Radleian Sports Supplement MT18

M I C H A E L M A S 2018

RADLEIAN SPORTS SUPPLEMENT

BASKETBALL P5 W0 L5 D0 Team From: W. Beukers (c), P. McKenna, O. Brown, W. Goodman, K. Rutka, F. Nawar, F. Fanshawe, B. Zhang, H. Williams, J. Aird, G. Wong, Muez Khan This has been another enjoyable term of basketball. One might not think so if we were to judge purely by results. In terms of matches, it has been another tough run out. The opening match against Bradfield was an easy win for our visitors and further defeats were endured.

However, despite this the Radley boys deserve a lot of credit. They work hard under the leadership of Will Beukers (6.1, b), play some good basketball, and keep going under adversity. Bradfield, Stowe

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and Eton all have impressive basketball clubs. Despite this, Radley are able to hold their own on court. During the last three years there has been significant improvements largely due to the efforts of our external coach, Peter Finnegan. It may sound a strange thing to say, but Coach Pete has managed to fashion a side that actually looks like a basketball team – something which we could only dream about four years ago!

Although considerable progress has been made, the results have not been there for us this term.

Defeat at home to Bradfield was followed-up by further losses against Stowe, Abingdon (home and away) and Eton. That final

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Master in Charge: ME Walker Coach: P Finnegan

match was pretty representative of how most matches have gone.

The final result was a 55-33 defeat, with most of the 22 point deficit being accumulated in two short spells of play. Radley compete well in every match, but some lapses of concentration and insufficient turnover of baskets when the opportunities arise lead to defeat.

Nevertheless, the boys enjoy their basketball and continue to bounce back every match. No doubt they will continue to try their best in next term’s fixtures.

ME Walker

RACKETS Over the past few seasons, increasingly so, there has been encouraging news to report with regard to the resurgence of the club.

Arguably the overall success of the season, rightly or wrongly, is often determined by performances at the Queen’s Club on the national stage, either in the Singles in December, or the Doubles in March. Without doubt, the recent Singles competitions were the most successful that Radley has enjoyed for a number of years. Whilst certain individuals will be mentioned, it is the fact that more and more across the club are progressing through a number of rounds and starting to cause upsets as underdogs. Beyond that, there is a healthy vibe around the club, as demonstrated by the wealth of support seen at Queen’s

Master in Charge: KM Willis-Stovold Coach: J C Rock Captain: H Purton

– whether that be from current or Old Radleians; former, current and prospective parents or dons.

Exciting times.

During the course of the Michaelmas Term, the First Pair of Harry Purton (6.2, h) and Edward Crowston (6.1, d) have matured as a pair and have enjoyed more opportunities to play experienced competitors in the evenings, alongside normal school fixtures. Next term provides more of a focus on the Doubles competition at the end of the term and we look forward to seeing them perform together. In other senior pairs, responsibilities have been shared with Ned Batstone (6.2, h), William Duncan (6.2, j), Rory Marshall (6.2, g) and Louis Needham (6.2, h) all having represented Second Pair.

Further down the club, there continues to be excellent progress in the Colts and Junior Colts year groups. Competition is healthy within these year groups with a number of individuals competing for the top pair positions. Again there has been a promising crop of Shells and Harry Markham (Shell, g) and Monty Donald (Shell, c) both participated at Queen’s a year early.

As alluded to earlier, Queen’s was particularly successful this year with Harry Purton reaching the Quarter-Finals in the flagship Foster Cup, two at the last 16 stage of the Incledon-Webber Trophy in Max Jardine-Brown (Vth, k) and Dom Stone (Vth, j). This was a great effort particularly for Max, who was away ill for the majority of the term. The stand-out performer though, was Magnus Garson (Remove, c) who reached the finals of the Jim Dear Trophy. His run to the final included a mouth-watering tie with the St Paul’s Number 1 seed in the SemiFinals who Magnus eventually beat 2-1 in a nail-biting encounter. Sadly he was unable to return with the silverware, but performed admirably in a tight final.

In the words of another Professional at a leading school during Queen’s: “The Radley beast has awoken” – it is exciting to see what 2019 holds.

KM Willis-Stovold

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REAL TENNIS It’s been another outstanding term for the Real Tennis Club, with a great deal of success across all age groups. It is very encouraging to see a wide range of young and new players joining the club helping continue the excellent strength in depth within the real tennis team.

This has been shown by many of the matches this Michaelmas term as the club has continued to dominate in all regions.

There have been many impressive results across this term against some very strong teams, with particular highlights being the 9-1 victory over Wellington College at both Senior and Junior colts level, a 3-1 victory over the Oxford University team and an impressive 6-3 win against a very formidable Dedanists team who had some of the top juniors in the country playing for them. It was very clear from the Shell Games Circus in September that there are a large number of very talented boys in the younger years, shown by their success throughout the year and we

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Master in Charge: APW Bishop Coach: MF Dean Captain: N Batstone

hope to see these boys progress and develop their real tennis over the coming years.

to reach the final group of three, before losing to the winner in an initially tight 2/6 set.

Later in the term, Radley competed in the National Independent Schools Championships which always proves to be an outstanding tournament. In the seniors, Harry Purton, Ed Crowston, Ned Batstone and Max Wetton were all competing. In what proved to be a very successful morning for Radley, Purton, Batstone and Crowston all made it through to the semi-finals later that afternoon in which Batstone defeated Purton in a closely contested match 6-2 and Crowston pulled out one of the most impressive wins of the term as he defeated Freddie Bristowe (the Junior World Champion) from Wellington 6-5 in an outstanding match. This resulted in an all Radley final in which Batstone defeated Crowston 6-2 to win the title for a second year running and to cap of a very successful term for the real tennis team. Ed Alder, in the Junior event, played well

However, all of this success is only possible with the support of the large number of people helping to coach and organise all of the tournaments and fixtures. Both MFD and APWB have given up many hours to help with matches and to drive boys to the various fixtures and have worked tirelessly to help the club succeed. The recent return of Nino Merola has already had a big impact on the club as he has helped to improve many of the boys’ games and we look forward to seeing how the boys get on in the National Schools Doubles next term.

It’s great to see so many people enjoying the game and the club is clearly in good hands for years to come.

N Batstone H Social, 6.2

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RUGBY 1ST XV P12 W9 L3 Scored 178 Conceded 137 Team: G. Redmayne (capt.); A. Mawdsley (v-capt.); Z. Nearchou (v-capt.); H. Thorneycroft; W Brolly; W Robson; F. Mosedale; J. Beck; A. Tufnell; C. Robertson; A. George; F. Dreyer; J. Sykes; W. Nicholson; R. Marshall; W. Jack; M. Stalder; D. Deely; R. Greenlees; M. Chapman; M. Daly; E. Rosswag; E. Roest; G. Marshall.

The pre-season tour was a little different this year. Instead of the traditional trip to Treviso, the squad headed for pastures new : Tignes. Not somewhere, perhaps, that one might associate with rugby, however they have a first class setup, including pitches, swimming pool and a stateof-the-art gym. To prepare the boys for a tough season ahead, the decision was taken to train at altitude. The tour had a welcome balance to it.

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Training was tough, exacerbated by the thinner air, but the town offered plenty of distraction for the boys between sessions. After five days of acclimatisation, the squad travelled to Bourgoin-Jallieu to play against their U18A and U18B teams. The format was somewhat unusual, with the A and B games alternating four ‘halves’ of rugby, but it provided the boys a real test of character: the French were physical, aggressive and played some exciting rugby. Both teams tested themselves against as tough an opposition as they were likely to encounter and came through with flying colours. It was at this point the coaches could see the potential of this group of boys. An exciting term awaited.

The season kicked off against Sherborne, in our traditional opening block. Bigside was in fantastic condition - no mean feat given one

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of the driest summers on record - and provided the canvas for a highly entertaining game of rugby. Early pressure from the kick off allowed Radley to turn the ball over and earn a penalty through some slick attacking play. Rory Marshall knocked the ball through the uprights to give the team their first points of the season. The team defended Sherborne’s slick attacking play very well and took an opportunity late in the first half to send Zac Nearchou barrelling over for the first try, thanks to Josh Beck’s crisp pass. Zac would end up the highest try scorer by far, unstoppable five metres from the line.

Zac has adapted well to a positional shift this year from hooker to tighthead prop. No doubt this would have made it harder for Zac to be as mobile around the pitch as the work in the tight would have sapped his energy., but as the term progressed and Zac adapted to the new role,

Master in Charge: ND Wood Coaches: TC Lawson and LJ Clogher Captain: G Redmayne

Zac’s contributions around the field improved dramatically. Before long, he was back to his bulldozing best. Zac has developed his understanding of running lines, decision making, how far he can push himself and putting a team mate in a better position.

Although he may have been frustrated that the number of tries in the second half of term didn’t quite match those in the first, his performances have improved week in, week out. Zac has the potential to have a big future in the game.

Radley went into half time 10-3 up, and through a George Marshall score, extended their lead to 15-3 shortly after half time. George played at inside centre in 2017 but his pace and skillset make him a natural fullback.

His strength in the tackle provided an excellent last line of defence. George deserves a huge amount of credit for embracing the positional change

- Sherborne was his first outing at fullback. George was excellent throughout the season, particularly as he stepped up more often in attack as the season progressed. A tactical shift from Sherborne saw the away team dominate the next period of the game and the score was tied at 15-15 with only a few minutes left on the clock. Regrouping, the boys composed themselves and wrestled back control.

Sustained pressure led to Rory Marshall putting his nose through a gap between two defenders and a slick offload to a supporting Nearchou allowed Zac to crash over the whitewash for the match-winning try.

Rory has embraced the game plan for this season, built around his excellent passing game off both hands. He has worked hard at his decision making and the challenge of always being a threat to the defensive line. As he has become more comfortable in his role, the players around him have learned

to run intelligent, well-timed lines and our attacking framework has gone from strength to strength. A fantastic start to a big season: a hard-fought 22-15 win against an excellent Sherborne side.

On the Thursday before Michaelmas weekend, the team travelled to Eton. On a windy day in West London, it was to be the kicking game of the hosts that proved the difference. In the reverse of the previous week, it was Radley who were on the back foot from the start of the game. Eton’s excellent kicking, combined with tricky lineout throws in the wind, allowed Eton to dominate territory and convert pressure into points. Will Robson, who had stepped up to the plate at hooker after an unfortunate injury to Wesley Brolly, proved what a tough competitor he is during this game. With a couple of throws that went astray and confronted with a good Eton lineout defence, Will kept his composure and gave us the

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platform to get back into the game.

Will is a tough nugget who got up from every knock he took, delivered at set piece and got stuck in around the park. In the end, the slow start was too much to overcome and, despite George Marshall finishing off one of the tries of the season, Radley went down 12-22.

After the exeat, the boys were straight back into action in the first local derby of the term: St. Edward’s. Looking to avenge the defeat of the previous year, the boys were fired up for the occasion. We were fortunate to have the services of a National Panel referee and his seamless performance allowed both teams to play fast, flowing rugby.

Will Jack’s try epitomised the ambition with which Radley were playing. It was world class, running half the length of the pitch and beating the full back with a classic in-out sidestep before finishing under the sticks. Will has electric pace and is one of the most powerful members of the squad. Sadly, we were to lose Will to injury against Cheltenham. His impact in the four games he played was outstanding: a real threat out wide, always able to beat the first defender and strong in the contact. There is no doubt, with his excellent attitude to rehab, he will

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come back even stronger ready for next year. Radley ran out comfortable winners (29-17), scoring five tries and resisting a late surge from Teddies.

Four days later, the boys were back in action against Cheltenham. Last year’s affair had been a masterclass

by Cheltenham: a 24-0 loss to a team that went on to an unbeaten season.

While there was no Sixways for this year’s contest, the two sides were ready to give both barrels on Bigside.

Conditions were perfect for running rugby. Cheltenham scored two fantastic tries from set piece and then spent the majority of the game defending. The Radley boys will feel slightly aggrieved at the two disallowed tries in a contest that was ultimately decided by one score, but never stopped knocking on the door of Cheltenham’s line. Alfred Mawdsley was tireless in his efforts to get the team on the front foot.

