Summer Term 2023 - Week 5 Sports Report

Athletics – Track & Field Cup, PEDSSA Trials and the Canford Meet

It was a busy week for the Athletes with the Track and Field Cup taking place at King’s Park on Tuesday for the Shells and Fourth Form. Strong performances were seen by Joe Stephenson in Javelin, Ben Jack in Shot and the Girls’ 4x100m relay team, comprising of Poppy White, Bella Jenkins, Josie Carswell and Poppy Young. Overall the girls’ team finished 5th and the boys 6th.

On Thursday Canford held the second Poole and East Dorset Trials for all horizontal jumps and throwing events. Millie Bowley achieved a season’s best in Long Jump and Lawrence Al Hariri won the Shot Put.

Finally last Saturday saw Canford hosting a meet inviting Sherborne Boys, Winchester, Clayesmore and Bryanston. Luckily the weather was true to the forecast and a fantastic seventy four Canford athletes took part. Highlights were seen in the Inter Girls High Jump, where Megan Mowbray has broken the school record with a jump of 1m57, the Inter Boys 4x100m, and winning overall in all three age groups in the girls competition and the inter boys.

This Saturday sees the athletes heading to Winchester and we are hoping to see more top performances.

Rowing – Avon Spring Regatta

One of the local provincial regattas held annually is the Avon and Bristol regatta which took place last Saturday. With many clubs and schools attending from as far as Exeter, Pangbourne and Christchurch it is a good quality event.

Our Canford crews acquitted themselves against some very good opposition.

Most notable performances were from Canford J15 girls Clementine Watts, Maddie Woodcock, Izzy Keeley, Freya Coupe, Devon Perrin. They won their heats and narrowly lost in the final.

Well done also to the other crews that took part:

Gabriel Vandvik, Freddie Pearce, Elliot Walter, George Roche © Ralf Allen.

Charlie Hall, Henry Stear, Julian Newell, James Hornung © Millie Gardiner

Jasmine De La Haye, Beth Laker, Daisy Lewis, Daisy Pinner. © Millie Gardiner

Cricket v Clayesmore, Marlborough and Sherborne Girls

1XI v Clayesmore (100 ball)

After the visiting team won the toss and electing to bat on a hard green pitch. Canford started well with E Hilton taking the first wicket leaving Clayesmore 7-1 after the opening wicket. The seam attack worked hard restricting the batters to less than run a ball. Hilton picked up another wicket after a run out. With the batting team surviving T Barrett and K Blomfield came on turning the ball past the outside edge nearly every ball and causing problems every ball for the batters. E Jack ran a batter out in this phase of play after a direct hit from the boundary. With the pacers coming back into the game S Reeve picked up a wicket after an O Berridge catch. Clayesmore finished on 86 - 5 after 100 balls.

R Hemmings and T Barrett fell into a similar position as the visitors in the first few deliveries, then E Jack came to the crease after a tidy partnership with T Barrett which accelerated the run rate. E Jack departed for 13. Captain D Howell scored quickly however, played early on a shot and was caught for 6 runs. T Barrett also departed soon after this for 14 runs. O Berridge and G Guirdham finished the game quickly, putting the bad balls away and running well between the wickets. O Berridge finished on 23 off 17 balls and G Guirdham 11 off 15. Canford finished with 89/4 with 21 balls remaining.

1XI v Clayesmore (45 overs)

Amongst all the weekend happenings and jubilation, we finally managed to scrape in a Saturday fixture and what a lovely sunny day it was. Canford cricketers were raring to go into the field and bat for the 90 overs that stood in front of us.

Dill Howell won the toss and sent us into bat in what would be a slow and sticky wicket, but this being something we knew beforehand.

We got off to a slow start due to Clayesmore opening pair bowling very well. Robbie Hemmings was first to go with one that seemed to nip away, while an over later fellow opener George Guirdham was dismissed from what we call a "seed".

