shirburnian - The Old Shirburnian Society

THE
SHIRBURNIAN
MICHAELMAS 2004
Editors:
Tj Ballingall; jRG Barber; IRH Brennan; HjButt; EA Elgood; AC Hermitage; TA Hewitson; jC Horner;
RA Howland-jackson; GEj jerram; ON Kirk; BjA Leach; ES Lyon; SP McEvoy; AW Morley-Sm1th; TR Patterson;
NP Scott-Underdown; HC Soul: KK-K Tse
Art Editor: JM Little
Photographs by:
jD Adams: PP 8. 122
jR Batchelor: PP 52.53
GO Curtis: P 120
PRDG: PP 9, II. 12. 13.27. 32 33.84 103.107.116. 125. 127. 128
ACFPL Hammick: P 29
CGBY: PP 23. 25
AMH: pp 35. 36
PT Henderson: P 49
Ms K Higgins: PP .;1. 42
DH: p iS
Mr R Horne: PP 11s. 119
ON Kirk: pp 47. 48
AJW MacDonald: PP 52.53
AW Morley-Smith: pp49.so
DJR: p 125
DAS: p85
JGW: pl6
MFW: pp 20. 31 38. 39 r. 89 n . 93. 94. 96. 98 100. us. 117
Mrs S Wolfenden : P 24
Typing by: Mrs Lorraine Clarke
Pnnred by Shelleys The Prmcers
SHIRBURIIAI
"Protecting People - Reducing Rtsks" reads the slogan
of the Health and Safety Executtve. a body which seems
to have had increasing attacks directed at it in recent
years. It has been blamed at School for everything from
the decline in adventurous activtties to the fact that
showers must now be lukewarm and not above chest
height. There are few at Sherborne who are tn support
of the activittes of this deeply unpopular government
agency - one which, desptte its unpopulanty. pushes
ahead regardless with ever-increasmg demands on the
time of teachers. pupils and anyone else who has the
mtsfortune to come into contact with the risk
assessment process. A recent assessment for a CCF
field day cited ''blisters from stamping feet too hard'' as
a serious nsk to puptls' health and safety. The solution?
A vital bnefing to all members of the cadet force that
feet are not to be stamped too hard when standtng LO
attention. One can laugh, and many do, but when we
have reached the pomt where an educattonal vistt in
Sherborne (that penlous centre of urban deprivation)
requires a ten-page risk-assessment detailing each and
every locot1on at which a party of Third Formers will be
crossing the road, alarm bells tend to ring in even the
most liberal-mmded quarters of the School.
The fact is that agencies such as the Health and
Safety Executtve perform a legtttmate functton w1thm
the context of the sooety that we have led ourselves Into.
We need to have authonties to tell us how to prepare
for incidents. because the majonty of people would
stmply be unable to cope with not having someone to
affix blame to tn the aftermath of an acctdent. Fuelled
by a society which is more concerned wtth sooal
services than social justice. we have ended up in a
deeply worrying situation: one where nsk, accidents
and mtstakes are slowly being eradicated to be replaced
by blame, punishment and tndictment. We cannot
continue to complam about the reqUirements of the
government concernmg health and safety until we are
prepared to accept the fad that we have. to an extent,
bought it upon ourselves, through our apparent
inability (or. at least, unwillingness) to accept the word
'acctdent'. Blame must now be attached to every
mtstake that takes place today. If I fall down the stairs
on my way to a classroom, it's the School's fault for tts
fatlure to install proper s1gnage alertmg me to the fact
that the stairs are steep, or the architect's fault for his
fatlure to des1gn safer statrs, or the builder's fault for h1s
failure to ensure that the stairs were fit for my use
beforehand. or even the manufacturer of the water
bottle I held tn my hand for faihng to warn me that
runnmg up the sta1rs with 1t in my hand may result in
sp1llages. making the stairs too slippery for safe passage.
The question here is. I feel. not one concerning
health and safely regulations they are a fact of
contemporary life and not somethtng wh1ch we will be
able to get rid of with any ease. The real concern lies
wtth personal responsibility, and our sheer tnability to
accept it. The prevalence of personal injury speoa l1sts
and loan companies will be well known to those of us
unfortunate enough to subscnbe to dtgital television.
Both types of companies have one aim: to help those in
trouble Lo shirk responsibility and place blame on
someone else. People are unable to accept
responsibility for thetr credit card debts and loan
repayments: they are forced to shift it onto a firm
which claims to be prepared to provide a painless
solutton to the1r problem. People need someone to
affix blame to for the1r 'trip or fall anywhere'. It is a
shameful sttuatton to be 1n. and one which sadly draws
many parallels to school life.
Arnvtng at a new school is no mean feat: many look
back on thet r first few days here and laugh at how
unbelievably nervous they actually were. Especially
difficult is the adjustment to a new style of working.
where ideas, concepts and facts are not going to be
handed to you on a plate. It's up to the indtvidual to
discover them for himself. As people move into the
Sixth Form they are constantly remmded that they
need to accept personal responsibility for their own
learmng. Few. if any, achieve this. The fact is that the
syllabuses. specifications and curricula which pervade
'education' today do not allow people to accept this
responsibility. The jOb expected of teachers is no longer
to create a thirst for knowledge tn thetr pupils: instead
1t ts to show the individual how to jump through the
hoops requtred to achieve the expected grades in
public exams. Puptls cannot take personal responsibility
for their actions tf the examtnation system tn which
they are 1rrevocably involved prevents them from
domg so We are told that the new Tomlinson
educatton system Intends to resolve thts situation with
an tndtvtdual research proJect dunng the current 'A'
level system. This IS not likely to be tntroduced for
somethmg along the lmes of fifteen years. What does
th1s suggest about the system through whtch we are
puttmg the ch1ldren of th1s country7 That for the next
fifteen years, the 'benchmark' '/\ level is no longer
acceptable and will be phased out? Again. one cannot
help but feel that it comes back to personal
responsibility. The Government is unable to accept
liability for the shameful public exam system that they
have repeatedly failed to modernise. Instead. they ask a
supposedly 'independent' advisor to produce a plan
which is doomed to fatlure and ridicule from the very
moment 1t is introduced, and makes a mockery of a
system which hundreds of thousands of teachers have
put fa1th tn for many years.
Personal responsibility t n education is vitally
tmportant. It ts our duty as pupils in the deeply
pnvtleged situation of membership of Sherborne
School to strive to take respons1b11ity for what we learn
and not to expect teachers simply to 'spoonfeed' us
wtth what 1s necessary for a d1stant exam. Educatton ts
not about achtevtng b1ts of paper and jum ping through
hoops: it concerns making us into rounded 1ndtv1duals
wtth a thirst for knowledge and explanatton. The exam
system does not help th1s atm, but, as mentioned
earl1er. we must be wary of affixing too much blame to
1ts shortcomings. If we are to get a true education from
this establishment, we must take responsibility and
action to achieve the end goal of being a worthy
member of a prestigious school, and not simply sit back
and expect it to come to us. As many discover to the1r
disadvantage later in life. it rarely does.
Hugo Soul
SHIRBURIIAI
Academic
Oxford and Cambridge Places
The follow1ng have gained places at Oxford and Cambridge on the bas1s of the1r A level results.
House
a
d
d
d
d
g
g
Nome
Kenta Minami
lsa AI Sabea
Jamie Holdaway
jack Milln
Anton Mo1seev
Reuben Aitken
Robert Bain
College University
Pembroke. Oxford
Balliol College. Oxford
Christchurch. Oxford
Worcester. Oxford
jesus. Oxford
Caius. Cambridge
Girton, Cambridge
Course
Experimental Psychology
PPE
Classics
Medicine
Economics and Management
Modern and Medieval Languages
Engineering
Those listed below were awarded Bugbird Pnzes for ga1ning three or more A grades at A level
House
a
a
a
b
c
c
c
c
c
c
Name
d
lsa AI Sabea
d
d
d
d
e
Ronald Cheng
Henry May
Jack Milln
Anton Moiseev
Nick Thanapoomikul
Reuben Aitken
Neil Batson
Adam Gallimore
Hugh Yates
Robert Bain
Wilson Cheng
Michael Hutton-Ashkenny
Hugo Blatt
r
r
f
r
g
g
g
m
A levels
Chemistry. Mathematics. Further Mathematics, Physics
Biology. Mathematics, Further Mathematics. Physics
Biology. Chemistry, History
Economics. Mathematics, Further Mathematrcs, Spanish
English, History. Mathematics. Further Mathematrcs
Biology, Spanish, Theatre Studres
Ancient History, Geography, Spanish
Biology, Economics. Geography
Biology, Economics, Geography
Economics, Mathematics, Further Mathematics. Physics,
Further Mathematics Advanced (AS)
Economics. Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics.
Further Mathematics Advanced (AS)
Biology. Chem1stry, Chinese. Mathematics
French. History. Religious Studies
Biology. Chemistry, Economics
French, Mathematics. Further Mathematics
Economics . Mathematics, Further Mathematics. Physics
French, Latin. Spanish
Chemistry. Economics, Mathematics
Biology. Economics. Spanish
Economics. French. Italian
Mathematics. Further Mathematics, Physics. Spanish
Biology, Chemistry, Music
Biology. Chemistry, Mathematics. Further Mathematics (AS)
Biology. D&T. Geography
Tsz-Chung Cheng
Kenta Minami
Mrchael Pope
Tom Gabbey
james Dutton
Nick Francis
O ily Gargrave
Paddy Houghton
Edward Selfe
Li Zhun
Lower Sixth Internal Awards
As a result of their GCSE grades. the following were awarded Exh1brtrons.
House
g
g
a
d
Name
Kit Dorey
Gash Mbivzo
Oliver Oxenbndge
Andrew Williams
School Prizewinners 2003-2004
Reuben Artken
Alec Russell
Seamus Crawford
Davrd Holborow
Waller Heads of School
Waller Heads of School
Vigilando
School Drawmg
Charlie Mmter
Kenta Mmam1
Kenta Minamr
Edward Selfe
james Dutton
Michael Pope
Alec Russell
Alex Simon
Matthew Snudden
Neil Batson
Reuben Aitken
Alistair Brooks
James Carey
Chnstopher Gosling
Jamie Holdaway
Edward Baker
Seamus Crawford
Stuart Kennon
Tom Excel!
Robert Streeter
Hugo Soul
Alexander Morley-Smith
john Barber
Edward Selfe
Robert Sworder
james Dutton
Edward Selfe
Edward Selfe
james Carey
Kenta Minamr
Reuben Aitken
Robert Bain
jam1e Holdaway
Nicholas Arden
Alistair Lax
jack Milln
Alexander Morley-Smith
Henry Siebert-Saunders
Matthew Snudde n
Robert Symondson
Crispin Vollers
Ashley Walford
Hugh Worskett
Wilson Cheng
Kenta Minami
Alexander Morley-Smith
Tsz-Chung Cheng
Edward Levine
Michael Pope
Michael Pope
Hugo Soul
Charlie Minter
Charlie Woolcombe-Adams
Andrew Williams
Richard Rabone
Guy Corlett
Gash Mbizvo
Henry Dutton
Rafe Dance
Humphrey Gibbs
Beanie Hill
Alex Bunnell
George Herbert
Hugh Knudsen
Langmuir Art
Ridout Biology
School Busmess Studres
Edwrn Davts Services
Edwin Davis Services
Edw1n Davrs Services
Edw1n Davrs Services
Edwin Davts Services
Edwin Davrs Services
Driver Chem1stry
Wildman Latin
Palmer Ancient History
Whrtt1ngdale Classics
Leweston Anc1ent History
Marson Greek
Steward Community Servrces
Marsh Cricket
Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award
Wingfield Digby Senior D&T
Wingfield Digby Senior D&T
Gerald Pitman Cup for Drama
Stuart Hargreaves Drama
Stuart Hargreaves Drama
School Econom1cs
Sixth Form School ElectroniCs
School English
School Geography
Bowen H1story
Alison Blenkrnsop History
Sen1or Plumptre Mathematics
Bereny French
Aston-Binns Spanish
Fletcher German
Harley Brass Senior
School Music Technology
Senior Guitar
Clive Carey Vocal Senior
Senior Percussion
Kitson Vocal
School Keyboard Senior
School Strings Senior
Harley Woodwind Senior
Senior Composition
Headmaster's Special Contnbution to Music
Tunng Physics
Tom Bugbird Award for Sailing
Morcom Mathematics & Science
Smithwick Shooting Uun1or)
Sm1thw1ck Shooting Uunior)
Hew James Shooting Cup (outdoor)
Davis-Weston Missionary
Harold Bla1r Divinity
Wingfield Digby Junior D&T
Fifth Form School Electron1cs
Francis Illes
Geography 5th Form
Geography 5th Form
Thomas of Swynnerton Millennia! 3rd
Jarrett History
Jarrett History
Jarrett History
Thomas of Swynnerton Millennia! 2nd
Thomas of Swynnerton Millennia! Ist
Kirby Mathemat1cs
Mee Luangsomboon
Rtehard $warder
Gordon Curtis
Beante Isles
Franos Pollen
Henry Spender
Alex Hammick
Alfred Heath
Edmund Latham
Nicholas Newsom
Zhuang-Rui Tan
Tim Ballingal
Andrew MacDonald
Archie Mackay-James
O liver Madley
Owen Skinner
Robert Sworder
Edward Wicks
Kirby Mathematics
Kirby Mathematics
Junior Composition
Junior Percuss1on
Junior Guitar
Junior Mus1c Technology
Harley Brass Jun1or
School Strings Junior
Clive Carey Vocal Juntor
Harley Woodwind Junior
Paddy Whelan Prize for Improvement 1n Phys1cs
Lyon-Parsons Divtnity
Lyon-Parsons Div1nity
Lyon-Parsons Divinity
Lyon-Parsons Divinity
Lyon-Parsons Divinity
Lyon-Parsons Divinity
Lyon-Parsons Divinity
Sport
Winners of House Competitions 2003-04
The Digby
Senior
Michaelmas
The Green
Rugby U-16
Harper House
Rugby
Plate
U-14 Ten-a-side Rugby
The Green
U 14 Indoor Hockey
School House
Junior League Rugby
The Green
Lent
Tnmty
Junior Leagues Hockey
School House
Six-a-s1de Hockey
U-16 Hockey
Plate
U-15 Hockey
Plate
Senior Cross-Country
Junior Cross-Country
Senior Squash
Junior Squash
Individual Fives (Richard Green)
Senior Fives
junior Fives
Swimming Inter-House Sports:
junior
Senior
Inter-House Quiz
Senior Soccer
4/Sth Form Soccer
Harper House
Abbey House
The Digby
Lyon House
Abbeylands
The Digby
Harper House
Abbeylands
Abbeylands
School House
Abbey House
Abbey House
Senior Cricket
Junior Cricket
The Green
Abbey House
Athlettcs: Senior
Intermediate
Junior
Overall Cup
Relays
Tennis Senior Pairs
Tennis junior Pairs
The Digby
Abbeylands
Abbeylands
Abbeylands
Abbeylands
The Green
Abbey House
Abbey House
Abbeylands
Abbeylands
Lyon House
Abbeylands
Guess who's bock. bock ogom The Heads o{ School - rei/ your {nends 1
Apologtes lo Eminem:
Good morntng: we lcome to Commem!
So. while tt's ltpptng down with ram.
We hope you won't be sent insane
By this, our poetty so bad
You'll wish you'd been a Catholic, Dad!
But don't blame u s - we're made to do 1t
And I'll (appropriately ) rue it!
Nevertheless, we'll try our best
To welcome each disttnguished guest:
Thanks to our preacher, Robert Willis,
W ho with wise words consp1red to thrill us:
Deans can be rural; deans can be urban Your Deanship, welcome back to Sherborne!
So to our speaker. Oliver Letwm.
One of a party that may yet wtn
Victory w1thin a year
(Behold - do Oytng p1gs appear?)
He's brave and bold; he's not a coward
(He stands quite close to M1chael Howard!)
And known for his finanoal flarr
(At least he isn't Tony Blarr!);
He has great knowledge to tmpart
Before we leavers all depart:
We're all agog - that's how 1t goes
At least you get to speak 1n prose!
But now it's time to say goodbye
To leaving staff and wipe our eye:
And where more fit for us to start
Than with beloved Billy Smart?
Imagine when he first appears
Way back, some thirty-seven years,
To Sherborne a sublime addition,
He was an expert statistician And so remains: and now his going
(Our exponential tears are flowing)
Reduces us to a mere fraction;
His going ts a sad subtraction;
Our admiration's undivided;
Our sadness now is multiplied-ed;
So here's a farewell hale and hearty:
You always have the answer, Smartie!
You'll realise it's quite a headache
To find a rhyme for Fraulem Dedek;
I feel I ought to write a sermon
In very nearly fluent German
Upon her talents; how she'd climb
Unfailingly to he1ghts sublime.
She's as original as Werther's;
Take care: she'll have your guts for Goethe's!
We bid a very fond farewell
To Fraulein, our own blonde bombshell.
Our eyes are wet: our hearts are heavrng:
Can it be true? Our Chaplain's leaving?
He leaves us to impart hrs knowledge
In Ramsgate, at St Lawrence College
Whrch had the rmpertmence to poach
Our Chaplarn dear. the finest coach
The Third XV have ever boasted
But wasn't old St Laurence roasted1
No more we'll see your wrnnrng smrle
Perambulatmg down the aisle:
Your facral ha1r has gone already·
Good luck. and hope you catch rt. Daddy!
Mr Millrngton's strong and tough
And only the best 1sgood enough:
The creamrest milk, the whitest bar:
He's phys1cally going far!
Our sentrments could not be fonder:
He saris rnto the wide blue yonder.
We heave a sob and say ta-ra
To Julien, William, Nicolas:
Best wrshes to them as they're hurled
To three of the corners of the world.
A funny year. wrth Mr Murph
Prepanng to tread different turf,
His great career rs nsrng hrgher Whrch can't be sard for Mr Pryor.
We w1sh them fortune. health and nches.
But what's been happenrng on the prtches?
Desprte the mrght of Rhrno Rerd,
The First Fifteen drd not succeed:
The Seconds put the Firsts to shame
And only lost a srngle game.
But nothing qurte so much annoys
As near defeat for Danny's Boys
An outcome that was sure to sicken 'em
They fought like heroes down at Twickenham .
And Hillie's Billies, under Radders,
Went up and down lrke snakes and ladders;
And, as for us who like our cncketWe'll wipe the Pilgnms off the wrcket!
Our Thesprans the boards were treading:
We weren't 'brassed off' to see Blood Wedding:
And Spanrsh Passron wasn't blunted;
The Sun was right and royally hunted.
We could go on like thrs forever We won't: a final thanks, however.
To everyone who's taught or fed
Or washed the covers on our bed;
To everyone who's cleaned. or caught
Us dorng what we drdn't ought!
And maybe JUSt a passing mentron
Of those who've sat in our detentron.
Goodbye, prp pip and toodle-oo
To all from A lec and from Reu.
Reuben Aitken and A lec Russell
I thtnk of myself as one of the older
members of the staff. but let me put
this appreciatton of Davtd tnto
historical perspective - when Davtd
came to join the staff at Sherborne, tn
1967,tt was one year before I fluked a
pass m my Mathematics ·o level' at
Bradfield on my first attempt. If David
had been my teacher. tt would have
not been regarded as somethtng that
was a matter of chance.
For those who remember David's
immaculate preparation over the
application- and selection-process for incoming staff-applicants, it might
be somewhat surprising to learn that David himself skipped the
formalities of an interview and was appointed to a post in the
Malhemattcs Department unseen, but on the glowing reference of the
Headmaster of Oundle where he had already had two stints of teachtng
practtce, havtng been directed there by the Careers Department of
Cambridge University. His mother was slightly surprised at the way in
whtch David secured the posttton and mttmated that she would have
spent more care tn the appomtment of a daily help for the household
than Sherborne had tn the appomtment of their staff......
But already two aspects emerge as characteristiC from his arnval at the
School - the first is that the chot ce of profession was truly vocational and
the second that tt was marked by a commttment to that profession that
was to be a hallmark of his ttme at Sherborne. The choiCe of Sherborne
was not happenstance. He had chosen the School because it had adopted
the 'Modern Mathemattcs' approach that was beginning to establish itself
in the curnculum of some schools at th1s t1me. It showed a conviction that
things were going t o change and that David wanted to be at the forefront
of that change, in the belief that he could bring his talents and skills to
bear in his teachmg and Lhat they could be invested in the academic
future of the School.
In an address that he gave in the Abbey in hts last term, David drew a
picture for the congregation of what life was like in those days when he
first arrived at the School. Walking down Cheap Street in boaters with
House colour ribbons: taking meals in the House Dinmg Rooms; daily
Chapel Service for the whole School; House prayers last thing at ntght and
fewer teams but a greater predominance of sport within the life of the
School: boys returning for seventh-term Oxbridge providing a depth of
matunty and experience in the House community. A very different world
with very different priorities.
In 1971 he was made Head of the Mathemattcs Department and
embarked on a path of encouraging his colleagues to face the challenge
of SMP, tak1ng them forward to a position where Maths would be in a
strong and confident pos1t1on in the School with teachers who could
enthuse and take a leading role in the academic life of the community.
Nor was this to be a theoretical exerctse for Davtd: he was at the centre
of the swell 1n the sea change in the subject. He was selected to develop
the testing and the preparation of the text books that were to be at the
heart of the teachtng of the subject nationwide. The final fruit of thts
project was his authorship of the SMP volume Unear Algebra and
Geometry. This was a stgn1ficant achievement 1n ttself but perhaps the
advice gtven to the authors of thts proJect is just as important in
discerning t he distinguishing features of Davtd's approach to teaching
'Write it in such a way t hat a student could study the course on his own.'
These words betray the way that education was moving in those
turbulent, exCiting and challengmg days of the 'Sixties and 'Seventies. The
accepted un1versal saw of 'How do you do it?' was being replaced by the
question 'Why is something true?' Davtd discerned
the change of movement and responded to it wtth
alacrity and he realised what 1t might mean for
Sherborne. All the while he was addressmg teachers
throughout England m Teacher Trammg workshops
on the implications of the new Maths curnculum and,
though considerably younger than many m hts
audiences, he gatned the confidence, respect and
friendship of Heads of Department throughout the
country, the confidence of a network of fnends.
colleagues and fellow experts that was to be
mamtamed over hts years in teachmg. In 1970 he was
selected as a Maths tutor for the fledgling Open
Untverstty, again bnngmg a wtder expertise from the
world outside to bear on the slightly parochial
Sherborne. An wrelevant but telling astde which
nevertheless shows David's flexibility and adaptability
to new ideas and technology can be seen in the
occaston when, tn 1973, the Headmaster, Davtd
Emms. had been g1ven a Burroughs L2000. This was
an innovative , unfamiliar. prototype computing
machtne which had to be constantly fed w1th paper
tape and punch cards (a challenge t o wh 1ch
Westland's readily responded). It proudly stood m
the Vestry. a forerunner of the Computtng Room
with Dav1d as Sherborne's f1rst Head of Computtng.
Then, a ltttle later, came the discovery that a few boys
had a strange machtne whtch made calculations faster
than the slide rule whtch was m common use. Dav1d
applied the by now famous rule that the 'why' was
more important than the 'how' to run to ground the
five 'calculators' that were to become the must-have
for all Chnstmas shoppers that year. Davtd was ever
the courageous adventurer m the brave new world
that 1s so famtltar to us now but whiCh was once
strange and frightening.
He succeeded Giles Mercer as 01rector of Studtes.
It is hard to believe that such stock phrases that
dommate the life of today's student - GCSEs and
coursework- were, 1n 1985, merely wh1spers in the
w1nd. But he understood that it would be the next
tremendous academiC challenge for the School and
set about teastng out the think1ng of the staff as to
what such an in1t1ative would mean for mdependent
schools if such a common national curnculum were
established Where there was apprehens1on on the
staff. Dav1d gave encouragement and, aga1n, he
plunged 1nto the active s1de of the implications of
such a change by organismg JOint training sessions
with Sherborne Girls' School and St Antony's
Leweston. He became a marker for the new
coursework components, a post whiCh developed
1nto a posttion as National Tramer for Teachers. He
attended the Deanng Consultations along w1th the
Trades Unions, DFeS and politicians, and brought the
commonsense of a 'statutory teacher' to bear on the
discussions by stating that it would, of course. result
in a considerable increase in examtnations. This was
greeted by a mixture of surprise and delight by the
panel but, again, in Lhe wake of the recent Tomlinson
proposals, it shows David's prescient discernment of
the fashions in education. His participation in the
QCA Consultations on the comparison between IB
and A levels reflects on the tmportance he laid on the
marking and paper-sett1ng, cntena that he believed
were
essential
for
the
lntegnty
of
academiC examination-structure and procedure tn
the School.
The pace of change in education was swtft in the
'E1ghttes and 'Ninet1es and David relished the
challenge of these years. School inspections were
introduced: David became the first tra1ned Inspector
in Sherborne, conduct1ng s1x mspect1ons at other
schools in areas as d1verse as curnculum. assessment.
recording and board1ng. Indeed, another measure of
the breadth and depth of Dav1d's professional
approach can be seen 1n the fact that, while engaged
on an tnspect1on at Charterhouse. he 1nspected the
class of a teacher w1th whom he had sat 1n dunng his
teaching-practice days' Agam the expenence 1n this
area was cruc1al tn the two 1nspections that
Sherborne underwent dunng h1s tenure as Director
of Studies. In these times too, Oxbndge Entrance
moved from seventh-term entry to a more
competitive post-A-Ievel selectton with condit1onal
offers. David made sure that students were equipped
for this change w1th the 1ntroduct1on of the Oxbndge
Interview Eventng held tn collaboratton with SSG,
tnstrumental
1n the He
introduction
of those
staff
SAL
and the Gryphon.
was one of
development and appratsal; he encouraged the
departments to set timetable periods aside to
explore and scrutm1se subject-demands, changtng
examtnal1on-patterns and. more than that, to face
the challenge of a curnculum-review by asking
teachers to articulate what Lhe1r a1ms were and how
they were to tailor their teachtng accord1ngly.