Alfred’s attitude has been exemplary throughout the term - he has worked his socks off on the pitch and off the field, he has invested time in developing his game through video analysis and one-to-one feedback. He is a devastating ball carrier and always took the game to the opposition. The subtleties Alfred developed in his game

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through the course of the term will stand him in great stead for his future aspirations. Alongside Alfred, Josh Beck was everywhere around the park, making inroads into the Cheltenham defence. Josh has embraced the step up from Colts to Senior rugby and has shone throughout the season. It was a major boost to the team when Josh was passed fit after a niggle in the first half of term. His contributions to the team have been consistently outstanding and the experience will be invaluable for next year. In the end, Cheltenham’s defence held out and they closed out the game with a 12-5 win.

The boys were not in the least disheartened after Cheltenham. They understood that there were plenty of elements within the match that they could improve on, yet at the same time they knew that if they put in committed performances week in, week out, there wouldn’t be many teams on the circuit who could live with their physicality and skill. In miserable conditions, the team travelled to Tonbridge the following Saturday. The game was almost the reverse of the Cheltenham match - Tonbridge started strongly, had the majority of possession and it was Radley who were forced to

defend for large periods of the match.

Tonbridge scored early in the game to go 7-0 up but Radley held firm for the remainder of the first half and Zac Nearchou scored on the stroke of half time after sustained forward pressure.

The game was error-strewn due to the conditions, but Radley’s defence stood firm for the entire second half. Finally, the opportunity came. A scrum inside the Tonbridge half gave the team the platform to strike from. Jack Sykes got the ball up and moving, before a couple of crisp passes allowed Marcus Stalder room on the outside. Tackled deep inside the Tonbridge 22, Marcus recycled the ball and from there the forwards took over. After dynamic carries from Charlie Robertson and an excellent line from Alfred Mawdsley, who was stopped inches from the line, Zac Nearchou sniffed out the try line again and bundled over from close range. A tricky conversion from Rory Marshall meant that Radley finished up victorious, a rare away win 14-7 in one of our hardest fixtures.

Tonbridge marked the 1st XV debuts for Fred Dreyer and Dom Deely. Dom had worked very hard through the summer term and on tour. After a number of excellent outings for the 2nd XV, Dom earned his chance against

Tonbridge. Dom should be very proud of representing Bigside among fierce competition. Fred, fresh from captaining the 2nd XV, came on for the last quarter of the game and added impetus to the team as they fought for the away win.

He is an excellent leader and ferocious competitor, with tenacity, skill and pace.

Stowe was the final game before Leave Away. With three wins out of the first five games, the aim was to go into the half term break with a fourth win under the belt. Two early tries from Zac Nearchou suggested this game could be high scoring. Stowe regrouped, however and stopped Radley from scoring again in the first half. The second half was one of frustration, as a handful of errors and straying from the game plan stifled any significant momentum. It was to be a fine piece of play down the shortside between Zac Nearchou and Marcus Stalder which opened up the game and allowed Radley to come away with a victory by 22 points to 3. Marcus had been impressive on occasion last year and had really excelled at Rosslyn Park during the Lent term. He is a very balanced runner and his frame belies how powerful he is - something that has caught many a defender off guard.

With a little more confidence in his own

abilities, Marcus will develop into a real handful. On the occasions that Marcus did back himself, he was excellent. His performance in the first half against Marlborough showed how effective he could be and it was a shame to lose him at half time after a knock.

Over the two week Leave Away, the boys were given the first week completely off to recharge the batteries.

In the second, they were asked to pick up their strength and conditioning programmes to ensure they were prepared for a tough run of fixtures.

So far, the boys had proved very durable and extremely physical. James Marshall, our S&C coach, had been working with the Bigside squad during the off-season, through pre-season and continued this work during the term. From 6.30am S&C sessions, to functional warm ups before all training sessions and match day support, James had helped create a team that were as physical as any other they came up against and extremely durable: able to withstand and recover the demands of a high-impact sport. The link between the success of the team and the ability to keep the majority of the same team fit all term is not coincidental.

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The first game back was the long trip through London to St. Paul’s, exacerbated by the Autumn International traffic. Always a tough encounter across the entire block, the first team game was no surprise. Both teams started well but some sloppy play from Radley allowed the hosts go into half time 19-5 up. Radley clawed back to 19-10, before Paul’s scored again to take it to 24-10. Radley scored their third try, seemingly with plenty of time left to play. Sadly, it wasn’t to be as the referee deemed time to be up. The 1st XV’s performance had not been lacking in effort but was a wake-up call in terms of sticking to the game plan. The analysis session post-match was tricky as numerous missed opportunities were highlighted, however the desired effect was achieved: Radley were to remain unbeaten for the next five matches.

The boys had once again demonstrated how physical they were as a group, but against a good team with an organised defence, they needed to stick to the attacking framework in order the break

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the defence down. It was great to see Wesley Brolly return to the side in the second half, after suffering a broken wrist one week before the Sherborne fixture. Wes was absolutely devastated to miss out on the first half of the season but took the bit between his teeth. He worked his socks off at rehab and whatever fitness he could do at each stage. His commitment to getting fit allowed him to hit the ground running. With an excellent lineout throw and fantastic contributions around the park, Wes’ return would further strengthen the forward pack and the team as a result.

A wet and windy day awaited Radley as they travelled to Marlborough on November 10th. To celebrate Club Day, the reunion of former Malburians, an Old Malburian (Malones) and Old Radleian (Serpents) team played the curtain raiser to the 1st XV game.

It was great to see so many of last year’s Bigside playing: the group who had started the school off on a new rugby journey were clearly still

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loving the game. After the match, they would stay on to watch what would prove to be the match that defined this team’s season. The boys were more than a match for a very physical Marlborough, catching their opponents off guard. Despite a very strong effort in the first half, Radley trailed 8-0 at half time. With St. Paul’s in the back of their mind, they rallied round at half time, reminding each other to stick to the game plan. They understood the plan was working and had to courage to see it through.

After weathering an onslaught from Marlborough early in the second half, Radley composed themselves and started to turn the screw. Pressure resulted in a penalty kick, followed by a sniping try from scrum-half Jack Sykes. Jack is an extremely tough competitor who marshals the forwards in attack and defence, has a top quality pass off either hand and makes good decisions around when to switch the direction of play. His role in the success of this team cannot be underestimated and he has a big role

to play next year. Rory Marshall added the extras to give Radley a 10-8 lead.

Radley had the wind in their sails now and were looking for a second try to close the game out. A turnover on the Marlborough line and a kick with an unfortunate bounce gave Marlborough one last attacking opportunity. After earning themselves a penalty for an illegal tackle, Marlborough had a longrange pop at goal. The kick drifted wide and the 1st XV had just recorded an historic win against a Marlborough team who were flying high.

One week later, it was the second local derby, or more appropriately, the Abingdon derby. Radley versus Abingdon always has an extra edge about it, as the boys compete for bragging rights in the OX14 postcode.

The crowd would be the biggest that either team would play in front of this term, as hordes of Abingdon boys and parents made their way over to Radley in support. The challenge for Bigside was to try to stick to the task at hand - not to get distracted by anything on

the periphery. Radley started the game well and as they were approaching the Abingdon try line, the ball went loose, was picked up by the Abingdon 14, who ran the length of the field. 7-0 down after controlling the early exchanges.

The character this team had developed through the first half of term had shone through at Marlborough. Not a single head went down - the team knew what to do and had the confidence to get the job done. George Redmayne’s leadership went from strength to strength as he galvanised the team around him and made sure that everyone was acting in the interests of the group. The standards that were set on and off the field were enforced by George and other senior players. George has a calm, authoritative manner, coupled with a fierce determination, a strong moral compass and the ability to deliver consistently highcalibre performances. George drove the standard for everything: on-field performances; decision making under pressure; off-field behaviour; discipline and he embodied the robustness which

became synonymous with this team.

He should be very proud of his efforts and of the success of the team he led.

The team eventually saw out the game 10-7, able to keep their discipline and composure, even after relocating pitch.

Five days later the team travelled to Bedford, on a grim November afternoon.

In the first half of term, the game before Michaelmas Weekend was one of the poorest performances of the season. This time, the boys weren’t going to let the thought of four days off get in the way of another excellent display. Radley controlled the game from start to finish, despite a wonderful Bedford try straight from set piece. It was a shame to lose Elian Rosswag in the first half to a slight niggle. Elian has been a revelation this season, although this shouldn’t come as a surprise. He is a natural athlete, blessed with a great sidestep, raw pace and a very strong fend. Elian’s contribution to our defensive line, particularly when numbers down was a big factor in making the 1st XV a very hard team to

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score against. Elian’s place was filled by Ed Roest. Ed had been eager for more game time after picking up a couple of knocks early in the season. Another individual who worked incredibly hard when off games to make sure he was ready when opportunity knocked. Ed put in a couple of monster hits and finished off a great team try - 25 phases to break down the excellent Bedford defence, before a Nearchou offload left Ed with a one on one against the fullback. Ed’s strength and skill saw him over the line. Radley walked away from a tricky away trip with an 8-7 win.

After a well-earned Advent rest, the boys returned to prepare for one of the toughest games of the year.

Berkhamsted had been on outstanding form throughout the season, beating the same Eton team that Radley lost to by over fifty points. Richard Greenlees had kept his place on the left wing after impressing off the bench against Marlborough and continuing that form through to Abingdon and Bedford.

Richard was new to rugby when he

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arrived at Radley last year and his attitude, work ethic and intelligence saw him become an excellent rugby player: extremely physical, raw pace and the ability to break tackles. Alfred Mawdsley had picked up a knock during the week and was only able to play a half, meaning that Angus Tufnell switched to number eight for the first half. Angus had impressed all season.

After a handful of appearances in the 1st XV last year, he had fast become a stalwart of the team. An intelligent and graceful player who cut beautiful lines, always running at space and looking to keep the ball alive. Angus had worked hard on his strength and his impact this year was outstanding, earning him the respect of his peers who voted Angus Players’ Player of the Season. Archie George, playing the first half at blindside flanker delivered on the task set for him: tackle hard, disrupt opposition possession and leave everything on the field in thirtyfive minutes. Archie is a ferocious competitor, extremely fit and powerful.

He thrives in the physical aspects of

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the game and added something to the team at each opportunity. Archie was perhaps slightly unfortunate as the back row was highly competitive but he never let that stop him from playing his best when given the chance.

The back row had a balance to it all year. Alfred and Angus were joined by Charlie Robertson at openside. Charlie had impressed for the 2nd XV last year and continued that fine form into his upper sixth. He has the all-court game - able to contest the breakdown, tackle hard and excellent with ball in hand. Charlie’s consistently determined performances added real grit to the team. Charlie was an excellent leader in the team, possessing a keen tactical brain and the strength of character to keep others around him pulling in the right direction. It was a true sign of the strength of the team when, without Mawdsley, the team were able to go into the half time break against Berkhamsted 10-5 up. The belief was palpable. Against the best opposition of the term, the 1st XV were putting

in their best performance. With the addition of Alfred at half time, Radley turned the screw and stretched the lead to 25-8, before Berkhamsted clawed back a well-worked try off a scrum. The best possible way for the 6.2 to mark their final game on Bigside.

The final game of the season was the long trip to Oundle. On a dank, December afternoon, the boys rallied together for one last effort. One last chance to pull on the Bigside 2018 shirt. A chance to finish a truly excellent season on a high. They had forged so many memories and come through so many tough encounters together that putting together one final effort was not beyond this group. The pitch was sticky, the Oundle team were gritty and physical and the conditions were not fantastic. There was no way through for the Oundle team: the formidable centre partnership of Milo Daly and Matthew Chapman, such a rock for the entire term, didn’t disappoint. ‘Chappers’ is a pocket rocket. He tackled everything and was deceptively hard to tackle,

with good footwork and a low centre of gravity. He had worked very hard in the Lent and Summer terms and the summer break to ensure that his dream of a regular 1st XV spot came true.

