short work of completing the win with impressive serving and rallying by Henry and consistent overall play by Jack.

2nd pair, Stephen Lam (F) and Rupert Balmain (K) ), manged to take game 2 but unfortunately lost 3-1 despite battling doggedly.

3rd pair, Jamie Mitchell (G) and Seb Kingsbury (A), stormed to a highly efficient win with the loss of only 4 points. Jamie has taken a leap forward in level and in this match was playing on his weaker side. Despite this, he delivered a succession of irretrievable serves and winning strokes with Seb backing up the pair competently to assure of continued momentum.

4th pair, Nick Reynolds (C) and Angus Hay (I) battled well against an adroit Marlborough pair but unfortunately lost without taking a game.

JCA, Oscar O’Carroll (I) and Dima Kasumov (I) started well by claiming game one with relative ease. However, in game 2 they took their foot of the accelerator to quickly forfeit the game. This provoked a counter-attack in Winchester and this saw their taking the next 2 games and the match.

JCB, Casper Edwards (A) and Greg Dolgopolov(F) playing their first ever match, showed good promise at times with adept service retrieval and surprising recovery shots in the rallies. Although Marlborough won 3 – 1, This was a very close match and it could have gone either way. (TERC)

Squash v Bryanston School (a)

Sen VI Won 4-2 . U-15VII Won 7-0.

A good win by the Winchester sides who both won against the fast, fit Bryanston teams. With greater placement of their shots Winchester dominated the rallies and won all but two of their matches. A good result before next week's matches at home v Wellington. [RAA]

Saturday 7th October 2023

Badminton 1st v St Edward’s School, Oxford (h): Won 16-0

On Saturday, our best eight shuttlers faced off against St Edward’s School in the PEC. Our team put out an outstanding performance, earning Winchester a hefty 16-0 win. Our training paid off as all pairs noticed significant improvement since our last game against St Edward’s. The Man of the Match is Brian Ho, who has greatly improved in doubles since last term both tactically and in fitness, and will hopefully continue to be an asset to the team. [Alvin Yu (I)]

Fencing U18A v Abingdon School (a)

Foil A: Winchester Win 45 to 35 Abingdon

Epee A: Winchester Loss 21 to 45 Abingdon

Football v Lancing College, Lord Wandsworth College, St Mary’s Ascot (a):

Winchester Soccer XI started the game well and on the front foot and scored in the 2nd minute, Alex Classie suppling the assist from a long throw for Ethan Baker to head in the bottom corner.

That was the start we wanted but we were unable to back it up for the next 78 minutes. We lost too many battles all across the park and it was disappointing to have to accept that the Lancing boys wanted it more than us. Two very sloppy goals were conceded through poor defending and on the stroke of half time the visitors made it 1-3.

At half time we wanted to see a response from our boys but one must give credit to Lancing as they worked hard together and manged to score another goal to take the victory. Much for us to work on going into our cup game on Tuesday. [JRD]

Winchester 2nd XI started the game in a frantic manner with Lancing applying pressure from the front, leading to an unfortunate goal after hitting the crossbar multiple times. This seemed to be a wake up call as Winchester began to move the ball and move around with more liberty, with Adin and Laolu getting the ball out wide. We created a few chances, but unfortunately, were not able to get one back going into halftime.

We began the second half with the same intensity and control as we ended the first, with Tomo, Otto and Jad providing a real problem for the Lancing back four as we kept on pushing for our goal. We were creating chances, crosses, getting shots on goal, and Tomo winning a penalty. But it just seemed like luck was not on our side. Lancing were constantly threatening our defence with the long ball over the top, leading to a few chances, drawing a heroic goal line clearance from Barklam, and strong organisation from Bosco. However seemingly against the run of play, Lancing managed to get another from a corner. The game ending 2-0 to Lancing. This is a harsh scoreline and it doesn’t tell the story of the game. Winchester were in control and much more productive in creating chances for most of the game. The spirit and effort the lads showed was amazing and we were extremely unfortunate not to get a fairer score. [S Lam (F)]

3rd XI: Draw 2-2

4th XI: Won 7-1

5th XI: Lost 2-3

6th XI: Won 5-1

7th XI: Won 5-1

The JCAs travelled to Lancing College with high hopes after coming off of a good result in the ISFA Cup against Cranmore the match prior. However, the game didn’t start off the way we wanted when the ball was given away at the back, and the Lancing striker slotted it calmly into the back of the net to make it 1 – 0 to the home side. Shortly after, the ball was given away in the midfield after a mix up and Lancing were on the counter and capitalised to make it 2 – 0. Half time came which was needed to reset after a poor first half, and we needed to put in a shift in this second half to get a result out of the game.

