Aluredian
75
Dominic Bracher goes on
the attack again during the
2nd XI's 11-1 defeat of
Blundell's
A
magnificent season in which
we lost only once got off to a
flying start with an 11-1 win
against Exeter School. There
were hat-tricks for Dominic
Bracher and Nick Mason, with
further goals for Tom Drysdale (2), Will Walters,
Chris Griffiths and Rob Ellis from left-back!
After a comfortable win against Queen's, we
had to wait three weeks for our next fixture,
and what a titanic struggle it was against a
strong Sherborne side. Dom Bracher fired an
unstoppable shot past their keeper to equalise
after Sherborne had struck first. Nick Mason
made it 2-1, but a sustained onslaught resulted
in an equaliser for Sherborne.
It was another herculean effort against Canford,
with Henry Tetley and Hugo Segrave turning in
fine defensive displays. Three goals in the first
half sealed Canford's fate, along with an
outstanding debut performance by Carla
Mauersberg in goal.
Against Blundell's though we were very much
back in our comfort zone. The opposition had
no answer to the wiles of Will Walters on the
right wing who scored four times - other goals
came from Nick Mason (3), Dominic Bracher (2)
and one each for Tom Drysdale and Will James.
Perhaps still dreaming of duvets and comfort
zones, we went on to concede a goal against
Taunton School within 41 seconds and our
unbeaten season within the hour. A player of
the match performance by Carla Mauersberg in
goal was the highlight of a listless performance.
There was a welcome return to form the
following Saturday against Clifton, the side now
averaging six goals a match. It was a triumph
of the Wills (goalscorers Walters, Griffiths and
James), but the outstanding achievement of the
day was Nick Mason in recording his third hattrick
of the season.
The season finale was an emphatic 6-1 win
against Millfield. A well-worked goal by Rob
Ellis and two from Will Griffiths, along with yet
another hat-trick by Will Walters, caused the
highly-rated opposition no end of problems.
Tom Drysdale, Chris Griffiths and Archie Rose
dominated in midfield, while Hugo Segrave,
Liam Adamson, Olly Gibb and the irrepressible
Henry Tetley were magnificent in defence. The
perfect end to a great season, in which the
front three of Walters, Mason and Bracher
scored a total of 32 goals between them!
A
n 8-2 win against Queen's
was a great start to our
season, with two goals each
for David McNeill, Henry
Close and James Jennings,
and one each for Greg
Albery and Toby Catton. Hayden Tyler in goal
was rarely troubled. After a convincing, rather
one-sided 9-0 defeat of Wellington, we had a
very even game against Sherborne. We gave
way only after conceding repeated short corners
in the final five minutes. The pace of our
attack was a constant challenge to the
opposition's defence, and Carla Mauersberg
played really well in goal.
At Canford we trailed after five minutes but
fought our way back into the game, with goals
from Greg Albery, James Dent and David
McNeill ensuring an exciting 3-3 draw. And it
was a similarly very even game at Taunton
School, with plenty of chances for both sides.
After a slow start and conceding the first goal,
we kept our heads, and Toby Catton was able
to steal a goal back to earn us a well-deserved
draw.
But it was a disappointing end to the season
against Clifton, as too often we squandered
good possession, and two breakaway goals for
Clifton in the final five minutes sealed our fate. 2nd XI
3rd XI