Milo had played regularly last season and is a very physical outside centre, hitting hard in the tackle and running hard lines. The two players were instrumental in a season which saw the team concede over one hundred fewer points than 2017. Their understanding of the attacking framework increased as the season progressed. Through the video analysis sessions, both Milo and Matthew were able to play active roles in our attack. These skills will stand them in good stead wherever they next play their rugby.

journey with this group and to watch them mature both on and off the field.

One of the greatest strengths of this team has been the friendship bond they share, regardless of year group. The suffering on the training field in Tignes, combined with the opportunities to relax and enjoy themselves, brought the whole squad closer together. This bond gave the team the resolve to pull through tight games and they trusted each other implicitly. Their hard work and total commitment led to success, to lasting memories, and to lasting friendships.

ND Wood

With 9 wins and 3 tight losses, this was a hugely successful season. One, perhaps, that the boys might not have expected of themselves. However, from their first performance against Bourgoin, both Mr Lawson and I knew we had a serious team on our hands. It has been a real pleasure to share the

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RUGBY 2ND XV P12 W9 L3 The 2018 2nd XV have been a very competitive, committed side characterised by very strong defence. We have often looked more comfortable without the ball, particularly in challenging conditions, but we have produced some irresistible free-flowing, attacking rugby when the weather allowed it. Through the season, the team has improved markedly in our ability to execute an attacking pattern which allowed us to hold the ball, pull defences out of shape and create opportunities to score tries.

Our combination of resolute defence and increasingly effective attack has allowed us to achieve a record of nine wins from twelve matches.

As is ever the case for a 2nd XV, we have the dual purpose of providing a challenging proving ground for players who will move on to play 1st XV rugby alongside developing as a successful side in our own right. I think that we have performed both roles very well, but occasionally these two functions can be antagonistic. Our success in getting players promoted to the 1st XV, along with some untimely injuries and absences meant that at times in the season we lacked the continuity needed to develop into a more coordinated unit. In particular, we were not able to field the same back line for two consecutive games since the first two games of the season.

We have also selected four different fly-halves in our 12 matches.

For many 2nd XV players, the season

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began in the wonderful scenery and thin air of Tignes, the alpine ski resort in France which was the venue for our pre-season tour. We emerged from a tough week in the mountains to play against Bourgoin under 18B XV in the imposing surroundings of the 10,000-capacity Stade Pierre Rajon. This was a magnificent experience for all involved and the steely resolve that would serve us so well later in the season was evident as we held our own in a very physical encounter.

We hit the ground running therefore as we took the field at home to Sherborne in mid-September. Classy displays saw us run in six tries against Sherborne, five against Eton, ten against St. Edwards and seven against Cheltenham to start with four big wins. Indeed, three of these games were finished early, such was our dominance. Whilst we were not as coherent in our attack as I would have liked, these performances were characterised by lacerating offence from deep in our own half with pace and evasive running demonstrated by our quick men, with Dominic Deely and Marcus Stalder to the fore. Archie George and Fred Dreyer produced unbelievably dynamic displays in these games from the back row. Such was their energy and work-rate that it often appeared that their opponents were in slow motion.

All four of these players would go on to represent the 1st XV later in the season.

Tonbridge away at the beginning of October was always going to be a sterner test, and so it proved. A

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Coach: LJ Clogher Captain: F Dreyer

superb defensive effort in the first half in heavy rain and against a strong wind saw us go into half time just 3-0 down. However, Tonbridge raised their game in the second half and we conceded a converted try early in the second half. Trailing 10-0, we threw absolutely everything we had at the Tonbridge line, with Louis Giffard-Moore, Fred Dreyer and Nico Reid-Scott carrying the ball strongly. It seemed we must score, and with the momentum we would surely go on to win the game. It was not to be, and our opponents must be congratulated for a remarkable defensive effort to keep us out that day.

We finished off the first half of term with a comprehensive win at home to Stowe before travelling into London to face St Paul’s at the beginning of November. This was a disappointing outing, having dealt with several changes to the backline caused by a combination of injury, absence and promotion, we lost our captain, Fred Dreyer to a concussion in the early stages of the game. For most of the match we pushed a very strong opposition hard, and trailed by a single score going into the final 15 minutes. However, St Paul’s finished very strongly, and we were dealt our only comprehensive defeat of the season, going down 29-5.

The challenge for the boys was to bounce back from this disappointment and the wind, mud and driving rain at Marlborough provided the ideal opportunity to do so. In a game that was all about will to win, we produced

a marvellous display of resilient defence and smart tactical rugby. Will Nicholson controlled proceedings with a fine display from scrum-half, using excellent box-kicks to control field position and ensure Marlborough were forced to attack from deep.

We lost fly-half Ed Roest to a nastylooking cut, followed by both centres Richard Greenlees and Dominic Deely who were needed as replacements for the 1sts. To lose our entire midfield and still finish the game as a superbly coordinated defensive unit, repelling wave after wave of Marlborough attacks, was a remarkable achievement, and one of the real high points of the season. A great job was done in particular by makeshift threequarters Archie George and Douglas Wyrley-Birch who tackled everything that came their way.

Abingdon at home was a frustrating game for many reasons. In our only slow start of the season, we contrived a way to concede a try in the opening minutes. Having given our opponents a 5-0 head start, we then clawed our way back into the match and were looking good having equalised the score just before half time.

However, Abingdon put tremendous pressure on us in the second half, with an exceptionally fine display of committed physicality and very sharp line-speed. Both sides put in some shuddering hits. Abingdon’s smothering defence applied so much stress onto our attack that we really struggled to gain any sort of fluidity going forward. We also let ourselves down for want of accuracy with ball in hand when we did generate one or two openings. Although they never looked like scoring another try, Abingdon kicked a penalty in the second half to take the win 8-5. If we could choose to replay one game from the season, there would be no other candidate.

Again though, we responded as a team with the resilience and determination that came to encompass what the 2018 2nd XV was all about. We fought out a tough win away at Bedford based in no small part on the sheer refusal to lose, even when we struggled to find any consistency. Sam PalmerTomkinson developed as a lineout general and our set-piece got better still when Sam Perez-Quane took over throwing into the lineout. It was at this point too that Felix GillatSmith gained promotion from the 3rd XV and took over the reins at fly-half, our fourth player to wear the 10 shirt in 12 games. We were classy in our final home game of the season where we comfortably put away a very decent Berkhamsted side. With a welcome return of good conditions, we ground them down with a strong but attritional first-half display and then cut loose in the second half, once again dangerous from all over the field, with Archie Barrow showing great pace and finishing skills to secure a hat-trick and Richard Butterworth looking very assured on the other wing whilst making his 2nd XV debut.

The final game of the season came at Oundle and very much epitomised our season and our qualities as a team. In a scrappy game played once again in very difficult conditions, we found ourselves 14-12 down with six minutes left to go. Despite all our endeavour, throwing everything we had at the opposition line, we made a string of errors – the ball was lost in contact, we were held up over the line or the final pass went astray when the opportunity to score was there. It looked as if it would not be our day and the season would end on a note of real disappointment. But this was a team that simply refused to lose, we found a way to get the

score. It was not quality rugby, but it was an even more impressive force of will that propelled Fred Dreyer over the line following a surge from the whole team to get the matchwinning score. A performance to be really proud of rounded off a season in which the boys excelled in terms of their attitude, commitment and resilience.

I would like to thank all the parents who provided positive and encouraging support for all the team, every week, in all weather conditions. Not all coaches in all schools are so fortunate to have a group of parents as helpful and who facilitate their sons’ enjoyment of rugby so magnificently. It means a lot to the boys to see you there and your company was much appreciated.

Thanks to my colleagues Nick Wood and Tim Lawson who have worked tirelessly throughout the season to produce structured, purposeful training sessions of the highest quality for the Bigside Squad from which 2nd XV players have benefitted hugely. Thanks also to Fred Dreyer, Will Nicholson, Archie George and Richard Greenlees for their leadership within the team as Captains and Vice-captains at various stages of the season.

Lastly, and most of all, thank you to all the boys who have represented the 2nd XV this year with so much pride and commitment, it has been my pleasure to work with you. As I said to you at the end of the season, 6:2s – make sure you take rugby with you when you leave Radley and keep playing our wonderful game. 6:1s – see you next year when I hope many of you will push for places in the 1st XV. LJ Clogher

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RUGBY 3RD XV P11 W8 L3 Team from (* denotes colours awarded): (11) M Dawson*, J Peers*, J Dobby*, F Barlow, H Taylor, M Siow, (10) E Cockcroft*, H Portwood, (9) H Ward, (8) F GilliatSmith*, D Pleydell-Bouverie, T Vincent*, G Egerton-Warburton, B Hannaby-Cummins, R Curtis*, (7) R Butterworth*, A Martin, (5) H Crone, MH Lui, (3) T Southwell, L Giffard-Moore, H Haigh, R Woods, (2) R Henry, T Ojo, A Barrow, B Berry, E Russell, (1) J Wakeley, O Sim, L Needham, F Stone, D Wyrley-Birch, W Carr.

The 3rd XV had an enjoyable and generally successful season. The pack members barely changed all term and grew into an increasingly effective group. The backs contained much exciting talent; many ran out for the 2nds and injuries struck others, so the turnover was greater but it maintained considerable potency, scoring 27 of our 44 tries. In all, 34 players represented the 3rd XV. The team won all its home games with St. Edward’s (44-0) and Stowe (38-5) dispatched all too easily, Sherborne (41-29) and Abingdon (19-5) put up

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more of a fight and Berkhamsted took us right to the wire, with the win only coming due to two tries in the final four minutes (24-19).

Away, we started and ended well, with comfortable wins at Eton (24-5) and Oundle (22-5). We also took Tonbridge to the wire; having led 0-5 at half time, it took an interception from them in the final play to prevent us scoring and drawing and instead took them from their own try line to ours to defeat us 5-19. Two losses came when we failed to create forward momentum. Marlborough was the darkest day, with the team bullied up front and unable to adjust sufficiently (L 12-19). Bedford also scraped past (19-21) when we dropped the ball with the rolling maul well-set and four metres out in the final play. The best triumph away was a 17-19 win at St. Paul’s, despite our regular scrum half, Frank Barlow, picking up an injury very early in the game. Mentions must go to Felix Gilliat-Smith for outstanding leadership until his promotion; Eddie Cockcroft thereafter for leading from the front, as a prop who carried relentlessly; John Peers, the player of the season, for winning back the

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Coaches: TCH Norton Captains: F Gilliat-Smith, E Cockcroft

ball on countless occasions in the tackle area; Tom Vincent for magical kicks from hand, either moving us the length of the pitch or setting up wingers with simple touch-downs; Richard Butterworth for getting on the end of those kicks; Rupert Curtis (6’7”) for training up and executing a dominant line-out; Matt Dawson for learning to throw well, playing every minute and trying to knock over boys twice his size; Jude Dobby for missing only one tackle all season at full back and always beating the first defender; he and Blake Hannaby-Cummins for two full seasons in this team; and to all the others for giving their unrelenting support and making training productive and enjoyable.

TCH Norton

RUGBY 4TH XV P10 W7 L3 William Carr, Freddie Stone, Bertie Berry, George Clackson, Archie Gray, Harry Haigh, Sam Hughes, Frederick Lindblom, Man Hei Lui, Timothy Macnaughtan, William Power, Jeremy Shelton-Agar, Harry Bowesman-Jones, Toby Crawford, William Dunhill-Turner, Alex Martin, Ethan Russell, Ollie Sim, Tristan Southwell, Dominic Woolf, Harry-Bowesman Jones, Harry Henderson, David Sun, Raphah Jung, Harry Ward, Angus Parker, Henry Portwood, Tom Boulton, Tim Ojo, Harry Vyvyan-Robinson, Will Davie-Thornhill, Jack Chisholm, Zachary Martin-Zakheim, Ollie Green, Edward Buchanan.

