28 Jan 2025
Sports Report – Common Time 2025, Week 2

Sports Report – Common Time 2025, Week 2

Thursday 16th January 2025

Badminton 1st v Harrow School (a): Lost 3 – 5

After a festive break filled with questionable amounts of rest, the Winchester 1st VIII reluctantly piled into the minivan for the trek up to Harrow on the Hill.

The fourth pair, Derek W (G) and Josiah E (F) fought tenaciously throughout the match, displaying moments of real aggression and determination. However, the post-holiday rust was evident, and despite their efforts, they were edged out in two hard-fought losses. It seems they had a little too much turkey over the break, but there’s no doubt that their drive will only improve with time and more practice.

Brian H (D) and Edward Z (F) exceeded expectations with a surprising win against Harrow’s fourth pair. Despite a tight loss to the third pair, they showcased a promising start to the term. Their resilience and ability to push through challenges indicate future success. It was a disappointing outing for Benjamin W (A) & Jesse H (A), who struggled against a particularly tough opponent. They lost to both Harrow’s first and second pairs, but their performance was not indicative of their usual level, and with more practice they’ll be a force to reckon with. Yuyao X (H) and Ayson K (C) enjoyed a comfortable outing, resulting in a clean sweep.

It was a 5-3 loss, and the match was a bit of a comedy of errors at times, but the team’s potential is clear. There are certainly areas to improve, but with continued training, we will come back stronger for the next fixture against Wellington. [Yuyao X, H]

Basketball v Eton College (h):

When in this form the U16s are a formidable side and very enjoyable to watch. The ball speed and movement off the ball leads to a high pace, exciting brand of basketball that few teams can keep up with. Winchester went out to an early lead and LNT was able to mix in some new and younger players to good effect. In the second half Winchester sat back a little too much and allowed Eton to go on a run, closing the gap to 10 points with a few minutes to go, but Winchester put their foot back on the pedal and ended up pulling away to a comfortable 60-40 win. [LNT]

This was another strong performance from the U14s. Winchester had been victorious when the two teams met last term, but there was no sign of complacency as they flew off to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter. After that LNT experimented with different combinations and the lead kept building. This group trains well and are improving weekly; they should all be proud of their performance and it would be wrong to single out individuals. Final score: W50-19. [LNT]

Fencing U18A’s v Eton College (h):

A strong start for our Epée team who managed to keep their lead ultimately resulting in a win (45-35W). A valiant effort to the Foil team who faced a stronger opposition albeit performing admirably, the Winchester College Foil team lost to Eton College (28-45L). Well played to all fencers involved. L. MacBean (B)

Hockey U16A’s v Kings School Winchester (a): Lost 1 - 7

On Thursday we travelled a mere 10 mins for our first competitive Winchester College Hockey match of the season away at Kings school.

Having worked hard in training the boys were hoping for a good result and this was also a debut in the role of captaincy for Caspar E (A). Having lost the pushback King’s started with the ball and looked to dominate early, passing the ball around with pace and skill and really pushing our midfielders and defenders hard. Rupert F, Henry E and Hector M all worked particularly hard to control out first third with some important clearances and effective defending against short corners. Having made multiple incredible saves in the first half, Nate P (H) showed his class to deny a top corner effort from a King’s short corner much to the approval of his teammates. The HT score of 4-0 at half time could have been a lot worse if it wasn’t for the brilliance of Nate.

After some encouraging words from Mr Taylor and Mr Flynn, Winchester’s aim for the second half was to score 2 goals and try and gain more of the possession. This meant playing slightly higher to allow more players to infiltrate the top D of the King’s defence. Issac H (K), Plum M-M (F), Sid (F) and Ben T (A) raised their game, taking control of the midfield leading to more attacking play in the final third. First time passing and more accurate slaps and sweeps generated more fluid play for Winchester. King’s decided to fight back and once again piled the pressure onto our players adding another 3 goals onto their tally to make it 7-0 with 5 minutes to go. A nice consolation goal from Issac Hawkins took the score to 7-1 as the full-time whistle sounded. A great effort from all involved and we look forward to our next competitive fixture this time for the U14B team against King Edward’s Witley on the 21st of January. (TJF)

Rackets U18A v Eton College (h):

The Sen Colts, Fernando (I) and O’Carroll (I) were involved in a high-level match. Fernando’s serving sequences dominated the game as did O’Carroll’s skilfully played backhands. Eton managed to keep firmly in the contest bringing the two pairs to two games all. Despite their efforts, Winchester managed to take the final game and the match.

