Sports Department

Sports Report – Cloister Time 2025, Week 1

Before we begin the round up from an outstanding first week of sport here is a summary of the National Schools’ Fives tournament which took place at the end of last term as well as the brief highlights from pre season cricket.

National Schools’ Fives Championship

13 Wykehamists took part in the National Schools’ Fives Championships held at St. Paul’s school, immediately after the end of Common Time. For the first time in a while, Winchester returned from the tournament without any trophies, but there was wykehamical involvement in the final of two of the six categories and semi-final appearances in two other categories, putting the school in a three-way tussle with St. Paul’s and Edinburgh Academy for the status of strongest squad.

In the U18s tournament Anthony C-B (B) reached the quarter-final stage in the U18 Singles before losing to Alleyn’s top player. Jeffrey C (C) reached the U18 Singles semi-final before losing to the number 2 seed from Christ’s Hospital 11-5, 11-0 Anthony (B) and Jeffrey (C) did reach the final of the U18 Doubles competition, losing 11-2,11-2 to the number 1 seeds from St. Paul’s. Given that St. Paul’s top seed was already the National U25 champion and Jeffrey, having sustained an injury over the Christmas holidays, was not yet back to peak form, this still represents an excellent return on the commitment these two have shown to the game over the last 5 years.

With Winchester’s top U16, Plum M-M, unavailable due to a clashing “D of E” commitment, Felix C (E) stepped up to the plate instead and gave a marvellous account of himself. In the Singles he played some of his best-ever Fives to reach the U16 Singles quarter-final losing by the narrowest of margins to Edinburgh Academy’s number 2 seed in three games 12-10, 10-12, 6-11. The following day, in the U16 Doubles with Casper W (E), Felix found a higher level again and this new partnership made it all the way to the Final. In the Final they took on the very strong Edinburgh 1 pair, both Year 11, and Felix imposed himself brilliantly such that the opposition were not able to attack Casper, still in Year 10, as they wished. Nobody expected Winchester to challenge the Edinburgh pair so there was much surprise at the fight they put up losing the first fame narrowly 11-8 and then winning the second game by the same margin. Regrettably the stamina of the Edinburgh pair was greater and they won the decider 11-6, but the Winchester pair should be very proud of their performance.

In the U14 tournament both Bear R (D) and Ben T (A) won their groups in the initial part of the U14 Singles – a particularly pleasing result in the case of Ben who had only really been playing the game seriously since Leave-Out of Common Time. Ben was knocked out at the last sixteen stage by the Edinburgh 3rd seed (who made it to the semi-finals himself). Bear made it through to the quarter-finals were he took on the Edinburgh 2nd seed and came up just short, losing 15-13. In the U14 doubles Ben and Bear enjoyed some straightforward wins before losing 11-6,11-7 to St. Paul’s I in the semi-finals. (JM)

Cricket Pre Season:

Thursday 17th April v Whitgift: won by 69 runs.

Facing quite a young Whitgift side, we batted first and scored a very decent 275-8 from our 40 overs, both Will Alexander and Rhys Kanbi played well to score 36 and 28 respectively, but the partnership of 125 between James Kennedy and Amar Fernando ensured we made a very competitive score, James making an excellent127 with 17 boundaries and Amar 32. Whitgift’s reply stuttered somewhat, with George Davies and Stan Askew taking a wicket apiece but a good partnership of 71 for the 6th wicket kept Whitgift interested, however some good tight spin bowling from Sam Humphries, Archie Lawson, Tom Howard and George Bowder made sure that we secured a reasonably comfortable victory.

Friday 18th April – Match abandoned: Hampshire Pathways 234/9 off 35 overs, Winchester 35/2 off 7 overs

Unfortunately the game finished after 6 overs of our innings, when it rained, highlights of our bowlers were Stanley A (K) who took 4-49 and Isaac H (K) who took 3-43, James K (D) was 18 not out.

Monday 21st April – Triangular T20 v Cranleigh and Canford

We played Cranleigh in the first match., racing off to a good start and were 48-1 after the first 6 overs. Unfortunately we collapsed to 78-8 and were thankful to both George B and Sam H, who pushed the score onto 109, which really was about 30 runs short of what we required.

