Sports Report – Common Time 2025, Week 7

Tuesday 25th February 2025

WinCoFo: Jun IXs

It was a thrilling day on Palmer as Winchester College Football delivered drama in spades. The nail-biting encounter between K and B saw B edge ahead 15-13, showcasing the fine margins that define this sport. Meanwhile, A put on a masterclass, dismantling G 20-0 before delivering a 24-1 rout in the second leg—a scoreline to raise eyebrows! C’s double triumph over H (14-3) and F (10-7) highlighted their rising form, while D’s narrow 16-12 victory over I kept spectators on the edge of their seats. The league table saw A leap four places into second, a remarkable surge, while D slipped two spots. Unbeaten B remain top of the table, and with such form, the next round of fixtures promises even more excitement! (JCP)

Hockey V PGS & Ballard School

On a windy afternoon down at the Portsmouth seafront the 2nd XI had their second match of the Hockey Term away at PGS 2s and it proved to be thrilling game of Hockey. Captained by McGregor (H) for the first time, Winchester were up for the challenge as PGS have a strong track record against us. We started brightly moving the ball around nicely around our half with Edwards (A), Busby (F) and Tait (G) keeping possession and calmly transitioning into the central area of the pitch within the first half creating multiple chances early on.

Whilst it was tough Sharrocks (X), East (C) and Matthews (X) all settled well, and grew into their roles pushing right and left respectively when needed. They were able to pressure often which allowed us to break up any counter attacks and push forward to use the pace of Lewis (E), Jin (I) and Edwards who were waiting up front. After 10 minutes Winchester quickly adapted to the play at hand and slotted in 2 neat goals to take the score to 2-0 (McGregor and Jin the scorers). For the last 15 mins of the first half, it was a different story. PGS dominating the ball with flat sweeps and accurate passing proved too strong for out defenders and managed to equalise the scoring at 2-2. Some excellent saves from Hagger (D) kept the score at 2-2, this could have easily been 2 or 3 more if it wasn’t for his brilliant keeping. HT Score: 2-2

The start of the second half was a lot more positive from Winchester as we adopted to playing further forward to create more chances within their defensive circle. Moment of the day was for Lewis when he swerved in and out of players for a nice solo goal finishing the ball into the bottom right goal. PGS then turned the tide to score again to make it 3-3. A cluster of stick tackles saw Winchester give away a short corner with only 20 seconds to go. After a well worked routine from PGS a shot from the top D was taken and was deflected of a Winchester stick into the bottom corner of the goal. A save that no keeper would have made. With no time to respond the game ended at 4-3 to PGS. [TJF & AVB]

The U14As started with pushback against Ballard School and got going quite quickly with a goal from Rufus (A) and an assist from Isaac (I) at 13 minutes. There was a lot of good dribbling from Innis (B), but there was a lot of potential to improve our short corners. Freddy (E) had a massive impact with passing and moving the ball around the pitch. William (I) played well on the left. We scored a second goal from a quick break with Freddie (H) scoring a goal by 'megging’ the keeper. Aaron (F) did really well in defence, and despite having to deal with 3 on 1s, he kept his cool dealt with it well. Harvey (C) played excellent in goal making a few brilliant slides to win us the ball. The third goal came shortly after, with Rufus (A) scoring from a good advantage. Joseph (C) played well in left half with a good balance of attack and defence. Peter (E) put in some good tackles in defence. Hugo (E) did some impressive areal controls to win us the ball back. Caspar (C) did well getting the ball up from defence to attack. Dylan (G) was strong in center half and marshalled the edge of the D. In the second half, we passed the ball around more, but unfortunately we didn't score. The final score was 3-0 to Winchester. Rufus (A)

Rugby 7s: U14s v Embley School (a)

A slightly larger Wincoll squad than in their previous encounter faced a more streamlined Embley squad and the first match of three saw the hosts come out comfortably on top. Too many missed tackles and dropped passes gifted opportunities to Embley and they took advantage to win by 4 tries. In game 2 the squad was rotated and a far more positive start ensued with ball retention improved and tackling far more impactful. T Tillotson (K) maintained his width in attack and kept the ball alive and just before half time some excellent support play saw H Fellows (D) go over to tie things up. Half backs O Drought (G) & H Hill (I) started pulling the strings, C Choo (H) and P Punnotok (C) made some powerful runs, W Leeson (G) linked well and the majority of the play was in the Embley '22. However, some sloppy handling errors provided the pacey Embley winger with the chance to scorch around the outside leaving the final score 21-5.

