30 Nov 2023
Sports Report – Short Half 2023, Week 10

Sports Report – Short Half 2023, Week 10

Tuesday 21st November 2023

Netball 1st v Gordon’s School (a)

The Winchester College netball team had a 45 minute drive up the M3 to Gordon’s school. Due to a mix up on our oppositions end we had the misfortune of playing outside in the drizzle. After a thorough examination and clipping of Winchester’s nails, the whistle blew to start the first quarter. Winchester had a frantic and nervous start with errors in footwork and obstruction letting our opposition stay even with us to end the quarter 2-2.

The second and third quarter were very similar in playing style. Bea changed her defensive style to prevent her attacker near the ball and Olivia and Sanvee had some incredible interceptions that built up the ‘Winchester Wall’ which Gordon’s found hard to get pass and score. Ines and Amara found new ways of tricking the defence and created beautiful plays that brought two more goals. Even though we were 3 goals down going into the fourth and final quarter, Winchester seemed to gain confidence and knew that the game could easily be turned around.

In the fourth quarter the girls rallied, with some excellent defence from Amelie, Olivia and Sanveee. The ball was safely returned to our attackers, Francesca Wyse and Cleo Kent, who’s agility allowed them to get the ball easily to the hands of our dominant goal scorers, Amara and Captain, Ines. With 1 minute 30 seconds to go, Ines scored, putting Winchester College in the lead for the first time in the game. With the opposition screaming on the side line to get the ball into their attackers, Winchester stayed strong and with a huge interception from Olivia, the final whistle blew with the result ending in 9-8. The first win, hopefully one of many, for our Winchester College ladies. Won 9-8 (FIJ)

Rackets v Radley College (h)

Bertie Vallat and Henry Nicholls did what they often do and closed out their opponents without the loss of a game. This time, it was against a Radley pair who were, as yet, unbeaten this season. There were few rallies and most of the damage was done by clinical work from the service box with a high level of consistency by our pair in both returns and rally play.

Both Junior Colts pairs managed a win. Dima Kasumov and Oscar O’Carroll were involved in an increasingly tight contest but still managed to make the finish line without the loss of a game. This was due to Dima’s unyielding power, especially on serve, and Oscar’s quick footwork helping him retrieve shots many would not.

A new partnership of Amar Fernando and John Langdon bonded well to close out a fine win, 3 - 1. It was Amar’s first rackets match and initially he struggled to return serve but improved quickly. John provided a steady hand to the pair to help guide the win.

The Sen Colts, Jamie Mitchell and Seb Kingsbury, started weakly by losing the first game 15 - 1, returning only 2 serves. This was not surprising as their strong opponents had reached the final of the Nationals last season. The match looked as if it were going in one direction but, gradually, Jamie and Seb managed to stabilise matters and get involved in the contest. By returning the majority of serves and then delivering many aces themselves, the score-line began to equalise. Using a sheer competitive spirit, they took game 2, and then 4, to eventually reach 14 all in the final game. Radley eventually served the match out but this was a notable achievement in dogged determination.

Owing to Jack Bristowe’s football injury someone needed to step up to partner Stephen Lam in final match of the day in the 2nd senior pair. As Amar had had little match experience, it seemed an ideal opportunity to test him at this level. He surprisingly managed to hold his own, and after a long battle together with an on-form Stephen, level the score at 2 games all, when sadly, Radley declared they had to leave.[TERC]

Squash: Regional Qualifier for National Schools Competition

U16A v The Portsmouth Grammar (a): Lost 2-3 (100-131)

U16A v The Petersfield School (n): Won 3-2 (141-106)

Thursday 23rd November 2023

Basketball U17A’s v Canford School U18A’s (h)

This was a practice match and a rare chance for the U17s to play against Canford U18s. There were also several U17 players who had played very little this term due to other commitments and needed to get some court time under their belt. Canford got off to an early lead deservedly, with Winchester forgetting what they were supposed to be doing and making basic errors. In the second half Winchester improved and had several shots to win the match, but in the end the hard-working Canford side were victorious. The team should have learned a lot from this game which will help when the season starts properly after Christmas. L39-40 (LMT)

Football

1st Girls v King Edwards Witley (h)

History was made in this match.