Eddie and Dill got themselves going with a couple of boundaries and a free hit for 6 getting closer and closer to Mr Vessey's office. Eddie was out for 19 and Dill for 24. Ozzie Berridge didn't stick around for long departing for only 11. On the back foot, in walked our 2 youngest players to "steady the ship". A situation made for Harry Serjeant some would say. Harry and Tom Barrett put their heads down and scraped a 50 partnership together and got us back into a good position. Harry was dismissed for 25 and Tom for a well-played 40. Our tail tried to wag as best as they could and got us to the total of 197, leaving Clayesmore needing 198 for the win.

Sam Reeve did what he does best, getting early wickets. He grabbed us one in the first over and put us right in the driving seat. With wickets falling constantly, Clayesmore found themselves 60-5 in no time, with our spinners building pressure backed up by some good fielding:

Kit Blomfield bowled 7 overs, 3 wickets for 17 runs, the economical pick of our bowlers.

Sam Reeve taking 4 wickets in his 7 overs being only 1 away from his 2nd 5 wicket haul of the season.

Oscar Bailey on debut grabbed 2 crucial wickets and Tom Barrett chipped in with 1 wicket.

We bowled Clayesmore out for 123, giving us a 74-run victory.

2nd XI v Clayesmore (100 ball) – won by 69 runs

Canford: 128 - 7 (100 balls) Harry Serjeant 53, Tom Kiff 26

Bryanston: 59-8 (100 balls) Will Allen 3-6

Player of the Match: Harry Serjeant

Canford 2nd XI had a double header away to Clayesmore this week, the first in the 100 ball competition. Being put into bat on the stickiest of wickets, Jamie Elviss and Harry Serjeant put on a positive 46 opening partnership, before 3 wickets fell for only 1 run. Harry, however, dug in and played a mature innings combining watchful defence on the regular ‘lowies’ with aggression when the ball was there to hit. He finished with a match winning 53 off 50, with Tom Kiff providing useful support later on with some lusty blows to the boundary. Like Bryanston before them, the Clayesmore batters couldn’t cope with Will Allen’s full, fast and swinging deliveries, as he picked up the first 3 wickets in his opening spell. From then on, the other bowlers kept a lid on the run rate and regularly picked up wickets to leave the hosts a long way short.

Canford 2nd XI vs Clayesmore (25 overs ball) – won by 158 runs

Canford: 267 - 3 (25 overs) Jamie Elviss 137, Johnny Walster 62 not out, Jimmy Johnson 33

Bryanston: 109 – 7 (25 overs) Emelia Butler 3-14, Will Allen 3-16,

Player of the Match: Jamie Elviss

Having been dominated by the ball in the 100 game earlier in the week, Clayesmore won the toss and elected to bowl. It surely was a decision they came to regret as they were put to the sword by a rampant Jamie Elviss, with support from the equally destructive Johnny Walster. The innings opened with a maiden, and Jimmy Johnson and Jamie played positively but sensibly to put on 30 in the first five overs. They then began to open up to complete a 120 run partnership in 13 overs, by which time Jamie was in his stride. Johnny came in and joined the party, with both players putting away the loose balls to the boundary two or three times an over. Jamie was particularly brutal, hitting six 6’s, four of which came after reaching three figures – his final 37 runs came off only 9 balls.

Clayesmore showed no interest in trying to chase down Canford’s mammoth total, settling with the aim of batting their overs. Will Allen picked up his customary early wicket, along with a couple more late on to take his tally to 11 in 3 games, whilst Emelia Butler dismantled the Clayesmore top order, picking up 3 wickets before a run was scored off her bowling. With the ball spinning prodigiously, combined with traditional flight and guile, numbers 2, 3 and 4 were all clean bowled. Once again, the rest of the bowlers bowled played their part, with Jack Flegg and Charlie Pallot particularly tidy. Finally, a big shout out to skipper George ‘Brierley’ Bolland, who selflessly chose not to bowl himself to give others a go ahead of him.

U15As v Marlborough College (ESCA National Cup last 32)

The second game of the U15 season was the second game in the National Cup with this talented group of players playing for a place in the last 16. A dangerous opening blast from Ben Jack came with no luck this time with Gabe Davies making the important breakthrough by bowling the opening bat. Though wickets did fall quite consistently after that, as a unit, Canford were probably guilty of bowling too many four balls and so the Marlborough batsman could score freely. Two catches from Ben Priaulx and a good one under pressure from Archie Lappin saw the visitors reach 195 for 8 from their 35 overs.

