Saturday 21 October 2023
OH Day Sport
All photos from the OH Sports day can be viewed and purchased here:-https://islahampsonphotography.pixieset.com/sportsday2023-1/Saturday's Old Herefordians' Sports Day saw a clean sweep of trophies for the HCS teams ??It was a great day and it was wonderful to see so many OHs from years gone by. Many thanks to all who took part. See you next year!Final scores:?? Netball HCS 33-12 OH? Football HCS 4-2 OH?? Hockey HCS 3-1 OH?? Rugby HCS 26-19 OH2023 OH Rugby Match ReportDespite the attempts of the weather to disrupt proceedings prior to the game, spectators were treated to an absolute OH classic in the sunshine at Greyhound Rugby Club as the School edged out the Old Herefordians in a thriller. The game began as expected with both teams coming out of the blocks full of energy with big tackles being made by both sides. After controlling the territory, it was the School who took the lead, thanks to a quick tap penalty 5 metres out from the try line and some lovely handling which resulted in Will M diving over the line to score, followed by a very impressive drop goal conversion by Ben Y. The OH team reacted to the setback well and demonstrated physical advantage with a fierce driving maul which pushed the school back 15 metres. This helped swing the momentum and would be pivotal as the Old Herefordians crossed the whitewash twice before halftime thanks to Stefan J and Sam P and conversions from Oli G, putting the Old Herefordians ahead at halftime. The start of the second half saw the School go down to 14 men thanks to a yellow card. Soon after, the referee once again produced a yellow card from his pocket, to brandish this time at the Old Herefordians. An extraordinary moment also occurred early in the second half when the Old Herefordians' try scorer Steffan J had an incident with a post protector which ended his game early and would be a big setback for the OHs, although thankfully he looked to have recovered well later. The first try of the second half would go to the Old Herefordians, as Frankie P dove over in the corner after a great maul from a 5-metre line out, giving the Old Herefordians a 12-point lead. The superior fitness levels of the School First XV in the final 20 minutes would end up being crucial to their comeback victory. The School began their fight back when Ben H went through a gaping hole in the tired OH defence. The momentum had truly shifted with the school playing some superb attacking rugby, emulating the Fijians and triumphantly crossing over for two more late tries from Will M and Sam Y which sealed a 26-19 victory for the First XV. Particular thanks to all those who organised the game, especially the Old Herefordians' captain Charlie S, plus a big thank you to all those who attended the game and helped demonstrate just how special OH rugby is. - Tom Subak-Sharpe