Sports Report – Common Time 2024, Week 8
Tuesday 27th February 2024
Football U15 v Milton Abbey School (a)
It was a positive start to the game, with a penalty won in the first minute, which Gabriel O (B) coolly and powerfully converted. Gabriel (B) was on hand again to volley into the top corner from a perfectly executed corner from Frederic L (C). After composed passes around the box, Phil C (A) managed to squeeze the third goal into the back of the net. Even though the offence proved exceedingly dominant, the defence was just as good, although the Milton Abbey attack caught our defence and midfield off guard with a fast counter attack, forcing Oscar S (G) to pull off a brilliant 1 v 1 save. The rest of the first half was goalless.
A few changes were made going into the second half. After the ball was lost in the midfield, the Milton Abbey striker managed to get his shot past Oscar. Although we conceded, we were still determined. Gabriel scored with a header from a beautiful set piece again from Freddie (C). The game became rougher and the intensity of the game grew. Then, Freddie managed to thread a pass through the defence to Gabriel who struck the ball into the corner with ease. Following the goal, Osamede A (G) tapped the ball into the bottom corner. Unfortunately, towards the very end of the game we gave away a penalty, which was converted as a consolation goal to make it 6-2.
Ultimately, the JCAs performed well with special mention going to Gabriel O (B), Frederic L (C) and Kamran C-D, (I). [Gabriel O, B]
Hockey v Eton College:
1st XI (a)
Stuck between leaving before lunch and arriving an hour early, or after lunch and perhaps struggling to make the start time, the 1's arrived at Eton an hour early and had the pleasure of a long warm-up. We went onto the pitch with confidence. The first half was a cagy affair with many chances that could have gone in for either team. Martin MdB (VI:2,I) was working hard upfront, creating multiple chances when we penetrated the D, however we struggled to challenge the Eton keeper and felt short changed from our hard work in attack. Eton stretched us on the counter and it left some difficult defending for our centre backs, myself and Stanley A (Vth K) and Mario GG (VI:1,B), who, as usual, made some strong saves in goal. On the stroke of half time Eton scored a lucky goal, a shot that appeared to be deflected by an Eton player attempting to protect his own face. This unfortunately put us 1-0 down at half time, although we felt like the scoreline could have been in our favour.
After a long half time talk about how we could improve our distribution from the back and how we could take more from our D entries we set about resolving the score line. James K (VI:2,B) worked hard in midfield to get the ball up to Martin who continued to challenge the score sheet, forcing the Eton keeper into saves including a lovely double save. However, we could not find the breakthrough. Eton made it 2-0 with a scrappy goal which found it’s way past Mario. The breakthrough came when James K (Vth, D), spectacularly took the ball past the Eton keeper to make it 2-1 with 5 minutes to play. It was too little too late and we eventually succumbed to Eton. The scoreline was not unfair, however on another day we felt that it could have been our day. [Angus H, VI:2,I]
On Tuesday the 2nd XI faced Eton's 4th XI for their second match of the season. With Winchester's 1st XI having their own match on we put out a somewhat unfamiliar 2nds compared to our last match to face Eton. Nonetheless the team was enthusiastic and ready to give Eton their best. As the match began and everyone began to get into their flow and familiarise themselves with their positions our momentum really started to grow. The first half started positively with our attack and Street (K) being able to take the ball into their box and through their defence. However, the game remained 0-0 with multiple chances not converted but it felt like it was only a matter of time before all our effort resulted in a goal. On the defensive side House (A), Edwards (K) and Hoffman (B) proved brick walls at the halfway line killing any attacking momentum Eton had and with our excellent work rate and determination in midfield we were able to track back to stop any chances. Continuing to apply pressure on Eton they started to make mistakes from their set pieces and after a sloppy 16 Eton conceded a short corner. Taken with confidence Street smashed it into the bottom corner from the top of the D leaving the keeper with his feet still glued to the astro this put as 1-0 up going into the second half.
