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AASE at the Leander Club
More Rugby success - Henley College 26 Filton College 25
Rugby success for Henley College
Henley College rugby win in AASE League
Alec Hepburn selected for England under 20s
Principal meets tomorrow's rugby AASES
Rugby Players two week visit to Argentina
Pre-season camp at Henley Rugby Club
Henley College Sports Students feature in Henley Standard video
Henley College student to represent Great Britain
Sports students given taxing time
Rugby Report May 2011
Rugby Report April 2011
College Rugby Ace is leader of the pack
Success for Mixed Hockey team
Under 18s Reading Rockets Tour to Sweden
County Cup match Henley College vs Cokethorpe School
Leading from the front
The Henley College 29 -24 Brighton College
Henley College Hockey success
College Students Successfully Complete Coaching and Leadership Award
Success for Henley College Netball Team
County Honours for College Rugby stars!
County Under 18 Rugby
Netball success!
The Henley College Rugby Round Up
National Schools Sevens Tournament
Progression to Quarter Final for Henley College Under 18s Rugby team
Great victory for Henley College under 18s Rugby team
Wasps Player Development Partnership
Rugby Success
College awarded Leadership Academy status
Will Jones selected for London Wasps and England under 18s
Like Ducks to Water
Sports Development update
Step-into-Sport
Introductory Lessons
A Revival in Skiing
Former Henley College student wins silver at the Olympics
Leander Club and The Henley College are to strength their existing relationship with the introduction of an Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence.
The premier rowing club in the world and the most outstanding sixth form college in the area have been in partnership for more than ten years.
A number of College students have since been part of Leander’s Development Academy programme, and some have gone on to compete in the GB international team at junior, U23 and senior World championships. Most notable among them has been Colin Smith, who went on to stroke the GB men’s eight to a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics.
But the introduction of the Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme will mean an even stronger relationship between the two organisations.
The scheme is designed to meet the needs of 16-18 year olds who have a realistic potential to achieve excellence in their sport and are seeking to perform at the highest level as their main career goal. It is specifically designed for full-time students/rowers who have been identified by Leander Club.
The programme provides a structured training and development route for talented young rowers who have potential and ambition to represent GB on the Olympic stage or gain professional contracts, and takes about two years to complete. But, as organisers emphasise, it is not simply a qualification for rowing – it will reflect the range of skills, knowledge and performance criteria required in elite sport. The scheme will also ensures that participants will gain the knowledge and skills required to have a successful career on and off the water.
Leander will be providing these students with coaching by their highly qualified and experienced team, state of the art boats and equipment, and excellent land training facilities, as well as physiotherapy and nutritional support.
“I have been fortunate to experience the peaks of sporting and scholarly achievement at the same time, and neither of these would have happened without the influence of The Henley College and Leander Club on me as a teenager” said Olympic silver medallist Colin Smith.
Henley College principal Tom Espley added his own enthusiasm for the scheme.
“We already have schemes in place with the London Wasps for rugby and Reading Rockets for basketball, so I am delighted that we will now be working with Leander Club to help provide advanced apprenticeships for rowers.” he said.
“The input of young talent from Henley College has been very important to Leander for the last ten years and we look forward to that strength of talent increasing in the years to come” said Leander Director of Rowing Mark Banks.
Young rowers interested in the scheme are invited to email Mark Banks rowing@leander.co.uk or Martin Unsworth MUNS@henleycol.ac.uk
Rugby Success - Henley College 26 Filton College 25
The Henley College recorded a bonus point victory with the very last play of the game in an enthralling AASE league fixture which had the small, but vociferous, crowd up and down out of their seats more times than a barbers cat. With just two rounds of the regular season remaining Tom Rowlands match winning try puts Henley in with a live chance of making the semi finals
Filton have topped the league since the opening round thanks to a watertight defence and multi-dimensional attacking game honed in their record breaking seven a side campaign of last season,
The Bristol side signalled their intent by stretching Henley’s defence from side to side in the early exchanges, but it was Henley who created the first real scoring opportunities. Clean breaks by centres Lewys Weaver and Johnno Woodward went unrewarded as Henley’s finishing let them down with the line beckoning on both occasions. In contrast Filton came away with three points from their first sortie into Henley’s 22 when fly half Will Thomas dropped a neat goal. Stalemate ensued for the next twenty minutes despite both sides testing one anothers defences with some creative attacking play. This continued until the visitors extended their lead with a superbly executed set piece move on half way which allowed full back Harvey Skelton to race away and score under the posts. The simple conversion meant that Filton led 10-0 at the break.
Henley’s task looked even tougher ten minutes into the second half when precise handling from an attacking lineout allowed flying winger Asante to get outside of Henley’s drift defence and squeeze in at the corner. Henley then abandoned any idea of kicking in open play launching multi phase attacks from all areas of the field, this paid dividends when lock Bradley Scharff burst through the middle of a ruck on halfway, three phases later winger Liam O’Neill showed his finishing qualities to dive over in the corner. Kicker George Eastwell gave Henley further hope when his touchline conversion bounced off the cross bar and over.
The eight point deficit was short lived however as Filton struck back almost immediately thanks to a second drop goal from Thomas, this time a monster effort from just inside Henley’s half. Filton then looked to have put the game beyond any doubt when Skelton scored his second try under the posts to give Filton what appeared to be an unassailable 25-7 lead with little more than 10 minutes remaining.
The turning point in the game was undoubtedly the sin binning of one of Filton’s forwards during a period of sustained pressure by Henley. When Henley were awarded a free kick 15 metres out srum half Jack Daly chose to tap and go but was immediately obstructed by an offside player, giving referee Leyshon little option but to dispatch the offender to the sin bin. Henley took full advantage scoring soon after when Weaver was rewarded for a fine performance by crossing close to the uprights. Eastwell duly converted to reduce the arrears to 25-14.
Henley wasted no time getting back into the Filton half when Eastwell put Zak Maiden through a hole, although this attack was halted in the opposition 22, Henley’s ball retention was immaculate (remarkably they retained possession at every single breakdown during the whole game) and O’Neill was on hand again to power his way over close to the posts ensuring the conversion was a formality.
With less than five minutes left on the clock and Filton restored to fifteen players, the odds were still stacked against Henley but they had now created serious momentum. With time almost up, a penalty was quickly taken by Oscar Hirskyj-Douglas who carried play deep into Filton territory. Henley went through numerous phases, each time inching closer and closer to the winning score, until Rowlands smashed his way over from short range to cap a stunning comeback from the home side.
Rugby success - Henley College 7 Ivybridge 3
Henley College got the new year off to a great start with a hard fought win at Ivybridge College, Devon. This was a valuable victory as the game counted for double points in the southern region of the ASSE league due to the abandonment of the 1st round game at Henley.
Henley showed no ill effects from the four hour journey as they opened up playing a high tempo game in an effort to run the legs off the big Ivybridge pack, early linebreaks from Henley’s outside backs went unrewarded as they failed to finish these off in the opposition 22m. Ivybridge then opened the scoring against the run of play by kicking a penalty from the half way line.
The 1st half continued in much the same vain with Henley playing the more fluid rugby but unable to convert their pressure into points due in some part to the sticky surface. In contrast Ivybridge relied on a direct approach allied to a kicking game which Henley’s back three of Foster, O’Neill & Inglis dealt with well.
