Sports Report – Cloister Time 2024, Week 3

Monday 29th April 2024

Cricket: U17 v Embley School (h) National Schools’ U17 Cup:

Won by 144 runs. 216 for 3 against 72 for 5.

Tuesday 30th April 2024

Cricket U15A v Cwmtawe Community School (h) National Schools’ U15 Cup:

Won by 239 runs. 284 for 5 against 45 ao.

Golf 1st v Millfield School (n) HMC Foursomes Regional Finals: Winchester College 2 - 1

Winchester came up against their toughest opponents yet in this Regional Playoff of the prestigious HMC Foursomes competition. With both teams having won their respective pools in the South West Region, is was set to be a close encounter at The Players Club, Bristol, with a place at the National Finals on the line.

Conditions were incredibly tough on a difficult golf course, with the wind gusting to 25mph, but the quality of ball-striking from both teams was top-drawer throughout. Winchester's premier pairing, Haines & Wells - unbeaten all year, started strong but found it difficult to compete with Millfield's top pair, whose putting was outstanding. Slightly behind from a few holes in, they battled to stay in touch but a flurry of good golf from Millfield took the game away from Winchester at the crucial moment, with Haines & Wells having to relinquish their perfect record together. L4&3

In the third pairing, youngster Harry Ho was chaperoned expertly by veteran Taanvir Sood; the two developing a very successful partnership. From the moment their opponents found the water on the first hole, Winchester were dominant in this match and - playing some very solid, in fact, ruthless golf - they were able to win quickly 6&5 to put a point on the board in response to the lead match's defeat.

This left things beautifully poised for a tense finish in the deciding match 2. Ray Sanmathy & James Redfern had squandered opportunities to go ahead early in this match and, at the turn, were trailing 2 down. However, they maintained composure beautifully and were relentless in their pursuit of the Millfield pair. The pressure finally told with Sanmathy & Redfern, having regained parity in the match, winning 3 holes in quick succession with some fantastic ball-striking, killing the game off 3&2. With it, came the spoils: a place at the 8-team National Finals at Royal Ashdown Forest in June. The first time Winchester has ventured this far in the competition, which, along with defeat of a school as strong as Millfield, are accolades to be proud of. [RSM]

Thursday 2nd May 2024

Cricket v Eton College

Unfortunately after heavy thunderstorms overnight, the start of the Lords match was delayed despite the magnificent effort from the groundstaff at the Utilita Bowl (Ageas). A 2pm start with 35 overs per side was agreed and having lost the toss were asked to bat by the Eton captain, completely understandably given the overhead conditions and quite a green looking pitch.

We started very well scoring 20 off the first two overs, Charlie in particular played two superb shots through the offside for 4 in the second over, while Henry was prepared to watch and wait for the ball and place the ball into good areas to score. Charlie then received a good ball and was caught at slip. Seb came in and he was also positive and with some good running between the wickets and some slightly indifferent fielding from the opposition, we kept the pressure on Eton. We scored at just under 6 an over throughout this partnership of 120 until Seb hit to extra cover and was well caught, scoring 60 from 72 balls including 4 x 4s and 2 x 6s.

We then lost wickets on a regular basis, Henry was 5th out for a well constructed 72 from 82 balls, including 6 x 4s. James Kennedy played well at a very important time scoring a quick fire 19 from 14 balls, but we lost 4 wickets for only 8 runs as we tried to push for a score over 200, eventually finishing on 199-9. A competitive score but one we felt was 15 runs short of what we probably should have scored with slightly better thinking towards the end of our innings.

We discussed the need to be disciplined with our bowling and "tight" in the field, but neither Hamish or Alex were quite at their best and we conceded 55 off the first 10 overs against some good batting from the Eton opening batters. Aaron then came on and backed up well from Stan at the other end produced a magnificent spell of bowling; he bowled with passion and great control and removed the dangerous Eton opener clean bowled and then the Number 3, very well caught by Charlie diving to his right at mid wicket.