The first ever girl's home match.

The first ever female hat-trick.

The first ever girl's win!

The absence of key players Fran, Katie and Kate involved in the interview process for the new Head of Singing left the girls nervous at the prospect of a tough fixture at home but with the recommendations of some of the boys to serve up some ‘proper brexit football’ the girls were determined to give it their best shot. Taking the instructions almost too literally, though unintentional, this led to MOTM Serafina mining their captain's ankles, and MOTM Anna dragging a player to the ground. Kansola was banned from her cheeky winkies busts in the first half (they were 'too powerful') and Tabi and Bea were later banned from scoring. Didn't stop them though, Tabi scored a hat-trick and Bea scored 2. Other 2 goals were by striker Amara Moore and team captain Anna Mello. A 7-1 victory to mark the home debut of the Girl’s football team. (A. Pasfield, A)

2nd XI v Dauntsey’s School (a):

A much changed Winchester 2nds travelled to Dauntsey’s on a cold but sunny November afternoon, new comers raring to get their teeth into the game. We started the game slowly after a long drive. However, we got control of the game after 15 minutes and from there, there was no turning back. Jonnie Inglis subbed on in the middle of the first half sprang onto the mistake of the CBs and forced a pass back which led to an indirect free kick for Winchester 8 yards from their goal. Bailey Clark standing over it cleverly set the ball to Bosco who smartly placed the ball into the bottom right corner as we went 1-0 up. Soon after, another well structured press from Winchester meant Harvey had space to release a vicious strike from the edge of the box which the keeper was unable to claim on the second attempt and Will Alexander was there to sweep the ball past the keeper for 2-0. We finished the first half with continued dominance.

As the second half commenced we were a touch slow but soon regained our footing in the match. However, a ball that was not dealt with meant their striker was 1 on 1 with Seb Browning who could do nothing to stop the thunderous strike. Winchester continued to play the way they do by swiftly moving the ball from defence via midfield to attack, and it was only a matter of time before the ball landed at Jonnie Inglis’ feet and you would expect nothing more from him than to calmly slip the ball to Will Alexander through for his second of the game and of course he slapped the ball passed the keeper like the second coming of Thierry Henry. They scored another, seconds before the end which we should not have conceded. W2-3 [George Bowder (B)]

Rackets v Wellington College (h)

This was an unusual day in that quite a few boys were not available owing to various issues. The Sen Colts, Seb Kingsbury and Jamie Mitchell, managed to compete well against a strong opposition, losing 3 – 1. Nick Reynolds, making a rare appearance and Pran Busrapan, again managed to get involved in their match at 3rd pair, but again lost 3 – 1 despite a decent performance from Nick.

Oscar O’Carroll and Amar Fernand, playing at JCA, looked initially to be losing but Amar not only managed to serve back in game 2 from 2 – 14 down, winning the game, but also made serious inroads into the next, resulting eventually in an impressive 3 - 1 win. Our Yearlings pair, Casper Wilson and Sam Barklam, played a pair who were a year older and this proved to be a tight, thrilling match, with eventually, a Winchester win. [TERC]

Squash v Marlborough College (h)

1st: Draw 2-2

U15A: Won 5-0

U14A: Lost 1-2

Swimming v Marlborough College (a)

It was the first gala of the term for the Winchester Swimming squad. We went into it with a couple of people down from illness and injury but also a few new additions with the likes of Zong Yang and John Hunt. With it being the very first race for some people, we treated it like time trials, attempting to lower stress and boost energy. The results were satisfactory. We won three consecutive races in U18 Butterfly, Breaststroke, and even Freestyle, where we beat second place by one-hundredths of a second, like Michael Phelps in the 2008 Olympics. However, with the lack of swimmers, we gradually fell behind in points. I will give a special mention to Bryan Lau for going to a time of 35.02 in the 50m Breaststroke, a massive improvement from last year. Overall, we came third behind Radley and Marlborough, putting up a good fight despite having half the number of swimmers. It was clear that this team had a massive potential. [M. Yan, I]

Saturday 25th November 2023

Badminton 1st v Abingdon School (a)

Winchester's 1st VIII batted away coughs, splutters, and fatigue, to give Abingdon a very good game. It was also a case of re-assembling the doubles pairings, owing to distinguished (near veteran) JP Cheng's authorised absence, which made for some excellent trials of different player combinations.

