Radleian Sports Michaelmas 2015

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M I C H A E L M A S 2015

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BADMINTON The bulk of Radley’s badminton season 2015-16 was played out over a tricky Michaelmas Term in which three fixtures were cancelled, one was won and four lost, three of which frustratingly narrowly.

Coached by Larry Ng from Oxford University, the club continued under the driven and demanding captaincy of Yannis Gidopoulos, alongside his usual first-pair partner James Sheppard. Beneath them, the departure of many club stalwarts last summer meant an all-new lineup anchored by second pair Jiwang Chen (new to the sixth form) and

Ben Cobbold, and completed by contributions from James Chelton, Hrishi Shah, Ivo Prest, Ed Touche, Theo Mullen and George Love.

Victory in one leg against Bradfield was convincing and confident, and in two matches, against Bradfield and Rugby, scores remained exactly level until the final set of the day, on both occasions the second pair losing 2 games to 1 and putting Radley down 4-5 overall. Against new opponents Winchester the

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eventual 3-6 scoreline hid a very balanced match where 6 of the 10 lost games saw Radley just 2 or 3 points behind. The squad has learned much and looks forward to consolidation next term against traditional and new opposition. Final congratulations must go to Yannis for his earning of half-colours, for his outstanding contribution to the club during his time at Radley, as well as his achievements outside school in county badminton.

JM Ambrose

BASKETBALL The basketball team, with almost 15 members, has had great success in achieving popularity, participation, and games within Radley. Unlike recent years where basketball was a very small sport, the basketball team was able to play several matches against other schools and become more recognizable. Radley’s first game was an away game against Bradfield. Eight members from the team were chosen to go and because it was Radley’s first game, the teamwork and overall plays were very frail. Radley lost the game 22:47, however, it was a really good motivation for the team to practice harder and build up the team’s chemistry.

Master in Charge: JM Ambrose Captain: I Gidopoulos

The second game against Stowe School was very intense. With a lot of practice before the game, Radley was prepared. During the last quarter of the game, Stowe shot a three pointer leading the game by two, but Sam Lee immediately fired back with his own three pointer, tying the game. Then, with a steal, he managed to score a layup in the dying moments, winning the match by two points. The final score was 28:26.

Our first home game against Harrow was another, extremely tough game. During the first two quarters, Radley was down by a few points. Just before the end of second quarter, Radley was

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Coaches: ME Walker Captain: K Wakefield able to draw the game with a midrange jump shot. However, the third quarter was a game changer.

Lee managed to shoot 3 back to back three pointers, establishing a comfortable lead. Then, Radley’s defense fell apart and Harrow was up by one with almost 10 seconds left of the game. With one second left, Lee earned a foul outside the three-point line and won three free-throws to either win, draw, or lose the game. Despite the chance, none of the three free-throws made their way through the hoop, and agonizingly didn’t go Radley lost 53:52.

Sam Lee, k

RACKETS It has been a busy and largely successful term on the rackets.

With a strong cohort of Shells, the continued strength in depth of the Removes, and the talent in the upper years of the school, it promised to be an exciting first half of the season. As the Shells are new to the game in September, the focus for them initially is on safety on court, whilst getting used to the pace of the game, however, towards the end of the term, there were some impressive debuts from Ed Crowston, Max Wetton and Frank Barlow. Between them, they won matches convincingly against Wellington College, Harrow School and Malvern College. The potential for future success from this year group was further evidenced with Ed Crowston’s strong showing at the National Public Schools Singles Championship, held in December at Queen’s, where playing a year young, he performed exceptionally well, winning his first two matches.

Master in Charge: KM Willis-Stovold Coach: MV Hubbard Captain: J Foreman

distinction and this was recognised recently through his awarding of his Half Colours by the Warden. At first pair, Felix and Freddie White (also a recipient of Half Colours) have begun to play well together as a pair and have had some thrilling contests in the second half of term. Notable performances for the first pair include victories against Haileybury and St Paul’s. The performance of the season came against Malvern College though in a game that could not advertise the sport better. In tight encounter that ebbed and flowed, again, real determination was on display, as well as some impressive teamwork that allowed the White brothers to win 3-2 in the end. The old adage

of ‘sports don’t build character; they reveal it’ could not have been more apt. Queen’s also offered a number of the seniors that chance to perform individually and the notable performance in Renny Cup came from Felix White, buoyed by his receipt of Full Colours earlier in the week, who got through to the Quarter-finals.

Overall, a tremendous term and a number of positives to build on next term.

KM Willis-Stovold

The Junior Colts have continued with their success of last year and Harry Purton and Rory Marshall have remained unbeaten as a pairing. One of their toughest battles came against St Paul’s where they had to battle back from a momentum shift that had left the match poised at two games all. They showed real character and determination and eventually succeeded to win 3-2.

In the Seniors, Harry Foreman carries the torch in the Fifths and enjoyed some success also in the National Schools Championships.

Playing a top seed, he fought tenaciously and played some of his best rackets yet that culminated in him almost managing to knock out a top seed. His brother, Jack continues to lead the club with

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RUGBY 1ST XV P13 W3 L10

The abiding memory of the 2015 season remains the resilience, tenacity and sheer fighting spirit of the playing squad. Players may have lacked some of the physical attributes of their counterparts but, despite the results, their competitive and fighting spirit remained throughout a challenging season. This game day attitude was matched by their continual positive approach to training and it was rewarding to see senior players setting the high standards in every session.

Preparation for the season had been excellent. Off-season training, especially during the summer term had helped to establish the platform upon which we were able build during our summer training camp in Treviso. We were also very fortunate to have OR and Gloucester legend Nick Wood accompany us on the trip and his meticulous attention to detail added another layer to the quality of coaching – the Radley squad greatly benefit from his immense experience and were most appreciative of his time.

The one player who personified the ‘never say die’ attitude was the highly competitive and inspirational leader Tom Oliver.

Tom played with his heart on his sleeve and, by virtue of playing as an open side, he was able to lead from the front throughout the duration of the game. He was outstandingly brave as well as being canny at the breakdown. In

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the absence of dynamic bulk in the forwards, Tom did not have the physical mass around him to make his job a touch easier.

He often took a battering but his courageous play, allied to his technical proficiency, was a key reason why we’re able to stay in touch with the opposition.

He was assisted equally in this task by Ollie Henderson, who played at 8. His dynamic athleticism complimented Tom’s more streetwise approach to the breakdown area. Henderson was another incredibly brave player, who put his body on the line in every game. He was a dynamic ball carrier who did remarkably well in carrying from the base of the scrum, especially when you appreciate we were often under pressure at the set piece through a lack of bulk. He was blessed with pace and a natural instinct at the contact area and both he and the captain made a formidable pair – the sum of work in the breakdown should not be underestimated.

Both were also complimented by others who played at blindside but more of them later.

Great credit must go to the ViceCaptain and loose head Charlie Barber, whose work ethic, both during the preparation phase and in the season was exceptional.

He worked incredibly hard to maximise his great potential and one can hold him up as a powerful role model to the younger aspiring players. He is a student of the game and worked unceasingly to improve the small details in his

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Coaches: RMC Greed, TC Jackson Captain: T Oliver

game, particularly when it came to the technical aspect of propping.

He always delivered in his performances and it was a blow to the team when we lost him for the season after the Abingdon match.

Our longest standing fixture opened the season when we met a physical and forthright Sherborne XV on their glorious ground in deepest Dorset. There has always been an extra competitive spring in the fixture and, it was the day when we had to defend for long periods as Sherborne controlled the ball. They also tried to play plenty of rugby and their more open approach probably suited our defensive patterns. Luke Stalder, making his debut at 9, was probably as nervous a 1st XV player that I have seen before a kick off. Richard West, the leading contender for scrum half, had suffered an injury in Italy which was to keep him out for the season – it was a major blow for he is a gifted player who would have made a difference.

He had large boots to fill but one could ask no more of Stalder who played to the absolute edge of his ability every week. He is slight in build but his fearless and wholehearted approach was evident in every performance. He also read the game exceptionally well, anticipating a tackle which saved a certain try under the posts; it was rewarding to see him grow in stature as the season progressed and he was undoubtedly one of the unsung heroes. Ben Bowman was another who shone on the

day. His direct hard running and aggressive defence were welcome attributes and he showed himself to be a player of some potential.

Sadly, he was to prove another early season casualty and was to make only three appearances. We trailed 12-0 at half time and our second-half brave defence held Sherborne to just a penalty in the final moments of the game as we eventually went down 15-0. It was nice to see Freddie Marshall have a run out off the bench.

It was to prove a hectic schedule for the team, as we were to play four matches in 12 days. This was down to our exciting debut in the RFU Championship Cup and we welcomed Oakham to Radley for the first time. It was to prove one of our finest performances of the season as, for probably the only time in the season, we came up against forwards who lacked the bulk of our other opponents. That said, they had some talented backs but our monopoly of ball enabled us to also play on the front foot.

Quick ball, going forward, meant we were to execute our season’s plan of playing with width and attacking space between the defenders. It was a game when everything fell into place and, despite Oakham’s resistance, we showed exceptional support of each other with one of the best scores coming from a 50m Rufus Wallis break with Hugo Eyre, our prop, appearing on his shoulder to accept the pop pass to score. Eyre, a player of immense potential, had made a switch to tighthead from loose, and worked hard to learn the nuances of playing in a new position. He learnt much throughout the season and, with

a touch more targeted focus, he should blossom into a player of some impact next season.

Wallis is another player of great ability. He is probably the most natural footballer in the team with excellent quick feet and pace. He was to play admirably as an attacker, both at centre on the wing, and it was good to see him improve on his ability to go searching for the ball. One is genuinely excited when he gets to ball in space for he has that ability to make things happen when in possession. He is another who has immense potential and should prove a key operator next season.

It was also very good to see Charlie Davies pulling the strings at flyhalf and he set up a superb opening try for Stalder, when he stepped off line to pop Rupert Milne through the hole, followed by some good skill by Harri Guy, with Stalder getting his hands back on the ball to sneak over near the posts - it was the culmination of hours of training. Milne was a versatile and intelligent rugby player. He has a fine game sense plus the ability to play in the backrow and as a winger – that says much about his athleticism.

Last season he had lacked some core strength to stay strong over the ball but his dedicated approach to his training had made good the weakness. Furthermore, his pace always ensured he was forever in excellent supporting positions and he looked equally comfortable both in the tight and wide areas of the field. As regards to the tries, Charlie Le Grice picked up Davies’ deft grubber and we should also mention Rupert Elmhirst’s outstanding 40m solo effort. Le Grice also finished off a

brilliant attacking sequence, which combined varied angles of attack with some deft handling.

