30 January 2017
Week 3 of the football season started with the annual U13 6-a-side games against Our Lady’s Abingdon allowing those that may not get the chance to represent the School on a regular basis to do so.
This was followed by a tough weekend of fixtures against Hampton which has a strong football reputation. The U14s got the day underway at Abingdon. The U14As, despite suffering a defeat, made very notable progress in their performance against strong opposition. On Waste Court, the U14Bs moved the ball superbly and created a number of opportunities on their way to a 6-0 victory, whilst the U14C team also recorded a terrific 3-2 home win. At the same time over at Hampton the U12 sides were making their first appearance of the season with both the U12 A and B sides involved in thrillers. Despite losing 3-6 and 4-3 respectively it was great to see the young Abingdon sides raise their game to compete against the Hampton teams.
Moving into the afternoon and at Cox’s Field and Tilsley Park the Abingdon sides again did themselves justice, and despite coming off second best at U16 and U15 level the results show clear improvements compared to last year, demonstrating the progress the sides have made.
Over at Hampton it was the turn of the senior sides. As always the 4th XI travelled with great anticipation, and they didn’t disappoint, recording their second win of the season, 4-1 the final score. Unfortunately the 3rd XI suffered a defeat. A 30-yard-screamer from Matheo Charrier-Chardin secured a 1-1- draw for the 2nd XI, a terrific result given the nature of the opposition.
Finally the 1st XI had nothing to lose and despite conceding early, the Abingdon side grew into the game and an Elliot Dandridge header and a free kick from Patrick Leggett meant the game was in the balance at half time, 2-2. A slow start to the second half saw the game taken away from the Abingdon side, however a smart move late on resulted in a fine Tom Hale goal. 3–5 the final score.
In addition to the Hampton fixtures the 5th XI made the short trip across to Radley College, and despite going 2-0 up unfortunately lost 2-4, whilst the U16 Cs took on the challenge of Sherford U16 As, and despite their best efforts also suffered a defeat.
As anticipated a tough weekend of fixtures, however a great deal of character and promise shown by the Abingdon sides who now look forward to mid-week fixtures against Reading Blue Coat before block fixtures against Shiplake College and Reading Grammar School next weekend.
Thank you for your continued support on the touchline.