1st pair Ayson and Yuyao synergised very well together, overcoming most obstacles, and winning all games except the narrowly losing the final set against their opposite numbers (2-1). The 2nd pair double-duo of Wen brothers was strong, robust, and dangerous. Neither brother fell out with the other during the aggressive and long rallies, which is a testament to their years of side-by-side training, and not uncommon in the world of badminton. The 3rd pair, captain Alvin and Bryan, played some of the most sustained rallies, comprising elegant cross-court drops and sharp defensive returns. Their success record of games was mixed but commendable. The 4th pair, Oli and Vincent, was an impressive last-minute duo which adapted and fought hard against some formidable up-and-coming, younger aged, county-level Abingdon pupils in the last set. They sadly lost their games, having an uphill struggle in the tournament against a highly reputable badminton school in the circuit, but scraped double-points, which is a testament to their determination, passion, and energy.

All in all, it was a magnificent, close match. A draw would have been ideal, but there are margins and circumstances that we can exploit to potentially win in the New Year when Abingdon returns to us. L9-7 (MJB)

Fencing U18’s v Latymer Upper School (a)

Overall, a valiant effort by all involved. The epee and sabre teams gave their all, with members getting fantastic hits. Beautiful performance from the foil team, especially Rajesh Pakrashi (H) for scoring 23 points of 44, and winning the 44th point in the last second, giving WinColl the foil victory. (Callum MacBean, F)

Epée a loss 38:40

Sabre a loss 36:45

Foil a win 45:44

Football v Charterhouse (h) & (a)

Soccer XI made the trip up the M3 to Charterhouse and arrived to see the pristine pitch ready for battle. We suspected the home team would aim to hold possession a little bit more than us but we used our set plays to cause them problems and got the opening goal, Henry Nicholls driving the ball home to celebrate his first of the season. Seeking to hold onto the ball a little longer we looked comfortable but after a mistimed tackle in the box a penalty was conceded and we ended up 1-1 at half time.

The request at half time was to continue in the same vein but midway through the second half we were caught out by a freak goal where the ball rebounded of a few bodies and ended up in Anthony's ne ! We pressed and had a few chances in the last 10 minutes but didn't have the luck on the day to secure the equaliser. Understandably the boys were disappointed as they felt they should have got something out the game; sometimes you do not get what you want. Onwards to the ISFA Trophy match against Sherborne School on Tuesday. L2-1 [JRD]

A discombobulated Winchester side, missing several key defensive players, travelled up to play against the Charterhouse 2nd XI on a cold afternoon. Although we had the problem of only having two natural defenders, an encouraging pre-match talk from PNG put us in the right frame of mind for the tough fixture ahead. We started off strong; balls from Charlie Barklam and David Sam on the right flank provided us with several jabs at the box. At the back, Ted Miers was having no trouble winning his aerial duels and giving the ball a good hoof. Rhys Kanbi linked up well with Tomo Ohata, who was having a field day taking up the left back role, but some quick feet and a solid finish from the opposition’s forward put Charterhouse in front. We were 1-0 down at half time – an alright performance from the boys so far. But we were not here to put in “alright” performances. We wanted more from the game.

We started the 2nd half with hunger. Johnny Inglis and his seemingly infinite stamina caused great trouble for the Charterhouse back line. His relentless press quickly netted him a well-deserved goal to equalise and bring Winchester back into the game. Losing a series of second balls and being unable to deal with some very technical players led to a second goal for Charterhouse. We were still determined to get something out of this game, however. Our very own Stephen Lam displayed a fantastic bit of commitment and bravery as he stepped off his line to defend his goal; he slid and successfully claimed the ball but unfortunately sustained an injury to his head which rendered him unable to continue. He can be sure that the entire team greatly appreciates his dedication.