Another gifted athlete, Sam Way, was making his full debut at fullback. The long striding and quick running Way was another with enormous talent and one who we hoped we could develop throughout the season. It was a great sadness that his most unfortunate injury would rule him out of possibly playing rugby again although he has other sporting areas where he can continue to excel – we wish him well. In all it was a great afternoon’s rugby in that we ran in seven tries and beat Oakham 50-7 – it showed what the team could achieve when we had forward momentum and a supply of quality possession.

There is always a warm welcome at St. Paul’s but the 22-5 defeat came down to two unfortunate mistakes, which was to make for an uphill struggle in the second half. For much of the game, we were competitive and created opportunities. Harri Guy threw us a lifeline by scoring early on in the second half, a half that we were to win. Guy had built on his previous season’s progress and it was good to see a high work rate allied to a physical edge. He is a strong defender, who is eager to lead the charge up and one admired him for his determined work. He also has soft hands and has the skill to make space for others – an all round footballing player and someone who always made an impact on the field.

The local derby in Oxford was an action packed match with both

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teams trying to play in a fiercely contested occasion. Mistakes were made by both teams in a quest to play and it made for an enjoyable spectacle for the neutrals on the sideline. We certainly kept our composure and it was good to see Davies coming of age at 10. He has the talent to play in a variety of positions and he was settling well into the key decision making spot. He had embraced the manner in which we were trying to play and it was not always an easy task for him when receiving pressured ball. Nonetheless, he mixed up his game well and was not afraid to try things in his quest to break down defences. Two of his kicks led to tries and, having turned around at 7-3, we were eventually able to pull away with tries by Wallis and both centres, Bowman and Charlie Le Grice, to win 27-13. Davies ended the game with 12 points and proved his ability as a fine goal kicker. Davies proved a dedicated worker on his skills and he will be a key member of next season’s side having made fine progress.

Le Grice is another talented player. He has a good turn of pace and confidence in his ability to beat his opposite man. He could sometimes get excited in defence but he developed his own game by showing a far greater awareness of the players around him when he was on the ball. He also played with passion and added an important dynamic to the backline, not to mention a turn of pace with his excellent run in from 50m against St. Edward’s.

It was a pleasure to welcome Sedbergh, the powerhouse of the North, to Radley for the second round of the RFU Cup. It had that atmosphere of big cup game, which was also helped by the RFU streaming the game live.

It certainly lived up to the hype and Sedbergh looked dangerous every time the ball was pushed wide. However, it was the Radley

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forwards who made the impact and our lineout proved a potent attacking weapon. It was a cracking game of rugby and played against the backdrop of Radley’s vociferous touchline support. For much of the game, it appeared that Sedbergh were on the brink of pulling away and putting daylight between the two teams. However, we kept finding the strength through our forward platform to stay in touch. An alert Davies took a quick tap penalty to sneak over and kick the conversion. After some clever play by Maxim McGrigor, that culminated in an excellent off load, Le Grice crashed over. It was pleasing to see James Cunningham holding down the blindside spot, with Milne having moved to the wing. Cunningham is another talented all round athlete whose steely focus marks him out as a gifted sportsman. He has played in a variety of positions, including scrumhalf in the Colts. On this occasion, he was also throwing into the lineout as Guy was injured and Charlie Betton, a prop, was deputising at hooker. Cunningham is an abrasive and clever operator, which is shown in his decision making. He has time on the ball and is a balanced runner. He is a good man to have in the team.

The same can be said for Betton, who will give everything he has to the cause. It was his first full appearance but he would return at prop for the final four games. Although not the largest frontrower to grace the field, his commitment and positive attitude added strength to the team. It was a valuable contribution and helped us to keeping moving forwards at the latter end of a long season.

At the turn we trailed 17-24 but after some magnificent lineout drives, and two Hugo Eyre tries later, with the impeccable Davies kicking everything, we found ourselves 31-27 in front with 17 minutes to play. However, Sedbergh’s international backline had other ideas and despite heroic efforts throughout the team, tired

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legs made it difficult to hold back the final flurry. Despite the final score line of 31-56, it had been a grand day’s rugby.

Four days later we faced the eastern powerhouse of Tonbridge at home. There is no doubt that Tuesday had sapped much of our energy, which enabled Tonbridge to be on a front footing. Rupert Elmhirst had been showing a high level of consistency, both at wing and full back. His confidence had remained strong throughout the season and it was rewarding to see him taking on defenders with determination. He is a powerful runner who had much improved his ability to attack space and link. Some exceptional play from him, followed by a deft off load to the supporting Le Grice, accounted for our only try in a match that concluded 10-34.

Elmhirst was another player who worked tirelessly on behalf of the team throughout the season. Alex House had also been a permanent fixture in the side although he was another who would suffer a cruel injury that would rule him out for the remainder of the season.

House is a strong ball carrier and gets the detail right in the set piece. He was another whose confidence grew immeasurably throughout the season, as it is not always easy to make the transition directly from the Colts XV. He was maturing nicely, so it was a blow when he sustained his injury. He has the potential to be a major force next season.

We welcomed Alex Bruce back from an injury sustained during the opening game of the season.

Having played at 10 last season, Bruce had made the switch to fullback, where is long striding and intelligent running lines could be best put to use. Indeed, Bruce is passionate about his rugby and works professionally in his preparations. His excellent kicking was also another attribute that could be utilized from the back.

We had undoubtedly missed him

and it was reassuring to have his presence back in the team although he was going to have a busy afternoon against a highly physical Abingdon team. Hugo Adams was making his full debut for the injured House and we were also missing captain Oliver as well as Henderson from the backrow.

Abingdon were probably, pound for pound, the largest opposition pack that we played during the season and we were struggled to contain their momentum at the contact. In the absence of both possession and field position, we did extraordinary well to stem the flow for the duration of the match.

A solitary Davies penalty was our reward in the 22-3 defeat. It had been a brave effort from Adams, along with the other players.

Cheltenham was a tough day and one does not reflect on unfortunate incidents in matches, as they tend to equal themselves out during the season. But Cheltenham had ‘the rub of the green’ in a key score although it is fair to say that we squandered chances. Nonetheless, there was considerable effort and perhaps we just tried too hard on the

day. Charlie Saker, who is always destined to play in the front row, gave a fine account of himself in the set piece. He had worked hard at his fitness and it was pleasing to see him have the opportunity following the injury to Barber in the Abingdon match. The game was tight, with nothing between the two sides, except a points margin of 6 points in favour to Cheltenham at the final whistle – the final score being 19-13.

For the visit of Oundle, we shook up selection with Davies and Bruce switching positions. Davies certainly was able to enjoy more time and space at the back, and the experienced Bruce could slot back in the key decision making role at flyhalf. Cunningham moved back into his previous role as a scrumhalf. Again, an Oundle team with international talent were able to physically dominate aspects of the game despite Radley’s valiant efforts. It was a tremendous boost to have the experienced Oscar Perry back in the side. Perry had matured physically from the previous season and it was impressive how he quickly found his stride. He was immensely

physical and gave our forward play an extra edge not to mention helping to strengthen the lineout.

He was clearly the man-of-the match but the stream of back luck continued with Perry sustaining a knee injury in the final moments of the match. Oundle ran out winners 8-28.

One must credit the players with keeping their spirits high.

Much rugby had been played on the back foot but we met a good Marlborough team that we knew were beatable. Confidence is a crucial underpinning of performance in sport and, understandably, that confidence had been seriously tested in previous matches. But great credit to the captain Oliver, along with all the players for staying strong in the build up to the match. A bold decision by the skipper to play with the elements paid off handsomely as acting Vice-Captain Bruce crossed the line after just 3 minutes. Confidence rose, as did the score line, as the free running rugby saw both Le Grice and Wallis add further scores to take us into the turn leading 19-5. Winger Jack Elvin, another player who had been

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growing in confidence, finished beautifully in the corner after a powerful scrummage. Elvin is quick and is a player who always made the most of the opportunities presented to him. He may not be physically the strongest player but is good in the contact and rarely puts a foot wrong – he can be proud of his efforts throughout the season. Elvin’s try took the score to 26-5 but an attacking minded Marlborough continued to play. Two tries brought them back into contention at 26-19 with 7 minutes to play - it was an excruciating period but we showed the composure to deservedly hold on to win the match. A great afternoon.

We faced a tough final run-in to the season and next we travelled to Bedford, fresh from beating Sedbergh away, and the team who would eventually go on to win the RFU Cup. Charlie Riley had been drafted in at the last moment to make his second appearance and he played with great poise, especially when one considers the awful weather conditions. He is a strong runner who scored a quite magnificent try in Italy that will long live in the memory.

Sadly he did not have too many

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opportunities in the wetter climes of Bedfordshire but he did have plenty of defending during the first half. Our defence had significantly tightened up with the selection of Maxim McGrigor as centre. He is a natural sportsman and a fine reader of the game. Defence is about communication, as well as being in the right place, and Max was to prove a fine organiser not to mention brave tackler. He also was good at moving defenders although he did not have too many opportunities on that front. We were 21-0 down at the turn but, having defended for long periods, we were able to string together some phases in the second half.

We finished strongly with lock Jamie Moir showing incredible dynamic power to smash through two tackles to score. With Bruce kicking the extra points, it meant we had won the second half 10-7, which brought some small comfort to the 28-10 score line. Moir, is an accomplished athlete and he brought an uncompromising edge to his play. It was partly down to a degree of rawness, as he had not consistently operated at this level before, but it was also due to his strong desire to win, which again was another reason why the team was prepare to fight for every yard

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throughout the season. Moir is a fine player to have in the team and he will have taken much from his experiences in the first team.

Eton enjoy their driving lineout game and we knew what to expect especially as they wanted to ‘hit the beach’ from the outset. Oliver and Henderson continued to compete fiercely at the breakdown, as did Tom Wildblood. Wildblood, a thoughtful and reflective young man, has the ability to turn it on during games. He is an abrasive and competitive soul and nothing is better than seeing him fired up for the contest. At times he was quite exceptional in matches and the aim for next season will be to focus for a high level of consistency in his performances, of which he is more than capable of achieving. With the backrow in full flow, as well as a strong defensive midfield, we held Eton to 5-0 at half-time and appeared to be very much in the contest. However, the powerful Eton pack tightened their grip on the game and controlled long periods that culminated in a 30-0 victory.