H1s fifteen years at the helm of timetabltng allowed
h1m a clarity of v1s1on over the academiC organ1satton
of Lhe School but. more than that, it allowed him to
fine-tune the balance between the core subjects and
Lhe proviston of a broader and richer extra-mural
programme of non-exam1ned subJects which has
become the Personal Development programme
wh1ch earned such praise in the last inspect1on.
Typically he, of course, also taught a number of
elements 1n the Fourth Form PO programme and
was respons1ble for expand1ng the citizenship
module by tak1ng his classes to the Youth Club and
the Mag1strates' Courts and ensunng that his
students met the Mayor 1n the Council Chamber
Although the thrust of h1s career at Sherborne has
been on the academic s1de, Dav1d threw himself into
the whole hfe of the School w1th gusto and vigour. It
was he who, beltevtng that the seventh-term
Oxbridge students should have an oppo1tun1ty to
blow off steam, started the Fifths Rugby XV and
superv1sed it. Many still remember the precision of
h1s refereeing in House and School matches although
some remember more v1vidly the acid yellow of his
refereeing garb. He outlived four housemasters at
Westcott where he tutored the sons of some of
those he had originally tutored. He was ass1duous in
his duties in the House and regarded the pastoral
side as an invaluable window onto the personal and
vocational aspirations of the boys, and as such he
believed it was Lo be taken with the utmost
seriousness and sincerity. His own Christian witness
was felt in the School through his early steering of
the Christ1an Un1on, now known as Crossfire, wh1ch
gathered 1n h1s house. He always brought the work
of the Brble Society, whrch he supported especially, to
the notice of the School.
For a man wrth as many mterests as Dav1d rn
the commun1ty of Sherborne there was never any
chance of a sedate and relaxed ret1rement. He IS a
Governor of The Gryphon, contrnues to work on
Treasurer's affa1rs for the Deanery and Diocesan
Synod and is at present, rn addition to his work for IB,
wnt1ng and questron-settrng for MEl. As he and Ann
- herself rnvolved rn educatron, and who met David
through the offices of B1ce Crichton Miller,
housemrstress of Wingfield at the Grrls' School - look
back on therr time in Sherborne. they can be content
that the family business 1s safe in the hands of Chns.
a Classrcs teacher at Eton and Patrioa, teach1ng Maths
a l Dean Close and herself married to another
mathematicran.
In conclusion it rs meet and nght that we honour
the contribution of a truly professional teacher
whose career at Sherborne spanned f1ve decades.
f1ve headmasters. a trme of turmorl and change in the
academic world of the public school bul who,
through his collected management-style, which
eschewed the confrontational and preferred the
consensual, provrded a bndge and a link between
that wor ld of change and the academ1c lrfe of
Sherborne.
DPKC
Ursula Dedek
A eulogy tn eight stanzas co her by a former pupil
Lobgedicht in acht Strophen
Lehrerin. wie nenn'ich Dich.
Gottin der blauen Schar'?
'Goethe. lass' mrch nicht im Stich
Eine Diana, sogar?
Zuruck rm 'Ha1n' und auf der Lauer Ern Fehler, horch' Ern Schrei'
Ern 's' zu v rel ! (Ach Zeus') Wie brst Du sauer
Wenn Grammatrk nrcht dabe1.!
Man konnte Dich mit ihr messen.
Stark und taub gegen Supplik.
SIE war mit der jagd besessen
Wie DU mit Grammatik.
Aus welchem Grun Du da noch bleibst,
Ob verpflichtet, ob gebannt,
Sicher rst's, das was Du da treibst.
Heisst lehren mit Verstand.
lm Sherborner 'Hain' hast Du Deinen Sitz.
Kein' Sprache ist Dir wirk lich fremd.
Tagelang ubst Du Geduld mit Witz.
Das Trimester geht zu End'..
Die Mannschaft JUbelt ohne Ende
Uisst Duelle um sie fechten.
Die Studenten lassen Dir als Spende
Blumenstrausse nechten.
In Ferien folgst Du dem ste1len Pfad.
Steigst schneller als die Gemse
Auf Gletscher w ie hinterm Steuerrad
Kennt Fraulein D. kein' Bremse.
Wohm sie auch Dich nrmmt,
Die Zukunft schlagst Du ern.
Doch eines wisse n wir bestimmt,
Eine bessre Lehrerin kann's nicht sein.
Jonathan Conlin b.l989-94
In May 1973 d1saster threatened the modern
languages department. Two vacancies for
September still remained unfilled. The Headmaster
consulted the entrails and declared the gaps be
offered to teachers from France and Germany.
Whom the gods sent were Fran oise Cheminaud
and Ursula Dedek.
Ongrnally Ursula was appointed to teach German.
Before long she jo 1ned the French Department as
well. Later she added the teaching of Arabic for
General Studies. The mastery of this language
required considerable determination and a great deal
of preparatron, for the course led to a public exam.
The year's course, open as well to Sherborne School
for Gwls. often produced outstandrng exam results
and
several
pupils
went
on
to
read
Onental Languages at University. Then fifteen years
ago her interest in the Span1sh language and
culture was awakened. After summer courses in
Madnd and Santander, Span1sh became the love of
her life and she taught 1t w1th great enthus1asm and
success to GCSE.
An offshoot of th1s new
passion was her delight in South Amenca and its
distrnct culture.
Apart from berng an accomplished linguist, Ursula
was also fully committed to board1ng house dut1es
and proved to be a very popular and respected
house tutor.
But to return to Ursula's origrnal raison d'etre. the
teach1ng of German. In this she has been srngularly
successful.
In those years when Oxford and
Cambridge awarded scholarships to entrance
candidates, her pupils very often achieved excellent
results and many went on to get firsts. Year after
year A Level results were exemplary because her
pupils were zealous and soundly prepared. The1r
early lingu1st1c nuency and the1r familiarity with
German life have allowed many to become Involved
in the international world.
Her own particular interests have been generously
put at the service of Sherborne boys. Born in the
foothills of the Alps, she was, from an early age, a
keen and ded1cated walker. who at Sherborne took
boys walking 1n the Peak District. 1n North Wales and
regularly through the Dorset countryside. She 1s also
an enthusiastic and fastidious opera and theatre fan
and felt strongly that to accompany boys to the
theatre and to expose them to experiences wh1ch
they might. even 1n the holidays. have d1fficulty m
enJoying. only served to w1den the1r honzons and to
ennch the1r m1nds.
There is unden1ably someth1ng gently anarch1c
about Ursula, as rndeed befits a student of the '68
generation. She IS not a natural conform1st and,
irksome though th1s sometimes could be, she
nevertheless obliged her colleagues to question their
assumptions.
Her former pupils touchingly and
affectionately seek her out not for a d1squisition on
the use of the subjunctive but rather to rem1nisce
gleefully about memorable cultural visits and
surreptitious feasts of strawberries and iced coffee.
As a foreigner seeing the town of Sherborne for
the first time, she was bowled over by the beauty of
the buildrngs and by the School's magnif1cent setting.
She has never lost that wonderment. Equally she
was immediately sensitive to the long tradition of
learn1ng. Her pleasure was in berng. for a certain
length of time, part of that tradition, to wh1ch she in
her turn contributed most generously.
Paul Ellis
Those of us who spend the largest part of our
professional existence working 1n the comparative
pnvacy of the classroom or the laboratory our techn1que only
occasionally the
object
of dispassionate
scrutiny
by an observer, our
effectiveness largely established by rumour and the
annual inspect1on of our public exammation results
can have little 1dea of what 1t is t o be a Schoolmaster
or Schoolm1stress-Mus1oan. There 1s, of course, some
academic teachrng; but the overwhelmrng proportion
of one's t1me IS taken up e1ther in ind1vidual tuition,
wh1ch is much less public than what most of one's
colleagues are do1ng. or in taking responsibility for
what
happens
1n
the
many
concerts
and performances, which is a great deal more so.
And a mus1cal performance IS very public. Onlyslight variations in the competence of execution can
turn the excellent into the merely tolerable and
the tolerable into the frankly excruCiating; one player
or singer out of tune. out of time or out of his
league can ruin it for everyone else in the
budding, performers and audience alike; there 1s only
a hair's breadth
separating acclamation from
sympathy, and
congratulation
from that kind of
commiseration
that only just falls
short of criticism.
Sports
coaches
and play d1rectors
know something
of the sense of exposure that this position entails;
but for most of these - in a school. at any rate mvolvement in such thrngs is but a part of what they
do, often unconnected with the rest: 'extra
cumcular'. For the music teacher it is d1fferent. The
performance is always the culmination of everything
else that he is do1ng, the result towards whrch all
effort IS ultimately directed: you stand or fall by what
happens rn front of other people, and sometimes the
pressure produces cracks that show.
By this criterion. Paul Ellis stood firmly - often
tnumphantly- on the pod1um and in the chancel for
over a quarter of a century; and if there were any
cracks he had an exceedingly deft hand w1th the
Polyfilla. Perpetually and enviably youthful 1n
appearance even after what might well have been
thought the crazmg experience of twenty-five years
in the crucible of the Music School, he was, indeed.
the Cliff Richard of the Common Room. though he'd
not thank me much for pursuing the comparison any
further.
He came to Sherborne in 1978 as Assistant
D1rector of Music, having spent the summer term
beforehand deputising for the Director of Music at
Sedbergh. A graduate of the Royal Northern College
of Music, he is a fine keyboard player (he won the
West of England Organ Competit1on in 1979; and the
list of organs on which he has given recitals includes
the one 1n Notre Dame) but his greatest love is for
choral music, and it is perhaps in t his area that he
both made his greatest contribution to the musical
life of the School and found his deepest satisfaction.
He conducted the Chapel Choir from h1s arrival until
he became Director of Music in 1995. at which point
the then Head of Choir. also the Head of House in
Wallace, came to see me to express his anxiety that
no-one else would be able to command or sustain
the standard of performance he felt the choir t o have
achieved under Paul's precise and properly
demanding (if at times bracingly crisp) direction.
He steadily induced the same polish, bite and
sophistication in the Musical Society, which he took
over in 1989 Uncompromising in the face of the
mediocre and robustly dtsinclined to settle for
anything less in others than the total commitment that
he expected of himself. he could be a hard taskmaster;
though he mellowed noticeably as the years passed.
his tone modulating gradually from flat incredulity to
good-natured bafflement when rehearsals were
sluggish or the chorus unresponsive. Certainly. this
very amateur repetiteur approached Sunday evenings
and the high Ellis standards with more than an
occasional tremor of nervousness, knowing that he
had not quite got t he accompaniment under his hand
and that when the request came to play, for example.
"just the voice parts at figure 31" (all six of them - a
particularly painful memory of the last movement of
the Berlioz Te Deum from january 1990), Paul would be
genuinely (and in a way rather flatteringly) surprised at
the fumbling coming from behind the piano. That said,
in nearly forty years in school. church and university
choirs and in a clutch of choral societies. I have never
followed a clearer or more consistent beat or sung
under a conductor better able to draw the best from
his musicians. There was noth1ng feigned about the
enthusiastic cheers of the chorus. rising above the
applause at the end of those performances in the
Abbey: and the wave of euphoria that swept the
performers year after year was the best possible
testament of his ability to draw from them better than
the best of which they had thought themselves
capable.
Those more widely and more professionally
experienced than I held him 1n similarly high regard. I
remember a guest soloist of some disti nction
commenting with approval on the choral discipline
that he had achieved and wondering why he did not
conduct professionally: and his twelve years with the
Grange Choral Sooety tn Christchurch. his six with the
Taunton Camerata and h1s long-standing. stdl
continuing relationship with the Sherborne Chamber
Choir all underline the appreoat1ve loyalty and respect
that his musicianship and his punctJiious commitment
to excellence were capable of stimulating. It 1s,
moreover, no disparagement of any of hts colleagues either here or elsewhere - to cite the parent who
remarked to me last year that when Paul picked up
the baton the Symphony Orchestra seemed to play
with even more precision and bno than usual.
To those in the School not much concerned with
music, he may sometimes have been a little difficult
to bring into focus because so much of his time was,
naturally and necessarily, spent half way up Hospital
Lane rather t han in the physical centre of t hings,
though he made a point of trying to be in Bow House
each day at Break. In his time he tutored both in
Abbey, under Christopher Knott and Peter Wellby,
and in Wallace: but a glance at the appropriate page
of the Blue Book. with its unremitting week ly round
of evening rehearsals and practices, suggests clearly
enough the musician's legitimate difficulty in finding
time to be regularly in a House after hours, and in
recent years he had. reluctantly, retired from that
particular fray. though he continued to mastermind
the Wallace house concert.
As Director of Music for the last eight years. he
patrolled the bounds of his territory with
considerable vigilance: and those who made
a tentative attempt to trespass on the music
priority times tended to find themselves chased off
promptly and in no uncertain terms. He was equally
vigorous in using his elbows on behalf of a music
scholar who in his opinion needed more time to
practise; and I imagine I was not the only
Housemaster to find occasionally that I'd barked
my knuckles against his determination to rescue a
boy from some other activity that was impeding
his musical development. Running what
is
in
effect both the largest and (unavoidably) the most
disparate department in the School is not a job for
the faint-hearted: and enjoining some uniformity of
approach on as many as twenty five peripatetic
instrumental teachers who know little (and perhaps
care rather less) about the workings of a school that
touches only a few hours of their working week
probably raises the blood pressure measurably
from time to time: but he dedicated a tremendous
amount of energy to the task. Admirably clear-sighted.
he knew what he wanted; and he was admirably
unprepared to put up with anything less.
It is not. I suspect, for his administration that he
will be remembered, however (and. who, after all.
could honestly aspire to be remembered for that!).
but for his precise musicianship. impatience with half
heartedness and insistence on excellence. And if you
want a snapshot of the man in his element and at his
best. you can do no better than to freeze him at the
end of his last Mussoc. performance - of the Mozart
Requiem. in February 2003 - still impeccable in his
tails. acknow ledging the unrestrained applause of the
audience and beaming with satisfaction at
the exhilaration and delight of his chorus. He is a
great loss.
SPHH
Mark Aitken
When I ftrst met Mark, not long after he had been
appomted to the staff, I felt that he knew more about
me than I did about htm. Eleven years on. thtngs are
much the same. Th1s apprec1at1on must come w1th a
caveat, therefore, that it IS not gomg to be what one
mtght be tempted in this day and age to call a '360%
appraisal', but rather an old-fashtoned collection of
observattons.
The f1rst IS that 1t 1s qu1te difficult to comment on
one of the most important aspects of h1s JOb, because
he offered confidentiality to all who saw him. It is
clear, however, that he gutded many boys through
awkward phases of their ltves, and they will know
just how much he dt d for them and how much they
are 1n h1s debt.
That Mark was an outstandmg school Chaplatn
cannot be in any doubt. He took to the JOb like a
duck to water. In the early days. he had the benefit
of an ass1stant. but when that post was done away
with he dtd h1s utmost to continue to provide the
same htgh level of commitment to worship across
the school. Mid-week serviCes in boarding houses,
someth1ng very dear to h1s heart, were maintained
almost Without except1on. He rarely expressed his
d1sappomtment publicly. but there were t1mes
when he was saddened by low numbers at house
meditations or commun1ons. However. equally
often he would express the v1ew that wherever
two or three are gathered. then the serv 1ce is
worth it.
I do know that his work in the boarding houses
was vital. He alone knew what was going on m all of
them. and could often shed light on events and
episodes because of that unique 1ns1ght. Whenever
he had time he would stay after a mid-week service,
in order to visit boys on the1r patch or to talk over
matters
of
pastoral 1mportance with
the
Housemaster, and almost always in that order.
because quite rightly the welfare of every boy
mattered to him more than the vintage of the wine
or provenance of the malt wh1sky.
Mark had no classroom teach1ng experience
before arnvmg at Sherborne, and that did sometimes
bother him. But I do not th1nk that many of the boys
noticed It seemed to me that he was able to explain
complex theological or moral matters 1n a
straightforward way. and 1n relatively few words.
That IS not to say that he only ever dealt simplistically
with these things. because that was not his way. He
needed to know that what was being discussed had
been understood before moving on to the next stage
of complexity. W ith those who were able, he would
engage in fascinating and rewarding debates. often
providing more food for thought for himself than for
others. He was really enthused at such times.
Mark's skill as a preacher was ev1dent to the many
hundreds of people who attended services during his
time in the School Chapel and in Sherborne Abbey. I
remember one of his early services, it might even
have been his very first, as he embarked upon what
was to become a
h a l l m a r k
approach
to
preaching:
he
strode up
the Abbey ma1n
a1sle, not a note
of
what
he planned to
say in
s1ght.
went to speak,
only to let out a
croak
and a
high-pitched
somethmg or other. He cleared hts throat and started
again as tf nothing had happened. These odd little
croaks, it seemed to me. were one of only a few
1ndJCat1ons of his nervousness. Another was the
perspiration that came partly from wearing such
magnificent but heavy robes, but also from the
responsibility of what he was domg. For somebody
who took so many servtces. 1l contmued to take me
by surpnse when he commented on h1s nerves and
his need to know that everything was go1ng to run
smoothly and accordmg to plan. The set-p1ece
serv1ces . Commemoration and the Carol Serv1ce,
were part1cular cases. because he knew of the
Importance of these occas1ons to the community that
is the School. When 1t came to the Confirmat1on
Serv1ce. he was fully aware of each 1ndiv1dual boy and
of what that moment in front of the Bishop really
meant. because he (and his expenenced team of
group leaders) had brought the boys to that po1nt
after hours of careful preparat1on. retreat and a full
English breakfast.
Mark took h1s responsibi lities lo heart, and
sometimes they weighed heavily upon him. But he
refused to be downcast, preferring to tackle
problems rather than avoid them. He became
increasingly involved in the wider educat1onal and
manageria l life of the school He could see what was
happening around him and, not bemg a teacher and
not having to rely upon a teacher's salary 1n the
longer term, he was able to challenge the orthodox
view of life in school in several s1gnificant and posit1ve
ways. A lot of the improvements in pastoral care. for
example, are the result of his question1ng and
developing policies and approaches He worked tn
conjunction with the Pastoral Care Comm1ttee.
alongside lan Elliott, and together they are largely
responsible for the excellent health of our pastoral
care systems.
Increasingly, Mark's work went beyond caring just
for the boys. He did a tremendous amount for the
leaching and non-teachmg staff and for our families.
Nothing was too much trouble, or so it seemed. He
created space in his day to help colleagues and their
families in times of bereavement and illness. He acted
as a valued counsellor to colleagues in need of
support. When one spoke to him, he had that
remarkable gift of letting one know. but without
actually saying so, that he was listen1ng to everything
one said. The telephone, for example, could ring to
its heart's content. but 1t would not be answered;
colleagues could form an orderly and long queue, but
nobody's conversation would be interrupted; he
looked one in the eye and leaned forward.
He was always keen to be involved as much as
possible and to involve as many as possible.
Nowhere was this more evident than in the Lent
Term ProJects. His enthus1asm. often 1n the face of
mert1a. was what kept thmgs go1ng. He vetted JUSt
about every act1v1ty; he showed unbndled support
for them all; he JOined 1n as many as he could He
even lost h1s beard 1n the course of one LTP. Sums
raised seemed to mcrease each time the LTP came
round, and 1t is a fitt1ng tribute that the latest raised
such a large sum.
Then there was rugby: he made the 3rd XV such
an excit1ng team to be 1n that it was claimed that boys
would tum down the opportunity to play at a higher
level because they wanted to be associated with th1s
team! Every game mattered, of course. but I think that
the fixture agamst the Gryphon School was always
special In the past there had been tension in the a1r
when matches were played, but he used all of his
pastoral skills to create a good atmosphere, and agam
1t was one that boys wanted to be involved 1n, one
that helped to build up important links between
Shirburnians and boys from the town.
Mark's work spread out beyond the school
commun1ty. Throughout his time, he was very act1ve
as a member of the Pansh team, particularly during
the holidays. He was a popular preacher m village
churches, in preparatory schools (and espeetally at
Sherborne Preparatory School, where at times his
role was critically important), at Sherborne School for
G1rls and at St Antony's-Leweston. He ran the local
Christian Aid group. He contributed to the work of
the Bloxham Project.
Mark rarely used visiting preachers for whole
school services. because he believed that it was his
job to lead worship. In so do1ng he set himself a
challenge that was sometimes hard to bear On some
Sundays he could find himself taking five or six
services. each one requiring an address tailored to
the needs of the congregation. On these Sundays he
would be seen dashing from one venue to the next.
robes flying (or trapped in the car door). Yet there
was never a sense of hurrying within the service.
because it was special for those at iL. There were
evidently favourite themes that cropped up in
services. although rarely were entire talks repeated e x c e p t of course for his talk at the Leavers'
Service. because he was guaranteed an entirely
different boy congregation every year! Enthusiasm
and passion were two of his watchwords; he was
keen on making sure that boys (and adults) said
thank you; he believed tn the need for praise; he
wanted everybody to look at the beauty of the
world around them. as well as the suffering of the
less fortunate; he was always aware of the
importance of the little things in life. which is
probably why he tried desperately to make us all
fans of Norwich City FC. tak1ng countless
opportunities to work mto his addresses mention of
th1s hallowed club! Then there was popular music,
whiCh has become now so much part of the routme
of Chapel that the foundatiOns no longer shake
when rock musiC plays, because they have grown
accustomed to it.
Fortunately, Mark never regarded the Chapel as
exclusively his ternto1y at all times. He encouraged
the involvement of both staff and boys in Junior
Chapel and Friday Night Euchanst serv1ces. This
enabled many to get things off thew chests, to hone
the1r sk1lls as preachers, and to show that the hfe of
the Chapel IS woven mto the fabric of so much of
what goes on 1n School.
Because he carried so much of the job h1mself, he
was always busy and his diary was usually full, such
that for most weeks of the term he would not be at
home for a single uninterrupted evening. Supper
would be t imed to allow him to lead a House serv1ce,
or to attend an event in School, or to attend a
committee meetmg m town. However, although he
was busy, he managed to find time for h1s family. of
whom he is immensely proud and protect1ve.
Anybody who has led a life whose pace is
determined by that of the School will understand
how difficult it can be always to be on hand for one's
family. and w1ll sympath1se w1th havmg one's family's
every move and mood put under the spotl1ght or
microscope. Mark succeeded most of the time in
remaining level-headed; and Kim. Jacob and Reuben
were all hugely supportive. Times were not always
easy, but they held it together well. I could not
properly complete this p1ece without mentioning the
Aitken family. Let me start with Kim. for although not
on the staff, her role in the life of the school
community cannot pass without comment. Suffice it
to say that. despite the fact that she held down her
own teaching post. she was ever-present at Mark's
side at all manner of events in School. and was
unendingly welcoming to the many who arrived at
her front d o o r - whether or not she knew that they
were coming - making drinks or food. or chatting (a
particular fo1i:e) in order to put the visitors at their
ease. A loyal supporter of plays and concerts. for
example. she would be sure to let boys know that
their efforts had been appreciated. Jacob and Reuben
did not always find it easy being the Chaplain's sons.
and like many others their paths through the School
were not straight and smooth. But they did
remarkably well. giving a great deal to the School in
ways that many will never have the privilege of
knowing about.
Mark was a real tower of strength in times of crisis.
When colleagues were affected by the sudden death
of a family member. or of a close friend, or a member
of the teaching staff, or two boys 1n their prime of
life. he stood firm in his faith and enabled so many of
us to cope better with those dark days.
Mark did feel the effects of the job - after all. he is
human. and was somet1mes emotionally drained and
moved to tears. He did t1y to take some t1me off at
such
moments,
cherishing
particularly
the
opportunities afforded by holidays Lo recharge h1s
battenes and to pursue h1s own personal interests:
read1ng, fly-fishmg, musiC, dog-walk1ng and latterly a
love affatr wtth southern Spain and the treasured
home there (it will be fimshed one day...).
Mark's appointment to the Sentor Management
Team signalled the fact that h1s Interest and
experience tn educattonal affatrs had broadened
stgnifteantly. In that forum behind closed doors he
challenged on behalf of hts colleagues, encouraged
others 1n makmg bold deCISions, fought for what he
knew to be 1n the best mterests of the School. and
ultimately showed that he was destmed to become a
Headmaster. That he should have done so IS
therefore no surpnse.
MAW
Andrew Millington
We were fortunate to appoint someone as capable
and experienced as Andrew to the Physics post in
2001. Following a degree at Bristol, he had spent four
years as a Geophysicist involved wtth oil exploration
with BP, based in the UK and Jakarta, but that was not
the life for him and he spent the next year in Oxford
gaining a PGCE as preparation for a new career in
Educatton. After four years teaching at the Ryde High
School on the Isle of Wight he wtshed to return to
the mainland and so moved to Sherborne to work at
the Gryphon School, where he was well-regarded .
They were sorry to lose him when he moved down
Bnstol Road to join us after only two years.
Sherborne was Andrew's first experience of a
boardmg school, but he adapted very quickly and
threw himself whole-heartedly into a busy lifestyle.
thriving in the large range of extra-curncular
opportunities available. He was already the proud
owner of a yacht and so naturally gravitated to the
sailing club, where, as an RYA Dinghy Instructor, he
was a regular helper at both Arne and Sutton
Bingham. He also loved walktng, and a large number
of boys benefited from hts selfless enthusiasm. As
Lyon House tutor he trained the successful house
Ten Tors team and he was a regular helper with the
Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.