It was Harvey Vere-Whiting who stepped up to fill Stephen’s big boots in goal. Being 2-1 down with 15 minutes to go and victim to a series of very unfortunate events, we had to adapt to our situation quickly. We didn’t hesitate to get our head back in the game, and an outstanding save from Harvey kept us within reach of Charterhouse’s lead. George Bowder’s huge midfield presence both in and out of possession, coupled with the technical elegance of Bailey Clark, provided us with a fantastic display of a well-cooked double pivot. Bowder’s hunger to receive the ball was a huge asset to the team as he enjoyed linking up with the fullbacks and wings. Some Odegaard-esque backheels from Otto Zimba Davis, in combination with fantastic hold-up play from Inglis, gave Rhys and Charlie several chances to take on their man and set the ball loose in the opposition box. The final few minutes saw Winchester win a number of freekicks in the opposition half; Bailey’s right foot always seemed to deliver a beautifully curled ball into the box. Jidechi Ohakosim, after a tremendous performance at centre-half thus far, decided to get in on the action. He managed to get on the end of a loose ball in the box and took a page out of Mbappe’s book with a powerful near-post finish (with only 3 minutes left on the clock!). Today’s performance was a great example of how Winchester can overcome hardship and harsh conditions, and walk away with a solid result in one of the toughest fixtures of our footballing calendar. D2-2 [Otto Zimba Davis, E]

After changing in confined conditions and only a couple of minutes to warm up, a very different 3rd XI took the field against Charterhouse. Several regulars were missing, but quality replacements from the successful 4th XI stepped up to fill the gaps. Inevitably the hosts played with more cohesion in the first half, but Winchester defended superbly and entered the break a goal down which was not too bad in the circumstances. The second half was almost all Winchester, and Harker's goal after 15 minutes was no less than they deserved; Winchester looked like winning. With hindsight, 1-1 might have been a fair result on balance; but unfortunately a couple of mistakes led to Charterhouse scoring a couple of goals in a minute to take the win. The 3rd XI will be unhappy with the result, but they should not be disappointed with their team and individual performances. They represented this school commendably and deserved more. L3-1 [LNT]

The 4th XI arrived on a cold afternoon at Charterhouse, ready to finish the season on a high. Our morale diminished earlier in the week after hearing the 3XI had taken our key players. After a very brief warm up, we were caught lacking at the back, letting the opponents go one up quickly. Wisdom Omolayo found the net soon after from a wonderful corner from Milo. But then disaster struck, a miscommunication at the back found their striker through on goal with an open net. After the chaos of the first 10 minutes, the first half calmed down and stayed very balanced. We went into the break, both sides ruing a couple of missed chances.

With some motivational words from our Pep Guardiola (Dr Townson), we went into the half with the intent to finish this memorable season. However, our intent was clearly lacking as we let in 3 goals in the first 10 minutes. They were some nice finishes, but not our finest defending. Heads were down, sadness creeped in, even some tears from the top years who were playing their last game for school. The last game of the season and we were down 5-1; this was not the fairy-tale ending we wanted!

Jason Nzewi, our prolific goal scorer, gave us something to cheer about with a scrappy header. Followed by a Van-Basten-like volley from Milo Hoffman, that our very own Dr Townson could be proud of. In the game at 5-3, and playing liquid football, we bagged another with Daniel Garrett scoring his first goal of the season. He soon equalised with another wonderful header, proving to us and the rest of the world why he shouldn’t have been dropped. Kudos to Dr Townson for sticking with him throughout the season. 5-5. What a comeback; like Barca vs PSG in 2017. Charterhouse could not believe it and they should know never to discount Dr Townson’s men. Thank you for a memorable season. D5-5 (Aneesh Kulkarni VI:I, E)

5th XI (a): Lost 2-3 6th XI (a): Draw 2-2

The SCAs travelled up to face a strong Charterhouse side. After a quick warm-up, we started on the front foot. Seb Kingsbury (A), using his physical strength, was causing havoc within the Charterhouse back line. Matched with the skills of our midfielders and the speed of our wingers, we were unlucky not to score two or three goals within the first half. Then, on the stroke of halftime, Arthur Hampel (B) got the ball on the halfway line, took it past two people and smashed it into the bottom left corner. Scenes.