We did make the perfect start with the ball and had Cranleigh 18-3, however at 59-3 with 9 overs remaining we were up against it and again at 103-7 with 11 balls left, the game looked lost but a double wicket maiden from Archie meant Cranleigh needed 7 off the last over with 1 wicket in hand. The first ball was hit for 4, the second ball was caught by James and a win by 2 runs!

In our second game against Canford the match was reduced to 12 overs a side due to rain, Canford making 107- 4, which we passed in the 10th over 1 wicket down,. Seb M and James K playing quite superbly, scoring 43* and 60 respectively.

Tuesday 22nd April - Winchester Dev side v XL Club.

The XL Club made what looked like a very strong score of 268-6 with Wincoll Old Boy Freddie Egleston scoring 111. The pick of our bowlers were Noah Pounds on debut for the College taking 3-24 and Casper Wilson 4-27.

We manged to win by 1 wicket with 2 overs to spare. Jacob Gilkison and Cam Mitchinson put on 98 for the first wicket with Cam making a very encouraging 56, however probably the key partnership for our 9th wicket between Jacob and Archie Lawson of 76 saw us to within 10 of victory, Jacob making an excellent 89 and Archie finishing unbeaten on 38.

Overall, a very encouraging Weekend as we look to start our school fixtures against Harrow. (PNG)

 Thursday 24th April

Golf 1st v Bradfield College (h): Won 3 – 0

S Wells [G] & J Redfern [A] WON 6&4

R Sanmathy [E] & P Kitrungrueangkul [C] WON 6&4

K Duan [G] & N Chan [K] WON 2UP

Saturday 26th April 2025

Athletics v Dauntsey’s School (a):

The season opener at Dauntsey’s was eagerly anticipated and the team did not disappoint coming away with a win for the Intermediate boys and a 2nd place for the Senior boys. Club captain, Jeffrey C (C) took 1st in SB LJ and a narrow foul illustrated his jumping potential this season and also bagged 2nd place in the SB 100m. Seb B (G) raced in 1st place in the IB 200 and 2nd place in the IB long jump. On debut, Zhida W smashed it taking 1st in the SB 200 with Anthony CB in 3rd. Another athlete on debut, Benedict J, narrowly came in 2nd to the Dauntsey’s runner in the SB 800m but reversed fortunes in the 1500m to take 1st. There was another long jump victory, this time for Ed Z in the IB competition and another 1-2 in the IB TJ with Jayden O taking top spot over Jesse F. Felix C grabbed 2nd in IB 100mH and Osamede A dominated the IB throws with 1st in both Shot & Discus. A great start to the season! (MSB)

Cricket v Harrow

Lords were up against a strong Harrow side for our first "competitive" game of the Season. We won the toss and Seb decided to bowl, a decision that proved to be a very good one, despite the coach thinking that we should bat first!

Seb and Stan took the new ball and Seb clean bowled the Harrow opener with one that cut back to take the off stump, just the start we wanted. Stan bowled an excellent line and length which kept the pressure on while Seb found some decent rhythm bowling with the wind. A good catch by Jack B at gully removed the other Harrow opener off Stan and when Seb took 2 further wickets, one a great catch at first slip by Stan, the other another clean bowled we were very much in the ascendancy and Harrow were 22-4. Amar and Tom came on and also kept the pressure on by bowling in good areas. Further wickets fell and Harrow were 45-7, soon to be 45-8 when Rhys took a great catch over his head off George B. Harrow then put a good partnership together and the 9th wicket pair had put on 38, when Seb turned to both Jacob and Jack to "mop" up the last 2 wickets. All of our bowlers had played a part, Seb with 3-16 from 5, Stan 1-17 from 7, Tom 1-5 from 6, Amar 2-19 from 6, George 1-11 from 7, Jacob 1-11 and Jack 1-5, backed up by some excellent catching. Lunch was taken with us requiring 87 for victory.

Jack and Will opened up. We were positive from the start but also respectful against a decent opening attack. Both grew in confidence, Jack in particular quick to seize on anything short, Will strong through the off side. It was somewhat of a surprise when Jack played on for a very good 37 from 24 balls and then Will was out with 1 required. It was left to Rhys to hit the winning runs, finishing 15*. A hugely encouraging start as we move onto Eton at Arundel Castle on Thursday. [PNG]

2nd XI: Lost by 36 runs. 131 for 9 against 167 for 6.

