A12740 Epsom Link No 1

Issue 1 Michaelmas 2001
Fantastic achievement
The first generation of Epsom girls with
Housemistress Debbie Parsons (front right)
Co-education a Complete
Success
Head girl Elizabeth Holman and Mr. Peter Thompson pass over the first cheque as money
is raised for the school in Kopiliq, Kosovo
Pupils at the College raised a magnificent £30,000 in just one year to build a new
school in Kosovo. Monies were raised through a series of adventurous fundraising
activities including a ‘Charity Auction’ on Founder’s Day with celebrated Old
Epsomians as auctioneers. The school will change the lives of 186 village children who
no longer have to walk 3 hours to school each day. Speaking of the achievement, Maths
teacher Peter Thompson, who spearheaded this ambitious campaign, said: “This
project has exceeded our wildest expectations and given me the greatest satisfaction
in my 25 years as a teacher. A big thank you to all who were involved in this
challenging and rewarding campaign”.
Musicians Make Their Mark
Senthuran Bhuvanendra (P) and Daniel
Ng (F) both won Choral Scholarships to
Oriel, Oxford and St. Catharine’s,
Cambridge, respectively. Michael
Holiday (R) successfully auditioned for a
place in the National Youth Choir of
Great Britain, while Adrian Chapman
(R) achieved a place in the National
Children’s Orchestra.
(L-R) Senthuran Bhuvanendra, Daniel Ng
and David Pipe
Photo: John Odell
The first generation of Epsom College
girls to enter the school at 13+ has now
moved on to University, their
achievements proving the success of coeducation. Katie Fawcett became the
first girl to command the Honour
Guard on AGI Day, whilst others
captained sports teams, played musical
instruments and earned places in the
Chapel Choir, Orchestra and Concert
Band. Particularly good to see was the
achievement of seven academic prizes at
the end of the year by the girls.
A College First?
David Pipe (Cr) has been elected to an
Organ Scholarship at Downing College,
Cambridge. Always prominent in the
musical life of the school, David was often
heard leading the music in Chapel. As
Choir Prefect, he sang in the Choral
Society and the Downs Singers and played
the violin in the College Orchestra. We
believe David is the first pupil from the
College to win this coveted scholarship.
Please let Mr. Ian Holiday know if this is
not the case.
THE LINK
C O L L E G E
2
Leavers in 2001
45
40
35
Of those entering Higher
Education other than university, 3 were
reapplying having earned higher grades
than expected. Eight candidates will
apply for university for the first time in
autumn 2001.
30
25
20
15
10
In addition to the 10 Oxford and
Cambridge places, 14 went on to
study Medicine.
Other H.E./F.E.
Arts
Social Sciences
Science and
Engineering
0
Medicine and
Veterinary Science
5
Most pupils were not Medics but went
on to study 40 different subjects, from
Art to Virology. Engineering was this
year’s most popular subject with 19
candidates. There has been a marked
increase in candidates for the Social
Sciences, Economics and Business
between them providing 21 candidates.
A wide range of universities was
represented, most popular being
Nottingham (9 candidates) Cambridge,
Imperial College London, and Leeds (8
candidates each).
These figures are for 2001, when the
pass rate at A Level was 97% with 66% A
and B grades. In 2000 the pass rate was
98% with 72% A and B grades.
John Propert:The Founder Remembered
In a moving ceremony, College Chaplains
both present and past re-dedicated the
grave of the Founder, John Propert, at
Kensal Green Cemetery. Fr. Bryan
Roberts (now at Gresham’s School) was
assisted by the new Senior Chaplain, Fr.
Paul Thompson and members of the
College Choir in a short ceremony
around the newly restored grave. The
grave had suffered so badly from neglect
that John Higgs, Administrator of the
Royal Medical Foundation, the charity
from which Epsom College was born,
was asked to organise its replacement.
Photo: John Higgs
The newly restored grave of the Founder of Epsom College, Dr. John Propert
The new black marble monument is
inscribed with the original wording, with
the addition of the Epsom College Coat
of Arms and is a site of which we can now
be proud.