Although they turned around 0-3 down, Henley kept faith with their ball in hand tactics and this was finally rewarded when scrum half Jack Daly burrowed over from short range. Fly half Eastwell extended the lead to 7-3 with a simple conversion.
With plenty of time left on the clock Henley couldn’t afford to try and sit on their lead so continued to play with ball in hand, they gained valuable ground around the fringes and through midfield but again found finishing difficult with the line beckoning.
Ivybridge looked as though they might steal an unlikely victory as they dominated possession in the final 5 minutes but, as throughout the game, Henley’s defence held firm to ensure they held out for a deserved victory.
Henley College rugby win in AASE League
Henley College 26 Exeter College 8
Henley College got back to winning ways in the RFU AASE League with victory over Exeter College. After a couple of reverses Henley needed a confidence booster and achieved this with a dominant performance against an Exeter side who had recorded a couple of good league wins of their own in recent months.
When Exeter cleared their lines from the kick off Henley showed their intentions to play at pace and try to keep the ball in hand, a quick throw in and strong run from wing Tom Inglis set up some impressive phase play. This was shortly followed by more fluid interplay between forwards and backs that had the visitors defence at breaking point, Exeter were let off the hook on both occasions as the referee penalised Henley, somewhat harshly, for accidental offside. It was Exeter who opened the scoring against the run of play, with a penalty after a rare visit into Henley’s half. Henley soon cancelled this out with a penalty of their own before fly half George Eastwell added a 2nd penalty a few minutes later.
Henley then struck twice before half time with a brace of tries for winger Liam O’Neill, the first came after a strong tackle by Eastwell led to a turnover on half way, some quick hands put Oscar Hirskyj-Douglas clear and he found O’Neill running a great support line to outpace the remaining cover and score under the posts. Minutes after, a short side break and neat grubber kick by Jack Daly was collected by O’Neill who raced in from 40 metres, both efforts were converted by Eastwell to give Henley a 20-3 lead at half time.
After the interval Henley were unable to dominate possession as they had in the 1st half. Most of the 2nd period was played in Henley’s half with Exeter attempting to get back into the game with a very direct approach. However they got little change out of Henley’s aggressive fringe defence, which invariably stopped their drives on the gainline and on a number of occasions drove them back with double hits and aggressive tackles from flankers Kai George and Connor Morrison in particular.
Exeter were finally rewarded for their efforts when they rumbled over from short range, but Henley made sure the game was well out of their opponents reach with two more penalties by Eastwell. Next up for the Henley College London Wasps apprentices is a friendly vs Moulton College, Northampton followed by a trip to London Irish to face St Pauls in Round 6 of the AASE League.
Alec Hepburn selected for England under 20s
Alec leading the way for the Henley Hawks.
Alec Hepburn former Henley College student and now part time coach of the Rugby Development squad.
The 18 year old prop forward has just been selected for England under 20s.
Congratulations to Alec.
Principal meets tomorrow's rugby AASES
The Henley College initial intake of London Wasps academy players have started their season.
The college took over the as the apprenticeship centre in March, training and teaching students through the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE).
Principal Tom Espley called the course "one of the most exciting developments for the college in recent years."
Students, who come to the college from all over the country, embark on an intense training regime, alongside A Level, First and national diploma qualifications.
Mr Espley said: "Martin Unsworth and other staff have worked very hard to achieve this and it is a great achievement to have the academy here.”
"I’m delighted to see the players all here at the college - it’s a great step for the future of Henley college to foster such a high quality of rugby."
Academy students are all college students who excelled and were offered AASE, and exceptional players who gained a place on the course and travel to Henley to study and train.
Oskar Hirsky, 16, is from South Manchester and stays with a family in Henley throughout the working week, travelling home on weekends.
He said: "I am taking the full apprenticeship and studying four A Levels, so I am very busy with it. It was tricky to make the adjustment at first, but it’s been really good fun and fantastic to get greater focus on my sport.
"I really have to thank Pam and Mark Hayes, who let me and fellow student Zac Maiden, who lives in Milton Keynes, stay with them."
Zac added” The whole college ethos is brilliant, I never thought I would enjoy school and living away from home was always a bit of a worry, our coach Danny Batty has been awesome, I love it”
Jake Elias, 16, of Fawley, joined the academy through Henley College’s development programme. He said: "At first I was a bit intimidated by the undertaking, but once I got to know the lads I settled right into it. We feel
like a real team now."
Zak Maiden Sports Academy student
Owyn Thatcher also 16, who lives in Henley and joined the academy after being selected through the Oxfordshire county rugby system, said the players put in a lot of time training.
"We train about 16 hours a week, including conditioning work," he said. "Training and playing at this level is intense, but we are already seeing the results in the quality of our play and fitness."
The academy trains under head coach Danny Batty, mental skills trainer Charlie Eckton and manager Martin Unsworth.
Mr Unsworth said: "It’s been a great start and it’s just brilliant to have the academy underway at the college. I have been hugely impressed with the lads. The commitment from boys like Oskar has been outstanding. "To travel home on a Friday and come back on Sunday and still bring the same enthusiasm to his training and work it fantastic. Many friends and people in Henley stop me and comment on what a credit they are to college and themselves, that is truly nice th hear and they are!”
"We still have some work and training to do, but it’s a very positive and uplifting start to the year and an exciting time for the college."
October 2011
Rugby Players two week visit to Argentina
Touring team: rugby players from The Henley College have returned from a two-week visit Argentina. The 31 boys travelled around the country and played matches against four schools, winning two and losing two. Other activities on the tour included a visit to a township school, a tour of the Boca Juniors stadium and a day spent on a gaucho ranch. Sports lecturer Martin Unsworth said: "The hospitality we received was wonderful. The schools put on great barbecues for us and I’m pretty sure the team ate a few cows’ worth of steak between them. One of our boys, Will Taverner, speaks fluent Spanish and so he became the interpreter for the tour and was a great help. The boys were a credit to the college with their behaviour and I’m sure this will be an experience they will remember for years to come."
Team captain Rory Paxton, 18, from Caversham, who was unable to play due to an injury, said: "The whole trip was great and the last three days we spent in Buenos Aires were amazing."
Nicholas Edmondson
Reporter Henley Standard
Pre-season camp at Henley Rugby Club
We shall be holding a three day pre-season camp at Henley Rugby Club on Wednesday 31st August, Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd of September.
The meeting time is at 12.45 pm to give players and coaches an opportunity to meet prior to training from 1pm to 3.45pm. This will give players and coaches alike, the opportunity to prepare for the upcoming season and integrate the large intake of new players into the successful Rugby environment at The Henley College.
If you know of any potential suitable players for the Development squad who may not know about these training sessions and is not currently on the mailing list, could you please let them know. Contact muns@henleycol.ac.uk
Henley College Sports Students video
To view the video about Henley College sports students click here >>
Henley College student to represent Great Britain
Nico Kirschstein-Smith (far right) in his K4 boat
Second year A level student, Nico Kirschstein-Smith has been selected to represent Great Britain in the “K4” (4 man kayak) 1000m flat water race at the European Championships in Croatia later this month. Nico started kayaking at the age of 12 and this is his first invitation to represent GB. Carefully balancing his 12-16 hours a week of training around studying for A levels in Biology, German and PE has been challenging, but Nico’s determination and hard work have been rewarded with a place at University to study physiotherapy, as well as sporting success.
