Sport

1ST XV Rugby

Played 13 Won 4 Lost 9 Pts for 205 Pts Against 234

If we say, that over the course of a 13 week season, our opponents across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Essex outscored us by only 29 points, then you’d imagine we had a competitive and fairly successful season.

If we say, that over the course of a 13 week season, we lost 9 of 13 games, with a win ratio of just 30%, then you’d imagine we had a poor and unsuccessful season.

Either way, the 1st XV squad of 2016 will know that they did not realise their full potential or perform at the level they were capable of. Commitment to pre-season was poor and as a result, we went into the first month of fixtures under-prepared. Playing the likes of Campion, Bedford Modern, Royal Latin and Reading Blue Coat are difficult enough even when fully prepared, but it was no surprise that we emerged from this series with four losses. Problems stemmed from inadequate levels of physical conditioning, a dysfunctional line-out and a young pack containing only two Year 13 players.

To the team’s credit, things were turning around by early October, and confidence grew with wins over Dr Challoner’s, St Columba’s, St Ignatius and RGS Colchester. We went into the third round of the NatWest Cup against local rivals, RGS High Wycombe, with new levels of focus and determination. We started like a steam train and tore into the opposition, dominating territory and possession. Fielding a kick in our own 22, Harvey Mack broke a few tackles to release centre Matt Wells who made huge yards before offloading to Ollie Shearer to score near the posts. The game remained a tight affair with RGS edging the result 22-12 but leaving in the knowledge that they had been in a titanic battle.

Unfortunately, the momentum gained from a successful October was lost when we returned from half term break. With players choosing to leave the squad, followed by significant injuries to Callum Eley, Matt Wells and Tom Rumble, and player unavailability for Saturday fixtures, we proceeded to struggle against Northampton School for Boys, Magdalen, Watford and St Albans.

Although our playing record was in tatters, there were a few shining lights

to emerge. Will Knatchbull established himself as a quality hooker, putting his body on the line each game. His work rate and commitment were exemplary. In the engine room of the pack, Jonty Hanwell demonstrated that he is a player of incredible potential. He started and played in every game this season and battled on bravely, even when carrying significant injury. Although he was waiting for a date for surgery to reattach the ligaments to his thumb, Jonty played in all four fixtures after half term. Ben Haigh was another to enhance his reputation through a difficult season. His versatility is a great asset and Ben could play either back row, fly half or centre. However, even more impressive were his courage and resilience, never getting injured despite being in the thick of everything and taking plenty of big hits. For work ethic, no-one puts in more of a shift than Matt Dimbleby. Weighing only a fraction of most back row forwards, his bravery, work rate and toughness stood out for me and if he ever puts on muscular weight, he will make an exceptional player. Year 13 role models are so important in any successful 1st XV and Joe Kearney, Greg Kemp, Tom Darling and Ben Forest have been invaluable.

For the Year 13 students leaving this summer, I thank you for all your effort and commitment over the last 7 years. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and will continue to play rugby at university. For the Year 12s, the exciting prospect of a tour to Singapore and Australia lies ahead and the preparations start in the New Year.

Mr G Ramsbottom

2nd XV Rugby

The final game of the season, a 47-23 victory over St Albans, showed what this team was capable of in terms of attack, and more importantly defence.

Scoring seven tries during the game and conceding only three points in the second half demonstrated what might have been throughout the season had our tackling especially been up to scratch. Unfortunately, this cohesion and defence was not evident in many of the other games.

Three wins and eight defeats, two of which could have been reversed to make the win/loss ratio more favourable, was not really indicative of the team’s ability. Injuries, and more importantly players being unavailable were two issues that impacted negatively upon the consistency a team needs to be successful.

Some of the defeats were mainly due to having many of the main team players not making themselves available, notably against Campion, Bedford Modern, RGS Colchester and Watford. Another loss was my fault in my underestimation of the opposition’s strength, and we also had a game in which the referee left the field at half time never to return, and we lost that one 0-7 due mainly to his incompetence and our inability to take advantage of this incompetence. However, this afore mentioned lack of commitment by some players meant that the remaining boys were often severely tested, especially when some were injured during the games and there were no reserves. At this point I would like to praise the efforts of those fully committed players that made up the backbone of the team.

The team was led by Oli Brown who exemplified the willingness of many of the boys to play in unfamiliar positions. Oli played in three positions during the season as did Connor Mulholland and Josh Walley. Without their co-operation in the changing of position we would have been in deep trouble in many of the games. One consistent and outstanding player was Ollie Sampson who played in the heart of the scrum and he was backed up by Joe Stansfield who controlled matters from scrum half. Joe’s competitive attitude was an important part of the team ethic and he drove the team forward on many occasions. Equally important to the team effort were Christian Peploe-Williams and Nick Worthy, both fully committed and always keen to play for the school.

The addition of Andrew Prosser and Marc Grant in October certainly made a difference but they could not stem the tide of attackers by themselves and it was again this aspect of play that was our downfall.

With 19 players from Year 12 returning next season coupled with the returning 1st XV players in Years 11 and 12, there should be a good core of players to choose from in the new season, especially when we include the present Year 11.

My thanks to all the boys who turned out to practices but were not always included in every game, without your contribution we would have been even more vulnerable throughout the season. To those leaving school I hope you had an enjoyable final season of school rugby and will take fond memories of your games and teammates with you. And finally, to those returning – please make sure you are fully committed throughout the term so that the team can always be fully representative of the strength of AGS rugby.

Mr G Holmes

U16 Rugby

The Under 16 side enjoyed a successful season winning 6 out of their 8 fixtures. They scored points for fun at times and average just over 30 points per match.

After a difficult start with defeat at home to Campion, an away thumping of Bedford Modern was followed by a tasty midweek clash at home to Royal Latin, which ended in a second win of the season. We then travelled away and dug deep to win at Reading Bluecoats, coming from behind to win in terrible conditions.

Northampton proved too strong straight after half term but then fine wins at home dismantling Magdalen College and Watford Boys built momentum going into the final fixture against St Albans. A monumental team effort saw the side come out on top of a 67 point thriller, scoring in the dying seconds to snatch a 34-33 win and get revenge for last year’s defeat. It was always going to be tough to match the high levels set during their Under 15 campaign last year but the boys involved have showed exceptional commitment and equal levels of excellence. With key players injured for major portions of the season, and a number of individuals stepping up into the first team, others have had to step up and lead this season and have done so brilliantly.

It is a year group that is not able to boast of huge quantities of players with only 20 or so boys representing the school this year which is a shame. However, the quality is unquestionable and the boys should be proud of how they have conducted themselves this season. A lot of these boys should look forward to featuring in next season’s first team and have every potential to be part of something special in the coming years.

Mr L Gardiner

U16 Rugby 7s

Following the very successful 15 a side season through the Autumn Term, the AGS Under 16 squad were challenged to carry that momentum through into a gruelling sevens programme. The attitude and commitment shown by the squad was exemplary and that played an important part in the success that was to come.

Tournament One: Stowe Sevens

The first taste of seven a side rugby for the season came at a very competitive Stowe School tournament. A strong start saw the side dispatch Rugby School and Bishop Wordsworth before losing to an impressive Wellington College. We lost Ben Caldicott to a concussion during the Wellington fixture; an injury which would unfortunately rule him out for the rest of the term. The squad regrouped and were through to the quarter- finals to face the hosts, Stowe. A huge second half performance resulted in a 19-17 win and saw the side progress through to the semi-finals to face Bromsgrove. Unfortunately, we were unable to rectify a slow start and battled superbly to a 26-21 loss.

To be in the semi-finals with names such as Bromsgrove, Wellington and Warwick is a massive achievement in itself and would set the team up for the wonderful performances that were to follow.

Tournament Two: QE Barnet

A long Sunday at QE Barnet followed within the same week; a tournament that is traditionally viewed as the major warm up leading into the national sevens 10 days later.

A tough opening fixture against Wellington College was followed by a frustrating loss to Sutton Valence School. Following these disappointments, the squad fixed their mindset and went into the last group game against Denstone College knowing that we could only progress through to the Plate competition by finishing with a large points difference. In terrible conditions, on a swamplike pitch, the AGS side dismantled Denstone to win 47-7 and progress through to the Plate knockout stages.

The squad then displayed their talent and character to comfortably beat Merchant Taylors School and then come through a huge encounter with Dartford Grammar School. Unfortunately, it was here that we lost Flynn Delaney to another concussion; another head injury that would see us lose another player for the rest of the term.

The squad then faced another big name in the final, Hampton School. The underdogs turned on the style however and cruised to a 29-0 victory and walked away with some much deserved silverware.