Visitors may see the grave at Kensal
Green. Reference number is ‘Dr. John
Propert MD 20540/126/RS’
The College Store moved to new premises
in the Leverhulme Building in 2001. Lester
Bowden now manage the bright and
welcoming new store.
Photo: Alan Scadding
3
Treading the Boards
The School Play this year was Romeo
and Juliet, directed by Richard
Sheehan and presented in a dark,
gothic world with startlingly realistic
sword fights and energetic martial arts.
The leads, Nick Vaughan and Lucy
Misch, were powerful as the
passionate, doomed lovers, while
support from Dan Aspel, Barney
Flower, Abigail Barton and Noma
Garrick amongst others, was
excellent. Abigail Barton, the Nurse,
earned a coveted place in the National
Youth Theatre during the year.
Photo: John Odell
Nick Vaughan and Lucy Misch gave
outstanding performances as the lovers
in Romeo and Juliet
A Different Perspective…..
The Junior Play was a complete change in
tone as Kim Chandley directed a vibrant
and celebratory Grease assisted by the
brilliant choreography of current parents
Libby Johnstone and Suki Pountney,
while Graeme Lodge coaxed musical
magic from almost 100 young
performers. It was a lively way to end the
dramatic year and revealed great talent in
the junior years.
House plays included Granville’s Unman,
Wittering and Zigo and a hilarious
production by Wilson House of The
Farndale Avenue Estate Townswomen’s Guilds
Dramatic Society Murder Mystery. Directed
by pupil Sara Campbell, it was a homage
to all those appalling amateur productions
we have all laughed at.
The Theatre Studies and GCSE pupils
presented a series of fascinating evenings
in the new Drama Studio and we look
forward to more performances enhancing
drama at the College.
Photo: John Odell
Summer Nights. . .
Poet Laureate Visits
100 English Literature pupils enjoyed
a unique experience when The Poet
Laureate, Andrew Motion, visited the
College to talk about poetry and read
extracts from his work. He pointed
out the importance of English
teachers in “turning on the lights”, in
encouraging pupils to write creatively
and, after reading some personal
poems and some written recently as
Poet Laureate, Mr. Motion answered
pupils’ questions about his life and
career as a poet.
The Leavers’
Ball
Over 230 recent OEs, Common
Room and Parents celebrated
the end of A Levels and
graduation from the College as
they gathered for drinks on the
steps of the Queen’s Stand
overlooking the Racecourse,
where the Queen had stood
only days before.The
traditional three-course meal
was served amid a bubble of
enthusiasm, noisy enjoyment
and amiable boy-girl rivalry.
As coffee and mints arrived,
the dance floor was already
alive with enthusiastic OEs.
DJ ’Terry’, ably supported by
a core group of Wilson girls,
kept the floor full for the
whole evening with an array
of popular music to suit all.
Photo: John Odell
4
Challenges of Army Life
Pupils from Feltonfleet Prep School,
Cobham, experienced a variety of
Combined Cadet Force activities
including ration cooking, abseiling and
assault course training on a visit to the
College. 13 year-old Emma Robson won
Photo: Alan Scadding
Pupils lay a
wreath during
the 16th
annual
Battlefields
Study visit
under the
memorial of
the 149 OEs
who lost their
lives in the
First World
War
the Best Cadet award for her enthusiasm
and commitment and for keeping smiling
after a drenching on the assault course!
80 cadets from the Upper Fourth enjoyed
an annual camp with a difference when
prevented from attending camp in the
Peak District by the Foot and Mouth
outbreak. Based in the College grounds,
WO1 Bob Bonner (Irish Guards), the SSI,
organised excellent field training, and
among other attractions were an
invitation to watch the Changing of the
Guard from inside the forecourt of
Buckingham Palace and a memorable day
with a Chinook helicopter.
Chinook over Epsom
Young Enterprise
Surrey Finalists
£3,000 for the College Charity by
organising an ambitious ‘Bond’ casino
and ball for 180 parents, Sixth
Formers, staff and Old Epsomians who
enjoyed a unique evening with an
impressive range of prizes, including a
holiday for two in Malaysia.
