Summer Term 2023 - Week 4 Sports Report

Cricket v Bryanston, Torquay GS and Taunton School

Boys 1st XI

Our first outing of the season in the 100 ball cup saw us visit Bryanston. We welcomed Monty Hooker back in to the side that beat Dauntsey’s convincingly on the Tuesday. He replaced Sam Martin who had gone over on his ankle in that match (diagnosis tbc).

The Bryanston wicket is always true and bouncy so we were keen to bat and did so, giving Tom Barrett the opportunity to open up with Robbie H, unfortunately an early sweep in his innings found him back in the pavilion for 1 and brought Eddie J to the crease. Robbie struck a couple lovely boundaries before departing for 12. Dill H joined Eddie and they both played beautifully from the off, a mixture of timing, power and improving running between the wickets saw them both score 50s at under a run a ball. Eddie was out for 70 (25 balls) with 26 balls left of the innings and Dill finished on 57 no (29 balls) We finished on 177 for 5 (100).

Unfortunately the inevitability of rain coming in scuppered the reply but not before everyone on the ground witnessed one of the best catches most will have seen. Monty Hooker bowling the first ball of the innings was driven aerial to backward point where a diving Dill Howell took a one handed grab horizontal to the ground. It was very much a Ben Stokes/Stuart Broad moment (google it)

Not long after we walked off with the score 7 for 1 and unfortunately the rain meant the match was abandoned.

Girls 1st XI – National T20 Cup Round 2

Rainy conditions meant that the innings were reduced to 12 overs each to ensure a full match was played. Taunton won the toss and chose to bowl first, requiring Canford to set the target. Emelia and Izzy opened the batting, with a partnership of 21; Izzy scoring 17 off 21 balls. Poppy came in at 3, and after moving past early nerves, continued in her fearless manner, scoring 15 off of 24 balls. Penny came in at 4, immediately in attack mode, scoring 17 off 18 balls. The target was set at 75.

Taunton’s turn to bat and Canford, a strong bowling side, had the plan set well by Captain Emelia. Clare and Poppy opened the bowling, with tidy swing and restricting Taunton’s bat. Poppy took the first wicket, with a stunning bowl out sending the bails flying. Jorgia and Emelia came on next to bowl, with Jorgia’s tight bowling only giving 14 runs away. The wickets began to tumble when Taunton had no reply for our outstanding spinners, Emelia and Emily. Emily bowled a stunning off spin delivery which cut back in to take the wicket. Credit goes to Emelia who’s planning of the bowling and fielding was executed perfectly. With 11 runs needed in the final over, Emelia pushed all 5 fielders allowed outside the ring to the boundary. That combined with her off spin meant that Taunton had no reply. Emelia was 1 off a fifer, taking 4 wickets, Emily taking 1 wicket and Poppy taking 2. At the end of 12 overs, Taunton scored 63/8, taking Canford through to the next round.

2nd XI vs Bryanston (100 ball) – won by 118 runs

Canford: 183 - 6 (100 balls) Jamie Elviss 90*, Harry Serjeant 34

Bryanston: 65 all out (81 balls) Will Allen 5-5

Player of the Match: Jamie Elviss

Canford 2nds comprehensively won their first game of the season in the 100 match against their local rivals. Batting first, Canford got off to a strong start with Harry Serjeant taking the game to the bowlers, clearing the infield regularly, hitting a brisk 34 in an opening partnership of 66 with Jamie Elviss. Although wicket then began to fall regularly, Jamie kicked on brilliantly, carrying his bat for a superb 90 not out. He hit shots all round the ground and batted with real authority and timing.

In reply, Bryanston wilted in the face of a devastating opening spell from Will Allen. Bowling his 20 balls unchanged from the Manor House end, he bowled fast, full and straight and the opposition batters had no answer. His first two wickets came with major assists in the outfield, with skipper George Bolland and Ed Timberlake both taking spectacular catches. After that, though, he needed no help with the final 3 all clean bowled. The other bowlers all played their part too, with Pallot, Bailey, Kiff and Flegg all picking up wickets of their own. All in all, an impressive performance.