We sensed our opportunity and backed up well in the field, we "squeezed" the Eton batters so that the required rate was always on the rise. Seb bowled his off spinners very well, both Alex and Hamish returned to the attack and bowled great spells and we took all our catches, Hamish in particular catching a "skier" very well and confidently. Seb bowled his 7 overs, 2-23, Hamish 1-30, Alex 2-41, with Aaron the stand out, taking 3-37, ensuring a second successive win over Eton, this time by 21 runs. (PNG)

2nd XI (h): Won by 1 wicket. 129 for 9 against ao.

The 3rd XI welcomed Eton to Doggers on a miserable day as we searched for our first win of the season. After an unfortunate loss of the toss, we were sent out to bowl and with Jackson taking a wicket within the first few overs we were optimistic about our chances. Unfortunately, we dropped a few too many chances and soon Eton were cruising at a comfortable total after 10 overs. Nevertheless, we soon managed to restrict Eton in the middle overs, with notable bowling performances from Kitson (3 wickets) and Simpson (2 wickets). However, we let it get away from us and Eton set us a very respectable target of 205 for us to chase.

We went in to bat with high spirits, with the smaller boundaries on Doggers looking very attackable. Although, there were a number of swash buckling performances with fireworks from Cloke-Browne (18) and Haines (12), we suffered a collapse of most of our top and middle order. Nevertheless, with KES on the horizon, things are looking hopeful for the 3rd XI.

Lost by 105 runs. 205 for 7 against 100 ao. [C. Simpson, G]

There were many positives to be taken from this match: Winchester's Senior Colts batted through their allotted overs, and the majority of the bowling was good too. Unfortunately, too many scoring opportunities were missed with the bat which meant that Eton were set a very reachable target. Winchester's bowlers produced lots of excellent deliveries, but struggled to bowl with the consistency they had shown against Harrow. The Etonians were gifted a pressure relieving easy shot in most overs, and they put them away well. With two more games to go, the senior colts should feel confident and positive: they know what they need to do, and are more than capable of doing it. Lost by 7 wickets. 99 for 9 against 103 for 3 [LNT]

U15A’s (a): Lost by 55 runs. 88 ao against 143 for 9.

U15C’s (a): Won by 11 runs. 109 for 5 against 98 ao.

It was a bleak, overcast day as the Yearlings As travelled to Eton for their fixture. There had been torrential rain the night before, so it was announced that the match was to be held on an astroturf wicket. After losing the toss and being put into bat in tough conditions Yearlings lost early wickets and found themselves in trouble at 9-4. However, Isaac (K) counter-attacked brilliantly before eventually being dismissed for a rapid 25. Oscar (X) offered some more resistance with a robust 15, but that didn’t stop the Yearlings from being dismissed for 92, a below-par score, even in those tough conditions. With the ball the Yearlings bowled in the right areas, asking probing questions of the opening batsmen. However, the wickets did not come, and without any real scoreboard pressure, their openers looked very comfortable at the crease. Two dropped catches did not help the cause, and when two wickets did come, Eton were virtually home. The Yearlings can take heart in a good bowling performance but will be disappointed that they didn’t put enough runs on the board. Lost by 8 wickets. 92 ao against 94 for 2. [M. Henry, F].

The Yearling Bs travelled to Eton for their third match of the season. After winning the toss and deciding to bat, the openers set a solid run rate against some tight bowling before the opening batsmen fell in quick succession reducing us to 43/3 in the space of a few balls. Those that followed steadied the ship, but the run rate slowed with the fourth wicket eventually falling relatively late in the innings for 93 runs. A further 3 wickets quickly fell taking us to 96/7. Thereafter we were able to tease out a few further runs in the final overs which took us to a nice round 100 and set Eton a target of 101 to win. Eton’s top order proved capable and were aided by a couple of expensive overs which allowed them to reach a total of 72 before the first three wickets had fallen. Up until this point they had also maintained a very respectable run rate and it was looking like Eton were heading for a comfortable win. At this point, our bowlers struck and took a further three wickets for the addition of just 3 runs. Their lower order batsman were far more cautious and some excellent overs from Hector, William and Harry pinned them to the crease and turned a seemingly comfortable win into a finely poised affair. Eton needed just 3 runs off the final over and tension was high. The first two balls saw them run singles thereby bringing them level. The third ball yielded no runs and the fourth a four, frustratingly seeing the old foe home and dry. It was certainly the closest and most entertaining match of the season so far and but for one or two overs it could have been so different. Recognition should be given to Harry (28 n/o), Alfie (26) and Hector (20) for their batting and Harry (2w/13r), William (2w/17r) and Nikandros (1w/9r) for their bowling. Eton won by 4 wickets. [PAH]

