Summer Term 2023 - Week 9 Sports Report

Cricket v Winchester, Bryanston, Poole GS, U15 County Finals, KES Southampton and Bradfield College

U15 Girls – National T20 Cup ¼ Final v Bradfield College: Canford U15 Girls cricketers advance to National Semi-Finals

On a muggy afternoon away at Bradfield College the Canford U15 Girls cricketers won an absorbing contest against the hosts in the Schoolsports Magazine National T20 to go through to Finals Day, which will take place in September.

Bradfield won the toss and elected to bat first but were soon under pressure as Poppy W removed two of their top three batters in the first three balls to leave them reeling at 0-2. The quality of the host side meant that a fightback was likely, and it came in a 3rd wicket partnership of 85 which put the Canford girls under pressure in the field. The bowlers were tending to overpitch the ball, but Captain Izzy R kept making the changes and that paid off with Annabel R making the breakthrough whilst bowling an accurate tight spell. This was backed up by some excellent bowling from the captain herself and also an amazing catch by Annabel which accounted for the Bradfield opener who had hit an excellent 57 off of 47 balls. At one stage it looked like a total of 120ish would be set but the hosts took advantage a few slips in the field late on to post a strong total of 144 for the loss of 7 wickets.

Not an easy get but the Canford reply started in a positive fashion with Izzy looking in great touch. Unfortunately, she fell for a well-made 17 to a ball that rose sharply, and her wicket was also followed by that of Emily VS which brought together the first of two hugely important partnerships for the Canford girls. Poppy W played the major role in both firstly with Daisy T who made 14 and secondly with Penny D. Poppy played some fantastic shots which took the game away from the home team and when she departed for 47 off 39 balls Canford needed just 9 more with 16 balls left. That wicket did cause some nerves to spread through the lower middle order and both Alice L and Ruby H fell in quick succession as they chased the winning runs and Bradfield's best bowler returned. Caitlin W joined Penny D who had kept her composure through this period and 4 were needed off the last over. A wide, followed by a scrambled bye brought Penny D back on strike with 2 needed. She finished with a flourish as she clipped a low full toss down to fine leg for four, ending 28no and finishing the match with three balls to spare.

A great game and another step forward for Canford's young female cricketers ending the day as the best in the Southwest and looking forward to the challenge from the North, Midlands and the Southeast later in the year.

1st XI v Winchester National U18 T20 cup – Last 32

This was Canford's 1st XI’s biggest game of the season and the furthest they have been in the national competition.

Winchester chose to bat and as in previous rounds we opened up with the bowling pair of Eddie J and Kit B. They started well, Kit claiming the big wicket of Wilf LFJ in the 2nd over.

The bowlers continued to bowl in partnerships and maintain the pressure with Winchester finding themselves 76-8 after 16 overs.

In hindsight an extra over from Eddie J to try and finish them off or better plans against the last batter left may have changed things. What happened was an additional 49 runs off 4 overs to take them to 129.

A disappointing end to an exceptional first 16 overs.

We were never in it with the bat as Winchester maintained lines and lengths not allowing us to build any partnerships. Our top score 12 from Eddie J meant we could only muster 80 before being bowled out in the 19th over.

The tournament run gave us lots to be positive about notably the victory against a strong Wellington College away from home. It is also worth remembering we only lose 3 from the team and with a strong group coming up from 4th form things bode well.

1st XI v KES Southampton

As exam season gets in to full swing we go in to the KES fixture with a few changes to our regular team. With Eddie J resting as a bowler it gave Tom K and Will A their debuts in the 1st XI. Unfortunately losing the toss on a very hot day we found ourselves toiling away with the score at 75 for 1 off 15 overs. A big chase was on the cards until we turned things around with spin in the next 15. At lunch KES were 136 for 7 and all out for 217 off 44 overs. All bowled well but George G (9-42-3 wkts) and Oscar Ba (9-34-3 wkts) stand out.

Bat the overs win the game or in the modern game go at 6’s go home early are the 2 approaches and we tried the latter unfortunately it not working and we were bowled out with 9 overs to go needing only 21 to win. Good starts from Dill H, Eddie J, George G and Sam M but no 50’s for anyone. The star of the batting innings has to be Oscar B (23*) who alongside Tom K (17) nearly saw us home and showed the batters how to be selective. Tom K doing a great impression of the great Viv Richards!

