Sporting Highlights: A Winning Spring for the OCs

OC Vets in the Vets Cup Final

From cup glory on the football pitch to strong finishes in Fives, netball victories and the start of the golf season, it has been an action‑packed and successful period for OCs across a range of sports. 

Football

The OC Vets secured a memorable victory in the Vets Cup Final on Sunday 12 April, defeating Charterhouse 3–1 on penalties after a hard‑fought contest. 

After 90 minutes of football played in extremely challenging weather conditions, the match finished level at 1–1, thanks in large part to a heroic performance from goalkeeper Tom Nicoll (KG, 2008). Facing sustained pressure from Charterhouse throughout the game, Tom produced a series of outstanding saves to keep the OC Vets in the contest. 

The drama continued into the penalty shootout, where Tom rose to the occasion once again, saving three penalties in succession to seal the victory. It was an exceptional man‑of‑the‑match performance, underpinned by a resolute, disciplined and fully committed team effort from the OC Vets throughout the final. 

A superb achievement and a fitting reward for an outstanding collective performance. 

Fives

As we wrap up the end of the Fives season, we saw a great OC turnout at the Mixed Nationals on Sunday 12 April. Emily Scoones (GH, 2009) reached the final of the main and Aroop Bhattacharya (KG 2012) reached the final of the Dossi Dish.  

Lorenza Valensise (EG 2022) and Joel Robb (EG 2021) won Plate A, whilst Abs Bhattacharya (KG 2006) made it to the Plate B semi-finals. With their last game this weekend, the OCs are hoping for a strong finish. 

Netball 

The OC netball team have enjoyed a successful run of fixtures in this month, recording back‑to‑back victories. On 7 April, the OCs secured an 18–13 win against 99 Problems, with standout performances from players of the match Ava Mulvihill (EG 2021) and Eve Allison (SH 2018). 

The momentum continued on 14 April with an impressive 26–20 victory over Nets Be Real. Players of the Match were Lizzie Mills (SG 2021) and Elena Binns (EG 2020), both of whom made significant contributions to the win. 

The team now turns its attention to the next fixture on 21 April against Highbury Honey Badgers, looking to build on a strong start to the season. 

Golf 

The Halford Hewitt

The golf season got underway with the flagship Halford Hewitt, held on the Kent Coast. Unfortunately, the OCs were beaten in the first round by Brighton, 4–1. While Brighton have historically had a significantly weaker overall record, they have enjoyed a marked improvement in recent seasons, recording multiple match wins in both 2024 and 2025. They underlined this progress by following up their victory over the OCs with a second‑round win against Epsom, who sit comfortably within the top five teams based on overall record. 

Following their opening‑round defeat, the OCs competed in the Plate competition for first‑round losers. Here they recorded a solid 2–1 victory over City of London, with wins from the first pair of Micky Tudor (WG 1991) and Anuj Anand (HG 1991) (1 up) and the second pair of Mark Cohen (HG 1991) and David Rose (WG 2003), who secured an emphatic 6&5 win. In the second round of the Plate, the OCs were defeated by Liverpool, 2.5–0.5. 

Despite the results, it was a thoroughly enjoyable four days of competitive golf and excellent company, and a positive start to the season.