We took our momentum into the second half and with the game in our favour it was really great to see the confidence of our players grow as we saw them drive the ball for longer and taking more shorts. Lecourt's (K) positioning proved an issue for their defence as he constantly got onto the end of balls in the opposition D, even if the same couldn't be said for the finishing. In this second half the ball rarely came into our half and after Hawkins (K) got onto a ball in their D he was able to cleverly flick it into the back of the net for a 2nd goal. A quick push back and more pressing resulted in the 3rd goal sliding into the back of the net off an Etonian. For the 4th a second short corner was conceded after the ball became stuck under the keeper. It was taken by House and executed by Street in a similar fashion resulting in a 4-0 finish to the game after a less enthusiastic 2nd half by the Etonians. We hope to carry this forward into our next match with our players' grown confidence from their ball time on the astro today. (Noah H, VI1, D)
U15A’s (a): Won 1-0
With illness and injuries depleting our numbers, our U14As arrived at Eton with plenty of time to prep for our game. However, we did not begin too positively, being fairly disjointed in our play. McGregor and Fletcher were solid at the back and Pang dealt with a few half chances for Eton, whilst Hawkins generally took it upon himself to advance us up the pitch. He had a few chances before opening the scoring from a strike off a penalty corner. The initial strike was deflected up off a defender's stick and looped high towards goal. The ball seemed to be going over until the keeper chose to play the ball and he deflected it into the goal. Eton struck back swiftly with a well worked move down their right-hand side and the early strike beat Pang. Khanittaweekul had a chance to take the lead after a long pass from Hawkins but the Eton keeper smothered it well.
We sought to play more cohesively after the break and there were moments of good hockey but these were too few to create many chances at goal. Hawkins scored a good solo goal after a strong carry was followed by a great reverse stick strike into the top corner. Eton equalised soon after and then put more pressure on to take the lead in the closing stages of the game. Lee and Paterson continued to provide options high whilst Hunt was relentless in his work-rate to win the ball back and instigate some progress up the pitch. In the final minute of the game Hawkins found the ball and a path through a few defenders inside the circle and then struck a clean strike through the keeper for our final equaliser. D3-3 [JMB]
Rackets v Tonbridge School (a):
Seeds 1 and 2 in the forthcoming National School doubles championships battled it out in a 5 game thriller on the bright Tonbridge championship court. Winchester’s Vallet & Nicholls took game one easily and were leading 14 – 2 in game two only, to lose it finally in the set. The match then yo-yoed between the two pairs when finally, Tonbridge closed it out in the 5th and final game. Bearing in mind this was a loss on an away court, this has to be viewed as a positive performance.
Sen Colts, Seb K (A) and Will H-J (A) managed to hold on to take a tight win against their counterparts. The two left-handers Dima K (I) and Amar F (I), playing for the first time together, competed well but struggled a little in the absence of a seasoned right court player, finally losing what was a high level contest. Three U14 boys, Casper W (E), Sam B (A) and Felix C (E) took part in a mix-around format which had impressive patches of play at times whilst affording valuable experience on an away court. (TERC)
Rugby Sevens U14A’s v King’s School, Winchester (a):
The U14s visited Kings’ school Winchester for a training fixture. This was their first rugby fixture for the school and unsurprisingly some unstructured defence in the first match allowed the opposition to get a 15-point lead. But with every minute played the boys all gained confidence and awareness. Helping them score 2 late tries. Leaving the final score 15-12.
With a productive chat between matches the boys started the next match with great energy and intent scoring two tries back-to-back. However, Kings’ started to play physical direct rugby, which challenged our defence but the boys dealt with the physicality well. Some more quick feet and elusive running saw two more tries scored by Wincoll to win the game with a final score 12-26. A very good day for the U14s with everyone leaving the pitch with a smile on their face. (THW)
Thursday 29th February 2024
Badminton v Wellington College (h):
Winchester played a home match against Wellington at Bar End. Although we have played Wellington quite a few times, it was an exciting experience as both sides had increased in skill and teamwork, and many of the games were much closer than in previous fixtures. Ultimately, Winchester won the match 11-5, a convincing victory. The man of the match was Ayson K (JP, C) from first pair, who with his partner John P-C (VI1, E) managed to win all four of their games, which is a fantastic result. Both of them played to a high standard, and their final match against Wellington's own first pair was thrilling to watch. [Alvin Y (I)]
Cross Country v Marlborough (a):
Last Thursday we took seven runners to Marlborough for their Ten Schools race; competing schools included Eton, Harrow, St Edward’s and Radley. In the Juniors, Ollie I (B) came 15th , with a time of 16m48s (over 2.2 miles) and Harry C (G) came 24th with a time of 18m27s. In the Inters, Issa D (I) came 10th with a time of 19m07s (over 2.6 miles), while Hugo B (I) came 16th with a time of 20m12s. In the Seniors, Will G (I)came 9th with a time of 23m28s (over 3.7miles) and Louis J (A) came 16th, with a time of 24m34s. All are to be congratulated for braving the rain and the mud, and for demonstrating great cheerfulness and team spirit! (OXM)
Fives v Malvern College (h):
Winchester U14s won 132-26. A convincing team victory in which every single individual game played was won by Winchester.