Canford 2nd/3rd XI vs KES (25 overs) – won by 8 wickets

KES: 162-9 (25 overs) Harry Serjeant 3-24

Canford: 163-2 (16.3 overs) Johnny Walster 70, Harry Serjeant 52 not out

Player of the Match: Harry Serjeant

Skipper for the day Johnny Walster chose to bowl first, hoping that the 2nd/3rd hybrid XI might skittle KES and have an early finish. Despite some good bowling, KES had enough quality in their team to post an acceptable 162 in their 25. Jack Flegg picked up a couple of early wickets, but a partnership of nearly 50 was threatening, with Ed Timberlake ending it with a catch off his own bowling. Harry Serjeant, who has been a revelation with the ball in recent weeks, then took centre stage again, pegging back the middle order whilst claiming 3 victims himself. Credit also goes to Lucas Francis, who bowled a very tidy four over spell towards the end to keep the run rate down and build pressure on their lower order. It felt that 162, whilst ok, was not going to be enough.

Johnny Walster and Jimmy Johnson soon showed why, with the scoreboard racing to 31 in no time. When Jimmy fell, Johnny carried on in tandem with Harry. He was in inspired and brutal form, scoring 53 of their partnership of 83, mainly by crunching the ball to all parts of the ground (52 of his 70 runs came from boundaries). When he perished trying to smash his 14th four, Harry picked up the mantle and accelerated his scoring to complete a composed half-century off 45 balls. Whilst they will face better bowling attacks this year, the boys can be pleased with the positive approach they took, putting pressure back on the bowlers and reaping the benefit.

U15A v Poole Grammar

Some unfortunate dismissals and perhaps not enough urgency with singles that led to ‘big shots off good balls’ saw Canford post one their lowest scores for a while but it was still more than a run-a-ball 126. Highlights were Felix Lock’s 40 and a last wicket stand of 28 between Ben Jack and Alfie Cochrane. Though relatively tidy with the ball, Canford failed to contain the right hand, left hand combination and it meant that Poole required 4 to tie from the last ball – a rather fortuitous inside edge to the boundary confirmed this rare and probably fair result.

Canford –126 all out (20 overs) Poole GS - 126 for 6 (20 overs)

U15 Dorset County Cup Finals Day

With the weather firmly stuck on a sunny and hot setting the U15s took the short trip to Ferndown for the Dorset County Cup Finals Day. We drew Bryanston in the semi-final, though we had trouble recognizing them due to the number of players playing up to bolster their team!

Captain Seb Rowland continued an incredible roll and won the toss as usual and elected to bat. Seb and Ben Priaulx opened at a good pace but fell for less than usual, Ben Jack did the same. Fortunately, the nerves were steadied by Raffi Organ and Bertie Aspinall who formed a positive partnership and scored 52no and 43no by the time the 20 overs were up setting a total of 144/3. Positive fielding from players like Freddie Jackson, good work from Charlie Allen behind the sticks and tight bowling limited Bryanston to 136/3 from their 20 overs with 2 wickets for Ben P and a good run out added by Bertie Cutler. Onwards to the final!

Sherborne won through the other semi-final against Poole Grammar School. Now a formality, Seb won the toss and elected to bat. Seb’s had a great season as captain and been our most consistent batsman this season but he seems to be spending too much luck on the toss as when he opened in his usual positive style he middled a lovely shot which unfortunately stuck to a fielder. Ben J then joined Ben P and the two of them formed a great positive partnership playing great powerful shots throughout at an impressive run rate and with outstanding running especially given the heat. They added 174 off 115 balls before Ben P was run out and definitely left all their energy out on the square. Raffi chipped in at the end for us to finish on 183/2. Sherborne’s openers both fell to Gabe Davey who’s tight bowling has helped keep opposition scores low all season and as their first batman found the quality of his line has given him a few clean bowled. 2 for 9 looked good. Sherborne then settled and started playing well and adding runs quickly. Fortunately Archie Lappin took their key man with a catch to Felix Lock and disrupted their flow. Gabe took another then Felix took 2 more. Sherborne regrouped and formed a good partnership and added 78 and things started looking a bit tighter. Their key batsman unfortunately retired hit and then Ben P and Seb combined beautifully for a run out right at the end for Sherborne to finish on 166/7.