Andrew came to Sherborne to broaden and
deepen his expenence with a view t o eventually
running h1s own department and so was a valuable
member
of
the
Physics Department ,
ready and able to
develop his skills in a
range of tasks, as long
as it did not involve
Electronics! After a
few htccups he was
able to balance his life ins1de
ou
classroom, becoming very effic1ent and well
organised, and was readily available to give h1s time
to boys who requtred extra help.
We do not know if 1t was the untform, the
marching or the pay, but Andrew was attracted to
the CCF. Thts led to the attractton of an officer
tratntng course, whtch in turn, led t o the attractton of
a fellow officer - called Caroline, let me hasten to
add! Caroline was based many mtles north of
Sherborne and, after some months of commuting
alternate weekends, eased a little by trading in h1s
Land Rover for somethtng a little nippier, one of
them had to move and thus it was that Warwtck
School found the1r new Head of Physics.
He was a cheerful, professional and trusted
colleague. We miss his company and hts sense of
humour enormously and we wish htm and Caroline
every happiness together.
PRI
School
Pla
y Royal Hunt of the
Sun
mtght have spent two hours that evenmg watchtng Alain de Botton11
uEqually convmong in anger and m tenderness.
dtscussmg 'status anxiety' on Channel Four - demandmg vtewtng, perhaps!
Instead. I spent roughly the same time enJoying Dav1d Hedison's Lent
Term production - and I found two hours of not undemanding theatre
pass very qUJckly mdeed. In addttion to which, I suspect I had mtssed out
on very little that de Botton had to offer. Status anxiety - the intellectual
buzzword of Lent, 2004, is at the heart of Peter Shaffer's 1964 play. And
the handling of status anxiety is essential to the success of a production
such as this.
Francisco Pizarro (Hugo Soul). the Conqutstador commander, admits
that his motive for tnvadtng Peru JS his "dream of a name". He has begun
life as an Illegitimate village swineherd. become a soldier, and now hopes
for fame and fortune. He is m mtddle age and prostrated w1lh mcreasing
frequency by an old war-wound whtch comes to symbolise his more
sptritual injuries. Thts is a taxing role for a young actor. but Hugo Soul
brought to it a remarkable conviction, carrying off not only doublet and
hose but also a mature and ingratned dtslllusionment wtthout either
seemmg tn the least out of place. Disillusionment is a difficult starttng
pomt for a protagonist, and even as late as the tnterval one was
wondering what scope 1t left him for development. One hoped he would
find some sense in life, but feared a glib deus ex machma of a moral. In the
event, Pizar-ro is offered mean1ng from the most unlikely source, only to
satisfy the audience's own cymcism by being deprived of it. He finds gold
but is thwarted in the quest for hope itself. Having begun the play a cynic,
he ends 1t still a cynic but a cynic of a specific type - a spoiled romantic.
P1zarro's character is allowed to develop only when confronted directly
by his Indian opposite number, Atahuallpa (David Park), the Soveretgn Inca
of Peru. The meeting between the Conquistadors and Atahuallpa's Inca
civilisation presents a contrast which could not illustrate more clearly the
issues involved in de Bot ton's status anxiety. The Conquistadors, like
Pizarro himself, are men on t he up. As mercenary soldiers, they represent
an old type of the nouveaux riches, low-born, but quite literally fighting
their way to the forefront of society. The fact that their physical
enrichment dissolves, though dissatisfaction played out in gambling and
violence, into spiritual degradation , confirms de Botton's thesis that the
greater the social mobtlity, the greater the unhappiness for those who
cannot move all the way to the top . For the majority in Inca society, there
is no mobility. Everything is regulated by Atahuallpa himself, who records
with pride how he commands every man to marry at twenty-five and
bestows on him a portion of land from which he is forbidden to move.
He is allotted further land according to the number of his sons and
daughters, which he must work until, at fifty, he is 'fed in honour till he
dies'. The Franciscan Friar (Ed Patterson) echoes de Botton in commenting
that 1n this his own society is shamed by that of the heathen.
But Shaffer's play is more complex than to allow a simple moral
dichotomy between the European and the Native American , and David
Park's portrayal of Atahuallpa quite rightly kept the audience poised
between sympathy and revulsion. At the heart of Atahuallpa's character is
an emotional detachment which might point either to divinity or to
immaturity, and David Park's impotent rages hovered between adolesce nt
petulance and divine wrath. Ultimately. it is Atahuallpa's innocence which
appeals to Pizarro, the man who has first massacred the man's unarmed
followers and then broken his word that he will free him.
Estranged from his own men, and having lost faith in both Church and
State, the ailing Pizarro stakes his sanity on Atahuallpa's unlikely promise
to rise from the dead. He is left singing an Inca song
of sorrow over the young king's body. In these
scenes. Park and Soul worked very well together.
equally convincing in anger and in tenderness. rising
admirably to the opportunities offered by a strong
piece of casting.
There are. if I count correctly. twenty-three
speaking parts in The Royal Hunt o{ che Sun. and 1t is
impossible to do justice to all even 1n a long revtew.
As the narrator. the Old
Martin, Ed Elgood grew m
stature
as
the
play
progressed.
His
own
conventronal
character's
route from tdeahsm to
played out
disillusion
actors, and
is through
two
Tom Oxenham as the Young
Martm. Pizarro's page and
then mterpreter, was a
model of gauche cht valry
flattened by t he massacre of
the lndrans. As Felt pillo, the
lndt an tnterpreter corrupted
by
close contact wtth
Europeans, Mark Corfield
Moore had clearly taken lessons from Tolkren's ore
corrupted hobbit, Gollum - an apt and memorable
borrowmg from contemporary culture. The good
pnestlbad priest duo, Ed Patterson and Rhys Brennan
were sturdy but might perhaps have been holrer and
fierier, and the group-work from the secular
authonties. John joe Regan. Jason Barnes and Matt
janng. like the two mam characters themselves.
gelled most convincingly in the Second Act. The Incas
were appropnate ly impassive and interchangeable,
the common soldiers menacrng but perhaps a touch
too well-spoken
One of the most tmpressrve elements of the
evening was - apart from a smgle instance of heavy
footed scene-changing- the slickness and imagrnatron
of a production wh r ch provided some quite stomach
churning moments. One of these, and perhaps the
most impressr ve, was our abrupt introductron t o Inca
culture.
involving
the
sudden. convulsive
disappearance of Panama Cathedral during whrch
Carys Wilson's rmpressive stamed glass Christ
seemed to writhe upon the cross as it was torn away
to reveal a scaffold presentmg the masked Atahuallpa
surrounded by hrs court as schematrcally as 1n an Inca
relief. The march to and across the Andes was almost
equally and surprisrngly rmpressrve - evoked by the
Conqurstadors' first marchrng on the spot and almost
on the feet of the ftrst row of the audrence and then,
reversed, scraping at the backdrop to a soundtrack
not unlike chalk on a blackboard. In thrs, Robert
Streeter deserves great credit for the dramatic
sharpness wrth whrch the sound-effects were
handled. Transrttons were spot-on and the volumes
of both European polyphony and Inca chant were
perfectly gauged to enhance the actors' speech.
Overall. thrs was a beautiful and intricate ptece of
choreography of which all rnvolved should feel
proud.
The theme of the clash of cultures - especrally of
free and unfree, mobrle and immobile- rs a common
one, from Homer's Odyssey to Cold War science
fictron but Shaffer's 1s a partrcularly complex
treatment of the theme. The problem is that. while
one does not wrsh the Incas massacred, one does
find them difficult posit1vely to like. The Francrscan's
eventua l revulsion at the culture on the grounds of
its lovelessness rs compellrng
and one cannot entrrely
d1smrss hrs equatron of thrs
lovelessness
w1th
the
uniformrty and even the
unifor-m
prosperrty
of
peoples hves. But Shaffer
prefers a realrstrc blurrrng of
such questtons, just as the
clash of cultures rs itself
blurred at the end of the
play. Atahuallpa, 1t turns out.
is not himself entrrely
socially Immobile, havtng
krlled his own brother to
win the throne, nor is hrs
own word -that he will nse
from the dead - stronger
than Przarro's that he will free him. And Przarro rs
won by Inca religton only as the Inca becomes the
Chnst - reflectrng rn his own death the death of
Ptzarro's Christtan farth The play is replete w 1th
matter on whrch to th1nk and rt rs to the credit of all
concerned that th1s matter was put across quite so
clearly and so memorably
DGNB
Commemoration Plays
Hansel & Gretel and Rabbit
uThe threats to. and lim1ts o(. ch1ldhood mnocence
Edward Gorey is sa1d to have commented to the
effect that people in general are insufficiently uneasy
and that his own raison d'etre was to make them
more so. The late illustrator will have smiled on this
year's unsettling Commemoration Plays - Honsel and
Gretel by Carol Ann Duffy and Tim Supple and Robbtt
by Dav1d Foxton. Long gone are the days of carefully
selected scenes from Aristophanes m the original
Greek. Commemoration today must concentrate on
contemporary concerns - in this case the threats to.
and limits of. childhood innocence. The audience of
these two plays saw childhood and adolescence laid
out in all their pamful vulnerability and aching cruelty.
If the portrait of Myra Hindley in the programme
notes went a certain way to setting the scene for
HGCL's production of Honsel and Gretel. the strange
extended dance-sequence which began the play.
mcorporating
images
of
intimidation
and
disorientation and accompanied by a sound-track
reminiscent of The Blair Witch ProJect. completed the
preparation. From the weird puppetry and creeping,
shadowy forms emerged an eerily compelling piece
which displayed. despite its deliberately bafflmg
script. some promising talent among the young cast.
The play dep1cts Innocence under threat from
malign forces which centre on the wicked
Mother/Witch (Mark Corfield-Moore. of whom more
below) but extend beyond her/them into the very
wood of the forest itself. Hansel (Hugo Lynch) and
Gretel (Phin Isles) maintained a convincing mixture of
old-fashioned stolidity and tim idity throughout. ably
supported when necessary by the unsettlingly ill
defined Lost Children (Rowley Thompson. Raashad
Hasan and Hugh Hopkins). But the seepage of evil
central to this play ensured that even these. along
with the Storytellers (an almost persecutory Henry
Dutton, George Herbert and james Francis) and the
Forest Sprites (a creepy Charlie Foot, Freddie
Jacobsen and Hugo Sutton ) made the1r own
s1gn1ficant contnbution to the atmosphere of threat
overhanging all the act1on. On top of these came the
memorably seedy Bird Man (Anthony Titley) and
startlingly emot1onless Wh1te Duck (William Dam.
who deserves mention also for h1s balefully
convmcing contributions m a more narrative role).
Most frighten1ng of all was Mark Corf1eld-Moore's
rendit1on of the terribly contorted, stumblmg. hissing
woodcutter's wife and witch, whose voice alone
made his appearance seem almost benign by
comparison. His pairing w1th the weak and
depressive Father (Thea jenkins) created a
convinc1ng picture of the sort of destructive home
environment which one assumes was to the
forefront of the authors' minds in creating this piece.
The woodcutter is in thrall to his malignant spouse
11
and then. when she is destroyed. falls apart h1mself.
At the culmination of the play, the audience is left
uncertam whether the rope with wh1ch he enters
the house is intended for his own su1cide. for the
murder of his daughter. or for both. and whether
Hansel's belated arrival with his father's axe will
accomplish more than bloody vengeance. One does
not have to pursue the symbolism too far to see the
thematic parallels with the second play on this bill,
which dealt with children's repetition of their
parents' mistakes.
Rabbit began with photographic images of war
displayed to the accompaniment of soft but insistent
music. Pictures of a grinning Bush and Blair at first
drew laughter until the increasing horror of the slide
show quickly put pa1d to any complacency. The action
takes place in a post-holocaust setting in which only
children have survived. and deals with one gang's
internal dynamics and its relations with others. The
sense IS that. if the children had access to bombs.
they might destroy themselves too. GTWR's
production was appropriately grim. to the point of
employ1ng a real. dead rabbit in the title role. to the
disappointment of any members of the audience
who might still have hoped for emotional relief in
fluffy form. This piece of casting set a challenge squeamishness aside - for the actors too: as a dead
rabbit. a dead rabbit cannot fail to convince
absolutely. and so sets a standard of realism for the
rest of the cast. It is to their credit that those involved
did not allow themselves to be upstaged.
A second challenge for the cast comes in the form
of the dialogue - a cut-down and contorted half
English matching the characters' monosyllabic names.
Deprived of education and of clear memories of
conversation with adults, these boys make desperate
and pathetic attempts at a semblance both of
eloquence and of society. We see one gang, with its
chansmatte leader. Mig (Henry Howard). bent on
keeping out ·otheruns', especially those 'scorched' by
the bomb. One except1on IS M1g's part1ally-scorched
and severely disturbed favourite . Tib (Tom
Oxenham), another 1s Tark (Lou1s Nunes da Costa).
brought m at the beg1nn1ng of the play by the
apprehens1ve Sin (Will Day-Robinson). The act1on
revolves around the gradual acceptance of Tark and
the revelat1on. at the end of a fraught forens1c
process, that Tib IS responsible for the demise of the
eponymous rabb1t (through 1nsens1t1ve play): th1s
discovery leads to Mig's self-imposed exile from the
group. In an ensemble p1ece like this, it seems
invidious to pick out indiv1duals, though strong
performances emerged from those mentioned
above. especially Howard, m his wavering moral
authonty, and Oxenham, in h1s ferooously manic fury.
The rest of the cast Uamie Excell, jam1e Coreth, Kit
Regan, James Hamlyn, Ben Carling, M1chael Tavender,
Bertie Herrtage. Edward Leakey, johnn1e de Ia
Monniere. and Toby Hannam) worked well together,
especially 1n the mqu1sit1on-scene, and also deserve
congratulation and encouragement.
Visually. both plays were impress1ve. though very
different t n style. Where Honsel and Gretel created a
fluid env1ronment through dance - employ1ng fabnc
and sticks to suggest trees and nbbons to suggest the
cage and the w1tch's oven - and through the
woodcutter's cottage which revolved to become the
gingerbread house (mirronng the Mother/W1tch's
dual personality). Rabb1t was necessarily more statiC,
based around a set suggesttng tndustnal rums. The
same product1on-team. boosted by Carys Wilson's
talents as scen1c arttst, worked on both plays,
developtng schemes of lighting (Harry Moores) and
sound (Angus Rance) whtch drew out the characters
of the pieces w1th great success.
Th1s was not an easy even1ng's entertamment by
any means, but one wh1ch served a useful purpose:
firstly. 1n showcasing some of the very prom1s1ng
young dramatic talent movtng through the School
and, secondly, in quest1oning some of our coster
not1ons about the nature of childhood.
DGNB
The Green House Play
Brassed Off
uWreachs of glory. n
Several months have passed since I had the pleasure
of watching this Green House play 1n Michaelmas.
2003. It is solely down to gross. unquantifiable
laziness that I have only now (in the midst of th1s
most English of Julys) set out to write this rev1ew. It
has been said that laziness. as an entity. is. in fact, a
bigger killer of felines than that most deadly of cat
butcherers. curiosity. That may well be. but on this
occasion the cat (namely, myself) has survived. thanks
wholly t o a quite
literally unforgettable
performance by The
Green.
title of
The
piece,
this minus
crucial
one
punctuation.
piece m1ght
of
lend itself to an
entirely
different
p1ece of wnting from
what it actually is: a
play review. Needless
to say. this was one of
the (some would say
few - others. dressed
in yellow and black
hoops. would shout
them down w1th annoyingly laddish sport1ng
catchphrases) occasions when no-one could possibly
cla1m to have been brassed off by The Green!
Large amounts of credit. and wreaths of glory.
must surely be laid at the feet of the directmg team HGCL. VAC. and DPKC - mainly for proving
tndefinitely that size. or at least length. doesn't
matter. Creeping 1n refreshtngly under the hour
mark (fifty-three mmules. to be precise). Brassed Off
reminded me of a pocket s1zed d1ct1onary- small. but
contatn1ng all the most 1mportant btts. Th1s would
not have been achieved but for the slick use of
projection to explain the tale of this mus1cally g1fted
group of miners and thetr struggle aga1nst bemg
struck off. Although. at times. the closing of the
scenes seemed a little blunt. Edward Tuckett kept the
pace flowing With h1s skilful operation of the
projector.
The set design was gnmy. Grimley. the place of the
action. was indeed made to look grim. The brass was
slirring. and cunningly
manufactured for the
audience
through
a
CD
player.
The
acting, unfortunately.
did not disappoint.
I say
unfortunately
because. at house
plays.
particularly
ones that use a large
cast. it is almost
impossible for any
house not to stumble
across a thesp1an tn
their ranks wrth not
the slightest semblance
to anything that could
be called acting talent.
Th1s lame acting duck ts always exciting to spot and
can. in a slightly cruel and sadistic way. form the crux
of a play's entertainment value. Brossed Off had no
such duck. Charlie Habershon and Ollie Gargrave
(but particularly the latter) transformed themselves
from playful bunny-like figures (tn real life) to
incredibly menacing. dark, surly bailiffs. I was.
1ndeed. a tnfle scared. Casting these two in such
serious. threatentng
roles ts not something I
would have thought of but credit. aga1n, must
go to the Llewellyn/Ciayton/Carling team for doing
so - a work
of casting genius. This flarr was displayed once more
in the casting of Edward Selfe as District Manager of
Collreries- an easier choice, perhaps!
All the miners played their parts convincingly,
managing to convey both the misery of their lives of
drudgery and hopelessness and the spirit and hope
that playing in the Collrery Band gave them. It was
admirable t o see all the actors with the smaller roles
flrcking between these sets of emotions in all the
right places. Rupert Howland-jackson as Jim. and
Charlie Wilyman as his friend. Ernie. deserve a
special mention. The comedy duo of the production
were talented enough to be comically playful while
remaining true to the underlying harshness of these
miners' lives.
I recall seeing a television production of Brassed
Off a number of years ago. I forget the names of the
actors who played Danny, the conductor and leader
of the Colliery Band. and his son. Phil. but I do
remember being incredibly moved by their
performances. I was not expecting james Dutton and
Henry Butt to live up to them. I was wrong. Henry
Butt's energetic display was never anything but
emotional. and James Dutton was commanding,
authoritative and simply mesmerizing as Danny. I
enjoyed his performance very much.
Brassed off by The Green. I most certainly was
not!
james Emmett
The Wallace House Play
The July Plot
ulnsptrattonal.
It is july, 1944. The Allies landed in Normandy a
month ago and are advancrng towards Germany. In
the East the Russians have reached Warsaw. Certain
Generals and Officers rn the German Army have for
long realised that the survival of Hitler prevents
negotiations for peace, which could save millions of
lives. This secret rebellion has by now spread to
Paris, Prague and Vienna, but its heart remains in
Berlin. One man has volunteered to take the Fuhrer's
life a man able to
penetrate the
Fuhrer's headquarters deep in the forests of East
Prussia, 350 miles from Berlin - the Wolf's Larr at
Rastenburg. The actron of Roger Manvell's play takes
place dunng six hours on 20th July. 1944, in the offices
of Generals Olbncht and Fromm in the War Office rn
Berlin.
DPKC's Lent-term production started w1th the
atmospheric howlrng air rard srrens and the sound of
bombs explodrng, which immediately captured the
audience's attention. while Colonel Count Claus Von
Stauffenberg (Tristan De Souza) marched onto the
stage depositing
an
unexplained
brrefcase.
Throughout the play Von Stauffenburg is allied with
two Generals, General Friedrich Olbricht and General
Erich Hoepner. played by Richard Perowne and Piers
Foster respectively, who are plotting the rise of a new,
peaceful Germany without the leadership of a
tyrannical dictator. The audience soon understood
the relevance of Von Stauffenburg's briefcase, seen
early 1n the play, as the plot to bomb the Wolf's Lair.
where the Fuhrer is residing, is revealed.
11
Scenes of jubilation follow as Von Stauffenburg
returns confident of taking Hitler's life at Rastenburg.
However we are later taken to the office of General
Fromm (Charlie MacCielland) who has ascertained
the General's plan and who remains dedicated to
Hitler, refusing to accept his alleged death. Fromm's
reaction to the discovery of the Generals' plot is an
attempt to detarn them, but owing to the confusion
surrounding Hitler's supposed death he has no
grounds on which to do so. News soon reaches the
offices via radio broadcast as the Fuhrer confirms his
survrval to the nation. This enables SS General Count
von
Helldorf
(George
Mackintosh)
to
react immediately t o this news and arrest
both the Generals and Von Stauffenberg. Whrle the
Generals are impnsoned, Von Stauffenburg rs
executed by a firing squad rn a dramatrc final scene
resembling the opening, leaving a powerful endnote
to the play.
Credit must go to DPCK for h1s direction of this
inspirational theatrical venture. Mrs Cracknell must
be commended on her part rn producing authentic
looking German uniform. which helped to conjure
up the atmosphere of the period. The play was
thoroughly enjoyable and particular praise must be
given to Tristan De Souza on his magnificent
performance supporting an inexperienc ed. but
nonetheless talented, cast.
Niall Scott-Underdown
and Rupert Howland-Jackson
The Lyon House Play
Nude with Violin
uA {tne performance. "
Nude with Violm was an ambittous attempt for a house play. Noel
Coward is not the eastest of playwrights but Lyon house managed
to pull tt off wtth some style. The four1een-strong cast of etght
boys and six girls gave a fine performance under Jennie Ward's
direction, complemented by an impressive set designed by
Andrew Stooke and Kara Higgins.
The actors suited their parts well, and there were seasoned
actors as well as debutants in the cast. james Fitzgerald gave a
poltshed performance as Sebastian Lacreole, a servant and friend
to Prlul Sorodin - il brilliilnt ilrtist whose cleath ilffects all those
around him. American journalist Clinton Preminger Junior (Kit
Dorey) hounded Lacreole throughout the production, eager for
an intervtew, with Dorey giving an enthusiastic and convincing
display. James treated the audience to his linguistic talents as well
as showmg a great deal of composure and presence on . . - - stage, and proved himself as an actor much-valued by his
House and the School.
The relatives of Sorodin flock when they hear of his
death, and eagerly wait for the will to be read and the
truth about the artist's paintings to be revealed. Catherine
Saunders gave a witty and entertaining interpretation of
Sorodin"s wife, Isabel, and was accompanied by Sebastian
Bacon (Colin) and Alice Kennon Uane), playing the artist"s
children. who both did themselves justice in their differing
characters. Lou1sa Graham (Pamela) gave support to the
cast. as did Clelia Watt (Marie-Celeste). a French-speaking
maid, and Jamie Boyd (George). Ed Elgood impressed as
Sorodin's business manager. jacob Friedland - a part played
with gusto and the challenge of not smiling for a whole
performance.
The plot thickens when it is exposed that Sorodin can
take no credit for his art, as he painted none of it! His supposed
art went through several periods. the first being his 'Russian
period'. Kristobelle Williams-Pearce portrayed Anya Pavlikov
brilliantly. a Russian artist responsible for this series of paintings.
She offered a lot of humour to the production and her accent was
spot on. The second was the 'jamaican period', which belonged to
Gash Mbizvo. who gave a sterling recital of ·swing low sweet
chariot' in his performance - which certainly entertained the
audience. The third was the 'American period', for which Cherry
May Waterton. played by Lucy Simpson, took full credit. Lucy also
coped very well with the challenge of acting with an accent. and
was accompanied by Fred Isles making his acting debut as Fabrice.
her French and strong but silent 'partner'. beret and all. The
mystery is complete when it is revealed that Lacreole's thirteen
year-old son Stotesbury (Phin Isles) completed the final paintings,
including the controversial Nude with Violin.
The whole cast obviously put a great deal of effort into the play
and should be congratulated on the result. Actmg in the Powell
Theatre is always a nerve-rackmg experience but the whole cast
complemented each other well and a lot of credit should go to
the actors of Lyon House and SSG as well as to the dtrector jennie
Ward for all her hard work.
Rupert Osborne
- - - - ....----,,...--
- -..-------.
gby House Play
'AIIo 'AIIo
"A urumph n
Zees Lent ze Deegby bravely decided to tackle ze
'ila1ious, if risque. 'AIIo 'AIIo, a stage version of ze
class1que BBC telev1s1on comedy. Enough of the weak
French accent' Under the directton of the
expenenced CGBH. the audience were transplanted
1nto a surreal vers1on of wa1-time France seen
predommantly from 1ns1de the Cafe Rene, the pnde
and JOY of sometime
(though
reluctant)
res1stance fighter Rene
Arto1s.
played
with
tongue fwmly m cheek by
jonathan Horner. Wtth an
enthus1ast1C supportmg
cast. the courageous
dectston was taken by the
to
production
team
gtrls,
d1spense
w1th
leav1ng the equally (1f not
more) courageous Bobbte
Blake (as Yvelle Ca,teBianche), Henry loward
U _
- _
(Edith Arto is), Francis
Pollen (Mtmi Labonq). Tom Hussey (Michelle) and
Tom Foster (Helga) to fill the1r shoes.