Photo: John Higgs
Making His
Name
Talented design student Jamie Lipman
secured a coveted Arkwright Scholarship
giving him and the Design Department
£1000 to share over his two year course.
Jamie was required to demonstrate his
expertise and technological knowledge
in a demanding problem-solving
examination paper, followed by a shortlist interview with representatives of the
Universities, Industry and Schools.
Perhaps better known as the talented
photographer whose pictures have graced
the National Geographic, photographic
magazines and even these pages, Jamie has
also been working with the professional
photographer and design team on the
new prospectus for the College.
Photo: John Odell
RedH2O, one of two Young Enterprise
companies run by the pupils, beat off
stiff competition to win the Southeast
Area final. To reach this level they had
to make a professional presentation,
explaining the success of their
company through two terms of
trading. The company had raised over
OEs are Honoured
Photo: Jamie Lipman
“They call me Red, RedH2O”
Jamie Lipman
5
Juanita, El Misti and Andhualyas
A group of 13 pupils and two staff
enjoyed an exhilarating tour of Peru
last summer visiting the Ste. Catalina
Convent to see the ice mummy
‘Juanita’, sacrificed by the Inca to the
Mountain God of Ampato before
travelling round the Ampato volcano
and walking up the Colca Canyon (the
world’s deepest). They rafted down
the Majes River, visited the Toro del
Muerto Petroglyphs and walked in the
Atacama Desert. From a base camp at
4,800m the party made an attempt on
El Misti (5,821m / 19,210ft) with
most of the team ascending to over
5,000m and three members reaching
the summit. Leaving Arequipa they
travelled to Cuzco, to the Sacred
Valley and the Inca sites at Pisac,
Ollantaytambo and Moray before
hiking through Tambochay, Puca
Pucara, Salapunko and Qenko,
reaching the site of the Incas’ last
stand at Sacsayhuaman. In four days
on the Inca Trail they walked 49
kilometres, over the 4,200m
Deadwoman’s pass, visiting Runcu
Raccay, Sayac Marca, Phuyu Pata
Marca and Huinay Huayna and finally
reaching Macchu Picchu at dawn.
The varied experiences of jungle, cities
and magnificent mountains made this a
trip to remember.
El Misti: Base Camp
Photo: Eric Huxter
More than Just the Beach
A visit to the College Chapel by Fr. Ray
Brennan, the charismatic figure behind
the orphanage at Pattaya,Thailand, was to
determine Ben Walker’s destination for
his GAP Year: Sin City, best avoided
(according to the guidebooks). Many
experiences touched Ben as he became
increasingly attached to the children.
“My role as a teacher was a difficult one.
. . For a start there was the language
barrier – my Thai was very limited and
my students’ English was often almost
non-existent! But as my students got
more used to me, and vice versa, the
lessons became easier to teach and the
marking and planning became less of a
burden.”
Photo: JAP Scadding
A bearded Ben Walker at the Orphanage
During his six months in Thailand, Ben
travelled widely having memories both
good: “watching the sunrise over Koh Tao
from a fishing boat having travelled all
night to get there” and bad: “being given
dog, snake and hard-boiled duck embryo
at a friend’s house and having to force
them down with a smile!” Ben thanks Mr.
Paice for his travel award, which helped
him to “see the sights I have, hear the
bustle and chatter, and smell the aromas
and odours”.
The Pattaya Orphanage can be found at
http://www.pattayaorphanage.org.uk/
GAP Volunteers should apply through
Mr. Scadding.
6
World Record for
Old Epsomian
Old Epsomian Sundeep Dhillon returned
to the College to give an inspirational talk
about his experiences as, aged 28, he
became the youngest person in the world
to climb the Seven Summits, the highest
mountains on each continent. Sundeep
spoke of his career since leaving the
College – Oxford, the Royal Army
Medical Corps and the rigorous selection
to become a paratrooper. In 1996 his
quest to finish the Seven Summits was
thwarted by the worst storm experienced
on Everest; Sundeep was forced to turn
back only 400m from the summit,
burying a fellow climber on the way
down.