Whilst at college, Nico has been part of a group of elite athletes who have partaken in a mental skills training programme to help them better understand the psychology of sports performance. This has allowed him to focus on such things as getting in the optimum zone for peak performance, mental rehearsal and combating limiting beliefs. Performance coach Charlie Eckton stated, “It has been fantastic working with Nico and I’m glad all his hard work has paid off. I wish him every success in the future”.
P.E. Lecturer Martin Unsworth added” Nico has impressed us all with some quality work during his time at College. In his practical coursework he produced and directed a fantastic DVD demonstrating the core skills of his training, he even got Mum to film from the bank early in the mornings” martin added” We all wish this bright and confident young man the cvery best for a really promising future.
Being selected for this international event came as something of a surprise to Nico who stated, with the broadest grin, “I can’t believe I have been selected; it is a dream come true!”
Sports students given taxing time
By Peter McConnell
Five Henley College sporting excellence students were given an insight into the importance of record keeping, tax and accountancy procedures as part of their life and financial skills module by Henley’s Hart Street accountant Mark Buffery, at a seminar on Thursday 26 May.
The five, all rugby players expecting to go onto play or coach at a professional level are Jack Horwood, Sam Botting, Rory Paxton, Lucas Lee and David Massey. Together they form part of Henley College’s first intake of students to take the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE). A further 20 students are due to take the course in the next academic year as part of the college’s new partnership with the London Wasp’s Academy.
Steve Dance of Henley based sports management company Mulberry Associates, who facilitated the event commented, “It’s important that these athletes, even at a young age understand the pitfalls that are out there once they start earning money, most will be self employed to begin with so a good understanding of their obligations is essential.”
Mark Buffery added, “All the guys want to do is play or train which is why so many athletes fall foul of tax once they have a few pounds in the bank. We hope that by sowing the seeds of good record keeping before they become professional they will avoid these dangers.”
Many of the students hope to sign contracts with professional clubs, including Henley College rugby captain Rory Paxton, “I know this isn’t at all glamorous and of course I’d much rather be out on the field,” Rory said, “but I now understand much more about managing my finances. I’d never considered what may or may not be tax deductable before or whether I would ever need to make sure I had money saved to pay a tax bill.”
The college plans to run a similar course with Mulberry and Mr. Buffery for AASE students next year.
Henley College student Alec Hepburn recently represented England in the FIRA/AER European U18 rugby championships held in the south of France.
England faced a strong Welsh team in the semi final winning a thrilling encounter with the last move of the game. The England forwards coach nominated Alec as his Man of the Match for his ball carrying and sustained work rate throughout the game.
In the final England faced Ireland whom they had already beaten 29-12 when the two sides last met in December. However on this occasion Alec admitted they were the better side ”They simply made fewer mistakes and were the better team on the day, they did the basics well and coped with the wet conditions better than us.” Although he was disappointed Alec gained some consolation by crossing for the last try of the game, his first for England.
He went on to say “I was asked what it meant to me to put on the England shirt and I said it was above all an honour, it was a huge event and apart from the disappointment of losing the final an amazing experience”.
College coach Danny Batty believes Alec will have gained a huge amount of confidence from his performances in the latter stages of the competition “His first two caps, earlier in the season, were gained from brief appearances off the bench, since then Alec has secured a starting spot in the team and in the semi final and final he produced two outstanding performances. His ball carrying and overall workrate were especially impressive.”
Alec attributes his self belief and mental strength to the assistance given at College by High Performance Coach Charlie Eckton. Charlie added "The importance of psychology in sports performance is well recognised by world-class athletes. Being able to offer our elite athletes mental skills training gives them the added dimension they need to operate at their best and achieve better results. The students are very responsive to the coaching and we have found it gives them greater confidence and self-awareness. Some of our athletes will go on to represent England or GB and it is great to be able to equip them with skills they can utilise throughout their sporting careers."
Alec has plenty of rugby to look forward to after his A Level exams, with the College tour to Argentina followed by England’s summer tour to Australia before returning to start full time training with London Wasps.
Despite not winning any silverware, The Henley College enjoyed a successful 7 a side campaign, culminating in a play off place at the Rosslyn Park National Schools tournament.
Henley made an encouraging start to their 7’s season at the Berkshire tournament held in the shadow of Windsor Castle, winning their pool which included Cokethorpe, Rugby, Radley & Windsor Boys schools. These early successes were founded on the strength of forwards Samir Kharbouch, Luke Wilson and David Massey with Sam Pincott and Lucas Lee orchestrating affairs in midfield and Sam Botting and Liam O’Neill providing the finishing touches out wide.
In the quarter final Henley snatched an unlikely victory over local rivals Oratory when Rob Bryson collected a restart before racing 60 metres down the touchline to score with the very last play of the game. Hard fought games such as these invariably take their toll and Henley looked a tired side as they bowed out in the semi finals against a well drilled Eton College.
The Surrey 7’s was next on the agenda for Henley but they failed to make much of an impression in a strong pool which included Coleg sir Gar from Carmarthen and RGS Guildford. Henley failed to defend at a sufficiently high intensity and made too many minor errors in attack to trouble such polished opposition. On the same day however Henley’s second 7 put up a highly credible performance at the Borlase 7’s winning all but one of their games, achieving 3rd place overall.
Henley travelled to Rosslyn Park having learned the lessons from the previous week and bolstered by the promotion of Alec Hepburn, Elliott Reid and Charlie Edwards from the 2nd seven. Henley’s press defence created havoc amongst their opponents in the pool games causing numerous turnovers. Ultimate schools rugby website reported that “Henley put in a string of fine performances to top their group. They were not short of size with Samir Kharbouch and Alec Hepburn providing the grunt up front and Lucas Lee the silky skills at the back”. Having won their group Henley faced the daunting task of beating Hartpury College to progress to the last 16. Henley took the Gloucester side to the wire eventually losing out 14-12 in a pulsating game. Ultimate schools rugby reported that Hartpury had a lucky escape. Henley’s disappointment was eased somewhat by the fact that Hartpury beat their remaining opposition comfortably on their route to the final, where they narrowly lost out to Filton College.
College Rugby Ace is leader of the pack
Seventeen year old Henley College student Alec Hepburn has enjoyed a busy month representing the College side, London Wasps reserve team and winning his first cap for England under 18s in their 29-12 victory over Ireland in Dublin
Alec’s selection for England marked something of a meteoric rise as he only started playing the game at the age of 15 having been introduced to rugby by PE teacher Allan Carter at Gillott’s School. Before the family moved to Henley from Western Australia, Alec and his older brother George played Australian Rules football where a good grounding in handling and kicking skills meant they quickly adapted to the different code of football. Alec and George then joined Henley rugby club where they furthered their rugby education in the junior sides.
At the Henley College Alec thrived in the college rugby development programme to such an extent that he soon caught the eye of London Wasps academy manager Rob Smith and the England U18 coaches who earmarked him as a prop of rich potential.
Alec said “the rugby programme at College has given me the time and support to develop my game to a new level, I’ve worked closely with our weightlifting coach Luke Dorn and sprint coach Carl Robinson whose expertise have been invaluable in developing my speed and strength levels.”
Rob Smith, Academy Manager of London Wasps says “The developing partnership with Henley College is very exciting with players like Alec being selected for England age group sides and Will Jones representing Wales in the IRB sevens series. As a result London Wasps are looking to further develop this partnership in the immediate future to enable more young players to fulfil their potential from the Oxfordshire region.