Mr Dodd’s legendary 3rds started the season with an all-time classic against Harrow 3rd XI on Dogger’s. Recognising his team’s bowling ability, captain Ted M (B) chose to bowl first and instantly Mr Dodd’s scouting abilities were proved right as his new signings of Musa A (C) and Max J (A) bowled a harrowing pair of spells as they couldn’t stop finding edges, taking 3 and 2 wickets respectively, with Bailey C (A) taking 3 catches behind the stumps. Particular shoutout goes to Max as he took his two wickets in his first two balls and his in swinging yorker for the hattrick looked bound to hit the stumps, missing it by mere millimetres. This thunderous start eventually calmed down as Harrow dug in after the 5th wicket, building a 50 odd partnership we struggled to break. Thankfully, our squad depth proved strong: the masterful Max C (K) took 2 wickets and captain Teddy, as village as ever, combined both pace and spin bowling to take a wicket himself, all the while keeping a tidy economy. Another moment of village magic was when Ethan X (D) threw the ball to the bowler’s end when half the team was appealing for an LBW, accidentally running the batsman out who had forgot to ground his bat. The innings ended with Harrow all out on the last ball for 164 off 30 overs. An achievable but still difficult score to chase, especially when considering the 3rds poor batting form in recent years…

Safe to say that the batting did not start as well as the bowling. Possibly due to the pressure of scouts from Lords and the 2nds, our top-order batsmen struggled at the crease against Harrow’s fierce bowling attack. Both Arthur J-D (D) and Ethan got out for ducks, with captain Ted trying to salvage the team from the brink of collapse by surviving the opening overs by playing safe shots. However, one loose shot by him saw his downfall, getting out for a mere 4 runs. Such are the stakes in the 3rd XI. With all hope lost, the team was in disarray and we were running out of time to chase the total, rumours saying we were 17/3 off 10 overs at one point. Nevertheless, our divine intervention was made through none other than Alex S (D). Spurred on by both his family’s heritage in the 3rds and pressure to prove his worth as one of Doddsy’s special signings, he produced some beautiful cricket shots to stabilise our innings, supported well with some cross-bat action by Inigo H (A) who got a fair 20 runs. With Inigo gone, our second behemoth entered the ring. James K (B) stepped into the crease and just could not stop hitting boundaries (helped by the fact that Harrow never put a man at Cow Corner which is where every one of his shots went). He soon followed Alex in getting a half-century, and his multiple sixes made the 3rd XI ultras go ‘limbs’. Despite not being able to finish it off, as they both got out for 60-odd with only 5 runs left to chase, they had undoubtedly saved the match (and perhaps also Mr Dodd from the sack). In the classic 3rd XI style, a final wide secured us the run chase in arguably one of the greatest games and biggest wins in the 3rd XI’s history.

The 3rds face Eton away on Thursday and KES on Saturday with a newfound confidence which we hope to capitalise on in the crease. Thank you to Mr Dodd for a brilliant first game, and hopefully many more wins to come…Max C (K)

Winchester’s 4th XI played their counterparts at Harrow on Walker Field. Captain Margolin elected to bowl after winning the toss. Despite an economical opening spell from Gianni Garcia and wickets falling to Margolin (2), Spearing (1), Mehrotra (2) and Newport (1), Harrow’s middle order kept their wickets and achieved a commanding first-innings score of 185 in 25 overs. Winchester’s top order (Gianni Garcia, Hagger, and Spearing) set a solid foundation for the chase, with Gianni Garcia in particular playing a fine innings, well supported by Bell, Margolin and Sawhney at the other end. But wickets fell at a regular pace as Winchester’s batters attempted to increase their run rate in the face of a daunting target. Gianni Garcia was undoubtedly the all-round player of the match, scoring 38 with the bat (an innings that included seven fine boundaries) and achieving impressively economical bowling figures of 4—0—14—0—3.50 in a high-scoring game. Mehrotra’s menacing spell left him with another excellent analysis 3—0—9—2—3.0. In the end, Winchester fell short by 47 – a defeat, but an honourable one, with many memorable individual performances for the team to look back on. (NGK)

The Sen Colts A team won the toss and chose to bat. With the exception of a couple of batsmen who were caught out early by unfortunate bounces, the team all batted well, especially V Shah who batted through for an unbeaten 74. 158-5 was a good score, but a few runs were left on the field through over-cautious running and there was a feeling that we were that 20 or so runs short.