In many ways, despite the 43-5 score line suggesting otherwise, the Harrow match was one

our season’s most impressive performances. Individually, every player made a significant contribution and many gave their finest performance in a 1st XV jersey. The Radley tackle count was significantly high and Harrow had to work for their points although in the end they had far too much pace out wide and possession. However, following a powerful driving maul by the forwards, Wallis scored a superb try in the corner after some fancy footwork. Richie Horton, a stalwart of the side, had yet another major performance in both the tight and loose. His endeavours throughout the season were considerable and one never doubted the fact that he would always deliver his best in every game. He is a wholehearted player and it showed, be it in training or in the heat of a match. The same can be said of Alex

McGrigor, who had been a major fixture of last season’s team. Alex had made a few appearances and it was fitting that he should end his Radley playing career playing in the 1st XV with his brother. Despite not being a regular, one was impressed with the manner with which he coped with the disappointment. He was proud to pull on the shirt and he always fought for every yard on the pitch. His link play was much improved and he was always still beating the first defender through excellent footwork.

After half term we were hit hard by injuries but we still managed to cling on to a tight win against Oundle on the first Tuesday back from half term.

RMCG

Results never paint the full picture.

The players were a joy to coach and both TCJ and I are grateful for their energy and commitment throughout a challenging season.

The players will be stronger for the experience and those in 6.1 will have a clearer understanding of

RUGBY 2ND XV We entered our first match, against Sherborne, as a team to be reckoned with. This first win gave us high hopes for the season ahead with some great performances from Hugo Adams, Maxim McGregor and Sam Way. The first half of the season was a blur of wins with some big victories like 49-5 against a significantly weaker St Edward’s side. My highlight of the season was our final match, against Cheltenham, before leave away. This was the only game where we managed to string together a full 70 minutes of top quality rugby together which allowed us to score 3 well worked tries and win the game.

what it will take next year. TCJ was an inspiration both for his technical knowledge as well as his driving energy throughout the season.

SHD, the 2nd XV coach, was also a strong source of positive inspiration and reflective thought during the campaign. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to Tom Oliver for his leadership in his role as captain, as well as Charlie Barber as vice-captain, who never gave up the fight in the pursuit of winning.

Master In Charge: RMC Greed Coach: SH Dalrymple Captains: MN, McGrigor, HLT Adams

Our final 3 games of the season were against Bedford, Eton and Harrow and we narrowly lost all 3. These last few matches really showed us how far we had come from Day 1.

We approached those games on the back of a lot of team movement and knowing they would be tough.

Despite big performances from the forwards and the “best maul on the circuit”, according to 3 of our referees, as well as some wonderfully worked tries from the backs we came up short on all accounts.

In my opinion the most improved player of the season has undoubtedly been Fred Simpson. He started on the bench against Sherborne but finished the season out-pacing a winger to score under the post against Harrow. In addition, despite

only playing half of the matches, Maxim McGrigor must be mentioned for leading us to most of our victories as well as scoring a large portion of our points. I feel this report wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Charlie Pritchard who progressed throughout the season and finished by putting in some eye-watering hits against Harrow. One to watch next year!

This term has been the most successful and the most enjoyable season of rugby I have ever had.

Caspar Hart, j

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RUGBY 3RD XV P9 W8 L1 PF 219 PA 94 The 3rd XV had a thrilling season characterised by a series of really tight matches against tough opposition. The team played with variety in attack, and disciplined organisation in defence.

In our first match of the season we traipsed over to Sherborne, with high hopes for a positive start to the season and an early season victory.

It proved to be quite a tight game, with Sherborne failing to capitalise on a number of missed opportunities.

However, the balance tipped in our favour when Charlie Pritchard ran the length of the pitch to score the winning try, secure us the win (228) and ensure his promotion to the

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2nd XV. After this great start to the season, we faced St Paul’s. Playing there always proves to be a tough fixture and the contest did not disappoint this time. St Paul’s were as usual strong in attack and only our organised defence saved us from falling too far behind. A spectacular intercept try from Oliver Donaldson and a try from Jonty Robinson, who bounced the final defender off his feet kept us in the game. With one minute on the clock and trailing by one point, we needed a miracle, and one was given to us in the form of Kit Morland who stepped up to kick a penalty which won us the game 17-15.

After this great start, we met disappointment in a narrow loss of

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Master In Charge: TCH Norton Coach: TCH Norton Captain: K Morland

10-12 to an impressive Tonbridge side. Their dominant pack denied us clean ball from the scrummage and their back line were quick to exploit gaps in our over-eager defence. Our next match was against Abingdon, which is always a grudge match and indeed loose refereeing made for a scrappy fixture. Despite Ned Rees’ early penalty kicks, we ended up repeatedly having to chase the game until the final 10 minutes when a period of persistent pressure on their try line led to a good team try swiftly followed by what was probably the try of the season, seeing interplay between the industrious partnership of Hector Chamberlain and Tom Bracey. Oundle then visited but seemed to be, frankly, still recovering from half term and provided little

resistance (W 26-7). Harry Osborne stood out for his support play and the addition of Will Heagerty and Ollie Farr to the pack saw significant gains at scrummage time. A few days later we expected a tough game from the visiting Marlborough College but the score line of 50-0 told a different story. Charlie Ash found his feet at full back, leading a number of successful attacking moves from close to our own try line.

These two wins meant that our confidence was up for the final three fixtures, which were likely to present some of the toughest challenges of the season. After a two hour bus journey and in torrential rain, we arrived at Bedford twenty minutes before kick-off, knowing that they were not only unbeaten, but had won all of their fixtures by comfortable margins.

We caught them on the back foot and racked up points in the first 25 minutes creating a 24-0 lead. However, they soon awoke from their slumber and showed us why they had had such success, as their impressive wingers broke through three times in quick succession. 20 minutes of defensive

attrition ensued, best typified through James Mills’ relentless tackling, and led to a satisfying 24-19 win.

We then faced Eton, in what was probably the biggest match of the season. We were evenly matched, with equally organised defences and little space to exploit. However, in a game which lasted almost 100 minutes due to injury stoppages (which really frustrated our opponents) and twice saw Eton pull ahead, we scored the winning try with 5 minutes remaining and won (14-12) by a simple conversion after Eton had struck the post with theirs. Kit Morland and Ned Rees showed a persistent desire to carry the ball and deny Eton opportunities to attack and Will Womersley also stood out for his tackles which frequently stopped Eton in their tracks. Our final match of the season was against Harrow, who went 7 points up against the run of the play due to a well worked set play. We responded well and by our third try it was clear they had given up the fight.

Two more followed and we finished with a comfortable victory of 31-7.

This made for an excellent end to a

thoroughly enjoyable and successful season, noteworthy especially as we had 39 different players represent the team this season.

Outstanding contributions were made

by Kit Morland (d), who very much led from the front, Tom Bracey (c) who was voted Player of the Season, and Ned Rees (a), whose trustworthy boot made him the top points scorer. Finally, we would like to offer our many thanks to the large number of parents who turned out to support us throughout the season.

Congratulations to the following players who have been awarded their 3rd XV Colours: Tom Bracey, c Hector Chamberlain, b Rufus Eyre, e James Mills, d Kit Morland, d Harry Osborne, f Ned Rees, a Will Womersley, b Harry Osborne (f) and TCH Norton

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RUGBY 4TH XV P 10 W 8 L1 D1 It has been an interesting season.

Decimated, quite literally, by injuries, we have played our hearts out week in and week out and never lost sight of our values. Throughout, the 4th XV has been a great bunch of guys both on and off the field. And that showed; we have been fairly successful with only one loss against Tonbridge early in the year.

From the start of the season we have tried to play quick, expansive and running rugby, facilitated by our halfback partnership of Wills Murray and Matt leech. Matt’s kicking especially was one of our team’s great assets. That said, we have had some brutal up front matches and our forwards have shined through; our front row can always be counted on in all set pieces and praise should be given to James Langguth for his lineouts. The second and back rows open work in winning and carrying the ball has been superb, with one

of the great moments of the season being a run of short inside pop balls against Marlborough that got us a try. As WOCM was fond of saying, we were one eight not eight ones. Our defensive play was perhaps a little lacking early on but by the end our backs were tackling anything that moved and as forwards, I know we all trusted the backs to defend well at all times.

All in all, it has been a great last season and It has been a true honour to play with all of you. We deserved our wins (and that one draw) and we put in the work in training. I cannot end without mentioning WOCM; I have had the pleasure of playing for WOCM for all of my sixth form. He is an experienced coach who always respects our decisions and trains us to our best. So I would like to thank him, on behalf of the team, for the season, even if there was only one tactics evening (so far!).

Finally, I’ll end with a quote that I

Coach: WOC Matthews Captain: J Mocatta

think sums up our season. From the Harrow coach/referee/16th man after our final game: ‘As ever, Radley were tough and wiley wise. Their rugby was hard – brutal – tough and as all Radley teams do every year, they packed a solid ‘punch above their weight’’ (that was the draw). I wish the 6.1s all the best for next year, stick it to Harrow for us.

James Mocatta, K I would like to add to the Captain’s report that without his invaluable assistance, we would have had a much less enjoyable, much less successful season. I have much appreciated his intelligent, steely, determined leadership on and off the field. More importantly, so have the rest of the team. So thank you James for all your help and for indulging my passion to play wide expansive Welsh Rugby, whenever possible!

Next season’s Captain has a very hard act to follow.

WOC Matthews

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RUGBY 5TH XV P8 W4 L4 PF 172 PA 82 Despite many players being promoted to the 4ths during the season, the 5ths performed well this season. Winning the first game of the season, away at Sherborne 5-17, was a tremendous effort by all of the players and it created a great bond and sense of “team” in the group.

The strong team spirit continued through the year and as more players were lost to the 4ths, other boys were eager and willing to step-in and take up the challenge.

The 5ths had some very challenging games during the year, notably against Tonbridge, Eton and Harrow.

The team battled hard in all of the games and although the boys did

not win these games they definitely demonstrated true spirit and grit and fought all the way to the final whistle.

The final two games of the season, against Eton and Harrow, were particularly close and hard fought contests. The boys played their best rugby in the second half of the season and following the 5-14 defeat against Eton, the Eton coach said “That was the hardest game that we have played all season. You put us under pressure for the whole game”.

The 6th XVs greatest strength is that it exists at all. As the bottom team it has functions which are perhaps a little different from those higher up the rugby strata: ensuring that there is a plentiful supply of trained (reasonably), practised (within limitations) and match-ready (as much as can be expected) players to fill the vacancies created by the inevitable last-minute injuries in other teams, but in particular it provides the ‘bonding experience’ that only a Saturday afternoon away match can provide. This is

kit and a jog to the pitch before the scheduled kick-off time. In heavy rain, the scene was set from the kick-off when the 5ths scored through some smart running and high quality interpassing to score under the posts.