Winchester’s Jun Colts Barklam (A) and Wilson (E) started slightly weaker than their opposition but improved throughout the contest. The match then was fought on a knife edge but, undeterred by Eton’s steady serves and returns, Winchester’s play went up a level resulting in an impressive win in the fifth and final game.

The Yearlings, Martin (B) and C. Mitchinson (I) showcased a strong performance against Eton who improved steadily throughout the match as they began to understand the court. Martin’s skilful racquet work and Mitchinson’s power helped lead Winchester to a 3 - 0 win.

The 1st pair Bristowe (A) and Kingsbury (A) took the match to Eton from the beginning with closely fought rallies between the two pairs. Bristowe’s returns were steady on the right whilst Kingsbury played stoically on his weaker side. At two all, the game was decided in a final showdown where Eton managed to just pull ahead to win the match.

The 2nd pair Mitchell (G) and Hammerson-Jones (A) started off on the back foot with a strong first game from Eton but as the match played on, Winchester managed to fight back competitively. Mitchell’s effective serves coupled with Hammerson-Jones’s crafted returns created closely matched rallies. However, despite their efforts Eton won the match in the fourth game.

Squash v Marlborough College (a):

1st: Lost 1 - 2 U16A: Draw U15A: Won

Saturday 18th January 2025

Cross Country HSAA Championships

Having gained selection to represent Eastleigh & Winchester District in this prestigious event, the three Wykehamists ran bravely in cold conditions against very strong opposition. With over a hundred runners in the Inters (U16) race, Martin (G) pulled out an excellent time to place in the top 10 and earn selection to represent Hampshire in the South Eastern Counties Cross Country Championships in Newbury on Saturday 1st February. Despite not having as much training and racing under his belt as he would have liked, he nonetheless stuck with the punishing pace of the front section of the race. Judge (D) ran a fine performance in the Seniors race (U18), making the top 16 and also earning a spot to represent Hampshire – an excellent achievement. Duggan (I) fought hard around the course and ran well but unfortunately wasn’t quite on top form and missed out on a selection letter.

Football v Bryanston School

A Soccer XI without any of the top years took to Doggers on a chilly afternoon to face the same Bryanston team that we drew 1-1 with earlier in the season.

We started strong and dominated the game at both ends as we were quick to settle into our back 5. With the width provided by Claisse (B) and Redfern (A) as wing-backs we were able to start building some momentum and within 10 minutes we found ourselves with a free-kick a couple metres out from the right hand side of the box. This was the chance we needed to get us going and an expertly spotted gap in the wall was taken advantage of by Jackson (A) who found the bottom right to give us the lead.

Only a couple minutes later, after a few good clearances in defence by Kaung (X) and Bertheau (F), we doubled our lead through a delightful whipped corner delivery by Redfern (A) onto the head of Oluwabusola (B). Even after two early goals, we kept going and Oluwabusola (B) found his second of the day when a shot from outside the box was parried away by the keeper into his path to poach home. However, the tempo started to drop for the remainder of the first half and only due to a few excellent saves by Browning (G) and some missed chances by them were we able to go into the half 3 to the good.

We started the second half as we did with the first and after 15 more minutes of piling on the pressure, a long throw found its way on to Oluwabusola (B) on the P-spot who took a touch into the air and then produced a spectacular overhead kick into the bottom corner. Laarman's (C) direct running at the goal was also rewarded late in the game when he was brought down in the box to earn a penalty. Even more tight defending and relentless work by the midfielders enabled us to hold onto our clean sheet and so we start this term's fixtures with a great 4-0 win against an experienced Bryanston side. [M Jackson (A)]

The newly formed team, a hybrid 2nd/U16 group had little experience together. A fast-paced warm up, with high standards already being set, led to a performance that matched the level of the warm-up. With the game having started and the ball yet to go out, a goal was scored, a drive down the wing from Arthur (H) led to an easy tap in for the clinical Alexis (K) who finished the afternoon with another two clinical finishes to end up on a hattrick. The game had yet to begin, as with another flurry of quick passing we were up 5-0 at the break with goals coming from Prince (D), and Arthur. After halftime however, there was no let up - Wincoll scoring a further five goals with some excellent build up play and finishing. The goals were scored by Gio (D), Jesse (C), and Prince with consistent driving runs from Freddie (X). This result could not have been achieved however, without the ever-resistant defence - who stood strong whenever there was any threat on goal. George (E), Ferran (D), Gabriel (B), Kam (I), Alex (I) and Mike (A) kept Bryanston shotless through the entire game, meaning that the clean sheet was kept for the keepers Oskar (G) and Theo (A). A resounding and promising victory for this newly built team against . Final result - 10-0 W. [Arthur (H)]