Unfortunately, we came out of the blocks slowly and after a lack of communication in our defence their winger was through on goal and finished well to make it 3 – 0. However, from that moment the JCAs played some of the best football of the year. We were dominating and the ball was constantly in the Lancing half with Jesse Feyita (C) and Gio Santigati (D) pulling the strings in midfield. Ollie Kaung (X), George Kashirin (E) and birthday-boy Ned Reeve (B) were keeping their attack quiet and remained very solid at the back. The deserved breakthrough came with some great pressing from Prince Gbedawo (D) and when the keeper was out of position Jesse placed the ball calmly into the far corner and the comeback was on, 3 – 1. We kept the pressure on and chances were being created. Our second goal came with Alex Jurdjevic (B) crossing it into the box and Freddie Matthews (X) finishing it over the keeper very well, 3 – 2. We kept knocking on the door, including a long-range strike from James Redfern (A) which hit the crossbar. But finally we equalised from a well-executed free-kick by James, 3 – 3.

We were a bit disappointed to not get the win after a very commanding second half, but it was a well fought comeback from being 3 – 0 down to get it back to 3 – 3. Some solid performances all over the pitch, but MOTM goes to Ollie Kaung. Thank you to all the travelling support, as ever, it is always appreciated. (James Redfern, A)

The JCBs obtained their first win of the season in fabulous fashion as they romped home 7-0 victors against Lancing College. A hattrick from Plum Mannion Miles capped a sterling performance from the away side. An even first half saw Winchester go into the break ahead thanks to a fortuitous own goal after good pressure from Vedant Shah. But a dominant second half display saw the goals flood in. Alex Monaghan, Gregory Dolgopolov and Leonardo Vedral all got onto the scoresheet to make the arduous coach journey certainly worth it for the JCBs. (JWS)

The JCCs entered the match full of confidence. Everyone was certain of an easy win, however, late in the first half, Lancing scored due some poor defensive work from the team. After half-time we started to concentrate, and dominate the game. We began to pass the ball with intent and with quality. We equalised with a beautiful goal from Caspar, and then Du Ry made it 4-1 with a stunning hattrick, to put the JCCs in control. The game finished 4-1, an overall great performance all around. Honourable mentions go to: Ivor Martin, for a great display at right back. Archie Curry, for a fantastic performance in the midfield. Holly Wang, for holding the back line elegantly. Samuel du Ry, for three goals in the second half to seal the win. Match report written by man-of-the-match Samuel du Ry.

On the bright and breezy fields of Lancing, the Yearlings A began this game positively. An early break down the right saw Aighe deliver across the box and Irvine arrived at the perfect moment to volley home, only to see it crash against the underside of the bar and bounce clear. We broke the deadlock via a fine touch from Odogwu off Catsaras’ corner and might have added to it from further set pieces and a brace of good chances for Aighe but no further success came. Our profligacy in front of goal continued when both Duckworth and Odogwu opted to strike early from through balls, and a slight lapse and unfortunate bounce at the other end soon allowed Lancing to score and finish the half the stronger.

We responded perfectly in the first minute after the break as Hunt’s through ball encouraged Aighe into the Lancing area where he used his strength to hold off the defender before placing the ball past the keeper. Aighe and Hunt linked up again soon to add to the former’s tally and soon confidence flowed through the side. Aighe broke in behind the Lancing defence once more and saw his shot deflected into Irvine’s path who scored from close range. We were dealing with any danger from Lancing counter-attacks early which meant Hawthorne, returning to the side, had little to do in the second half, often thanks to Bilfinger’s calm demeanour and good decision making. Hoskin was tenacious at left back too and after winning the ball high in his own half he swiftly played the ball through for Aighe to once again approach goal and calmly role the ball into the far corner for his hat-trick. Aighe then turned provider for Irvine with another close range finish, and Irvine might well have had a hat-trick of his own had he not hit the bar from 2 yards out in the closing moments.