Meanwhile Alec has plenty to look forward to in the next few months “Playing for England was a great honour and has given me a taste of elite rugby and I’m determined to establish myself as a regular in the England side for the rest of the season. Being involved with the Wasps A side has also been a great experience, especially with the home games being played at Dry Leas where I first started playing.”
Shiplake College (0) – Henley College (4)
A fantastic start to the second half of the Hockey season for our mixed hockey X1 with a 4- 0 victory over Shiplake College. Scoring three goals and taking man of the match Jose Real-Lage I think, will never play in defence again. Supporting him up front were Sophie Hoskins and Ellen Fairbairn who had quite a battle with Shiplakes very big and strong defence. Firmly keeping the ball in the Shiplake goal were midfielders Charlotte Welford, Eric Floyd, Mathew Griffin and the unshakable Jack Chapman who took on some heavy pressure from a very enthusiastic Shiplake player, whose style was more akin to somebody chopping wood rather than playing Hockey.
It would be true to say that well over 75% of the action happened in the Shiplake goal but when we did have to go on the defensive this was no problem for the unflappable Jacob O’Brien who calmly kicked away their attempts to score. Giving Jacob terrific support at the back were Jess Knopp, Katie Booth and Ben Croll. Sweeping up the balls in the middle was the multipurpose Alex Timmis who also managed to run the length of the pitch and then score the third goal. All in all a very well deserved win for Henley.
Our next match is v Godalming Wednesday 26th Jan 2:15 pushback at the Henley Hockey Club ground on the Reading Road. It is well worth coming to watch.
Under 18s Reading Rockets Tour to Sweden
As the New Year was welcomed in Reading Rockets U18’s were travelling to Lundaspelen 2011 Basketball Tournament in Lund, Sweden. The tournament has been in existence for over 30 years takes place every year between the 2nd and 5th of January. The tournament plays host to over 300 teams in age categories starting from U11 boys and girls going up all the way to U20 men and women. Although the tournament is represented mostly by Danish and Swedish teams there were also large contingents from Germany and Holland as well as teams as far afield as Slovakia and Canada.
The Boys U18 group is one of the largest age ranges with 37 teams in 9 groups taking part. Rockets landed in group 2 alongside Falcon 1 (Denmark), Hogsbo Basket (Sweden) and ESAA II (Denmark). Rockets took a strong 10 man squad with them to the tournament featuring 6 of its AASE students as well as a total of 8 Academy students from The Henley College and Reading College. In what turned out to be a “group of death” Rockets acquitted themselves admirably finishing 2nd in the group moving on to the A playoffs to challenge for the top honours in the competition. Due to the size of the competition the games are shortened to 30 minutes with 2 running clock 15 minute halves.
After having a surprise victory against Hogsbo Basket, winning 25-18 with standout performances from AASE students Kalvin Anns and Charles Johnson, the team moved on to the 2nd day of competition full of confidence. With the 2nd day came 2 games the first against Falcon, last year’s winners and the 2nd against ESAA. The team narrowly lost out to Falcon, 22-29 in an intensely competitive game with another AASE student Lewis Champion showing some great moments offensively. There was no time to dwell on this loss however as the team had to prepare for the next game against ESAA II. In a convincing performance Rockets won their last group game 42-24 going on a 19-3 run at the end of the game sealing victory and 2nd place in the group thanks to point’s difference. Propelled by its defence in the last game, particularly AASE student Bradley Loxton and Kareem Mckenzie Rockets moved onto the knockout stages to face Danish Club SISU.
Rockets survived its group of death and were rewarded with a tough draw against SISU. The game started well for Rockets with both teams going toe to toe and some good shooting from Milan Miladinov helped Rockets stay in the game. With SISU switching their defence in the 2nd half Rockets could not break them down even though this was the case they showed there spirit defensively with another AASE student Ibrahim Allie showing his defensive ability. Rockets however were unable to break SISU down and lost 39-26. SISU went on to win the tournament beating Hjemly in the final 50-17. Rockets themselves finished with the best defensive record of the tournament conceding the fewest points.
The trip was a great success for the club highlighting its flourishing AASE and Academy programmes in particular. The team received compliments from everyone around the tournament for its play and behaviour. The U18 squad have benefited massively from the experience and have gained friends and experiences they won’t forget!
Rockets U18 Squad; Lewis Champion, Milan Miladinov, Kalvin Anns, Charles Johnson, William Jewell, Bradley Loxton, Kareem Mckenzie-Williams, Ibrahim Allie, Sam Oughton, Sam Labban
Head Coach: JP Campbell
Asst. Coach: Josh Thorne
Team Manager: Tim Champion
January 2011
County Cup match Henley College vs Cokethorpe School
Cokethorpe School claimed the much sought after title of becoming the Oxfordshire County Cup champions following a hard fought final with Henley College. Cokethorpe ran out 8-7 victors in a game in which Henley dominated possession, but failed to translate territory into points.
On a cold January evening, Cokethorpe’s Will Millett kicked off in what would be a tough and enthralling game.
At the outset, Henley dominated possession with a number of telling attacks. Henley looked to use the ball from the off and move it wide at every opportunity. With a physically impressive pack well led by Rory Paxton, the Henley forwards looked to provide quick ball for the backs.
Cokethorpe, to their credit, defended their line to the death with both backs and forwards putting in hit after hit denying Henley the opportunity to cross the line. Nevertheless were generous in giving away a number of penalties which Henley were unable to capitalise on since having opted to run instead of settling for the 3 pointers. It Cokethorpe’s sheer doggedness and determination ensured Henley were not going to cross their line.
When Cokethorpe did have the ball in hand (which was on rare occasions) they looked dangerous and were happy to attack from any area on the pitch including their own 22m.
Against the run of play, Cokethorpe were the first to get on the score board. Cokethorpe put in a kick over Henley’s defensive line right into thehands of Henley’s winger Oli Jones in his own half only to face a thumping tackle by Cokethorpe’s outside-centre Alex Isidro, forcing a turnover. This resulted in the ball moving through the hands of Cokethorpe to right wing Nick Baboolal who turned showed sound pace and nifty footwork to take his man on the outside, running in from 40m out to touchdown in the right hand corner. Purdy narrowly missed the tough kick from the corner, 5-0 to Cokethorpe.
Cokethorpe in newly found territory managed to earn themselves a penalty 35m out in front of the posts. Purdy who minutes earlier missed a similar positioned kick, stepped up to the plate and calmly slotted the penalty to push his side into further lead of 8-0.
The half ended with Henley once again going back to old ways, camping themselves in Cokethorpes half. Cokethorpe at this stage started to show signs of tension handing Henley further penalties. Scrum-half Lee continued to test the defence with his tap-and-go’s. Lee’s quick thinking started to agitate the Cokethorpe pack, which resulted in an over eager Cokethorpe player going for Lee and resulting in what can be best described as ‘hand bags at dawn’ between the two packs and scrum-half Lee. After the fracas had died down, Henley were awarded a penalty 30m out. However, kicker Lee was off target, bringing the end to the half.
HALF-TIME Cokethorpe 8-0 Henley College
The 2nd half continued much in the same vein as the 1st half with Henley dominating possession and territory.
Henley with a number of scoring opportunities, were unable to translate these into points, being unable to put the last past to hand. Henley’s head coach, Mr Danny Batty must have been questioning what his side had to do to score a try!