The forwards performed very well in the tough conditions and dominated the opposition in the scrum and lineout throughout the game. Radley 5ths went on to win the game 65-0 which is the highest winning margin by any Radley team this season.

MB Spivey

The best team performance came when the 5ths travelled to Bedford.

Pre-match preparation was not ideal as the team bus arrived 40 minutes late to Bedford and there was just enough time for a quick change into

RUGBY 6TH XV P4 W1 L3

Coach: MB Spivey Captain: J Ellis

Coaches: CM Bedford, and AMMD Guignard de Saintours Captain: H Varney

especially true for those who are new to the Radley 6th Form with no experience of playing rugby whatsoever, and for whom in their first term at a new school gives a

sense of belonging that perhaps - arguably, obviously - no other experience can provide.

CM Bedford

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RUGBY COLTS 1 P11 W2 D1 L8 The advance from Junior Colts to Colts rugby was one that we had known about but hadn’t quite appreciated. As our first match against Sherborne dawned upon us, we were still trying to get to grips with a whole new game plan. We started strongly with the ball on their line for five minutes but we were just unable to score. We were always trying to catch up after they scored two quick tries and strong forward carries from Patrick Hayes and Archie McChesney bought us back into the game. Unfortunately we

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left ourselves too much to do late on with the end result being 5-24.

St Paul’s was a similar scenario. We struggled to use the possession we had gained with the dominant front row of Will Farrer-Brown, Tom Wates and Lucas Sopher winning all but one scrum. Unfortunately losing 5-26. Having changed the backline and finally getting to grips with the game structure we went into St. Edwards feeling rather confident.

Nico Rooth controlled the game well with Henry McCoy clearing up many of the scrappy passes. We narrowly lost 20-26. The same could be said

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for Tonbridge.

However, against Abingdon we looked like a different team. James Skinner and Jasper Toor linked perfectly to score our first try. Dealing with two yellow cards the team still played with great enthusiasm and we went on to win 20-5 thanks to Tiger Beck leading the defensive effort.

Cheltenham was our closest match, Lachie Neville won us lots of possession in the loose. Rory Betely controlled what was a very tight competition. The scoreline makes the match look even(15-15) but everyone

Coaches: SJA Perkins, D J Pullen Captain: P Langdale

played fantastically in what should have been our match to win. Having just played two of our best games the team went into Oundle with lots of belief and this showed as Henry Anderson scored the best try of the season stepping three players to go over in the corner. Marlborough was a match to forget and probably the best team we faced on the circuit.

Bedford was another close fought contest with Tom Parr and Henry Day constantly threatening on the wings.

Unfortunately they scored in the last play of the game but the team still played with pride even when we

were seven points down going into the first half.

All of the team stepped up for Eton match. The rolling mauls created lots of space out wide with Tom Onslow, at his new found position of full back, scoring in the corner. The team did show lots of character even with lots of injuries and Jasper Toor’s boot got us back in the game. The end score does not reflect the performance as the level of effort was exceptional.

Our final match against Harrow was tough but the team played well sticking together right until

the final whistle. There were also important contributions to the team from Lumley, Innes-Ker, Howard and Wilson throughout the season.

Although the results have not been the best this year, we have collectively improved massively over the season. Every player has taken a big step up in their development due to the coaching of Mr Perkins and Mr Pullen and I’d like to thank them on behalf of the team.

Paddy Langdale (a)

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RUGBY COLTS 2 P9 W5 L3 D1 Colts 2’s season started against a Sherborne side who were quick to take the lead with two tries in the first half from a lack of concentrationwe trailed 10-0. In the second half we dominated and fought back with great passages of wide play and use of quick hands to sneak Ethan Clarke in for two tries and Myles Browne for a score in the corner. Myles Browne wrapped the game up with a nice penalty kick. Freddy Campbell ended any remaining Sherborne hope with a brutal, try saving tackle. Final Score 20-10.

The next two games were disappointing losses. The first was a heavy defeat to St Paul’s. The next was a nail-biting 10-7 defeat to Tonbridge with a huge effort from the whole pack in particular who brought us pack into the game with a nice try from James Innes-Ker. After two losses we were ready to bounce back in the local derby against Abingdon. Fergus Wilson and Myles Browne were the stars of the Day as we scored two tries from up and under cross-field kicks. Theo Spreckley also charged down an attempted clearance kick to catch it on the full and score .We rounded off a great performance with two well-worked

forward tries with Christian Kloster and Patrick Hayes going over the whitewash. Final score 31-0 We then moved onto Oundle and exploited their poor wide defence with great hands and offloads from the whole back line. Giles Elmhirst ran in our first try virtually untouched and Fergus Wilson followed with a similar try and a lovely burst of pace later on.

Alex Rayne showed great pace alsofinishing a lovely sequence of offloads from Clarke, Todd and Elmhirst We closed the game out after breaks from Benedict Weldon and George DillonRobinson gave us great territory. Final score 22-7 A cheeky early break through try gave us the lead and we fought hard all match against Marlborough. There was some great tackling too. A late shift in momentum and a rather frustrating decision late on left us on the back of a narrow defeat.

The next game we knew would be the hardest of the season. A Bedford side with a great record who had beaten Warwick earlier in the season, travelled up to Sugsworth 1. We knew ball retention would be vital and our overall handling was exceptional in spite of the circumstances. However Bedford could not catch a cold and gifted us possession. Some great

Coach: KM Willis-Stovold, BR Knox Captain: E Clarke

quick-thinking from Caspar Muir as he ran in with a quick-tap penalty gave us an early lead, and after another forward’s try, we scored our try of the season to put us 15-0 up. Will Todd caught the ball on the full, in the air and came down with it, drew a man and offloaded it to Ethan Clarke who ran it into the corner. We survived a late Bedford come back to close off a great win. Final Score 15-10 Next was a hugely physical encounter against Eton who had caught us napping early on and lead 12-0 at half time. The boys were not fazed by this and we rallied back despite an absurd number of injuries-which meant we played with 14 men for a long time and had to call up Jack Barclay, Val Brooke and even the mighty Will Dunlop. Ethan Clarke bundled over the line off a nicely timed blindside pop from Caspar Muir, Felix Lumley also managed to pick and go and score under the posts, and somehow managed to ground the ball. With the last play and destiny calling, Captain Clarke decided to hand the ball over to Caspar Muir who went for the three points to win it. Our very own Leigh halfpenny, stepped up and despite very far out and at a nasty angle the kick was only just wide and we managed to win the ball back quickly afterwards. Though we were held up at the very last second and drew 12-12.

Finally, with a very different team due to four Concussions from Eton, we faced Harrow. Murdo Blythe stepped up as Captain and the absentee players gave their support in a somewhat diminished Red Army.

A nice early try from Myles Browne showing great Strength was cancelled out from a lapse in concentration round the blindside. Though the result was never in doubt-George DillonRobinson once again carried strongly to finish off a Radley drive. Debutante Ollie Friend also showed a nice bit of pace to nip into the corner after a gap opened up. We finished the season on a high and we beat Harrow as a second team for the first time.

Ethan Clarke , a

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RUGBY COLTS 3

Coaches: TRG Ryder and M Hills Captain: F Adams

P11 W6 L5 Colts 3’s season got off to a good start with a great win against Sherborne with a score of 32-12.

We then unfortunately went on somewhat of a bad streak losing to St Pauls, St Edwards, Tonbridge and got tantalisingly close to Abingdon with a score of 24-25: by half time we were a few tries ahead and thought we had it. However with the introduction of a fairly rapid player from Abingdon and the lack of drive on our part they clawed up the score until they were a try ahead with ten minutes to go. With a slick offload from captain Felix Adams to Mungo Spencer we scored in the last play making the score 24-25.

Monty Martin-Zakheim had to kick for the match but thanks to horrible conditions combined with a very difficult kick the ball hit the post and Abingdon got away with the win for this year.

After this we got onto a winning streak, beating Cheltenham 15-5 and then after leave-away many players started coming back from injury and we were victorious against Oundle, Marlborough and Bedford. This streak was interrupted with an unfortunate loss against Eton despite a lovely passage of play from Felix Adams and Monty Martin-Zakheim leading to a great try from Monty backed up by some great kicking from Val Brooke. However, we ended the season on a high, beating Harrow 19-12 due to great tactical play and performances from players moved up from Colts IV and despite the loss of many players to the 2nds. The try of the season has to be Toby White’s chip and chase against Marlborough, with a perfectly placed kick from a break away he beat their back line and caught it on the try-line to score.

It was all in all a good season for Colts III with 6 wins to 5 losses, a positive point difference and some great play.

Matthew Moffatt, c

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RUGBY COLTS 4 P7 W5 L2 This rugby season, as I am sure all the Colts 4 players will agree, has been very memorable and I would like to thank our two coaches Mr Holt and Dr Rhodes for such a fantastic term of rugby.

Due to this coaching over the course of the term we improved and eventually ended up winning more matches than we lost, won five, lost two. This was aided by an able group of players.

Everyone in our team contributed to this season, but for us the man of the season has to be Tom Neill, who managed to make a number of massive tackles in every match in which he played. We were unlucky to

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Coaches: EO Holt and AR Rhodes Captain: O Bink

be plagued with injury this season but a special mention should go out to a few players, including James Chelton, George Seagrave and Rocco Chu for sticking with the 4ths all season.

match, not only because our schools are such big rivals but also because of how close it was and how well we performed in it, especially our defending of their counter attack at the end.

The forwards, despite their size in comparison to other teams, almost always dominated the ruck and scrums, allowing for the 4ths to hold lots of the possession in games.

We were also graced by a number of cameo appearances by various players, Hamish Heagerty, whose running against Abingdon won us the game, Robert Crawford who contributed with a hat trick of tries as well as Will Batchelor, Basti Wigg and Freddie Dunga.

The backs provided a spark to the game and used the possession with control and creativity. They tackled with real skill and I am sure that the other teams would have been scared when they faced our backs.