Winchester then bowled and fielded well, but allowed too many runs early and although they tightened up, slowed Harrow down and took wickets they were never quite able to get the run-rate back up to a level that created enough pressure. Winchester played this game without a proper team practice and, having played a match on the preceding Thursday, Harrow's field positioning and running between wickets was just a bit better and made the deciding difference. The atmosphere within Senior Colts A was positive and supportive throughout the game, and they showed that they have the fundamentals on which to build for future matches. Lost by 5 wickets. 157 for 0 against 158 for 5. (LNT)

A thrilling heartbreaker in the SCB opening outing on Lav: Meads. Captain Steen (31*) showed admirable confidence in choosing to bat first and opening himself, amply justified as he put on 47 with Medcroft (13) before the latter was run out just as he was beginning to open his shoulders. #4 Turvill (39*) stepped up, riding his luck to strike some great blows in the last couple of overs to take Sen: Colts to a highly competitive total.

Robinson (0-20) joined the captain (0-13) in pinning down the Harrow openers and Datta (2-22) found flight and length, forcing the batters nearly onto their stumps and making inroads into the Harrow order. Late recruit Stoesser was excellent behind the stumps, taking three sharp catches and coming close to a magnificent stumping. As the main attack bowled out the Harrow middle-order chanced their arms and began to find the ropes, leading to an astonishing finale in which “death bowlers” East, Barclay and Medcroft were brought on for their first overs of the year with everything on the line. Amid encouraging advice from their team-mates such as “LOOK STRAIGHT AT THE STUMPS! DON’T BOWL A WIDE!” they acquitted themselves magnificently but with three balls to spare the Harrow captain dragged his team across the line.

“Coach” Douglas has rarely experienced such a “thrilla” and – to his shame – would never have predicted that Sen: Colts ‘B’ would be capable of coming so close against the might of the Harrovians. “Coach” Douglas expressed his pride in the team to them in the post-match debrief – it always hurts more when you come so close, but these are the stuffs of which cricket memories are made. Very many thanks to all who made this possible. (111-2, 20 overs, Steen 31*, Turvill 39*) lost to Harrow (113-5, 19.3 overs, Datta 2-22) [JJLD]

Jun Colts A: Lost by 8 wickets. 52 ao against 58 for 2.

In the Jun Colts B match both teams had an opener carry their bat - for Winchester it was H McGregor (74*), who steadied the ship after we collapsed to 13/3 then 39/5. A partnership of 67 with C Cook, then some contributions from the tail allowed us to post a more than respectable 176 all out in the 29th over.

Harrow's opening stand of 51 set them up well, and they were able to keep up with the rate. Three run outs were well deserved after an excellent fielding performance; a direct hit by D Tse being a particular highlight. The pick of the bowlers was N Hashimoto (3-0-15-1). (MJR)

The first game of the season caught the Jun Colt C team off guard, having had only one training session beforehand. After winning the toss, the side wisely elected to bowl, one of several great decisions made by captain Bertie C (D). Some excellent keeping by Sid S-M (F) resulted in a stumping that broke open the first partnership, swinging the momentum in Winchester's favour. Abir B (I) boasted the best figures in the team, taking 2 wickets and conceding 19 runs in his 4 overs. Overall, though, Harrow's batsmen played well, scoring 145 runs off the 20 overs. At the beginning of the Winchester innings, the players took a while to find their footing, but Walter Z (B) set the tone well with some strong running between the wickets. The team stabilised once Sid and Alfie M (I) came to the crease, with Alfie scoring an impressive 62* with help from Deepak S (D), who effectively rotated the strike. However, frustratingly, Winchester only managed 141 runs off their twenty overs. Overall, despite the result, it set an excellent benchmark for the rest of the season! (JOC) Lost by 4 runs. 141 for 6 against 145 for 5.