We knew we could not get complacent as Charterhouse boasted strong players who could capitalise. Well, we conceded shortly after half time from a scrappy corner. The SCAs quickly fought back, however, after a Jason Chiang corner (F) found its way to Arthur Hampel again to tap in from the back post. The boys took full advantage of this momentum, and a low hit cross from Isaac Claisse (B) found its way to Gabriel Oluwabusola (B) who steered it in past the keeper. The boys could imagine the win by now. The last 10 minutes were tense and scrappy. Arthur Hampel (B), Arthur James- Duff (D) Max Jackson (A), Sasha Rich and Henri Beartheau (F) were sliding left right and centre to prevent us conceding. To add on to the tension, we conceded after a free kick floated in our box, and we were not able to clear the ball effectively.The boys persevered and the sound of the final whistle was extremely fulfilling. We lost to the same team 6-0 to in first year and 5-1 in second year, so the fact we were able to pull of this win this season shows how much the team has developed and improved. W3-2 (Jason Chiang, F)

Senior Colts B (a): Lost 1-3 Senior Colts C (a): Lost 1-2 Senior Colts D (a): Lost 1-4

For a second game in a row, the JCAs welcomed Charterhouse on a very cold afternoon on Doggers. We were hoping for a much better start to the match than the previous encounter, where we had found ourselves 3-0 down within 18 minutes. It was an even opening ten minutes as we created promising chances on the counter with them being led down the wings. But on the 13th minute a long ball from the opposition defence found its way over our defence and an unfortunate slip from Seb Browning (G) meant he couldn’t get out to the winger in time and Charterhouse took the lead. We looked to get ourselves back into it but another ball from the midfield split our defence apart and led to a penalty being conceded. But Seb made up for his slip with an outstanding save from the spot, reaching to his bottom right corner to turn it around the post. But a lapse of concentration whilst defending the corner conceded made us pay as the opposition pounced on a loose ball after a failure to clear it out. We tried to take more control of the game but a rare mistake from Oli Kaung (X) at the back meant we were 3-0 down and in the same position as the last game. A tactical change at half-time saw us have more freedom in midfield and led to more chances being created. We kept the score line at a hold until the final seconds of the game when we conceded another due to a mixture of tired legs and a loss of focus. Missing a number of players against a side like Charterhouse was always going to make the game a difficult task but one thing that can’t be questioned from the game is the level of work rate showed throughout the game until the end which is definitely a step in the right direction. We will take all the positives from the game and bounce back next Tuesday in the cup. L0-4 [Alex Monaghan, I]

Junior Colts B (h): Lost 1-3

The JCC team was fresh, with a few new players, Nikolay Kopelchuk-Gonclaves (H) and Alex Fairmann (I). The match started in disarray, with fierce attacks from Charterhouse’s wingers, but most of which were quickly put out by strong opposition from Ivor Martin (G) and Kirin Ranpura (K) in defence. Many key saves were made by Holly Wang (I), and being an inexperienced goalkeeper, he impressed the crowd and coaches. Unfortunately, after many attempts to stop it, we conceded a goal, 1-0. Halftime came around, and the team came together for an impactful team talk, and the team restarted the game with high spirit. A few minutes after halftime had started, we sadly conceded once more, making the score 2-0. With a few changes in positioning, the team was ready to make a comeback. Direct crosses from Deniz Mucen (H) to Alex Fairmann and Vedant Shah (D) on the wings, with many close shots being let loose on their goalie. Then, with 15 minutes remaining on the clock, Nikolay made a clean pass to Monty Weaver (K), who drove the ball down the wing to Alex Fairmann who finished it in the back of the net with force, making it 2-1. Beautiful corners are taken by Ehaan (F), however none resulted in an equaliser. The match ended 2-1. [Ernest Di Maria, C]

