Taylorian 2020

83 Squad: Z. Stonefield, E. Barreiros-Caricati (Capt), T. Afolabi, E. White, D. D. Patel, H. Waller, J. Hui, H. Wareing, E. Lakin, R. Wilkins, J. Lilico, T. Groves (Vice- Capt), A. Patel, M. Temowo, A. Clarke, A. Jones, A. Gabbitas, D. Odejinmi, H. Bridgewater. U16B The U16Bs won nine of the ten games played and finished top of the schools’ rankings for U16B teams in the country. What has truly made the season a success, however, are the attributes that the team has embodied this term. They have shown bravery, regularly coming back from behind on the scoreboard and not once losing hope. They have exhibited continual self-improvement, training until it was too dark to catch a ball. This was exemplified by players such as Eben Terry and Phil Bauer, who made incredible progress this season. Finally, they have demonstrated inspirational leadership, from captain David Justus, who coordinated the team brilliantly, to hooker Niam Bhattacharya, who galvanised his teammates in moments of difficulty. In the first four games, we scored an impressive total of 36 tries. The difficult games, however, produced the season’s most memorable moments. In the fixture against Reed’s, with many players out of action, prop Jacek Krynski was required to play on the wing and managed to chase, catch, and then score off his own kick from the half-way line. In their heart-wrenching loss against Reading Blue Coat, the U16Bs dug deep, played their best rugby of the season, and almost managed a comeback against a hugely talented opposition. The U16Bs should be proud of their hard work. I’m sure they will look back on this season fondly for years to come. Mr B J Waterhouse Squad: M. Aiyetigbo, P. Bauer, N. Bhattacharya, B. Daniels, J. Fraga, A. Grewal, R. Hartigan, N. Hassan, M. Hills, D. Justus, D. Kukoyi, J. Krynski, J. Mathan, A. Meghani, S. Mehta, J. Osman, A. Patel, R. Quigley, W. Robinson, M. Shah, E. Terry, H. J. Williams, H. R. Williams. U16C The U16Cs got off to a magnificent start to the season, beating Dulwich Ds 36- 22 and crushing Watford 63-14. These two performances quite rightly focused attention on the key players, of whom no less than five went up to the B team, never to be seen again. This impacted the team defensively more than offensively. When on the front foot, this team was electric. The sheer pace in the back line combined with silky footwork meant that it was a joy to watch this team playing free-flowing attacking rugby. Unfortunately, much of the rest of the season was against highly skilled opposition who outcompeted us at the breakdown and exposed our weak defence. Losses to Shiplake (twice), Dulwich Cs, and Berkhamsted sorely tested the desire of the team. A heart- warming win against a Watford B/C team restored some belief before a final game, again against Berkhamsted, where a disastrous first fifteen minutes decided the game, but much respect was won in the remainder. Particularly credit must go to the player of the season, Dylan McLeish, for silky running that tore