The U15As are Dorset County Champions! They have seriously impressed us with a brilliant team spirit and ethos and an open-minded willingness to listen and act upon advice and thus improve. They have bought into our approach of rotating the batting and bowling across the squad which has paid off in the growing confidence across the team and as this day showed if one player is unlucky there are lots of teammates ready and willing to step up. Every player contributed well to the day’s performances and following a few early mixed results they now haven’t lost in the last 7 games. Hopefully that will continue into the Nationals!

U15A v KES

Our 4th match inside 3 days was one of the best performances of the season. Perhaps the end of the exams and being Champions of Dorset saw all relax and let the force flow but it was so lovely to watch all batters come in and score freely without taking too many risks. Mid-twenties from Raffi Organ, Seb Rowland, Ben Jack, Archie Lappin combined with a fine forty off from Ben Priaulx saw Canford accumulate 184 for 8 from their 25 overs against a steady attack.

The rallying cry today was to be more energetic, urgent and expective in the field and all delivered this in spades. Put this with the consistent flight that all 4 spinners showed and the visitors, though valiant in their efforts were unsuccessful in their chase. Gabe Davey was fantastic too with both a threatening opening speel and then returning to dismiss their ‘gun’. A fine win!

Canford –184 for 8 (25 overs) KES -156 all out (23 overs)

U14A v KES

On the school pitch away in Southampton, which was used by the MCC earlier on in the week, Canford lost the toss and bowled first on what felt like the M3 (but with less potholes). Brown and Vorobyev opened the bowling hitting good lengths, but it was a batting day. After the first few balls past the infield, they raced away to the boundary and usually didn’t stop until they hit a building. Vorobyev was the most economical bowler going at 6 an over throughout the match. Captain Brown then turned quickly to spin to try to stop the runs coming. McSheehy flighted the ball up well whilst bowling his full number of overs. He was rewarded with a well taken caught and bowled when the opposition reached 103 runs. Goold also bowled well containing the batsmen on the glass like surface. Rodber joined the bowling attack and look to bowl attacking lines, this was partnered with Inglis. Inglis was brought on “to buy a wicket”. After bowling seam up for his first three deliveries and each one going for 4, he decided to bowl his normal leg spin. To everyone’s surprise he spun the ball past the batters outside edge. Followed up shortly after by bowling the batter. With the score at 142-2, no more wickets fell. Hedges and Dempsey had the job to finish the overs off. They bowled tight and aimed at the stumps. But today it wasn’t to be KES finished on 243 off 25 overs. Canford after a selection of different cheese sandwiches had a team talk of “we may need to whack it to get these runs.” Inglis and Rodber opened the batting; Rodber took the team talk very literally dispatching one opening bowler over the ropes and to the boundary in the 6 balls he faced before getting caught. Inglis dominated the other opening bowler as Punnett found his feet at the crease. With a solid partnership between the pair, they ran well and punishing the bad balls. The two put on 110 runs between them. Inglis very kindly offered catching practice to their player in short cover … who caught the ball. Hatherley entered the pitch and quickly departed after being ran out after facing a ball. Punnett was run out shortly after. KES now put on their death bowlers who bowled slowly and wide of the stumps. Brown decided it was a good idea to try and ramp the slow bowler. After executing the shot perfectly, the ball wasn’t going fast enough so the keeper took a regulation catch. Hedges and Vorobyev accelerated the run rate before Vorobyev was caught mistiming a ball. McSheehy entered the pitch and batted very well rotating the strike and looking for the gas in the field. Hedges after a positive strike rate and 24 runs was caught behind chasing a wide one. Wilson came into the game and hit the ball hard and far. Wilson finished on 20 off 8 balls and McSheehy 21 off 21. Canford finished just short of the 200 mark on 196-7 meaning a loss of 47 runs.