Seb Rowland showed the team the way with some outstanding pull shots but the Marlborough bowlers learnt quickly that the short ball was the poor ball on a slow wicket and so erred full. A really good catch saw the end of Seb for 40 and then Raffi Organ came in to score a run a ball 50 that set Canford up for an unlikely win. When he was caught at cover though, the game seem lost until Ben Priaulx showed everyone that he could hit a really clean ball scoring at 9 per over for the last 5 overs …..unfortunately the required run rate had been 10 and so Canford fell half a dozen or so runs short of victory – great game though. More consistent bowling and a more positive mindset to backing up and taking quick singles were the key ‘take forwards’ from this very decent game of cricket – well played men.

Canford – 188 for 7 (35 overs) Marlborough College – 195 for 7 (35 overs)

U15As v Clayesmore

Having lost the toss, Canford soon made a breakthrough with Ben Jack’s pace. Then, as the bowling was shared around, so were the wickets and despite one of the batters clubbing 75, Clayesmore were all out for 112. Gabe Davey took 4 wickets and Seb Rowland 2 while Toby Lemans had a wicket maiden.

A solid 90 run partnership between Felix Lock (44) and Archie Lapin (38) then saw Canford home quite comfortably with Raffi Organ caressing a few winning boundaries at the end. A straightforward victory with an urgency to run better between the wickets our next focus.

Canford – 113 for 3 (19 overs) Clayesmore – 112 all out (21 overs)

U15Bs v Clayesmore

Canford 133 for 7 25 overs

Clayesmore 103 for 10 25 overs

(12 batters available for both teams)

Canford win by 30 runs

With both teams having the luxury of a twelfth man, it was agreed that everyone should field, and everyone could bat, if required. Captain Sam Armstrong decided on winning the toss that we would have first use of what would best be described as an unpredictable surface.

The Canford innings saw that a lot of bottom hand and cultured stroke play was not to be the order of the day; more appropriate was to be the mantra of ‘hit out, or get out’.

Sam was steady for his 9 runs, working hard for his singles, before being run out but poor Fred Blackburn was hardly settled before he sent a catch to a short fielder. Izzy Reeve made 14 before succumbing to one that kept low. Daisy Timberlake was also looking to build a score when she also chipped one of the ‘shooters’ to a grateful fielder before she had really established herself. Jacob Royle - 2 and Wilf Lupton - 1 were both undone by more devious straight bowling before Oscar Ingarfield enjoyed a productive stay at the crease, contributing thirteen runs not out (almost all in singles) and Louis Smith, who joined him after a couple of minutes, was even more effective, with an enjoyable 21 runs. Alfie Cochrane came out for the last three balls of the innings and managed to scamper a single to register a score in the book.

So, 69 runs off the bat although the 64 extras were useful to set a challenging total of 133 for Clayesmore in their 25 overs.

Clayesmore were something of a smorgasbord of talent with the willow, and they had a cunning plan of ‘mixing up the order’. Isaac Freeman opened the bowling and was the only one all day to really cope with the vagaries of the pitch; he pitched the ball full, but with enough pace to get a bit of bounce. He deservedly picked up a brace of ‘clean bowled’ and figures of 5 overs, one (wicket) maiden, and 11 for 2. Splendid.

Alfie bowled a very interesting spell of five overs; two more cleaned bowled and only one run off the bat but no balls were an issue. Ellie Anderson bowled two very decent overs after initial nerves. Jacob and Fred had a couple of overs each and Linc Jenkinson started with a wicket maiden, bowled a tight second, but then came in for some punishment in his third. Most importantly, when he returned for his second spell he went a paltry five runs in two overs along with Isaac. Finally, Skipper Sam took the final over, going for three runs, but bowling a couple. For the final ball, he was on a hat-trick, but just couldn’t keep the radar fully on target.

So Clayesmore were 103 for 10 at the end of their 25 overs.

All in all, a very satisfying start to the season, with nine people getting the chance of a bat, seven getting a bowl. Daisy demonstrated silky skills with the gloves, we won our first completed fixture and the sun shone throughout!