The focus for the final game was to put some width and depth into the attacking play and be physical in the contact. E Burns (I) started to impose himself and although we conceded early, a superb wraparound play created space for E Odeleye (K) to use his pace to race home for a score. Drought converted sublimely and his excellent drop kick restart allowed Wincoll to reclaim possession and this time T Parker (K) drew the last man perfectly to set up Odeyele for his second. Embley pulled one back but after more excellent attacking play from J Morris-Weston (E) created an opening Odeyele grabbed his hatrick, again converted by Drought. J Pett (G) then scored the fourth try after good support play to extend the lead to 24-10. The rotations from Embley saw their bug gun players return to the fold and as Wincoll fatigued the hosts scored leaving a 7 point deficit as the last minute approached. A final attack from Embley saw them score under the posts to tie the game up for a 24-24 draw with the final play of the game. The afternoon saw significant progress from the whole squad and the target is to build on this over the next few weeks. (MSB)

Squad: E Burns, C Choo, J Morris-Weston, O Drought, J Pett, T Parker, H Hill, W Leeson, E Oyedele, P Punnotok, T Tillotson

Chess: Winchester College U18A vs King Edward VI, Southampton (a)

The A team eased through round 2 of the regional stages of national schools' chess to set up a regional final against either RGS Guildford A or Winchester C, with qualification for the National stage in June at stake. Won 5.5 - 0.5

Thursday 27th February

Golf: Juniors v Charterhouse U16 (a)

Winchester U16s were greeted with sunshine as they entered the Charterhouse course, but the tough combination of uneven, difficult greens and strong wind ensured that it would not be a day for 'easy' golf. 1st pair Bruno Lewis (E) and Aidan Sheehan (H) were met by tough opposition, however a combination of attacking drives from Bruno and a fantastic short game display from Aidan led to a consistent par score line from both players to begin with. However, it was an unfortunate double on the 7th that led to Charterhouse narrowly taking the victory. Overall a close game and great golf played by both Winchester players.

Moving onto the 2nd pair, Monty Helliwell (B)and Philip Catsaras (A) put up a commendable effort, despite the tough conditions. While the first few holes went to Charterhouse, the pair quickly found their rhythm, scoring a few holes later in the match. The game too went to Charterhouse, however, but once again it was the difficult greens that let the pair down.

Finally, the 3rd pair Tiger Tillitson (K) and James Earl (K) played some convincing golf, but were ultimately once again edged out by their Charterhouse opponents, but not before the pair scored some valuable points for the side. In the end Winchester lost 25 -51 to an overall better side, but had the competition gone to 18 holes rather than 9, the result would almost certainly have been very different. Overall, a lot to build on from a good performance! (B Lewis, E)

Basketball v Wellington College (a)

This was an outstanding performance from the U15s. With a few players missing, several U14s moved onto the bench ready to help out, but the starting five dug in and played the whole game. Despite the pressure on them, the Winchester players looked the most energised and determined throughout the game. They shot well and beat a good Wellington side repeatedly with fast breaks fired by excellent defence. This was the best performance from this group since they have been at the school, and the victory was well-deserved. W72-39

Before the game Wellington said that theirs was a strong U14 side, so after a run of easy victories the Winchester U14s were ready for their first real challenge. Wellington had a few good players and one exceptional player, and after Oyedele picked up a couple of early fouls, Wang stepped in to shut him down. It took a few minutes for Wang to realise how to do this, but after that he effectively took Wellington's best player out of the game, helped by the exceptional help-defence from the rest of the team. The U14s have shown that they can score quickly, but on this day the shots were not falling as usual and the game was won by hard-nosed team defence and discipline. After the first quarter Winchester never looked like losing and an unbeaten season still looks to be on the cards. W42-35

Chess U18C vs RGS, Guildford Boys-U18A (a)

Many of these games were hard-fought and unexpectedly close. The Winchester C team certainly made the full-strength RGS Guildford A team work for their 5-1 win, with Ratan claiming a victory on board 6 for the underdogs. RGS Guildford A will now visit Winchester to face our own A team in the regional final.