Tournament Three: Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens

All of the training and competitions had been building up to this event. Sponsored by HSBC and held in Richmond, this is the largest sevens tournament in the world. 175 teams at Under 16 level entered, split across 32 groups, with matches played over two days. The tournament hosts the biggest names in school rugby from across the British Isles, as well as welcoming teams from Australia, Canada and the Emirates.

Only one team out of 175 scored more points than AGS on the Tuesday, the eventual winners Wellington College. AGS scored 240 points in 5 games beating St Georges College Weybridge, Plymouth College, Bedford Modern and 2 more Welsh sides as they earned their place in the last 16 teams out of 175 and were to return on the Wednesday for a knockout fixture against Sedburgh School. Unfortunately, the side were slow to start on the Wednesday morning and fell to an early 21-point deficit. They battled, regrouped and dominated the remainder of the game but there was not enough time on the clock to complete the comeback, going down 21-14.

What this side has achieved this term cannot be complimented enough. They have committed to a busy training programme of lunchtimes and after schools, dealt with injuries to key players and faced some of the biggest school sides in the country. Winning the plate at QE Barnet will be a great memory but the efforts on the Tuesday at Rosslyn Park were simply outstanding. With the sun shining and the spirits high, this side put on a show and fully deserved to return for the second day of competition; an achievement that hasn’t been seen from an AGS side for 10 years.

A wonderful term’s efforts, this is a special rugby team and they should all look forward to the next two years in the Senior set up.

Mr L Gardiner

U15 Rugby

Another year comes to a close, and what a year it has been.

I would like to thank everyone who has taken part in U15 rugby this year. With the hard graft of Mr Bull with the forwards and under the strong leadership of Joe Chapman we have continued to work hard.

After a disappointing start against Campion School, our season officially got under way with a strong win against Bedford Modern School. Following this we played Chesham Grammar School away in the Natwest Cup. With a truly great performance we emerged 54-5 winners. Following on from this we experienced our first taste of the blight of injuries that was to define our season. Our next win came against Sir Henry Floyd whom we beat 7-5 after a gruelling game which we should have won more comfortably. After a bitter defeat against Northampton School for Boys we beat John Hampden at home, defending our unbeaten record at home. Unfortunately after this we suffered from continuous injuries averaging 4 players missing per game.

Despite our playing record this has been a truly enjoyable season. With an ever-changing team the boys have stuck at it and fought tooth and nail in every game putting their bodies on the line every game. With the presence of Charlie McIntosh, Adam Goillon, Kyle Martin, Seth Cyster-White and Arthur Brownhill there hasn’t been a front row we haven’t equalled. With the powerhouse of Andy Klaasen, Zak Littler, Ethan White and Tom Giles, we have dealt out our fair share of pain this year. Our back row battlers: Jake Graham, Previn Chady, Max Barrett and Tom Lane have proved their worth time and time again. With half back pairings including Tom Miles, Olly Speake (who we lost much too soon), Euan Walters, Joe Burt, Cam Brooker and James Thomson, we have never been without determination and flare. Our centre pairings of Harry Edmonds, Ed Birch and George Bates have never found us wanting with the numerous battles they have won in the centre of the field. Our wingers of Skippy, Ben Parkinson, JJ and Finn Bell have torn opponents apart on countless occasions. At the back, captain fantastic, Joe Chapman has saved more tries than any full back I have ever seen. We may not have the results to prove it, but these boys have played as a team all season and should be proud of the progress they have made.

I wish you all of the best for next year and I know you shall turn around the close contests we have had this year.

Mr T Walker

U14 Rugby

A TEAM

After a fairly successful season last year, we were heading into this year hopeful that we could continue the success and build on what we had already developed with Mr. Rooney with two new coaches, Mr. Dean and Mr. McGill.

The first match saw us come up against a strong Campion side that had beaten us the year before, however we won comfortably this year 48-0, a great start to the season. Wins followed against Bedford Modern, Tring, Akeley Wood, Reading Blue Coats and St Ignatius. After a couple of cancelled fixtures against Enfield and Royal Latin, our next game was against one of our fiercest rivals, RGS. During training in the week running up to the game, we highlighted the importance of playing well in the first 5 minutes. Despite this, we conceded our first try after 1 minute 30 on the clock. After this we turned up the heat however, and with a few good tackles, runs and two tries each from centre partnership Toby Cook and Ben Mulholland we were on our way and put in perhaps the best performance of the season. We went on to beat them 29-12, which became more significant once we found out that we were the only AGS team to beat RGS this season, apart from the Year 7 C team, so hats off to them. We were extremely pleased that we went into half term with 7 wins from 7. After half-term and a week of wellearned rest, we had 2 intense training sessions before we played Northampton School for Boys, a team we hadn’t beaten in our previous fixtures with them. Surprisingly this week we started strongly, scoring from our 1st possession through great forward play. Frustratingly however we let them back into the game, with them going ahead not long after our score. The game ended 24-14 in our favour though, thanks to a couple of breakaway tries and some amazing team defence. Slightly relieved, we went back to training having a clear picture of how we had to improve.

In the ensuing weeks we recorded wins against John Hampden and Magdalen College and then came Dr Challoner’s. Maybe the pressure of an undefeated season had become too much, but this was the most disappointing game of season, not just from the perspective of the result, but in the way that we missed tackles, didn’t use the structures we had been working on in training, couldn’t finish and didn’t use the possession that we clearly dominated. The game ended 12-5, an incredibly disappointing result which perhaps shouldn’t have happened when you look at the standard of play from the rest of our season.

Challoner’s gave us a reality check, a real wake up call. We were now more determined to end the season with 2 wins. The following week we played Watford, a team who we knew hadn’t lost a game all season. We trained hard all week, and came out strong against this well drilled team filled with talent. Our forwards dominated theirs physically and we played in the right areas of the field, but they still managed to score points against us. A hard fought and entertaining game finished 17-17 a result we could be happy with but that was ultimately disappointing, as we felt that we should have beaten Watford and that we had failed to close out another game.

The season ended with a game against St Albans. We had been warned they gained boys over the summer, and had all grown bigger How big they had grown came as a massive surprise. But as the saying goes ‘the bigger they are the harder they fall’ and a 36-7 AGS win was a positive and fitting end to what has been a fantastic season, thanks to the hard work of all those involved this year, from players to coaches.

Ben Mulholland – Denson 9

B TEAM

The U14B team have also had a really successful season with some great results, lots of new talented players coming through and further improvement from existing players. We had 6 fixtures, 4 of which were won and 2 that were narrowly lost.

Our first game of the season was against Campion School away, with some excellent play and tries by

Luke Murray- Russell, Jasper Smith and Abdurrahman Aroworamimo . However we did let in a few tries but still we confidently won the first game of the season 36-17. Our next game was away to Bedford Modern, which featured tries from Oli McKenna, Peter Sansome, Sam Gilbert and Ned Morris which, along with some great defence, gave us a 34-7 win.

With lots of work at training we wanted to show our improvement on the pitch and our next game was at home to Reading Blue Coat, a so far undefeated team. After a few mistakes in the first 15 minutes, we eventually started playing well and doing the things we’d been working on in training. We let in a couple of tries but came back to score two tries and win the game 12-10.

Next up were RGS who had beaten us thoroughly 46-7 the previous year. However, we did our best to right that wrong and having come back from 17-5 we went into the final play 17-17 thanks to tries by Shaun Bedwell, Sam Gilbert and Abdurrahman Aroworamimo. But unfortunately we were just beaten, as one of their wingers got through our defence to score a try. But it was massive improvement from last year despite still losing.

Next up were Magdalen College. We knew it was going to be a tough game but as is common with our group we lacked a bit in the first part of the game but quickly woke up and went into half time 12-10 up and some substitutions were made. Unfortunately, in the second half our defence was poor and we let in two easy tries with big runners breaking our defensive line. We were 12-24 down going into the last 10 minutes, but even after a great team try it wasn’t enough and the game ended 15-24 to Magdalen.

Our last game of the season was away against St Albans School and everyone wanted to end the season on a high and we did just that. With tries being scored yet again by Abdurrahman Aroworamimo and Jasper Smith on the way to a season ending 17-5 win we had the season finale that our efforts deserved.

Both A and B team squads would like to thank both Mr Dean and Mr McGill, not only for all the time they have given us this season, but also for somehow putting up with our ridiculously questionable music choices in the changing room before games.

Sam Gilbert – Denson 9

U13 Rugby

A TEAM

Having a new team to work with in Year 8 is a new experience for me after previously working successfully with Year 7 and

8 on a 2-year cycle. In Year 7 this side showed a lot of individual promise but they only managed one win and even at the start of a new season this was still being reflected on by the players. The small squad did, however, have some assistance from the Headmaster who did some excellent work in the summer transfer market and brought in 3 boys (Ethan Loi, Patrick McNulty and Sam Kearney) who all quickly established themselves as A team starters.