Fhe unfortunate Rene is given the task, by the
German Colonel von Strohm (played by james
Dav1es wtth moments of sparkl1ng w1t). of lookmg
after the pnceless portrait of 'The Fallen Madonna
w1th the btg boobtes' by that 'master knocker
painter' van Klomp However, an 1ntngue soon
develops as multtplc groups of plotters, German and
French. attempt to get hold of the pamting. The
German bigwtgs want 1t to g1ve to H tier n order that
he may present 1t to Eva Braun, the res1stance want
to preserve 1t as a French nat1onal treasure. and the
cunnmg Herr Flick of the Gestapo wants 1t 1n order
to be able to afford to emtgrate to Argentma with his
lover. Helga. to live on a bed of bamboo and pampas
grass! In the s1de splitting denouement. multiple
Hitler and Goenng Impersonators appear on stage 1n
order to tnck General von Schmelling into givmg
them the portra1L. Full admtrallon and cred1t 1s due to
the male actors who faced the challenge of havmg to
act a woman who was 1n turn play1ng a man at this
stage of the play.
The saga of the pa1nt1ng further complicates
Rene's l1fe. wh1ch is already convoluted enough: he 1s
marned to E.dtth. a form1dable woman who
entertams m the cafe by smging (badly - yet
bnlliantly and danngly played by Henry Howard.
whose cabaret fl1rtat1ons w1th the unw1ttmg SFE.
s1ttmg 1n the front row. deltghted the audience),
but. like all good comedy Frenchmen, he IS also
enJoymg a passtonate affair. The obJect of h1s lust
1s the beautiful Yvette, a leggy waitress at the
cafe, played by Bobb1c Blake who drifted almost
effo1i.lessly mto the role. Much mi1th is caused by
thew constant attempts to steal a few precious
moments alone, which they rarely achieve w1thout
coming close to bemg rumbled. Rene himself is the
target of the unwanted attentions of the fey
Lieutenant Gruber. aide-de-camp to the Gestapo's
Herr Flick. Owen Skmner's mind boggling camp
German accent for the
role was unnervtng. yet
unden1ably funny. The
patronage of Flick and
other Germans causes
Rene further problems
when res1stance agent
Mtchelle embroils htm m
her (often ludicrous)
secret plans.
Crispin Vollers, in h1s
swansong
on
the
Sherborne
stage,
prov1ded some brilliant
laughs m his deadpan
presentatton of Herr Flick,
the Gestapo officer with h1s own agenda, giv1ng an
hilanous VIolin reotal while Tom Foster, as Helga,
performed a tantaltsing stnptease for h1s benef1t.
Fortunately for us. the G-stnng (on the violin of
course) snapped before the dance was able to reach
1ts concluston' Simon Dawson as General von
Schmelling. the highest-ranktng German officer 1n the
town of Nouvion. was convmong and 1nt1mtdatmg.
swttching instantaneously and comtcally between
mtenuonally wooden emottons 1n order to stress the
dtsoplined. German1c nature of h1s character. Tom
Patterson's ('It IS I, Leclerc') emergence from vanous
unconvinong 'd1sgu1ses'. rangmg from a parrot
salesman to Wee Willy W1nky, provtded a superb
counter-balance of drsorgantzatton and last-minute
opportuntsm on the part of the French to offset the
structured d1sctplme of the Germans.
The quas1 foretgn accents used by the cast were
very effect1ve, provtdmg the perfect balance between
rem1nding the audience of the1r nationality and g1vmg
the prece the necessary comic edge which
stereotyp1ng often provtdes. A prime example of this
was Harry Blazeby as Capitano Alberto Bertorelli. a
clumsy Italian officer ('Whatta mistakea to makea')
l1vmg for the good limes, whose purposefully dodgy
accent was the marn focus of the comedy centred
around the character. The script played cleverly upon
the accent theme in the character of Officer Crabtree
(Robert Markham), an intellectually-cha llenged
British SOE agent pretending to be a policeman,
whose sketchy French was 1ntell1gently represented
by his persistent mispronunciation of words.
Therefore, for example, policeman became
'poloceman', and the potential for
miscomprehens1on calamitous
was realized m less fortunate
confus1ons .
The play was a triumph for The Digby, w1th most
of the cast providing strong performances. Credit is
also due to the backstage crew. I think that the
greatest compliment to Mrs Margaret Cracknell is
that the audience did not notice the costumes
(except. of course, Edith's splend1ferous cabaret
outfit). and this shows what a superb job she did, for
it meant that the audience felt the mood of the era
Without bemg distracted from the action. The set
des1gn was effective. with four separate locations
presented, each prov1dmg an 1deal medium through
wh1ch to enJOY the comedy. Backstage. Ed Pitt Ford.
Jonathan Tremewan. Robert Streeter and jim Foster,
gutded by the ever present and efficient Mr Donnelly.
worked unnoticed to ensure that everything
ran smoothly.
Henry Butt and Ben Leach
Sherborne School for Girls Play
Oh! What a Lovely War
uA fantastic achievement. JJ
In my time at Sherborne I had never before seen a
musical performed. The reason. I presume, is that it
requ1res much more skill and hard work to combine
the two aspects of acting
and singing. Sherborne
School for Girls managed
to pull off a fantastic
achievement in both areas
with their Michaelmas
production of Oh! What a
Lovely War, directed by
Sally Wolfenden.
Oh! What a Lovely War is
a theatrical chronicle of the
horrors of the First World
War
told
through
the songs and documents
of
the
period.
It
interchanges
Show,
the
behind-the-scenes
international
between the 'home front' at the End of the Pier
discussions and the trenches at the Front. Written by
Joan Littlewood, the various sketches and stories
were handed down through families and dug up in
libraries to try to create an interpretation from those
who knew it best. the ones who experienced it first
hand. We are shown glimpses of the arrogant
sergeants. the valiant soldiers risking their lives and,
of course, the na'ive Germans. The one thing that I
p a r t i c u l a r l y liked about this play is that.
although it has hundreds of different characters.
they were all performed by thirteen girls and
four boys. This allowed everyone much more
involvement in the play. The one slight problem was
that. at t imes. it was difficult to follow who was who
but, as the play was predominantly composed of
various sketches and most people know what
happened in the Great War. this was not a major
problem. It was also very brave of a girls' school to
attempt a production in which the majority of the
characters are male. They exceeded expectations and
the girls were able to show their
capabilities in performing some of the male
characters.
If the acting occasionally lacked depth and the
continuity
of
the
performance was at times
difficult to follow, the
singing was an entirely
different matter. I was
taken aback by the delicate
and beautiful voices of
many of the performers,
particularly those with the
larger singing roles, namely
Sarah Gledhill,
Sophie
Pentecost and Sally Neill. I
also felt that the male
performers
from
Sherborne School - john
Barber, Alex Morley-Smith, David Park and A lex
Webb - pulled off their demanding singing roles with
immense capability.
The set was intentionally very basic owing to the
interchange between various scenes and the
practicalities of representing the Western Front on
stage. This was achieved using a projection-screen at
the back of the stage showing wartime images and
details relating to the scenes. and providing the
audience with information about the progress of the
war. However, the outstanding feature of the set was
the realistic depiction of a seaside bandstand of the
early Twentieth Century. From here the music
flowed, under the able direction of john Jenkins .
This play managed to combine comedy and
sincerity. toe-tapping moments and the shocking
depiction of war. We were entertained with Irish
dancing, comic trench dialogue and much more.
which enabled Sherborne School for Girls to succeed
in pulling off so challenging a production with real
skill and gusto.
Ed Elgood
Schooi/St Antony's-Leweston Play
Blood Wedding
If
A stunnmg show. JJ
Born on june 5. 1898. in Fuente Vaqueros near the city of
Granada. Federico Garcia Lorca revealed his creativity early
in his life. As a child, he was known to conduct
conversations with inanimate objects. bestowing upon
each one a personality and speaking with them as 1f they
were liv1ng things and might speak back at any moment.
As a child, he studied mus1c. thus enhancing his natural
sense of rhythm and lyricism - a quality which shines
through 1n many of h1s plays. Much of the dialogue in Blood
Wedding is lyrical 1n form and the quality of the
interpretation and subsequent recounting of the
challenging wording particularly struck me 1n this
M1chaelmas production. Even dunng moments of
passionate anger - and the play contains many - the sense
of the text was not lost; Nick Francis. playing Leonardo, the
childhood sweetheart , deserves special mention for this.
Set in Spain during the 1920s, Blood Weddmg centres on
a small area in the province of Almeria, AndaluCia.
Intended to be part of a Trilogy of the Spanish Earth', Blood
Wedding restored tragic poetry to the Spanish stage. The
play is based on a newspaper account of a bride who ran
off with her lover on her wedding day. The two elope but
the retribution is rapid and the consequences sour. In this
play. Lorca heightens the woman's conflict by placing her in
the middle of an ancient blood-feud. This play reveals an
intense fascination with women and their nature, and in
this respect Lorca is mirrored by another one of Spatn's
greatest artists - onematic director Pedro Almodovar. The
play is somewhat unique in that only one of its characters
-L e o n a rd o - is ever named. He is the clear red-blooded alpha male in the forlorn sexual equation that reaches
such tragic conclusion in this masterpiece.
Yermo, also part of the Spanish earth trilogy, is the story of a woman who longs for motherhood. but whose
husband is incapable of giving her a child. Unable to leave him because of the social customs of the day. and
unwilling to satisfy her urges with another man, the unhappy woman murders her sterile husband. Lorca's third
tragedy. The House of Bernardo Alba completes the three and is ohen mistakenly referred to as the third part of
the trilogy but, in truth, the trilogy was never finished. Bernard Alba tells the story of five daughters. held captive
by the tyrannical mother who imposes upon them a strict moral code. Sexually frustrated, and yearning for love,
each of these women searches unsuccessfully for a way to escape her mother's house. In the end, the youngest
daughter kills herself when she is led to believe that her unforgiving mother has murdered her lover.
Blood Wedding begins, as many of Lorca's plays
do, in a quiet, rural Spanish village. The set was
simple but sufficient- bland, white walls 1n keeping
with early twentieth-century Spanish architecture.
The opening scenes of the play begin the build-up
of tension that reaches shattering termination at the
play's close. The last son of a bereaved family breaks
the news to his mother that he will marry a wealthy
landowner's daughter, meaning that his mother will
be left alone to grieve the loss of yet another man
from her tragic family. What makes this proposal
tainted is that previously the Bride had been
connected to Leonardo Felix, a relative of a man
who had killed the Bridegroom's siblings and father.
The Mother takes advice from her neighbour.
Preparations for the wedding go ahead and. finally.
what should be the happiest day of the girl's life
arrives. Alas, the scene would not be complete
without the entrance of the brooding
rival! Leonardo, who had made himself scarce,
arrives at the house t o confront the Bride and
reveals to her the burning passions that he has
always felt. The two elope and - in true Lorca
style - the Mother dispatches a vicious lynch
mob. Both Leonardo and the Bride take refuge in
the forest. However, Death (clothed as a Beggar)
and assisted by the Moon reveals the pair's hiding
place, bnng1ng a sw1ft. brutal
- but inevitable - end to both Leonardo and
the
Bridegroom.
For the first lime ever a Sherborne School and St.
Anthony's-Leweston collaboration was presented in
both venues. Nick Francis - a veteran t o the Powell
Theatre, last seen in his award-w inning performance
as Eddie Carbone in A View {rom the Bndge in 2003played Leonardo and showed us the heated love that
knows no restraint. He managed to balance the clear
anger of h1s character w1th the warm tenderness
towards the Bride he stole. He flew 1n th1s part and
we could only watch m terror as we saw h1s
impending doom approaching. As the Bride, Lucia
Barber was the object of h1s affection and she
showed us the pam of be1ng loved too much by
someone . If Leonardo was the fire, she was the
firewood, the two be1ng intrinsically comb1ned . She
also played alongs1de NICk 1n A V1ew (rom the Bndge
last year. as Cathenne, another woman he was not
allowed to love by social convention. Charlotte
Eagles shone as the Mother throughout. bnngmg
depth and smcerity to the role and allowmg the
audience to feel the prospect of the impending
ordeal await1ng the protagonists. While often the
voice of doom m t he play. Eagles was able to reveal
the irony and humanity of the part. The play ends
with a v 1S1on of feminine strength and solidarity.
show1ng the Mother standing stoically surrounded by
weepmg women. Fergus Thompson. the cuckolded
Bridegroom, provided a fresh interpretatiOn of th1s
central character. assum1ng a new perspective on this
often-stereotyped theme. Special congratulations
must surely go to Rupert Osborne, playing the
Bride's Father, who managed - I am sure through
much careful scrutiny of the text - to extract
a modicum of comedy from th1s p1tch-black play.
He brought relief to an exhausted aud1ence though
his humanely ironic delivery. and blew a warm,
distinctly
Spanish breeze to the stage - a welcome change
from the bubbling. unrelenting heat of prev1ous
scenes.
Another· first was the use of two directors. Both
Giles Robinson and Rebecca Peacock made what
could merely be seen as a challeng1ng translated and perhaps outdated - play very real and very
relevant. N ovel techniques were used in order to
clarify what is m places a complex plot. The play
opened w i th a series of masked tableaux, showing
the death of t he Brrdegroom's brother. Wor k1ng in
different venues and under a great deal of pressure
to ach1eve high goals. these two made the
performance a pleasure to watch and a v1sual and
intellectual feast.
The set - des1gned by Mark Friend was multifunctional and flex1ble,
as was the
requirement for performmg 1n two separate spaces.
The play's success part1ally rested on its sliCk
scene-changes, g1ving the aud1ence t1me for l1ttle
else than a rap1d mtake of breath.
Lorca's wrilings were outlawed and burned m
Granada's Plaza del Carmen. Even his name was
forbidden . The young poet qu1ckly became a martyr,
an mternat1onal symbol of the polit1cally oppressed.
but his plays were not revived until the 1940's, and
certain bans on h1s work remained m place unt1l as
late as 1971. under General Franco's dictatorial
Nationalist reg1me. Today, Lorca is cons1dered one of
the greatest Spams h poets and dramatists of the
Twentie th Century. When productions of hts work
are performed to such a high standard, one finds it
hard to refute th1s accolade. It was a stunning show.
Edward Selfe
Music Society Concert
11th February 2004
uSupreme con(tdence in all parts. "
This was an occasion
of h1gh achievement
and
of
high
appreoation it
is still only February,
it takes nerve for
the more mature
citizens to go out
on a cold dark ntght
and there is slill lhe
quesLion of the
when Abbey
approached
pews
with
or without
cushions! All the
music for this concert
was of the Twentieth
Century, which can
still cause many to
rapturise
about
Mozart. But the Abbey was full, each item on t he
programme was received with great enthusiasm and
appreciation, and this grew even when the pews
were taking hold of the patrons
The first item suggested, if it is needed, the very
considerable variety of Shostakovich 's musical
output; this variety depended partly on the
uncertainty and insecurity of artists under the
interfering Soviet system, but it is also the result of
the width of his approach to music -operas, ballets,
chamber music, fifteen symphonies of varied kinds.
The concert opened with his Festival Overture of
1954, excited and emphatic, rhythmically varied,
employing a large orchestra which this evening
revelled in the opportunity it afforded them of
waking us up (not that we needed it, as our vigorous
performance over the whole evening made obvious).
The sombre effect of public occasions in the USSR as
viewed from the United Kingdom, requiring tanks
and large numbers of unimaginatively red flags,
parading past the corpse of Lenin and viewed
without charm by mature officials on the Kremlin
balcony, did not suggest festival, but this did
triumphantly. and it was enthusiastically appreciated.
The second piece. a Stabat Mater written in 1926
by the Polish composer Szymanowski, is in complete
contrast; the Mater is the Virgin Mary, standing grief
stricken by the Cross where her son is hanging; as
forecast by Simeon in the Temple, a sword has
pierced through her own soul. At once the harshness
of the full orchestra hurled the pain at us and
established the complete change of tone confidently
and certainly, with the addition of the soprano soloist
Ueni Bern) and the sopranos and altos of the chorus:
in the Abbey there is often a lack of balance between
voices on one hand and a large orchestra on the
other, at least in
some parts of
the building; but
there was no such
diff1cultyin
this
section; though in
some parts
of the Stabat Mater
and
in
the
Carmma
Burana soloists and
chorus lost the battle
set
grief-stricken
behind
my
particular
emotions
of
pillar. After the richly
four more sect1ons
of
the
poem
the
last
number,
meditating
on
death 'Chnste, cum
sit hinc exire',
which finally addresses Christ himself with all the
soloists and the chorus, evoked the whole work with
extreme conviction. One can from long experience
expect this high standard of the soloists and
orchestral players on these occasions; they are after
all carefully chosen professionals; but, especially this
evening, though of course we are used to the high
standards of Sherborne choruses, the chorus in this
piece and the Carmtna Burano (including the
children's chorus) were entirely convincing and
admirably on top of the ir music. In the first MusSoc.
Concert in which I was myself involved, Haydn's
Creotton in 1961, the conductor happened to turn
over two pages of his score at once in the final grand
number and greeted this event by turning absolute ly
white, whereupon the chorus lost their nerve and
fell largely silent, until t hey were rescued by a solitary
tenor (w ho taught Physics in real life) who bravely
led us back to what Haydn intended! This would not
happen today, I dare say. Two years later he played
God in Noe's Fludde in the Abbey. Conductors are
rare who, like John Jenkins, are capable of stepping at
very short notice into the charge of a large orchestra
and chorus and a complex programme (including
Carmino Burona, consisting of twenty-five shortish
sections and involving considerable changes of
approach and of beat). Supreme confidence in all
parts was obvious throughout.
The poems set by Orff tn Carmino Burona were
found in the Hof-Bibliothek in Munich early in the
Nineteenth Century. They do not seem to have been
quite respectable; they do not appear in the library
catalogue; they come from the monastery of
Benediktbeuren in Upper Bavaria, which is not to say
that they were written by monks. The handwriting is
of the Thirteenth Century and forty-three of the
poems were intended to be sung. Complaints about
Fortune, recruiting songs for the Crusades, laments
from the defeat in Palestine t n 1187 and for the death
of R1chard Coeur-de-Lion 1n 1199, love songs, songs in
praise of wandenng scholars, a Gamblers' Mass,
begging songs, drinking songs, songs of nature,
written in Mediaeval Latin, French or Middle H1gh
German,
with
bits
of
Ovid,
they
are
mostly anonymous, but they give the 1mpression
that thew authors were young.
The performance reinforced that1mpression, with
strong rhythms and a sense of enjoyment. Perhaps
th1rty years ago it was performed tn the B1g School
Room as a Commem. cantata, tn the setting of a huge
wooden wheel representing Fortune and w1th some
dancing: it was very well received and it was
remembered in the Abbey where it had been
received enthusiastically, having been vigorously sung
and played with much noise and good temper and
understandtng
In all, a very 1mpressive event indeed, with three
very different and demanding p1eces, tackled with
the greatest success.
RSG
Joint Schools' Concert
uA vast array of mustcal talent. "
The joint Schools' Concert in Michaelmas Term
featured, as usual, a vast array of the musical talent in
all three schools: each school provided a group of its
own, in addition to the two orchestras.
It opened with the Sherborne School Concert
Band, under its new directors Bob Spiller and Miles
Hewitt. This was their second public display of the
term, since they had already taken part in the CCF
Inspection, and t heir first number was one they had
played then: Swmg March. All the sections shone
(particularly the brass. both directors being brass
players themselves) and this was an excellent start t o
the concert. The band looked somehow different to
their previous incarnation under Owen Clarke, but
though they had lost their uniforms, they were not
lacking discipline in their playing: Mr Spiller's
conducting was very clear but totally unfussy. They
went on to play a Celttc Carol, a setting of
Greensleeves with prominent bodhran and spoons: I
was not sure where the carol came into this - it felt
like a cross between Merrie England and the New
York St Patrick's Day Parade. That said, 1t was well
played, particularly by the percuss1on sect1on.The
Concert Band concluded with Heartland, another
band classic with prominent woodwind and flattened
7ths.
Next came the SAL Chamber Orchestra under
David Pnce, who would seem now to have done the
rounds of all three schools as head of strings! They
performed the first movement of Bach's fifth
Brandenburg Concerto, featuring Helen Roche on
harpsichord, Emma Price on flute and Marta
Fontanals-Simmons on violin. There was some
excellent play1ng, though the general stnng sound
was, at times, a little thin. The harpsichord cadenza
towards the end of the movement was extremely
Impressive, and Helen did not let the instrument's
quirky tuning faze her (it is here that I should
apologise for the poor suspens ion of the school
Works Department van, the extreme height of the
Leweston speed humps and my own inability to tell
first gear from reverse 1n that van, particularly when
there is a harpsichord in the back!) Again, we were
treated to precise but unaffected conducting.
The next a d was the joint schools' Sinfonia (that is
if one does not count the lengthy stage-management
interlude). This opened w ith Round Dance and
Trumpet Tune, two pieces which showcased the
woodwind and brass sections to good effect: again. it
is unfortunate for some excellent players that there
is such stiff competition for so few woodwind chairs
in the Symphony Orchestra, but good news for the
Sinfonia. Next came an arrangement of Rimsky
Korsakov's Sheherozade: this technically demanding
music really came off and again showed off all
sections to good effect.
The last single-school act was the famous SSG
Madrigal Society. They sang four numbers, three
madrigals and one folk-song, Blow the Wmd Southerly,
featuring the solo vo1ce of Sara Gledhill. As ever, they
sang together extremely well and made a beautiful
sound (though I did wonder about the Yeovil
insplred burr in the word Southerly) ...
The concert ended with the Symphony Orchestra,
whose set began w1th Hummel's Theme and
Variations (or Oboe and Orchestra. Harriet Hawksley
played her solo part accurately and with real feeling,
and the orchestra supported her sensitively, directed
by john Jenkms. Th1s was followed by Sternhammer's
Senttmentol Romance for violin and orchestra: for the
soloist, Fel1cia Line, of Swedish stock, this was a
patriotic choice. This was also the f1rst outmg of the
SSG head of strings, Tony Urbanczyk. on the podium
with a quite remarkably long baton! Fel1cia played
with spirit, but perhaps the sentiment and romance
were a little arctic at times... The rinale was the fourth
movement of Dvorak's Ninth Symphony (From the
New World). A challenging work to play. at t1mes the
orchestra might have appeared more to be tread1ng
water than to be bask1ng in the delights of the musiC,
but in general they stayed together Impressively. The
performance boded well for the1r next public outing
1n Bristol 1n the spring.
PMR
Concert in The Courts
11
The atmosphere was Immense. JJ
The eagerly-antiopated return of the Concert in the
Courts on the first weekend of the Summer Term
brought with it one of the best Saturday nights that
many people had experienced at Sherborne. W ith
over a thousand people present, from all t he local
schools, the atmosphere was immense and it
turned out to be a night to remember.
I don't know if it is just me but I'm sure that the
standard of mustc has improved dramatically since
my first expenence of a live concert at Sherborne.
For the second year running we were fortunate to
welcome the guest band. Homer's Doughnuts,
together with their scantily-clad dancers, who
entertained many a red-blooded male in the
audience. They treated us to songs such as Rolling by
Limp BIZkit, Bombtrack by Rage Against the Machine
and Smells L1ke Teen Spirit by Nirvana, which were
performed with such energy and vibrancy that the
evening ended on a great high.
The event was hosted by Tristan de Souza and
Andrew Tongue who, despite exciting the crowd
and presenting the bands as only professionals
could, still managed to disappoint the crowd by not
wearing the kilts which they showed off at Rocsoc
1n the Lent term. Tris managed to juggle presenting
the event with performing in the band Zenith,
along with Hugh Worskett, Sean McEvoy. Gash
Mbizvo and a cameo from Ed Lyon. For me this was
one of the highlights of the night, with songs such
as Time is Running Out by Muse. Seven Nation Army
by The White Stripes and Yellow by Coldplay.
(Could we have witnessed the new Chr-is Martin?)
The Girls' School also showed that they could
perform wit h the best and their band, Queen Pin,
consisting of Felicia Line, Tamstn Marshall, Hannah
Elder and Kristabelle Willtams-Pearce, entertained
us with some great numbers. Other bands included
State Circus, Helicopter Game, Gash Bash, Pare Era
and Goat wtth a wide range of music from all of
them, including I Believe m a Thmg Called Love by
The Darkness, Ploy That Funky MusiC by Wild
Cherry and Sex Machine by James Brown.
All in all, the event was a resounding success and
everyone felt that they had certainly recerved their
money's-worth . A large thanks must go to the
organisers of the event, Hugh Worskett, Ed Ward, JS
and, in particular, SMS as without his technical mind
and musical expertise this event would never have
got off the ground.
Violin Recital
uThe utmost technical control and mustcality. "
On 28th February 2004. Mr Oliver Nelson, who
taught the v iolin and viola at Sherborne for two
terms in 200212003, gave a violin recital in the Old
Music School. Mr Nelson. who was trained at the
Royal Academy of Music as a violinist and conductor,
performed a hugely varied programme ranging from
Bach to Bartok: a spectrum of music dating from the
mid-Eighteenth Century t o the late Twentieth
Century. However all the pieces that he played that
night had one thing in common: they were all
unaccompanied. Unaccompanied v iolin music is his
speciality and his love.
His first piece was the Fuga from Sonata No.2 in A
mmor by Bach. This ptece, well known as it is. was
played with the utmost originality, since Mr Nelson
played the entire piece without vibrato. Those who
have a faint know ledge of the violin and violin
technique will know that vtbrato - although it was
not used in Bach's day and an authentic baroque
player would not use it - is absolutely essenttal in
modem violin technique and t hat without vibrato
the v iolin can sound incredibly dry, and so, although
the piece was played in an authentic way, it was
perhaps not as well-received as it could have been.
Nevertheless the piece was played with much
vivacity, bow-expression and textural awareness,
conveying the contrapuntal texture of the piece well
with an instrument t hat is often perceived as
monophonic.
His second piece was the Solo Sonata by Bartok.