Rackets: U18 Mixed vs Clifton College (H)

Erica W (A),competing in her first ever school fixture played 2 singles matches winning one and losing the other. This is an encouraging start to her competitive career. C. Wilson and T. Lees (E), made easy work of their Under 15 counterparts, 3 – 0. B. Robinson (D) and X. Martin (B) played both Clifton’s Under 15 pairs. Despite their younger age they managed to beat both, an impressive performance. (TERC)

Hockey U15A v PGS (h): Lost 4 – 5

Squash v Bryanston W7-0

Rugby 7s: U15s v Perin’s School

According to the school archives there was a rugby match played at Winchester back in the 1970s so after a 50 year hiatus the school hosted Perin's School for three 7s matches against a combination of JP/MP & Vbk players. 7 players a side, for 2 x 7 minute halves on a full size rugby pitch is hard work and with the muddy conditions underfoot the afternoon would be a test of fitness as well as skill.

The first match saw three of our Vbk, F Turvill (B), O Robinson (G) & C Perks (G) combine with some of the MP players against some powerful U15 players from Perin's. The visitors took the lead from the kick off and things looked ominous as they scored a second immediately after to take a 12-0 lead. WinColl bounced back through Turvill who scored under the posts and converted but too many tackles were being missed and this allowed the Perin's captain to score again just before half time. Turvill grabbed his second after some good support play making the score 19-14 but Perin's widened the gap with another try. However, WinColl finished the game with an excellent try from W Adams (B) who raced around the outside of the defence to score under the posts, leaving an easy conversion for Turvill to make the final score 21-24.

Game two saw W Zhang (B) make his debut for any Winchester College team and the kick off from Perin’s headed straight towards him. As the ball bounced precariously a Perin’s chaser managed to dive on the ball but Walter's first impact drew cheers from his teammates as he made a big tackle to slow up the possession. Perin's took the lead but H Franks (I) muscled his way over for a try to tie things up. WinColl were now starting to string some good passages of play together, O Pritchard (X), L Hawthorne (E) and R Fletcher (I) were making dents which led to a couple of overlap opportunities but the ball didn't stick when passed out wide. From one such turnover Perin's capitalised to extend the lead but Wincoll didn't give up and C Cook (G) scored a great try as time ran out to make the final score 10-12 - another close loss.

The final game provided an opportunity to reinforce the positive progress being made by the whole squad and a great start saw N Hashimoto (B) go over for a try which he converted. Some much better continuity saw the ball moved swiftly from the breakdown by S Scott-Moncrief (F), displaying great stamina having already played half a match of hockey for the U15As, and Fletcher (I) was becoming more prominent too. Perin's responded with a try and then extended the lead shortly after with a second but neither were converted and this allowed WinColl to enter half time in the lead following another converted try from Hashimoto. The final 7 minutes of play saw great energy and commitment from the Wincoll boys as tackle after tackle was made with some excellent "jackalling" at the breakdown providing turnover opportunities. A breakaway with 1 minute left on the clock saw Perin's take the lead but as the try went unconverted they only had a 1 point lead. Receiving the ensuing kick off Wincoll kept the ball alive and a sweeping attack saw Adams race over for the winning try to make the final score 19-15. (MSB)

Clay Pigeon Shooting

On Thursday we travelled to the EJ Churchill shooting ground for the Harrow Fido Clay shooting tournament. 34 teams with 140 competitors shot a 40 bird English Sporting layout and 50 bird flush. Winchester A team scored 10th place with G Davis (D) scoring 45/50 which was joint 3rd place overall.