U15 Girls v Sherborne Girls (National Cup - Last 64)

The U15 girls but behind them the disappointment of falling just short of qualifying for the National Indoor Finals as the weather relented enough for the outdoor season to kick into gear.

In reality the fixture turned into a comfortable win for the girls with Poppy White (68no) and Izzy Reeve (69) both batting very well as we ran up a big score of 178-2 in our 20 overs. Sherborne never really threatened that total after losing some early wickets, Penny Dirou and Caitlin Wilmot particularly good with the ball, but moving forward we will need to pick up on some of the fielding which allowed Sherborne to finish 69 all out.

A good win but tougher tests await!

U14As v Clayesmore

We lost the toss vs Clayesmore and were put into bat. Felix and Freddie opened with Felix getting out in the second over for 0. Guy then came in and started to build a partnership with Freddie until Freddie got out for 6. Hector then came in and unfortunately got out for 1, things continued similarly for the next ten overs with no one able to create a solid partnership, though there were some good contributions from Tom Hatherley. Guy played especially well hitting 28 but, in the end, we were all out for 80

We opened the bowling with Phoenix and Tom Dempsey who found it difficult at first to get their line due to the swinging ball and length but after a few balls were in full flow. With Tom picking up a wicket in his first over. Though Clayesmore were able to build a partnership to bring them relatively close to our total, Freddie and Teddy bowled well getting one wicket each but in the end our total was too low and Clayesmore won by seven wickets. We fielded well today but batting and bowling need a bit of work.

U14B v Clayesmore

Another close game for the U14Bs and unfortunately a second loss with the margin as close as it can be. Clayesmore were the visitors on this occasion and for the first time this season it felt like summer with the sun beating down and a decent amount of parents enjoying the cricket on show.

After winning the toss Captain Monty Palmer put the visitors into bat and set about making sure any chase was gettable. A great opening spell by Luca Eastwood soon had Clayesmore in trouble and wickets fell regularly. Seb Chapman weighed in with a couple of good overs and at one stage the opposition were in big trouble at 85-8. However an excellent innings of 65 including a couple of 6s from Angus S propelled the Clayesmore innings forward before Luca returned to mop up the tail and finish with five wickets. 152 was the target set which seemed a big one but with a couple of good innings it was still doable.

The Canford reply started well with Palmer and Toby Flegg putting on 42 for the first wicket before the Captain fell. Toby pushed on scoring a solid 24 enjoying a good partnership with Luca Eastwood who would end up top scoring with a well made 36. With extras weighing at 145-6 and balls in hand it looked like a win was inevitable. However some excellent Clayesmore fielding along with tighter bowling saw Chapman, Gu and Puzas all fall with no runs added. It left last pair Euan Stacey and Felix De Mounteney to try to find 7 more runs off the last couple of overs. A couple of nice shots from Stacey and a wide left Canford one run behind with 4 balls still to go before De Mounteney fell leaving Canford 1 run short and Clayesmore as the victors.

A fantastic game, played in great spirit, left lots of what ifs for the Canford boys but progress is definitely being made and we look forward to Dauntsey’s in a week’s time.

Tennis v Bryanston and Sherborne Girls

1st Boys

v Bryanston W6-3

Will / Rupert

Tom / Hugo

Guy / Ed

When it comes to the tennis season the rivalry always shifts a little. Whilst we always want to win the local derby, the boys are always confident against Bryanston. A solid start from the top pair saw a 6-0 win, whilst the others struggled with rhythm and pace of ball and we found ourselves 2-1 down. Heading into the second round, we talked a lot about not trying to hit the ball as hard. Slow it down, get control, make your opponents work harder and keep things simple. Guy and Ed did just that, after a fantastic win against the 1st pair and everyone else winning comfortably we went 4-2 up. The final round, saw some hard-fought battles and we took the tie 6-3.

Pair of the week - Guy Marton and Ed Schuster Bruce.