Fortunately for Mr Batty, he had to fret no longer. Henley once again worked the ball into Cokethorpe’s 22m, working the ball from side to side, eventually drawing the majority of the opposition defence to one side, leaving a massive overlap for Henley to exploit. Fly-half Rob Bryson identified and managed put 2nd row Jack Horwood in for Henley’s for try of the game under the posts. Lucas Lee converted. 8-7 to Cokethorpe.
Jack Horwood Scorer of Henley College try
Minutes later, Henley thought they were in again after a kick landed in the Cokethorpe 22m, with full-back Ollie Parsons collecting and attempting to clear, only to be charged down by Rob Bryson and outside-centre Sam Botting collecting the loose ball to touch down under the posts. Unfortunately for Henley, the referee adjudged Botting to be in an offside position from Parsons’ charge down. Cokethorpe was once again let off the hook!
Henley continued to attack the Cokethorpe line with both 2nd row Craig Austin and Botting both respectively going in within a whiskers chance of scoring only for some tremendous defensive work from both full-back Ollie Parsons and Henry Purdy who both managed to rip the ball out of Austin’s and Botting’s hands inches from the line, saving what would have been would-be tries.
In the dying minutes, Cokethorpe’s fly-half Will Millet received the ball in open play on Henley’s 10m line decided to go for a drop goal to seal the game only for the kick to go wide and role over the deadball line resulting in a scrum back on the 10m line. With seconds ticking away, Henley still trailing by 1 point, attack from the scrum attempting to penetrate Cokethorpe’s defence. The Cokethorpe pack over eager to stop the attack failed to roll away from the tackle handing Henley a penalty. At this stage there was a real sense of tension for both sides. Henley go for the tap-and-go, it is all or nothing now. Unfortunately for Henley, Cokethorpe back row were quick to react and managed to win a penalty and therefore ending the game.
Elation for the Cokethorpe players and huge commiserations for Henley. Both sides battled to the death showing tremendous determination and heart. Cokethorpe proved the old adage: ‘defence wins you games’! For the majority of the game, Cokethorpe’s head coach Mr Gareth Rees’ men were on the back foot, their defensive line and work rate were the deciding factor of the game. Henley will be ruing their missed opportunities. They played enterprising rugby but were unable to put the finishing touch on a number of attacking moves.
January 2011
18 year old South West England Rugby centre David Massey on the charge.
David a Henely College student and former Gillotts schoolboy lives in Nuffield and was a product of the Reading Abbey Club.He is a member of the college team and an A level student, also on the AASE programme and part of the London Wasps Academy based at Henley.
David along with College captain Rory Paxton attended a warm weather training camp in Spain playing in a warm up fixture against a Regional select team ahead of the Divisional matches.The next schedules match for South West will be against London and South East on 30th January at Old Paulians ground.
Rory leads the College team against present holders Cokethorpe School in the final of the Oxfordshire cup, Henley RFC 7 pm Thursday 6th January.
The Henley College 29 -24 Brighton College
After hard matches against the Academy sides from London Wasps, Saracens and London Irish, Henley College 1st XV faced a top school side under the floodlights at Dry Leas. Brighton College, recent victors over Daily Mail winners, Whitgift School, arrived full of confidence with a squad of talented players, and with an excellent playing surface, an exciting match awaited the 200 spectators.
A controlled start from Henley saw both backs and forwards handling the ball with confidence, and from a Rob Bryson break centre Dave Massey used his speed and strength to open the scoring to the left of the posts. Lucas Lee converted the try. But Brighton soon struck back with a move that stretched the Henley defence and allowed enough space for the talented Paymann Seyed-Safi on the left wing to bring Brighton’s first score. The try was not converted.
The next 20 minutes belonged to Henley, with captain Rory Paxton and No 8 Samir Kharbooch both making ground with strong carries. First Brighton were caught offside allowing Lee to add three points from a well struck penalty, and then a Lee pass found second row Jack Horwood whose speed and swerve took him under the posts for Henley’s second try, which Lee converted.
Within minutes Horwood was at it again. A Massey break opened up the Brighton defence and quickly recycled ball ended in the irrepressible Horwood’s hands, and the third try was a formality, as was the conversion by Lee. At this stage Brighton looked shell shocked, but against the run of play bounced back. Moving the ball wide Brighton’s centre Ned Holden was heavily tackled by young Henley wing, Oli Jones, but Holden’s pass found Sayed-Safi on the half way line, and a fine run ended under the Henley posts. The try was converted and at half time the score was 24-12 to Henley.
The second half was a much tighter affair, as the wind picked up making conditions harder for both teams. With Luke Wilson and Frazer Hegarty knocking back Brighton attacks, and England U-18 prop Alec Hepburn driving forward to good effect, the visitors efforts to get back into the game were foundering. Then in a five minute spell the game turned through two Brighton tries, bringing the scores level.
Henley were not finished though, centre Sam Botting broke clear, then Massey threatened the Brighton line, showing the determination needed to secure a victory, but it was replacement full back Michael Johnson who clinched the match. An elusive run was stopped just short of the line, but MJ’s strength was enough to get the ball down. With the conversion missed the game ended at 29-24 to Henley College.
Coach Dan Batty was delighted after the match and praised his team for playing excellent rugby, and named double try scorer Jack Horwood as his man of the match.
Henley College Girls 1st X1 (2) v Licensed Victullars (0) 10th Nov 2010
Henley very quickly dominated the play within the first half and with the support of forwards Mary Jones and Hannah Kirby the first goal was scored by Katy Booth 11 minutes in to the game. The pressure was kept on the LV defence in midfield by Jessica Knopp, Katie Booth, Louisa Clapham and Ellie Roseff . Fianally Henley broke through and were rewarded with another goal set up by Ellen Fairbairn and keeping it in the family, hit into the goal by Amy Fairbairn.
LV then came out of for the second half more organised and stronger. Play then moved into the previously empty Henley half of the pitch. Great defending by Sophie Hoskins Elody Fumi and Jessica Hayes kept play away from our goal expertly covered by Charlotte Welford (Capt) to leave the score at 2 – 0. Well played everybody.
The next match will be Henley Mixed 1st X1 v Wheatley Park Wednesday 17th Nov 2010 push back 2pm. Supporters welcome.
College Students Successfully Complete Coaching and Leadership Awards
In recent months a number of students have successfully completed a variety of sports related courses and are starting to put the skills learnt into practice.
A dozen students completed a Cricket Young Leaders award and then went on to help at two Girls Young Taverners competitions in Oxford.
14 rugby players did an introductory Tag Rugby course, working through coaching and officiating skills and subsequently helped out at events in South Oxfordshire and the Oxfordshire Chairman’s Trophy day as well as providing help at the County Mini and Junior Festival held at Henley Rugby Club.
10 girls have recently completed a ‘Hi-5 Netball’ course which will enable them to help out at events in Wallingford and around the area.
8 girls successfully completed their EHB Foundation Umpire Award and will now be able to officiate friendly hockey fixtures both inside and outside college.
In December a dozen students will complete the Young Badminton Leaders course and then help at the County Final for the National Centre Parcs competition. In recent years students have progressed from this course to officiate at International events, such as the All England Championships, and are likely to be involved in the Olympics in London in 2012.
Success for Henley College Netball Team
The Henley College Netball 1st team are the new County Champions. They played at the County tournament on Wednesday 3rd November 2010. They played 9 matches in total and never lost a game. They scored over 100 goals and were magnificent.
New County Netball Champions - well done girls!
