For the Spring Matches Football fixture we were delighted to welcome two Old Bradfieldian FC teams back to the College. The OB 1stXI, captained by Dan Hodgkinson (H 10-15), played the College 1stXI and the OB 2ndXI, captained by Felix Lapidus (H 14-19), faced the College's U17A team. We were also hoping to field a girls' side but sadly fixture scheduling did not allow on this occasion.

So, while the OB runners were on the cross-country course the OB Footballers took part in two competitive fixtures versus the College. The games as always were played in good spirits in beautiful sunshine and the OBs came away 3-1 winners, with goals scored by Josh Buchan E 17-22), Justin Foord (C 99-04) and Samuel Raphael (H 15-20).

It is the first time that the OB men's footballers managed to raise a second team, mostly made up of the team from 2019 who loved being back at Bradfield again but sadly lost 2-1 against the college Under 17 team. The OB footballers included: Sam Probert (C 14-19), Billy Bolt (D 14-19), Hugh Murray (D 14-19), Tom Wynne (F 15-19), Johannes Jansen (C 17-19), Jeevan Singh (C 16-18), Tom-Eric Mullikas (H 15-19), Miles Atkins (H 14-19), Matt Graves (H 14-19) and Finn Brabham (A 13-18).

Thank you to everyone for joining us back at Bradfield for such a wonderful day of competitive, but friendly sport and to James Fox (G 97-02) and Jack Surgay from the College staff along with Sarah Thompson (M 12-14) for organising the football fixture from the college side and in the case of James for playing for a short time for the Bradfieldians as well!

Match Report OBFC 1stXI v College 1stXI

A glorious sunny afternoon at Bradfield set the stage for another high-quality encounter between the School 1st XI and the Old Boys.

Both sides, still smarting from cup exits the previous week, approached the fixture with intensity and competitive spirit from the outset.

Chances were at a premium in a tight first half, but it was Josh Buchan who broke the deadlock for the Old Boys just before the interval, powering home a well-placed header.

The School responded strongly after the break and were duly rewarded with a deserved equaliser, bringing the contest back to 1–1.

With 70 minutes played, the game began to open up. The Old Boys found another gear and created a series of opportunities, with stalwart Justin Foord restoring their lead to make it 2–1.

Five minutes later, the advantage was extended as Sam Raphael — lining up against his younger brother — calmly finished a well-worked move.

The match concluded 3–1 to the Old Boys in what remains one of the standout fixtures of the season. The club looks forward to, in time, welcoming members of this School side into the Old Boys ranks.

Dan Hodgkinson (H 10-15)

Match Report OBFC 2ndXI v College U17As

Saturday brought glorious sunshine to Bradfield as the Old Bradfieldian 2XI returned to their old stomping ground — the first time back for many since leaving school.

The U17A side started the sharper of the two teams, taking advantage of our early lapses in structure and fitness to grab the lead. As the half went on, we began to find our feet, moving the ball well and creating real chances through Billy Bolt and Tom Mullikas, both forcing saves before the break.

We came out in the second half full of determination and quickly took control, playing with width and energy. Sam Probert found himself in good positions on a few occasions but couldn’t quite convert. Eventually, our persistence paid off as Matthew Gannon tucked a lovely finish into the bottom corner to bring us level at 1–1.

The game remained open and competitive, with both sides threatening at either end. Mr Fox brought renewed solidity after stepping in at centre-back, making some big tackles to keep us in it. But late on, a rebound fell kindly for the U17As in our box, and they made it 2–1.

Despite a final push, we couldn’t quite find another goal.

A tough result but a brilliant day all round - well done to the U17As on a top performance. We’ll be back next year, hungry for that revenge win.

Felix Lapidus (H 14-19)

Interested in playing football after Bradfield?

The OBFC is always keen to welcome more Bradfieldian footballers to play, if you are interested to learn more contact Dan Hodgkinson

The Women's OB side are also looking for players, please could anyone keen to play reach out to Sarah Thompson