As always the games came thick and fast but something that became apparent very quickly was the strong squad unity and togetherness that was demonstrated at training and in fixtures. In this respect, the small squad worked in our favour as the boys knew who they would be playing with week in week out and strong on field relationships were quickly formed.

Throughout the season the pack (Fin Spencer, Marcus Birch, Bar Heasman, Daniel Partridge, Harry Jones, Ed Cunningham and Max Wheaton) worked extremely hard to give us a good platform to play from and were certainly not afraid to put their body on the line for the team. Their carrying has also improved tremendously and they play a huge role in support and creating our go forward play.

The backs (Alfie McIntosh, Patrick McNulty, Captain Max Dolphin, Sam Kearney, Ethan Loi, Ollie Carolin, Matthew Sparke, Jack Tominey) have looked dangerous with the ball in hand all season and there are a number of elusive runners that have caused havoc amongst defences on our circuit. Previously I have worked with very forward orientated sides so it was really nice to have the variety of good hands and pace out wide from which we scored a number of tries.

We have worked on improving and developing our game management but in truth, the boys have created their own brand of rugby. A brand that is exciting to watch and is often described as the Barbarian way such is their keenness to put the ball through their hands even if they are in their own 22! The game against Northampton epitomised this team. With our leader taken off early in the game and no more subs left it looked like a case of damage limitations as Northampton scored a couple of tries in quick succession. In fact, it was the complete opposite, the boys rolled their sleeves up and gave as good as they got, regularly scoring to stay in the game. We lost 35-25 and the boys came off the field devastated that they hadn’t won, this clearly demonstrates how far this team have come since Year 7.

Overall I am pleased to say that the results massively improved on last year. Our record is played 13 won 6 lost 7 and we were competitive and scored tries in every game we played. I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching them this year and know they will continue to be a close knit group throughout their school years.

Mr R Rooney

B TEAM

For the team this year the season was full of highs

and lows. The highs included travelling away to Tring and winning well. Travelling away to RGS High Wycombe and playing some fantastic rugby was a personal highlight, despite the result the team battled bravely against a strong opposition. That was really the story of our season with the boys coming up against some very strong teams but always battling and striving to do their best. They may not have been the biggest or the fastest but many coaches complimented them on the brand of rugby they were playing. We were not blessed with the number of players this year but as a result the group of 18 or so lads that played week in week out built up some real chemistry.

We had a front row of Ryan Sara, Sam Small and Theo Parfitt that played almost every minute of every game. We had possibly the smallest halfback partnership ever in Will Chapman and Rhys Hanling but their skill and creativity always saw them through. After recovering from a nasty knee injury early in the season Ed Campbell made a fantastic impact for us in the latter half of the season. Amongst the team we had players with experience and others with less experience. I could always rely on the likes of Sean Morrell and Andreas Velimachitis to be available but also to do their best on the field. The lack of numbers made it challenging to play everyone in their favourite position. Max Cornish played almost every position in the backline and developed massively as the season went on; Will Greenfield moved between the forwards and the backs with ease and is one of the few players I know that would be willing to do that. By the end of the season we had more players playing and were playing some fantastic rugby. For me this season is not about the results, be them good or bad; it was about the squad developing and flourishing into great rugby players. I can only say a big thank you to those boys that played week in week out and I wish them the best of luck for next year’s season.

Mr L Partridge

U13 Rugby 7s

A squad of 14 players were selected to train for rugby 7s in Year 8 this season.

We were fortunate to obtain access to the new 4G artificial pitch at Aylesbury Rugby Club, which enabled us to train throughout January and February, unhindered by the weather.

Our warm up tournament was at Bedford Modern where we experimented team line-ups and structure. Narrow losses to Solihull School and Northampton School for Boys were followed by wins against Harrold School and Lincroft School. Significant lessons were learnt and great potential shown.

Next up was a visit to Solihull School for their 7s tournament. This was a much bigger tournament with a higher calibre of teams present. In our group we lost to Crypt School, Gloucester in our first game, putting us in a perilous position in terms of qualifying for the main competition in the afternoon. However, the team responded brilliantly beating Nottingham High School, Newbridge and RGS Worcester. This gained us entry into the higher tier of matches in the afternoon where we mixed it with

Warwick, Loughborough, Pates and Lawrence Sheriff. Two wins and two losses were a respectful outcome for a hard day’s work. Overall we finished 9th out of 30 teams.

Our main target for the season was the Bucks Round of the Northampton Saints Elite Insurance 7s tournament held at Stowe School. The winner of this tournament would represent Bucks at the Inter-regional Finals Day at Franklin’s Garden. On a glorious day, AGS set about defending their title from last year. Wins in the group stages against Chalfonts, Cottesloe and Sir William Ramsay ensured we went through to the knockout stages as group winners. In the Quarter Final, we beat Sir William Ramsay again. John Hampden was dispatched in the semi-final and Quinton House School in the final. The most pleasing aspect was that in the final game of the day, the team played their most impressive 7s of the season. Plans were executed to perfection and

matched by high levels of physicality and athleticism.

The whole squad contributed positively throughout the day but particular mention should be made of Harry Jones for his mature and positive leadership, Matt Sparke for his resilience playing almost every minute of every game, Ethan Loi for his deadly finishing and to Year 7s Harry Wilson, Harry Wyatt and Charlie Shepherd who all played on the team a year young.

At Franklin’s Gardens representing Bucks against Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northants AGS continued their amazing run winning the bowl competition on the day which culminated in a strong win against Lincroft School in the final. Congratulations to all those who took part in such a memorable season.

Mr G Ramsbottom

U12 Rugby

Rugby in Year 7 is the first opportunity for new students to step up and join a club and hopefully represent the school

in the first term. In an average year we may get 50 or so boys in the first few weeks at training, but this year we got close to 80 boys in the first few training sessions which was amazing! We anticipated that this number would fall away and it did, to around 70! So with all these players Mr Gibbs expected there to be some talent and how right he was too. From the beginning, and in fact from the Year 7 sports camp it was evident that we had the makings of an excellent squad and not just in the A team as there was clear strength and depth.

This season we saw a number of firsts; The highest number of students at a practice from one year group (79). The first time for many years that we put 4 teams against one opposition. The highest points scored by a Year 7 team in one match, (95 vs. John Hampden Grammar School). And all four teams winning more games than they lost over the course of the season.

The squad as whole performed well, the A team captained by George Birch won 6 and lost 4, and the B team captained by Ben Warner, won 5 lost 3. The C team won 2 and lost 1 and the D team was unbeaten winning their only game.

I have been especially pleased with the attitude, effort and commitment of all boys involved at each and every level of the squad and that they should be immensely pleased with their achievements. There have been lots of brilliant performances, too many to recount, from forwards in the breakdown to wingers finishing try after try.

Also there may have been a few players who might have felt that they should have been playing in a better team. But my message to you is to stay the course, and keep applying yourself in training, because if you are good enough then you will be noticed. Stay resilient and keep trying.

Mr N Gibbs

U12 Rugby 7s

A squad of 14 players was selected in January to train for their first experience of Rugby

7s. We were fortunate to obtain access to the new 4G artificial surface at Aylesbury Rugby Club, which enabled us to have a perfect surface to train on throughout a month of poor weather and challenging conditions.

The team were entered into a tournament at Magdalen School, Oxford on Sunday 5 February. The tournament was based on a roundrobin format where every school played each other. Five wins were achieved in our first five games against Magdalen, Akeley Wood, Portsmouth Grammar, Bro Morganwg and KES Birmingham. The win against Portsmouth Grammar was particularly impressive as they had been highlighted as one of the tournament favourites. The last game of the tournament turned out to be the two unbeaten teams on the day playing each other for the title – AGS vs Wellinborough Prep School. Unfortunately, we didn’t play our best in this final game with fatigue playing a big part at the end of a long day. We lost the game three scores to one against a very impressive opposition. However, this didn’t take the gloss off a very successful day and a fantastic performance in their first ever rugby 7s tournament.

Harry Wyatt, Harry Wilson and Charlie Shepherd all played with great maturity and ability, resulting in their call up to the Year 8 squad for the remainder of the season. George Birch demonstrated a fantastic side-step and vision to spot a gap. Josh Davidson impressed with his athleticism and strong running, whilst Josh Armstrong proved to be a very strong ball carrier. Everyone in the squad contributed significantly and the team should look forward to next season with added optimism and confidence.