Athletics – South West Schools Championships and Marlborough Meet

South West Championships – Exeter

It was wonderful to see our four Canford athletes, Megan Mowbray, Evie Young, Jansci Motsi and Elisabeth Koppert, representing Dorset in the South West Championships in Exeter. Megan Mowbray performed excellently in the triple jump, smashing her own school record and setting a new target of 11.16m. It is fitting that this jump has gained her selection for the English Schools Championships in Birmingham on the 30th June -1st July, a wonderful achievement two years in a row. We wish Megan luck on this fine achievement and look forward to seeing how she gets on.

Jansci Motsi performed admirably in the 100m, making it through the heats and into the final, and also gained the bronze in the long jump. Evie Young enjoyed the favourable conditions this year after throwing the discus in a downpour last year and gained 4th position. Elisabeth Koppert should be pleased that she has now got her name onto the School Athletics record board in the sports centre with a throw of 33.86m and gaining the title of South West Champion. A successful afternoon for all four athletes representing Dorset but also flying the Canford flag.

Marlborough Meet v Lord Wandsworth College, Harrow, Kingswood, Marlborough, Radley, RHS Bath, Downe House and Portsmouth Grammar School

In the junior section the girls placed 6th and the boys 3rd. Highlight performances were seen by Elsa Kenny who came 2nd in the 100m, 1st 75m hurdles and 3rd in high jump. Poppy Young ran a pleasing 300m, gaining the gold medal and jumped 4.48m in the long jump. Josie Carswell won the junior long jump and the B string 100m. In the boy’s competition, Harry Williams got 1st in high jump, 2nd in the 200m and 3rd in the 100m, with Ethan Yeow running 2.26.8m in the 800m. Warren Iyamu impressed in the long jump winning the competition with a 4.89m jump. In the inter age group the girls and boys took 4th overall position. Well done to Freya Sclater for winning the 800m and achieving 4th in the 200m and Martha Fehrenbacher for coming 2nd in the long jump and 3rd in the100m. In the boy’s competition Isaac Ameyaw produced a PB in the 100m and came 3rd in the 200m. George Mackie showed true grit in the hurdles after falling but popped straight back up and finished 5th. Lawrence Al Hariri gained bronze medal in both the triple jump and shot.

A really pleasing afternoon for all the athletes involved. Next week sees the Shells, 4th’s and Lower 6th performing in the Quadrathlon (long jump, 800m, 100m, shot putt) at Dauntsey’s.

Tennis v QE, Wimborne and Bryanston

Canford 1sts Mixed vs Bryanston 1sts Mixed W 6-3

Rupert Hutton / Maya Doubleday

Tom Clark / Anouska Loveridge

Hugo Svedberg / Lara Witter

The pupils above lined up in the beautiful surround of the main house of Bryanston on their wonderfully prepped grass courts. A different start to normal as in the warm up Tom Clark felt something uncomfortable in his shoulder, so up stepped a Bryanston member of staff! Looking for a win against the Bryanston pair, as he was playing against one of his Lower Sixth pupils, Canford were victorious! Anouska found herself with a new person for the next round before the last match Tom felt he was able to play. Which we were really pleased about as, it was his last match as an Upper Sixth. Hugo and Lara made a fantastic pair as they both have confidence at the net, Lara serving very well enabling Hugo chances at the net. It must be said that Hugo was very at home on the grass and produced some outstanding shots. Rupert and Maya had good fun all afternoon – positive play, high fives and enjoying themselves. In the last round they produced a stunning performance to beat the Bryanston pair in a match tiebreak at the end. Both holding on to their nerves after a difficult battle to get them to the tiebreak, and Rupert focused for the win in his last fixture in a Canford 1st team shirt.

Pair of the week Rupert Hutton and Maya Doubleday, for a very positive display of tennis.