The sonata was in four movements- Ciaccono, Fuga ,
Melodia and Presto - and much better received that
the first one, being played with much more tonal
expression than the first. The nat ure of the piece.
however, was not appreciated by all since its faint (or
sometimes non-existent!) tonality was not perceived
as pleasant by everyone , especially as the piece was
unaccompanied. The absence of the piano, which
could have provided some harmonic support made
the harmonic progression of the piece unperceivable.
and so the only aspects of the piece that most people
could enjoy was the melodic complexity and the
sheer virtuosity of the performer. The piece had
huge contrasts in character and style and Mr Nelson
put across t he contrasts well as he adapted himself to
the different moods of the movements with great
speed.
The next piece was Caprice No.I. Opus I. by
Paganini. These caprices by Paganini are extremely
well-known and well- loved by all. and this was one of
the most famous in the collection. Although
everyone in the audience perceived that the piece
was fiendishly difficult. Mr Nelson played it at great
speed and with the utmost technical control and
musicality, and the final flourish was effective.
The final piece was the famous Sonata No.6. Opus
27(no. 6) by Ysaye, who is one of the greatest
composers t n the violin repertoire. The piece was a
stunning piece of music that seemed t o break every
hearer's heart, combining melodic and harmonic
beauty, whilst remaintng subtle in every way a piece
of music could be. But a great ptece of mustc has to
be performed by a great player in order to be
effective, and Mr Nelson lived up to his reputation as
a technically-accomplished and musically-sensittve
player in this piece. The piece was very well received,
and given that i l was the final ptece of the
programme the concert came to a fulfilling end.
Keith Tse
The Lent Term Project
ul was struck by rhe amount o( work that was put inco evety event
and che ease with whtch year groups were able to interact and
enjoy each other 's company 11
This year I have experienced my final biannual Lent Term Project and th1s
has undoubtedly been the most entertaining and varied in my memory.
Sherborne School has many things to thank Mr Aitken for as a
contributor to, and supporter of, such a variety of events around the
School. As a result of his enthusiasm and vigour the Lent Term Project
has become a huge event in School life and this year's project has been
no different. However, despite the Chaplain's unique dedication to t he
project, the Lent Term Project is not about individuals. Teamwo rk,
community and supporting a charitable cause characterise the project and
every boy and member of staff has been able to experience these factors
as a member of the School.
This year's cause was the Parkinson's Disease Society and early in the
year two men whose lives are dominated by the disease gave the boys a
very powerful talk in a Wednesday morning BSR. The talk and the
willingness of the members of the School to participate in activities for
charity led to a phenomenal response.
I can say with confidence that no other single cause could combine
such an inventive. absurd and ingenious collection of activities. On
Wednesday. 23 june. three boys set out from Sherborne with their bikes
to drive down to Land's End where they began their mammoth journey
up the length of the country to the farthest point of the land at john o'
Groats. Boys also showed similar physical prowess at the 'Hard Man·
competition where members of every House competed in a series of
gruelling tasks to gain the Litle of 'Hard Man·. Members of the Digby and
Harper held a twenty-four-hour football match in the Sports Centre and
were able to show off their skill and endurance during taxing two-hour
sessions. The Green completed the incredible feat of carrying the
legendary 'Flame of Hope' in a continuous run around the Courts with
each boy and member of staff taking the torch for half an hour. The
Courts was also the setting for dozens of boys who volunteered to sleep
outside in a so-called 'Cardboard City'.
However. the Lent Term Project did not rely solely on physical
endurance. Two auctions were
held by the Green and Harper
to sell off items ranging from
signed photos and pens to
V !R
holidays in exotic locations.
The extent of the support for
the project was not only
restricted to our humble, rural
community
in
Sherborne:
parents.
celebnties.
politicians and
sports
personalities
were
willing to contribute to the
cause and have helped to
make the Lent Term Project
the success 1t was.
The Lent Term Project
highlights the capabilities of
Sherborne
School as a
·
- ·- community
and
a
centre
of learnmg. The
School's facilities were taken
advantage of in the brand
new
equ1pment
of the
Sports Centre and, in
- .......-.... . contrast, the privilege that we
enjoy 1n being surrounded by miles of gorgeous
countryside was shown in the various outdoor
activities that took place. As a participator and
co-ordinator in the Twenty-Four-Hour Football, I was
struck by the amount of work that was put into every
event and the ease with which year groups were able
to interact and enjoy each other's company. In
reflecting on the Lent Term Project it is apparent that
its success is not solely in the tremendous amount of
money raised for a worthy cause but also in the way
in which it allows people, friends and strangers, pupils
and teachers, to all come together with ease.
Thomas Patterson
John o' Groats to Land's End
The Harper way of doing things
t osh got a puncture, and then another, and then another. 11
On Sunday, August Ist, amid glorious sunshine and
Schumacheresque celebrations, the Harper cycle
team concluded their adventure. It had taken us just
short of sixty hours in the saddle to complete our
journey, spread over twelve and a half days and,
whatever certain boys in School House may say to
the contrary, I can confirm that that is still sufficiently
hard work to ensure that there was not a single ache
free backside for many days after our arrival!
The start could not have been more different. We
arrived at John o' Groats on July 19th after greatly
varied preparation; Josh having cycled daily to the
local hospital for his work experience, while Jack and
I had not so much as touched a bicycle in a fortnight
having spent a week on a cadet course in Scotland
and laughing at Smibert (George) in Trebetherick
respective ly. We
reached the northernmost
settlement in the British Isles to be greeted with little
if any excitement bar, of course, the torrential rain
which lovely people at the Met Office promised
would pursue us for the duration of our journey.
The following morning proved more promising
and, in spite of passing a sign which confirmed what
Toby, Jack and George had been telling us for months
about the way in which this r ide should
be undertaken by saying, simply, 'Finish', we set off
in bright sunshine and high spirits. These
were somewhat deflated within a matter of minutes
when I managed to pick up the first puncture: it
would not be the last. josh was also horrified by
some of the darkened hillsides that frequently
emerged on the horizon, directly in the path of the
A9.
It soon emerged that, amidst the enthusiasm at the
start, we had all managed to forget to grab any form
of sustenance to keep us going till the lunch break.
We therefore dropped into a small shop. just south
of Wick, the first we had seen for several miles, in the
hope that we would be able to acquire some
chocolate, only to be told that such luxury goods
could not be found until one had gone at least
another five miles south, bringing home to one and
all the remoteness of the area. Nonetheless, the
lunch rendezvous was made when we had
conquered the first mountain of the trip
in Helmsdale, and from there we pressed on
to Dornoch, before packing up the bikes and
heading for the palatial Carbisdale Castle Youth
Hostel.
Day Two brought equally wonderful weather as
we headed for Inverness, following the A9 along the
coast and spotting several seals as we did so. We
lunched and flew our kite above Inverness, after a
very hairy crossing of the Firth during which all the
winds under the sun seemed united with the
common goal of toppling us from our bicycles. From
there we headed on to Aviemore and then Kingussie,
p u s h i n g our mileage over eighty miles for the
second day in succession.
Day Three was less pleasant as. although the rain
held off, we were forced to sweat through twenty
miles of headwinds as we ascended the imposing
Slochd Summit. From there, we headed for Perth via
Pitlochry and then Dunkeld. It was here that the
curse which was to pursue us as far as Warwickshire
set in: Josh got a puncture, and t hen another, and
then another.
Day Four brought the first of the major cities we
were required to negotiate, in the form of Edinburgh
(needless to say, we managed to get lost but
fortunately managed to escape before rush hour and
were soon in Galashiels). The fifth day brought the
crossing of the border, a well deserved triumph
coming as it did after the conquest of the longest
sustained climb we were to face. The elation was
short-lived and we were no more than two miles into
England before spirits were again depressed by josh's
troublesome back wheel, a problem which recurred
the following morning, forcing him onto the spare
bike. This was a most degrading experience by all
accounts but one which inadvertently brought good
luck as, having crawled for forty miles prior to lunch,
we felt unusually energetic afterwards and were able
to push on to York, bnnging the day's total to ninety
three miles. Despite Day Eight's bemg our 'rest day'
we managed to get very lost 1n the maze that 1s
South Yorksh1re while domg a thirty-five-mile leg
between York and Thorne. Th1s did, however, lighten
the load for the followmg day considerably, reducing
1t from nmety-five miles to a mere Sixty. Day Ten
began 1n a blaze of 1ronic agony when, having joked
that his five punctures had all come on our hosts'
severely pot-holed quarter-of-a-mile stretch of drive,
josh suffered a further three over that same
treacherous ground the following morn1ng, thus
buy1ng h1m a ticket back on to the spare bike. From
that pomt onwards the day passed by fa1rly
uneventfully wh1le the sun scorched down on our
backs and all were del1ghted to reach the Wingfield
Digby Lake early that afternoon.
The following day saw josh's (now ten) punctures
consigned to the past as we rocketed 1nto the South
West via Cirencester, Ch1ppenham and Bath, bringmg
to a close our epic n1nety-five-mile day 1n
Westholme, home to the Franklin family. whence we
set off into the 'mountains' of Devon and Cornwall
with a further hundred and ninety miles to cover.
This brought a vanety of excitements, ranging from a
seas1de barbeque, the crossmg of Dartmoor, and my
collect1ng the final puncture, to add an air of
symmetry to the whole event and bnng us back to
where I began after a total distance just short of nine
hundred and fifty miles.
james Moubray
<
The School House team, George Tensham.
Toby Edwards and jack Sutcliffe.
who did the ride first - the other way round!
Twenty-Four Hour Hike
Dartmoor
uQuite an ordeal. "
After the insane idea was thought up by james
Cromb1e and others, an a1r of determinatron settled
over the whole project. The plan was to hike ninety
five km (sixty miles) around the circumference of
Dartmoor National Park. with three km (two miles) of
ascent. inside twenty-four hours. After doing our
sums. we discovered that this would require us to
walk at a qUick pace almost non-stop through the
night. w1th minimal time allowed for breaks. At first,
some of the staff were sceptical about the possibil1ty of
completing such a challenge, though they admrred our
team's enthusiasm. but later they came to believe the
challenge to be just about possible. The po1nt of the
challenge was to make our contribution to the Lent
Term Project, but we wanted to have some fun at the
same t1me. Some m1ght th1nk our interpretation of the
word 'fun', slightly odd. but our trght-knit group of five
Uames Crombie, Ed Knudsen, Nick Bartrum. Mat
Cowan and David Kirk) were up for the challenge.
After some preparation-work involving walk1ng large
chunks of the route to famliianse ourselves w1th the
terrain, the initral route was altered here and there but
rema1ned largely unchanged.
Since boys. girls and staff from the School and from
SSG sponsored our cause generously, the pressure
was on to complete the task in hand.
We slept the night before the walk near the start
of our route, on Dartmoor. This was only possible
due to the kindness of the Lathams. who took us m
and fed us up before the brg event!
We started out at 6pm, on Sunday, 29th August.
2004, moving around Dartmoor anti-clockwise. We
progressed well and the weather was perfect for the
occas1on. During the night, the sky was clear, allowing
the full moon (which we had planned for) to help us
w1th our night-navigation. Everyone was in high
spirits, helped partiCularly by our mobile support
team, whrch supplied us wrth hot drinks and food at
vanous pornts around the moor. manned constantly
by Mr Smrth and Mrs Kirk, along w1th different
members of staff at different times. The preparation
walk1ng proved invaluable in findrng certain junctions
and paths in the dark, though MFW's GPS was also
very useful at times. By dawn on day two, we were
two hours ahead of schedule and things were going
well. Our good fortune. however, was soon to run
out. One of our team members' h1ps began to play
up during one of the part1cularly long legs between
checkpoints. For his safety, we had to slow our pace
right down. By the time we reached the checkpomt,
we were forty-five minutes behind schedule, having
lost our prev1ous massive lead We continued,
however, in the hope of making up for lost time after
dropping off the injured member at the checkpomt.
We did really push the pace hard. which was quite a
challenge when we had already been walking
continually for no fewer than eighteen hours. When
we reached the last checkpoint, time was running out
but our injured member had recovered a little and
rejo1ned our party for the final leg. Again, we dug
deep and walked incred1bly quickly given the
circumstances. but the distance was too great. With
half an hour to go, james Crombie and David Kirk
(supervised by CGBH) made a last push to the finish,
running the last few kilometres. They finished just
twenty minutes past the twenty-four-hour mark, but,
given the circumstances. everyone agreed that the
group had given it the1r best shot and performed
very well. None of our sponsors denied us our
sponsorshtp when we explained the story! When
everyone had fintshed, an enormous wave of relief
rushed over us all. It had been quite an ordeal.
Everybody checked thetr tired feet for blisters and
hot spots, before trying to look energetic for photos!
It must be said that w1thout a number of the staff
givmg up free time in the1r holidays to help out, the
event would not have been possible. Most notably.
without the support and help of MFW, the proJect
would not have got off the ground. Thanks are also
due to Mr Bartrum and a friend of Mr Knudsen, who
accompanied the group the enttre way around
Dartmoor, helping out with nav1gatton and offering
advice when needed.
David Kirk
Hellfire Club
uHeated debate in the Westcote Room. "
The Hellfire Club gives Lower Sixth boys the
opportunity to prepare and deliver a short talk to
their fellow histonans. The topics chosen this year
were wide-ranging and imaginative, with the whole
enterprise being ushered smoothly along by the
ever-resourceful and conscientious Arch1e Mackay
james . whose tactful employment of posters
advertising the event ensured a regular turnout from
a select group of the School's historically-minded
intelligentsia. Dav1d Park set the standard with the
first talk of the season, 1mpressing us with a thorough
and ins1ghtful examination of Bnt1sh imperialistic
action during the Nineteenth and Twentieth
Centunes entitled 'The fall of the old and rise of a
new Bnt1sh Emp1re'. The power-point-aided talk
provoked much discussion, a highlight being the
engagmg showdown of discussion between HWR
and Hab1b Shahbaz1: a stalemate situation arose. and
Archie stepped in to call time on the evenmg's lively
debate. Sticking w1th the theme of 1mperial1sm, Tom
Patterson. Arch1e Mackay-James, Ed Gold and jam1e
Boyd stepped Into the fray w1lh a series of shorter.
more direct talks, all under the banner 'Can the
motives of 1mpenal expansion be JUStified?'
Tom argued that, in the case of the 1066 Norman
invasion, Prince Will1am JUStified hts act1ons by h1s
willmgness to rule as an English King - a well
delivered. if brief, speech. Ed Gold used the example
of the Crusades to give substance to his argument,
attempting to persuade us that they were, ultimately,
not JUStifiable, as lhey came a century after the actual
fall of the Holy Sepulchre. Jamie Boyd then stood to
convey hts views on imperialism, using the case-study
of Napoleonic expans1on. He concluded, in a well
balanced talk, that desp1te an increase in national
pride and content (due to the winning of wars).
Napoleon's selfish motives made it hard to JUStify
such expansion, and that the spreading of ideas by
force was 1mmoral, no matter what the outcome.
Archie declared that British imperialism in Africa was
unJUSt, claimtng a disregard for other cultures and the
use of 'power politics' rendered British activity there
unreasonable. even tn the context of that day and
age. A lively quest1on and answer sess1on followed,
with Goldy responding particularly well to a senes of
challengtng questtons from the likes of HWR. GDR,
PSF and RMW. The only s1gns of real pressure- as a
result of the roasting from the ever-demanding
histo1y-masters - came in the form of sweat-parttcles
on Archie's brow. as the heated debate tn the
Westcott Room came to a climax. Sean McEvoy, T1m
Ballingal and Rhys Brennan d1d School House proud
in speaking eloquently and 1ns1ghtfully abouL the
Crusades and how they benefited the lives of the
people liv1ng 1n Western Europe. A low-down of the
nches and advanced nature of all aspects of life in the
East was given, followed by a view of how the
Europeans would have responded to and ult1mately
adopted some of these customs. Thanks to HWR,
GDR, RMW and PSF for their regular turnout and
enthusiasm. and to all who spoke during the year.
Tim Balltngal
Pringle Trophy
uPyrotechniCs whtch are never available
tn School CCF ttme 11
On 4th and 5th October, e1ghteen Royal Marines
Cadet teams took part 1n the 2003 Pringle Trophy
competition at Lympstone. These teams were from
across Bntam: schools such as Strathallan (from
Scotland) and G1gglesw1ck (from Yorksh1re) show
how far reachmg th1s compet1t1on was. However,
there was one 1mportant element 1n common among
these teams: they had all tramed ngorously for th1s
compet1t1on. and were there to g1ve 1t the1r best
effort. The Sherborne School team tramed at 7am for
four morn1ngs a week for several weeks. and
managed to fit m extra f1rst a1d sess1ons and
luncht1me map-readmg lessons.
The Pnngle Trophy 1tself cons1sts of two days
testing the teams on mil1tary sk1lls, endurance and
dnll. Arrivmg on a Fnday. the teams set up camp in
the sports centre. We set out sleep1ng bags
anywhere we could find on the sports hall floor. After
an introduction to the compet1t1on, the teams
readied their gear and prepared themselves for the
next day.
The first day was centred on military skills: the
cadets were tested on the r sect1on-attacks. battle
exemses. map-reading, first a1d, weapon-handling.
observat1on, camouflage and concealment and fire
control orders. These all took place on Woodbury
common, and most groups were up by 05:30 to get
there for 08:00 The scrutmy was constant. but the
opportunity of really gett1ng mto a m1htary
envwonment was too good to m1ss.
One aspect that has always struck me about the
Pnngle Trophy IS the opportumt1es ava1lable. W e
were ISSued w1th plenty of blank rounds and were
g1ven the opt1ons of smoke grenades and other
pyrotechmcs wh1ch are never available in School CCF
time. So, when we were presented w1th these in
abundance, 1t was a fantastiC change. It gave even a
brief exerc1se a realistic atmosphere.
There was obv1ously great effort and organisation
mvolved m all the stances. They were all made to be
challenging, realistic and good fun. From getting
information about a downed pilot from a foreign
contact (complete with AK 47) to trying to remove
two casualties from a minefield, the scenarios were
wide-ranging and exotmg.
In my op1nion. the highlight of that day was the
battle-exerc1se. where we had to make contact with
a friendly agent (who d1dn't speak much English) and
find out from h1m where we could find our objective.
a wounded pilot shot down by the enemy. We also
had to cross under a 'mmefield' by means of a tunnel
placed 1n a very convenient mud-puddle. On meeting
the agent. we began bargaining. Our team eventually
had to trade a Mars bar for the information. and we
proceeded to follow him to the casualty, who was
domg a fantasLic JOb of shouting his head off. As half
of our group formed a defence and the other began
to apply field dressings to the casualty's realistic hand
wound, an enemy loudspeaker could be heard in the
forest. demand1ng that we surrender the p1lot. When
the enemy could be seen, half the team retreated
w1th the casualty while the other half prov1ded
covenng f1re. Having d1sengaged the enemy. we
moved back to the safe ground w1th the casualty.
whom we proceeded to bandage up
The next day was the dnll, the endurance course
and the onenteenng compet1t1on. The endurance
course was a test of the cadets' mental strength.
show1ng how much gnt they really had, running
through
the
endurance
course
and
all
1ts accompany1ng
tunnels,
four
m1les from
Lympstone. The
orienteenng
was
run
m
tandem with the endurance course, and mvolved
a small team micro navigating to specific po1nts and
then finishmg back at the start.
The drill sect1on took place m the drill shed. and
was all centred on uniform movement and precision,
and the sligh test slip lost vital pomts. It involved a
sect1on being paraded around the shed under
constant inspection.
In the afternoon of the second day was the prize
g1v1ng. The stances all had their wmners, but the
second place pnze went to Malvern and the first
pnze went to Sherborne. The interesting pattern
with the pnzes was that. although Sherborne d1d not
rece1ve any 1nd1v1dual troph1es (desp1te having come
f1rst equal 1n fire-control orders and dnll). we came
consistently high in all the stances, and that is the
reason why Sherborne emerged in the top position.
We received the trophy from General S1r Stuart
Pringle himself, an old Shirburnian. This was an
honour and, combmed with the winning of the
competition, made all the training very much
worthwhile. This was also to be the twentieth and
last 'Pnngle Trophy'; the name is being changed to
'Royal Marines Cadet Competition' for 2004.
Boys involved in the Pringle Trophy: JEH Foster
(capt); JW Dutton; TE Pitt Ford; PO Dillon; LRH De
Watts; ACFPL Hammick; H N Pentecost; SO Sherman;
JT Willasey-Wilsey.
Jim Foster
House Singing
ul was a sm
. ger-songwn.ter. "
- Dav1.d Brent
This year's house singing competition was an exiting
event, if not a bit wild, with a variety of different
musical genres, ranging from The Green's funk
groove rendition of Elton John's Are you ready for
love? to Abbey House's melancholy version of Ave
Moria.
The Green started with their immense anthem by
Elton john setting a euphoric scene for the night. The
song was led superbly by the four semi-clad soloists
at the front of the stage where Charles Wilyman may
have been too shy to strip off but certainly made
himself heard and got some much-needed
experience in his quest to become the winner of Pop
Idol 2008. The Sixth Form led the singing and did
brilliantly to drown out a certain rustic growl, which
had dominated previous rehearsals. However the
true excellence of The Green's effort came in its
superb organisation of both the talented band and
the enthusiastic singers. coordinated by HGCL and
musical genius Nicolas Oxley.
The second contenders were Abbey House with
Ave M o t t O boasting the house's Catholic associations.
Here Abbey not only demonstrated their musical
talents but also kept the audience on the edge of
their seats with its most ferocious beat. The song
started we ll with jason Barnes. Matt Snudden and
David Park in a tremendous three-way before the
rest of the house joined them in the chant while Matt
Snudden orchestrated the entire event. Credit must
go to Matt Snudden who was central to the song and
a special mention is deserved by David Park, who
played the piano and sang and swung so actively. and
Robert Symondson, who was vital on bassoon. In all
it was a good piece, heightened in style by Abbey's
slick mafia-style dress and ability to memorise lines so
effectively.
Next came Wallace, who were apparently
champions of 2001. with Spirit in the Sky by Gareth
Gates. Tristan De Souza headed off the song showing
his singing expertise for the first verse of the song
before the remainder of the House joined him for
the chorus and some interesting swaying where
some of the Third Form looked as though they had
recently been drinking. Perhaps the highlight of the
song or the evening was the cameo role of Wallace's
own jesus Christ whose mere passing across the
stage a few times during the song caused the BSR to
erupt in an orgy of applause. In all it was a good effort
held together by De Souza's singing talent and Mr
Haigh's electric keyboard performance.
Despite copying The Green's outf its, Harper
House's song was still merely average. Ronald Cheng
was riding high during his solo performance and Jack
Milln got a chance to show off his raw, naked musical
talent. However these two couldn't prevent Harper's
downfall as lhe rest of the Houses' efforts at
synchronised clapping were. one could say, varied in
quality. The singing itself of a collection of songs from
Godspell was a fine effort and the only problems
came in the coordination of what was being sung
when in a complex arrangement.
Abbeylands came next w ith You're just too good to
be true. Mr Weston's exit from the House at the
beginning of the academic year has certainly
improved the standard of the singing in Abbeylands.
led by the consistently sw itched-on Mr Bool, as
shown in congregational practice. They started with
a rotating circle which cons1sted of the verse-singers,
whilst the rest of the House lay on their backs
surrounding them and popped up for the chorus.
Both the singing and the choreography were
impressive and at times humorous. Ralph Aiken and
Hugh Yates performed a lustful dance in the
background providing a comic setting to the song;
however, some critics have suggested that even
more humorous was Benjamin Trepess's slide
onstage at the end of the song.
The Digby marched on confident of a victory after
previous years of success. However, before they had
even taken stage the crowd had already performed a
raucous rendition of England's rugby anthem in the
knowledge of the song to come. Therefore Digby's
ow n version of Swing low, sweet chariot was always
going t o struggle. Yet another House copied The
Green's hip style by placing a sweaty foursom e
scrummaged at the front of stage and they led with
volume. perhaps a little too much volume in Theo
Crutcher 's case. The anthem was loud and
ambitiously carried out and this could have been one
of its downfalls. The song ended on a high note with
an original, if not a little cliched, finger click. Crispin
Vollers' direction held the piece together and his
technique looks much-improved - clearly his extra
lessons are paying off.
Lyon entered next, angry to have missed out on
victory in previous years, with Billy joel's In the middle
ofthe night. Lyon donned suits, sunglasses and slicked
hair for the number where W ilson Cheng's direction
and piano-playing skills were fundamenta l alongside
Gash Mbizvo's constant beat on the cymbal. showing
improvement from his earlier days. The catchy tune
accompanied by non-stop dancing made Lyon's song
so successful, but the entertainment was definitely
heightened by Tom Hewitson's moonwalk across
stage. Lyon finished the song well, ambitiously singing
the chorus repeatedly in diminuendo and crescendo
-this was we ll-undertaken and brought an
atmospher ic end to the piece.
The final piece was School House's stirring effort at
re-creating the magic of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.
Here there was a delay before the boys were ready
to perform their great masterpiece; unfortunate ly
not everything went according to plan. The song
started well wit h Ollie Madley singing a solo:
however most people couldn't fully appreciate the
music as they were transfixed by the bright pair of
tight. lime green jeans on display in Freddie Mercury
style. The extreme costumes didn't end there as
David Kirk wore a delightful pink leotard and let's not
even get started with Rhys Brennan. The large error
came when the electnc guitars were due to kick in
but however well Sean McEvoy played his guitar, the
huge riff just didn't sound great - this was probably
because the guitar wasn't actually switched on. Even
KLM got involved, playing a humorous vignette role,
entering as the boys chanted the words. 'Miss Millar
no, we w ill not let you go!' The song was ended by
another solo given by David Kirk, whose voice was
commented on by the judge - the Head of Music at
Radley - as being superb, and bought the song and
the whole competition to gent le, sombre end.
