W hen sitting down to write a sporting review of the last twelve months, I couldn’t quite believe the vast array and broad spectrum of individual and team successes, as well as the sheer number of boys participating in Sport at Dulwich College. Of all the success that our boys have had in fixtures and tournaments in a variety of sporting arenas, the mass participation and enthusiasm for Sport at Dulwich stands out. This should be celebrated in itself, but it is arguably what has led to Gold Medals, Tournament wins and National recognition. Nearly 1,000 boys have represented the school in an inter-school fixture, regatta or gala. When taking the reins from my predecessor, Mr Jamie King, I knew I had a tough act to follow. Who would have imagined a third trip to Twickenham for our Rugby 1st XV, who remain unbeaten in the National 15-a-side cup competition? Who would have thought that we would have a national 800 metre champion in our ranks, or that our U15 Hockey team would be crowned Surrey Champions? The cricketers enjoyed an unbeaten tour of the Caribbean following on from their superb end-of- season run, which saw a dramatic finish at Harrow, where Paddy Stuff got Dulwich close to a target of 239. Jamie Murray hit the winning four to seal a fantastic win by just two wickets, and with it ensured the Dulwich reputation for performing well under pressure was firmly imprinted on all who were fortunate enough to see such a high standard of cricket. Ali Neden also deserves a mention for his innings against Bedford, where he hit a magnificent 164 to lead Dulwich to another closely fought win. Lower down the school, both Lucas Wilson and Sam Fanning impressed with the bat for the U12s as they finished the season as London Schools Champions. The athletics season saw Christopher Annous running live on television as he finished 6th in the 300 metres, followed in September by coming in 9th nationally in the English Schools Athletics Combined events. Ed Olsen won the AAA England Indoor 800 metre Championships in the Under-17 age group in Sheffield. Buoyed up by a very comfortable victory in the heats, in the final he executed perfectly his pre-race plan of kicking hard from 300 metres to go. By the finish he had taken 15 metres and over two seconds out of his rivals to win in one minute 56.99 seconds – a new indoor personal best. A record seven Dulwich Boys were selected for the London Team to compete at the English Schools Cross Country Championships. At the meet our highlight was Noah Armitage-Hookes taking a silver medal in the junior category race, earning a place in the National team. In the international race he finished 10th as a scoring runner in the winning English Team.
The Rugby season began in buoyant mood. After a pre-season tour to the West Country and a slow start, the 1st XV enjoyed another spectacular season culminating, of course, in another trip to Twickenham. This came after a pulsating semi- final against RGS High Wycombe, which Mr Howard rated as the best win of the season given that we had four men in the sin bin. Dulwich grit and heart came to the fore, paving the way for a showdown with Warwick in the final. Dulwich gave a sensational performance in all respects, with Captain Felix Maddison leading by example and Ali Neden seemingly impossible to tackle. The crowd were also outstanding on a day when the sun finally shone on a Dulwich final. Huge congratulations must also go to Mr Wood and the U13s, whose performance in the final of the Schools Magazine National U13 Cup Final against an enormous Woodhouse Grove School was nothing short of spectacular. Lucas Wilson’s drop goal to level the scores at 3-3 and give Dulwich a share of the cup was a contender for highlight of the year. A mention must also go to the U14s, who won the Surrey Sevens under Mr Shaw’s guidance. Josh Ibuanokpe must be congratulated on his England U18s selection and subsequent contract with Harlequins – we wish him well. The U15 footballers returned from their pre- season tour to Barcelona in fine fettle, but boys across the school suffered as all but two home fixtures before the February Half Term were cancelled due to the poor weather. Mr Brammer, Mr Brown and Mr Athey worked extremely hard to keep the boys up to standard and eight managed to pass their FA Level One refereeing course as a result. When the weather relented, our boys demonstrated that they can mix with the best. The U11s were crowned IAPS champions for London and the 1st XI finished the season with a fantastic win against UCS Hampstead. We are all hoping that our plans for a new all-weather surface and new pitches south of the pavilion will allow us to see football thrive at Dulwich. The Lent Term saw the hockey players enjoy some fine wins against Eltham and Harrow at 1st XI level and the U15s competed with typical Dulwich skill and determination to win the Surrey festival – no mean feat given the strength of Hockey in the county. Next season will see the laying of a new hockey astro and we hope that this facility will inspire the next generation of hockey enthusiasts at Dulwich as well as support the local club and community through the Tulse Hill and Dulwich Hockey Club. Eight Dulwich boys were selected to play for Surrey across four age groups.
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