Canford 2nds Mixed vs Bryanston 2nds Mixed W 5-4

Hector Boyle /Bella Jenkins

Massimo Brown /Isla Knatchbull

Lewis Parker /Oriana Bowater

The same wonderful setting as the 1st, but i forgot to mention that there was an Old Bryanstonian event going on, which did add a little more pressure! A young 2nd team, which is exciting for the future of the tennis programme, led by Lower Sixth pupil Isla paired with Mass, who really enjoyed their afternoon – whilst not always being able to convert the final few points. Hector and Bella whilst in different years have played together before and enjoyed, picked up a notable win as they had started off a little slow in the set, but up momentum and managed to win. Shells Lewis and Ori were unaware – but we were tied with Bryanston 4-4 whilst, they still focused on their tennis. The other teammates headed to the back of the court to show support and managed to stay more consistent. Lewis serving very well and dominating at the net and Ori being consistent from the baseline, with some wonderful gamble shots down the line – ensure that they came off victorious.

Pair of the week – Lewis Parker and Oriana Bowater

Canford 3rds Mixed vs Bryanston 3rds Mixed W 7-2

Finlay Craigen/ Bella Rose

Louis Pearson/ Lara Crorie

Tele Okubanjo/ Hattie Farthing

Down on the hard courts the pairings equally had a good time and we over all were notably stronger. Louis and Lara play well, both tennis players who are always determined to always play their best – produced some really good tennis all afternoon, showing their ability to adapt well against different pairs. Tele and Hattie started off a little slower whilst the got used to how each other plays, but soon picked up as they went through the match. Serves became more consistent and confidence grew at the net to help the finish off the points. Thank you to Hattie who stepped up last minute to ensure we went with a full team! Similar start from Fin and Bella, as they had never played together before, but the confidence grew with each set played. Overall these two were the most consistent pair of the match, pleased Fin was able to play as like the other his last match in a Canford shirt.

Pair of the Week Fin and Bella

U15A Girls - Won 6-3

We were a little apprehensive going into this last match of the season after the 8-1 drumming we got when we played Bryanston in our first fixture. Both teams were not quite at full strength due to a few absences, but Saturday’s fixture shows just how far the Canford girls have come in recent weeks. They played with purpose and were looking to play sensible tennis from the get-go, feeding off their opponent’s mistakes. The Bryanston first pair were the best pair in the match and deserved to win all of their matches, but were pushed most by our third pair – Ella and Emily, taking them to a 4-6 set – a fantastic effort! The key to this fixture was winning the close matches – Canford won 4, Bryanston only 1. Kurumi and Connie fought hard to win two very close sets, one went to a tie break and the other, 7-5 against the Bryanston third pair – they were 4-1 down at one stage! Sienna and Rose kept their composure to win 6-4 in both of their sets and Emily and Ella, won their first match 7-5 against the 2nd pair and then stormed their last match 6-0! A wonderful end for a squad that has shown so much improvement over a season. They have been a pleasure to coach and enjoy their success from the tram lines this season.

U15B Girls - Lost 2-4

Despite losing there was some lovely tennis, especially from Tilly and Kate who won 2 out of their 3 sets. Credit should also go to Hannah and Anna playing together for the Bs for the first time this season. Despite losing all 3 sets, they held their heads high and fought to the very end with enthusiasm. As with the As, they have been a pleasure to watch and coach this season.

U15A Boys Won 4-0 v QE

The U15As hosted QE on Thursday afternoon. Hugo and Massimo were the first pair and dispatched both opponents quickly. Hector and Lewis dispatched their first opponents 6-3, before beating their second opponents 6-0.

U15B Boys Drew 2-2 v QE

A much tighter game for the U15Bs. Sam R and Xander took their first set close to the end, 4-6. In their second set they managed to get the win. In the other pair, Harry J and Christian won their first pair against Hugo and QE, 6-4. After that Hugo and Harry swapped giving each boy the opportunity to play with their Canford pair. Unfortunately, they were unable to get the win, meaning the boys drew 2-2.

Player of the week: Hector Boyle

U15C Girls Lost 3-6

Despite just having had six days of exams, the girls were very up for the challenge at bettering their last 0-9 loss against Bryanston, earlier in the term. Whilst missing three key players who were temporarily promoted to the B team for the match, the three C pairs threw everything that they had at this match. Of particular note were the matches against Bryanston's third pair which were exceptionally close and led to three wins with just one or two games in it across all three pairs. This was the first set victory for all six girls and was extremely sweet. Flower and Elvin went on to face a close battle with their matched 2nd pair and finished with a 3-6 loss, with nearly every game going to Deuce. This was some of the most nail-biting and entertaining tennis that I have watched this season. Victory comes in many different guises and whilst the scoreline tells of a 3-6 loss, for us at least having gained three sets this match, it felt like a victory of sorts!