Winchester YA started the day by winning the toss and choosing to bat on a slow wicket, looking to quickly apply pressure early on. However, with an early dismissal, Freddy (E) and Cam (I) had to try to shift the tone and put Winchester back in the driving seat. This was achieved with a 100 partnership. As the match approached drinks, the run rate started to slow down but Ben (A) came in and quickly shifted the pace, pushing singles and excellently hitting the gaps. Winchester ended the inning with 192 on the board with 3 wickets on hand bolstered by an 82 from Cam and 51 from Freddy.

Winchester’s bowling attack began with strong movement by Noah (B) accompanied by his quick pace to keep the batsmen on the back foot. He was rewarded with an excellent catch by Freddy at short cover parrying it up and securing it on the way down. As Noah continued to swing it both ways, a thick outside edge was caught by Cam at second slip. The tight bowling continued and Cam himself picked up 3 at an economy of 2.71 building pressure and forcing the batsmen to run risky singles that Ben capitalised on with a direct hit from point. However, runs slipped through due to the inconsistent bobble of the outfield and the game seemed as if Harrow were pulling away, Noah and Cam having bowled all of their overs. Crucial runs were stopped and clinical bowling by Freddy kept them at bay. By the 30th over, Harrow had only one wicket remaining and needed 27 off 30, a very achievable target in the final overs, and Winchester’s only advantage was the one wicket remaining. With the final spell of Freddy and Harry (B), the run rate had to stay down. But, with Harrow’s 11 starting to hit big, it came to final over and 7 runs required. The pressure was on Freddy to deliver and with the batsmen unable to score more than singles, miscommunication led to a run out winning Winchester the match with 3 runs to spare.

There is plenty to take from our first game of the season, some good standards set and some targets for us to aim for. The match could have gone either way and the Yearlings should be proud of the win. [Samuel Qi (X)]

On Saturday the YBs had their first game of the season away against Harrow where they accomplished a hard-fought victory, managing to claim the win with two wickets in hand. The team started off in the field where they were faced with a no-nonsense opening pair. However, the opening bowlers Ed B (I), Henry F (E) and Otis D (G) managed to apply the pressure with some well pitched deliveries only for Aditiya S (X) to send the opening batters off with some brilliant out swing which tempted them to nick the ball straight into the safe hands of James E (K). The team felt the pressure when number 3 for Harrow started to hit some runs but thanks to a spin masterclass from Arthur R (H) he was quickly taken down by a wonderful catch from Hugo G (E) at long on. The team was on fire for the next six wickets limiting each batter to either just a run or sending them off with a duck. This meant 2 more wickets for Arthur R (F), one for Chris F (I), another for Aditiya S (X) and 2 for Will H (I). However, the last two batters of the Harrow attack just weren't giving up until Aditiya S (X) cleaned one of them up with a show stopping bowl. The team performed very well in the field limiting the opposition to only 84 runs. However, if they could manage to pull of some better throws and keep the chat up all the way to the end, I believe they will be limiting Harrow to 60 next time.

Sadly, the batting performance did not start as well, as the ball was just swinging insanely, and we lost our first 4 batters with not much to show for it. However, when it seemed like it was all over, and the team would just collapse James E (K) and Chris F (I) stepped up to the challenge and hit some vital shots which managed to create a strong base for the team. Sadly, James E (K) was caught out for 14 but that didn't stop the team, and the next batter James M W (E) joined Chris F (I) where they both hit some lovely shots. Sadly, they both ended up losing their wickets with around 15 runs to go but despite their late position in the order Will H (I) and Arthur R (F) manged to clutch up for the team securing the final runs with eight overs in hand. Overall, this was a good first performance and I'm sure the strong team spirit that this squad has will lead them to a win over Eton on Thursday. [Hugo G, E]

After Harrow School YC won the toss and elected to bat, we bowled first. Despite conceding a high number of extras — 67 runs through wides and no-balls — we restricted Harrow to 127 for 3 from their 20 overs. Our bowlers, Dawson Q and Tristan I, took a wicket each, while our fielders kept pressure on the batters. Harrow’s majority of their total came from extras.