An outstanding senior athletics’ team
beat all their opposition whilst at
Intermediate and Junior level the
teams won the District
Championships producing ten
individual District Champions. Star of
the season was Ed Prickett who, apart
from his outstanding international
successes, set new College records at
1500m and 3000m – and he got
straight As in his A Levels!
Stars in Our Midst
David Breigel-Jones and Gary Charles
were selected for the Surrey U18
rugby squad, David went on to play
for the Welsh Exiles whilst Tom Doran
played for Middlesex U18s and the
Irish Exiles. Scott King, Richard
Meadows and Nick Wade are in the
Surrey Schools U17 squad.
Photo: Ben Holland
Dr. Sundeep Dhillon
or 30 breaths to take one step. He went
on for 20 hours without food or water
and lost 4.5 stone during the climb.
Sundeep’s next challenge is an expedition
to walk from Pole to Pole in 2004.
Captain Breigel-Jones
hoists his man to
victory.
Photo: John Odell
Two years later he reached the summit,
ending a seven-year quest to break the
record. His final ascent was delayed as he
helped others to safety, who were injured
or dying from altitude sickness, selflessly
giving up his own oxygen at over 8000
metres. Sundeep spoke of the technical,
physical and emotional challenges of
climbing the highest mountains of the
world: 100 metres gained in an hour, 20
Champions Galore
Shooting Supreme
The Epsom Rifle Team continue to dominate the world of target rifle shooting. During
the Lent Term, a convincing victory in the National small-bore match ‘The Country Life’
showed the 1st VIII to be in a different class from any other school or cadet unit in the
country. During the summer season, a steady run of victories in the tournaments held
every Saturday continued to show our ability over all ranges from 200 yards to 1000 yards
and with a variety of target rifles. Second place in the Public Schools Championship – the
Ashburton – continued our fine run of performances in this national event – Epsom has
been in the top two places in nine out of the past eleven years and won the championship
an unparalleled seven times during that period.
International selection has followed: James Hodge and Ricky Bhargava were selected to
tour Canada in August with the Great Britain Cadet Rifle Team – the Athelings. Master in
Charge, James Postle, led the tour as one of two officers and coached the team. Jonathan
Kent, John Park and Andrew Smith were selected to travel to the Channel Islands with the
UK Cadet Team and Matthew Read was selected for the third year to the England ‘A’
small-bore team and produced the best performance of the match.
Cricket 2001
Cricket at Epsom is bucking the
national trend with numbers and
enthusiasm increasing each year.The
1st XI enjoyed notable victories
against KCS Wimbledon, Dulwich
College and Sevenoaks and, with only
three of the XI leaving, hopes are high
for next year when the new cricket
square should be ready. Alex Cama
represented the South of England
U15s during the summer and there
were many other county
representatives.
7
Daily Mail Cup Winners!
Epsom College completed a dream
journey to Twickenham, beating John
Fisher School 17-12 in the final of the
Under 15 Daily Mail Cup. The lively
atmosphere of the all-Surrey tie was the
culmination of a tightly fought
tournament in which Epsom, in their first
year of entry to the competition,
produced a cup shock defeating Millfield
in a closely run quarter final.
In another nail-biting match Epsom’s
refusal to give in resulted in a narrow win
against Bradford Grammar School and a
place in the final as the team conjured a
marvellous last-gasp try to take the
match 17-14.
Photo: James Lipman
In comparison John Fisher had made the
final with remarkable ease and, in awe of
the famous Twickenham stage, it took a
try from Epsom’s Captain, Alex Cama,
and James Laidler’s conversion to settle
the team’s nerves. John Fisher School hit
back and took a half-time lead 12-10 but
Epsom’s Tennis Aces
Photo: John Odell
▲ Matthew Brown ▼ Morgan Scale
Photo: John Odell
To the winners the spoils
Epsom has joined forces with the Lawn
Tennis Association to help groom the
stars of tomorrow. Two of Britain’s top
young hopefuls have been placed at
Epsom as part of the LTA’s ambitious
new programme to improve Britain’s
tennis success at a professional level.
Matthew Brown from Buckinghamshire
and Morgan Scale from Pembrokeshire
joined Epsom College this year.