The Yearlings C Team faced the Eton E's in their third game of the season. They came searching for a first win. Unfortunately, we lost the toss once again and were tasked with fielding first. We broke through their stern batting order twice but were faced with their best batsman. Aided by some poor catching as well as an incredible array of shots, he went to score a very impressive score of 72 runs. Eton ended with 208 in 25 overs. This was a daunting task for us, but we remained positive. The highlight of the innings was a strong partnership between D. Tse and T. Hollard which propelled us to 90 in 16 overs. However, our tail-end collapsed thereafter, and we could only manage 115, which was still our best batting performance yet. Man of the Match goes to T. Hollard for a good performance with bat and ball. Lost by 95 runs (R. Fletcher and A. Bordia)

The Yearlings D team made a strong start against the Eton U14Fs who had won the toss and elected to bat, taking 7 wickets in 25 overs for 141 runs. Particularly strong bowling performances from Eddie Wheeler and Theo Lees left the match in the balance at the break. Sadly, a couple of quick early catches and the loss of the top batting order made it difficult for us to challenge the Eton total. Lost by 97 runs. 44 for 0 against 141 for 7. (TP)

Tennis v Charterhouse

On a day that threatened rain at all times, the 1st VI made the most of the home conditions against Charterhouse to continue their unbeaten run. Garrett and Oldenhove continued to gel as a pair, winning all three matches through a masterclass in serving from Garrett and punishing net play from Oldenhove. Latimer and Cao also managed three wins, making the most of the slippery turf. Park and Hammerson-Jones defeated Charterhouse's 1st pair 6-4 in a thrilling contest, holding two service games from 15-40 down, although Charterhouse’s other pairs then seemed inspired to put themselves onto the scoresheet, snatching two sets. Overall, Winchester took the fixture 7-2, as they look to continue boosting their confidence and momentum as the season progresses. [H Latimer, X]

The 2nds played against Charterhouse on Palmer. It started off with a good win for the pair of Vincent (G) and Sophia (H) winning in a tiebreak against their second pair. Williamson-Jones (A) and Tait (G) picked up a comfortable 6-3 win against the second pair as well. Sadly we could not keep up the level for every match losing the last 3 against the respective pairs. L 2-7 [H Williamson-Jones. A]

=Our 3rd team ultimately suffered a 5-4 defeat but not without some exciting battles. The first pair of JP Cheng and J Inglis defeated Charterhouse’s second and third pairs 6-3 and 6-2 respectively. The final match against the first pair was very even until we broke at 4-4 to serve for the match at 5-4. A broken string and a few first serves from JP later, we led with three match points at 40-15. Miraculously, the opponents managed to return serve and win three nail-biting exchanges at the net to break back. With sudden-death deuce and no tiebreak, it was all to play for at 5-5 40-40. Unfortunately, the match ended when the opponent’s first serve on the line was unreturned. The second pair of O Frost and M Moreno de Barreda found form in their final match to defeat their equals 6-5 in a close encounter. Our third pair of J Mulford and W Chipperfield managed to pull of an upset defeating Charterhouse’s second pair 6-2. A dramatic day of tennis for the third team. [JP Cheng]

A good afternoon of tennis for the Senior Colts A against Charterhouse saw some fantastic rallies and lovely shots but ultimately a 7-2 defeat for Winchester. Charlie Barklam and Henry Menard recovered from losing their first two sets 6-1 to score 6-3 victory showing some impressive defensive tennis mixed with a healthy dose of guile. Winchester's other success was William Budden and Aryaveer Baljee who won their set against their matched pair from Charterhouse. Theo Coles and Henri Beaufort narrowly lost a close tie break in their quest to win a set but displayed some fantastic, if rather inconsistent, tennis across their three matches. L2-7 [TERC].