For me the most memorable match of the season has to be the Abingdon

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Edward Newall, g and Ben Rougier, f

RUGBY JC1 P11 W7 D1 L3 Team From: Z Nearchou (c), W Brolly, L Miles, W Nelson, F Rawlinson, T Metcalf, W Redley, N Rae Smith, G Redmayne, C Robertson (vc), A George, M Stalder, R Marshall, W Barker, G Marshall, J Dobby, B Moss, M Chapman, M Daly, F Gilliat-Smith, L Needham, T Southwell, A Martin The season was a mixture of highs and lows, albeit for the most part the highs predominated. The first match against Sherborne was a comfortable win (24-5) but everyone knew that the next assignment would be the hardest of the season, since St. Paul’s had a decent pack, and a very quick and strong backline which scored 38 points overall in the match. However, despite falling behind early on, and some individual moments from the St. Paul’s outside centre, the second half was perhaps a truer reflection of things. The side turned round 33-0 down, but the second half was a much better performance all round (0-5).

St. Paul’s thoroughly deserved their victory, and were comfortably the best side on our circuit. The following week saw the St. Edward’s match – a closely-fought victory of 21-20 with the less said about the match the better.

There were only really three ‘bad days at the office’ during the season: the Tonbridge, Marlborough and Eton matches. Tonbridge played better in the wide channels and – in spite of a monopoly of possession on our part – ran out 24-7 winners. Will Barker and George Marshall were also injured on the day, which did not help the cause. The Marlborough match was

Coaches: N Murphy, AR Wagner, KJ Borthwick Captain: Z Nearchou

all about game-management as the conditions were set to worsen in the second half of the term; the team ran out a 10-point lead in the first half but it was never going to be enough in the conditions, and Marlborough then scored 26 unanswered points to win 26-10. Eton was the third in the series as both teams had hard runners in the midfield, and tactical kicking took priority. The match ended in a 10-10 draw but once again the team dominated possession and territory.

In between times there were was the victory against the local rivals Abingdon. Despite a first-half injury to Zac Nearchou the team played very well and ran out easy winners, 40-7. Then came the away match at Cheltenham without the inspirational Nearchou, but equally Cheltenham had one key player missing as well. A hard-fought win of 17-5 resulted and it was a significant moment. Oundle was a strong team effort to shut down the giant Abobe and we came out with another hardfought away win by 19-15. There was an increased defensive determination about things from now on, allied to forward dominance and straighter lines in the back division. Looking in my notebook for the next Saturday I can barely make out the team or the scorers, since that day away at Bedford saw horizontal rain, a fierce wind and a muddy playing surface.

Once again the team was dominant (with a couple of tries disallowed, and players being held up over the line on occasion) but Bedford persevered and made life difficult. Ultimately the match was won 10-7. The final match of the season was the epic against Harrow, where the conditions again played a full part. Wags and I wanted to turn round 12-5 down at THE half-time but Harrow scored a breakaway

try to make it 17-5. Nevertheless, having learnt from the Marlborough match, and once again dominating territory and possession, two converted tries and some last-ditch defence saw us run out 19-17 winners. It was a fitting finale to a great season.

The number of players used (23) shows two things: one, that there were several unfortunate injuries and concussions over the season; and two, that there was real strength in depth in JC2. Indeed, by the end of the season Archie George and Matt Chapman were fixtures in the side. Similarly certain players such as Will Redley (he of the size 15 boots), Theo Metcalf and vice-captain Charlie Robertson adapted well to different positions, and all had fine seasons overall.

Zac led the side from the front, as is his raison d’etre, but others also performed to a high standard: Ben Moss, George Marshall and Luke Miles to name but a few. The end-of-season awards were as follows: Most Improved Player – Archie George, Players’ Player of the Season – Charlie Robertson, and Coaches’ Player of the Season – Ben Moss. I would like to give special thanks to the cheerful Henry Chapman and the injured players for being our ever-present back-up staff; it was all very much appreciated. Finally it remains for me to thank the captain, Zac Nearchou, the parents who were there week in, week out (often in foul conditions) and my fellow coaches: Kristian Borthwick and Matt Glendon- Doyle of JC2 and the evergreen and excellent Andy Wagner.

Thank you all for a very enjoyable rollercoaster ride.

N Murphy

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With thanks to Zachary Nearchou, A

RUGBY JC2 P 10 W 9 L1 PF 323 PA 55 Scorers - Southgate 64 (29 conv, 2 pen), Irons 50 (10 T), Makin/Tufnell 30 (6 T), George/Rosswag 25 (5 T), Walker/Southwell/Carr 15 (3 T), ReidScott/Brolly 10 (2 T), Nicholson 7 (1 T, 1 conv), Gilliat-Smith/Martin/Robson/ Dunhill-Turner/Russell 5 (1 T) On a stunning autumn afternoon, the Junior Colt 1 & 2 rugby squad gathered on Kennington and it was clear early on that this band of young men meant business. In the first match at home of the season, JC2 took on the college’s historic rivals, Sherborne. The home side exploded out of the blocks with wondrous tries from Walker, Gilliat-Smith, captain Nicholson, Martin and a brace from the raging George. With second half tries from Irons and Rosswag and six conversions from the boot of Southgate, the troopers in red and white were 52-7 victors.

We knew the following Saturday’s away match at St. Paul’s would set the tone for how successful our season would be. Despite the Londoners encampment in the Radley 22 for much of the game, well-worked tries from Makin and Carr and a clever choice to kick a penalty gave the visitors the edge.

Russell was immense in defence and Southwell displayed blistering acceleration on the wing to score two outstanding solo-effort tries. We were contented with a 29-14 win.

The next week away at keen rivals Tonbridge was always going to be a tough day at the office. Unfortunately the long coach journey on the M25 did not prepare the boys so well in the first half. However, down 12-0 at the break, the JC2 men unleashed a simply awesome comeback thanks to tries from Rosswag and George, bringing it to 12-10 with seconds to go. It was a tricky and pressurised kick but sadly Needham was unable to level the scores and go home with a draw. Walker put in a manof-the-match performance and had the battle scars to show for it.

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Coach: MG Glendon-Doyle Captain: W Nicholson

However, what was so delightful to see was the positive and constructive reaction of the boys at full-time and on the coach home. The men in red and white were clearly going to bounce back.

Abingdon was the team to feel the full force of our aggression and frustration of defeat. With tries from George, Rosswag and a brace from Irons, it was not the highest quality match but certainly a very feisty encounter. The players did the job with some immense carries by the forwards and the most stubborn of defences in the face of a passionate Abingdon onslaught. Final score 24-0.

Just before Leave Away, we travelled to Cheltenham and unleashed an avalanche of tries in the first half from Rosswag, Reid-Scott, Makin, George, Robson and Carr. Despite a well-worked try from Tufnell in the second half, we did take our foot off the pedal, although credit must be given to the home team who were clearly rallied in the half-time talk.

The game finished with a 45-0 win and rounded off a successful first half of term.

Inspired by the brilliance of the rugby world cup final, JC2 put in quite simply a ruthless performance away at Oundle. With a superb hat trick from Irons and other fine tries from Dunhill-Turner, Rosswag and Brolly, Chapman led a viscous attack which blew the opposition away in the first 20 minutes. Despite a gritty comeback in the second half, captain Nicholson rallied the troops and the boys went on to win 32-7.

As one of our major rivals, Marlborough was always going to be a massive encounter. In the face of gale force winds, Radley did brilliantly to hold the score at 5-5 at half-time and did fantastically well in defence. Tries from Tufnell, Brolly and Makin, as well as another well-chosen penalty by Southgate, and the help of the wind behind us, Nicholson urged the boys to

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keep calm and stick to what we had been working on in training. For it was in this match that the boys demonstrated the art of sealing at the breakdown. The forwards provided a rock-solid foundation and the whole team was encamped for 10 minutes on its own try line but did not break. Final score 22-10.

Winter had very much arrived when we visited Bedford. The conditions were utterly horrendous and it was perhaps the scrappiest games we played all season. The sides were very evenly matched and it was a brutal battle up front. Irons scored one of his bulldozing tries at the end of the first half and the score stayed at 7-0 until the final minute when Tufnell sealed the victory (14-0).

Defence was quite simply heroic and Makin was absolutely outstanding in winning about 10 turnovers. Coaches and parents had no nails left by full time.

At home against Eton, the team was huge in attack and stubborn in defence. With a wonderful hat trick from Makin and other scores from Reid-Scott, Walker, Russell and Irons, Southgate nearly achieved 100% on his kicks. This was the match in which everything clicked. Our defensive system had really solidified and the boys were relentless in holding the line. It was a pleasure to see the players expressing themselves and with some wonderful offloading and attacking rugby, Radley was victorious 47-0.

The final match of the season was a bit of a world cup final for the team.

We realised it had been a successful season but knew how important it was to finish on a high with a great performance. This is exactly what the team achieved. With a hat trick from Tufnell, a brace from Irons and other tries from Southwell, Walker and Carr, Harrow was defeated 48-5.

Reid-Scott was a man possessed and the second half team-effort try directly following the Harrow rally was perhaps the try of the season (it passed through the hands of pretty

much the whole team!). Rawlinson instigated some fabulous All Blackstyle offloading and Tufnell was on fire.

In the last week of term, we had a pleasant get-together for some awards. Nicholson was awarded the Coaches’ player of the season for his leadership and skills. Makin was the deserved hands down winner of the Players’ player. Tufnell picked up the most consistent player award for his workmanship. Robson (a.k.a. the Jackal) won the most improved award.

Southgate was top points score with 64 and Irons scored 10 tries.

It has been an absolute pleasure coaching these young men. Not only have they improved in their attacking and defensive skills, but they are a

charming bunch of chaps who have showed true team spirit and desire to play for each other. We wish them all the best next season as Colts. We would like to thank Mr. Murphy and Mr. Wagner for their coaching, and also Mark Chambers and his team who has helped with injuries along the way.

MG Glendon-Doyle and KJ Borthwick A note from the captain, Will Nicholson Firstly it’s a big thank you from the whole team to Mr. Glendon-Doyle and Kris Borthwick for all their support throughout the whole season. Despite having some talented individuals it was the coaching and support from them that helped us do so well.

Kris helped massively in the backs by

RUGBY JC3 P11 W8 L3 I began last year’s M3 report by suggesting 2014 was the perfect season. In terms of results it was, but the sense of elation and achievement as the final whistle blew against Harrow, this year, to record a historic triumph was without doubt richer than 2014. 2015 was a schoolboy’s winning season; a season that developed into a truly vintage year after some early wobbles. The style in which the lads roared home after leave-away was terrifically satisfying as a coach and also, I feel certain, for the loyal dads and mums who regularly patrolled the side lines.

2015 saw a higher points ratio scored than 2014 – which is to say, when we won we won big (and we usually won.)