U15As v Torquay Grammar School – ESCA National Cup

This National Cup Round 1 fixture between the champions of Dorset and Devon respectively from last year had an exciting start when despite a lively spell of pace bowling from Ben Jack and some swing from Gabe Davey, the batsmen took off at a flying rate and it looked like a long day for Canford. Then a moment of composure from Ben Priaulx and combined with over-positive running saw their gun player run out and Ben Jack bowled the other opener soon after. Bertie Cutler then became the main threat as he grabbed a wonderful 5 wicket haul which saw the visitors slump to 87 all out.

Chasing, in bowler friendly conditions was not going to be easy…I thought….but Seb Rowland made it look just that and his fine half century saw us home and dry (well, not dry) with 14 overs and 6 wickets to spare. A hugely encouraging start with evident unity in the team; bring on round 2 (Last 32)!

Canford – 88 for 4(14 overs) Torquay – 87 all out (26 overs)

U15B

Finally, the 2023 season could get off to a rip-snorting start with a local derby fixture against our friends and rivals up the road in Blandford. So, we set off with eleven to test our mettle. The weather did not look promising, perhaps a little drizzly, but Alfie Cochrane (carrying the mantle of leadership) decided to bat, to set Bryanston a fear-inducing total.

The next phase turned out both good and bad: the good bit ... the sun came out, the skies were blue, and there was even a little warmth in the air. The less good? Their opening bowlers seemed to appreciate the change in conditions more than our batters. Their bowling was quick, aggressive and straight. Our first five wickets tumbled rather too quickly for comfort; ALL clean bowled. Seb Armstrong held up his end well, eventually falling for 11 runs but others came and went far too quickly and frequently. Only when Toby Lemans appeared did some stability emerge; he played really well for his 22 no; even despatching their spinner for three consecutive boundaries; all to different parts of the ground and with very different (and genuine scoring) shots. By now he had been joined by the skipper, who fed Toby the strike judiciously.

Extras weighed in with 30 runs but unfortunately, the scoring had been rather slow, and after 17.2 overs we were sitting on a rather modest 77 for 6. The only other wicket was a comedy run-out, where Fred Blackburn was sent back after already running two; his studs did not perform effectively, and he ended up on his back, stranded several metres from the non-striking end.

But then, Mother Nature came to our aid: the skies blackened and the rain came down ... fiercely. We outlasted the 1st XI on the 'downhill' pitch, but after five minutes of trying to 'tough it out', we eventually conceded to the rain gods. Off we scampered for an early tea, and the hope that the storm would pass.

It was not to be with the pitch was thoroughly soaked and the match had to be abandoned. What would have been the outcome, had we been able to return? It would have been a low total to defend, but I would like to think that with a bowling attack including: Anderson, Cochrane, Jenkinson, Lemans and Rees - we could have done some damage, and make the opposition really struggle.

But we will never know. Let's hope a rearranged fixture will emerge, and we can set the record straight.

U14A

On a cloudy day on Upper Tadmores, our rivals from next door won the toss and elected to bowl. Felix Inglis and Guy Punnet opened the batting. After digging deep for the tough opening stages of the game. Bryanston took wickets regularly throughout the Canford innings restricting the home side to 51 off 100 balls.

Canford set a very attacking field and hit the wet track well and troubled the batters. Caitlin Wilmot and Lex Vrettos the pick of the seamers. Teddy McSheehy looped the ball up well and asked questions. Some great fielding by Tom Hatherley created a run out. Bryanston won with 9 wickets remaining.

U14B

The rains held off for long enough for the U14Bs to get their season underway against local friends and rivals in Bryanston. The toss was won by captain Monty Palmer and he asked the visitors to bat on a softish surface for the T20 fixture.

Some good early bowling particularly by Ruby Hindell and Alice Laird restricted Bryanston’s progress. Josh Sinclair weighed in with a couple of wickets and very nearly had a hat trick. However some untidy bowling and some spirited late hitting meant Canford needed to chase 115 to win.