In their group they brushed away teams such as Headington A, St Helens and St Katharines and Lord Williams School, and eventually cruising into the semi finals. The defence was excellent with both Chloe Chapman and Ellen Moorey proving very adaptable to any attack. Jordan Szmidt and Emily Bryson were scoring for fun and making it look easy at times. Then in the centre court, Kate Bryson, Rebecca Milton and captain Nicole Duke were dominating and moving the ball through the court with confidence.
They met Tudor Hall in the semi-finals and won the match with a decidingly good score of 14 - 4. Then on to the finals where Henley College met Oxford High, they too had not dropped a match and so it was to be an exciting game. However Henley again brushed them aside. The girls played magnificently with everyone fighting for the ball and playing with dominance on the court. The final score was Henley 13 - Oxford High 2. A convincing win. And so on to the South Regional Finals which are to be held on 22nd Jan in Southampton.
Good Luck to the girls.
County Honours for College Rugby stars!
Henley College students representing Oxfordshire after their third win in a row, coming out top in the County championship .Led by College captain and Hooker Rory Paxton the boys played some fantastic Rugby with wins over Gloucestershire, Cornwall and finally a 41-5 victory over neighbours Bucks.
College County players left to right Paxton, Massey, Botting, Horwood and Bryson
The next step in the England Schools and Clubs pathway is that a Final trial game for the College boys in Bristol on 14th November. Sam Botting, David Massey, Jack Horwood and Rory Paxton are all products of local clubs, Wallingford, Reading Abbey and Henley Hawks.
They fall at his feet or Botting leaves em for dead!!
Congratulations to them and Oxfordshire under 18s.
Oxfordshire 26 Gloucestershire 15
Henley College Student Jack Horwood leaps against the opposition in a warm up game for the county.
Oxfordshire won the first game of the championship at St Edwards School Oxford in a thrilling encounter featuring a number of Henley College players including Horwood, Rory Paxton, David Massey, Rob Bryson and the unavailable Nathan Hyde and Sam Botting.
The match was played at a rapid pace and the College boys equipped themselves well, Paxton throwing well in the lineout and Horwood catching. Massey was his typical robust self in the centre and caused the opposition a great deal of problems as he has done so far this season for the College team. Bryson came on and played well upping the tempo and tackling well.
The next round of county matches is on the 24th October when they meet Cornwall in Bristol and the week after play Berkshire at Cheltenham. The boys are aiming to be included in the final South West trials in November when a squad is selected to play in the Divisional championship.
Reminder tickets selling fast for the tour fundraiser Dinner , Town Hall Friday 19th November, contact Bryn Lee tel***
NETBALL
The girls have had an excellent season this year and this was rounded off with win in the Plate competition of our final tournament / matches of the year. This was a new tournament based around the Netball World Championships, with power plays and double points scored for goals scored outside the shooting circle.
The tournament started nice and early in Southampton! We had an unlucky start losing our first match by just 3 points to Brockenhurst 2. It was an unfortunate start, with us just not converting a couple of goals in our power play, but we matched them in every other quarter.
Next came our second match, where we lost by again just 5 points. Again our power play let us down, but we were doing some good scoring and excellent play in defence. Grace Lester kept the team flowing with some excellent play down the court and useful interceptions and Lily Stickland became a stalwart in defence for us, which was greatly needed against some good attacking teams.
The team was extremely versatile, this was especially needed as we had no subs and there was just 7 of them! The girls played their hearts out in every match, and us being one of the only teams with no subs, showed superb endurance and fitness throughout the day.
Once we got to grips with the power play and shooting from outside the circle, we began to really click and show how good we were. We drew our final group of the groups and went through to the plate competition.
We won all our games in the Plate competition, with one game, winning by a very convincing margin of 24 points!. The girls were being asked to play all positions, from shooting to defending. Gemma Muttitt and Nicole Duke both scored goals from outside the circle, a great achievement by them, well done. Sarah-Lee Marchesi, was proving a very effective GD, a relatively new position to her. So too Lizzie Hayward in defence and shooting, a real versatile player.
We got through to the final, and won the Plate match by 23-13. Again, a very successful game, with our power play being effective and again, another shot from gemma Muttitt from outside the circle. The defence set up moved from man to man, to full court zone and this proved the key. Players rotated excellently and everyone worked for each other.
A great end to the season. Well done to everyone. Jordan Scmidt, from the 2nd team, played up in the 1st team, and was outstanding. She played both GS and in defence, proving very able in any position. She fitted in well and looked like she could be there next year. Congratulations to all the girls.
The Henley College Rugby Round Up
The first team squad ended a superb season recording 10 Wins and 6 losses. The side reached the quarter final of the Daily Mail Vase and reached the Final of the Oxfordshire Schools cup.
Many players went onto representative Rugby, Nathan Busby playing for South West Division, Alec Hepburn representing National Academies under 17s, Lucas Lee selected for England Men’s Touch Rugby squad, David Massey and Sam Botting chosen for London Wasps Academy, together with County Rugby players including Tom Simpson, Sam Holloway, Tom Slade, Jack Horwood and College captain Toby Davies.
The College look set to have another fine season next year with the majority of the team being first year students, Rugby continues to grow with over 70 boys playing regularly, the College for the first time fielding Three sides.
Work continues in Rugby Development and we enjoy close links with London Wasps, Henley Hawks and Redingensians. The Rugby Development programme together with the AASE qualification means more and more players are attracted to Henley to study and further their Rugby careers.
The College entered a number of 7s Tournaments and gave a good account of itself winning 3 from 4 matches at the prestigious National Schoolboys tournament held at Rosslyn Park .
Looking ahead the squad will continue to work hard in the Gym over the next few months and prepare for next season which promises to be the most exiting yet with a pre and end of season tour. The Truro Rugby festival in August is first up followed by and end of season tour in the summer to Argentina.
Good luck to those boys leaving Henley this summer and let’s hope you carry on and continue to enjoy your rugby.
National Schools Sevens Tournament
On Thursday, 25, a squad of 12 from Henley travelled to Rosslyn Park to represent the College at the National Schools Sevens Tournament, with hopes of progressing to Fridays knockout stages. First up was Alton College, Hampshire. From the kick off Henley came charging out of the blocks, and within seconds had taken the lead, some good counter rucking by David Massey lead to a turnover and Lucas Lee fed out wide for captain Toby Davies to crash over for the first of the day. The next two first half tries were scored by speedster Tom Simpson. A short period of pressure just before half time allowed Alton to squeeze over in the corner after a few well worked phases, the half finishing 17-7. The second half saw a change in Henley personnel, and one of the newcomers, Sam Botting, rounded the defence with his first touch to go over for a score. A successful conversion by Lee made it 24-7 in Henley’s favour. Sustained Henley pressure was soaked up well by Alton, until a wayward pass was thrown and gathered by the Alton winger who showed good pace to run the length and score, 24-12. From the restart Henley dominated the rest of the tie with Botting using his pace to score his second, and an audacious chip and gather by Lee touch down, with both tries being converted the game ended 38-12.
Game 2
The second contest was against a strong looking Pant School, South Wales, in a match which promised to be a much closer fought contest. The contest stayed true to the prediction with an early exchange of blows, but Henley were ahead due to a missed conversion. As the fast paced game opened up Lucas Lee shone as some outrageous footwork led to a break clean through the middle of the Pant defence but was unable to capitalise. Nathan Hopkins ran 60 metres to chase his own kick and managed to gather just before the line to sneak over in the corner, a superb touchline kick made it 14-5. The strong unit of Massey stormed through the Pant defence taking three players with him, as the College boys started to take control, 21-5. The welsh school soon replied with a score after some deft handling led to a score under the posts. Another run by the powerful Massey allowed Henley to extend their lead by a further 7 points. Forwards, Sam Holloway and James Page were tireless in defence putting in hit after hit, however they couldn’t stop Pant scoring a late consolation. Henley were too strong and ran out 35-19 winners.