The season began with a romp against Sherborne where Henry Williams bullied in several tries. Some 2014 worthies had already been drafted up to JC2 in numbers, but the core of 2014 remained together with some exciting new signing such as Williams. The unbeaten run endured but was to be shattered by a doubting performance away to a mediocre St. Paul’s. Personnel

helping us make some very ruthless attacking moves which utilised all the skill we have in the back line, and once we got the ball off the forwards, they were very affective.

Our forwards this season were unbelievable and their complete domination of the circuit was shown against Harrow: three opposition scrums were turned over and having scored a try with the wind against us we managed to work our way up the pitch using only forwards moves.

Special mentions have to go out to Elliot Makin for his strength in the breakdown and defensive determination, and to Will Irons for scoring 10 tries during the season.

Will Nicholson , e

Coach: RD Woodling and D Wilson Captain: J Peers

changes and some attendant frailties led RDW to almost stamp on his hat.

The lads pleasingly regrouped and a far better game was played against Tonbridge. We were slightly superior up front, but Tonbridge displayed more imaginative and penetrating backs play. RDW had been so keen to shore up the team that imagination had been sacrificed. We came close to scoring repeatedly, but in the end 17-0 was about right.

The Abingdon game before half term was a watershed match. 7-5 up at change of ends the Chaplain said something very special with his half time talk as 38 points were scored with no reply by the Rogues.

Players such as Jack O’Hara and Jess Beardsworth set light to the match and to the season. Fresh signing Blake Hannaby-Cummins was rampant and is one of RDW’s tips for the top.

The Rogues scrum was watertight from start to season finish. Freddie Horler and Rupert Curtis were very impressive and deeply professional new back row players together with the excellent Beardsworth who was latterly nabbed by JC2. Veteran

(and Club’s Best Player) Harry Salter was joined by bullock O’Hara, who tackled with too much alacrity in the closing games (did I really say that!) and was required to write a letter of condolence to a very regrettably, badly injured party.

Matthew Dawson deserves special mention for his flawless play in every single match. He is perhaps the perfect rugby player – though at 48kg needs all the cunning and skill at his disposal. Olly Skelley played with passion and scrummaged professionally, though succumbed to injury and his place was latterly taken by the dynamic Felix Reynish, a reliable and athletic performer.

John Peers took on the mantle of captain following early injury to the excellent Ed Pascall. This was a daunting task, but I feel that Peers shaped the team with his mature professionalism, skill and endeavour – and tackling – ultimately eclipsing in achievement that of his illustrious forbear. George Batty remained fiercely keen to play despite strong competition for 6 and 7. His speed and versatility saw him play variously

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in the backs on occasion, including a notable performance as fly half. This was a big ask and he played a tight and sensible match and deserves real praise. George could be relied upon for a punchy performance when playing in the forwards and his loyalty and commitment have raised his stock considerably – especially latterly; a fine rugby player.

Dom Woolf played with verve and possesses a fine turn of speed, but ultimately seemed to find his niche in JC4, though remains an impressive player and one to watch next year.

Toby Crawford was a clear number 1 choice for scrum half. He developed in confidence and punch as the season wore on and is turning into a commanding player. Toby takes advice well and can be relied upon to always make yards. Similarly, Zac Peskin remains mercurial and wins matches for the team. His turn of pace and step make for Champagne rugby. He supports with real loyalty and scores regularly for this reason. Vital.

Rory Henry developed into a rottweiler of a player. As confidence soared with a raging performance against Bedford he never looked back,

kicking with authority and running with irresistible certainty of purpose.

Perhaps RDW’s player of the season; outstanding.

Archie Barrow brought cheek and serious ball carrying authority to the backs. He plays with belief and has a fearsome hand-off and fine turn of speed. A feisty and unpredictable player, he contributed in large part to many of the team’s latter successes alongside the gifted Joe Beck. Joe brought the imagination to fly half and to backs moves the team had been missing and his contribution was instrumental in developing the rogues into the winning machine they became.

Dougie Wyrley-Birch was a loyal and punchy player, contesting every match of the season. He supports with determination and brings weight to the contact. His play, especially against Bedford, was stand-out and his contribution in the final match vs Harrow was invaluable. Dougie is another player who can flank with confidence but was needed to play centre. Looking for promotion next year.

RUGBY JC4 P10 W9 L1 This JC4 team went into the season with high hopes and ambition for a clean and unbeaten winning streak.

We played 10 matches and scored 357 points all round, and only conceded 92 points. Our performance on and off the pitch was top notch and, as a team, respected each other during game time, on and off the field.

We started strong with our first game away against Sherborne thrashing them 56-0 which lifted our morale and spirit immediately for the next match. We continued to progress as a team mentally and physically and we maintained this form as we began a winning streak.

Bedford away gave us our hardest

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Xavier Coughlan looked very impressive early on, but suffered injury and then latter concussion. A powerful runner, but comparatively inexperienced. Another fine player to watch next year.

George Egerton-Warburton became a stalwart at no. 15. He runs with purpose, handing off with determination, and is a skilful and loyal team player. A gentleman rogue.

Ed Wiggin played cheekily in the last couple of matches but was very impressive both at 15 and on the wing. A player with masses of potential, he needs to resolve for himself that rugby is his thing.

Handsome scores were put on Marlborough, Eton and Bedford and the crowning triumph against Harrow was authoritative and inevitable. The Radley Rogues ran out clear winners against a side who had thumped St Pauls and Tonbridge. A right and rich result for the regal rogues!

RD Woodling

Coaches: GHS May and DWS Roques

match of the season but perhaps our most satisfying win in very cold, wet conditions, playing a running ball in hand game; the boys stepped up as expected and we won 37-12.

Our next match was Tonbridge away.

This was the big one. It was always a hard match. We matched their aggression and physicality, put in our tackles and definitely put in more spirit but unfortunately our offensive play just wasn’t working and they used their pace out wide resulting in the only loss of the season. We then went on to become victors over Harrow after playing probably our best game of the season. We conceded early and then match then try for try before pulling ahead and winning 27-22 thanks to our spirit and especially the master class

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coaching of Mr May and Mr Roques.

We were gutted that the season was over but were happy that we came out as better players and as a stronger side, and hopefully we can play again as a team next year with the help of are incredible coaches, Mr May and Mr Roques who helped us develop from start to finish as individuals and as a team.

Player of the season goes to Jonty Stubbs and most improved player is awarded to Oliver Sims and James Wilson.

Oliver Sim, e

RUGBY MIDGETS 1 P10 W4 L6 After going through rugby trials, Mr Lawson and Mr Langton pulled together a team to play rugby after only meeting our teammates a week earlier.

The season started off with a nervy game against Sherborne, in which the team held them off for 15 minutes in the first half, but when they scored their raw talent shone through. They ended up with a 41-0 win, a score which we felt okay considering their strength and our lack of organisation in the first game.

After a slightly demoralising start to the season we looked to bounce back against St Pauls. We didn’t start well, but with whole team effort (a particular mention for forwards Jake Elliot, Ben Hoddinot for putting in a great performance – something which would be a feature of the entire season) we won 19-14. Phil Barnet also deserves a special mention after chasing up my only shocking kick of the season (I am a number 8) and stopping us from losing the match. We quickly followed with a match against St Edwards, where Will Jack scored four tries in a 78-7 win.

After playing a slightly weak opponent

Coach: TC Lawson and OH Langton Captain: FB Dreyer

we played a much stronger team of the Sydney Cavaliers, a touring side from Australia. They had two quick strong backs who out powered ours, but we still had a respectable loss of 27-56, bearing in mind their ability. Alex Haynes was turning into a real find at fly half, and being without him for this game really highlighted just how important he was to the team.

We then had a long trip to Tonbridge which didn’t help us, as we lost (on a very bad day for Radley) 27-7. This was followed by a bad performance against Abingdon - they had very big forwards and they beat us 14-41 even with a good game from Jack Chisholm and George Perkins. However we were learning how to defend with organisation and knowing how to stop teams.

After this we were determined to win. We played Cheltenham. Neither team had a good game, but we still won with a great passage of play from Alex Haynes and Freddie Nielsen, which included a chipand-chase followed by a try. The score was 12-7 – we probably didn’t deserve the win, but incredible defence in the second half just got us over the line.

After a long break we played a weak

Marlborough, who we beat 31-5. Our props, Sam Perez-Quane and Mikayel Melkonyan had strong games, and it was a well-deserved result. Our little scrum half general, Will Way, directed operations as well as ever.

Our form then went down against Bedford, a game we should have won but lost, 12-10. Nonetheless Jude Wakeley had a strong game making many breaks down the line. This was followed by a similar story against Eton, going down 17-7 but with Louis Giffard-Moore making an outstanding return with runs, rucking and great determination. Sam Hack must get a special mention for his outstanding defence throughout this game.

Unfortunately having been concussed against Eton I missed the game against a very strong Harrow side. It seems strange to say – when you consider the result – but it was potentially the team’s best performance of the season.

They defended bravely all day, and some of the structured attacking play really highlighted just how far we have come this season (the best bit being our attacking set straight from the kick off which lasted over 20 phases). Edward Roest sadly had to go off injured in this game, but his strong tackling had been one of the features of the season.

In the end the final results of the season didn’t really reflect how far we had come as a group of players. We had trained hard all season, and I know we have a great future ahead of us. I would like to thank all the coaches for their help and guidance throughout the season, and to all our parents for their unrelenting support. We have learnt so much over the past three months – and I have certainly learnt never to kick the ball!

The end of season awards include: Coaches Players of the season - Fred Dreyer, Ben Hoddinott, and Jake Elliot.

Players Player of the Season - Fred Dreyer. Most Improved Players of the season - Hector Thorneycroft, Alex Haynes.

Fred Dreyer , g

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RUGBY MIDGETS 2 P9 W3 D1 L5 This has been a season of great progression. As a squad we started with a lot of work being needed on our positional sense. We went away to Sherborne and got a thrilling 28 – 28 draw, but mainly down to two interception tries, not fluid rugby. We therefore worked hard on sorting out the pack’s role in the squad; to look after the ball and each other. This lead on to another close encounter, St Paul’s. The game was exciting if a little tense but at 19 – 5 down, I admit I thought we were out of it. Then shone through a desire that characterised the season, we fought right back to 19 – 17 with a kick to draw a second game. With the try being scored in the corner, we left our 10 (Denny) very little chance and 17 – 19 it stayed. Two braces in two games put Henry Crone at the top of our scorers list however it was our other try scorer, Chisholm who would be heading up a team to cement his position in Midgets 1.