R Balmain (VI1)

R Crewe (V)

G Davis (VI1)

WHood (VI1)

Winchester B team scored 30th place

N Barclay (V)

A Hay (VI1)

A Padovani (VI1)

D Mikhalov (MP)

Friday 28th February: WinCoFo: MID Xs

It was a sensational day of Winkies on Palmer, filled with drama and intrigue. C clinched a nail-biting 14-13 victory over E, while I’s 9-10 loss to D was a thriller of a game, decided by the narrowest of margins. Meanwhile, G's emphatic 20-0 triumph over E turned heads, showcasing attacking prowess. F continued their formidable form with commanding wins over A (14-2) and B (13-1), solidifying their title ambitions. In the league table, G made the most significant move, leaping three places, while H tumbled two spots after a tough outing. F maintain their grip at the top, unbeaten and seemingly unstoppable. With such high stakes, anticipation is building for the next round on Palmer! (JCP)

Saturday 1st March 2025

Rowing: Avon Spring Head

WCBC headed to Avon County Rowing Club for their Spring Head race. In all 6 divisions of the day we had at least 1 crew racing. The J14 4x+’s kick started the day coming down the track first for WCBC. Lawrence’s (C) 4x+ winning their category and taking home the medal, both crews raced very well with 33 seconds separating them over the course. 2 J18 4+’s, a J16 8+ and Martha (E) in the 1x were in the 2nd division, the J18 4+ coxed by Fergus (A) won their category, the J16 8+ also won their category, coxed by William (B). A strong performance from all that raced in the 1st and 2nd divisions coming away with 3 category wins.

William (K) and Natty (F), George (Coll) and James (A) took to the water for their 2x’s race. After a near capsize with fantastic recovery for George (Coll) and James (A) both crews crossed the line looking strong and composed. Hugo (C) raced his 1x down the long course along with a J15 8+ who missed out on a medal by 15 seconds. The J16 4+ had a very close race, they won their category beating Pangbourne by .9 of a second.

The final races of the day saw the J14 8x+, who had the overall fastest time down the short course all day, both Martha (E) and Hugo (C) race their 1x’s, the J18 8+ and a J15 4+. The J18+ were chased down the river by 3 other crews in their category, they won with a 3 second lead over Bryanston. The J15 4+ had Richard (A) step up for his 3rd race of the day, coxed by Miles (F) they came through the finish line together and strong.

WinCoFo: SEN IXs

A day of high drama unfolded on Palmer, where fortunes swung wildly in a series of thrilling encounters. C edged a breathless battle against F, prevailing 32-18 in a contest of attacking flair. G and I could not be separated, their 18-18 draw leaving both sides ruing missed chances. A hard-fought affair saw A emerge victorious over K, scraping through 9-7, while H’s nail-biting 11-10 triumph over E left spectators on the edge of their seats. Meanwhile, D suffered a humbling 26-6 defeat to B, a ruthless display from the latter. In the league table, B take an early lead with a commanding goal difference. With such fierce competition, the next round on Palmer promises even more fireworks!

Basketball v MCS (h)

The Winchester U18s got off to a terrible start, going down 18-0 after only a few minutes. To their great credit though, they pulled themselves together and fought back with determined defence and much better passing. They won the final three quarters and in the end only lost by 10 (49-39). So, not the result that Winchester was looking for, but a match that they can walk away from with their head held high.

The Winchester U16s know that this is a game that they should have won. They were missing Jurdjevic, but the rest of this talented squad were there which should have been more than enough. Winchester led for almost all the game and at times looked like they would pull way ahead, but every time they started to pull away they allowed MCS to get back into the game with missed shots and rushed or sloppy passing. A well-taken three pointer with 20 seconds to go gave MCS the win by a single point. There were many positives in the game for Winchester, and certainly much to be learnt: I suspect that if this match was played again next week the results might be quite different, but this group will have to wait until next year for revenge.