Game 3
Up next was against the group favourites, Judd School. The Tonbridge school littered with Saracens academy players, looked to be a very strong 7s outfit. As the game kicked off the heavens opened and gale force winds affected the play massively, after a scrappy start Judd started to take control and move the ball nicely despite the terrible conditions. Henley held their own in defence but saw little of the ball for the first few minutes, just before the half time whistle Judd found space on the outside and managed to get the ball down for a score. After the re-start Henley started to take the game to the Kent side, Davies made a break with some strong running but got tackled by the opposing sweeper, Judd were first to the ruck and turned the ball over on their own 22 metre line and showed great pace and skill to counter attack and score. The already terrible conditions worsened for the last few minutes, Judd’s superior handling allowed them two further scores as the contest finished 24-0.
Game 4.
As Judd were confirmed as winners of the pool, it meant only pride was at stake for the match against Cirencester college. Although both teams were already out of the competition they both looked like they wanted the win. Early scores by Massey and Botting gave Henley a solid 10-0 lead. Cirencester looked tired but however a missed tackle allowed them to touch down. They second half was more eventful, some slick handling between the Henley forwards and a turn of pace by Jack Horwood broke the defensive line but a last ditch cover tackle saved Cirencester from going further behind. Moments later Henley worked well to create space on the outside for Matt Pritchard to fly over for his first of the day. The 17-7 victory meant Henley were confirmed as runners up of the pool.
A solid day all in all, especially as Henley’s side was predominantly first year students.
The Henley College 24 V Cleeve School 5
The Henley College progressed to the quarter finals of the Daily Mail U-18 Vase competition with a hard fought, but ultimately comfortable victory, over a fiercely committed Cleeve School, from Gloucestershire.
With a near full strength team Henley began well against a heavy Cleeve pack. Early domination at the scrum forced Cleeve to concede a penalty, giving scrum half Adam Lubbock, his first successful kick at goal. More Henley forward pressure, led by a storming run by man of the match Sam Holloway, earned a second penalty, before the game saw the first sign of Henley’s running ability. An incisive burst from No 8 Karl Penhale, this time popping up in the centre of the pitch, created space for wing Sam Botting, to cross in the corner for the first try.
Despite a fairly straightforward penalty and a drop goal attempt, both from in front of the posts, Cleeve failed to trouble the score board. Adam Lubbock did register a further penalty, however, allowing Henley to turn around 14 points to the good at half time.
Henley’s lead was extended when fly half Lucas Lee squeezed over a drop goal from near the left hand touch line. This seemed to awaken Cleeve who rallied well and put Henley’s defence under considerable pressure for a sustained period of play. The home side’s line was finally breached through the long arm of the Cleeve inside centre, who just managed to get the ball grounded for Cleeve’s only score.
With both teams tiring Henley’s backs had several good movements with inside centre Toby Davies running his opposite number ragged. But again it was the Henley dominance in the set play, where front row, Nathan Busby, Rory Paxton and Simon Bell dominated the scrum, and line out jumper Jack Horwood ensured some quality Henley possession. As the match neared the end Busby charged up field to set up a ruck near the Cleeve line, after good handing, space was created for centre David Massey to crash over. Lubbock duly obliged with an easy conversion to wrap up the scores and move Henley into the next round where they are due to meet Coopers Company and Coborn School, Upminster, Essex, on Thursday February 11th
Team: Hopkins, Botting, Massey, Davies, Simpson, Lee, Lubbock, Busby, Paxton, Bell, Horwood, Page, Crane, Holloway, Penhale.
For parents of rugby players at The Henley College a meeting will be held at Henley Rugby club at 7.30 pm on February 11th, to discuss this season’s and next year’s tours. Players and Parents are encouraged to attend.
The Henley College 1st - 49 St Bartholomew School Newbury - 0
With the snow having thawed it was a wet Wednesday afternoon that saw the College team progress through to the last 16 of the Daily Mail under 18 Vase.
Conditions were very slippery underfoot and to their credit both sides tried to move the ball wide and play some expansive rugby. It was however, Henley through a well worked lineout who caught the ball and drove over the opposition line, Sam Holloway dotting the ball down.
The Henley pack then gained the upper hand and it was this platform that then launched the backs, Sam Botting going over for a well worked score. A Penalty by Lubbock together with a conversion from a further Holloway try brought the score at the break 17 – nil to the home side.
The visitor’s resistance was broken with two early tries at the start of the second period, Tom Simpson tearing down his wing after some superb play in the backs. Not to be out done Nathan Hopkins popped up to get on the score sheet, both players scored again in a fine display of controlled rugby. 
The Henley team made a number of changes with Rob Bryson coming on at 10 and Sam Pincott making a fine show of playing scum half. Strength in depth is always an asset and Lewes Collins together with Jake Farquharson ran strong and hard when they entered the game. The man of the match award went to, with many coming close, prop forward Simon Bell for his tireless work in tight and loose play.
It was a total of seven tries, three conversions and two penalties that earned the Henley boys a place in the next round. The opponents are Cleeve School , Cheltenham who beat Daunceys School 7-6 in their last round tie.
Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence
London Wasps has taken the next step in its player development partnership with The Henley College by placing four rugby apprentices with the college. Currently Wasps have 26 apprentices at Twyford Avenue School, Acton where the aspiring elite players follow the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE programme) alongside their academic studies.
Along with Middlesex, Wasps are responsible for developing talented young players in the counties of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. With its range of academic courses and an already established player development programme, The Henley College was a natural choice for Wasps Academy manager Rob Smith to place the young players.
The Apprenticeship provides every opportunity for aspiring elite rugby players 16-18 to reach their potential: a high level of rugby. It also takes account of and rigorously supports the need for continued progression towards other options: study or a different career. It is a means of meeting both sporting and academic aspirations.
Sam Botting has just completed his first term at the college, where he combines the apprenticeship with his A Level studies. “We train four times a week, as well as a match on Wednesday afternoons. The AASE programme ensures I cover and understand the technical, tactical, physical and psychological aspects of being an elite rugby player, hence we follow a structured strength and conditioning regime, lots of skill work, video analysis and one to one sports psychology sessions.”
Dan Batty, head coach at the College says “Nathan Busby is the third player we have got through to the South West Division in as many years, proof that our rugby programme is succesful in helping these boys to reach their potential. “I’m delighted that we now have the AASE programme on offer, this should enable us to attract even more ambitious young players, like Nathan and Sam to the College.
Henley College rugby player Nathan Busby represented the South West Division in the recent England Under 18 Divisional Festival in Yorkshire. The tournament went ahead as scheduled thanks to the state of the art 3G all-weather surface at West Park Leeds RFC.
A former pupil at Chiltern Edge school Nathan played his junior rugby at Abbey RFC before attending The Henley College. The 17 year old A level student who lives in Tokers Green had come through a long selection process and training camp in Spain.