With a few players missing and one player searching for a pair of boots the JCAs were down to a bare 11 players with Darren T stepping up for his first ‘A’ team start away at Bryanston. Having not played together since the start of December the team-play was understandably rusty and far too many passes went astray in the first half. Nevertheless, Wincoll controlled the majority of possession and territory with one shot from skipper Lewin H (E) smashing against the crossbar and several corners threatening the Bryanston goalmouth. Keeper, Luke H had little to do other than sweeping up behind the defenders.

0-0 at half time, the instruction was to be patient and not force the play. Increasingly, the Wincoll attacks became more frequent and after a nice run to the by-line form Osamede A (having found some boots!) James H popped up at the back post to finish smartly and take the lead. Soon after the restart Darren T made inroads down the right and after a few ricochets Osamede blasted home to double the lead. It was all Wincoll now although Luke H kept his concentration and dealt smartly with a couple of shots from the Bryanston attackers. As time went on the JCAs sealed the victory with another finish from Osamede to grab his brace and make the final scoreline 3-0. (MSB)

Junior Colts B (a): Won 5-0

Yearlings A (a): Lost 2-3

On Saturday the Yearlings B travelled away to Bryanston School for our last competitive fixture of the football season with debuts for James Morris (E) – W and Gaston (B). Winchester looked to dominate early passing the ball around nicely and creating 1-2 chances in the first 2 minutes. This was down to the speed and agility of our wingers Freddie S (H) and Jeremy S (D). Our first goal came in the third minute where a Freddie S shot hit the woodwork then the opposition keeper and was neatly tapped in by Christopher C (H).

There was plenty of action in the middle of the pitch as Arthur R (H), Gaston (B), William R (I) and Issac W (I) all combined nicely to keep possession of the ball and control the main foundations of the pitch. A near wonder goal of the season came when Gaston struck the ball just after the halfway line and hit the crossbar!! Bryanston conceded a penalty which Arthur R neatly slotted away to make the score 2-0 and ended the first half on a high.

The second half we looked to switch the formation and play more attacking football with some people playing deliberately out of position. Amazing work rates from Angus K (K), Nathan A (C) and Henry F (E) ensured that in the second half Winchester were dominating the ball. Neat finishes from Freddie S and Jeremy S took the score to 4-0. Some late Bryanston counter attacks saw Noah P (B), Charlie F (I) and Hugo F (D) spring into action with some hard tackling and brilliant clearances to put the ball safe into neutral possession! Christopher C scored his second within the remaining few seconds to finish the game 5-0 and a Winchester Win!!! (TJF)

Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th January

West of England Schools’ Fives Championships

The Fives Club has enjoyed another successful outing at the annual Schools’ West of England Fives tournament, held at Sherborne School, over the weekend of 18th/19th January. Mr McManus and Mr Munn took a squad of 17 pupils to this year’s event. The tournament involves 4 competitions: U18 Singles, U18 Doubles, U16 Singles and U16 Doubles with the Winchester squad enjoying success at all levels against schools including Alleyn’s, Blundell’s, Christ’s Hospital, Marlborough, Radley, and St. Paul’s.

Things got off to a marvellous start when Michael Z (E) beat the number 4 seed in the first round despite being a year younger, and less experienced, than his opponent. Michael’s good form continued in the later rounds, and he was one of six Wykehamists to make it into the quarter-finals of the competition – a sign of real strength in depth within the squad.

Felix C (E) and Plum M-M (F), our top two U16s made it through to the semi-finals, and Plum then went one stage further. In the final, left-handed Plum took on a left-handed Pauline and, though he came off second best, he gave his opponent a real run for his money with the match featuring a number of very long topsy-turvy rallies of real quality.

Revenge was therefore sweet for Plum and Felix when they used their hard-hitting power game to overcome the St. Paul’s 1st pair in the U16 Doubles final on day two of the tournament, recovering from a first game hiccup to win 10-12, 11-6, 11-6. The Winchester 1st pair owed a debt of gratitude to the squad’s third pair, Casper W (E) and Michael Z (E), who tired out the Paulines at the semi-final stage by taking them to a third game before losing 8-11, 11-9, 11-4.