Senior Colts B had an enjoyable but unsuccessful afternoon of tennis losing 7-2 against Charterhouse. Falling the wrong side of numerous games that went to deuce, the result seems more one-sided than those spectating would report. It will be back to the practice courts after the exeat to work on how to tip the balance in these crunch points. [TERC].

The U15 tennis teams played under grey skies that threatened to open up all afternoon, and yet not a drop fell while they played.  Although excellent performances were put in by some pairs, Charterhouse proved too strong, particularly with their impressive depth of ability in their D teams.  Xander Sharrocks and John Langdon were our only undefeated pair but other pairs were particularly impressive, including the A1 pair of Dima Kasumov and Alban Nottin.  Although the result could certainly have been better, the tennis seemed to be enjoyed by all. [LJR]

A busy day of tennis on the Charterhouse court, with all Yearlings teams offering pairs. The weather was surprisingly dry despite dark clouds looming overhead and torrential rainfall the night before. Charterhouse impressed quickly in their first matches with athleticism, strong serves and decisive games. Winchester held their heads high and reported some victories in the early games, e.g. Graydon and Jiji taking a solid win against their lower pair. Overall Charterhouse played better tennis, although Winchester pairs generally improved as the games wore on. Most notably the first B pair really showed great improvement, playing a Badminton style one person defending and hanging over the net, the other clearing the back. The most competitive bracket was played in the As. Some very close games, great rallies with quick reflexes from A1s close to the net. Extraordinary win of the A1s against Charterhouse's thirds, took the game with 7:6. An enjoyable day of tennis, with good displays of sportsmanship and skills across both schools. [JJP]

Saturday 4th May 2024: Cricket v King Edward VI, Southampton

Lords (h): Won by 174 runs. 237 ao against 63 ao.

2nd XI (a): Won by 180 runs. 262 for 4 against 82 for 9,

The mighty 3rd XI travelled the short distance to Wellington Sports Ground for a T20 Blast against King Edward VI on a lovely small pitch. We batted first and even though we lost wickets we were able to post 168. Charlie Simpson scoring a lovely 57 and Milo Hoffman chipping in with 23 to set them a good total to chase.

An excellent start had them 10 - 4 and they never really recovered. Dominic Jackson picking up 4, Henry Simson 2 and the other wickets shared around the team meaning we bowled them out 100 winning by 86 runs. A great performance which means we must win the next 3 to have a winning season which was the target we set at the start of term. (JRD)

U15A’s (a): Won by 8 runs. 106 ao against 98 for 5.

The JCBs won the toss and put KES in to bat. Nikheel (A) took 4 wickets for only 10 runs, but the opposition's score of 94 proved well beyond us on a damp, green and uneven pitch. Not a performance to remember, but plenty for us to work on. Lost by 46 runs. (MJR)

Yearlings As (h): Won by 118 runs. 165 ao against 47 ao.

A welcome first victory of the year for the Yearlings Bs. Once again, several players got starts, but then got out in silly ways. It took McGregor (41*) and Catsaras (25*) to take us to a competitive total. They batted sensibly and hit well. Running between the wickets still needs some work. We took regular wickets in reply, bowling on the stumps getting the results it deserves. Catsaras and Paterson took a couple each, while the stand-out bowler was Nikandros with 3--13 from 5 overs. Won by 44 runs. 138 for 5 against 94 ao. [PAH]

The Yearlings C Team hosted King Edward VI School Southampton on Saturday, and were relishing the change of getting our first win. Due to only having 7 men, the visitors were allowed to bat first. We bowled well, and wickets came in all forms, including a couple of great catches from T. Hollard and two nice wickets for O. Schiller. We managed to restrict them to 74 runs despite a late flurry of boundaries. We opened the batting with A. Bordia and W. Hunt. Despite losing Hunt and R. Fletcher early, a 45 run partnership between D. Tse and Bordia resulted in us an inch away from victory. Despite a late flurry of wickets we managed to grab the win with 3 overs to spare. Man of the Match goes to Tse for an inspiring batting performance. [R. Fletcher (I) and A. Bordia (I)]

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

Sporting quote for the week:

“A team is a group of players who support one another on court and who think of the group before they think of themselves.” Former NBA Player K. C. Jones

M.S. Burley

Director of Sport

7th May 2024

X: @WinCollSports