I expect it will be many years until I have such an enjoyable successful season, with such a determined, joyful bunch of students. Although there were a great many stars in the team, it was because we played as a team, that we were so very successful.

Coaches: WOC Matthews, C Mason Captains: W Carr, F Stone, O Sim

We played wide, expansive running rugby and were never shy of being inventive. We had a clear plan for each game but were aware that we would have to improvise and devise a new plan in a heartbeat if the circumstances changed.

Having an overall strategy means that everyone is able to anticipate play, and steal distance or time or both. Some tactics were not expected at fourth team level, the 15 man “Welsh Ball” rolling maul being one example. Our only losses were tight games made particularly tight on those occasions due to injuries in teams above or players attending university open days. Who knows what would have happened otherwise? Will Carr, Freddie Stone and Ollie Sim were the captains for the season. All very different in style, but all equally effective and thorough in execution.

An amazing season with all but three games won! One loss being

to Cheltenham’s 3rd XV. Yet we managed it when a total of 35 players played for the team in the course of the year. All the matches were played in the best possible spirit of the game.

It was well worth the gamble to be inventive this season and led to some of the best free flowing rugby I have seen in a long time, culminating with Radleians coming off the park with huge grins after thoroughly enjoying the experience! The wait while an escaped mountain lion was rounded up off the pitch at Eton was quite surreal. It was the very best of seasons. I will remember it with great fondness.

Many thanks for all Mr Mason’s work this season in joining the 4th XV coaching team.

WOC Matthews

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RUGBY COLTS 1 P11 W3 L8 Team From: K Gilliat-Smith, L Donaldson, J Gourlay, F Loveland, H Snell, J Hayes, O Marshall, M McGee, D Osborne, B Dreyer, W Moss, G Salwey (Captain), J Sharp, P Chetwode, R Elliott, J Beardmore-Gray, B Zhang, M Findley-Grant, H Brown What a remarkable group of young men this team has proven to be. Given the trials and tribulations of the previous two seasons, they would have been forgiven for throwing in the towel and falling out of love with the game. Instead, the reality could not be further from the truth and every individual has shown unbelievable resilience and strength of character beyond their young years.

The team objectives at the start of the season were simple; to keep having fun and improving as rugby players week by week and to focus on our own performances to become as competitive as possible. Having won their last match as Junior Colts, optimism

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was certainly abundant within the squad for the looming season ahead after some encouraging preseason work with Mr. Wood.

After a year of significant physical development, there were several new faces and partnerships in the side for our first away match against Sherborne. Unfortunately, we came up against a side which had already played two early fixtures, who were well organised and battle hardened. It quickly became apparent that in order to narrow the gap against our future opponents we would have to prioritise our defensive organisation and frailties first.

Despite our concerted efforts to address tackle technique in training, we continued to leak too many points to remain in touch in matches and losses versus Eton, Cheltenham, Tonbridge and Stowe soon followed. However, in these early fixtures, the team was rapidly improving tactical awareness and the attacking shape was beginning to materialise. In particular, Henry Snell and Jamie Sharp started hitting some excellent running lines and made several

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line breaks against Teddies and Cheltenham.

Leave-Away provided some much needed rest and recuperation but both St. Paul’s and Marlborough proved too strong for us, with some of the most talented athletes seen at U16 level.

However, we were at last playing some decent rugby, albeit in patches and showed the ability to compete over 30 minutes in the second half against St.Paul’s, a clear sign of progress. The local derby against Abingdon is always fiercely combative and this year was no different. The defensive effort in the first half was immense, led by George Salwey and Mallam Findley-Grant, and a well-taken penalty kick

by James Hayes was enough to give us a slender 3-0 lead at half time. Hayes was also becoming an excellent punter of the ball out of hand and an astute tactical kicker of territory which was helping us play in the right areas. We started brightly after the break and a dangerous break down the left wing by Jago Gourlay very nearly led to a crucial try, yet in a cruel twist of fate Abingdon turned over possession and a clever box-kick (and a few lucky bounces!) led to a 7-point swing in their favour. This well and truly shifted momentum back to the home side, who would end up winning the match 12-3.

However, this was a significant moment in the season; the first complete team performance and an important milestone of going ahead in a match and leading at the break for the first time. We were also conceding far fewer points and giving ourselves a chance to win games. After another great week of training, Bedford on Bigside proved to be the reward the players richly deserved. Similar to the Abingdon match the defensive effort was fully committed, brave and the

Coaches: SH Dalrymple, SJA Perkins Captain: G Salwey

tackle completion was significantly better. In attack, our ball retention was finally superior, and the players were starting to vary the attack with two narrow busts from Elliott and Moss creating space for a fantastic Gourlay try out wide, after some slick hands from Marshall and Hayes. GilliatSmith in his new position of full back was also demonstrating his elusive and dangerous counterattacks from kick returns. Sharp also looked dangerous from restarts, making plenty of yards after fielding the ball on the run.

This was the second week we found ourselves in the lead at halftime and the pain of the previous second half performance was ample motivation to see us home in the second half. Pip Chetwode breaking two tackles and showing the physical force he can be to score the match winning try late on in the game, a convincing 17-7 win! Emotional celebrations ensued but understandably so,

given the significance of the occasion. Certainly, one of the proudest moments of Radley sport that both SHD and I have been a part of. With a spring in their step, training revolved around perfecting our decisionmaking in attack and close contact skills. With confidence high, another opportunity against Berkhamsted quickly presented itself and despite being the better team, the novelty of being the dominant side led to a little complacency. However, a fantastic solo effort by Hayes gave us a hard fought 10-5 victory but far from our best performance. With the most successful season on record secured, Oundle at home would be the last hurrah for this year group and they certainly rose to the occasion. First half tries from Findley-Grant, Henry Snell and Jamie Sharp gave us a commanding 17-5 lead at half-time. The next score after the break would be crucial and

it came after a sensational counter-attack by Kristian down the left flank. Oundle finished strongly but the discipline and heroic defence, led by the much improved Ben Zhang, was enough to seal the most complete performance of the season and third consecutive win. The score was 24-12 at the final whistle and the celebrations ensued.

This is a special group of young men, who have not only overcome much adversity to turn around their sporting fortunes but have also kept smiling and believing.

Their dedication to the strength and conditioning programme and rugby training on the paddock has paid huge dividends and we hope they move into the Sixth Form with not just happy memories but a hunger to keep on improving and enjoying this magnificent sport that can teach us so many valuable lessons in life and install so many wonderful virtues.

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RUGBY COLTS 2 P12 W7 L5 PF259 PA241 Team from: T Cheng, E Bligh, C Morgan, J Bentley, F Barber, J Beardmore-Gray, Y Yuan, G Dutton, F Trasler, R Adams, A Horsey, G Hall, M McGee, A Donald, F Rees, B Barton, R Halford-Harrison, J Gourlay, T Pritchard, L Donaldson, T Wilson Top scorer: Archie Donald – 59 points (3 tries, 22 conversions) Top try scorers: Jago Gourlay, Rupert Halford-Harrison, Ralph Adams – 5 tries The 2018 Colts 2 season began with a real highlight – a coach journey to Sherborne long enough to watch the entire DVD of the 1997 Lions Tour to South Africa.

Whilst this might not quite have been the Everest of the season, the boys certainly did put their bodies on the line against a very powerful and better organised side, eventually going down 26-47. The physicality of the game came as a shock to some, and gave an insight as to what would be required to compete with the better sides on the circuit.

The following week saw one of the two games that got away – a narrow home defeat at the hands of Eton. Losing a winnable game was disappointing, but the next time the squad assembled was for a comprehensive 36-5 victory over Teddies, with a Jago Gourlay hat-trick the highlight. Whilst great to get a win on the board, a lacklustre second half might have proved costly in a closer game.

One of the great things about this group is their willingness to listen and desire to improve, and they travelled to Cheltenham determined to put in a performance for the full duration.

Much to DJP’s chagrin Cheltenham were not the strongest opponents 20

of the season, but they were not given a sniff. A successful line out, relentless intensity and an ambitious offloading game saw a 48-0 victory, wingers Gourlay and Rupert Halford-Harrison each running in two tries.

Tonbridge and St Paul’s were comfortably the strongest opponents of the season, but great heart was shown against both sides. Sandwiched between these matches was a trip to Stowe and, whilst the performance might not have matched the surroundings, a much-improved second half saw us run out 26-0 winners, Ben Barton escaping for a solo try, Ed Bligh managing the wind to throw in with great skill and Ralph Adams crossing for a try in an impressive all-round performance.

Up next came a Marlborough side brimming with confidence and a 100% record coming into the game. Max McGee provided some moments of sublime skill, gliding through a gap to open the scoring and then perfectly executing a cross-field kick for Tom Pritchard to score in the corner. Some brave and disciplined defence, with Finlay Trasler magnificent and Tianyi Cheng having probably his best game, saw Radley hold out for a 19-15 victory, Archie Donald’s kicking the difference between the sides.

As JCs this group produced their best rugby in November, and so this continued. Following on from Marlborough came an astonishing defensive effort at Abingdon, after lineout guru Freddie Barber showed a turn of speed to score in the corner early in the first half. The spirit of the team was exemplified by Freddie Rees chasing down an Abingdon player who had broken clear late in the game, making a desperate trysaving tackle. Sadly it wasn’t to be, and one converted try for the hosts

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Coaches: JAD Wilson and DJ Pullen Captain: G Hall

saw them win 7-5. Disappointment and pride in a superb effort were mixed in equal measure.

A victory against Bedford might not have quite matched the standard of performance of the two previous weeks, but again the resilience and will to win shone through, Archie Donald scoring two and Jamie Beardmore-Gray coming on to a perfectly timed pass from George Dutton and rounding the winger before galloping away to score.

Berkhamsted were something of an unknown quantity, but captain George Hall led from the front with a second consecutive man of the match performance, resulting in a 33-14 victory in testing conditions.

The final test came against Oundle. Louis Donaldson again showed what a balanced runner he is to score the first try, and George Dutton added two more before the break. Whereas the wind had been a friend for the first half, it was very much an enemy in the second.

Oundle used it well, and came back strongly, but Radley held on to win 17-12 in the fourth nailbiting finish inside a month.

Having won just two matches as JCs, to win seven this term has been a magnificent effort from a remarkable group of boys with outstanding character and determination. Whilst George Hall has led admirably as captain, and there have been some highlights mentioned here, there are a number of unsung heroes who set the tone with their hard work and dedication, and a sense of fun throughout the squad. As a result this has been one of the most memorable and enjoyable terms of coaching I have experienced.

JAD Wilson

RUGBY COLTS 3 P10 W4 D0 L6 Team from: A Horsey, A Stinton, O Taylour, F Gates, H Carr, A Cha, F McCarthy, B Pastukhov, D Shah, S Shaw, N Blackburn, G Corbett, F Cunningham, J Ekins, T Lewis, J Parsons, P Clegg, A Sweetnam, B Barton, H Moore, O Soundy, H Carlisle This season has had lots of ups and downs but to come back from the downs shows the character of the team.

The whole team always had a positive attitude even in the freezing wet conditions. The best moment of the

Coaches: TRG Ryder and OD Wills Captain: F Cunningham

season was our last two wins which also coincided with both other Colts teams which is a first for our year.

Throughout this season we have improved massively and that is shown by our results. There have been a number of different stand out players, like Alec Stinton and Arthur Horsey but my player of the season had to be Hugo Carr who was key playing fly half. Finn McCarthy also stood out for his improvement, he always made the most of making big tackles and securing the ball in rucks.

second win of the season, this was our biggest match of the season because of the rivalry between the two schools. We stood up to the occasion and played the best I have seen us play. Throughout the season there have been a few rogue kicks but I would say overall we have had a good season especially as we came sixth in the country for U16 C teams.

Finn Cunningham

My highlight of the season was when we beat Abingdon for only our

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RUGBY JC1 P12 W9 L3 PF 318 PA 158 Team From: H Silman (c), M Geuten, C Hartigan, E Farrell, L Stroyan, H Elliott, M Hartwright, F Spicer, H Pitt, L Rupf, A Perez Quane, O Mordaunt, F Judd, W Smith, T Thame, L Booth, M Dunlap, A Hogarth, R Fletcher, B Tucker, W Isaacs, C Davies, A Wingfield, R Harrap, W Mordaunt.