Junior Colts D (h): Draw 2-2

The JCEs put in a determined effort but ultimately came off second best against a talented Charterhouse side. Two goals from James Weeden gave the home team something to smile about in what was otherwise a rather sobering defeat at the hands of technically superior opposition. L2-9 [JL]

Yearlings A (h): Won 2-1

The Yearlings A team have used the two weeks since their last game to change formation and we were able to get wing-backs Hoskin and Hawkins into the game early. Our first good chance came from our own goal kick as we played out from the back and Hoskin found Catasaras who drove forward into space before releasing Aighe in on goal, who's shot was saved low to the keeper's left. Catsaras' energy continued to offer us drive forwards and also to cut out options for Charterhouse to play out of their half. When his short pass was helped on by Hunt to Aighe near the top of the box, there was still plenty for Aighe to do as he shrugged off one defender, shifted the ball and defence left-right-left before turning back onto his right foot and striking cleanly into the top left corner of the goal. However, our lead was short lived when Charterhouse equalised from the spot within two minutes. With both sides having 15 on the day, as changes were made some of the fluidity of the opening quarter disappeared and it was Hawthorne who had to make one excellent close range save to keep the game level.

Both sides took time to find their rhythm in the second half, with Bilfinger and Baring remaining calm heads at the back. Hawkins, briefly at left wing-back, did well to break up play and was able to put Aighe in behind but the striker then dragged his shot wide. This was soon followed up by Husband hitting the bar from the edge of the area as we began to build some pressure on the Charterhouse goal. Our guests duly responded with a few efforts from range and Hawthorne handled them all cleanly. Aighe continued to be a threat going forwards and on another day might have scored a few more. As we entered the final quarter, Hawkins got forward more on the right-side and had two chances in quick succession, both well saved by the keeper. Despite our building pressure and creating more and more opportunities it seemed the winner would not come for us. Then in the final moments of the game, Odogwu drove forward and was brought down around 25 yards from goal. Up stepped Catsaras and his strike went over the keeper and dipped perfectly below the bar with the final kick of the game to seal victory for us.W2-1 (JMB)

Wait. Did the match start? Yup. 1-0.

A tricky way to start a match for the YBs. The defence did not have a good day, although Barney kept well. Not enough welly! Having said that, the tenacity in the team was good and the determination to never let the opposition have a moment's peace was successful. We created good chances, scoring one from the ever-terrier-like Sid. Danny had some great mazy runs, but his options on the wing could have been more aware. Man of the match: captain Henry, who may have earnt himself a start in midfield. A win next week still gives us a winning season.L1-4 [PAH]

A fairy-tale finish to the season was not to be for the Yearling C despite us playing some of the best football that the team had produced all season. From the kick off, Winchester looked like the better side but, although enjoying the run of play early on, we were unable to really test the Charterhouse keeper. The game settled down into a more evenly poised contest with both sides showing some promising spells of play. Sadly, our keeper was undone by a marvellous free kick for about 20 yards out and there was little that could have been done to stop such a strike. This didn't reflect the flow of play but despite enjoying some strong moments in the second half we failed to convert and Charterhouse walked away victorious. The boys should hold their heads up high though. It has been an enjoyable season for them against some testing opposition. I have am hugely proud with how they have acquitted themselves throughout and I think that this year will serve them in good stead for those to come. L0-1 [SJM]

The Yearlings D game was played in a positive manner with both sides seeing plenty of the ball and having many chances during the first half. Elliot squeezed one past their keeper in one of many chances. Half time and Winchester were 1-0 up. Charterhouse had more of the play in the second half with more opportunities but we held on for a well deserved final win of the season. W1-0 [PM]

Yearlings E (h): Lost 3-5

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

Sporting quote for the week:

“People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents”Andrew Carnegie, US Industrialist

M.S. Burley

Director of Sport

28th November 2023

X: @WinCollSports