THE ALLEYNIAN 708 | OUT OF THE ORDINARY
THE ALLEYNIAN 708 | OUT OF THE ORDINARY
SPORT
time spent on court in the interim, the Dulwich players were keen to show their progress. David Kembery, the youngest squad member, and Archie Taylor embodied the spirit of these games, leaving everything on court and justifying their selection fully. Previous losses were eclipsed by the way in which the squad were able to turn results around with excellent performances across the board, and it was pleasing the see the boys get a reward for their efforts. After the Christmas break, one central competition remained for the squad. This was the Roehampton School Invitational Competition. Drawn in a group alongside Marlborough, Radley and University College School, Dulwich were excited to play a bout of competitive games in a great venue with plenty of atmosphere. Playing in a timed format unless the best of three games had already been reached, they knew that every point was important. Our first opponents were UCS, and there were competitive games from seeds one to five. Dulwich only managed to come through with one full victory but despite looking slightly lacking on the match practice front, the boys showed glimpses of good quality squash and were buoyed by the first performance. Radley followed and, once again, a group of more consistent performers provided a stern challenge to the Dulwich players, who gained further valuable experience in another loss. After lunch, Marlborough were up last in the group stages for Dulwich, and having previously won their other games, they seemed likely to secure victory. However, the Dulwich boys performed extremely well, once again displaying an ability to control games at critical moments, despite sometimes lacking appropriate levels of execution at the end of otherwise well-worked points. KCS Wimbledon were our opponents in the 4th-place playoff. Having previously faced each other in the Michaelmas term, players from both sides wanted to end the day on a high. Lower down the seedings, KCS were too strong, while the top end matches proved challenging for both teams, with many games going to the wire. Despite a great effort throughout the day, the boys did not have enough to vanquish the side from Wimbledon in the end. Overall, this was a hugely enjoyable occasion and it provided a rich opportunity for the boys to experience tournament-style squash. The development across the season for the core group of competitive players has been exceptional and, going forward, the prospect of more progress is exciting. In a similar fashion to the recent Lent term, more after school co-curricular sessions will be implemented for the lower age groups in order to create a more sustainable flow of committed players in the club. Many thanks to all those boys who have represented the school and taken part in the programme. It will continue to grow with your support.
WATER POLO TRACEY PALMER
SPORT
SQUASH JORDAN ANNETT
T he water polo squads are continuing to develop and go from strength to strength, led by our amazing coaches, Timothy Kendall and Mario DeLeraCalero. As with so much this year, nothing went quite to plan. With cancelled matches, pool closures and many of the tournaments unfinished, it would be easy not to remember the progress and the positives that we have seen. The U15s had a great trip to Madrid in the New Year, playing against some of the best sides in junior water polo that Spain has to offer. Upon their return, the U15s had their semi-final tournament away at Haberdashers’ School. Winning their first two matches, against Haberdashers’ and Bedford, they qualified for the final alongside Alleyn’s. The finals took place the following week at Northampton School. The boys produced some fantastic water polo and demonstrated the improvements they have made. They finished in a respectable 6th place with all of their 10 matches decided by a single goal or even by penalties. It was the closest set of matches in schoolboy water polo I have ever seen and demonstrates the improvement across the country in the sport.
E ntering the season, the Dulwich College Squash Club was in good form. The number of boys attending junior co-curricular sessions was excellent, and the senior players, who often play in numerous other team sports in the same term, were committing to fixtures in order to stretch themselves as individuals and as a squad. Most of our fixtures are for the senior squad, and given the relatively small pool of Upper School players, led by Oscar Marchal and Archie Taylor, our younger players were able to come to the fore, playing key matches throughout this year, and therefore experiencing tough clashes with top-class independent schools on the circuit. A brilliant first-up triangular fixture between St Paul’s and the hosts, Sevenoaks School, allowed the squad to find their feet and get proper competitive squash under their belts. Despite there being glimpses of highly proficient play, especially from Ben Blacknell and Jamie Higgins, the boys were soundly beaten by more able opposition at the time. Continuing the theme of triangular meets, Tonbridge School hosted the King’s School Canterbury and Dulwich College in the early stages of the season. Despite some logistical problems with the M25 en route to the fixture, the players performed exceptionally well, pulling together more consistent approaches across each game and finding a more obvious cutting edge to their play. Lorenzo Tonelli stood out in this clash and was unlucky to come away with a defeat despite having opportunities to pull away in certain games of the match. Home and away fixtures against KCS Wimbledon and Epsom College proved crucial to some of the developments in the squad’s performances this season. On both occasions, the opposition were too strong, overpowering the Dulwich players with more intelligent squash, combined with a highly consistent approach. However, on the return legs, with more
The U18s also managed to finish their national campaign. After the highs of the silver medal in the 2019 championships, the boys were devastated to drop into the plate competition after a disappointing first round. After some evaluating and new target-setting, the boys turned their season around, cruising through the semi-finals alongside St Paul’s, and starting to play as a team again, although the disappointment was still evident and it was clear there was still work to be done. The team that turned up at Northampton School for the National Plate final was a team we were proud to coach. They were calm and respectful, supportive and encouraging, and demonstrated their skill in all aspects of the game. They won all four of their games to become 2020 ESSA National Plate Champions. Through every disappointment there are lessons to be learnt, and the senior team have learnt many this year.
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