Fives v Tonbridge School (h):

U18A: Won

U18B: Won

U16A: Won

U15A: Won 132 - 47

U14A: Lost 79 - 103

Football v Dauntsey’s School (a)

We took a young (U17) team to Dauntsey’s on a beautiful afternoon and the 1st half was even with both teams creating a few opportunities, but S Browning (G) and their keeper made some comfortable saves to keep the score even. We started the 2nd half strongly and scored two quick goals, the first a short corner saw M Jackson (A) deliver a lovely cross for S Kingsbury (A) to stretch and place it into the roof of the net. A scrappy second from F Laarman (C) after some ping pong in the box to put us in control. We then switched off and made some awful mistakes to concede 3 quick goals from nowhere. Communication (lack of) and poor decision making cost us in this game and there are plenty of learnings to take away as we go into matches with Marlborough and Canford in the next few weeks. (JRD)

It was a stunning day in Dauntsey’s, and the 2s were ready, after a long bus journey, to maintain this term's unbeaten run. With a short warm up the game had begun. After a cagey opening and with the team having finally gotten used to the abnormally wide and long pitch, we grabbed the opener with Ferran (D) calmly slotting it home. We continued to attack and after a flurry of action, goals came from Prince (D) twice and an own goal. Dom (A) with his wealth of experience wreaking havoc up front, which you wouldn’t be able to tell, wasn’t his normal position.

At half time, the team was very optimistic and ready to carry forward their positive mindset into the second half. The team’s "tiki-taka" passing and fluid football in the second half was so good that it was ‘The best football I’ve seen at Winchester', according to Ted (B) who was a part of the spine of winning mentality and experience the team possessed, also with Dom, Felix (H) and George (B). Notably good performances were seen from the likes of Gabriel (B), George (E), Gio (D) and Jesse (C), whose unmatched chemistry led to strings of effortless passing which led to goals in the second half. These three goals arrived twice from Piers (A), one a cool and collected penalty, and the other from Arthur (H) who curved it round the keeper from near the corner flag. All in all, a very impressive performance to continue this terms win streak and maintain the winning mentality. [Arthur D (H)]

The triumphant 3rd XI were at battle once again. Aiming to continue their fine form, the weight of expectation could easily have impacted their performance, but not for these brave young men. With fire in their hearts and boots on their feet, they met the foe on the field.

The first half was a picture of dominance. The 3rd XI controlled the game with deep passes in behind Dauntsey's defensive line. The home team were unable to get out and were crumbling under the amount of pressure they were being placed under. Wisdom (D) orchestrated wave after wave of attack, with Thai's (C) pace causing havoc and confusion. Will (H) and Vas were solid at the back, dealing with the futile attempts made by Dauntsey's forwards to trouble Winchester goal.

After the umpteenth attempt, Thai scored a well-taken goal, placing his shot to the keepers left. Winchester were flying high. However, with 1 minute left to go of the game, Dauntsey's managed to equalise with a diving header - their first shot on goal in the entire game. A gutting draw for the glorious 3rd XI. Final score: 1 – 1. [JA]

Hockey v Embley School (a)

1st XI L2-0

A slow start for the U15s, after the bus ride, let Embley get pressure on us and we conceded early, putting us 1-0 down. Luckily, this shocked the Winchester team into action and with Isaac’s (K) skilled dribbling, linking with Harry’s (A) through balls down the line, we put the pressure back on the opposition. Isaac proceeded to score an equaliser by dribbling through nearly their whole team into the top of the D and ended the press with a reverse hit, straight into the goal. At 1-1 we were on top, Harry held tight control of the left-hand side whilst Will (H) turned this way in the midfield, splitting Embley into chaos down the middle. Winchester kept Embley imprisoned in their own third, and we proceeded to earn multiple short corners from the increasingly frustrated Embley. A strong build up play in the midfield led to Hector (H) firing one to the post, where Sid (F) was waiting to deflect it past the goalkeeper into the goal, putting us into the lead at 2-1. Winchester continued to dominate the play. We won a few more short corners which went slightly wide and in a lapse of concentration from Winchester, Embley won a short corner and smashed it just past Nate into the net, scoring to level the match at 2-2. Winchester fought back dramatically in the closing minutes but couldn’t attain the goal they so coveted. It was a well contested match which ended against the run of play with a draw. (S Scott Moncrieff, F)