Captain Palmer led the way in in the batting putting on 31 with Toby Flegg for the 1st wicket. A brief rain shower then interrupted proceedings but both team were keen to push on and the weather cleared enough to continue. The surface had become harder to bat on and once Flegg and Monty had departed regular wickets fell even though the team were well up with the required rate. In the end some tight run outs cost the team the game with Canford ending up bowled out 15 runs short but leaving 4 overs unused.

Some great cricket played by both sides and lessons learnt but overall, a positive first cricket experience with hopefully more to come when the sun does decide to join us!

Tennis

Girls 1s v Bryanston – Won 5-4

P1 Lara Ela Ulkeroglu / Nia Edwards

P2 Mia Ashby – Rudd / Hattie Wade

P3 Anouska Loveridge / Freya Barrington

At last we managed to sneak a fixture in before the rains came back! The first round everyone was a little nervous, racket paths weren’t smooth, ball tosses were all over the place and looked like we were in for a long afternoon. It always a tough start that when at home the first round sees the first pair of the opposition play against the 3rds. A 6-1 loss for the Freya and Noush, but the score did not reflect the game. They tried to do all the right things, but just weren’t as consistent as the accomplished opposition pair. For the rest of the afternoon, they progressed, got more confident and lost a very tight battle in the final match. Mia and Hattie – started as they meant to go on! Calm, yet competitive. Whilst there were some issues with serving, they stayed confident and tactically got it right all afternoon. Leading them to have an epic victory in the second round, as they took down the opposition No 1s 6-3. Our first pair Lara and Nia, started off a little nervous, not trusting their shots – however they sailed through their first two matches with easy wins. Lost out against the first pair in a very close match, that could have gone either way.

POTW – Mia Ashby Rudd and Hattie Wade – for playing smart tennis and keeping the play simple and effective.

Girls 2s v Bryanston – Won 5-4

P1 Maya Doubleday / Tara Hogan

P2 Georgia Webb / Katie Clark

P3 Lucy Rodgerson / Varya Darling

A shaky start for the seconds with all of the pairs, seemed a little overwhelmed at playing against an opposition who started off very well. We were very quickly 2-1 down after the first round. All the pairs got better as the matches went on, as Bryanston began to tire. The first round saw Lucy and Varya, take down the 1st pair and really boosted their confidence. Heading into the final round Maya and Tara, were not willing to let their disjointed start put them off. They regrouped and pulled off a fantastic win 6-0, in the second round. Going into the final round the girls were 4-2 down, meaning that to take the win all 3 girls needed to win to ensure the W. Maya and Tara come off first having won 6-2 taking the overall score to 4-3. Lucy and Varya, worked so hard to pull a 6-4 win off and the match was squared up at 4-4. All of the team headed to the cage court to watch the final epic match! Locked in battle Georgia and Katie, fought hard to take it into a 6-6 all tiebreak. After a shaky start, they held their nerve and took the win 7-4!

POTW – Georgia Webb / Katie Clark – It could have gone either way. They held their nerve and helped us to win overall.

Girls 3/4ths v Bryanston

Excitement levels were palpable as the 3rds and 4ths took to the courts in earnest for the first time this season, locking horns with their counterparts from ‘up the road’. Most pairings were largely untried to date so, for all, there was an element of stepping into the unknown. We needn’t have worried…both fixtures were keenly contested throughout, with the spoils eventually shared.

The 3rds enjoyed a thumping victory, winning 8-1, with 3rd pairing Ruby Anand and Charlotte Howat defying their seeding with a blemish free performance; they vanquished all before them including a very strong 1st pair, losing only 3 games in the process – a wonderful start to the season.

The 4ths fixture was a much tighter affair, going right down to the nervous, final rubber. Our 3rd pair of Noa Armstrong and Bee Andrews, are worthy of special mention here; they played three ferociously competitive sets, narrowly losing two on tie-break, including their match against Bryanston’s unbeaten first pair, pushing them all the way. Final score 4-5 and a superb effort from all.