Scholarships from Epsom College and
sponsorship from the LTA enable them
to study for GCSEs whilst training at
the LTA’s flagship South East Regional
Centre. Both boys are expected
to reach the later stages of next
summer’s National Championships
at Bournemouth.
Epsom came out fighting in the second
half and a series of telling attacks resulted
in Warren King scoring the winning try.
With Laidler’s second successful
conversion, Epsom became the 2001
Under 15 Daily Mail Cup Champions.
Edward Prickett:
International
Athlete
Those readers who have followed
Edward’s amazing career will be
delighted to know that, before
leaving the College last July, he
became the AAA’s of England
Junior Men’s (Under 20) 5000m
Champion in a time of 15:00.01.
In July he became the English
Schools’ AA 3000m Champion and
subsequently represented Britain in
the International Meeting at Dol, in
France. Competing in the Under 19
3000m he came first and, against
Daneshill Superteams
Champions Again!
the USA at Stoke, came 3rd in the
Under 20 1500m in a time of
4:04.00. He now ranks 3rd in the
Daneshill girls and Parkside boys
emerged victorious from a field
Under 20 Age Group at 1500m,
but 1st in both the 3000m and
of 25 prep schools and more
than 300 competitors in the
Epsom College Prep Schools
the 5000m.
Superteams competition
Photo: John Odell
8
Teams Tour the World
Two hockey teams benefited from a
successful tour to Malaysia and Australia last
summer.The trip started in high humidity in
Kuala Lumpur but facilities in the National
Stadium were excellent and made the
games most enjoyable. Whilst there, the
group visited the Petronas Towers, famous
from the Sean Connery film Entrapment, the
central market, KL Tower and Chinatown.
Next stop was Penang before heading for
Australia, where the teams travelled from
Sydney to Cairns, Maryborough and finally
to Brisbane. In Sydney players found time to
visit the harbour, the bridge, the Opera
House and the magnificent Olympic
facilities before taking a trip out to the
magnificent Barrier Reef. In Maryborough
Photo: Mike Oliver
The successful tourists
the Epsom contingent had the opportunity
of staying with host families and
experiencing Australian family life.The tour
ended on a high with wins in both the final
games in Brisbane.
Swimming Success at County Level
The Senior Girls’ Team was placed 10th
in the country, making 2nd Reserves in
the English Schools Finals in February at
Crystal Palace. Claudia Ripley, Sarah
Young, Lucy Carr, Sherry Cho and Helen
Sadek, buoyed up by their success in the
Surrey County Relay Gala, where they
won both the Medley and Freestyle
shields, went on to win the Kent and
Sports Shorts
Tennis: In a very successful season the
1st and 2nd Tennis VIs were unbeaten,
with the season ending on a high note
when the 1st VI beat St. George’s
Weybridge to win the final of the
Rootham Shield.
Girls’ Sport Flourishes
Surrey Schools Freestyle Relay coming
second in the Medley Relay. Six pupils
represented the county in a closely fought
gala against Kent schools in March with
Michael Yan in the winning Junior age
group. Michael was also part of the
Central Surrey District team that won the
Inter-District Shield.
The successful girls’ team
Eight girls’ hockey teams and 10 netball
teams represented the College each
weekend during last winter. In the
Michaelmas Term Fiona Maidment led the
1st Hockey XI through a hard-fought
fixture list, playing 12, winning 5 and
drawing 3. In netball the U14 team led
by Louise Meadows were unbeaten
throughout. The Summer season saw
more girls than ever before playing
Tennis, Cricket, Rounders and Athletics.
The U16 Tennis side lost only once as did
the Rounders teams. Javelin thrower
Katie Amos became Surrey Junior
Champion and Senior Girls’ Cricket
resumed after many years with the team
winning two fixtures out of three.
Epsom College, College Road, Epsom, KT17 4JQ Tel: 01372 821234 Fax: 01372 821005
e-mail: j-britton@epsomcollege.org.uk web: www.epsomcollege.org.uk
Edited by Alan Scadding/Jane Britton Photographs as credited Baines design & print - Tel: 01707 876555