Boys 2nds

v Bryanston W6-3

Alex / Felix

Leon / James

Rohan / James H

Similar story in the 2nds, although we started 2-1 up. Trying to hit the ball too hard led to unforced errors. We talked about similar themes as the firsts and preached patience - if you don't win a point on the first few hits, bide your time, and make them play more. Bryanston's 2nd pair seemed to be the best, winning against two of our pairs. Again, heading into the final round 4-2 up and cruising. Rohan and James H, has a great afternoon - winning all 3 and staying consistent.

Pair of the week Rohan Samra and James Harvey

Boys 3rds win 7-2

Boys 4ths win 7-2

Comprehensive wins from both teams against Bryanston.

Comfortable matches performed in the right spirit, competitive yet fun.

All aspects of the game were developed, big serves, volleys, rallies with suspense. Good use of tramlines.

Boys hosted with grace, and this was felt in the way both teams interacted on court.

A good outlet for examinees, despite short lived showers halfway through the match. Despite their loss, Bryanston left grateful shaking hands with players and staff.

A great afternoon of tennis and sportsmanship.

1st Girls v Sherborne W6-3

Lara Ela / Nia

Hattie / Mia Ashby

Anouska / Maya

The girls and I always look forward to the Sherborne fixture. It's always competitive, fun, and friendly atmosphere and this year did not disappoint. All 9 matches were close and at times could have gone either way. I was again really impressed with tactically how clever; we played smart tennis and made them play more balls. Forcing them to come up with answers and lead to unforced errors that we capitalised on. Maya and Anouska, performed very well taking out the first pair but being patient and dominating at the net. Collectively, a solid performance!

Pair of the Week - Maya Doubleday & Anouska Loveridge.

2nd Girls v Sherborne L 5-4

Tara / Freya

Katie / Georgia

Varya / Lucy

Same as above, much like us we always know Sherborne have good depth as they have more to pick from. Often there is not too much difference between their 1's and 2's. All of the pairs battle hard and only feel short with a few unforced errors. Across all the matches they were so close heading to tie breaks and 7-5's. Impressive play by Tara and Freya in the last round, against the 1's! Calm play and sensible shot selection. A great afternoon!

Pair of the Week - Tara Hogan and Freya Barrington

Girls 3rds/4ths Tennis v Sherborne

“If only we had started as we finished”; this was very much the sentiment across all Rossiter courts as both teams were edged out by their Sherborne counterparts on Saturday. All fixtures were keenly contested but the Canford girls would be the first to admit that we ‘left a few sets out there’ following a slow start to proceedings. Whilst it is imperative to respect opponents on the sporting field, equally, it is vital to have the courage of one’s own conviction and be competitive right from the off – sometimes at Canford we’re just a bit too ‘nice’ – differential even. Yes, an extremely positive trait but maybe one to be put on hold when you ‘cross the whitewash’?! Nevertheless, there was some very entertaining tennis, with all pairs contributing positively to the scoreline - Bea Woodward and Layla Stannah leading the way, winning two of their 3 rubbers.

U15As v Bryanston W5-4

The U15As and Bs travelled to Bryanston on Thursday for what were a pair of good competitive tennis matches with some real quality on display. The As came away with a 5-4 victory while the Bs were unlucky to lose 6-3. Lewis and Hector performed very well as the top pair, winning 2 out of 3 sets and taking the Bryanston top pair right to the wire, losing 6-5 having been 5-0 down. Cam Crorie and Tim Engel battled well, again winning two of their sets. Finally, Yakov and Jack Gao proved to grab a decisive win against the Bryanston’s second pair, a really good performance by two Shells who stepped up an age group like Lewis.

U15Bs v Bryanston L3-6

The U15Bs battled hard but came up just short. Seb Doherty and Henry Andrews fought hard winning two sets as did Luca Bartlett and Ollie Longrigg who managed to pull in one winning set. Ralph Nishioka and Xander Jackson were unable to get a winning set under their belts but they put their best foot forward as they played up a year and this will be a good experience for them as they continue to develop.

The boys can be proud of their efforts and can hopefully keep putting in good performances in future fixtures which should lead to more victories.