In our innings, we approached the chase steadily. Louie S, Hugo F, and Barnaby D all retired not out after building solid starts, and Lucas W and Ranbir K completed the innings without further loss. Theo P was the only wicket to fall. We reached the target of 128 in 18.5 overs, scoring 130 for 1, helped by 48 extras from Harrow’s bowlers.

The match was decided by the number of extras conceded by both teams, but we maintained control of our innings and completed the chase with 7 balls remaining. Harrow’s bowling showed some effective spells but our batting partnerships and the extras conceded were the main factors in the result. (Ranbir K, H). Won by 9 wickets. 128 for 1 against 127 for 4.

The Yearling Ds put up a good fight against a superior Harrow side. Pranav Gl was especially impressive, picking up two wickets and scoring 16 with the bat. Ilan Y led the team admirably. Despite the loss, there are plenty of positive signs for the remainder of the season to come. (JL)

Sailing BSDRA Thames Valley Championships

Last weekend, the sailing team travelled to Datchet Water Reservoir for the BSDRA Thames Valley, with Windsor Castle providing a striking backdrop across the water. The weather started with bright sunshine and a steady force 3–4 breeze — ideal racing conditions — although the wind dropped around 1500, before picking up again to allow the semifinals to be completed.

Winchester (Helm: Rupert B, K) - Crew: Olivia P (E), Helm: Alex P (G) - Crew: Jack W (G) and Helm: Luke E (K) - Crew: Thomas F (E)) made an excellent start to the day, taking convincing wins against schools such as Eton College, and even confidently dispatching stronger opponents like RGS and RHS. One of the standout races was against Sevenoaks: after a tough opening beat, with Winchester only holding a 1,4,5 combination, some superb team racing tactics at mark 2 and on the downwind leg turned the race in our favour, ending with a winning 1,2,5.

Confident we then sailed on to race our old rivals, Sherborne College. However, a few crucial mistakes from Alex led to multiple penalty turns and a black flag. Despite a valiant attempt to recover, a sudden two-minute lull in the wind left us exposed, and Sherborne capitalised perfectly on the downwind, securing the win. Nevertheless, Winchester completed the initial round robin stage in a strong 2nd place overall.

In the semifinals, we faced Sevenoaks once again — a team we had already beaten earlier. However, a half-hour lull in the wind meant the semifinal format was reduced to a single, decisive race rather than the traditional best-of-three. A shaky start handed Sevenoaks an early 1,2 advantage, and despite our best efforts, we couldn’t reel them back in. Determined not to finish on a low note, Winchester rallied with a dominant performance in the petit final, securing 3rd place overall out of 18 teams, with only two race losses across the entire day.

Overall, although it was frustrating to miss out on the final, the event was a valuable learning experience and a testament to the team’s resilience. We now look forward to building on this performance at next week’s BSDRA Westerns at Chew Valley. Thank you so much to Dr Barron for organising our entry and for taking us, to Datchet Water Sailing Club for providing the venue, and to the BSDRA and RGS for making it all possible. (Alex P, G)

Tennis v M.C.S. Oxford

The 1st VI (a), despite lacking a team member, started the season in perfect fashion, securing a confident 9-0 win over MCS. The uncertain bounces on the grass took some getting used to, but the team quickly adjusted to find their best tennis. The 1st pair of Hammerson-Jones and Latimer closed down the net well, not dropping a game in their wins. The newly-formed 2nd pair of Garrett and Gueguen dominated with their big serves, strong forehands and clinical net play. The 3rd pair of Tait and Nottin, making his debut for the seniors, also took all of their games with ease, taking control of their sets through consistent aggression at the baseline and the net. Overall, this was a great first match back for the team, who look to keep their momentum in the two matches next week. [H Latimer, X]

Tennis is a game of fine margins, and today unequivocally proved this. The first pair of Jonnie I (B) and Theo C (A) dominated, undefeated on a tough day for the 2nd VI. Despite a small wobble against MCS’s top pair, their mental strength got them through to win the entertaining set 7-5. Jonnie defended like Alcaraz on a clay court, and alongside Theo’s pounding forehands, they showed impressive chemistry. The rest of the team were dealt a poor hand, with particularly unusual grass courts. Despite a rallying effort by our second pair, Josh M and Felix O, coming back from 4-1 down in one set to level it, their efforts were in vain. On a very inconsistent surface our third pair of Edward Z and Will B did well to get six games. A day beset by absence from a number of key players, the 2nd VI did phenomenally well to come out with a respectable 3-6 loss. [J Mulford, K]