The U14 game started well, with both teams sharing possession, with the ball frequently travelling from half to half. Before the match started, it was clear that the Embley team were a lot bigger and physically stronger than us, so we knew that we had to play the ball around them. Aaron Z (F), and James MW (E) were distributing the ball nicely between themselves at the back. Winchester then won the first short corner of the game, due to a nice ball in from Innis C (B) to Rufus L (A), which was snuck onto an opponent’ foot. William H (I) made some nice breakthroughs from midfield into the attacking half, but unfortunately nothing could be made from them. Chris F (I) won another short corner, which ended being similar to the first one, resulting in nothing. Ben T (A) made some nice link up plays within the defensive line, and the first half ended in 0-0. Soon into the second half, Caspar K (C), won the ball multiple times on the wing, but was eventually cut off by their wing backs and their centre backs. Halfway through, a green card and a 5-minute sin bin went to Chris F, for 'hitting the ball away'. From here on, the opposition had the bulk of the possession, with quite a few shots being fired off at goal, but luckily Bertie C (D), dealt with it perfectly and let nothing past. Unfortunately, the game ended 0-0.(Chris F, I)

Netball: Triangular v Downe House & The Oratory (a)

Our team put on a stellar performance in a three-way tournament at The Oratory, securing two strong wins against well-matched opposition. The Oratory proved to be a tricky opponent, with a quick GA and a 6ft 1 GS, but our well-drilled side handled the challenge brilliantly. Fluid passing, sharp movement, and composed shooting saw us maintain control of the game. Lily and Liv coordinated their movements perfectly in the D and scored some great shots. Despite some defensive pressure, we found space well and capitalized on our opportunities. Ami, Hesper and Elodie, the new trio in the D, managed to keep the Winchester defensive wall up and prevented many shots. W12-7. The second match against Downe House presented a different challenge, but our team’s cohesion and sharp attacking play ensured another confident win. With fast transitions and clinical finishing from Cleo and Amelie, we maintained dominance throughout, sealing a well-earned 12-5 victory. (FIJ)

Sunday 2nd March

Squash 1st at Roehampton Invitation (a):

On Sunday 2nd March the Winchester College 1st V played in Division 1 of the Roehampton Schools Invitation Tournament. Nine weeks ago they were runners up in Division 2 and were invited to play in Division 1 after another side's withdrawal. It gave the school's side the opportunity to play against top teams from schools such as Epsom whose side has a number of nationally ranked players. It was Epsom up first and although the team competed well in their matches only one player 5th string Matthew L. was able to secure a game. After their loss the team were very keen to make amends in their next match versus local rivals Radley. The match was very close with the 3rd and 4th string players Ayson K and Sam B both winning .The top two players, Felix C and Ludovic R. played well but were unable to win. It was left to 5th string Matthew L. to try and secure a 3-2 win. Although he played well to be 13 all in the 3rd the Radley player forcing his opponent deep on the court secured a 15-13 and 2-1 win to win the match 3-2.

In their final group match King’s Canterbury proved to be too strong and Winchester’s final match was against St Paul's for 7th/8th place. After their previous matches the Winchester College team were keen to prove that they are good enough to compete in Division 1 next year. Playing good consistent squash they won their final match 5-0. The day was a success as the team had very good matches and now know the standard that is required to play against the country’s top schools squash teams. Winchester College Squash Team : 1. Felix C 2. Ludovic R (Capt) 3. Ayson K 4. Sam B 5. Matthew L.

Sporting quote for the week:

“You can't always be the strongest or most talented or most gifted person in the room, but you can be the most competitive”

Former University of Tennessee Women’s Basketball Coach and most successful NCAAW basketball coach ever, Pat Summit

M.S. Burley

Director of Sport

4th March 2025

X: @WinCollSports