Canford U14A v Bryanston L7-2

A combination of Fourth Form and Shells played away at Bryanston on Thursday. Rhodri proved his quality once again in the first set. Once he and Sam have consistency as a pair they will be a strong duo. Sante and Will improved again from their last outing which was great to see. After a slow start Gill and George grew with confidence and took their second set to a tiebreak and then ran away with their final set, winning 6-0.

Player of the day: Gill Stalker

Girls U15A and B, L0-9, L0-9

Despite a heavy defeat to a well drilled, talented and competitive Sherborne squad, the Canford girls were a great credit to themselves and the school. Their attitude and determination were fantastic and never let their heads drop, despite the shadow of inevitability that slowly coloured the afternoon. Thankfully this was the only shadow on what turned out to be a beautiful afternoon for tennis. Those deserving a particular mention were Emily Kiff and Kate Landale winning 3 games in their set against the Sherborne 3rd pair. Kurumi Hotta and Connie Mowat had a positive game against the Sherborne 3rd pair willing 4 games. The best result was again Jess Taylor and Ella Gildert, who pushed the Sherborne 2nd pair to 5-7 in their final match.

Girls U15C v Sherborne L0-9

It was a shame that the score overview did not accurately reflect the ferocity and enjoyment that was displayed on all three courts at Sherborne. Hanna and Anna made a tentative start but soon got into the swing of it and the combination of Anna's strong and sneaky volleys and Hannah's down the line beauties made for a few tense deuces. Evie found her serve again and her and Ella went from strength to strength across the three matches. Flower and Elvin made a strong start with a game in hand but unfortunately Sherborne had the edge and just outplayed us. Lots of progress over the three matches and lots to go back and work on this week!

Girls U14A/B/C v Sherborne

This week the girls had a few tougher matches against Sherborne Girls. Bella and Oriana had some great matches and got better with each one, coming out with 2 wins for the As. Willa B and Chloe quickly got into a good rhythm and worked together constantly talking to one another, achieving another 2 wins for the As. Willa K and Phoebe were a new pair this week and had some close games. The As finished 4-5 to Sherborne Girls

The Bs had all new pairings this week so took some time to settle. Lily and Cata having some very close games, they kept the communication going throughout and managed to get one win for the Bs. Annie and Elisa kept their heads in the game and continued throughout the day with a positive attitude. Grace and Alice really secured a good partnership with all three of their games being close, finally coming out with two wins for the Bs. Canford unfortunately finished 3-6 to Sherborne

This week the U14Cs had their first matches. With some very last minute changes to the squad they went up against Sherborne with positive attitudes and kept fighting to the end unfortunately only getting one win over Sherborne, but kept their positive attitude always.

Golf v QE, Wimborne

In the first of our four fixtures this term, a friendly match allowed pupils in Yr11 and Yr13 from Canford and QE to play in their last competitive sports match before their exams and, for the latter age group, their last chance to represent their schools.

Two very solid QE golfers outgunned the top pair of Suzy C and Max W. Suzy knew her opponent well as they both represent Dorset Girls.

Josh R-E and Jack Martin played some excellent golf and won their match quite convincingly.

It came to the third and deciding match where, unfortunately, Tom W and Jack R struggled and so we lost the match 2-1.

I would like to thank Kerry Mapp and his team for producing such an amazing course. After playing off mats for the winter, the golf course has really benefited from the fairways being less used and I would encourage use of our tremendous facility (make sure that you get a bag tag and sign in with the Sports Centre!)

I would finally just like to mention Tom Williams, captain in his last match, for his positive and purposeful engagement with golf over the last 3 years. He has always played with a smile on his face and enjoyed his golf come rain or shine, bogeys or birdies!

Swimming – Sherborne Gala

The team effort from the Canford swimmers at the annual summer term Swimming Gala at Sherborne Girls was superb.

The Senior Boys team with Giorgio Wyatt, Thomas Low, George Johnson-Jones, Johannes Bishop-Weston, was captained by Adriano Hedley and they came second overall, after a remarkable performance in both individual and relay events. Thomas Low managed a second position in the 50m Breaststroke in a very tight finish.

On the Senior Girls front, Ella Webb and Ana Queiros represented the Canford team. They both swam at a high standard and Ana’s second position in the 100m Individual Medley was very impressive.

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