Another performance of note was the debut of Bear R (D), playing in an U16 tournament despite being just an U14, who made it the quarter-final stage of both the Singles and Doubles competitions. Nor should the efforts of Rupert F (I) be forgotten. Disappointed to be knocked out of the main singles competition in the first round, he was smiling by the end of the day one as he sat down to a heart mixed grill dinner with a second plate winner’s medal to his name.

Our senior squad found the going slightly tougher in the U18 Competitions but nevertheless gave excellent accounts of themselves, despite the absence through injury of our top Singles player, Jeffrey C (C). The U18 age-group was dominated by the number 1 seed from St. Paul’s, who also happens to already be the national U25 singles champion!

Nevertheless, Anthony CB (B) impressed in the quarter-final stage overcoming the Alleyn’s number 1 seed 11-8, 11-6 and came within a whisker of an appearance in the Singles final when he lost to the Christ’s Hospital number 1 seed 0-11, 11-1, 11-8 in an exhausting and hard-hitting semi-final. Elsewhere the Plate Singles final was an all-Chawkerite affair between Joshua L (F) and Daniil V (F), which Joshua won 15-12.

In the U18 Doubles competition, with Jeffrey and Anthony not taking part, each Winchester pair had to step up in ranking and our second pair, Arthur JD (D) and James K (D), both VI Book 2, made it all the way to the semi-finals. Though they lost to the very strong and more experienced Alleyn’s 1st pair, they recovered in time to win the 3rd vs 4th play-off against St. Paul’s 2nd pair 16-14. Meanwhile Zach G (H) and Noah W (F), playing as Winchester’s 3rd pair, also took home medals after winning through to the plate final where the overcame Alleyn’s 3rd pair 15-9.

From a club point of view, this was the eleventh tournament in a row from which Wykehamists returned with at least one trophy (the longest streak of continuous success that the Fives club has ever enjoyed

Sunday 19th January

Squash 1st at Roehampton Invitation (a):

The Winchester College 1st V Squash Team enjoyed a very successful 2025 Roehampton Invitation Tournament by claiming the Div 2 Runners-Up position at the weekend. The tournament started with a 1st Round match v Sevenoaks. Playing a side that is not a regular fixture the Winchester side were unaware of their opponent’s ability. Sevenoaks proved to be strong and although the Winchester side played well they were all defeated with only Felix C at 1st string winning a game.

Having time to reflect on their loss Winchester played U.C.S in their next match. The team played with great resolve and determination winning 5-0.Their next opponents in their group were Wellington. With a place in the semi final for the winners Winchester played great attacking squash and won 4-1. The Semi final match was against Marlborough who the team lost to in the previous week.

First on court was Winchester's No 1 Felix C. playing an opponent that he had been defeated by in the previous week! Felix played a great game, controlling the rallies and playing great attacking shots, especially on his backhand he won 2-0. On the adjacent court was our No.3 Ayson K who, volleying well also had a very good 2-0 win. Only needing one more win to gain a place in the final Winchester's 2nd string Ludo R (Capt), Sam B 4th string and Pran B were the next players on court. Pran had a tough match, played very well for a 2-1 win. Sam B who, after some tough matches earlier in the day was now carrying a slight shoulder strain, played with great resolve and won 2-0. With this great 4-1 win Winchester were now in the Final!

The final versus Sevenoaks was close with the chance to become Div 2 winners and revenge their 1st round defeat. First on court was 1st string Felix C. who played his attacking shots against his very strong opponent with more variation and won 2-0. On the adjacent court was Sam B. who very narrowly won the first game 15-13 only to just lose the 2nd 14-15. Now nursing a sore shoulder Sam continued to compete in every rally but was unable to defeat his opponent and just lost 1-2. Pran B., Ayson K. and Ludo R. were now playing and as in the 1st round Sevenoaks proved to be too strong winning all the matches 2-0. The Winchester Sen. V were really disappointed by their defeat but at the trophy presentation by the Roehampton Squash Pro Paul Lindsay their spirits were raised when it was announced that as Runners Up they had won promotion to Division 1 in 2026! A promotion that the team richly deserved with their great play.

All but one of the team will be eligible to play in Division 1 and they are keen to replicate the 2019 Winchester team who became Division 1 Champions.

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

Sporting quote for the week:

“Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t” Former NFL Wide Receiver for the San Francisco 49s, Jerry Rice

M.S. Burley

Director of Sport

21st January 2025

X: @WinCollSports