Girls U14A v Bryanston

This week was the final match of the term and the U14As faced Bryanston again at home. They were feeling confident after some very good training sessions. Chloe and Willa B went out fighting and took 3 wins for the A's, Willa K and Cata settled into their pairing quickly and managed to get 2 wins for the A's. And Lily and Phoebe kept their heads and worked together managing to get a win for the As.

Canford 6 - 3 Bryanston

Girls U14Bs v Bryanston

With a few changes to the pairings this week the Bs were ready to face Bryanston again. Esme and Alice were a new pairing this week but quickly fell into a rhythm gaining 3 wins for the B's. Jemima and Emily were also a new pair but after practice at training they worked together to score 2 wins for the B's, only losing out in their third match by sudden death point. Finally, Annie and Leena were our 3rd pair for the Bs also having never played together. They kept fighting till the very end unfortunately losing out in all 3 matches.

Girls U14Cs v Bryanston Won 5 - 4

The Cs mixed it up this week, forming all new pairs, and showing what a great team the U14 Girls are!

Brooke, Elisa, and Cecily came very close in their first game, playing some nice consistent tennis but not getting the luck they deserved. Their good form set them up for a deserved win in the second game, showing that they’ll only get better as they become familiar with each other’s game.

Ella and Lizzie defined what it is to make a strong start, absolutely dominating their opposition to win their first game. They continued with enthusiasm, playing some lovely shots and remaining competitive throughout the afternoon.

Bea and Aoife had a harder start against the opposition first team. They continued to fight hard, never giving up, and were unlucky to get beaten by just a single point in their second game. They finished with a fantastic 6-0 win, showing amazing teamwork and communication.

The girls are looking forward to House Tennis next week, and they should feel confident with the huge improvement they’ve all made this term – have fun and good luck girls!

Rowing @ Thames Valley Park Regatta

Approximately 60 Canfordians travelled to the Thames Valley Park Regatta near Reading last Sunday.

Two J15 boys quads competed at the TVP regatta (impressively Joe Bichard managed to cox both of them in the same event!). The first quad was knocked out of its semi-final by a well drilled crew from RGS High Wycombe, and the musicians’ quad or the “sym4ny” as they christened themselves (selected because next week they will all be rehearsing for the Proms in the Park while other crews head off to their next regatta on Saturday), came a disappointing-but-creditable third in the final.

Our senior girls raced in singles sculls and coxed fours with one boat making the final but narrowly missing out by less than half a length.

After a rather early start, 06:30am, three J14 Crews raced in a regatta for the first time and performed very well for novice crews. The heats were a tougher race for all crews.

Heat 1- The C crew unfortunately learnt much by coming together with other crews and as a result were disqualified for leaving their station and impeding other crews, not the only junior crews on the day to suffer this fate.

Heat 2 - The A crew won by a length beating Itchen Imperial and RGS High Wycombe with a confident row.

Heat 3 - The Lightweight B crew won by a half-length over Cheltenham and RGS High Wycombe, these are not the biggest boys but were technically neat and this carried them through.

The final was won by the Canford A crew with the lightweight crew following beating into 3rd RGS High Wycombe.

A good morning’s racing with crews learning much from their first official regatta, it was great to come away having won a few pots. Many of these rowers are looking to continue so there is a potentially strong J15 squad for next year.

The Shell Girls were amazing taking part in their first regatta and making the finals.

Senior boys also made the final and in a close “nip and tuck” race narrowly missed out by a few feet.

Our next regatta will be Reading town on the 24th and don’t forget the Henley Royal Regatta qualifying on Friday 23rd with the Regatta itself starting on the 27th.

Good luck also to William Fearnley and Archie Jones head to Nottingham to trial for a place on the GB/France team on Sunday 25th June.

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