So, the early portents for the 3rds and 4ths are extremely positive - not least selection being highly competitive such is the strength in depth; we look forward to continuing in a similar vein as the fixtures come thick and fast this term.

Well done to all involved.

Boys 1s and 2s vs Winchester College

Losing an experienced member of the 1st team just before the fixture certainly influenced the match however, perhaps not the result against a very strong Winchester side. I was pleased to see several young players step up as well as a majority of U6th playing in their last season. Leon Keating made his debut for the 1st team and grew in confidence as the afternoon went on. His pairing with Hugo Svedberg is certainly one for the future. Pairings such as James Harvey and Rohan Samra and Felix Synott paired with Alex Cochran has good afternoons and were really competitive for the 2nd VI.

Will Pickard continues to lead by example and there were some great touches from his partner Tom Clarke. Not easy at 1st pair but it was good to see them make their opposition work hard for points. The hard-hitting Guy Marton and Ed S-B had moments of magic but the consistency of the Winchester teams ground them down. Thanks to Louis Pearson who stepped up last minute to play for the 2nds alongside James Bala.

We look forward to welcoming Bryanston on Thursday and to apply some of the lessons from this difficult afternoon.

3rd Team

Ross Jemmett & Albert Blackburn: 6/2(W), 6/1(W)

Michael Campbell & Olly Peters: 6/3 (W), 4/6(L)

Oscar Feingold & Nat Merrell: 6/1(W), 6/1(W)

4th Team

Tele Okubanjo & Isaac Gill: 6/2(W), 6/2(W)

Finlay Craigen & Hugh Blake: 5/6(L), 6/1(W)

Felix Church & Harry Todd: 6/4(W), 6/1(W)

Great to get our first match in of the term away at Milton Abbey. It was a trick away court with the surrounding netting a little close for comfort, but the boys adjusted well and won five of the first six matches. Stand out pairs across the afternoon were Ross/Albert and Oscar/Nat for the thirds and Tele/Isaac for the fourths; I should also give a mention to Felix/Harry who stood in very last minute and looked on for a clean sweep. Unfortunately, the heavens opened and the match had to be abandoned, but luckily both Canford teams had already crossed the line with the vital fifth rubber. Well done boys, still a bit of rust to get rid of but lots of positives to take away from the afternoon.

Boys’ U15As Home to Winchester – 3-6 Loss

The U15s hosted Winchester in their first match of the season on Thursday. Hector and Tim were great throughout, winning two of their 3 sets. After a slow start Cam and Seb really started to turn it on and managed to win their second set and narrowly lose out on their final set. A bit of rustiness in the third pair, meant that Henry and Luca unfortunately lost all 3 sets, but they showed real glimpses of their quality, just more consistency is required.

Player of the Day: Hector Boyle

Boys’ U15Bs Home to Winchester – 1-8 Loss

A tough day for the 15Bs who were against a much more experienced opponent. The boys played with respect and class, something some of their opponents lacked immensely. They did well to remain calm. Will T + Santi narrowly missed out on two of their games but grew with confidence as the sets continued. Ollie and Kunwho did well in a new pairing but struggled to properly get going, nothing more practice won’t sort. The pair of the match though was Sam F and Rhodri. After two tough opening sets they came back to win the only set for the Bs.

Player of the Day: Rhodri Whitehead

Boys U15Cs Home to Winchester - 5-4 Win

The 15C’s came away with a victory against Winchester. Jack and Ollie S stormed two of their sets, winning 6-0 and 6-3. It was a similar story for Harry and Ollie G who won two sets 6-1. Sam and Zac managed to win one of their sets 6-2, swinging the tie in Canford’s favour, giving them a 5-4 victory.