Result: I. Lyon, 2. Abbey, 3. Abbey lands, 4. The Green
(robbed)
Henry Butt and Rupert Howland-Jackson
Jenny and Jon welcome you to
The Grange at Oborne
Hotel & Restaurant
This small privately owned hotel and restaurant provides a very individual and professional service
visitors and guests - those that are new and those that return year after year.
AA 3 Star- Visit Britain 3 Star and a Silver Award- RAC 3 Star and 2 Dining Awards
The Grange at Oborne, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4LA
Telephone: 01935 813463 Fax: 01935 817464
Email: reception@thegrange .co.uk www. thegrangeato borne.co. uk
to
all
CCF Contingent Camp
Nescliff, Shropshire
uSw1tched on and intelligent. "
The CCF Contingent Camp this year was enJoyable
and highly successful. With just three Officers, two
(cadet) NCOs and
twelve cadets, the
Sherborne
School
Contingent proved to
be
effective
and
competitive
despite 1ts relatively
small s1ze. We came
first in the I n t e r contingent
competition for our
week (beating ten
other
schools' contingents).
In
the competition
tidinesswere
of our
living
we
assessed
areas,
athe
timed run, a
on
shoot, and an assault
course. We were
awarded an Impressive 49/50 marks for the
cleanliness of our accommodation - we made all our
beds identically with hospital corners! The blankets
on each bed came up to precisely the same place on
the bed, and the amount of sheet shown was also
standardised. Due to the time-consummg nature of
this preparation. over half of us made our beds the
evening before the Inspection and slept on the floor
1n our sleeping-bags so that we wouldn't have to
make them again at 6.20 the followmg morning! Such
was the dedication of the boys' In the run we
outpaced all of the other schools by a decent margin,
completing the 4.5 km route as a group in just
twenty-eight minutes. In the shoot (on a SAT
[simulated] shooting range), we averaged 22 points
out of a possible 25, securing a joint first place 1n this
part of the competition. We also came firsl in the
Assault Course, though the school which came
second took just ten seconds longer than us to
complete the circuit.
We enjoyed ourselves in the kayaks and Canadian
Canoes, though there were less enjoyable aspects to
the day too (such as having to swim in the freezing
water out to a point. under a kayak and back to
shore. to prove we could swim, and capsize-drills
which. again to our collective horror. meant ducking
completely underwater for another good ten
seconds!). The instructors who took us for the day
were impressed with us, our enthusiasm. and our
w1llingness to follow them in line-dancing in front of
a sizeable audience (members of the general public)
repeatedly chanting phrases like 'Eh-oh' and 'GET
ORFF MY LAND!'
li
Another day was spent abseiling and rock
climbing. This was popular, the climax berng a couple
of abseils each down a
one-hundred-andtwenty-eight- foot
vertical rock face. For
those
who'd
not
abseiled before, and
for many of those
who had, th1s was
a daunting prospect,
but everyone got to
gnps
with
1l
and
descended
without
any
problems. For old
hands, particularly JRS,
BJS, Stuart Kennon
and Timothy Crowley.
the abseil was an
entirely
pleasurable
experience!
In our free time, we happily whiled away hours
over the course of the week, socialising w1th a group
of rather attractive gwls from RHS (The Royal
Hospital School, Holbrook. near lpsw1ch). This may
have made us slightly unpopular with some of the
boys from RHS, but we got on well with some of
them too! RHS people meritmg special mention are
Bosher (their Contingent Cdr), Alice, Claire and
Daisy, w1th all of whom some at least of us have kept
1n touch. Some friendly rivalry was generated
between the two schools but, needless to say,
Sherborne was victorious in almost all cases!
One afternoon we went into Shrewsbury and
another was spent on mountain bikes riding around
the training area at high speeds until we found a
suitable spot to have a barbecue. Linked in with th1s
were a few games of 'forty-fo1iy'. Cpl Kirk's efforts in
successfully reaching the minibus and freeing all the
captives 1n each of the four games is to be
commended.
On Military Day, we were instructed in bayonet
training, grenade-drill and anti-ambush drills, as well
as practising Section Attacks. We were transported to
and from the training area 1n a convoy of four-tonne
trucks. On the return journey, two of the girls from
RHS were put m the back of our truck with us and,
by the looks on their faces when they got off. I think
they thought our rugby chants, which we performed
as loudly as possible, were a little strange!
Finally, the two-day exercise, a time to put into
practice many of the skills we had learned and
practised over the course of the week, was excellent.
OUI- enemies were the stealthy and skilful Lt Storey
and Sgt Kennon, who together formed the 'GRA', or
Ginger Rebel Army. They attacked twice in the night
forcing us to flee. but revenge was ours by the end
of the second day, when we had hunted down the
enemy force. Sgt Kennon was run down by Cpl Kirk
and his fire-team. and made a POW briefly before
being let loose again, back into hostile territory.
The Sherborne School contingent. led by Cpl Kirk,
was described as 'hard core' by other schools and
'switched on and intelligent' by instructors. This
could have had something lo do with the fact that
every morning, voluntarily (as a contingent) we did
early morning PT. getting up al 6am1Other schools
did try to copy us after the first few mornings, but
none of them got up so early or trained for as long
as us. Otherwise, it might have had something to do
with the exhausting 'trim-trail' circuit which Storey
and Kirk, and later others, learned to love.
Thanks must go to Lt Sunderland, Lt Storey, 2 Lt
Malcolm and Sgt Kennon for all the hard work they
pul
into
the
preparation,
administration
and organisation of the camp. All Lhe boys
enjoyed themselves thoroughly and many are
looking forward to attending again next year!
David Kirk
Conttngent Camp Nominal Roll:
Officers: Lt Ben Sunderland (i/c), Lt John Storey,
2 Lt Stuart Malcolm
NCOs: Sgt S Kennon, Cpl D Kirk
Cadets: N Bartrum, T Crowley, R Cumming,
L De Watts, K Dorey, C Duncan, C Hallam,
M Skipsey, E Willasey-Willsey. A Aroskin,
A Latham, R Sworder
The Inaugural Stephen Lawn
Memorial Lecture: PAJ Cordingley
uReligious intolerence is still a major problem even tn Europe. "
The family of Stephen Lawn, the Old Shirburnian
tragically killed in the terrorist attack on the World
Trade Centre two years ago, chose to honour
Stephen in Sherborne by setting up lectures to take
place on September lith each year. With the issues
of religious tolerance and international terrorism at
the forefront of current affa1rs, 1t was fitting that the
first lecture was to discuss these ideas.
The speaker for the first of these lectures was
Major General PAJ Cordingley, OS, somebody who is
undoubtedly familiar to many.
Hav1ng led a
distinguished career in the Army, serving, in
particular, 1n Iraq and Bosnia, he now combines a
variety of smaller jobs (He commentated for Radio
four on the Today Show during the recent Iraq
conflict) and is a very well-respected voice within the
m1litary world.
It would have been understandable if the mood
was somewhat downbeat, but Cordingley refused to
be. He opened by amusing us with some anecdotes
from his time at Sherborne, when, he explained. the
Downside match was quite literally a bloodbath.
However, if the School was seen to be single-minded
in its rugby, it was even more so when it came to
religion.
In divin1ty they were taught about
Christianity only - for all the eighteen-year-aids
Cordingley knew when he left Sherborne, there was
only one religion!
The first Gulf War was all about different religions,
and seemed to have been an educating experience
for Cordingley, who found himself in charge of one
hundred and fifty tanks. The British troops took
thew religion with them, holding serv1ces in the
desert. Religion may well be the cause of many wars,
but even when it IS not the cause, it usually plays a
fundamental part in the soldiers' lives when engaged
in conflict. The conflict, which killed over twenty
thousand people, has obviously had an impact on
Cordingley and he questioned whether
this number of casualties would ever be reached in
the Middle East again during the course of one
conflict.
The Bosn1an conflict's roots were religious. With
potential
problems
everywhere.
war
such
a diverse
range oflay
ethnic
groups in theThe
country,
showed that religious intolerance is still a major
problem even in Europe. In this religious war, two
hundred thousand people perished, and two million
were made homeless. As Cordmgley noted, there
are still problems in that area - why, he asked, had
the Bosnian Muslims decided to spend the money
given to them by the Saudi princes to build a mosque
in central Sarajevo, amongst bullet-ridden apartment
blocks? Was this the best way to spend the money?
Lessons need to be learned, and people need to be
educated as soon as possible.
Cordingley went on to describe what he saw as
the immensely unsuccessful campaign the Ame ricans
waged on Afghanistan. As yet no evidence has been
found to support either of the last two American
wars and, as he explained, they have only served to
damage America's reputation throughout the world.
Does the USA really want Iraq to be free? Can it be
a democracy? It took us a hundred years to warm to
a democratic system - how can we expect it to
happen in two years? Is it even right, he asked, for
the West to simply impose our systems throughout
the wor ld?
He finished with the shockmg fact that no fewer
than fifty million have died as a result of war since
1945. His solution - taken from his own experience
- was to educate all youngsters throughout the
world about different religions and teach them to be
tolerant. He said that this would be a most fitting
legacy to Stephen, and one could not argue. His
words were carefully chosen and tackled sensitive
issues intelligently; it was a pleasure to listen to Major
General Cordingley.
Henry May
Stuart Hargreaves Prize
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
uwe gamed a huge amount from this trip as actors, and perhaps more importantly, as people. "
What do a famous television presenter (or that
random guy from T4's 'Popworld', who claims to be
funny), some 'Creatures 1n Cream ' and your current
Head of School clambering into bed with a lice
infested, bearded Mexican backpacker have in
common? No, this isn't my twisted fantasy. but some
of the more interesting moments which arose during
our exhilarating Edinburgh Fringe extravaganza!
Maybe I'm going too fast. W hat I'm trying to tell
you about is the incredibly enriching tr ip taken to
Edinburgh's Fringe Festival in August, 2003, after
winning the Stuart Hargreaves Drama Prize. Stuart
was the former head of drama here at Sherborne,
who sadly passed away in the summer holidays four
years ago. He is greatly missed by his colleagues and
pupils alike. That is why we hoped t hat we could
help to commemorate his role in School life by
making the best use of this award kindly left in his
memory.
We set off in the early hours of a late August
morning, having camped at Gatwick Airport for the
best part of the night before. While we could
describe this accommodation as 'open plan', I
wouldn't recommend this owing to the lack of en
suite facilities. beds, privacy and pretty much anything
else that you could wish for including any member of
British Airways' 'helpful' team! The previous night's
production of the play Tope in London's Soho had
been...well, let's just say less than memorable ...and
we were looking forward to what Edinburgh had to
offer - apart from kilts and haggis. Tired and
dishevelled. we both craw led onto the plane for our
short hop up north. Unfortunately, Nick had had
somewhat too much of a good t ime the night before.
trying to forget that woeful performance of the
previous evening. Regrettably, the sig h t - and smell
of BA's lukewarm brekkie, sent him reeling into the
a1sle, taking an unsuspecting passenger and her
breakfast with him, meriting some odd looks from
the stewardess!
Moving swiftly on, we were fortunate enough to
squeeze in twelve shows, and even saw one more
than once. The standard and quality of the theatre on
offer was breathtaking. Our trip encapsulated all
genres of theatre: from drama and thrillers to
comedy and improvisation and even a one-woman
extravaganza. Howeve r, it would be unfair to
describe every performance as A+. Despite an
int riguing blurb and title, Sex was not all it was
cracked up to be, meriting our premature escape
from the dire production. Not recommended.
However, this was countered by the talents
extraordinaire of the Chicago-based 'CarniKid '
t heatre company whose completely improvised
show Choirs was second to none at the Fringe. The
advantage of an improv group is that any one night
will be totally different from the last. This company
travels to Edinburgh every year and is highly
recommended, and would most certainly be our
highlight of the week. Also, the play Thin Walls,
expertly acted by one American woman, is a must
see. W ho ever thought that an eighteen-stone
mental
patient could
beggingbefor soherhilarious?
medicationSome
to
be
changed
lowlights included the play Hordcore, which still
gives me nightmares now. We were all relieved to
escape before any 'audience participation' was
required I
As vtrgtns to the Fringe, some inexperienced
'fumbling 1n the dark' was reqUJred...with regard to
accommodation, that is! Staymg at the festtval can be
an expens1ve expenence. However. we booked early
and parted w1th only L 160 on am val at the
'Caledonian Backpackers' Hostel'. This was relattvely
central to the Royal M1le - the heart of the Fringe and provided easy access to the life and soul of the
oty. We were placed tn a six-person dorm, whiCh was
certatnly d1fferent to any dorm I've ever slept 1n. Stnce
we were the only native speakers - seemtngly in the
entwe establishment - sleeptng arrangements were
confused to say the least. After the experiences of
our red-eye flight. we were both ready to grab a few
hours' kip on arnval. N o such luck! Reuben did not
bank on sharing his creaking bunk bed w1th someone
called Senor Sanchez, who was - although rather
tired and disorientated - an unwelcome bedfellow.
Introducing our new friend Sanchez to the standard
Roman numerals on each bed, which correspond to
each ticket, soon rectified the problem. We soon
became unpopular, however, with our roommates,
consistently stumbling in 1n the early hours of the
morning. Well, who can blame us for try1ng to make
the most of our Fringe expenence!
Of course, there is so much more to Edinburgh
during festtval t1me. The n1ghtlife plays an integral
role. Although some plays took up the early evening.
th1s c1ty only seems to wake up at about midnight.
That's a good twelve hours before the next day's
shows start. Of course we took advantage - all 1n
moderation of course! Many bars latd on ltve mus1c
from qUJte random bands each evening. We were
lucky enough to spend a couple of days of our tnp
with Fergus Thompson and Harry Lucas (AKA Plum,
who had a few 'hatry' drinktng experiences). Fergus
also tried h1s hand at betng a bouncer. N o wonder
the six-foot-four th1rty-year-old took offence at be1ng
asked for ID by the wee ladd1e. Enough said!
In conclusion, what we d1d vaned from engaging in
thought-provoktng, senous drama to the p1cktng up
of and the runntng away from three rogue thirty
year-old Canad1an make-up art1sts - don't ask! We
feel we gained a huge amount from th1s trip as actors,
and perhaps more importantly, as people. It is only
left for us to say that we cannot recommend enough
applytng for this grant. It has opened up for us a
world wh1ch we could never have tmagtned.
Whether you go to the Fringe, or to New York (as
last year's winner Dave P-W did) we hope that 1t is
both as useful and enjoyable as The Stuart
Hargreaves Prize was for us.
Thrs text rs adapted from talk grven 1n BSR to the school
by the two wmners of the pnze
Nick Francts and Reuben Aitken
tudy Tour to Rome
((Peerless works on panel and canvas. "
At 8.40am in February. 2004. thirty art students set
out for the Reppublica Hotel in Rome. The main
contmgent of the group came from the Sixth Form.
and we all looked forward to the brief but vibrant
vistt to the anCient city.
As soon as we arrived. we were absorbed by the
un1que h1storical culture and so we were eager to get
underway. Although visiting up to four museums a
day might not at first seem the most exciting
prospect for a half-term. the fact was that. for the
most part, this was most students' second or even
thtrd tour w1th the Art School. The Art Department
has a un1que way of getting us up every morntng at
7.00am and managtng to unveil the magic of the
galleries to even the most fat1gued of students!
Our first visit was that very eventng and AJS led us
to the Trevt Fountatn. The flowing water over the
magnificent Roman sculptures creates a very
romanttc feel, and this obviously had an effect on
Paris Kennard, who bought a rose and offered i t to a
young Italian girl in exchange for a kiss. After about
two minutes of trying to understand each other,
there was finally a romantic moment. Next on the
agenda for that evening was the visit t o the Spanish
Steps, where we were able to view true Roman
culture at it s finest: the great throngs bustling in the
street, and groups of people of all ages gathered on
the Steps. The Steps were really quite impressive.but
walking all the way up t hem the day after the cross
count ry is certainly not healthy!
T he group then retired to a restaurant near the
hotel and. after a typical Italian meal of either pasta or
pizza, we were allow ed to acdimatise ourselves t o
the city and explore t he surrounding areas.
The next day, we set off for the Vatican Museum,
its vast interio r filled with peerless works on panel
and canvas as we ll as th e timeless pieces by
Michelangelo and Raphael. But I was most impressed
by the Sistine Chapel, w h ich in many ways is
overwhelmmg because of the intricate detail and
sheer complexity of the architectural detail. After
lunch, we prepared ourselves for a visit to St. Peter's,
with which no one was disappointed. This perfect
setting for Michelangelo's affecting Pieta amazed us
all.
The Museo e Galleria Borghese IS effectively th e
Italian Natio nal Gallery, and the next morning we
travelled to the centre of Rome to see its collectton
m 1ts beautiful setting. The collection contain s
masterpreces by Michelangelo, Caravaggio and Tittan.
Th1s study of the Renaissance and Baroque periods
was ended when after lunch we paid a visit to the
Galleria
Nazionale
d'Arte
Moderna
e Contemporanea. Th1s IS the greatest collection
of Italian artists' work in Rome dat1ng from the
1800's
up to the present day. Nearby. we found the Italian
version of the Tate Modern housed in a radial
building conversion. MACRO was a small collectton
of modern art w1th a host of projection and pa1nt1ng.
all of which was inspiring. After an action-packed day,
i t came as a relief to us all to learn that the evenmg
meal was the final thing on our schedule!
On the penultimate day. we visited the Capttoline
Museums, the world's first public museum housed in
a suite of palaces designed by Michelangelo. The
collectio n contains highly-regarded, important works
from the ancient world. To our great pleasure, we
discovered that we had the afternoon off to go
shopping, and i t was then that Bobby Vining bought
his infamous boots which at the time looked good,
but had effectively crippled him by the end of t he
tnp.
On the final day, we explored t he city in groups some went to the flea market and o thers to various
galleries. There was only so much of the city that we
could see in fou r days, but everyone left for the
airport satisfied.
The Art Study Tour to Rome was beneficial In very
many ways, and our thanks go to AJS, MJG and the
rest of the Art School team for 1ts organisation. The
Art Tnp. as usual, was stimulatmg. memorable and
something which I am sure t he Art School will repeat
again and again.
jack Little
Interview with DSS
Ketth Tse mvervtewed Davtd Smart on hts ttme at Sherborne School.
KT Why d1d you come to thts school in 1967?
DSS. The 1960s saw the begmnmg of maJOr changes
1n the teach1ng of Mathemattcs 1n thts country wtth
the development of 'modern mathematics' courses.
As Sherborne was one of the schools 1nvolved tn
ptoneenng these changes, I
thought that tt would be a
good place to start my teachtng
career,
KT: You were
Head of
Mathematics from 1972 to
1987. What changes dtd you
bnng tnto th1s school 1n terms
of MathemattcsJ
DSS: As a department we
worked closely with the School
Mathematics ProJect (SMP) so
were able to be tnvolved 1n the
development.
wnttng and
testtng of some of the new
textbooks . We had to tnclude
m our teachtng a few new
topics as well as embraong a
w1der range of teachtng and learnmg strategtes. The
development of technology m the 1970s meant that
the calculator replaced the sltde rule and the
computer the calculat1ng machtne, so more reahsttc
work tn stattStiCS and numerical analysts was possible.
My expenence as a Mathematics tutor wtth the Open
Un1versity gave me further 1deas and approaches,
w hich I was able to tncorporate into the
departmental schemes of work.
KT Havmg been a MathematiCs teacher tn thts school
for so many years, have you notiCed any changes tn
the mterest 1n. and standard of. mathemattcs?
DSS: Dunng my years at Sherborne there has always
been a cons1derable mterest tn mathemattcs and 1t
has been a popular A-level subject Whtle nattonally
the
number
of
candtdates
studying
Further MathematiCs has been decreastng, we have
been able to mamtatn the tradttton of 'double
mathematics' (w1th two other A-level subjects) in
School. I am sure that today's students do not
have the same competence
and
abtltty
wtth
mathemattcal techntques
as thetr
predecessors. but they probably have a wtder grasp
of the basts of what they are studytng and can
employ a more nextble approach towards thetr
study of the subject.
KT: You were D1rector of Studies from 1985 to 2004.
What changes have you noticed in terms of academ1a
in the School?
DSS: I have occastonally been referred to as Dtrector
of 'Change' as dunng my ttme as Director of Stud1es
I have seen maJor and rad1cal changes to both the
curnculum and exammat1on system The Nat1onal
Curnculum, 1n wh1ch the government took a greater
role in d1ctating what was bemg taught than
prev1ously, was 1ntroduced in 1986 Th1s was the f1rst
maJor curnculum rev1ew in th1s country for many
years. but fortunately as
Independent school we were
an
not requ1red to follow 1t
exactly (though we had to
follow the national syllabuses
in each subject). so we
developed
our
own
Lower School curnculum, the
first of several revtews w1th
which I was 1nvolved. The
Nat1onal
Curnculum
tntroduced
new syllabuses.
new
exam1nat1ons (GCSE
replaced
0-level)
and
coursework all changes wh1ch
made us recons1der our
methods of teach1ng. The
subsequently
to
change
from 0-Levelled
to GCSE
the rev1s1on of many of the Alevel syllabuses so that there
would
be conttnUtty of study. Further changes I had to deal
wtth were the 1ntroduct1on of the 'half A-level'. the
AS (Advanced Supplementary) exammation. the new
A* grade at GCSE and two more revisions of GCSE.
Then. during the 1990s, Lord Dearing conducted a
maJOr review of the 16- 19 provision. which led to
Curriculum 2000 and the current AS/A2 structure.
One aspect of all these changes that saddens me is
that practising teachers have had relatively little
1nfluence and the new systems have largely been the
work of profess1onal administrators.
KT. What do you th1nk of the 1ntroduct1on of the
new AS/A2 system? Do you th1nk that it IS benefioal
to A-level studentsJ
-
- - -
DSS: The key features of the A5;A2 system are that 1t
1s modular and the f1rst three modules lead to the
new AS (Advanced Subs1d1ary) qualification. whtch
many students take 1n the Lower Sixth. I can
appreoate that the government w1shes to provtde
the opportunity for those students who did not
succeed 1n the former A-level system. to gam a lower
qualification. but I don't thtnk that 1t has been helpful
to our students. Also. the modular structure is not
necessanly appropnate for all subjects. I feel that the
basrc problem here. as tn the other structures we
have. is the assump lion that one system fits all
subjecls. One of the aims of the AS/A2 structure was
to encourage greater breadth of study in the Sixth
Form. It probably had the opposite effect with us, as
we were not able to continue wtth our successful
General Studtes programme. However. my main
concern is that there are now too many public
exammations, and 'examination fatigue' is common
in many schools. When I was involved in one of the
Deanng consultation meetmgs in 1998 I was 1n a
m1nority when I suggested that schools were in
danger of becom1ng examination factories, a v1ew
that gets much more support today. So, as far as the
majority of students at this school are concerned, I do
not think that the new AS/A2 system 1s benefic1al.
is that today, with the more exarnrnation-based
AS/A2 system, fewer boys and girls are Involved 1n
jo1nt courses. I feel that the JOint A-level courses are
valuable for both schools because they increase the
range of subjects available. The JOint societies.
sem1na1· groups and rnterv1ew sessions also
contribute pos1t1vely to the links between our
schools. I am sure that 1t 1s benefioal for both schools
to work closely together where possible.
KT: What do you th1nk of the academic lrnk between
this school and Sherborne School for Girls?
KT: Do you have any plans for the future after you
have retired?
DSS: This school has had academic links w1th SSG
since the 1970s when a JOint General Studies
programme was established. It provided a very
successful and varied programme. One of the ironies
DSS: I don't know! I will wait until I have retired
before committing myself to new activities. but I will
certainly continue my work with the International
Baccalaureate and perhaps do some more wnting.
Crete 2004
uThe night-life was fantastic.
Our adventure began in the early hours of the
morning at Gatwick Airport half asleep. The mood in
the camp was buoyant and there was a great sense
of anticipation as we took off for Athens Airport.
Since Greece had won Euro 2004 the day before, the
atmosphere in Athens was electric and we thought
we might have made it onto TV since there were so
many cameras there.
From there we embarked from the port of Piraeus
for the long journey across the Aegean. The evening
sunshine on the open water was a great start to the
holiday. As we arrived, there was almost a stampede
as the doors opened in Hania and the crowd rushed
for the taxis. Armed with only a phrase-book, you
could say the communication was a little difficult at
first. with none of us able to speak a word of Greek.
We were soon ushered into one of the silver
Mercedes. the more expensive type of taxi which the
Greek people were not taking. Eventually we arrived
at our first destination in Hania under the name of
Pension Lena. The owner of the apartment was very
welcoming and the place was more than adequate
with the highlight of a Turkish bath m the basement!
After acclimatising. we decided to explore the
nightlife around the harbour. There were a number
of very interesting clubs and bars but we found a
very reasonable bar down a local back-street. There
was real sense of achievement and rel1ef as we
settled down for the first of many Cretan beers.
We were kept very busy during our stay in Hania
and spent much of the first day exploring the area.
We took in sights such as the ancient Turkish
mosque. which is a promment sight on the harbour
front. We also took this opportumty to buy some
early essentials from the local supermarket, which
we found to be easily the cheapest way to eat in
Crete. We explored some of the more cultural back
street shops purchasmg some traditional beads,
which we had seen most of the Cretan men wielding
outside their tavernas. George also, rather
worryingly, took keen interest in a handcrafted
Cretan axe, which left us watching our backs for the
rest of the holiday! After consistent nagging from
George, we soon v1sited the Naval Museum on the
harbour-front, which was much larger than we had
expected and kept us occupied for the afternoon.