Mr G Ramsbottom

1st XI Football

2016-17 has undoubtedly been a highly successful season in which we won 21 of our 26 matches and scored a

record 121 goals. Two players (Sam Nicholson and Tom McElroy) hit the 20 goal mark and the team got to the last 32 of the National Cup, bowing out 2-1 away at a very strong Hampton School. However, when you finish the season without a trophy, with such a talented and committed squad, you have to consider what might have been.

The ESFA National Cup is always an unknown quality. We faced 3 strong teams in the form of Roundwood Park, Grieg City Academy and Cherwell School. All 3 were beaten by a margin of at least 4 goals. We then received a bye in Round 4 after our opponents were withdrawn from the competition. AGS had therefore advanced to the last 32 nationally – our best run for several years. We then travelled to Hampton School in Round 5. Having competed well in the 1st half, it was therefore disappointing to concede 2 goals within a minute before the break. We could have crumbled but didn’t. In the second half the team showed real character to drag themselves back into contention. A Sam Kemp header halved the deficit and we did have chances to equalise in a narrow 2-1 defeat.

In October we set off with 3 teams for our biennial Continental tour, this time returning to the beautiful Lake Garda region of Northern Italy. The 1st XI only played 2 matches after a biblical downpour led to a cancellation of our second fixture. Our first game against Ambrosiana reminded me of Millwall away in the 1980s and yes, our coach window did get smashed by the locals. We lost a close game 3-2 against a team who were quite good but had a clear aversion to a hard but fair English style tackle. The second match was a totally different story – nice opponents, a welcoming atmosphere and a 13-1 win with Tom McElroy and Ore Soetan grabbing hat-tricks. With time together to train properly and also the opportunity to see Atalanta v Inter Milan and Chievo v Bologna it all made for a successful and very enjoyable tour.

Our progress in the early stages of the County Cup, emerging from a tough group, was impressive. We beat John Hampden 4-1 away from home, having trailed 1-0 and although we did not play as well at home to County Cup holders Royal Latin, we showed real character to come back from 2 goals down to grab a last gasp winner from Blew Foley. We then defeated Hazely 5-2 in the Quarter Finals. We did not play our County Cup Semi Final until mid-February and the much anticipated game would end in disappointment against a strong and resilient Sir William Borlase. At half time a very tight game was level at 0-0, before our opponents grabbed the lead slightly against the run of play. With AGS gambling with 3 at the back, Harvey Thorne grabbed an equaliser with a minute remaining to take the game into extra time. Unfortunately we lost influential centre half Dave Webb to a nasty head wound and seconds later, with our defence still adjusting to Dave’s loss, Sir William Borlase grabbed the decisive goal. The only consolation was that we didn’t lose on penalties this year.

With cup commitments over, we switched to a series of spring friendlies. Our performances were generally good although we did manage to lose a couple of games we should have won or at least drawn.

Our performance away at Bedford Modern in a 6-0 win (normally one of our toughest games of the season) was outstanding. Merchant Taylors, St Columba’s and Haberdashers’ were also despatched in high scoring games.

I very much enjoyed working with the squad this year and I believe that with the pool of Year 12 players we have (many of whom have experienced plenty of game time in the 1st XI) we have what it takes to be successful next season. I would particularly like to congratulate our departing Year 13 players, who have been a credit to AGS. I hope that they will keep playing to a high standard at university and beyond.

Stats of the Season.

Played: 26 Won: 21

Lost : 5 Goals For: 121

Drew: 0 Goals Against: 37 Top Scorer: Sam Nicholson 22 Tom McElroy 23

Most Appearances: Tom McElroy 24

Worst performance: Denbigh at home (lost 2-3)

Best performance:

Bedford Modern away (won 6-0)

Mr J Barrie

U15 Football

Unfortunately, this season started with disappointment.

After an impressive win in the first round of the County Cup, we drew a typically solid and robust John Hampden side in the second round. A tense and close affair, which could have really gone either way, resulted in a disappointing 1-0 loss and only the District Cup to look forward to in terms of potential silverware for this year.

After Christmas, the weekend friendlies and District Cup started and the team seriously began to get into their stride. A combination of impressive goalkeeping, resolute defending and free flowing attacking play led to some very impressive wins and performances resulting in a place in the knockout stages of the area cup. Disappointingly, we fell at the first hurdle. The semi-final draw pitted us against a very pumped up, aggressive and physically imposing Floyd team who had qualified out of their group somewhat comfortably. The sloping pitch and wind played its part in the result but we cannot feel too aggrieved and have to admit on the day they simply wanted it more and played the conditions better.

I would like to thank all the players who have represented the Year 10 A team this year. Ollie Twidale has demonstrated excellent authority as our goalkeeper pulling off some excellent saves throughout the course of the season. Our defence has kept an incredible amount of clean sheets this year and this is primarily down to the no nonsense approach from our centre back Harry Edmonds, Tom Giles and Jack Burns. Our full backs Harry Cook, Ben Jacobs and Lloyd Harman have shown themselves to not only be dependable in defence but also a threat going forward attacking the flanks from deep. Complementing them in the wide areas, the pace, trickery and pinpoint crossing of Ben Ratcliffe, Nikhil Kalapala and Owen Williams has been outstanding at times and been the source of many of our goals this year. Our centre midfield has been exceptionally combative and brought real steel to our team. Ben Bishop, Ollie Cay, Cam Ross and James Atkinson have provided superb defensive cover for our back 4, as well as composure on the ball going forward. Our forward line has had an excellent year so far. Michael Ameshike, Elton Atat and Endurance Rich have all applied their pace, power, and precision shooting to devastating effect this year, much to the dismay of the opposition. Although the season finished in disappointing fashion, it is a loss to learn from and there is excellent potential in this team.

I would like to finish by thanking Ollie Speake, Ben Parkinson and James Head for their cameo appearances for the A team this term. They were short, fleeting, but very impressive. In addition, a special mention must be made to the Year 10 B team who have had their season unfortunately cut short by fixture cancellations. Mr Holmes assures me there were some very good performances and I look forward to seeing you back representing the school in Year 11.

U14 Football

Another year and the same set of challenges needed to be overcome by the current crop

of Year 9 footballers. A squad of 40 players was put together, based on their performances during games lessons last year. The squad was announced during the Autumn term and all members waited patiently for the first training sessions to take place just before Christmas. The next challenge was to select squads for our first set of friendly games in the new term, from which starting XIs had to then be selected, formations needed to be chosen and players selected to fit positions. With a series of friendlies to play before the start of the District Cup designed to help with this process, there is still no denying that we start each Year 9 season at a disadvantage compared to other schools, but we always challenge and are extremely competitive and this year group was no exception.

A TEAM

Maybe it was a surprise to themselves, but the first friendly against Reading Blue Coat produced a pleasing performance and a 4-3 win, showing that we had goals in us from the likes of Alex Butler, but that work needed to be done on team shape. This was highlighted in the 3-1 loss to Abingdon School in our next game, where a fast and big all weather surface exposed areas that needed to be worked on in training. This we did, thanks to the hard work of the squad, but cancelled games against St Columba’s and Dr Challoner’s did not help with our preparation for our District Cup campaign. Despite this, having showed the ability to play good possession football in our first two games, we took this into our first District Cup game against the AVA and produced and excellent 4-2 win, with a brace from coming from Jack Dyer and one a piece from Alex Butler and Tobi Dairo. This was followed up by another impressive 4-0 win against The Grange, which was played in difficult windy conditions, where both Toby Dairo and Ned Morris provided us with great width and attacking intent, particularly in the first half. Our next game against a good Sir Thomas Freemantle team produced another 4-0 win and included braces from Jack Dyer and Harry Shaw. This put us in a strong position in our group, although the performance was not as strong as in previous games. Having said this, players such as Tom Kemp, Ryan Connor, Ted Gundry and Albie Whittemore were impressing in their chosen roles and the mood in the squad was positive. Perhaps typical of many AGS teams, having gotten into a position of strength, we then made things more difficult for ourselves by drawing 2-2 with The Buckingham School and then losing 2-0 at The Cottesloe. Both of these games were played on tricky pitches against opponents who pressurised us and made things difficult when we had the ball. Despite this wobble, the squad rightly earned itself a place in the District Cup Semi-Finals against John Colet. Producing probably our best team performance all season, we took the lead in this game thanks to a goal from Jack Dyer, but a spectacular equaliser from the Colet took the game into extra-time and ultimately penalties which, unfortunately, we lost. This was a cruel way to end the season, but all who were involved in this game should be proud of their considerable efforts.

B TEAM

Like the A’s, the B Team’s season, which is made up purely of friendly fixtures, was seriously affected by the weather and they only managed to play 2 games. Despite this, a 2-2 draw with Reading Blue Coat (Sam Gibbs and Jack Dyer with the goals) and a well-deserved 2-1 win against Bedford Modern (Logan Smith and Joe Barnett with the goals) were just rewards for the work and effort put in by all squad members who played and trained for the B’s this year. The fact that so many players were willing to commit to the squad and keep training despite the loss of so many games due to poor weather, is a testimony to the attitude of the whole squad and bodes well for the future.