Player of the Season: Ollie Mordaunt Coaches’ Player of the Season: Harry Silman

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Coaches: JM Sparks, N Murphy Captain: H Silman

Apart from a mid-season rut of two bad days at the office (Tonbridge and St.Paul’s) and a closely-fought defeat (Stowe) this was a very good season indeed. The team matured in all areas, and there were several truly excellent performances. Notable wins were achieved against Cheltenham (33-14), Bedford (17-10) and Berkhamsted (22-10), and there were also good victories against Sherborne, Eton, Abingdon, Marlborough, St. Edward’s and Oundle. The latter was in fact mildly disappointing, since the team was really ‘up for it’ in all areas and

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wanted the white heat of a competitive match to show how far they had come since September. Unfortunately a weak Oundle side capitulated somewhat and the scoreline of 60-0, whilst flattering, was something of an anticlimax.

Cheltenham was arguably the most complete performance of the season, with forward domination established early on, which allowed the boys to play with some real width and score from all areas of the field. Equally impressive was the narrow victory over Bedford away from home, and both the Berkhamsted and Abingdon matches

against two good sides could possibly have been won by bigger margins, but for the proverbial foot being taken off the gas in the second half.

The other pleasing thing was the increased strength in depth in the squad. Monty Dunlap was a useful addition, both at flyhalf and latterly at inside centre. Lucas Booth came into the side from JC2 to claim the number 10 slot, and Alec Hogarth also impressed at flyhalf for JC2 or in the centre deputising for Rory Fletcher. There were a number of injuries - in particular Toby Thame and Benji Tucker, but plenty of others as well over the season - so it was encouraging to be able to bring in and ‘blood’ some high-quality replacements.

I don’t recall the forward pack being bested by anyone over the season, although Eton’s set-piece play was probably the strongest encountered.

Scrum, lineout, ruck and maul all went well over the season, and the forwards also carried more dynamically, and wider out, after Leave-Away. Harry Silman led by example, but he was closely followed by men such as Ollie Mordaunt, Antonio PQ, Max Hartwright, Ed Farrell and Maxime Geuten. This platform allowed for second, third and indeed multiple phases, and established space for the backs to exploit. Freddie Judd was a fine scrumhalf (and Will Smith deputised ably) and there was some real pace out wide in Benji Tucker, Will Isaacs and Alex Wingfield in particular. The

midfield partnership in the centres was always solid, and Rollo Harrap and Caspian Davies proved that they could play anywhere.

Thus there is plenty to build on as the team progresses to Colts 1, and if everyone stays fit and healthy there will be lots of competition for places next year - always a good sign. My thanks to our loyal and well-travelled parents, and also to Wags and MGGD for their unstinting support over the season. Finally to JMS - it is a pleasure to work with him and his technical coaching of the boys was little short of excellent throughout the season.

N Murphy

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RUGBY JC2 P12 W5 L7 Team From: B Yin, H Roskill, N King, M Anikin, H Rimmer, C Casey, T Rawlinson, R Lewis, W Smith, A Brackenbury, W Green, W Mordaunt, Z Butterworth, H Plumstead, C Stradling, Archie Atkinson, T Way, W Monckton, E Zanardi Landi, T Barlow, W Broke-Smith, A Hogarth, L Booth, H Elliott, H Pitt, T Tufnell, T Bracken The season started with a big game away at Sherborne. Despite losing 19-17, we controlled periods of the game, and it was a performance to begin the season. The game showed that we had a lot of work to do with regards to our line speed and defensive game. Our next game was home against Eton. Whilst we dominated the first half, and were clearly the better technical team, we allowed them back in the game too easily, and the game ended 17-36. Although we were very strong when we had the ball, forwards needed to work on body position.

Our game against St. Edward’s was an important test of character.

Fortunately, our attitude was much better. A convincing 55-14 result was what we needed to get our season back on track. We dominated most of the game, but we allowed

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Coaches: MG Glendon-Doyle, AR Wagner Captains: B Yin, W Mordaunt

the opposition two easy tries after half time, something we would need to be aware of in our coming games. Against Cheltenham, this was our best performance yet. After controlling most of the game, we allowed them to score twice right after the break, but we switched on and got back into the game, and after a nervous 10 minutes after half time, we saw the game off, with the final score being 48-14. A brilliant display from the boys. Tonbridge was another test of character. Knowing they were a very strong team, we played our game, but they outclassed us and put 64 points past us, with the final score being 64-20. We played well offensively, and our back moves had improved. Again, forwards needed to work on body position. Facing Stowe, we learnt a lot of things. We were strong in rucks and scrums, but a lot of work was needed in terms of defence. Final score 14-52.

St. Paul’s were a good side, and we were tested both in offence and defence. We played well in parts, but we gave the ball away too easily, and gave away too many penalties.

Final score 33-12. Our fixture against Marlborough was a game we should have won. Both sides went into the game with similar results, and in the first half we dominated

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possession and chances, but we failed to execute them. In the end, one mistake in defence was all they needed. Final score 7-0. Having been hit with some injuries, Abingdon seemed like our biggest challenge yet. However, our new recruits rose to the occasion, and the whole team gave a strong display, and showed how good we really were. Final score 21-15. Bedford was a game of two halves. After 30 minutes, we were 12-0 down, but we responded well, and dominated the second half. An incredible second half performance, this game showed how much we had improved over the season. Final score 19-12. Berkhamsted were one of the strongest sides we faced, and again this showed when we were losing at half time. But again, we switched on in the second half, and closed the gap. Another 5 minutes and we would have won, but we eventually were edged out 38-36.

Our final game of the season against Oundle decided how we wanted to remember this season. After a close first half, we completely dominated them in the second half. A final score of 49-12 showed the progress we had made since the start of the season.

MG Glendon-Doyle

RUGBY JC3 P12 W7 D1 L4 Points For 279 Points Against 196 2018 was a splendid season of Rugby for the Club, and indeed for Junior Colts 3. The season was characterised first by strong and determined forwards play, often in bursts; then, as the term wore on the forwards became more obdurate and retained possession for multiple phases of withering attacks. The final few weeks, however, saw some vintage team performances with forwards playing their part but with the backs finally linking up and repeatedly finishing off what the forwards had begun. The back line harrying oppositions as a unit, taking the ball at pace and really challenging for the score.

It should be noted that the season’s results are pleasing but do not reveal that four of the results were within one score – one being a gallingly narrow defeat by a point to Eton, having matched numbers after a

Coaches: RD Woodling, REP Hughes Captain: A Grinstead

winning first half. The nil-all draw to Marlborough was fantastic but also a little frustrating.

Marlborough are a decent side and we put in perhaps the performance of the season against them and were twice denied when over the line, especially, finally, at full time.

The great cheer from Marlborough at the final whistle was telling.

It is testament to the team that discussion was overheard amongst the players that the 7-0 win against Berkhamsted was the most enjoyable game of the year. It was a terrific team effort against an unbeaten side. A side who had beaten the St. Paul’s team we had just narrowly lost to and who played joined-up and persuasive rugby. It was a simply superb afternoon of concerted play from Radley and one of the most satisfying I have beheld in all my years as a schoolmaster.

This afternoon was a turning point in the careers of some able

young rugby players. They played individually and as part of a unit at a level they had not quite realised they could attain and left the pitch elated and with ambitions raised to a whole new level.

Up front Nick King showed skill and verve before breaking a finger.

On his return he was promptly promoted to JC2. Roddy Lewis, a versatile and obdurate hooker, captained for the first half of term before his signal quality was recognised above. Alex Cowley developed into a formidable player as prop and latterly was man of the match against Oundle. Angus Grisntead, normally flanker stepped in for Nick when he was injured and was promoted to Captain when Roddy went up. He, again, developed as a player and is a fine example to other players of hard work in training and selflessness on the pitch bring rich rewards.

Well done!

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Locks Mortimer and Rimmer were again quickly promoted and their steadfast, stalwart, qualities shone for JC2. Lucas Jones is a versatile player and an outstanding athlete. One of the quickest lads on the pitch with a man’s frame, he possessed great stamina and constantly threatened to score. An able lock and occasional 8 Lucas played successfully in the centres too and has a lengthy kick. March Turnbull brought intelligence and bulk to the pack and always made ground on the ball; committed in training and hardworking in matches.

Jan Tewes deserves special mention for exceptional determination in training and an ambitious desire to improve his technique. Jan was a tremendous ball carrier and tenacious tackler and hounded oppositions from 8, lock and hooker. Versatile and talented.

Conor Casey marauded at lock and flanker and was perhaps our most complete player. No surprise he too was promoted latterly. Ben Fleming and Maksim Metherill played with pomp and authority and always made yards when on the ball. Tom Copinger-Symes was a standout back row, usually flanking. He terrorised oppositions and his penalty move of ‘Red Devil’ was highly effective and well supported by dummy runs and a late pass from scrum-half. Hector Bennett was a highly skilful runner and had impressive hands. Hector was perhaps more in his element on the sevens pitch where his step and cheek could more naturally shine. Tom Way joined the team from the seconds for the last few games of the season and was sensational. A fine athlete and gifted ball player, Tom contributed specifically to the rousing finish to the term and scored himself, more than once, vitally and richly deservingly.

Ollie Vincent was a stalwart at outside-half and his fine service and craft set up his backs either to cut back in, or to run rampant out to the wings. His kicking secured vital points for the team

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and became a reliable earner for the lads in the final games. Excellent.

Alex Lu usually played on the wing, but sometimes in the centre. An exceptionally fast and strong ball carrier, he could be relied upon to finish if given the space. Gong Vitayatanagorn hounded oppositions and was instrumental in our latter successes. His exceptional pace and tenacity in the tackle meant full backs and wings often fumbled and knocked on when faced with his approaching menace. This became more concerted in the last games with the excellent, intelligent and skilful Jamie Ashley joining the terror and then capitalising on opposition errors to gain vast yards and five points over and again against Oundle as a last hurrah of the term.

Zach Armitage was a resolute and completely committed fullback. He possesses a fine step and also a rugby player’s brain. Zach could be relied upon to break the gain line with ball in hand. Fellow fullback and occasional winger Charlie Graham put in the term’s best tackles and without any doubt saved clear tries on several occasions, especially against Berkamsted and deserves serious praise for bravery and commitment. Charlie also possesses safe hands and was reliable under high balls and made pleasing ground when in attack.

Mark Siow developed as a winger and is a physically very strong lad with a brilliant turn of pace and really improved his running lines and tackling technique as the season wore on. He can look forward to a very high standard of play next year in the Colts. Caden Stradling has exceptional hands and a fine turn of pace. This latterly was recognised by JC2 and he had a late call up to play for the higher team. Well done!

A constellation of others played on occasion, either more regularly for JC4 or JC2 and their input and determination made the season so special. Congratulations, then, to some stand-up young men who produced a truly memorable and special season of rugby. Their efforts and achievements, latterly in particular, have set these players

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up for great things as Colts and Seniors. Bigside always has representation from the Rhinos and I feel certain the tradition will be continued with this fine vintage.

RD Woodling and REP Hughes

RUGBY JC4 P9 W5 L4 PF 285 PA 225 A winning season on a very competitive circuit is a terrific achievement for this very talented bunch of boys. Many of them can consider themselves desperately unlucky to be in such a strong year group, but they accepted the JC4 moniker with grace and trained well all season. As the injury toll further up the Club neared Sommean proportions, many of the boys did enjoy a taste of higher honours and a couple even reached the heady heights of JC2, performing perfectly competently.

The season started with a convincing 48-12 win against a ragged Sherborne outfit, and large victories against Eton (50-10) and Cheltenham (62-0) followed, before the team suffered a reverse against their first serious opposition away to Tonbridge. Successive frustrating losses against St Paul’s and Marlborough followed, although the latter was an absolute festival of schoolboy rugby. 15-10 down at half time, Radley spent the entire second half camped in the Marlborough 22. Try as we

Coaches: PWG Ford, MCF Brown Captains: F McCullagh, F Woodward

might, we just could not find a way through a heroic defence.

