The Chronicle no. 672

31 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Rugby By Andrew Grounds, Master i/c Rugby The early part of the 2016 season was a difficult one for the Rugby Club with a high injury count and a tough fixture card. The 1st XV were the shining lights during this period gaining wins against Uppingham and Marlborough with Henry Emmott ( St Hugh’s ) being a stand-out player. The best win of the season came against MCS with an outstanding display of off-loading rugby and body-on-the-line defence. As the season went on, the pupils started to grow in confidence and developed as rugby players with some encouraging results; a highlight was the Yearlings B’s first win, a 41-19 defeat of Cheltenham College, with breakthrough performances from Oliver Ward ( Davenies ) and Luke Charlesworth ( Our Lady’s Abingdon ). The Junior Colts A’s had a remarkable season given that they did not win a single game last year. There were wins against Dean Close, Bloxham and Oratory but their best performance was away at Radley. Last season as Yearlings they lost 78-7 but this time came within a whisker of beating their rivals in a narrow 19-17 defeat. The most successful team in the School were the Junior Colts C’s who won 78% of their games under the tutelage of Mr Guppy and Dr Nagle with stalwarts such as Arthur Boanas ( Dragon ) and

Zak Leigh ( Dragon ) leading the charge. The 2nd XV had a good end to the season winning 5 out of their 7 games marshalled brilliantly by Rawdie Marks ( Leighton Park ) and Tom Montgomery ( New College ). The Yearlings A’s showed promise during the term but were hampered by injuries early on in the season. They gained momentum with players such as Harvey Machin ( The Warriner ) and Sam Gorton ( Caldicott ) leading the way during their difficult period. Their hard work was rewarded in an impressive 60-0 win against Radley on Upper 1 with four tries to Daniel Hoggar ( Wellesley House ). It was a challenging season for the Colts who, like the Yearlings, were hampered by injuries. The A’s were led impeccably by Toby MacLachlan ( Moulsford Prep ) and improved throughout the season with the Bs gaining some encouraging wins against Cheltenham and Malvern. The season ended on a high for the 1st XV with big wins against Malvern and Pangbourne College where Dan Brady ( The Warriner ) bagged a hat-trick. Angus Atkinson ( Dragon ) led the team with distinction and was ably supported by Brandon Allen ( Aylesbury Grammar ), William Pickford ( Larkmead ) and Spencer Gomes ( Papplewick ).

James Colson Lake ( New College )

St Edward’s U12 Rugby Festival In November, Teddies was delighted to host its inaugural U12 Rugby Festival. It was a hugely successful day with 23 schools in attendance. From Christ Church Cathedral School just down the road to Aysgarth School in Yorkshire schools travelled far and wide to join us for a day of top-level sport. The grounds looked beautiful and conditions were good. Teams were divided in to 4 groups with each team playing 5 matches, 7 minutes each way. The standard of rugby was high and it was wonderful to see so many parents and grandparents out in force to support the boys. The afternoon closed with presentations to all teams, with the added bonus of James Haskell and Simon McIntyre joining us to congratulate all players and sign 280 rugby balls!

Simon Hipwell

Alexandre Jennison ( Thomas’s Battersea )

Captain Angus Atkinson leads his team onto Upper 1 for the match v Cheltenham in October