U16A: Winchester won 120-53
Hockey v Milton Abbey School:
The 1st XI took on Milton Abbey as their season begins to ramp up. The two teams had different styles of play, however, early in the game Milton Abbey’s long ball tactic seemed to be getting them early opportunities in attack. Ultimately, they would strike first, with a finish in the bottom left after an initial save from goalkeeper Alberto GG (B, Vth). The Winchester defence would remain under pressure as a short corner would make the score 2-0 to Milton Abbey.
Coming out of the first quarter the opposition were keen to distract us from playing our preferred style of hockey. Winchester relaxed, and during the second half, constant pressure from James K (D, Vth) and James K (B, VI:2) down the right wing of the pitch resulted in opportunities on goal. One of which was sweetly finished by Stephen L(F, VI:I) with a hit from the top of the D into the bottom right corner. Inevitably however, the Milton Abbey attacks continued to roll on and an unfortunate deflection from a penalty corner caused the ball to spoon up and cross the line. Winchester had some promising opportunities, however we failed to get enough shots on target and the final whistle blew 3-1 to Milton Abbey. [Miles P, (F)–Capt.]
On a very slippery surface away at Milton Abbey the U15s began positively and scored early. Bowder was found in space on the left of the circle and got his shot saved before Santagati pounced on the rebound and placed it into the bottom right corner. Hawkins added to the score soon afterwards with a firm strike into the bottom left and we continued to apply lots of attacking pressure. With both half-backs playing very high, it was great to see one assist the other as Hunt drove in from the left along the baseline and passed across goal for Edwards to tap home. Srivastava added our 4th in the 14th minute with another close range finish before Edwards added another after a strong carry into the circle and clean shot.
Whilst we were presented with lots of chances, the team recognised that it was still a scrappy game and that we could move the ball better. We tried to do so and, at times, found some success with it, however we also took a lot of low percentage options when in possession. The third quarter of the game was quiet on the score-line but busy at each end. Our high press allowed our hosts some opportunities at goal but Captain Hagger was excellent when called upon, including a good stick save down low. Hawkins added his second from a PC and then Santagati doubled his tally almost immediately afterwards. Some of the interplay between Srivastava, Bowder and Hawkins was excellent at times and Lassalvy had a few opportunities to add a goal for himself. Our last goal might have been the nicest for the coach as we passed wide from a long corner and McGregor then injected the ball firmly goal-wards to find Bowder near the P-Spot and ready to finish between the keeper's legs. W0-8 [JMB]
Rackets 1st v Eton College:
This was a solid fixture in that the pairs who played were more or less the same who will be competing in the forthcoming National Schools Doubles champs at the Queen’s Club in a couple of weeks’ time. First pair, Henry and Bertie, took little time securing a 3–0 victory against Eton’s First Pair, losing only 12 points. Second pair, Stephen L and Jack B, had less fortune going down 3–0 to a strong opponent. They did get to 13 in one game which was to their credit.
Our second Sen Colts pair, Jamie M and Amar F, took on their Colt A pair. This was initially a tight match with swings of momentum each way. Winchester lost game 1 in the set but struck back in game 2, 15-4. This improved performance continued and they took the next 2 games and the match with an impressive fluidity.