Knackered, mud- and bloodstained, the first thing the boys said at the final whistle was “That was awesome. Can we play them again, Sir?” With the weather and injuries testing morale and squad depth respectively, we did not put up much resistance against a strong Bedford team. After some soulsearching and extra tackling practices, the team put in their best performance of the season against Berkhamsted, first showing attacking flair to go four tries to one up, and then holding their nerve and discipline to resist a comeback: 27-24 was the final result. A 56-5 thumping of Oundle ensured the team signed off the season in emphatic style.

developed his kicking game. Other honourable mentions go to Lucas Bury, whose mazy running was irresistible against Berkhamsted in particular, and Tom Crawshay, our tenacious full-back who makes up in fighting spirit what he lacks in size. The pace and physicality of wingers Oscar White and Matthew Anderson saved a number of certain tries. The player of the season, though, and worthy recipient of a place in the Warden’s XV, was Henry Milne. Five tries, including a hat-trick against Berkhamsted, was a tremendous effort, and he was jollity and huge work-rate personified throughout the season. Well done all.

PWG Ford and MCF Brown

Particular credit must go to the two captains; Finn McCullagh was an inspirational hooker and strong ball-runner before his deserved promotion meant Fraser Woodward marshalled the troops for the rest of the season. Fraser was a superb tackler throughout and really

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RUGBY MIDGETS 1 P12 W12 PF481 PA 68 Team From: E Horsfield, C RogersThomas, H Brackenbury, A Goaman, J Buchan, F Finlan, O Baldwin Battersby, O Bowman (c), N Tutus, C Garrett-Cox, M Donald, J Vickers, D McDermott (v-c), J Sugden, E Hall, H Markham, S Hoshina, W Ekins, G Laing, L Loveland, B Evans-Freke & H Jones.

Ten minutes into the opening match of the season against Sherbrone, we were leading but had already conceded six penalties for a variety of indiscretions. Despite the hours of preparation prior to the first match of a new season, you just do not know how your team will perform until the first whistle blows.

Many coaches, even just a few minutes into a new season, would be concerned about the alarming rate of penalties building up against his side. However, the penalties conceded in this instance came from a team playing on the edge, with hunger and passion, and a desire to take the initiative. It represented a controlled aggression suggesting a self-belief in fellow teammates and a belief in creating a winning culture. Despite it being too early in the season to have a team ‘well oiled’ and purring in its performance, you are looking to identify, at this stage, the character of the team. Does the team have a chemistry, a natural fit

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with eachother? Do you have natural leaders who will be listened to? Do you have playmakers in key positons?

Do you have players who can change the nature and a direction of a game?

Do you have players who genuinely care about their performance and are willing to work hard in maintaining high standards? Do you have players who are coachable and will have the maturity to listen and take comments in the positive way in which they are intended? Do you have players who play in the spirit of the game but perform on the edge of physicality in their style of play, both offensively and defencsively? We could go on but the answer was ‘yes’ to every question and then you realise that you have a young and inexperienced group of players, who have the potential to achieve something special as you embark on the journey together.

Both coaches agree on the fortuitous fact that there were a number of players who were capable of leading the team. Both coaches also agreed on the fact that one player stood out from the gifted group and that was Ollie Bowman, who was appointed captain. Bowman is a talented player who has the ability to play in a variety of positions, as have a number of other players – this was quite a versatile team. But Ollie has a natural leadership style allied to a calmness, which is a unique quality

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Coaches: JA Gaunt and RMC Greed Captain: O Bowman

in a game known for its emotion. He understood what we were trying to achieve and was able to succinctly capture the essence of a game plan and communicate it simply to his teammates. He was also a beautifully balanced player, both running in the wider channels and carrying the ball off the base. His long striding gait and hand-off, allied to his ability to skilfully off load the ball, made him an influential player in every game.

Towards the end of the season, he showed bravery in managing an injury and keeping on playing. He was our talisman and a player to inspire his team. In short, he is everything you would want or ask from a captain – he even made sure the team shirts had been washed!

The team had a number of outstanding athletes, players blessed with pace and power. Daniel McDermott, the vice-captain, is certainly not slow but he brings a significant power game to any match. He runs intelligent lines as an inside centre, looks to off load and works hard off the ball.

When the pressure is on your team, put the ball into McDermott’s hands and he will get you out of trouble. He was also one of a number of players who brought a positivity to the team, someone we might describe as an ‘energy giver’ – successful teams need a number of players who add a positivity to the squad environment and he

was certainly one of them. Playing alongside McDermott in the centre was Jonty Sugden, whose frame was built for a different style of rugby. He organised our defence brilliantly and defended the tricky wide channels with skill. He ran off players and performed the simple basics with efficiency and precision – staying behind after training to work on his basic skills for a few minutes had noticeably improved his passing off his left hand. A quality player who found space on the field and kept his wingers fed with a supply of ball throughout the season. Three games in we had been able to provide some quick ball at the breakdown and, playing with ambition to move the ball into space, it had enabled us to accumulate 160 points (Sherborne 57-0, Eton 48-10 & St Edward’s 55-0).

One player who had scored a number of exceptional tries was Nikita Tutus who, such was his natural athletic ability, played in both the back row and centre. Tutus’ pace and aggressive running made him a threat on every occasion that the ball found its way into his hands. He could run some sublime lines with his quick feet and balanced movement, allowing him to cause havoc for defences. His uncompromising approach made him one of the stand-out players on the rugby circuit and a player that many an opposition coach would have dearly loved to have had in their team.

Word had clearly got out about his playing ability as teams, towards the of the season, would quickly close down his space and double mark him.

Somehow, he still managed to put a mark on the game, something that

he did every time he stepped on the pitch.

Whereas Tutus may have taken the opportunities, it was flyhalf Monty Donald who created them. Donald is an immensely gifted sportsman.

For a Midget, he is one of the best passers and kickers of a ball that we have had the pleasure to coach. He is also a completely unselfish player who put the team first. He pulls the strings and makes the team function.

His decision-making and ability to change the point of attack noticeably improved as the season unfolded and is testament to his willingness to work at his game. He was also ‘poetry in motion’ when running with the ball; such was his unselfishness it was not until the third match of the season did we see him run. He has pace and a beautiful silky balance to his running game and posed a dangerous threat with ball in hand. His kicking game was exceptional and he has a variety of kicks in his armoury. On many an occasion he would use his cultured foot to drive and turn the opposition back into the corners. Many times his kicking game relieved pressure and helped to swing the momentum back in our favour. He also proved himself as a very fine goal-kicker.

Cosmo Garrett-Cox, Donald’s half-back partner, was a player who punched above his weight. A true competitor who was not afraid to take the ball forward when required, he provided super-slick service from the base.

He gelled exceptionally well with Donald and his speed of service was one of the quickest on the circuit. He was another unselfish player who performed his duties as a scrumhalf

with professionalism, keeping his backline fed with a stream of quality ball. At times, his forwards did not always provide the clean service that a scrumhalf deserves, and he was brave in digging out possession and shifting ball under immense pressure.

His consistency of performance marked Garrett-Cox out, as he quietly went about his job, as one of the unseen heroes of the season. In the run-up to Leave Away, we had been tested by a battling Cheltenham (295) as well as competitive Tonbridge (22-5) before beating Stowe (34-0).

We were relatively fortunate to have a low injury count during the season and but we did have some casualties among the back three. Will Ekins was a threateningly strong runner with ball in hand and had featured prominently in the opening matches.

Injury put him on the side-line and, on his return he found it difficult to break back into the side. You do feel for Ekins but it is also a reflection of how quickly players were improving and developing, which is what you actually want to have in the team camp – players challenging for places.

George Laing was another very good winger who featured in the team and made a positive contribution with his attacking flair. Sota Hoshina, with practically no rugby experience, had been spotted by OHL in his scouting role, and had been making his mark in the 2nd XV with his pace and try- scoring ability. It was wonderful to see him step up the highest level and play with such confidence. It takes courage to do so and his work ethic in learning new skills was a credit to his positive willingness

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to learn the intricacies of the game.

Edmund Hall, on the right wing, was another of those players who just got on and did his job. He ran hard and with conviction, and made excellent decisions under pressure. He also enjoyed the physical side of the game (which is unusual for a winger!) and, such was his toughness, he also made a cameo appearance playing in the back row. He was always dangerous with ball in hand and inevitably beat the first player with his determined running. He is one to watch in the future and made a significant contribution to the team.

Johnny Vickers had the frustration of starting the season injured although his support and passion for the team never diminished. When he returned from injury, he almost tried too hard to make his mark but, gradually, he returned to the top of his game playing in the 2nd XV. Vickers proved, like Hall, that he was equally as strong and quick playing on the left wing. Indeed, it was great credit to his determination that he was able to make the team based on the fact that he had much catching up to do

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after his injury. As we neared the end of a long season, he added a further boost of energy to the team.

Harry Markham is another talented athlete who was the rock at the back, playing at fullback. Markham, one of the fittest players in the team, provided stability in both defence and attack.

Indeed, he intelligently ran the ball back, revealing his game-sense, and was excellent in linking with players to sweep us into another counter-attack.

He was another player who proved his coachabilty, for he listened, acted on it and significantly improved his positional play as the season unwound.

He also became adept at spotting when to change the point of attack, a strategic aspect that served us well in the latter part of the season.

After Leave Away, we beat St Paul’s (660) and Marlborough (38-12). Against Marlborough we faced a significant test in that they were highly competitive at the breakdown and were quick off the defensive line. We also played in

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damp conditions that made it harder to pass. Having played most of the season in dry conditions, slow ball at the breakdown, allied to standing too flat in attack resulted in being tackled behind the gain line and being turned over. We trailed at half-time and frustration was evident in the ranks – it tested the team dynamics and having discussed matters in the break, some common sense prevailed from Donald, whose cultured foot put us in the right areas of the field from where to play. A number of lessons were learnt on that day, lessons that would serve us well in the challenges that lay ahead.

Foundations for any successful team need to be laid down by the forwards up front. Oscar Baldwin Battersby was often seen putting most of the foundations down by himself, such was his work ethic and physical presence around the field. He thrives on the physical aspect of the game and he usually topped the tackle count. He worked hard to master his running lines at openside and he often put

himself in position to turn over ball.

His uncompromising approach set the tone for a number of excellent team defensive displays and he needs to be congratulated upon the consistency of his performances. If Baldwin Battersby drove the physical heartbeat of the side, then Freddie Finlan represents the player who set the bar for high standards of team work rate in each of our matches. He would give chase to every kick, chase down every linebreak and keeping running hard until the end of the match. Often, he would chase all day and get no returns for his effort. However, it did not discourage him and, then, a crucial tackle would suddenly turn over a ball and create a try scoring opportunity.

He is another player who has the ability to play in a variety of positions, but featured in both the second row and back row for the team. He is really a terrific team player.

Jack Buchan is another who significantly developed during the season although his progress was temporarily impeded by injury.

Both he, and his usual lock partner Archie Goaman, made a formidable partnership and the pair were undoubtedly a powerful force on the circuit. Buchan was a rampaging player in the loose and a fine ball carrier. By the end of the season he had mastered his body position and was much improved in the contact, proving himself a dynamic player at the breakdown. Goaman was equally mobile in the loose and came into the team following Buchan’s injury.

He would be a contender for one of the most improved players of the season, showing a fine skill set and great athleticism and maturing, like Buchan, into a player who made a significant contribution to the team.

Another candidate for the most improved player would be tight-head Hector Brackenbury. Brackenbury proved a dynamic carrier whose high work rate ensured he contributed across the full duration of the game.