After th1s, we headed off to take a closer look at the
lighthouse. which dominates Hania's harbour,
ensuring that we stopped to look at Crete's oldest
anchor, which was in pride of place outside the Naval
Museum. In the middle of our stay we thought it was
a suitable time to depart for the Samaria Gorge. This.
however, meant an early rise followed by a two-hour
journey
through the
rugged Mediterranean
landscape. The gorge was enormous and we hardly
managed to make any distance into it owing to the
JJ
scorching heat. On our final day we surrendered to
the heat and took another two-hour coach journey
to Elafonissos. a glorious white sand beach found on
the west coast. This was a real highlight of the holiday
as we snorkelled, swam and played Frisbee for most
of the day. Now we really felt we were on holiday!
Unfortunately. our five days in Hania passed in a
flash and we soon found ourselves on a coach
heading for our second location. Rethymnon. On
arrival, we stepped off the air-conditioned coach and
were again hit by the heat. As a result we were all
keen to find our accommodation as soon as possible
and before George's t -shirt became completely
drenched. Although we had three geography
students in our midst. this wasn't going to be easy!
After forty minutes of wandering through back
streets. Niall and Charlie finally admitted we were
lost and AS geography had failed us. but we managed
to find a taxi and headed of for our accommodation.
On arrival we were met by a large concrete tower
and a Greek man called Manos whose grasp of the
English language. although better than our grasp of
his own, was a little bit thtn and all that he could tell
us was 'you will be very much more comfortable
here'. The tower was situated in the new area of the
city and the room. whtch became known
affectionately as the 'concrete dungeon', was no
better than the building. But we had a talk and
decided a trip into the old part of the city would be
the solution to the problems and. sure enough,
within an hour we had found a small apartment on
the sea-front of the old city, which was actually
cheaper than the 'concrete dungeon'. So we moved
in and went to see what the c1ty had to offer.
Rethymnon was a great city with thriving back
streets and restaurants lining the sea-front, the view
only being spoiled by the developed area, which we
were glad to have escaped from. The prices in
restaurants were so reasonable that we ended up
eating out for most of our meals and making friends
wit h most of the restaurant-owners, wh ich we soon
found meant free raki - and we are still not sure
whether that was a good thing! On the back of their
Euro 2004 success, the Greeks were keen to
challenge us to a game of football on the beach. We
soon found out that Greek men. aside from being
extremely tanned and hairy, felt no pain in their feet.
As a result, Charlie's arrogant taunts were blown
away and we were left hopping as the sand singed
the soles of our feet. But the undoubted highlight of
the trip was going to see the Olympic flame
ceremony in the Fortezza and the parade through
the city streets. It was good to have a I st XV prop
with us for the occasion. as when we entered the
castle where the flame was being lit, the crowd
quickly developed into a serum. As a result, we
thought we'd have a qUick look, take some photos
and escape for a11-: But we ended up standtng tn the
tntense heat. walttng for the tncessant stngtng and
danong to cease and for flame to be lit. Later that day
we purchased some outhenrtc Greek orange li-loes,
and dectded to spend a few hours in the tranquillity
of the emerald waters. Charlte, however. found tt
unusually difficult to get back on, having been pushed
off by an enormous Albanian man tn a thong.
just past the halfway-point tn our trip we arnved
in Agios Nikolaos, a beauttful harbour town, which
not only sat on the sea, but surrounded a man-made
lake, whtch made the town a beautiful spectacle at
night. Our accommodation was situated tn a small
cluster of buildings just outstde the town tn the
barren countryside, but was perfectly positioned,
betng only five minutes from the beach. As a result.
this was the most relaxed part of the tnp, and we
often found ourselves playing cards on our terrnce
late in the afternoon. When we dtd venture into
town, we found it to be a thriving tounst-cenlre,
with plenty of shops, allowing us to partake tn some
senous present-shopptng. We also vtstted a small El
Greco exhtbttton 1n a small Cretan gallery, allowing
Charlie and Zeddy to explOit their knowledge of the
history of art. George and I were left just nodding and
smiling. The ntghtltfe tn Agtos Ntkolaos was very
relaxed, but there were many bars and restaurants to
choose from as they lined both the harbour and the
lake. all offering great food and drink. On our final
day in Agtos Ntkolaos, we took the opportuntty
offered by the local bus-service to vtstt the anoent
Minoan rums a few miles outside the oty. We really
got a great feel for how anctent civilisatton operated,
desptte much of the oty betng made up of knee-high
walls.
For our final two days tn Crete, we vtsited
Hersonisos. where we stayed tn a small and friendly
complex run by a young Engltsh couple. Since the
complex was some dtstance from Hersontsos. we
were able to enJOY a huge and virtually deserted
beach. allowing Charlte to practtce hts place-kicks
without caustng any mortal damage to unsuspecting
tounsts. The complex also had a great pool where
we were able to teach George to swtm and relax
with a cold drink and something to eat. The night-ltfe
was fantastic in Hersontsos. but espeoally tn Malta
(the town next door), where we suspected the
English had had some influence, gtven away by the
subtle advertisement on one parttcular restaurant for
'Beans on Toast' and the appearance of several
penalty shoot-out competttions ltntng the street.
Charlie, after much deltberatton, decided that he
would definitely be able to slot the ball past the
keeper and w in the bottle of champagne. Despite the
lack of Cretan culture in this part1cular area, the
night-ltfe was thnving and exciting, with a huge street
lined only wtth bars and clubs, maktng it practically
tmposstble to drag Charlie away.
We were absolutely gutted when the trip home
finally came and at thts ttme of reflection we realised
what a great ttme we had had and how well we had
succeeded as totally tndependent travellers.
Ntall Scott-Underdown, George jerram , Charlie
Wilyman and Zeddy Seymour
Rome, The Sorrento Peninsular
and the Amalfi Coast
uwe enJoyed ottemptrng co speak Ito/ion. "
On our travel grant, we - Sam Cooke, Alex Peat,
Nick Howe and Dave Kirk - specifically wanted to get
a real feel for Italy. As a result, we agreed that it
would be a good tdea to spend two full weeks in Italy.
We based ourselves tn Sorrento Uust south of
Naples) for the first week and in Rome for the
second.
Though
we
planned
to
see
many archaeological sttes. museums and the
like, we wanted to stick around in one area for a
reasonable length of time, to soak up the atmosphere
properly.
We left Sam's house in London at 4.20 am, to
make sure we got to the airport and through
passport-control in time to catch the aeroplane.
which took off shortly before 6.00 am. When we
arrived at Naples Airport and got off the aeroplane,
we were greeted by a huge wave of heat. We had
arrived. During the flight we had flicked through the
in-flight magazine and we bought a 'chocolate
scented fluffy bunny' which we named Cedrick. We
made htm our mascot for the trip, and he features in
many of our photos as a result!
We took a bus from the airport. It seemed forever,
though i t took less than two hours to wind our way
down the coast to Sorrento. After asking locals for
dtrections and eventually finding our hotel. we
checked in and hauled our (now seemingly very
heavy) luggage up the six flights of stairs t o our room
at the very top of the building. At first we weren't
too keen on this. but soon warmed to the idea when
we dtscovered we had the luxury of a large roof
balcony. After unpacking and relaxing for a while, we
changed and went swimming in the sea - just two
minutes' walk from our room.
Predictably, the weather was fantastic for the
duration of the trip - even after dark. while chatting
on the balcony late into the night. if you were
wearing anything more than a t-shirt on your top
half, you were uncomfortably hot.
During the first week. when we were travelling
around the Sorrento Peninsular and the Amalfi
Coast. we visited Capri. a small island about eight
miles south west of Sorrento. Capri was the island
where the Emperor Tibenus (40BC-37AD) had his
res1dence. A surprising amount is still intact and
walk1ng around the remains was fascinating. We also
saw the 'Arco Naturale.' a huge natural stone arch,
and the 'Faraglioni'. some enormous stacks ris1ng
some 350ft vertically from the sea. We enjoyed an
excellent lunch w it h a stunning view of t he Marina
Grande bay and the sea. We all agreed that though
Capri was busy and full of tounsts during the day, at
n1ght 1t would have been an amaztng place to stay.
Pompeii and Herculaneum were 1mpress1ve
(Herculaneum was sl1ghtly more manageable, be1ng a
quarter of the s1ze of Pompe1i), though the general
consensus of op1nion was that the long climb up
Vesuv1us wasn't qUite as rewarding as one m1ght
have hoped for (though on a clear day the views
from the top would have been marvellous).
It was a long journey to and from Cumai (a 90minute train journey into Naples, a metro journey
out to Pozzuoli, then a bus to the 'Cuma' (Cumai)
area and then a fifteen-minute walk on foot to the
actual ruins). The return journey, of course, was the
above in reverse order. The ruins (scovt) at Cumai
were interest 1ng and seeing the Cave of the Sibyl
made the journey worth it.
During a day-trip to Naples, we visited the
National Archaeo logical Museum, w hich had an
extensive range of excavat ions and artefacts (usually
the better quality ones, or the more interesting ones)
collected from, among o ther places, Pompeii and
Herculaneum. The museum was vast and we saw the
famous mosa1cs kept there.
Paeslum was a very long way away from Sorrento,
but again well worth the JOUrney. Among other ruins,
three vast temples still stand, some thirty metres
across and up to sixty metres back, with all of their
columns still proudly upright.
During the evenings, we m1xed with the local
population and ate out in a variety of differe nt
restaurants. Afterwar ds, we entertained those
present at a particular bar by jo ining in with the
karaoke! Our renditions of such timeless classics such
as
Robbie
Williams' Angels
will live in our
memories
for
many years to
come!
A fter
an
acti o n - pac k ed
week
down
south.
checked
our
one very central, just off the Campo de' Fiori. After
find1ng our way there. we collapsed for a while from
the exhaustion of our travels and the h1ke across
Rome from the Roma Termini station.
In Rome there was a lot to see. The Flavian
Amph itheatre. or Colosseum, was the obvious site
to visit. We also saw the Pantheon. the Foro
Romano, the Catacombs. many of the churches in
Rome (San Pietro m Vmcoli was amazing) and the
Vat1can City.
Eatmg out 1n the Piazza Navona was a great
expenence. a must-do for anyone who ever v1s1ts
Rome. A meal on the other side of the T1ber. in the
qu1eter square of S. Mana 1n Trastevere was also very
welcome. The famous Spanish Steps were quite a
s1ght. and the fountams everywhere were lovely. The
Trevi founta in did not particularly appeal. but the
scores of other, more delicate fountains more than
made up for that.
One of the most challenging thmgs to do in Rome,
perhaps surpristngly. was to buy stamps. After a huge
amount of searching we managed t o find what
seemed the one Tabacchi which sold stamps in the
whole of Rome!
The Italian dustmen seemed to be out to wake up
everyone in their immediate vicinity at 5.15 sharp
every morning (they wou ld slam their bags of bottles
and rubbish into the back of their vans, making an
intolerably loud crashing noise).
Visiting the market m Campo de' Fiori was great
fun, and managing to find out about and attend, free,
a Simon and Garfunkel concert (with the Everly
Brothers making an appearance) on the last n1ght of
our travel grant was great!
Our travel grant was fantastic - we enjoyed
attempting to speak Italian, observ ing the
extraordinarily relaxed attitude of the Italian people,
soaking up the weather and eating the delicious food.
Our trip highlights would include the visits to Capri,
Herculaneum and Paest um, and Rome generally. We
had a good balance of seeing a lot of sites and
relaxing and enjoying ourselves in the evenings. All
that remains to
be said IS a huge
'thank you' to
the Travel Grant
Committee for
giving
us
the opportunity
to
go to Italy, and to
thorough ly
recommend the
travel
grant
system
to
anyone who IS
• · considerin
g going on one.
rn
David Kirk,
N 1ck Howe,
Sam Cooke
and Alex Peat
Barcelona
uCombming culture and reloxar,on. "
As we set off from a damp Bnstol Airport on a fairly
miserable morning in late March, we perhaps hoped
to be greeted by some rather more pleasant weather
at our destination: Barcelona. Th1s was probably a
ltttle hopeful, and Fate deoded to chast1se our
optim1sm by allowing us only one sunny day 1n the
entire trip. However. we were not about to let a l1ttle
ra1n put us off, and we were
able to do all the thmgs that
we had wanted to do.
Apart from havmg to wait
longer than expected to
retrieve our bags at El Prat
a1rport, our arnval went
according to plan, and we got
to
our
accommodation
w1thout any mishap. We had
decided, m the mterest of
savmg money, to stay m a
youth hostel. None of us had
had any prev1ous expenence
of youth hostels, and our
expectations were low enough
to guarantee we would not be
disappomted.
We
did,
however. find the hostel very
satisfactory. aside from the
perils of having to share rooms
with, for example, a pair of
girls who had 1nterest1ng ideas
about when to go to bed.
Having sorted out where
we
would
be
living.
we addressed
our
next
priority: where we would
eat. First Impressions showed
that our
area had little more than a 'P1zza Hut' and a very
dubious looking Chinese restaurant. As it was our
first mght, we decided to settle w 1th the former,
letting more cultural eating expenences wait untJI we
were settled.
On our first full day 1n the oty, we had deoded to
visit Barcelona's most famous landmark: Gaud1's 'La
Sagrada Familia'. After manag1ng to make our way
through the hoards of tourists, we looked round the
1ntenor of the cathedral, still under construction. It is
hoped that it w ill be completed in the next twenty
years, though since 1t has taken more than a hundred
years already we won't be holding our breath We
also visited the Casa Mila and the Gothic cathedral.
both of which are part of Barcelona's architectural
style, although very different.
Our first dest1nat1on outside
Barcelona was the town of
Tarragona, which holds many
remnants of the
Roman
occupation of Spam. The
amphitheatre and the Roman
circus were 1mpress1ve. as was
the more modern cathedral.
We ate at an unsavoury, but
very Span1sh. cafe. and tried,
unsuccessfully, to fmd a way to
the beach. Th1s was due to the
ra1lway line wh1ch ran between
the town and the sea. w1thout
any way to cross it.
The next day saw us in
F1gueres, home of the DaJ1
Museum. After v1ewmg some
of the art1st's most 1mpress1ve
p1eces. we took the bus to the
seaside village of L'Escala, close
to the Graeco-Roman town of
Empunas. For us, the h1ghlights
of the town were the Roman
forum and the nearly intact
mosaics, still in place, and
swimming in the sea off the
beautiful beach. After wa1ting
for what seemed like hours for a bus to take us back
to Figures. we leapt on the first one that appeared,
only just discovenng that 1t was not the nght bus
before 1t left. Perhaps we should have taken that bus,
wherever 1ts destmat1on, because the dnver that
took us to F1gures seemed to del1ght in making the
JOurney as nauseating as poss1ble: we were all glad to
get off.
The following day was our last full day in Barcelona,
and we vtstted the area of Montjuic, to be rewarded
with stunn1ng v1ews of the whole City. We vis1ted
several museums as well as the castle on the top of
Montjutc, which we reached by cable car. T his was a
particularly hot day, and we spent plenty of t ime in
the vast marbled halls of the galleries. We finished the
day playing golf on the roof of the hostel, by now
more in tune w1th the two girls' hours of rest.
On our final day 1n the city, we had time before
the flight to vtsit the Museum of Catalan History next
to the harbour. This gave us an 1nsight into the
htstory of Catalon1a from prehistoric times to the
present day After thts, we made our way to the
airport, and were able to see many of the sttes of
Barcelona from the bus. Overall, the trip was a huge
success, combintng culture and relaxation tn a
beautiful part of the world.
Peter Henderson, Alex Morley-Smtth
and Keith Tse
Trans-Switzerland Pilgrims
uTrue to 1rs nome. Au provided much pam. "
It's 19:00 hours. Building after building of the
Konstanz industrial estate passes by as we walk
slowly into its heart. We have no food, no gas for the
cooker, and no accommodation. We are already
20km
behind
schedule.
An
approaching thunderstorm
lines
the
horizon.
Lonely deserted warehouses watch Silently as the
final bend renders a dead end. After retracing our
steps. we meet a Swiss couple who point us in the
dtrection of a camping ground. We arrive and spend
the ntght
It appeared that the first part of our travel grant
had not tn fact, been a smooth journey. After a brief
thunderstorm, we moved early m the morning to
catch a train to Munchwilen. where the signposts
actually started. We were now on our route, on lime,
having found the path that had evaded us for so
many hours tn Konstanz. From Munchwilen. we
walked through the woods and valleys, hills and
towns of the Sw1ss German countryside unttl we
reached our destmation 'town' (ftve houses, a church
and no obv1ous stgn of human habttation) of Au. Hot
and bothered, we were deltghted to fmd that our
accommodation was not. as one would have
expected. stnctly m Au, but one kilometre south and
two hundred metres h1gher than our current
posit1on. True to its name, Au provided much patn as
we walked up a hill to our ·accommodatton'.
Out· kind host turned out to be an innocent but
very strange Swiss individual whose only apparent
interest was watching the grass grow (literally) and
feasting on lettuce in the company of his three
friends (all of whom domesticated members of the
feline species). Our rather random arrival was not
helped by the fact that we had virtually no overlap in
languages. As you can imagine. therefore. when our
host ins1sted on eating salad with us. there was a
predictably quiet ambience, punctuated by broken
German (us) and broken English (him). We spent
that night in the attic of his house on mattresses.
The subsequent days were very like their
predecessor: steep hills with narrow valleys. The
woods were cool and often set on slopes: many a
heavy climb was l1ghtened by the lush greenery of
the htllside forest and woodland. The civilisation we
travelled through was small hamlets usually, sporttng
more rivers than houses. Thts was perfect walktng:
wooded htlls and small, quiet towns nestled in the
valleys. One espeetally memorable place was an area
called Honlt Beacon, near Au. Havtng cl1mbed up a
masstve htll, densely clad in thick forest we emerged
to the brow of the hill. out of the tree- line, and
beheld an unspotlt green landscape sprawltng away
from us for miles. For a long ttme, we sal watchtng
the clouds roll by beneath us.
The lowest po1nt of the travel for Ed was Apthal.
on Day Four. Th1s was our second mass1ve walk of
the route: th1rty-six kilometres over undulat1ng
terram the prev1ous day. an uncomfortable sleep and
an early start had all taken thew toll. We continued
walk1ng at qu1te a pace. but each footstep brought
s1gnificant pam. and l1me passed slowly. Inches slowly
turned mto feet. and eventually feet mto miles, and
after twenty of those we finally reached Apthal, a
small
mountam
town.
We
found
our accommodation. and, after a bl1ndmg torrent
of German from our host's mother, we managed
to d1scern where we were to sleep: a cellar with
walls made of stacked firewood with mattresses.
To our horror, t here were no restaurants or
boulongenes in Apthal. and we were m far too bad a
condition to walk to the next hamlet. I crawled into
my sleeping bag and fell asleep. Ed however could
not follow suit, but instead lay. now feeling nauseous
from bad water, turning the situation over in his
mind. Realizing that we might have to survive off
little food till the next morning (and already being
very hungry at 16:00), and reflectmg on the day of
silent pain. the thirteen rema1ning days spread before
h1m m dismal parade. Thinkmg of home, he began to
attempt to p1ece together a working phone from the
mynad phone-parts he had brought, in order to keep
h1s prom1se of daily contact. This proved more
diff1cult than expected - the comb1nation of an
electrical error and the lack a plug-adaptor made the
task near Impossible.
Eventually the fam1ly in whose house we had set
up camp returned to find to rather bedraggled and
tired-looking refugees in their cellar. Their many
children stood gawking, and we. feeling rather like
caged specimens, made our introductions. Having
discovered that we were pilgrims, they offered us
supper. We eventually retwed for the night, feeling
genera lly much better about our Situation. We
learned never to underestimate the boost of morale
t hat a full stomach brings.
Our next significant lodging was a converted
farmhouse at Buochs, where they offered us straw
for Fr 25. and beds for Fr 28. The deCision was long
and arduous. We had our own room there. and
found that. as we had finished our walk so early in
the day, we had nothing to do. This was where we
really learned about how to counter our worst
enemy of the trip - boredom. When finishing a walk.
your body does not particularly feel like moving. but
you may not necessarily be able to go to
sleep. H o w e v e r . we found some books which we
had read as boys: T1m und Strupp1. or Tintin. which
(while being somewhat simple) gave us the
valuable distraction and familiarity we needed to
hold off boredom and, with it. homesickness.
Our last type of accommodation was Z1mmer m1t
Fruhstuck . The first one we came to was in
Amsoldigen, where an extremely nice couple who
owned the place offered me various creams for the
swollen foot which I had acquired.
Our walk continued much like this: mountains.
lakes and. eventually. the flat countryside of the
French-speaking part. We deCided, on the last night
before Geneva. that we wou ld walk the last
rema1n1ng s1xteen kilometres in the dark and reach
Geneva to watch the sunrise. At 1.00 am. we woke
and took down our tent and b1vi, and departed from
the camps1te. which had been right on the edge of
Lake Geneva. two days walk from Lausanne. After
walk1ng for four hours along deserted, dark roads,
we reached the c1ty, our destination, and hobbled to
the cathedral Havtng arrived. we walked to the Pont
du Mont Blanc, and watched the sunrise over Lake
Geneva.
Sixteen days of hard walk1ng was completed, and
although we had really enjoyed 1t, it was ve1y tough.
and taught us a lot about ourselves and the world.
The travel grant could on ly really have been
improved by booking accommodat ion ahead of time,
which we found to be necessary. We were probably
saved by t he fact that not many people knew about
the pilgrim-lodging. The only other aspect was lack of
activity after walking. We eventually acquired some
proper books along our route. but there was many
an hour before of boredom, whtch quickly led to
homesickness. They are worth the weight. After a
celebratory Italian meal in Geneva. the travel grant
was drawn successfully to its close.
james Foster and Edward Pitt Ford
Portrait commisions b)'
DAVID RISK KENNARD
1\I ERR IOT T HOLSE, PO\\'ERSTOCK. BRIDI'O in .
0 0 RSET DTG : Sf. L K
Tel: (0) 130H --18:1529
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The Haute Route
uFive minutes later. we were in a blizzard. "
The day started early at about 6.30 am. Andy's dad
gave us a lift to Gatwick from where we flew directly
to Geneva, arriving in the early afternoon. It was at
Geneva airport thal we encountered our first
problem. We had intended to take a coach from
Geneva
to
Chamonix,
taking about
two hours, but
arriving at the
airport we not
find the bus
and, as it was
the weekend,
everywhere
was
closed,
including the
bus-ticket and
i n f o r m a t i on
office. So, in
danger of not
making
to
Chamonix in
time to start
the walk, we
decided to take the train. The was twice the price
and did not go straight to Chamonix. but in a big loop
down the Rhone valley and then through the Mont
Blanc
Massif
taking about
four and a half
hours. A plus,
however, was
that we got a
ride on the
famous Mont
Blanc Express
mountain
railway which
was part of the
connection.
We
arrived
Chamonix at
in
about 7.00 pm.
planning to stay
at one of the
campsites.
According to our guidebook, there were two
campsites in Chamonix. though we could find
neither even using a map of the town. Luckily, we got
to the tourist office just before it was closing. and
they were able to direct us to a campsite.
We woke up on our first day hoping to see good
views of Mont Blanc, which towered above our
campsite. but were disappointed. The weather
mirrored the weather we had left behind in England,
being gloomy and cloudy. We had a long walk on our
first day as we had combined two stages. Our walk
took us up the Chamonix valley, over the Col de
Balme and down to the tiny village of Le Peuty. After
a couple of hours walking, we managed to complete
the first stage and get to Argentiere. Even though the
walk had been only gently uphill. we were both
feeling
quite
tired and our
rucksacks very
heavy. So we
found a small
restaurant and
both ordered
a full Fngli<;h
breakfast and,
as
it
was
France,
it
tasted better
than most I
have had in
England. With
our
spirits
-:-;:.,_-;to•
-:.:. .. revived, we
made
good
time toLe Tour
at t he head of
the Chamonix valley, but it was here that the real
walking began. We had to climb nearly one
kilometre, across ski runs, to the Col de Balme. We
probably had
to stop about
fifteen times
on the way
up, including a
stop at the
mountain
restaurant for
but
food,
eventually we
the
reached
top. By the
time we did,
the wind had
risen to a gale
and there were
interm ittent
showers of rain
and
snow.
After a steep descent, we reached the village of Le
Peuty. We actually walked about five hundred metres
past the campsite because all it was just a triangular
patch of grass with a couple of tiny buildings and no
tents.
We awoke to heavy rain beating on the roof of the
tent. and were faced with the decision whether to
try to take the tent down in the rain and continue or
stay where we were and wait for the rain to stop. In
the end. we left the tent and had breakfast in one of
the campsite buildings while waiting to see what the
weather would do. We were faced with another
decision as there were two routes for this stage: a
lower. bad weather, route which skirted round the
mountains to Champex. or a higher. much more
spectacu lar. route which crossed the Fenetre
d'Arpette. A patch of blue sky appearing over the
mountains persuaded us to try the higher route. The
choice seem justified when.
about half-way up. a large
gap in the clouds revealed
the full extent of the
impressive Glacier de Trient.
But about fifteen minutes
later the clouds had closed
in again and it had started to
snow. Five minutes later we
were in a blizzard. With our
visibility greatly reduced and
our fingers numb, we were
faced with the steep and
rocky final climb to the
Fenetre d'Arpette, which
was made more difficult by a
succession
of people
the
other way.