Our next two games were a chance to work on our back-line. We were

comprehensively beaten by a strong Tonbridge team but put up another excellent fight when we took on local rivals Abingdon. It was a real shame to come away from that game losing 15 – 20, but we had found our man to carry, Sam Richardson picking up two tries. After these tough, close losses we needed to work hard to salvage something from the season. We got our belief back against Cheltenham winning comfortably (36 – 0). Crone picking up his fifth try of the term, but another consistent try scorer was emerging from the pack, Bertie Berry.

That win gave us confidence and with that we travelled to Marlborough. In what was a tight and ferocious battle we came away defeated (5 – 15) but not deflated. The belief was there, the ability was there, and we just needed to execute the game.

It was a training session on a Thursday when I knew we were going to finish the season strongly and decisively. We were training against Midgets 1, we were huddled together after 5 minutes of brilliant defence against the team

Coaches: REP Huhes Captain: J Beck

above us. The boys were so proud to have held out against Midgets 1 and suddenly they came together as a team. The squad understood that defence was as important as attack, right across the team. Spirits were buoyed and we welcomed Bedford to Radley with one goal, to execute that game. On the day, we were immense against a good team with Henry Insley tackling everyone who tried to come through him. A resounding 24 – 0 win left us only Eton and Harrow to finish. At Eton we worked tirelessly in defence and scored under the posts winning the game 7 – 5, a great try and conversion from Tom Vincent but an astonishing performance from Phillip Barnett at 15, kept us alive. And so we travelled to Harrow hoping to end the season a long way from where we started. We left Harrow having lost the game 12 – 14. It was another heroic effort from a squad which had come together as a team excellently.

We scored a charge down try (Insley charge down, Tompkins try) in the final few minutes to make it another nail biting finish, but to no avail. I must mention the captain Josh Beck who led from the pack very well. This team will have better seasons in terms of results however I don’t think they will in terms of progression.

We may have finished the season having Played 9, Won 3, Drawn 1, Lost 5; but our point’s difference was positive showing just how close some of those games had been. A thoroughly enjoyable season.

Players: George Tompkins, Rupert Woods, Rupert Pope, David Sun, Josh Beck (capt), Harry Young, Bertie Berry, Henry Insley, Harry Rugman, Sam Richardson, Jack Chisholm, Jack Sykes, Alex Scott, Hector Denny, Tom Vincent, Harry Haigh, Richard Butterworth, Henry Crone, Zak Martin-Zakheim, Phillip Barnett, Oliver Reed-Daunter.

REP Hughes

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RUGBY MIDGETS 3 P9 W6 L3 Team: L Ashforth-Pook (Capt), F Barlow (Capt), F Pratt, G Wallis, F Ledger, G Daly, C Spraggs, A Scott, T Ojo, R Chu, T Herluf Macnaughtan, H Ward, G Clackson, S PalmerTompkinson, H Henderson, R Pope, G Bishop, M Rothery, A Ward, D Pleydell-Bouverie, H Hodges, R Butterworth, D Sun, H Glassey, G Tompkins, S Hughes, B Tufnell, E Buchanan, A Wills, J Batchelor, J Metcalfe, F Lindblom, H Rugman, M Khano This was a terrific Midgets 3 squad and team, full of spirit and no little skill. It had its snorters and thunderers to do the fetching and carrying at the more robust end of the trench, but it also showcased some terrific sleights of hand and support play which made many of their games a joy to watch. It was also a side in which many players were prepared to adapt to new positions as circumstances required, and this selflessness and willingness to do a job for the good of the team spoke volumes for the maturity of the side.

There were, inevitably, a number of changes of personnel along the way, as team selection quandaries were solved in the sides above and as illness and injury played their parts, but there were some stalwart omnipresents who were at the heart of everything. The two captains (who shared the armband because one or the other always seemed to be missing) were excellent and did much to instil a sense of purpose and determination in the team: Louis Ashforth-Pook was one of those “everywhere” forwards whose work at hooker was first rate and

Coach: JRW Beasley Captain: L Ashforth-Pook, F Barlow

whose support play set a splendid example, and Frank Barlow showed deft skills at fly half, putting other players away with his beautifully timed passes and kicks into space.

Frank it was who, in the tightest contest of the season on a squelchy mud pie of an Eton pitch, not only rallied his troops after they had fallen behind, against the run of play, and then took the wise and brave decision to take on a penalty kick which he calmly converted to win the game 8-7. Behind and buzzing around these two were some cracking M3 performers: Freddie Ledger, Harry Henderson and George Daly, none of them big in stature but all mighty in effort and contribution, were expert foragers and rummagers when it came to finding loose ball, and Charlie Spraggs, George Clackson, Harry Ward and Archie Ward all won hard yards and were never daunted by even the most hefty of opposition. Sam PalmerTompkinson was the most dynamic of the forwards, scoring a couple of stunning tries at Marlborough and Eton, and I have no doubt that had he not picked up a wrist injury early in the season, the side would have been all the stronger for his presence.

In the backs we eventually settled on a strong running combination of Raffa Chu (another scorer of important tries) and Tim Macnaughtan, with Timothy Ojo and George Wallis providing quick feet and genuine oomph on the wing. Freddie Pratt joined the line from full back to tremendous effect, perhaps most tellingly in an excellent performance at Abingdon, and all this energy and inventiveness was sparked from the strong link provided by

Miles Rothery and Alex Scott at scrum half (although I should also mention that George Daly took a turn in this position too).

In all, therefore they were a first rate team to coach and to watch, and while they did not win every game, they were worth the bus fare every time. Some excellent victories were squirrelled away, most notably by top notch support play and handling against Abingdon (43-0) and Bedford (330), and against St Paul’s (17-5) who are always the toughest and canniest of opponents. This latter victory was an excellent early season team performance and also featured the tackle of the season

by Richard Butterworth (before his much deserved promotion) who scythed down their winger when he looked odds on to score.

A coronary-inducing win at Eton (see above) was joined by more straightforward wins at Sherborne (17-5) and against St Edward’s M2 (36-0), and of the 3 losses only the defeat at Marlborough could be said to be disappointing.

Both Tonbridge and Harrow were significantly bigger and more athletic than Radley, and while it was a shame that our tackling was not able to stand up a touch more firmly in both games, we could only applaud the quality of the opposition at the end.

In all, this was a fine season from a fine squad of young men who were always keen to learn and who showed terrific spirit throughout. It was a real pleasure to accompany them.

JRW Beasley

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RUGBY MIDGETS 4 P8 W6 L2 After a gruelling selection process and some tough early season training a brand new Midgets 4 got on a coach at 10am on a rainy Saturday morning to face Sherborne in the first match of the season. The team’s philosophy for the week was to do simple things well and they certainly applied themselves admirably. A solid first half saw some strong running and simple passing, with the halftime score a happy 15-0 to us. The second half was even better, the boys were clearly more confident with ball in hand, and the score kept increasing. Forwards David Sun and Sam Palmer-Tomkinson, later to move up to Midgets 3, were unstinting in their ball carrying and scrummaging, while Freddie Lindblom made lots of ground down the right wing.

The final score of 34-5 was a welldeserved first match victory and got us off to a flying start.

Next up was the St Paul’s fixture, never an easy match. A slightly altered team took to the pitch raring to go and gave the spectators some great rugby. Strong running from the forwards saw us gaining ground every phase in the first 10 minutes, allowing Jack Metcalfe and Freddie Lindblom to run in 4 tries by halftime, Jack getting a hat-trick. The second half was just as good, with forwards winning a lot of ball on the ground and backs defending well and penetrating the St Paul’s defence when going forward. Tries from forwards George Clackson and Tom Beardmore-Gray, as well as back Archie Ward stretched out our lead even further, and with 5 successful conversions the match ended in a 45-7 win. Some determined and impressive rugby from a hardworking and positive team.

The 2 hour coach trip saw a slightly depleted Midgets 4 take to the pitch at Tonbridge facing an opposition eager to make amends for a midweek loss. Some early attacking rugby saw Tonbridge run in a couple of tries with things looking slightly ragged by half-time. Some 26

determined tackling by forwards such as Hipolit Hodges and Tom Isaacs and centre Archie Ward got the second half off to a good start, however a stronger Tonbridge side comfortably won the match 24-0.

Illness and injury took their toll in the week running up to the Abingdon match and a slightly unplanned Midgets 4/5 team headed out to Cox’s Field for the match. However, it turned out to be one of the best matches so far with some very spirited rugby being played right from the first whistle. Support, offloads and strong tackling were the hallmarks of the side, with replacements Chris Beeson and Ed Crowston (from Midgets 5) really stepping up to the challenge. The half-time score of 15-0 (it should have been 20-0 but Jack Metcalfe’s try was disallowed for double movement) just kept on increasing throughout the second half, with the final score standing at a very pleasing 37-5. Tackle of the match went to Tom Beardmore-Gray for a brilliant flying tackle - he was just a bit unlucky in banging his head on the ground on his way down and putting himself off games with concussion for the next three weeks!

The first match after half-term saw us heading to Marlborough with a new-look team. The boys got off to a great start, with Arthur Wills running in his first of two tries.

We had possession for most of the first half and by half-time the score stood at 26-7. New recruits Harry Henderson (who would move up from Midgets 5 to Midgets 3 in the space of a week) and Thomas Reed worked hard winning ball on the ground and taking it in to opposition territory. Number eight, Archie Ward, was not shy in picking the ball up from the back of the scrum. One final try brought the score up to 33-7 for a well-deserved win.

Our only home match in the second half of term was against Bedford, always formidable opposition. The wet conditions didn’t do us any favours and it looked as if the first

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Coach: DS Borthwick

half would end 0-0 until we had to play uncontested scrums and were able to run in a try before the halftime whistle. The second half saw some improved handling and better ball carrying from both backs and forwards. Back rows Miles Khano and Will Power worked extremely hard and captain Miles Rothery had an excellent game at scrum half. The full time score of 24-0 saw us notch up our fifth win of the season with only two more matches to go.

The Eton match saw an unchanged team take the pitch eager to rack up another win, and the crowd were not disappointed. Some strong running and good passing saw a couple of easy tries from wingers Dan PleydellBouverie and Alex O’Dowd. The second half was slightly tougher but some solid defending and good teamwork saw the final score at 26-10, with Ollie Greene winning Man of the Match for his work rate and determination.

The final match of the season was always going to be the big one, with Harrow winning the same fixtures we had won by similar margins. The boys put their all into the game and worked hard to contain a Harrow team who were keen to go on the rampage whenever the opportunity allowed. With some big, strong runners they were able to break through our defence twice in quick succession, and although we did well with ball in hand we struggled to gain any ground or break their line.