JCAs, Dima K and Oscar O’C, took part in a long, hard-fought battle. Up by 2 games to 1, Eton managed to level, sending the match into a final game. This went all the way to 13 all and ended with a close Eton victory in the set. Finally, JCBs, John L and new partner, Felix C, were also involved in a long, tight contest. This also went to a final game and 13 all. However, this time Winchester managed to pull out the win. [TERC]
Squash v Charterhouse (h):
Both the U-15V and U14VII had very impressive wins in their matches against Charterhouse , the U-15's winning 5-0 and U-14's 4-3. Both matches began with the No 1's playing first and were close matches. U-14 number one Felix C (E) had a very hard match, losing the first two games 7-11 and 10-12 but then really dominated the next two and then narrowly winning the 5th 11-9. Playing 1 for the U-15's was Amar F (I) who, having been well beaten in the first game fought back well, finally winning 3-1. There was a similarity in both matches with the top order players winning 3-0 and the rest of the teams having really close games. The longest game contested for a total of 36 points was at 5th for the U'14's where 5th string Max W (C) narrowly won his epic game 19-17! A great end of their season for the U-15's whilst the U-14's have a final match v Eton.
Match Facts : U-15's 1. Amar F Won 3-1. Holly W Won 3-0.Ayush S Won 3-0 Fergus T Won 3-0. Alex F Won 3-1
U-14's : Felix C Won 3-2. Phoom K Won 3-0 Proud D Won 3-0. Alfie M Won 3-0 . Max W Lost 1-3 .Daniel P Lost 1-3. Conrad B Lost 0-3
Friday 1st March 2024
Swimming 1st Bath Cup (a)
The Bath Cup is the single most important yearly swimming competition for the school. With our six best swimmers: Michael Y, George K, Ruifu G, Nikita S, Felix H, and Bryan L, we set off to the London Aquatic Centre (LAC) where the 2012 Olympics were held.
Pouring with rain, it was a 3-hour journey to the LAC in Stratford. The venue was massive, larger than any other we have been to this year with a 10-lane 50m pool and over 70 competing teams. The atmosphere was intense. It is rare to see so many people stretching and warming up on the poolside and even the spectator stands. Of course, we joined in, trying to prepare ourselves better for the 50m long-course race which is almost a whole different sport to short-course swimming.
The morning session was the 4 x 100m Freestyle relay, known as the Bath Cup. Our four members were Michael, Nikita, Ruifu, and George. The water was at the optimal cool temperature for racing. We beat last year's time of 4:07 by 3 three seconds and achieved a new best time of 4:04. We came 45th out of all the teams there. However, everyone felt they could have done even better. Without letting it weigh us down, we strived for a better result in the 4 x 50m John Nelson medley relay in the afternoon.
After a relaxing lunch at Westfield Shopping Centre, we went into our final race of the day with the same team, refreshed and prepared. This time, we came 40th out of all the schools with a time of 2:02 and 31st out of the 'large schools'. Last year, we came 10th in the 'small schools' category and were able to compete in the finals. Unfortunately, we did not get the chance again this year as a 'large school' (we would have come 9th if we were put in the 'small schools' category). I am sure if there was a 'schools-without-pools' category, we would have come first.
Well done to all the swimmers as we end the most busy swimming season and congratulations to Harrow for winning both of the relays. (Michael Y, I)
Saturday 2nd March 2024
Football v Dauntsey’s School (h):
The 1st XI opened this term’s campaign with a fiery encounter against Dauntsey’s. With a new-look team, we managed the game well and composed ourselves under the initial Dauntsey’s-press, with Jack B (A) marshalling the backline particularly well. This composure and tenacity was rewarded in the form of a quick counter attack which saw some individual brilliance from Jason C (F), executing powerfully across the keeper.
We started to dominate the game and impose ourselves, creating a flurry of chances; we were rewarded with a beautiful left-footed volley from Bailey C (A) leaving the keeper flat-footed. A long ball over the top from our defence found Seb K (A) who finished it off cooly. However, Winchester was not done there. A nice ball over the top from Bailey saw Timothy O (I) meet it, round the keeper and finish off in the open net.
Unfortunately, we lost our focus at the start of the second half, committing needless fouls and leaving players unmarked; this resulted in conceding a headed goal from a Dauntsey’s free kick. A run from Jason led to a penalty being awarded, which was unfortunately missed. However, that didn’t stop Winchester on imposing more damage on our opponents as a loose Winchester shot saw an own goal from a Dauntsey’s player.