After a challenging week of Cup games it was pleasing today to see everyone learning and making progress on the pitch and finish with such a positive atmosphere amongst the team. Won 6-1 [JMB]

Yearlings B: Won 4-1

In a thrilling display of footballing prowess, the Winchester Yearlings D squad kicked off their season’s first win with an explosive start against Lancing’s C team! From the very first whistle, they brought an unrelenting wave of pressure that had the opposition quaking in their boots. And then, it happened! A sensational pulled-back cross found its way to none other than Phoom, who unleashed an absolute rocket from the edge of the 18-yard box! GOAL! 1-0, and the crowd erupted in jubilation as they witnessed the first goal of the season! For the next ten minutes, it was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams carving out a couple of tantalizing opportunities. The tension in the air was palpable, and you could sense that something special was brewing.

As the second half got underway, it took mere minutes for Winchester to strike again! Harry, with all the poise of a seasoned striker, found himself with just enough space to slot home Winchester’s second goal. The stadium reverberated with cheers as the Yearlings extended their lead. But Winchester was far from finished! Eliot, with the tenacity of a true goal-getter, capitalized on a rebound from his initial shot and made it three. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, witnessing a dazzling display of attacking football. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, Eliot wasn’t done! With seconds left on the clock, he notched his fourth, completing a stunning individual performance. The final whistle blew, and the scoreboard read 4-0 in favour of Winchester Yearlings D.

This was more than just a win; it was a statement of intent, a display of sheer dominance. Throughout the match, Winchester’s goalkeeper, Casper, stood tall and rarely faced a challenge, a testament to the impeccable defence in front of him. A strong performance all around, and the Yearlings D squad has set the tone for what promises to be an exhilarating season! [PM]

Matches v Lord Wandsworth College (a):

The SCBs travelled to Lord Wandsworth, longing for their first win of the season and started off strong with a flurry of chances within the opening 5 minutes, unlucky not to score. However, soon after Stanley Askew (K) opened the scoring, after placing his strike past the keeper from the right-hand side of the box. This was only the start for the SCBs as the goals began to flood in. A further 4 goals followed before the half-time whistle, all from around the edge of the box: including powerful strikes from Arthur Duckworth (H), Stanley Askew (K) and Piers Fletcher (A), and a superb top corner finish from Tom Gordon (B).

We managed to start the second half in a similar fashion to the first, with chances all round. Despite our ongoing pressure, Lord Wandsworth managed to break through the seemingly unstoppable defence, captained by Henri Bertheau (F), on the counter and scored a consolation goal with only 10 minutes left in the game. Unaffected by conceding, we continued to create valuable chances with near misses from Arthur Duckworth (H) and Daniil Vorobev (F). Unlucky not to score in the second half, we ended the game with a 5-1 win. Congratulations to everyone involved in a hard-fought and comprehensive victory.[JM]

This was a something of an unknown fixture for the U14Cs as we travelled to Lord Wandsworth's College to play their A team. The first few moments of the game seemed to indicate that we were up against some tough opposition until an error by LWC in defence played our man in who converted with ease to put the ball low and to the right of the keeper. Our lead was short lived though as a cross from the right found an LWC player in the box who put them level. The game then settled into a rhythm with Winchester having the best of the play and applying some great pressure to LWC albeit without the ability to really get a shot off.

The second half saw LWC come out of the blocks strongest and reverse the flow of the first half. They were rewarded with a well worked goal that took them into the lead for the first time. Five minutes later though, Danny Merson scored with a thundering strike from just inside the box to bring us level. Thereafter, fatigue began to tell in what had been a fast paced and end to end game thus far. Our boys started to flag and twice more LWC were able to add to their tally before the final whistle. The score did not really reflect the balance of the bulk of play but it was a real learning experience for our boys with particularly impressive performances from Danny Merson (MoM) and Jayden Orji at right back. Lost 2-4 [SJM]

1st Girls v St Mary’s School, Ascot: Lost 0-6

Rowing: Avon Monkton Blue Friars Small Boats Head

WCBC entered 10 boats into this competition over 2 categories, along a 3-kilometre course, with 21 students attending. Our captain of boats, Lawerence (G) lead a dynamic warm up for the whole squad which fired everyone up for the first race of this season. Watching the J15’s 4x+ come to the finish line they looked sharp and determined, winning their category. The boat was coxed by Harry (A) and had Michael (C) in stroke, followed by Theo (F), Ioan (D) and Rufus (K). The J16 4+ came down the river and were encouraged by everyone standing on the bank. The J18 4+ won their category after a speedy row up the river. The boat was coxed by Will (B), stroked by Hugo (E), followed by Jad (D), Phineas (Coll) and Hugo (C). To finish off the first division the girls rowed their double down the track with Selin (B) in stroke and Alexandra (B) in bow.