With a half-time score of 19-0 to Harrow there was still a lot to play for in the second half, however the opposition were relentless in their hard running and strong rucking, and the full-time score of 36-0, although well-deserved, by no means reflected the amount of hard graft put in by the Radley boys.

Overall, this was a highly successful season against some tough teams, and the boys went from strength to strength as the season progressed.

They never lost their team spirit and put in some unbelievably determined performances, even when faced with bigger and stronger opposition.

DS Borthwick

RUGBY MIDGETS 5 P8 W6 L12 On Saturday the 12 of September Midgets five travelled to Sherborne to play their first match for Radley. After a quick lunch in the Sherborne we were out on the pitch and warming up for the start of the match. We got off to a very good start with a few early tries which put us very heavily in the driving seat. With a good lead at half time there were a few people tried in much unexpected positions, including at one point having our front row, Jeremy Shelton-Agar, at scrum half. Throughout the whole match there was a great team spirit by the Sherborne boys but in the end the score board did not favour them. With the score finishing 0-54 to Radley. A great success. Man of the match was Thomas Reed who scored a hat trick of tries.

Radley M5’S maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a hard-fought victory over St. Paul’s on Saturday 19th September. Having taken an early lead with 2 tries in the first half Radley went into half time in good shape. The second half started badly for Radley when St. Pauls struck twice and took the lead by kicking the conversions. As the clock ticked down Radley threw everything at the St. Pauls line and were rewarded with a winning try in the dying seconds to earn a hard fought but thoroughly justified 26-24 win. Man of the match was Harry Henderson.

The third match of the season was a brilliant game against St Edwards with highs and lows. Radley were losing at half time, but came back with two great tries to win the game, which was great. Particularly so Harry Henderson’s last minute try which put the cherry on top of a brilliant 19-7 win. Man of the match was decisive try scorer Alec Goschen.

Coaches: JW Schofield and AFC Nash Captain: T Reed

a 2 and a half hour bus journey our rugby minds had drifted and this was shown in the first half. But after the break we got out act together and there was some quality effort and rugby shown by Harry Henderson and Jeremy Shelton-Agar who raised the teams moral to gaining points in the second half. The final score ended up as 39-5 to Tonbridge. Man of the match was Albi Tufnell.

Bedford were men down and even within the first 10 minutes, Radley were already points up. By the end of the first half the rain began to clear up and more tries were rolling in.

Well into the second half Radley were already over 35 points up and by the end the match ended in a thrashing. It was a simple match. Radley won 53-0, and man of the match was try scorer Freddie Smith.

On the 15th of October Cheltenham college boys Travelled down to Radley.

The sun was high in the sky and the scene was set for the start of the match. With an early try under their belt the Radley team was confident.

The momentum stayed and it was a comfortable 41-10 win for the Radley boys with Cheltenham only able to achieve two tries. The man of the Match for the day was Thomas Reed

We played away at Eton College against their Midget 5th XV. We kicked of the match around 2:30 on the 19th of November. Eton is a very strong rugby school, one which challenged us. However we had a very strong team playing that would not give up easily. As expected it was a very tight match, ending in four well-earned tries and one brilliant conversion. It was a very difficult to keep motivated but we made it through with success.

The match was testing for everyone, and it was a well-deserved 22-19 win against a very tough school. Man of the match was winger Ned Carter.

On Saturday the 7th of November Midge 5 travelled to Marlbrough College to play. We played the first half playing up hill where after about 5 minutes Angus Goaman scored after some lovely play from the backs. In the last play before half time there was a Scrum on their 5 metre line which was won by Radley and a simple number 8 pick up resulted in a scored try by Henry Martin. In the second half Marlbrough dropped their standard and didn’t played as well. With the down hill advantage we managed to score four more tries before the end of the match, which we won 27-0. The man of the match was try scoring number 8 Henry Martin.

Within the first few minutes of the game against Bedford the weaker side had definitely been identified.

Harrow were known to be strong but we always had a chance. From the first blow of the whistle Radley were right up against them and by the first ruck we had already turned the ball over. We pushed hard and eventually scored the first try within the first couple of minutes. Harrow came straight back with a try through completely the fault of Radley. From here the game turned against Radley and Harrow began to score more. But we still tried hard and fought until the end and managed to score a final try in the last play of the game. The match ended 37-12. Man of the match was tough tackling Freddie Smith.

JW Schofield

On Saturday 3rd October Midgets 5 played their 4th match which was against Tonbridge. Both teams had been unbeaten so far in the season and we were going up against a strong Tonbridge side. Our team had been diminished by Midgets 4, who were missing players due to injuries and called several M5 players up. After THE RADLEIAN SPORTS SUPPLEMENT

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RUGBY MIDGETS 6 P7 W6 L1 This was an excellent season for a fine side. The camaraderie and focused effort was particularly noteworthy for one of the youngest teams in the school. The coaches lost count of the number of times after rugby practice was officially over when several boys would ask to keep a ball so they could practice their kicking, or just keep practising their passing. It was also very touching to see the intensity of the team huddles, and the bemusement on the faces of the Radley team when the opposition would argue amongst themselves, or lay blame for dropped passes. That blame game never took hold in a proud Radley XV. Such team-spirit and effort was justifiably rewarded with some very good results. Over seven matches, six of them away fixtures, Radley won six, (the highest win ration in the league at 86%), losing only to league-toppers Tonbridge in a tightly fought contest after a long journey. We beat some strong teams, including Harrow, Eton and St. Paul’s. St. Paul’s, who beat Tonbridge, have been a bogey team for the Sixes in recent years,

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and we shipped 92 points in two defeats in 2013 and 2014. This year, we beat them whilst conceding only 5 points. In fact, across all seven matches, Radley conceded only 63 points – an average of only 9 points per match. 48 of these, moreover, came in the games against Tonbridge and Harrow, meaning that in our five other matches we conceded only 15 points in total. Radley were a free-scoring side, too – more than one game was stopped early as the score approached the 50 mark, but we nevertheless scored 229 points for an average 33 points per game.

The team improved markedly as the season went on, even as, inevitably, many of the most consistent performers moved up into the fifth and even fourth teams. Against Marlborough, Magdalen, Eton and Harrow, opposition coaches and parents alike praised Radley’s quick hands and confident back work. In fact, in the Marlborough game, a former professional New Zealand player who was watching refused to believe that the side was a Midget six team, after one particularly flowing move. During the cold, wet training nights and match days of the latter part of the season, there was

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Coach: JPJ Dodd and DJT Scott Captains: K V Sanden

never any sense that the boys wished to end the season early – far from it. Many expressed their disappointment, after the resounding victory at Harrow, that the season was already over. We hope, at least, that it is as season of which they can feel justifiably proud, and one which they will never forget. Well done to the Mighty Midge Sixes!

Outstanding contributions were made

by Robbie Johnston, for consistently quick hands and heads-up play. Forward of the season was Hamish Fallowfield who was used in almost every position and was always strong, committed and consistent. The most improved player was Ludo Grant who came up from sevens and never for a moment looked out of place. The individual performance of the season was awarded to Edward Crowston for his five tries against a strong Harrow side. Finally, the most valuable player was Karl von Sanden, for his sense of position and space, his decision-making and kicking, and his captaincy.

JPJ Dodd

RUGBY MIDGETS 7

Coach: SA Hall Captain: L Grant

P4 W1 L3

that let us down.

On a warm September afternoon M7 took on the might of St Paul’s.

The first half was a one-sided affair from the kick off, the visitors scoring within 30 seconds. However we raised our game a great deal after the break and emerged with a golden try, powered over the line

by Andrew Shaw, vice-captain and the man of the match. Our pack held up well against an experienced opposition and won an increasing amount of ball. Our backs handled the ball as well as St Paul’s and there were several phases of play from M7, much to their credit.

Charles Wants led from the centre and made great inroads, handing off effectively and recycling valuable possession. Doubly happy and fortuitous, Felix Fanshawe and Felix Hervey handled the ball with some style and Fred van den Arend made great inroads. Our tackling was all

St Edward’s always provide an entertaining game and this year proved no exception. After a slow start M7 powered to an impressive 12-12 draw in the second half.

The less said about the first half, perhaps the better. Charles Ames showed his pace and Charles Taylour proved that he is a tireless support player. Well done to Kit Pitman.

The trip to Tonbridge is long, very long, but the two tries scored by Kevin Zhang and Hector Norman were worth every mile on the stuffy double decker. We beat Tonbridge for about a 15 minute period of the match – the last 7 minutes of the first half and the first eight minutes of the second. A marvellous effort given the size and power of our opponents. Alfie Cameron played as flanker – a splendid effort from him all game, hunting with the others,

handling the ball well smoothly and moving it on quickly.

M7 took on the might of Cheltenham U14ds on a chilly October Thursday afternoon. This was an exhibition match, featuring the most unexpected turn of events: M7 won. That’s all that needs to be said. Kevin Zhang and Will Beukers powered over the line and 4 ethereal tries ensued. 28-12. A fine victory. Well done to Thomas Uglow and hooker Billy Powell for winning so much ball, while our ever reliable forwards, Maximo Lopez and Torquil Gordon, dominated for much of the game. Tom Burke is as steely and speedy a back as one could imagine and captain Ludo Grant quite literally led from the front.

This has been the best of seasons and our warm thanks go to Mr Adams for all that he has done.

SA Hall

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SWIMMING Swimmers have continued to have fun in the pool this term working on speed, cardiovascular fitness and perseverance over longer distances.

There has been some especially strong swimming from boys in the lower years, with Edward Roest (Shell, E Social) and Harry Salter (Remove, D Social) impressing, not least for choosing to come to swim sessions after having already participated in rugby training!

The highlight of the term was our trip to the Stowe Swimming Gala.

Six boys represented Radley at the

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Master in Charge: GV Maybank Captain: G Walker

event, competing against Stowe and Solihull School. We were rather outgunned by the might of our opponents, but put up a valiant effort nonetheless.

Captain Guy Walker (6.2, A Social) won the Senior Boys’ 50m Butterfly in a speedy 29.54 seconds and came second in the Senior Boys’ Medley. Particular mention should also go to Arran Ryder and Jasper Perry, who both swam in the gala and subsequently performed in the final night of the School Play straight after our return. I call that extracurricular dedication!

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Many thanks to Ms Gregory, Mrs Porter, Ms Naylor, Mr Newell and Mr Ralston for all their help in offering swimming training this termperformed in the final night of the School Play straight after our return. I call that extracurricular dedication! Many thanks to Ms Gregory, Mrs Porter, Ms Naylor, Mr Newell and Mr Ralston for all their help in offering swimming training this term.

GV Maybank