Both Mr McGill and Mr Rooney would like to thank all boys who have been involved in this year’s squads for their considerable time and effort this season. It has been extremely enjoyable and we look forward to seeing your progress in the AGS football shirt in the coming years.

Mr C McGill

1st XI Cricket

The 2017 season for the AGS 1st XI was a mixed one, playing 9, winning 4 and losing 5.

We had a difficult start, losing 3 consecutive games against the strong opposition of RGS High Wycombe, Dr Challoner’s and Berkhamsted School, despite playing some good cricket. We scored 210-7 trying to chase RGS’s impressive total of 246-6 and bowled out a strong Dr Challoner’s side. Our first win came against Akeley Wood, in an extraordinary game with only 86 runs being scored, but a convincing victory in the end nonetheless. We only managed 57 all out batting first but managed to then bowl them out for 29. Next, we travelled away to Bancrofts School, where we were convincingly beaten by 117 runs by a very strong side which we could not match. The highlight of our season then came as we won the plate at the Reading Blue Coat T20 Festival. After losing a close game to begin with against Stamford School (who then went on to win the competition), we comfortably beat Reading School in the semi-final. Forrest School were our opponents in the plate final and we put on a very professional performance to beat them convincingly (Forrest 108 all out, AGS 109-3 off 14 overs). To conclude the season, we played John Hampden, and we rounded the season off with a resounding 37 run victory.

The small squad this year has punched well above their weight against top quality opposition and I would like to thank all the boys that have fully committed to Senior cricket this year (training and fixtures). Training will start again in January and I hope to see as many boys there as possible so that we can plan for more 2nd XI fixtures. With lots of young players this year (Y10, Y11 and Y12 boys), we laid the foundation and next year we will look to kick on in terms of results. A big thank you also goes to all of the Y13 boys who have committed to school cricket over several years including Will Fisher (Captain), Tom Darling and Matt Dimbleby.

Best batting performances

Toby Simon 65 (vs RGS HW) Tom Carter 63 (vs JHGS) Will Fisher 60 (vs Reading School) Ben Jacobs 55* (vs JHGS) Will Fisher 45 (vs RGS HW) Max Hutt 44 (vs Forrest School) Matt Dimbleby 41 off 18 balls (T20 vs Stamford)

Best bowling performances

Tom Faulkner 5 for 17 off 4 overs (vs Forrest School) Will Fisher 4 for 4 off 5 overs, including a hat trick (vs AWS) Will Fisher 4 for 22 off 4 overs (vs Stamford) Tom Faulkner 3 for 1 off 3 overs (vs AWS) Max Hutt 3 for 21 off 4 overs (vs DCGS) Tom Darling 3 for 24 off 5 overs (vs DCGS) Billy Jackson 3 for 29 off 3 overs (vs Stamford) Usman Khan 3 for 34 off 6 overs (vs JHGS)

Best fielding performance

Jacob Davis with 4 catches (vs JHGS)

Mr R Rooney Will Fisher – Phillips 13

U15 Cricket

The season started well with a 3 wicket win in a 25 over fixture against RGS followed by a comfortable 9 wicket win away at John Hampden Grammar school in the County Cup.

Unfortunately, the early success was followed by successive losses.

A fine bowling and fielding performance saw the side control the first innings away at RGS and limit the home team to 97-7 off their 20 over allotment. However, the quality of performance could not be replicated with the bat and the AGS side slipped to 78 all out.

The lessons learnt from that result looked to have been implemented in the following game as the openers moved to a comfortable 30 run partnership at home to Dr Challoner’s Grammar School. A quick flurry of wickets appeared to have crippled the side but the tail wagged and AGS finished with 87 runs off their 25 overs.

The need to be aggressive and inventive in the field allowed DCGS to score freely at times but with a low total that was the only possible approach for AGS. Some great fielding and persistence with the ball helped AGS make a game of it as they claimed 4 wickets before DCGS made the total with overs to spare.

The remainder of the season will see the side take on John Hampden Grammar School once more, as well as an exciting day at Berkhamsted school for a 6-a-side tournament. The boys will hope they can rediscover their early season form in time for the remaining fixtures.

Mr L Gardiner

U13 Cricket

Coming off of a very successful cricket season last year, the Year 8’s had a lot to live up to!

Training started in April with a great number turning up, and many continued to turn up to training after school on Wednesdays throughout the whole season, which is a huge positive and shows great commitment.

A TEAM

The Year 8’s first game was against The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School and was a National Cup fixture. We came into this game with no school match experience and as a result, our batting performance was not as we would have hoped and we were bowled out for 79 runs. Despite a couple of wickets from Bhavan Jeyanathan and Dinath Alwis, Haberdashers’ beat this total with 6 wickets to spare and our National Cup was over, which was disappointing for all involved.

Next up came our rivals, Royal Grammar School. This is always a tough match, but after beating them in the County Cup final last year, the pressure was arguably on them. In the blazing sun we were sent in to bat, and some steady partnerships got us to 116 for 3 off of 20 overs, which was a great total on home soil. This included an impressive 40 not out from Danyaal Khalid. After a quick turnover our bowlers soon got stuck into the RGS attack and we restricted them to 73 for 6, giving us a fantastic 43 run win.

Bedford Modern School was next on the fixture list. We were sent in to bat on their ground which featured an extremely small boundary. This helped us to set a mammoth total of 224, which was achieved through some excellent batting performances from Sparke (50), Danyaal (46) and Dinath (35). Though the job was nowhere near done, we defended this total extremely well by bowling Bedford all out for 102, winning by a whopping 122 runs. Highlights from the bowlers included 3 wickets from Videet Vadalia as well as a run out and a catch from our man behind the stumps, Kaustubh Singh.

Next, came a trip to the very strong cricketing side of Magdalen College School. We batted first and set a below-par total of 89-3. We managed to hold them back for 16 overs, but they eventually won comfortably by 5 wickets.

After this came John Hampden Grammar School; we didn’t play them last year and were thus unaware of their strengths and weaknesses. We started by bowling first and JHGS scored a par 120. The chase for 121 came down to the wire and we won a thrilling game with 4 wickets to spare, thanks to Danyaal hitting a six off the last ball to win with 5 runs needed!

The County Cup Semi-finals were up next up, with AGS going to Dr Challoner’s. It was a bowler’s pitch and we wanted to bat first, but we lost the toss and had to take to the field first. Despite this, we got their openers out early, before consecutive quick runs from their mid order saw them total 121 for 8. We managed to match Challoner’s run rate in the early part of our innings, but after some quick wickets and slow runs, we were struggling and were eventually bowled out for a respectable 89. Our County Cup defence was over.

We have had some bumps along the way this year and luck was not on our side when we failed to defend our County Cup title. Important games coming early in the season and many injuries leading to players being out of action for extended periods of time definitely had an effect on this season’s success, however we are determined to come back stronger next year.

B TEAM

As a result of cancellations due to poor weather, the B team season was restricted to just 3 games this year and with a policy of squad rotation, results were not the most important outcomes. There were some good individual performances in the losses against Bedford Modern School and Magdalen College, as well as in the win against Bloxham School, from the likes of Daniel Partridge, Jonathan Gopal and Matt Manley. All who played for the B team this year looked like they enjoyed the experience and hopefully, they will have more fixtures to get stuck into next year.

Mr McGill and Mr Thompson would like to thank all boys involved in this year’s cricket for their time and effort throughout the season and wish them the very best of luck next season.

Bhavan Jeyanathan – Lee 8

U12 Cricket

his head. Sledged out. We finished 40 short on 93.

The team had a mixed year with four losses and three wins. Our

first match against RGS was always going to be tough as they had a very good team with lots of county players. We bowled first and managed to restrict them to 133 for 7, which was a good effort considering 83 of their runs were scored by just 2 players. Ben Kearney had a good day taking 4 wickets for 19 runs. Our chase did not get off to the best start with a wicket off the first ball of the season - a platinum duck! Unfortunately, it did not go well from there apart from a great innings from Archie Dodds. With batsmen falling all around him he managed to hit 33, eventually caught on the boundary after his county mate had bet him he could not hit him over Next up was Reading Blue Coat. Batting first, we improved on our first performance posting a respectable score of 110. James Whitehead chipped in with a measured 27 and Archie Dodds top scored with 32. The Reading innings got off to a dramatic start with 5 wickets falling for 16 runs, three to exceptional run outs. We could not capitalise on this unfortunately and they got to the score without losing another wicket.