The second division meant it was a quick turnaround for all athletes as they raced for the second time, we had our first mixed 2x with Selin (B) in stroke and Jad (D) steering. More 2x’s were put out to race in this division splitting the bigger boats, the J18 double of Hugo (E) and Phineas (Coll) won their category. Two new, fresh legged J15’s sat in the 4x+ and looked good and in time and as they passed the cheering banks, followed quickly by the J16 4+ which was chasing them down the course. Alexandra (B) finished off racing for WCBC as she crossed the finish line in her single. Overall it was a great day of racing with lots of parents coming down to support. [SG]

Sailing RYA ET Youth and Junior Team Racing (n)

Firefly team win the Bronze Fleet at the RYA Eric Twiname Youth Team Racing event

On Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th October, we took a Firefly and a Feva team to the RYA’s Eric Twiname Youth and Junior Team Racing event, at Oxford Sailing Club. The Firefly team had a tough draw in the Round Robin, facing the ultimate winners of the event in their first race, followed other strong teams such as the Rutland Exiles, Magdelen College School and Sevenoaks. A highlight was a 1,2,5 win against Sevenoaks Red. As we neared the end of the first day, we thought we might go into the Silver Fleet for the following day’s racing, but a somewhat controversial decision to run a resail of a race we had won against Rutland Raiders meant that the team ended up in the Bronze Fleet after losing the resailed race. On the Sunday, the team won all eight of their races with strong finishes in all, making them winners of the Bronze Fleet. The team sailed really well in a range of conditions from 20 knots wind to almost flat calm, exhibiting good teamwork. The team was ably captained by Noah Hensher, and we welcomed Olivia Prescot as to the team as his crew. Olivia had previously sailed for Wellington and has fitted in well with the rest of the sailors. Some excellent helming in the other boats by Rupert Balmain and Luke Edwards, together with great work from their crews Max Büchner and Alex Parkinson, completed a fantastic team.

Our Feva team had a great experience, with most of them stepping out of their comfort zone to gain valuable new skills. Robert Huxley and Alexander Varouxakis Thomas helmed in a team racing event for the first time, while Jack Warner crewed for his second event and Thomas Fitzwilliams, having only experienced team racing for the first time a couple of weeks ago, enjoyed his first big event as a crew. They won a few races on their first day but had less luck on their second. We are looking forward to giving them all a further chance to shine in the new sailing season next summer. (JAAB)

Sunday 8th October

Golf: ISGA Knock-out 1st Rdt v King Edward VI (h)

Winchester College 2 - 1 King Edward VI

Harry Ho (I) LOST 5&4

Isaac Haines (I) WON 6&5

Sebastian Wells (G) WON 4&3

A sunny Sunday afternoon saw Winchester's second ISGA team - Harry Ho (I), Sebastian Wells (G), Isaac Haines (I) - play their first knockout match against King Edward VI, Southampton at Hockley Golf Club. The weather was perfect and there was all to play for. Out first was JP man, Harry Ho, who battled away for the first 10 holes; both players were rarely more than one or two holes apart but impressive golf from the away team's first seed led, in the end, to an unfortunate loss 5&4. Some good golf was played from both players and cannot fault the opposing player as he would've beaten some of the best players around.

Out second was Seb Wells, it was important to play steady golf to give the team confidence throughout the field. Seb did just this by leading from the start with some excellent golf, winning his match 4&3. His great form continues, ready for the HMC Foursomes next week.

Out last was Isaac Haines; his first game since joining the school where he wasn't playing first seed in the ISGA and in this match he showed his match-play strength. Leading from the start Isaac managed to beat his opponent 6&5 with little resistance from the opponent. Both players played well but the difference in handicap was too great for King Edwards' third seed. After a great victory, we proceed to the next round, unfortunately playing our other ISGA team in round two. (Isaac Haines, I)

In further news, on the same day our very own Ray Sanmathy (VI Bk entrant) became the new Junior Club Champion at Hockley GC. Fantastic news for the school to have our first current Wykehamist on the honours board. (RSM)

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

Sporting quote for the week:

“You can’t be so afraid of making a mistake that your fear causes you to make a mistake” Mike Litchford, US Businessman

M.S. Burley

Director of Sport

9th October 2023

Twitter: @WinCollSports