He also improved his mobility during the term as well as his ability to make aggressive tackles. His partner on the other side of the scrum was Edward Horsfield, a player who undoubtedly

improved as the season headed to its conclusion. Pleasingly, Horsfield grew in confidence and became more physical by just throwing himself into the fray – perhaps in the past he had, like a typical prop, just overthought things! Roll up one’s sleeves and get into it was the requirement and, in this respect, both Horsfield and Brackenbury delivered. Charlie Rogers-Thomas completed the frontrow as the hooker. However, his pace and agility around the field were mightily impressive to the point that it appeared you were playing with four back row forwards. He was also abrasive in the contact and just generally tough. Unknowingly, he played on with a broken finger sustained in the titanic match against Abingdon. Abingdon were an unbeaten team and one packed with pace and power - the match proved a physical arm wrestle of a contest.

On numerous occasions, RogerThomas led the charge from the front and, on one key occasion providing possession for Tutus to find the try line. It had been a close call but we were fortunate to run out 19-12 winners in a terrific match between two quality sides.

It looked like we would be without the rampaging Rogers-Thomas for the remainder of the season but, having missed the wins against Bedford (52-0) and Berkhamsted (34-5), he miraculously returned for the final vital match away at Oundle. That was a bonus for the team and gave us a boost going into what would prove an epic contest against a powerful opposition. During his enforced absence, along with injuries to other players during the season, the team saw Ben Evans-Freke , Henry Jones and Luke Loveland step into the fray.

All three payers acquitted themselves with great distinction and played their part in the success of the season.

Throughout the entirety of the term, no one had even spoken about an unbeaten season at training.

The focus was on working on our weaknesses and preparing for the next match. The word ‘unbeaten’ was banned in the build up to the

Oundle match, which was against a well-organised opposition, who had power and pace. The result would not be a foregone conclusion. Indeed, we were quickly behind and spent most of the game chasing an opposition who fought for every inch of ground.

The season hung in the balance and with thirteen minutes to play we were trailing by nine points. A hand injury to McDermott had robbed the team of his talents for the past few matches and, like Roger-Thomas, we did not expect the vice-captain to play. Having been out for a period, McDermott was put into action at half-time where he proved himself to be the ultimate impact player or ‘game finisher’. He carried ball into the heart of the opposition and several weeks of frustration were unleashed onto the Oundle side and he quickly made his mark by crashing over to score and setting up opportunities for others. Captain Bowman, as he had done the entire season, rallied his players and drove them on. Donald kicked magnificently, with the wind, to put us into scoring positions and the tension lifted as we ran in three tries to snatch the game back by winning 27-19. It brought the curtain down on a day, and a season, that will live long in the memory.

Unbeaten seasons are rare occurrences and you occasionally need a touch of luck along the way.

The Midgets squad of 2018 have achieved a unique feat and it is something that will stay with them for many a year. There is no doubt that at a Radleian 50 year reunion, way off in the future, they will be reliving the memories of something special achieved through endeavour, commitment and a sense of collective unity and purpose. The players can be rightly proud of what they have achieved. We are proud of them.

JA Gaunt and RMC Greed

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RUGBY MIDGETS 2 P13 W9 D1 L3 After five games, we had only won one, and there was a distinct reality that this could have turned into a ‘what if’ and ‘if only’ season; especially with a points difference of just 29. We were well beaten by a clinical Tonbridge team, threw away a good lead versus Eton to draw and frustratingly lost by just 2 points to Cheltenham, but after looking comfortable for the majority of the derby game at St. Edward’s, we let them get back into the game. With 7 minutes to go, we were up 15-12 yet Teddies had all the momentum and had just scored a length of the field try. From the resulting kick off, they broke free again and looked certain to score. Fresh back from injury, Jack Cotterell had other ideas and chased back to make not only a try and game saving tackle, but also a tackle that I believe changed the course of our season. The resilience and heart the boys showed to close the game out for the win showed they had what it takes to win and realise the potential they had.

I say this, because after this tricky start, we then went on to win the next

eight encounters in a row, scoring 228 points in the process; including the demolition of Stowe and Bedford 50-5 and 68-7 respectively. These games were of course very easy on the eye, and some phenomenal tries were scored which included one of the two tries of the season from Jack Wiggin to open our account against Bedford. It was a length of the field try started and finished by Wiggin, but one the whole team should take credit for – including the resulting touchline conversion from Jacobi McCowen (who was sensationally metronomic in the second half of the season). Were these the games that stand out though? No. It was the 2 point win in a war of attrition over Marlborough, the 19-10 win away in a physically brutal game at local rivals Abingdon and the final two away games of the season, played in dogged and wild conditions at Berkhamsted (24-10) and Oundle (17-5). In every game, we played physically bigger teams, yet this didn’t faze the boys. They trusted their skills, technique and structure to outplay our opposition, which is testament to the way they approached training week in week

Coach: CPM McKegney Captain: L Loveland

out. Their commitment to every session and willingness to learn was faultless and I was genuinely proud of them and their resulting success.

The season was capped off with a very enjoyable awards night; Harry Wilson won the coveted ‘3-2-1’ Player of the Season, Oscar Phelps and Johnny Vickers shared Players’ Player and Seb Foxon and Rob Sloan were voted Most Improved Forward and Back respectively. The Coach’s Award deservedly went for ‘Mr Consistent’ Luke Loveland who was immense throughout and developed into a fantastic captain.

I would also like to thank AFCN and EOH who were so supportive of ‘the system’ by recommending and promoting the best from M3 when talent stood out or was needed. And, finally, to the parents – thank you for all your support, both on the touch-line and from afar. It really was appreciated by us all, especially in the wind, rain and mud towards the end of the season! I will keep a keen eye on this group of players in the seasons to come and have no doubt that a good few will eventually run out for Bigside.

CPM McKegney

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RUGBY MIDGETS 3 P12 W9 L3 Team from: Hector Tufnell, Leo Mekic, Henry Boulton, Hector Copcutt, George Hanlon, Gareth Ng, Will Verdin, Will Hartigan, Nicholas Xu, Henry Kendall, Sebastian Codet, Rory McNair, Freddie James, Luke Botterill, Jamie Cooper, Henry Shippey, Orlando Stirling, Alexander Buchanan, Joe Dreyer, Alex Bligh This was perhaps the most resilient group of Midgets 3 boys I can remember. Led with maturity and nous by Archie Elvin, they won several games which, in the past, would have eluded a less gritty team. The endeavour with which they trained was central to their improvement. It was almost worth the three consecutive losses at the start of the season to bear witness to their concerted efforts to improve.

Coaches: AFC Nash and EO Holt Captain: A Elvin

But strength of character alone will get you only so far. These boys could play rugby. With the expertise of assistant coach William Monckton (J Social Remove) to marshal the forwards, and a strong scrum half to fly half partnership, it was left to EOH and AFCN to provide just a little structure.

Highlights of the season included an unprecedented (for this don at least) win over St. Paul’s, and an enormously brave scrap with Abingdon. It is fair to say that if the Midgets 3 team of December had played their September selves, the result would have been very onesided. Every boy contributed all they had, and made telling contributions, but more importantly, progress as players. The central tenet of our philosophy was to play fast, with our

heads up. That all the boys attempted to do this from very early on, despite little immediate success, is a testament to their character as a group, and as individuals. I hope they look back with real pride on all they achieved, and keep the memory of the season alive in story and legend.

They were fantastic.

AFC Nash and EO Holt

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RUGBY MIDGETS 4

RUGBY MIDGETS 5 P8 W5 D1 L2

Coaches: BT Knowles, AJ Little

P11 W10 L1 This season has been a fantastic show of strength and determination from the Mighty Midgets 4. From our very first game, they demonstrated their tenacity and hunger to win.

Initially, that win came from a final push in the latter half of the game, but those early wins really fostered our team spirit, at a time when our team sheet was constantly changing and the boys were still getting to know each other.

The terrible taste of defeat came along in the form of Tonbridge, who showed no fear as they mowed us down. This was the wake-up call the boys needed in order to show them how important brave, safe tackling is. This was the one and only time they came off the pitch with their heads hanging low. After that game, the boys looked increasingly like a team and in particular, the opposing coaches consistently commented on the strength of our pack and the speed of our wings. We were no longer afraid to take or make a tackle.

In our final game against Oundle, we could truly say that the boys looked like a well-organised, strong, fast team. Everything that we had been working towards in training had come together. It was certainly a season to be proud of!

AJ Little

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This was an exceptional team and an exceptional season: certainly the best team I have coached in my 4 years at Radley across 3 different sports. More than once, Dr Schofield and I had to ask a good player to move to Midgets 6, not for having done anything wrong, but simply because there was no room for all the good players we would like to have played. It was certainly as good as many previous Midgets 4 teams.

In fact, Midgets 4 this year also had an excellent season, and were rightly praised by the Warden in his end of term speech: we played that team 3 times, winning once, and losing twice, once by only 5 points.

According to the Daily Mail Trophy league tables, we are officially the best U14 E team in the country.

In fact, that table understates our position: we also won against Marlborough College, but their coach asked us to enter it as a draw since it was early in the season.

Our first game was against Sherborne, and although signs of early season nerves were evident, we ran out clear winners, 15-5, with tries from Hardy, Jacobs, and Wingfield. Beckford, our early season fly-half, controlled much of the game, consistently finding the right pass at the right time, and was man of the match. Already at this early stage there were signs that this could be a very strong squad, and the team unity and enjoyment in their rugby was already evident. The boys were faced with a very difficult situation when the Sherborne coach announced, minutes before kick-off,

that not only could Sherborne not contest scrums (not entirely surprising at this stage, though our boys were fully prepared) but could not contest rucks, either. This seemed to turn the game into something other than rugby union, as I and the referee tried to think of some way we could incorporate this into a real match.

The boys were confused, of course, particularly as we had a turnover specialist and much of our training had been based on holding onto possession in the attacking phase.

It was disappointing to note that though the opposition had apparently not found time to teach the boys to ruck, they had taught them about grubber kicks and mauling, and those two tactics were what they used again and again, eventually succeeding in scoring a try. Nonetheless, the Radley boys were not fazed, and the pattern for the season was set.

The next game was away against Marlborough. Once again, we were faced with the frustration of an underprepared opponent who wanted to bend the rules to their advantage, and once again, being good eggs, we acceded to their request. This time it was that Marlborough did not want the score officially recorded, so I shall not mention that we won 15-5. The winner was the game of rugby (and Radley).

Our team being so together, and such an inseparable unit, I shall not subsequently always make a note of the scorers: this is to aid the importance of rugby as a team game, and in no way because I sometimes failed to make a note of who had scored.

Coaches: JW Schofield, DJT Scott Captain: M Boucher

The next match was also away, against St. Edward’s, and was the best we had played so far. St. Edward’s, as seems to be a pattern at this level, had the largest 3 or 4 boys on the pitch, but our rugby was definitely better, and we ran out 22-5 winners.

The opposition coach was full of praise for the way in which we committed to a running and passing game, which is an approach laid down for all Radley teams from Bigside down.

Now, in early October, came what is traditionally the biggest and toughest game of the season – against Tonbridge, at home. Last year’s Midgets 5 team had lost 96-0 to Tonbridge, and in my 4 years at Radley I had never beaten a Tonbridge team. Nevertheless, we had a good team and a confidence born of three successive, and increasingly impressive, wins. The game was intense from the off, and the pattern continued of Radley playing the better rugby with ball in hand, but faced with some very powerful athletes for this level. We played magnificently in the first half, with Leo Mekic and Finlay Griffin tackling every Tonbridgian who moved. We very nearly scored at the end of the half, but just failed to ground the ball after excellent defence from Tonbridge. At half-time the score was 0-0, and with the Radley teams above and below us already losing substantially, a fair number of neutrals began gathering around this clash of the titans.

Unfortunately, our two best players at that point, Griffin and Mekic, had to come off injured at the very beginning of the second half, and

since we only had one fit substitute, we were down to 14 men. After that, the extremely strong and quick Tonbridge winger came into his own. He ran in four tries after outsprinting the entire team, scoring behind the posts each time to allow for straightforward conversions. In spite of this, Radley rallied magnificently. We had no such obvious powerhouses, so our tries had to be scored from relentless pressure and accuracy, driving Tonbridge back gradually. We scored 3 fine tries, each a real effort carved in the teeth of strong defence, but ended up losing gallantly 28-17, or 4 tries to 3. The search for a win against Tonbridge goes on but, as Wellington said of Waterloo, this was a damned close-run thing.