Bedford Modern were our next opponents and despite a good bowling performance, all out for 128, our batting let us down again and we collapsed to 82 all out on a pretty dodgy wicket. Top scorer was Archie Dodds with another 34.

Things picked up from this point in the season as we faced Akeley Wood in the cup. We continued our good bowling improvement and skittled them out for 74. We knocked these off with the minimum of fuss, only losing one wicket with Jack Callaghan and Archie batting the whole way through until Archie holed out on the boundary going for his fifty and the winning runs on 46. I would love to tell you what Jack scored and who took the wickets (which I think was George Birch) but unfortunately Sir only has statistics for 5 of our 7 games.

Our next match against eventual county champions Dr Challoner’s did not go so well. They scored 177 for 3 due mainly to our shocking catching. Although we dropped about 10, Ben Perkin took a brilliant catch to dismiss one of their best batsmen. We limped to 103 all out in response with a belligerent knock from Ben Perkin who scored 34 not out and Ben Kearney who smashed 28 off 22 balls.

Magdalen School proved easier opposition the following week. Batting first, they only managed 79 for 9 in their 9 overs with Dan Sudbury taking 3 wickets and Jack Callaghan 2. Jack then proceeded to hammer 30 not out off 27 balls including 5 fours at a strike rate of Nelson and a retirement. He was ably supported by Zac Fish who scored 11 but stayed with him for a long time. We won comfortably by 6 wickets with Ben Kearney bringing us home with a six.

The final game of the year against Bloxham showed how much we had improved. Batting first we lost 2 early wickets in the first 3 overs for 18 runs, things did not look good until Dan Sudbury, and Archie came together. With Archie desperate to score his first fifty and Dan desperate to get to double figures they were the perfect pair. With the pressure of the situation pressing on them, they had to perform, and they did not let the team down. 137 runs later they had posted the biggest score of the season and both achieved their maiden school fifties with Dan finishing on 58 not out off 48 balls and Archie on 66 not out off 68. Bloxham were immediately under the pump. They got off to a decent start but once James Whitehead removed their two best batsmen, their innings crumbled. James finished with 4 wickets and Dan and Archie chipped in with 2 each.

Despite the mixed results, we have had a really enjoyable season and look forward to continuing our late run of form into next season. Thanks to Mr Gibbs for managing us, organising all our fixtures and our training.

Archie Dodds – Lee 7

U16 Basketball

The U16 basketball team consisting of Year 10s and 11s have had a good year, winning the Bucks County Cup Final to progress to the National Schools’ competition.

Despite their success on a county level the boys will still feel like they under-performed this season and could go much further in the National competition next year.

In a very tough South region group in the Nationals we got off to a perfect start with 2 wins from 2 games including a very promising victory against local rivals Denbigh School. Then came our first loss away v Bohunt School in Southampton. Rather disappointingly we were missing key players that dropped out of the fixture at the last minute however we still had a comfortable 15 point lead with only 5 minutes left to play. Unfortunately the boys could not keep their composure and invited Bohunt back into the game with some unforced turnovers, resulting in easy scores for Bohunt and a tough to take 79-75 loss for AGS.

Despite the disappointing loss v Bohunt we were still in a good position to win our group with one more fixture left to play away to the North School. Although still not at full strength in terms of players available, we were determined to win. However very controversially after a long 2.5 hour drive the referee gave us only 5 mins to get changed and warm up before tip off. Inevitably we were very slow out of the blocks with no warm up and never really looked like we had got out of the minibus until the second half by which time it was too little too late and we took our second loss 74-56 to The North School. This unfortunately meant we would not advance past the group stages and ironically one of the teams we did beat, Denbigh, progressed in our place as group winners.

This does show to the boys that they are much more capable than they believe. With continued commitment and a lot more composure they can certainly push for better placings next year.

Standout performers for the U16 boys this year have been Robert Preston in Year 11 who was nicknamed Mr Fundamentals by the coaches during his spell at a Basketball Camp in Spain. Robert is a very technically sound player who now just needs a more consistently aggressive approach to the game in order to really reach his full potential.

Joslyn McLeod in Year 10 has also shown great potential as a regular starter and one of our more consistent scorers. Joslyn is very versatile and can play in many positions. Joslyn has also been a regular inclusion at the U15 Boys South Regional Performance Centre.

Also in Year 10 Luke Parry has been a relatively late starter to basketball but in only one season has improved immensely to earn himself a starting 5 position. Luke is very determined and fearless which makes him a great defender and he is also starting to show promising signs at the offensive end of the court too.

The final mention goes to another Year 10 boy, Harvey Newland-Smith. Harvey has been putting some extra hours in, spending time taking extra shots at home. As a result he has developed an excellent eye for the basket from long range and is now establishing himself as our 3 point specialist. Well done and thank you to all of the boys in both years who have played hard and trained with the basketball team this year.

Mr L McCarthy

U14 Basketball

The U14 basketball team consisting of Year 8s and 9s have had a very good year convincingly beating Dr Challoner’s in the County Cup Final to progress to the National Schools’ Competition.

The team has also seen the welcome addition of some new Year 9 boys that did not play regularly at all last year.

Although still slightly behind where he could be in his technical ability, Babatunde Johnson was immense in the County Cup final v Challoner’s, grabbing both offensive and defensive rebounds and also scoring consistently under the basket to earn the cries of “MVP, MVP” from his team mates. Backing up Baba in the rebounding department Tayo Oluranti-Ahmed has also been a welcome addition to the team this year.

Another standout performer in the County Cup Final was Jeremy Thuriarajah who was backed up very well by Ollie Carolyn in Year 8 who himself has been a regular at the AGS Junior Academy and showing lots of promise. Despite not having the tall and rangy physical attributes associated with your typical basketball player, Jeremy more than makes up for this with his excellent technical ability at the point guard position. Dr Challoner’s highlighted this very well as they struggled to stop Jeremy from putting points on the board whenever he thought it necessary. Miles Lewis, Oscar Cole, Toby Dairo and Alfred Charlesworth all put in great defensive performances and also deserve a mention for their contributions too.

Despite all their efforts the National Competition that followed just proved to be slightly too much for our U14 boys as the same squad that beat Challoner’s lost narrowly to Little Heath School 55-59 in the first knockout stage. If this team can now show the same commitment next year then they certainly have the potential to go much further in the national competition.

Joe Nicholson and David Williams (Year 8) were also selected into the Bucks U13 County squad for 2017, unfortunately some others just narrowly missed out due to their year of birth falling in 2003. Congratulations to these boys and a huge well done all around to the team for winning back the U14 Basketball County Cup.

Mr L McCarthy

U12 Basketball

The U12 basketball team have had a very promising year losing only to Dr Challoner’s in the County Cup Final by a

narrow 1 point margin. The boys also played in the National Schools’ competition beating Ashcombe School from Surrey very convincingly. In the following game the boys came up against Holy Trinity School who had also made the final of the Junior NBA Schools’ Competition so the odds were against us to win. The play of the season was in the game v Holy Trinity as Gavin Thuriarajah’s shot and scored a half way line buzzer beater. Both the opposition and our own bench all jumped up to cheer at the play by Gavin but sadly it was just not quite enough to get the win. That said the boys were very competitive and with a few more games under their belt may have been able to turn the result around.

A good number of Year 7 boys joined the AGS Junior Basketball Academy at the beginning of the year and are now beginning to reap the benefits as the extra work they are putting into their development is beginning to show. Some of these same boys also represented the Junior Academy in the Bucks Junior Basketball League which involved playing some extra fixtures once a month on a Sunday.

This has really helped to further the development of the players that have signed up to the Junior Academy and as a result the following boys were also selected into the Bucks U13 County squad: Alex Brown (Lee 7), Artyno Martyre-Cuthbert (Lee 7), Torin Pearson (Philips 7), Krishan Mistry (Philips 7), Joe Barber (Denson 7) and Nick Beale (Ridley 7)

Congratulations to these boys and well done to all the U12 basketball players for a good year.

Mr L McCarthy

Handball

The past year of handball at AGS has seen more than 50 students introduced into competitive match-play, with more than a tenth of these continuing their game through pathways outside of school.

In addition to this, our Year 9 club (despite only running for a few weeks) saw 45 students immersed in the game of handball, a great sign of potential as they move into the Year 10 squad next year! As far as our performance in the school competitions has been concerned, it has once again been a very satisfying year with large levels of success.