Towards the end of the game, we conceded another goal, but only a consolation with the final score being 5:2 to Winchester. It was impressive to see the Soccer XI debutants playing fluid and attacking football under-pressure despite limited game/training-time together. I thank Mr Dodd for his relentless coaching on the sidelines, which saw us through this game. Our good sportsmanship, fair play and respect coupled with positive communication is worth mentioning. W5-2 [Timothy O (I)].
Netball v Bryanston School 3rds (h)
The Winchester Ladies had a home advantage playing against Bryanston on Saturday. With the weather not on our side earlier in the week we were unsure whether the game would go ahead but the sun decided to shine on Beloe’s so we had the green light.
We started the first quarter strong with Cleo (D) feeding some beautiful shots into Amara (H) and getting a 2-0 advantage within the first minute. Unfortunately Amara hit a slippery patch on the court and went down with a knee injury. We switched our team up and the first quarter finished an equal 5-5.
The second quarter saw some fantastic defensive plays from Sanvee (I) and Olivia (A). They only let one goal in the whole quarter, not allowing Bryanston any rebounds and collectively intercepted 11 passes in the shooting third. Ami B (D)caused quite the ruckus when her wing attack couldn’t get past her on centre passes and was very vocal with her frustration at the end of the second half due to Ami’s defensive skills. We finished the half in the lead 7-6.
The third quarter saw the attackers take complete control. Amelie S (C), as GA, created some beautiful set plays with Ines B (K), GS, which lead to 4 goals within the first 4 minutes of the third quarter. Fran W (H) and Cleo K (D) made some excellent feeds into both shooters which allowed our lead to extend to 12-7 at the end of the third quarter. We wrapped the game up with strong defensive play and tactical back up from all our defenders. We slowed the game down which caused Bryanston to make errors and allowed our lead to extend to 16-7.
My defensive player of the match was Ami B. She has only been playing this position a few months and her aggressive approach to one on one defending is very impressive! My attacker of the match was Amelie S. Her versatility on the court is so exciting to watch. She is so light on her feet and gets herself into fantastic positions to allow her teammates to offload the ball or feed the ball into a great space. (FIJ)
Rugby Sevens: U18 Triangular v Canford School & Bryanston (a):
The 1st VII squad travelled over to Canford to play some competitive 7s against the hosts and Bryanston school. The full contact format began with a game against Bryanston. The north Dorset school had some real pace and power with their star player displaying some outstanding footwork and speed to race clear in the opening minutes. Nevertheless, Wincoll dealt with the physicality of their opponents and gradually began to use their possession well with Dom J (VI2, A), Henry B (VI2, G) and Nasir O (VI1, G) to the fore. A couple more tries were scored by Bryanston but Gus B (VI1, F) wriggled through several tackles to score and Nas raced away for a great try only to injure his hamstrung whilst doing so.
The game against Canford saw us tested by the host’s accurate and wide passing and we were guilty of remaining too flat whilst in possession. Nevertheless, we continued to try and play with width and this led to a couple of good tries from Dom J and Inigo H. The home team had the greater rugby playing experience which saw them execute some try scoring opportunities clinically and they eventually ran out four tries to two winners. The experience gained will undoubtedly benefit all squad members for the Hampshire Schools 7s competition on Wednesday. (MSB)
Squad: Henry B, Hugh W-J, George D, Nasir O, Max C, Max I, Dom J, Inigo H, Gus B, Anh P
Sunday 3rd March
Fives Colquhoun Trophy (n):
Anthony C-B (B) won the U18 competition beating Arthur J-D (D) 11-0, 11-8 in the final. Arthur had tired himself out somewhat overcoming James K (D) 11-9, 11-7 in the semi-final. Plum M-M (F) won the U16 competition beating Theo M-D (F) 11-6, 11-1 in the final. Both had overcome good quality opposition form Marlboroughians in their respective semi-finals. In addition, Daniil V(F) won the 2nd plate competition. [JM]
All fixtures details can be found on: https://sportsfixtures.winchestercollege.org/
Sporting quote for the week:
“Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the Me for the We.” (Former Chicago Bulls & LA Lakers Head Coach, Phil Jackson)
M.S. Burley
Director of Sport
5th March 2024
X: @WinCollSports