in a playoff position, and this was still a possibility heading into the second half of the season, with victories needed against King’s College and City of London. A great team performance against the former gave the U15s a three- point victory, but unfortunately they could not recreate the same heroics against City of London and lost by a single point. This meant Dulwich College finished just one place outside of the playoffs. Overall, this season was a great step up from last year, and if this same core group of players continue to play together, I have no doubts that they will make a playoff appearance in the near future. U16s The U16 team had a strong season led by Ryan Wan and Ryan Qiu (both Year 11), both of whom are very talent- ed basketball players who are benefiting from National League experience. Their leadership, scoring ability and defensive presence helped the team pick up National Cup victories as well as LISBA league wins. The team finished fourth in the league and went into the playoffs full of con- fidence but knowing they faced a difficult battle against the first seed, City of London. The team put in a superb performance with a defensive intensity that had not been seen all season. The match was very close going into the second half and upsets looked on the cards, but eventual- ly City of London’s strength in depth showed through and they managed to come away with the victory, although the Dulwich team had made them work hard for it. As the U16 team moves into the Upper School next year there will be no shortage of talent fighting it out for a place in the senior team. Senior The senior team began the year with only four returning players from last year and the rest of the team made up of Year 12 players. Their inexperience at this level certainly did not show through, and by the end of the Michaelmas term, the team had not lost a match in the league and had picked up wins in the National Cup, with the possibility of advancing out of the group stage still on the cards. As we began the Lent term, a few close losses meant that we could not progress in the National Cup, but this did not hamper the team’s momentum in the LISBA league. For the first time in at least six years, Dulwich College finished top of the league, with six wins and one loss. This meant that the team went into the playoffs as the first seed and felt confident they could get the win against Sevenoaks, a
their skill levels, express themselves and enjoy playing this high-speed, high -empo team sport. With a new head coach, Roz Mason, at the helm, students of all ages have progressed as basketball players and have been able to translate what they have learnt in training into game situations against other schools. U14s As always, the season began with the Year 9 House basketball competition. Fiercely contested, it always acts as the perfect opportunity for new students in the Middle School to engage with the sport. From this tournament we were able to select a squad of enthusiastic Year 9 students and, with the addition of some very keen Year 8 students, the U14 team began their College basketball ca- reers with a league fixture against King’s College School. The students put in a great performance but unfortunately finished second best to a team with more match expe- rience. However, it did not take long for the U14 team to get their first win away, at Royal Russell. As the year progressed, this team continued to show real promise on the offensive end of the court but unfortunately could not back this up with enough defence to win further league matches. Though there was definite disappointment at not finishing in the playoffs this year, the future looks very bright, as so many students show a talent for the sport and made fantastic improvements in terms of their skill sets throughout the year. U15s After a difficult first season in the LISBA competitions, the U15 basketball team were eager to make improve- ments. They showed great dedication to training, with the core members of the team, Badshah Shah, Ola Meldad, Ollie Tulk-Hart, Vadym Zhuravlov and Max Karg (all Year 10), regularly in the sports hall not only working on their fundamental skills but also pushing each other in match situations to improve their basketball ability. As last year’s U14 team, this group had only managed one league victory in the season. This year, however, has seen a nice up-tick in wins as well as performances, with the team securing three victories, including an impressive cup quarter-final win over Alleyn’s. The team went into the cup semi-final full of confidence, but came up against a very strong St Paul’s team, and though Dulwich played well, it was St Paul’s who were ultimately victorious and moved on to the final. The team hoped to finish the league
team they had beaten earlier in the season, in the semi-fi- nal. Unfortunately, the occasion got the better of the team, who struggled to finish offensively and ended up losing in a very close game. This was a slightly disappoint- ing end to the season, but the team should look back on the year with pride, as their overall record has been the best that the College has had in many a year. A huge thank you must go to the coaching team of Roz Mason, Mr Basey and Mr Okoroafer and also to the following students who leave the College this year but have been fantastic servants to Dulwich College Basket- ball over many years: Israel Ankrah, Tai Barrett-Hay, Dati Kochishvili and Kennedy Wilks (all Year 13).
Lower School The stand-out year groups in 2022 were arguably those in the Lower School, with some impressive efforts in the cup competitions. Year 7 were successful in retaining the London Schools trophy, defeating Alleyn’s in the final during the last week of the Summer term. As a result, the following season they are entered into the English Schools Cricket Association national cup competition. This is where the current Year 8s found themselves after The stand-out year groups in 2022 were arguably those in the Lower School, with some impressive efforts in the cup competitions winning the London Schools trophy early in the Michael- mas term, the final having been delayed over the summer holiday. Over an eight-week period, the U13s defeated Hampton, Gresham’s, Whitgift, Haileybury and Taunton School to set up an ESCA national final against King’s School, Macclesfield at Oakham School. To use a saying synonymous with cricket now, it would be the ‘barest of margins’ that split the two teams in the final, with a King’s School fielder diving full length to his right to cling onto the winning catch with only two runs required off the final ball. Although Dulwich fell agonizingly one run short of their target, the journey they had been on as a group will stay with them forever. With unwavering support from the Lower School, the squad was able to make long trips to Gresham’s in north Norfolk and Taunton Prep down in Somerset, playing cricket in some stunning settings. On the pitch, the U13 team was led by an inspired Roan Kennedy, who made in excess of 400 runs over the six rounds, at an average of 72. His 101 in the semi-final
Cricket Adam Riley
After two years of Summer term disruption due to Covid, it was refreshing to start the season in 2022 without any restrictions, allowing pupils to hit the ground running from the Junior School all the way up to the 1st XI. Over the course of the term, the College competed in just shy of 200 matches, which required the hard work and collabo- ration of everyone involved in the day-to-day running and hosting of fixtures, specifically the operational staff, the catering team, the grounds department and the teaching staff. I offer my personal thanks to all of them. In addition, it is pupils and their parents who underpin our sports provision, so I would also like to thank everyone who sup- ported the cricket programme through their participation or general support from beyond the boundary rope! Junior School The Junior School cricket programme continues to be a hotbed of talent, where future 1st XI cricketers make their first strides into the game. Across Years 4, 5 and 6 we were able to continue our traditional fixtures against local opposition, with matches against Dulwich Prep, Hill House International, St Paul’s, Donhead and Hornsby House. As cricket in the Junior School runs alongside cricket in the Senior School, many staff have to take two teams and we are lucky to have the likes of James Clark, Steve Kelly, Alex Brown and Jimmy Davies expertly leading Years 6, 5, 4 and 3, respectively, throughout the season.
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THE ALLEYNIAN 711
SPORTS
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