Prop forward Busby had a storming game in the tournament final between London & South East and the South West and thanks to a last gasp score by London both teams preserved their unbeaten tag after a 22-22 draw. "It was a good final and it's been a good festival," said England Under 18 coach John Fletcher: "Lots of players who have come through the County route have had an opportunity to represent their Division and it was a fitting end. It was a close game and a draw was probably a fair result."
The Henley College: Leadership Academy
During the year the College has received Leadership Academy status through the Youth Sports Trust with help from the South Oxfordshire School Sports Partnership and the Oxfordshire Sports Partnership. The Leadership Academy is intended to provide students with a pathway into leadership and volunteering in sport both in schools and the community.
From left to right back row: Adam Lubbock, Karl Penhale, Ben Hancock, Nathan Busby, Anthony Porter.
Front row: Sam Peris, Rob Cutler and Matthew Pritchard.
Adam Lubbock, Karl Penhale, Ben Hancock, Nathan Busby and Anthony Porter refereed at the Chairman’s Cup County-wide Tag rugby event. Sam Perris, Rob Cutler and Matthew Pritchard helped at the County and Regional Badminton tournaments and were selected to help at the National Finals at Centre Parcs in April and have, as a result of their performances at Centre Parcs, been invited to officiate at the UK Youth Games in Cardiff in September.
Students have been given additional opportunities to gain coaching and leadership qualifications during the year and have been actively encouraged to make use of the qualifications gained. In November courses were run in coaching Kwik Cricket, Tag Rugby and High-5-Netball and Badminton Young Leaders in addition to the Level 1 coaching awards run in football, rugby, rowing and basketball as part of the College Sports Development programme.
Over 60 students were involved in the November courses and then enrolled onto the Youth Sports Trust Step-into-Sport Volunteer Passport programme which gives them an opportunity to gain credit for the voluntary work that they do. Many of the students were already involved in voluntary work at sports clubs, usually coaching junior sections, but the programme also encouraged them to involve themselves in area and county events which many took up to great affect. The students have helped at, among others, badminton, rugby, athletics and football events and gained some excellent reviews.
Nicki Gilder (County Badminton Development officer) after 14 students helped at the county tournament in January said “The officials from The Henley College were without doubt worth their weight in gold …………………. the feedback from the PE staff was fabulous” and after the Regional event in February she said “The project from start to finish has been a pleasure to link with The Henley College. Your students have grown in confidence and understanding and have been a credit to themselves and The College”. As a result of these two events three of the students, Matt Pritchard, Sam Perris and Rob Cutler were invited to officiate at the National finals at Centre Parcs last April and have been invited to help at the UK Youth Games in Cardiff in September.
After the Henley Youth Festival football competition Julia Jeremy thanked the students who “under Andy Ritchie’s guidance organised and ran a first class event. They had obviously put a great deal of time into their preparation and coped with everything and it all ran like clockwork”
After the Chairman’s Cup county Tag Rugby event one of the staff present thanked the organisers for the standard of the event saying “one of the main reasons was the high standard of referees from The Henley College. Not only did they know the rules but they had a light touch and were happy to give tips to the children to improve their game”
After the South Oxon area athletics Julie Garner the Oxfordshire Schools Competitions Manager said of the 12 volunteers “my thanks to your students as their help was also invaluable”
Will Jones selected for London Wasps and England under 18s.
The selection process started back in September and after progressing from county to division and then on to region, Will was selected as a winger for the England 18s.
Scoring two tries in his debut against Japan, Will now travels to France for the European championships.
Will recently represented a very successful college team in the national 7 a side tournament at Rosslyn Park scoring 16 tries over the two days.
A modest Jones thanked the college coaches and in particular Dan Batty for all his help in developing the talent at college.
“I am certain that Rugby here at Henley will continue to grow and wish everyone the best of luck in the future”
We wish Will all the best and I am sure that we shall all follow our boy with a great deal of interest.
Henley College sports students completed their introduction to rowing with a mini regatta held at Upper Thames Rowing club.
Winners; Jess Green (cox), Georgina Turner, Tom Slade, Harvey Draycott, Harry Groves,
Martin Collier, Sophie Allen, Sarah Davern, Harriet Kitching. BND Year1 Coach Jamie Smith
Almost 75 students from the towns sixth form college took part in the event which featured eights and fours races. The course was over 500 metres and involved other students and tutors as starters, timekeepers and safety Marshalls. The event was managed by Henley college and UTRC coach Jamie Smith who explained” The students both first and second years have taken part in a six week course for rowing which included giving them a taste of indoor rowing on ergo machines, trainer boats, sculling and sweep oar rowing” Coach Smith added that with so many sporting options at college some students have always fancied trying rowing but never had an opportunity.” If you think about it we are the capital of rowing in the UK, have three clubs and not many kids of any age get a chance to try it” asked if any will take it up he answered” We already have around half a dozen who now row as a major activity and a few have been inspired to carry on outside of college. A great opportunity and as a member of the winning crew, first year and footballer 16 year old Sarah Davern told us. “I had never been in a boat before and thought I would like to steer, realised very soon that coxing wasn’t all that easy and kept crashing, my coach told me to try rowing and I did. We were simply the best and worked well as a team, I think I will be giving it another go for sure.”
The numbers of students taking the Sports Development Programme in addition to their academic studies are higher than they have ever been before, with a marked increase in netball, rowing and football and with rugby holding the highest numbers that have been seen over the last few years. The link with Wasps continues to be beneficial with a number of the College players going on to reprewent the Wasps Academy team.
In addition basketball is now being offered in partnership with The Reading Rockets. The squad members receive specialist coaching from The Reading Rockets and have an opportunity to develop their strength and conditioning with experienced instructors. The College team has entered a number of national competitions and is looking to increase its numbers next year.
The football development squad has a new Head Coach. Andy Richie has a UEFA 'A' Level 4, Advanced Coaching Licence and has experience coaching at clubs such as Chelsea, Southampton, Crystal Palace, Olympic Lyonnais and Juventus.
The College has been fortunate in obtaining funding to provide students with the opportunity to gain basic level coaching/officiating and leadership awards in badminton, cricket, netball and rugby, working in conjunction with the Oxfordshire Sports Partnership. There will be over 50 students involved in the courses in mid-November and they will then be going out to local schools and clubs to help encourage sports participation, as well as helping to arrange and officiate at local and county based events and festivals.
The College has accessed funds to provide discounted golf lessons for a number of students and this has lead to short term membership for the students at one of the local clubs! It is hoped that further funding will be available to introduce other new sports to our students, or at least to bring coaches and /or performers to offer introductory sessions at the College with the opportunity to participate, subsequently, at local clubs.
This year saw a large increase in the number of students interested in skiing. Apart from the annual ski trip to America, which takes place in February to Utah, the College put four teams in for the National Championships, the regional round being held at Gloucester. There were two boys' teams, one girls' and one mixed. It is the first time for many years that the College has entered so many teams. The girls' team narrowly missed out on qualifying for the national finals and three of the team will fly out to Flaine in France at the end of January to take part in the British Schoolgirls' Championship on snow, an event the College has been entering for years.
Former Henley College student wins silver at the Olympics
Former Henley College student, Colin Smith rowed for Great Britain in the men's eight at the Beijing Olympics. The crew won a silver medal on the final day of the rowing regatta in Beijing.
Colin grew up in Zimbabwe and came to England to escape the economic and political troubles. He took A levels in English, Economics, Geography and Business Studies and went on to Oxford University. During his time at Henley he rowed at the Leander Club where he was inspired by the heroes of his sport Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent.