A mixed 3rd team faced a strong MCS side on challenging courts. M. Whittle (B) and E. Wettern (A) put up a good fight narrowly losing 7-5 with some great serves and notable great shots, with great resilience from Mariella after 4 ankle rolls on the uneven surface. G. Dolgopolov (F) and V. Salikhov (D) played excellently winning 2 sets, with one win coming after a very close tiebreak with great shot variety. H. House (B) and L. Palser (G) battled well with some trick-shots adding dimension to the game but sadly were unable to capitalise although they thoroughly enjoyed the match. Overall, MCS took the fixture 7-2. [E Wettern, A]

The U15B team suffered a disappointing 0-9 loss against MCS although none of the matches were too lop-sided. Theo and Jayden had a great first match which they narrowly lost and George played well stepping into the Bs from the reserves. The U15C team had a little more success losing 3-6, with all three pairs managing a win. Two nail-biting tie breakers added plenty of drama to the fixture.

Winchester U14s enjoyed mixed results against MCS on Saturday, with Xander (B) and Gaston (B) in the A's taking all three wins, and Henry (B) and Ben (B) took the A's fourth win as they narrowly lost 4-5 overall. The B's won three matches, as they won twice with Pun (C) and Matthew (I), and won once with Rufus (A) and Thomas (F). Finally the C's took two wins with Bheesin (D) and Leo (A) winning 2/3 of their games. (JA)

Rowing ~ Junior Interregional Regatta

WCBC sent two crews to the National Water Sports Centre for the Junior Interregional Regatta this weekend. There were 14 regions competing across the regatta, we were part of the Wessex region. For the J14 4x+ this was their first time racing side by side at a regatta. The J14 4x+ was first to boat for their time trial, just ahead of the J16 8+. The time trail was raced over 1000m, and it would determine which final each crew got into. The J14 4x+ made it into the B final finishing 11th in the time trial. The aim for the J16 8+ was to finish in the top 6 in the time trial to qualify for the A final, which they did, coming 6th. After a long break between races it was finally time to get to the finals. The J14 4x+ raced first and stayed with the pack for the first 250m off the start, they then maintained their position throughout the race finishing in 6th position. The J16 8+ had a convincing start but the other crews managed to pull ahead throughout the race, they finished in 6th position. [SLG]

Sunday 27th April 2025

Chess ~ Stow Congress 2025 (a):

The Stowe Congress is a good chance for our younger players to gain match experience.. This year, we returned with all three trophies in our age range, with Ratan (College) winning the U14, Rex (G) retaining the U16 and Pengxiao (B) winning the open U18 section.

Cricket Lords v Free Foresters (h):

We lost the toss and were put into bat by the Free Foresters, who we had beaten in the last 2 years, but this year turned up with a strong side. Both opening bowlers were very good, one of them having played 1st Class cricket in South Africa for 6 Years! Unfortunately we lost James K early on when he "handled" the ball trying to stop it from hitting the stumps, the first time I have seen such a dismissal at Winchester!

The boys did battle hard throughout the innings and with an unusually slow outfield, it was tough. However Angus H played well for his 17 as did Sam H in making 19, but the pick of out batters was Cam Mitchinson, who survived 77 balls in making a very encouraging 27, displaying some good shots on both sides of the wicket. We were bowled out for 110.

We started well with the ball, both George D and Archie L were economical, but we could not make the breakthrough we needed. Sam H did take a wicket with the score at 45, but unfortunately what followed was a series of missed chances, dropping several catches, which enabled the Free Foresters to coast home by 9 wickets. Hopefully a good learning experience for the lads all to take something from the game and move on to a busy week of cricket ahead. (PNG)

Sporting quote for the week:

“What to do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it.” (Former NCAA Basketball Coach, Dean Smith)

M.S. Burley

Director of Sport

29th April 2025

X: @WinCollSports