Girls U15As v Bryanston – 1-8 Loss

A1: Kurumi Hotta & Connie Mowat,

A2: Jess Taylor & Ella Gildert,

A3: Poppy Machray & Tess Byng

Thankfully the weather held just long enough for our first match of two against Bryanston to be successful without any delays. Both the As and Bs were given a lesson in winning matches and is a reminder that winning is never easy. Both matches, however, were closer than the scores suggest. Our first pair started well winning 6-4 and playing some aggressive winners. In their second match tipped the other way losing 3-6, but sadly they hit the self-destruct button in their final match losing 0-6! The best performance of the afternoon went to the second pair who made every match a good contest and were unlucky to lose all three sets 4-6 despite playing well. The difference was only two or three key points that the end of each set. The third pair played some nice points but were out played by teams that were able to take advantage of their loopy serves.

Girls U15Bs v Bryanston 0-9 loss

B1: Sienna Fitzpatrick & Rose Sanderson

B2: Kate Landale & Emily Kiff

B3: Tilly Brewer & Gigi Gow

A tough day out. Bryanston were the stronger team with a number of girls looking like they could play for the A’s. The girls were positive and gave their best right up to the last point. Sienna and Rose had a difficult afternoon but should be pleased with the way that recovered from their 0-6 defeat in the second round. At 3-3 in the last set it could have gone either way.

Both teams will be looking to improve their performances when Bryanston travel to Canford for the home fixture.

Girls U15Cs away v Bryanston 0-9 loss

Going into their first match of the season there is always much to learn, and our three pairs came away with some valuable match experience today. Unfortunately, no pairings were successful in securing a victory, however what they lacked in points, they made up for in shots practised. Evie and Kekoa played some impressively competitive points in their second match and now want to work on that killer instinct moving forwards. Ella and Zion’s positioning around the court improved steadily throughout the three matches so plenty to take from that, whilst Hanna and Anna got stuck into some tense Deuce battles. Onwards and upwards for the next fixture girls!

Girls U15Ds away against Bryanston -3/6 loss

Although we got off to a slow start initially there were some highly competitive games that were not truly reflected in the game score, with many going to Deuce multiple times. Ella and Tess made a strong start winning two games but not quite being able to convert the other points into games won. Helena and Brooke stepped up a year group extremely well too and really took the match to their opponents with some impressive cross-court shots. Meanwhile on court 1, Flower and Elvin went from strength to strength, decisively winning a close match 7/5 before winning their final match 4/2, cut short due to the biblical rain that Bryanston received.

Girls U14As v Bryanston U14As

This week the Canford U14As and Bs faced Bryanston away. The As had a good day winning 7 of their matches, Bella and Oriana made a strong first pair winning all their games convincingly. Willa B and Chloe improved throughout the day also coming out with 3 wins. Willa K and Lily kept their heads right up to the end winning their final match but put up a good fight against the opposing pairs in the other matches.

Girls U14Bs v Bryanston U14Bs

There was similar success in the U14Bs who, like the As won 7 of their matches in total. Annie and Cata had great communication and came out with 3 wins, two of which were 6-0, unfortunately having to finish their final match early due to rain leaving that final score at 4-2 to Canford. Jemima and Elisa had some close games, but also had to finish their final game prematurely with a score of 5-2. Grace and Esme were a last-minute pairing which worked out well with them winning all 3 games convincingly.

Canford Boys 14A/B v Winchester

An honourable defeat for our first match against a much stronger side.

Lewis Parker/Yakov Vorobyev did well and establish themselves as first pair winning 2 sets out of 3 played. (L1-6, W6-4, W 6-3). Jack Gao, Hector Chissell, Gil Stalker and Xander Jackson kept their heads up, battling points, getting used to double tactics.

All B pairs managed to win games in each set, a good achievement against a strong Winchester side.

Ethan Crorie and Ralph Nishioka displayed excellent sportsmanship. Pair 2 (Hugo McHamish and Jacob Van Wensveen) and pair 3 (Christian Frank and George Hudson who won the most games) were playing with a competitive spirit, really working hard, running after every ball, thinking tactically.

Despite understandable disappointment and frustration, all boys did well. Target for training and upcoming fixtures will be on greater communication, double tactics and increasing presence and skill at the net.

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