Both Year 8 and Year 10 teams dominated the district competition early in the year, being crowned champions in their respective age groups and what would transpire to be a ranking tournament for the county competition at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in January. A typically poor AGS start left our Year 10s with a mountain to climb early on, finishing runners-up in the competition to a strong, athletic and dynamic John Hampden side. Stand out performers included George Bates with his defensive aggression, Ben Bishop with his decision making as the team’s playmaker, Elton Atat’s ability to break a defensive line and the combined work of Tom Sheehan and Tom Giles in the pivot role. Not qualifying for the regional competition was a massive disappointment for the team, especially given some of the calibre of players that were involved, although it was refreshing and encouraging to see their continued attendance at training and dedication towards following the sport with pathways such as Olympic Catulleviani (the local feeder club).

On the other hand, the Year 8 team moved from strength to strength throughout the season. After winning the county championship (despite some nervous moments in the early rounds once again!), diligent training and the development of a plethora of players over the coming months led to an incredibly strong team being fielded in the regional competition at the beginning of May.

Looking confident throughout and praised by the competition organisers and opposition for their attractive brand of handball, the AGS side was too much for many of the opposing teams from across the South East. They recorded a full set of victories, which was amplified by the success of Harry Jones and Sam Hurley-Cook in the back positions, as well as Max Dolphin and Ollie Flecknell on the line once again.

The ship to the finals would not run as smoothly as it seemed, though, as upon winning the regional competition we were made aware of a slight oversight on our part: there was a German trip in Cologne over the weekend of the national finals, which would take half (eight) of our squad with it!

After a frivolous period of recruitment and retraining, the squad had transformed for the nationals into one combining experience and raw talent. Despite losing a few major players in the likes of Patrick McNulty, Harry Jones and Sam Hurley-Cook to the trip, the more established players in Sam Kearney, Max Dolphin, Nathan McDonald, Ashre Moses, Evan Byles and Max Wheaton stood up to the challenge and led the squad through an excellent tournament.

a significant increase in comparison to previous tournaments, with the inexperience of the side exposing them slightly and costing the team the first couple of games. However, AGS played their way back into the fight (with the exceptional goalkeeping of Nathan playing a significant part) and picked up enough momentum in the final games to see them take 4th place in the finals overall, narrowly missing out on a medal place due to headto-head records; an incredible achievement, journey and experience for all involved. A huge thank you needs to go out to Oli Carolin, Jude Guest-Brainch, Truman Alvalle, Ben Embury and Will Chapman, who represented the school so well in the nationals, despite having played little or no competitive handball before.

Mr McGill and I await with great excitement the future handball successes of those that have been involved in the programme this year and thank them very much for their hard work, enthusiasm and commitment over the year.

Well done and thank you to all of the boys in both years who have played hard and trained with the Handball team this year.

Adam Woodage - Phillips 12

Tennis

Seniors

The Senior Team of Oscar Glenister (Ph13), Daniel Dean (R11), James Weller (Pa11), Joel Good (Ph9) and Max Forgham (R13) have qualified for The National Schools’

Competition 2017. We received a bye in the 1st Round and then met Bancroft’s School, Essex in Round 2. This was always going to be a tough match for our young side, with the tie being played indoors on carpet, a notoriously fast and sometimes difficult surface.

AGS won the tie 10-2; Daniel Dean beat Alex Dodds 6-4 7-5, J Weller beat David Nana 7-6 7-5, J Good beat Kail Francis 6-0 6-1 and Krishna Chintamreddy beat T Meyers 6-0 6-1.

We moved on to our Regional SemiFinal away against Highgate School. On paper AGS were the weaker team, however our players are always more than happy to put up a fight. Oscar Glenister returning from injury lost to Daniel Vishnick 1-6 2-6, Daniel Dean had a real battle with Ingimar Tomasson but as is often the case in Daniel’s matches, he likes to keep his opponents on court and make it as tough as possible for them. Eventually he came through with an excellent 6-2 4-6 10-3 win, against an older and higher rated player. James Weller again won at No. 3 beating Sam Tansey 7-5 6-1 and Joel Good won easily at No. 4 beating Luca Louis 6-1 6-0. AGS then won the initial doubles with Dean and Good beating Tomasson and Tansey 6-1 6-0. An outstanding win in extremely hot conditions, AGS moved on to the next round.

AGS were in the Regional Final for the 4th year in succession, an outstanding achievement for a state school. Our opponents were Cooper’s Coborn School, Essex. The match was an away fixture and hosted at Cooper’s Coborn School, on courts which had certainly seen better days. AGS got off to a mixed start in the singles, Oscar Glenister suffering from hand and shoulder injuries lost 6-2 5-7 10-8 to Neo Wren. At No. 2 Daniel Dean was too good for Tobi Dunlea winning 6-2 6-3, whilst James Weller took the first set, but eventually lost in a tiebreak, losing 6-4 3-6 5-10 to Jamie Bixby. Joel Good, playing well, again secured a much needed singles win 6-3 6-1 over Sam King. So it would be decided by the doubles. AGS had real concerns and major issues: Oscar Glenister’s hand had got worse, he was struggling to play backhand shots and serve! However it just had to be done, Glenister and Dean beat Wren and Dulea 6-4 6-4, then Weller and Good took the second doubles for AGS 7-6 6-3; a really tough day on court, far harder than form and rankings would suggest, but AGS do know how to win at this level…

AGS, with a still fairly young and now a little more experienced

team, has once again made “The National Schools’ Tennis Finals”, which is made up of the top 16 senior school sides in GB. It is worth noting that most of these schools are independent and offer a number of tennis scholarships to talented junior players. AGS is lucky to have a team of five students, who all train at Halton Tennis Centre under the watchful eye of Mike James and his group of coaches. Many thousands of hours, a tremendous amount of parental support and a good deal of dedication, has resulted in these AGS players reaching this high level.

The Senior National Finals took place in early July at Nottingham Tennis Centre. Despite the valiant efforts of our four-man team (Oscar Glenister, Daniel Dean, Joel Good and James Weller) the team finished overall in 13th place. We were disappointed with the result and felt we were a little below par during the tournament and the nightmare draw and matches shortened due to the poor weather didn’t help either! However to finish with AGS placed 13th in the country cannot be underestimated and a fantastic achievement for those involved – Well done!

Year 9/10 Aegon Team

Our season started in the best possible way with a 10/2 win away at Akeley Wood School, with good singles wins for Joel Good, Freddie Perkin and Cameron Brown. The boys then paired up with Dylan Sellors to win both doubles matches. Our next match was against RGS, with AGS taking the win comfortably 8-4. Dr Challoner’s are a strong side and this, our final match, would again decide the Buckinghamshire Champions and who would progress to the latter stages of The Aegon competition. Joel Good at No. 1 recorded a very good win over Brendan Emmanuel, however, unfortunately we lost all three remaining singles and the first doubles. This meant AGS lost the match and therefore did not progress to the national stages of the competition.

Year 7/8 Aegon Team

A really good season from our youngsters, with much promise being shown for the future. This was highlighted by some really good individual matches; the team of DJ Mentiply, Ben Perkin, Maxim Plumridge, Matt Manley and Harry Holmes will only get better as they progress through the school and their tennis continues to develop. Can I stress to all the players that a good serve is paramount and this is an area you can work on yourself, no expensive coaches are necessary. Like fitness training, it is just down to hard work and repetition.

The season started well with an excellent 8/4 win at home against Sir William Borlase School. Another excellent 8-4 victory away against RGS followed. This again set up the match against Dr Challoner’s School as a Buckinghamshire decider, with Challoner’s again just edging it on the day. DJ Mentiply beat S Poulter 6-3 and B Perkin beat J Mellows 6-3 so AGS won at both No. 1 and No. 2 singles; however M Plumridge and M Manley lost at No. 3 and No. 4 and it was all square going into the doubles rubbers. AGS then won the No. 1 doubles match through Mentiply and Perkin 7/6, but then lost the second doubles and then unfortunately the “Shoot Out” 3-10. The team is young and nearly all available next year, so we have the chance to put this right.

*** Shock News Flash*** After I completed this report, Dr Challoner’s lost to Sir William Borlase School 7-6… As a result, AGS have made The Regional Play-offs in September!

The season culminated with the annual Tennis Trip to Wimbledon on the 4th July and the students really enjoyed watching some excellent tennis on No. 1 court, in particular the final match of the day between Thiem and Pospisil; Dominic Thiem is an amazing player and surely a future Grand Slam winner.

I would like to thank all the tennis players who have represented AGS with distinction this season and I for one look forward to next year! We lose a really talented player in Oscar Glenister (Ph13) and I wish him well for the future, both for his time at university and in terms of his tennis.

Other players will now step up and meet the challenge. Daniel, James and Joel will be a year older, and undoubtedly a year better and we certainly have good youngsters who deserve their chance. Who would bet against AGS making The National Finals yet again?