Tested in the heat of true battle, our team were coming into their own.

Unfortunately, the second toughest team we face, St. Paul’s, were up next.

This was a real opportunity to learn from the first half of the season, but in the face of good, intelligent play by the Londoners, coupled with some disappointing errors, we lost a game we should have won, 24-17. The Radley tries came from Silk, Bucknall, and Fawcett, but we walked off the pitch disconsolate. It is one thing to be defeated knowing, as we did against Tonbridge, that we could not possibly have given more. It is quite another to know that a victory slipped from our fingers, and the emotion was bitter.

We had passed, over the course of the last two matches, through fire and ice, and I had forgotten that to forge strong steel it is necessary to cool as well as heat the metal. Now thoroughly forged, we would never forget the lesson of that bitterness. We would not be

defeated again.

In mid-November, we played away against Magdalen College U14 C team.

Last year this team had beaten us, and playing against a school with fewer playing resources but two teams up is always tricky: there are often a handful of players in the team who would easily make a higher Radley team. We knew that the tone of the match would be set by the opening 15 minutes. Scoring two converted tries in the first 5 minutes certainly helped to settle the nerves, and, whilst it lit a fire in Radley hearts, it cooled whatever heat had been in the Magdalen boys. The match, unfortunately, became a mismatch. The Radley coaches did what they could to mitigate the battering: we gave the opposition first one, then two and finally a third of our best players (only to have our chaps confirm afterwards that the Radley tackling they faced was far harder than the opposition’s!).

We switched our forwards and backs, ending with our light-weight scrumhalf playing at hooker. Nonetheless, mid-way through the second half, we were 55-0 up, the excellent Silk having scored a fine hat-trick, and mutually decided to end the game there. It could easily have been 70+ had we played to the end, but we are sportsmen first, and gave MCS a rousing cheer followed by handshakes all round.

The next match was against Bedford, and although not quite in the same league, was a rather uneventful, albeit impressive, win, 37-0. Once again, changes were made by the Radley coaches to try to balance the match, but it served only to improve the allround experience of our players. We had also confirmed, in the MCS game, our

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new and pivotal 9-10 axis of Fawcett and Boucher, and they were by now a well-oiled unit. Hughes, however, our excellent hooker and expert rucker, was man of the match.

According to the calendar, our season was officially over. However, our boys were desperate for at least one more game, and we contacted Oundle, the next school on the block fixture list, to see if we could play their 4s, or even their 3s. The answer came back that they wanted to play like for like matches, but did have a 5th team who would be delighted to play us. So came the long coach journey to Oundle – at well over 2 hours, perhaps the longest distance travelled by a Radley junior team, and certainly the longest this year. Our spirits were high, however, having won 5 out of 7 games and with a +99 points difference, and once we reached the furthest of all the Oundle pitches, at something around the 80th parallel, the difference between the teams could not have been starker. With no instructions from us, Boucher, the Radley captain, had led his charges on a lap of the pitch, before beginning to practise passing from the weaker hand, moving passes, missed passes, etc. The Oundle boys, by contrast, were huddled somewhat miserably by the bushes, in what was briefly a torrential downpour.

We started superbly and never let up.

Once again, it was clear that Radley were a vastly better team, and within 15 minutes we had met our two objectives – for the last two players

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in the squad who had not yet scored to score. Marriott, our prop-cum-8, scored early on, as did Boucher, after instructions to stop being so selfless for one game. Boucher, in fact, went on to score a hat-trick. We tried everything to even things up, taking off our first choice scrum and fly halves, mixing the backs and forwards again, but the gulf was too great to make up. Finally, at 49-0, the referee asked Radley to play to a new rule: we had to pass the ball at least 5 times before scoring a try. The message had clearly not quite got through to Brasher, the Radley flyer, when on our own 22 shortly afterwards he inveigled his way into the line-out, caught the ball, outran the entire Oundle team, and scored a brilliant solo try without passing once. The referee looked at the Radley coaches in some confusion – we grinned back – and, superbly, he blew the whistle and disallowed the try ‘because of a non-straight throw at the lineout’. Cue uproarious, good-natured laughter from the loyal crowd of around a dozen.

We ran out 66-0 winners in the end, the biggest victory margin of the day, and our selfless 10 and captain, Boucher, having not scored in the previous 7 games, finished with a hat-trick in a game we were never scheduled to play. With a 75% win ration, a points difference of +177 (or more than +22 on average per game), and a squad of 18, all of whom had scored at least one try over the season, we could have asked for little more. With a few minor

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changes of luck here and there we could easily have been looking back at an unbeaten season. However, the boys were universally wonderful. It would be invidious to pick out too many individual performers in such an all-round effort. I truly hope that as many as possible of them continue with their rugby next year: there are some genuinely exceptional players in this group who, given time, could rise to the highest representative level.

As I said to the team at the end of the season, I never ask the team to win every game, or even any game – that is not entirely down to us. What I ask is that the Midget 5 team from early September would thrash the Midget 5 team from mid-December – in short, that we improve beyond recognition.

With a trio of wins to close out the season and an aggregate score of 158-0 in those 3 games, we undoubtedly achieved this. That first Midget 5 team contained 1 player who went on to play for Midget 2, 2 who went on to play for Midget 3, and several who ended in Midget 4: to be so confident that we could have beaten them, with what was, in terms of individuals on paper, an enormously weaker team, speaks volumes of the commitment and tenacity of this group. We are both, Dr Schofield and I, immensely proud of them all. It has been a season to remember.

JW Scott and JW Schofield

RUGBY MIDGETS 6 P8 W5 D1 L2 Team from: L Gordon, A Lloyd, D Auchterlonie, A Davie-Thornhill, I Choi, M Holmes, E Cormack, F Gilbert, H Warriner, N Jacobs, A Hsia, J Cooper, A Lawal, E Wingfield, H Lowndes Lumb, F Nerdrum, A Chilvers, O Bryant, G Maddan, C Mulgrew As was to be expected, the team took most of the season to reach its final form, as players moved up and down between various squads. However, by the final three fixtures, the definitive lineup had emerged, playing robust, albeit rudimentary, rugby against strong sides. Strength lay in the back line; once the ball was played out wide with some space, Edward Wingfield and Arthur Hsia were virtually unstoppable, given their strength and speed.

Momentum was also provided by

Coaches: DWS Roques, IK Campbell Captain: H Warriner

the captain, Harry Warriner, at flyhalf, always looking for a hole in the defence, and Ayomide Lawal, whose robust tackling saved the team on numerous occasions.

Other backs took longer to find their feet, but it was good to see Harry Lowndes Lumb running from the full back position with pace and determination, and Jack Cooper gliding past the defence in the final games.

Up front, the forwards tended to be pushed backwards in the scrum, but were much more aggressive in loose play, with Freddie Gilbert being the stand out ball-carrier at number eight.

The front row were also graced with two very mobile players, namely Archie Lloyd at hooker and Lachlann Gordon at prop.

Lachlann in particular rucked with determination, as well making some crunching tackles.

Although the focus of the team varied between and within matches, their most notable win came over a strong St. Paul’s side, who were far bigger than us, but lacked the passion of the team. Radley had to come from behind to win 17-10. The second highlight of the season was the final match against the MCS C team, the deciding fixture of three, who were strengthened with players from higher teams. Radley scored four tries against the flow of play, with Harry Lowndes Lumb kicking every conversion, only to have to stem a late rush from MCS. There was much relief when the whistle finally went. Hence the season ended on a high note, demonstrating the qualities of this developing and gritty team.

DWS Roques and IK Campbell

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GOLF Senior Golfers W5 D1 L1 Team from: James Duffy (c), Freddie Horler, Andrew Liu, Bertie Southgate, Zac Carter, Marcus Stalder, Ben Wilson, Ben Dezelsky The team has had a hugely successful term, winning through the early rounds of both the big national matchplay tournaments (the HMC Singles matchplay and ISGA Foursomes matchplay).

In the former, our first match, against a very strong Abingdon team, had to be decided by a sudden death playoff hole in which Freddie Horler played some superlatively consistent golf over three extra holes to take the tie in the dying light.

A tremendous demonstration of real focus and mental strength.

Coaches: P Miron, JRW Beasley

In the HMC Foursomes against a strong Reading Bluecoat team, with the match tied 1-1 in the top two pairs, Bertie Southgate and Marcus Stalder held their nerve, again in poor light, to come back from dormie 2 down to halve the last match and thus set up a sudden death shootout. With not enough light to play another hole, the final pairs had to play closest the pin from 100 yards for the win. Bertie Southgate managed to find the green in almost zero visibility and so we march on. The next rounds of this competition in the Lent term will be even tougher challenges.

Zac Carter and both Bens Wilson and Dezelsky, all Fifth formers, played in various Senior fixtures (Zac Carter in almost all of them) and will all hopefully feature prominently in our Senior fixtures next year.

Junior Golfers W4 D0 L0 Team from: Zac Carter, Ben Wilson, Charlie Deram, Ben Dezelsky, George O’Connor, Patrick Goodwin, Kasper Mason-Phelps, Tom Seddon, Jonty Duncan, Oscar Phelps Our Juniors have performed superbly this term, winning all their fixtures against Stowe, St Edwards, Bradfield and Marlborough. We have a really promising group of Removes and Shells coming through who (in addition to the Fifths noted above) who, with the benefit of regular professional coaching by our PGA Pro both at Radley and Drayton, we hope will fill the significant hole that will be created when our 6.2s leave.

P Miron

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SAILING RCSC had a healthy and energetic Michaelmas Term with many keen new sailors joining the club and some decent performances at regattas. A new regime of Strength & Conditioning sessions has no doubt contributed to the club’s success, so a big ‘Thank You!’ is due to James Marshall for putting the sailors through their weekly paces.

As usual, for the season’s opening, the boys raced classic Seaview Mermaids in our annual September match against the Old Radleians and current Wykehamists. For the first time ever, the Radley crews managed to beat both teams to take home two trophies. This year’s team was led by brandnew Captain of Sailing, Toby Bennett (6.2, d), ably assisted by Alex “Bhandy” Bhandarkar (V, f), Stamfie Collis (V, e), Alex Dayes (V, f), Cyrus Frei (V, e), Charlie Rooth

Master in Charge: AK Mühlberg Coach: G Barker Captain: TC Bennett

(V, j), George Turner (R, f), Daniel Willmott (R, d).

During the October Leave-Away, Toby, his brother Hector Bennett (S, g), and Charlie went on to race Topper dinghies in the NSSA Single-Handed Team Racing Championships at Farmoor. They finished a creditable 5th out of 30 school teams from all around the UK and were very unlucky not to make the semi-finals due to a complicated tie break. Many thanks again to Mrs Bennett for looking after the boys between races.

Finally, RCSC took part in the inaugural BSDRA Keelboat Fleet Racing Regatta at Queen Mary Reservoir in November. This was a tough regatta sailed in J80 keelboats with symmetric spinnakers, with which the Radley sailors had only recently become

acquainted. Toby again led the team, ably crewed by Charlie, Bhandy, Will Cameron (R, e) and George Hanlon (S, c). The boys sailed fantastically well, taking the win with a seven point lead over 2nd placed Clifton College with RGS (Guildford) coming in 3rd.

Last, but not least, we are also extremely proud of five of our novice sailors who, despite the wild weather, have just completed their RYA Dinghy Level 1 & 2 qualifications. Well done to Whit Cook (V, a), Alex Dayes, Harry Lewinton (R, d), Maximo Lopez (6.1, a), and Angus Stirling (R, d).

Here’s to an equally eventful and successful Lent Term!

A K Mühlberg

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TEAM PHOTOGRAPHS We are very grateful to Gillman & Soame for supplying team photos. Parents can purchase team photographs by contacting Gillman & Soame directly as highlighted below.

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