Mr P Dean

Athletics

Track and Field Cup 2017

Junior Squad (Yr7 & Yr8)

Round 1 – Buckinghamshire Results. AGS finished 1st of 8 teams with a score of 295. This is a team competition and all athletes must compete in two events (one field and one track) so it means that all competitors need to be good in a range of events. There were a number of standout performances, for example the sprinters won their events (100m, 200m, 300m and Relay). Timi Ashaolu and Matt Sparke won the Shotput and Discus respectively.

Round 2 – Regional Final

Midlands B – The Next round was in Birmingham in the Midlands B Final - win and we would be through to National Finals. The field was very tough and the standard was high. The team responded well to the challenge and many of the athletes stepped up and bettered their performance from the previous round. Although our total points increased, it placed us 4th overall. Well done to the squad for all their hard work and commitment.

Inter Squad (Yr9 & Yr10) Track and Field Cup Round 1 –

Buckinghamshire results. AGS placed 4th overall but with a decent score of 365 points. There were lots of standout results including Max Perry and Ben Lindars 1st and 2nd in the 1500m and Ioannis Korontzis 1st in the 200m. Ben Mulholland and Ben Latham performed well in the Hurdles as well as the Shotput. The team performance was good enough to qualify for the Regional Rounds in Birmingham.

Regional Round of the English Schools’ Track and field cup

- Inters. AGS improved from the first round with a score of 383pts, this placed us 3rd in the competition but sadly not enough to go through to the next round. Some standout performances were Max Perry, who ran 4m15secs, Denzel and Ioannis, who both ran 12.2secs in the 100m, Luke Parry, who ran 41.46secs in the 300m, and Kit Fairhurst, who ran the 200m in 25secs.

District Athletics. District athletics brought together the best athletes from House Athletics 2017 to compete against schools in Aylesbury Vale District. Consistency across the four year groups guided AGS to Overall Boys’ winners for the second year running. Year 7 and 8 came 4th whilst Year 9 placed 2nd and Year 10 came 1st. It was a great effort by all competitors despite the very soggy conditions.

Mr N Gibbs

Squash

Squash is still as popular as ever with courts in full use every lunchtime throughout the year and generally it has been a busy year for both student and OA teams, and for many of our talented individual players.

The 1st team is now predominantly made up of younger players and they had a mixed start to the season. They had a bright start with a friendly win over Eton College and followed this up with 5/0 win over Abingdon in National Schools. They then had two narrow defeats to Harrow and John Hampden but bounced back with wins against Dr Challoner’s and Radley College. A notable success for such a young team is that they progressed through to the latter stages of National Schools’. Special mention for Marcus Connor who remained unbeaten up to the New Year and is now ranked 28 nationally in Under 17’s and continues to climb the rankings.

In the second half of the season in the New Year the 1st team started with a narrow 3/2 loss to Harrow. However, they positively followed up with a 5/0 defeat of RGS Wycombe. The team then had to concentrate on KO rounds of the National Schools’ competition and were successful in progressing through to the finals by defeating St Pauls (London) & Beauchamp College (Leicester). After a friendly/warm up match against

Eton which they won 4/1, the team travelled to Sport City Manchester on 22nd March. The boys finished 4th overall nationally which is an excellent achievement for such a young team. Special mention to Captain Marcus Connor, Lewis Milner (now ranked 57 in Under 17’s) and Danial Choudhury (ranked 44 in Under 17’s) who are all rapidly climbing up the national rankings and have potential to go further. I would also like to formally thank the parents who have supported the team around the country providing transport for the team members, in particular Mrs Milner, Mrs Choudhury and Mrs Connor.

The 1st team are also champions of the Bucks Division 1 Junior County league after only one defeat all season. The boys play these matches on a Sunday afternoon which shows excellent commitment.

The squad consists of Marcus Connor, Danial Choudhury, Josh Mayhead, Lewis Milner, Harshi Gupta, Oscar Glenister, Alex Axford and Ryan Connor.

The U15 team began their season with a friendly win over Eton. They also progressed through to National Schools knockout round with a convincing win over John Colet and only a tough 3/2 loss v. John Hampden cost them top spot in their group. Choudhury and Milner make this a very strong team as they are also regular 1st team players.

The U15 team began January with a 5/0 friendly win over Windsor and 4/1 win over Eton. They then took on Exeter in National Schools KO and had an impressive 4/1 win. The draw then gave us tough opponents in Wycliffe, one of the favourites of the competition. Unfortunately the boys just missed out on a trip to the finals in Manchester, losing 4/1. This should not diminish what was a fantastic achievement by a young and developing squad to reach the knock out stages.

The squad consists of Danial Choudhury, Lewis Milner, Ryan Connor, Callum Egan, Dylan Holmes-Cowan, Josh Farnfield and Kavi Morjaria.

AGS are proud to have two county champions - Marcus Connor and Dan Choudhury who are county champions at U17 and U15 respectively. Both have also been chosen for the Aspire Training sessions for the southern region and part of South region team.

We also had a special visitor, welcoming World No 2 Nick Mathew to AGS courts and taking coaching sessions involving players of all standards. Nick also played an exhibition match and became an instant hit with all students. He gave away autographed books, had numerous photos and signed everything put in front of him like a true professional.

More success came with OA adult team who play in Bucks League Division 1 who were successful in winning the championship for the 3rd successive season. Players included Alex Preston, Phil Yerby, Darren Withey, current student Marcus Connor and Jamie Quinn.

The school team also embark on an exciting tour to Australia in the summer which is a perfect end to a very successful season. They have fixtures in Singapore, on the Gold Coast near Brisbane and in Sydney.

Thanks to OA Alex Preston (British Open O35 Champion) and his company Intrepid for sponsoring both boys and OA teams and Phil Yerby and his company PInPoint Solutions for sponsoring Bucks Senior team.

Mr D Withey

Swimming

Year 7

Two Year 7 students were selected for the Junior swimming team which entered the National team swimming championships. Carmelo Almadin and Sam Pyefinch represented AGS at the regional swimming gala in Watford and helped the Junior team to qualify 26th fastest in the country in the medley relay. The team initially didn’t qualify in the Freestyle relay but after a number of teams dropped out they were entered into both relays at the national finals at the Olympic Aquatic centre in London. Qualification for the finals is a great achievement especially as they will be swimming in the same age group next year. The finals were tough and there was little expectation on the team to qualify for the final but the guys did really well and in both heats swam faster than they swam in the regionals. Well done and good luck next year.

Year 8, 9 & 10

Gabe Gulridge and Jack Edwards represented AGS in the Junior team in the National Team Swimming championships. At the regional swimming gala in Watford they helped the Junior team to Qualify 26th fastest in the country in the medley relay. The team initially didn’t qualify in the Freestyle relay but again after a number of teams dropped out they too were entered into both relays in the national finals at the Olympic Aquatic centre in London. Qualification for the finals is a great achievement and we will be looking for even more success as they move into the Inter age group next year. In spite of difficult finals, the guys did really well and in both heats swam faster than they swam regionally. A good year and I wish you all the best for the next season.

Ish Rahim, Tom Selby, James Chennells, and Cam Brooker represented AGS for the second year running and this time the Inter team were looking to go better than 4th place in the last year’s national finals. The team qualified 1st and 2nd fastest out of the regionals in the medley and freestyle relay respectively. This meant that overall the Inter team qualified 4th fastest in the country heading to London. At the finals expectations were high and the team seemed confident. The morning session heralded a 7th place finish in the medley relay, perhaps a slightly disappointing result given their qualification time, but they knew the best was yet to come in the freestyle relay later on the in the meet. In the heats the lads swam brilliantly and qualified fastest for the final ensuring they had a middle lane between the two power house schools of Millfield and Plymouth College. The freestyle final was the last race of the day and the tension was palpable. The lads had a great chance of a rare podium and all they had to do is execute, fortunately each member of the team including Ish swam their perfect race and Tom Selby brought the team home in an amazing 3rd place. This is a truly fantastic performance and something which all the guys should be very proud of.

Year 12 & 13

Tom Faulkner, Sunkyu Han, and Michael and David Witham represented AGS in the senior swimming team at the National Team Swimming championships. At the regional swimming gala in Watford, competition was tough and the team qualified 6th and 7th fastest in the freestyle and medley relay respectfully, and thus ensuring progression to the national finals at the London Aquatic Centre for the second year running. Qualification for the finals is a great achievement in itself, however with a ranking of around 20th, it was always going to be tough to make either of the finals, and this proved to be the case. Nevertheless there were some outstanding performances with Michael Witham achieving an incredible 25.7 seconds for the 50 freestyle which will put him in good stead for gaining a national qualification time next year. David Witham lead the team well and helped organise and encourage the younger teams. Tom and Sunkyu both represented AGS for the first time and swam well. I hope that we will see more of Tom next year. Well done lads.

Mr N Gibbs