When coming
we did
reach the top. the clouds
parted again,
revealing I P J ' I I i i l
' i J : ! .·
magnificent views down the
valley to Le Peuty and Trient. I I I I P
The climb down involved
crossing numerous rocks
and the occasional patch of
snow.
The
weather
continued to be erratic but
by the evening it had mostly
cleared.
We
reached
Champex in the early evening and found the
campsite much more easily than the previous night.
We had supper at a restaurant that had beautiful
views across the Lac de Champex.
The next was an easy stage and involved no climb
to cross a col. but a valley walk down and then up to
Champsec. The day was pretty uneventful. apart
from going the wrong way a couple of times. We got
to the campsite in the mid-afternoon but found
there was no attendant there. We decided to go into
the village and buy some food but found that the
shop was closed. This meant that I had to walk a
couple of miles back the way we had come to get
some food. When the attendant did arrive at the
campsite, he gave us a welcome drink of a couple of
shots of schnapps each and, considering that the
campsite was only a couple of Swiss francs each, it
was pretty good value.
The next stage tnvolved a steep 1650m ascent,
across the ski runs of Verbier, up to the Cabane du
Mont Fort. It was the first completely clear day of the
walk and the heat became oppressive during the
climb. Luckily, most of the climb was in the shade of
a forest. The route rose steeply through the forest,
avoiding the development of Verbier until it emerged
out of the forest to what must be one of the best
views in the Alps. The Sprawling resort of Verbier
wtth its network of lifts lay below us. To our left and
tiC
e
in front of us was the Val de Bagnes. the biggest
valley in the Pennine Alps, beyond which we could
see the Rhone valley and the Vaud Alps. Across the
Val de Bagnes we could see the Mont Blanc Massif
and, for the first time, the Peak of Mont Blanc, which
was now a smallish white hump of t he horizon. We
Continued up to the Cabane du Mont Fort which
had equally impressive
views . The Cabane was
probably the best place we
stayed during the whole
walk. For Fr 75 we got a
I!Hiillllillll small room with two small
beds, a three-course
ndinner,and breakfast, but adding
!S;*
the amazing views and the
sunset it was well worth the
money.
The book told us that we
were now on probably the
most difficult stage of the
walk. involving the crossing
of three Cols and a glacier.
Even so. we decided to
extend it by a couple of
hours and an extra col to
avoid
staying
at the
expensive
Cabane
de
Prafleuri. The climb to the
first col was easy, traverstng
the Sentier des Chamois.
This was not the most
relaxing morning's walk as
the path was traversed one
and half kilometres above
the floor of the Val de
Bagnes. and if we had tripped we might not have
stopped rolling until we hit the valley floor. Luckily,
there were chains to cling on to on the most exposed
sections. The view across the valley to the Grand
Combin was impressive. The climb to the second
Col, The Col de Ia Louvie, was more difficult but we
made it in time for lunch. The descent from the col
was interesting as the most of the slope was still
covered in snow. We tried to ski down on walking
boots but fell over so much that we spent most of
the time sliding down on our backsides. At the
bottom we trudged across the snow of the snout of
the Grand Desert Glacier, which was well-deserving
of its name. It was an empty landscape of broken
rock, scree and snow. The climb to the next col took
us to us to the highest point of the walk. It was a
difficult climb as most of it was on snow. From the
top we could see the impressive spire of Mont Blanc
de Cheilon but below us was the gloomy Val de
Prafleuri, which used to be a huge quarry. At the
bottom of the old quarry, we came to the Cabane de
Prafleuri, where the stage ended. We were both
exhausted and would have gladly stayed there if we
had had enough money. The climb up to the next col.
though less than five hundred metres, was the most
difricult climb of the whole walk. The slope was
extremely steep over a mixture of snow and thick
mud. It was agony for our legs and we were only able
to climb about ten steps at a time. Eventually at the
top we were greeted with another impressive view,
this time of the Lac des Dix. After another hours
walking, we staggered 1nto the Cabane de Barmaz.
Th1s was a basiC cabane t hat did not prov1de food
and, as we had not been to v1sit a shop for a few
days, we were pretty low on supplies.
From here we had to walk all the way around Lac
des Dix before we could start climb1ng. Once we had
crossed the bridge at the top of the lake, we could
start. The way up began with a series of switchbacks
set 1n grass past various marmot colonies. At a higher
altitude, the grass passed to stone and scree. On our
right lay the huge Glaoer de Cheilon. The ascent
took a good deal of time as we had to ascend to
2919m. The final hundred metres were, to say the
very least, dangerous. We had to scramble up a slope
consisting of loose rocks. From the top we had to
descend down into the valley above Arolla. This
valley is somewhat modified as a result of t he ski
industry in Arolla. The town of Arolla is small and
picturesque; the campsite at the bottom of the village
by the river had great facilities. Oddly enough there
was a large contingent from Hereford Cathedral
School who were here on what appeared to be an
activities week. Unfortunately, the weat her took a
turn for the worse. Thunder and lightning during the
night caused us to worry ourselves to sleep inside
our tent.
The next would be a relatively undemanding day
with no mountains to ascend or glaciers to cross. and
so an extra hour in bed was allowed (which was
cherished). The weather after the thunderstorms of
the previous night was beautifully clear, with not a
cloud in the sky. As our campsite at Arolla was some
way from the actual centre of town, a small hike was
necessary before we could actually start the day's
trek.
The first stop on t he way would be at Lac Bleu
which, surprisingly, is a blue lake. The signposts
directing us there were not at times exceptional ly
clear and so a minor detour was made. There was no
vast difference in distance, but somehow we had to
gain an extra three hundred metres. At the lake, we
stopped for t he brunch which we had bought earlier
on in the day.
The remaining journey down into Val d'Herrens
was simple and easy along gentle downward sloping
paths. We arrived at our campsite at about 2.30, and
found that not only did it have a swimming pool, but
they took our Euros. This was particularly useful, as
in Arolla we had run out of Swiss francs. We pitched
our tents and then decided that we needed to stock
up on food for the next few days, as we would be
away from civilisation for two days. Thus, to find food
we had to walk for half an hour down valley to
Evolene. There we withdrew some Swiss francs and
bought food and supplies for the next few days. We
returned t o the campsite to see that the weather
was turning the same way as it had the previous
night. We had just enough time to swim before the
rains came.
The following day would be a long one as we were
sitting in the bottom of a valley at 1452m and we
wou ld have to cross the Col du Tsate at 2868m, then
walk up to the Cabane de Mo1ry. Thus, after an early
start, we started climbing through fields at first then
a forest of larches. However, after three hours. we
passed the tree-line and emerged onto the high alp.
There we passed various huts and small hamlets on
the way to the Col. Today the sky was covered in a
loose blanket of cloud, obscunng the sun. making it
easier for our ascent. From the top of the Col a new
world confronted us. Th1s was not a green valley l1ke
the Val d'Herrens, but a high barren one with a lake
to the north blocked in by the Barrage de Moiry and
to the south the Glacier de Moiry with its impressive
icefall. The Cabane de Moiry was JUSt viSible, as a
speck next to the huge icefall across the other s1de of
the valley.
Once at the bottom of the valley. we had to walk
for one and a half hours first along the lateral
moraine of the glac1er and then up an almost vertical
switchback with over twenty-five turns.
It was in this location that the Swiss Alpine Club
had decided to build its mountain refuge. Despite the
climb, t he route up to the hut was crammed with
tourists and day-trippers. This is understandable as
the view on a good day from the hut would be
outstanding. But today was not a good day. The v1ew
of the icefall this close up was still remarkable despite
the weather. which was rapidly deteriorat ing to
snow. This hut was the highest place where we
would sleep (282Sm) and, as the altitude dictated,
using the outside toilets was quite chilly!
As we had climbed to reach the hut, we would
first have to descend t o enable us t o proceed. Once
this descent was achieved, we walked along the
eastern side of the valley past Lac de Moiry and the
Barrage de Moiry. From there, we climbed up along a
large switchback through a field of cows. When we
were near the top of this part. the weather once
again clouded our views with mist. And so. with our
visibility reduced to ten metres, we reached the Col
de Sorbois (2840m) . Here we stopped for some
lunch, surveying a somewhat misty Val de Zinal. The
high alp above Zinal was littered with ski
infrastructure. which seems ugly without snow.
Having walked down from the Col. we stopped off in
the ski and cable-car station for a drink. From here.
all that remained was to descend into the lush green
valley. We descended into the town of Zinal, which
has many parts - a new modern region containing the
supermarket and hotels. and the old town.
containing picturesque chalets. The campsite was at
the far end of town. Once there. we erected our tent
and set off for the supermarket. Unfortunately, when
we returned to our tent, the weather had once again
turned and we were forced to shelter inside from
the rain,
The next followed the same pattern as the
previous days: get up. walk over a mountain pass,
and then descend into the next valley. Today the
weather was fairly poor. with almost constant cloud
cover. To cross the Col de Forcletta (2874m) we had
to trek alongside the ride of three-thousand-metre
peaks to our right until we could ascend and cross at
the lowest point. Once we were over the Col. we
were in the German-speaking region of the Valais.
On the descent. the weather really turned on us.
Thick mist and ram descended so that our descent
was long and depressing. Eventually we arrived in the
small village of Gruben. It is only inhabited in the
summer, but signs of technological advancement
were apparent as we witnessed the assembly of a
mobile
telephone mast. We
stayed in a
matratzenlager, which was above a small restaurant.
The following day. we crossed our last mountain
pass, the Augstbordpass (2894m). From Gruben. we
walked almost due east up the side of the valley.
following the path of a river. first through a forest
then out onto the Alp, and eventually up onto the
rocky mountain pass. The final section of the pass
was another exercise in scrambling, where we had to
use all four limbs to haul ourselves (and our packs)
over the pass. From here, we descended into a rocky
basin and then we walked around an arcte. On the
other side, the v1ew that confronted us gave us an
excuse to stop and take a break. Stretched out some
1.3km below us was the lush green trench or the
Mattertal. And across on the other s1de of the valley
lay the Ried glacier s1tt1ng above the town of
Gasenried. We carried on descending mto the small
village of Jungen. Th1s village is perched on the s1de
of the valley some eight hundred metres above the
floor. We rested here for what would be our final
descent. The path down to St. Niklaus has along the
way small shrines dedicated by the great mountain-
guide families of St. Niklaus, depicting the Stations of
the Cross. Upon arriving in St. Niklaus we stayed in a
relaxing hotel. which was the only place in town
which had spaces.
Despite the distance, we would have no difficulty
with the valley-walk on our last day. The weather
had cleared up and it was fairly hot w ith large clouds
scattered across the sky. We found the val ley littered
with transport infrastructure. This aside, the path
followed the river all the way into Zermatt. Upon
arrival, we collapsed onto a park bench and decided
what to do. First, considering we had been deprived
of unhealthy food for two weeks. we feasted on a
Macdonald's meal, and only then did our minds turn
to sleep. The town of Zermatt has some fifty or
more hotels, hostels, and campsites. We stayed in a
delightful guesthouse.
To catch our flight, we had to get up at a
disagreeably early hour so that we could catch our
train and the subsequent connection so that we
could get to the airport. The weather was mixed but
now of no relevance. The night departed on Lime
and was empty. Once we had landed at London City
Airport and collected our bags, we stepped out into
the sunshine. From there we took a shuttle bus and
then the tube and finally we crammed into a train
bound for home.
James Batchelor and Andrew MacDonald
sampson
Symonds.
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Animal Farm
by George Orwell
Keith Jarrett Pnze Book Revtew
Th1s novel is about a group of slave-driven animals who. inspired by
the most revered animal on the farm. an intelligent boar named Major.
decide to stage a revolution. Under-nourished by the1r lazy owner. Mr.
jones. they attack the food bins. The farm workers seize the
opportunity to whip the animals. who promptly retaliate and dnve
them all. including their sadistic owner. out of the farm gate at the end
of the drive. A certain pig named Snowball assumes the position of
leader, and he creates seven commandments. saying that anything on
two legs is evil and that all animals are equal. They also rename their
habitat as Animal Form. For a while the animals live in harmony, as free
beings. but they still work in order to maintain the crops. Snowball also
introduces special days of the year. and creates songs and awards for
bravery and suchlike.
His second in command, Napoleon. loathes him. Napoleon secretly
trains up seven puppies into ferocious dogs. devoted to Napoleon
Under his orders they mercilessly drive Snowball from the farm. and
he takes the pos1tion of leader. For a short time everything continues
as normal. but slowly the work becomes harder, food becomes shorter
and the 'superior' pigs rece1ve more privileges than the other
creatures. Napoleon, upon hearing of Snowball's having links in the
farm. savagely executes dozens of 'traitors.' Napoleon changes the
commandments frequently. and goes nowhere without his escort of
dogs. Gradually, the w1ser farm an1mals begm to real1se that the
equality that once ex1sted upon An1mal Farm IS slowly melting mto
extinct1on. As the ptgs' act1ons become obviously unacceptable. they
start creatmg intelligent excuses which always fool the more stupid
an1mals. Us1ng their intelligence. they are able to manipulate the
an1mals to the1r hearts' content. The an1mals' old motto of 'Four legs
good, two legs bad' IS replaced by 'Four legs good, two legs better' and
Napoleon bans the an1mals' favounte song. 'Beasts of England'. In the
end the pigs start weanng clothes. eating off plates, sleeping 1n beds,
and even drinking beer. Finally they form a friendship with the once
hated neighbouring farmer, Pilkmgton. and are seen playing cards with
him and his friends through the kitchen window .
The theme of An imal Form is not d1Hicult to understand. Th1s novel
by George Orwell is 1ntended to cnt1cize the communist reg1me he
saw sweeping through Russ1a and spreadmg to Europe and even the
U.S. dunng the Second World War. Though he agreed with many
Marx1st principles. Orwell was unable to accept the Communist
interpretation of Soc1al1sm. because he noticed similarities between the
Commun1st governments and the previous Czarist regimes that
existed in the old Russia. He saw Communism as 'inherently
hypocritical'.
In h1s self-proclaimed 'fairy-story', Orwell uses the allegorical farm to
symbolize the Communist system. Though the intent1on of
overthrowmg Mr. jones, who symbolises the Czars. does not seem evil.
Napoleon's subsequent adoption of nearly all of Mr jones' prinoples
and harsh mistreatment of the an1mals proves to the reader that
Communism IS not equality. just another form of inequality. The pigs
and dogs. thinking that they are the most su1table administrators of the
government, assume most of the power for themselves . Eventually the
power corrupts them. and they turn on their fellow-animals using
propaganda and bloodshed, thus elimmattng competitors. Therefore
Napoleon here corresponds to Stalin, who used JUSt such methods to
maintam a powerful stranglehold upon h1s pos1t1on as dictator of
Russia.
Humphrey Gibbs
Birdsong
by Sebastian Faulks
Keith Jarrett Prize Book Rev1ew
B1rdsong IS the story of Stephen Wraysford. before and during the F1rst World War. It follows his pre-war life and
how everything he had was lost for the love of h1s life. Isabelle Aza1re , a woman marned to a factory-manager 1n
France, whom Stephen IS staying with. After they run away together, Isabelle discovers she is pregnant. When
she finds this out she leaves Stephen and goes to stay with her s1ster. Stephen has no idea where she has gone.
He remains in the1r house hoping for her return but she does not come. His depression leads h1m to JOin the
army for the War, dunng which the ma1n bulk of the story takes place. Th1s part of the story is deeply moving
and obviously a large amount of thought and research went 1nto it. It follows Stephen's command of his unit and
his relationship with his men. There is. however, another s1de to th1s part - his battle with h1mself for san1ty. He is
partly kept sane by his friend. Captain We1r, but when he dies Stephen finds h1mself los1ng the battle until he
meets Jeanne, Isabelle's sister. Stephen relies on her for his sanity and she sustains h1m.
The book. I think, is one of the best war books I have ever read. Its descriptions of the war are sensational. It
describes every aspect of life in the trenches. from what you see to what you thmk. After a wh1le you feel that
you know the soldiers' personalities and that you know them themselves.
There are some points in the book that compel me to stop and th1nk. It is tremendously powerful and moving.
To someone. like me, who does not know much about trench-life, the book is really shocking.
However, through all this darkness. a beam of light protrudes: Elizabeth Benson. In between the chapters set
m the war come chapters set 1n the 1970s. Dunng these chapters the book follows her relationship w1th her lover,
Robert, and also her search for knowledge of her grandfather. Stephen Wraysford. Elizabeth, in her search for
knowledge goes to meet Tom Brennan, who served the whole war w1th her grandfather. and she also discovers
her grandfather's diaries that she has translated by a fnend. In these she discovers that another of her
grandfather's friends, jack Firebrace. who died in the war, had lost a son, called john, while he was at war. At the
end of the book Elizabeth names her own baby john after him.
Overall, I th1nk that Birdsong is an amazing book. The truth shown in the book IS quite disturbing 1n some
places. The characters do not know where they are going the whole time, all they have IS road s1gns. The reader
1s also left in the dark about what is happemng. I liked this because 1t made me feel part of it.
I enjoyed the book very much and I think that the amount of time Sebastian Faulks obviously took to make it
seem real really pays off.
Rafe Dance
Iraq
Red, white, stars and stripes, not black and white, there is no light.
Propaganda, why not brand her. a country suffers from treacherous slander.
Allied forces, damage causes, time pauses while cavalry charge on w1nged horses.
ASRAAM fired, a side inspired - the other tired. explosives wired.
Missiles fly. multi coloured sky. people cry, the end is nigh.
Buildings infiltrated. cities obliterated, weapons outdated, prisoners rated.
Death to all, numbers fall, tales grow tall. they hit a wall.
A leader not killed. expenses billed, all the graves have been filled.
The West make their mark, some leave on ark, the East stays dark.
Why did we g o - go to IRAQ?,
Leo De Watts
Exeunt
This story and those by Thomas Royle and Chtts Gilbert were wntten under the rnruence of a short story
by Romond Carver called 'Popular Mechonrcs '. Carver's style rs drstmwvely terse and spore.
and he deals uncompnsmgly wrth themes o{ love, jealousy and conrra wtthrn mamage.
As the sun reflected off the burnished surface he was momentanly uns1ghted. Yet the warm sun that had
appeared later than usual this ch1lly day could not penetrate the deeper chasms of his darkened soul. He was
acutely sens1t1ve to its blind1ng hght as if a pnsoner to the shadows and so he scuffled away mto the only corner
of the room that d1d not fall under the sun's gaze. Aga1n he looked down at the glassy smooth surface of the
object tn his hand. It was obv1ously heavter than he had anticipated for the wrist hung shghtly down and there
was an odd qu1ver every so often as 1f the hand was trying to keep the 1tem steady, mak1ng h1m appear more
val1ant than he really was. It could have been nerves tak1ng control of h1s weak body. He could almost taste the
hard cold metal m his mouth JUSt by looking at 1t. Th1s made htm fidget a b1t and almost drop it. But he
repositioned his sweaty hand around 1t and started to squeeze 1t so hard that the t1ps of his fingers turned to
blue balls of lead. He had to let go as the pam grew but that pain was nothing compared to the torture h1s mother
had received over the past few years from the hands of her own husband. In h1s mind he'd lost the title of
husband the first t1me he h1t her many years ago.
He had been transfixed for around an hour 1n t he gloom but time was no more for him than just one more
obstacle to manoeuvre around. For that hour he had been drawn 1nto a sort of trance where his brain had
d1sappeared and he JUSt stared at the entity m h1s hand that had now become his master. He was awakened by
a h1gh-pitched yelp from downstairs and then tender moans. The moans started to draw nearer to h1m as his
mother dragged a body upstarrs. Her body. She twisted herself rnto her room and slammed the door shut. He
looked over to the window and. be1ng careful to avo1d the hght from the still-fiery sun, glanced out. What was
he going lo miss 1n th1s world? It was a mess anyway and it was giv1ng h1m no sat1sfact1on . He could hear the
sound of large boots beat1ng on the krtchen floor below. This was his cue 1n the play that was rapidly drawing to
an end. It was t1me to put everythtng behmd him and finish what h1s 'father' had started all those years ago when
h1s fist first came mto contact with h1s mother's face.
He gave the gleaming object m his hand one last look before Inserting 1t into the back of h1s frayed jeans . A s
he dragged h1s feet out of his cave of a room he could hear the soft wh1mpering still surging out of his mother's
room. As he opened her door she tned to h1de her face but he still noticed the purple marks where that man
had clasped his hand round her neck and the black eye had started to appear. He closed the door and the
moanmg started agam. He could feel the object digging 1nto his back like a monster clawmg at h1m: it wanted to
be used. He went down to Lhe k1tchen where the other actor 1n this play was wait1ng. He had not a care in the
world for h1s bra1n was no longer controlling him: it was the metal structure 1n the back of his trousers that was
in charge now.
He stood before the kitchen doorway, feeling for a moment as though he was hovering on air in a moment
of peace. As he stepped in the man turned to face him
'What you want!'
The man had no t1me to say anythmg else or draw any more air to feed his body for a bullet had entered his
head from the gun that had come out of h1dmg from the boy's trousers. Then the boy could taste the cold metal
in h1s mouth; as a scream came from upstairs the gun barked once more. Then darkness.
Ed Rogers
Life
When all around you you can see, 1s l1fe as fa1r as 1t used to be?
Life grows old, you're feeling cold, you'll tell the stones you once were told.
The heart beats twice, then twiCe again. how long IS it until the end?
The muscles ache. your bones are brittle. it pains you to walk a little.
Your fnends have d1ed, you are the last, how long has 1t been now? You've been livmg in the past.
Breathmg hurts, coughing worse, your last gasp is a curse.
When all around you you fail to see, life only creates m1sery.
Leo De Watts
Family Politics
The vem on Brian's forehead was a very accurate barometer of hrs state of mind. When his drsposttion was sunny
the vein was invisible. However on a mornr ng like thrs the blood vessel was tense and ready to burst. JUSt like
its owner. The storm was about to break.
Alex was a lively seventeen-year-old with dark tousled hair and was havrng a wonderful trme w1th fifty simrlar
friends at a party in his parents' house 1n Surrey. Brian, his father. was a somewhat dull middle-aged and balding
accountant who was at a conference in London for two days while Alex's mother Margaret was visiting her srster
in Portugal. Alex snatched the opportunity with both hands. How useful e-matls can be in this situation!
Unfortunately Brian was included in the address book of those 1nv1ted! Brian was cool with figures on a piece of
paper but had a short fuse at home. The unttmely and annoymg e-mail caused Brian's rapid exit from the hotel.
Brian's mood was nottmproved when he had his photograph taken. Thrs was by courtesy of a speed camera
on the A316 as he drove raptdly out of London. A policeman in a bnght yellow BMW had already given him a
black look as he was dialling the home number on his Nokia. The mobile phone had ended up wedged out of
reach under the passenger seat Brain's careful thoughts on how to deal calmly wrth the situation were left 1n the
car as he crunched up to his front door.
'What do you think you are doing!' exploded Bnan as Alex appeared in designer ripped jeans and one of Brian's
blue striped Paul Sm1th sh1rts. 'Who are all these people in my house and who gave you permission?'
Alex looked astonished but said, 'Sorry if I forgot to tell you. Mum always says it IS important to have friends.
They have been told to only smoke in the garden and not to put glasses on the mahogany furniture.' replied A lex
with practised casualness - perhaps a little too casual for Brian.
Brian strutted with stiff legs and short paces through the front door and into a wall of noise. The beer bottles
on the Georgian sideboa rd were dancing to the beat of the music. Brian's rate of breathing increased alarmingly.
His eyes glared and nostrils flared at the sight of his own contribution, his very own ten-year-old claret, being
enjoyed enthusiastica lly by the teenage party animals.
'The sound would be less if we had fitted carpets rather than those old rugs.' shouted A lex who had
remembered that sound reflects well off solid surfaces like the wood-b lock floor. He had had a close encounter
with some angry neighbours and the polished surface was not in his opinion ideal for dancing.
'Who is going to clear up this mess and where are your friends staying?'
'Everyone has parties all the time. This rs no b1g deal. This is my home as well as yours. Please stop overreacting
and embarrassing me.' said Alex.
Bnan wasn't sure how to deal w it h the situation. As usual, he phoned his wife.
'Give the boy some responsibility and speak to him as an adult. Calm down and go back to your conference.
I'll be back in two days to sort things out.'
Brian thought what a good politician Margaret could make while Alex thought what a great party he was
having. Brian t urned to the mirror: the vem was no longer v isible.
Thomas Royle
Andando en cfrculos
Un faisan se remonta en las nubes encima
Alegre, inocente y libre.
Pero serpient es rientes: nada salvo lo suyo
Ven volando en su reticula.
Engatusandose, enrollandose el uno al otro
Escupiendo; del interior, se eleva
Una sola cabeza, levantada al cielo,
El faisan planeando en su ojo.
La lengua ataca,
AI faisan le golpean,
La inocencia queda;
La libertad no.
El faisan.
Encabritado por serpientes.
Creaci6n,
Cayendo a Ia tierra.
Rich Rabone
Mummy's Boy
The first one missed, but the second one caught h1s left eye. The knuckle tore off the scab that had only JUSt
healed from last n1ght. He w1nced with pam and tried to protect h1mself w ith his forearms.
Mother took the vodka bottle and finished the last third. She had been drink1ng since ten o'clock in the
morning. Now, at four-thwty, Ryan had only been home from school half an hour.
She fell onto the red sofa, tak1ng a new bottle with her. She ordered Ryan to make her supper. He knew that
if he d1dn't. he would be h1t e1ther by f1st or bottle.
Ryan prepared some old sausages; the smell made h1s empty stomach crave food. He handed over the supper
and was commanded to s1t on the sta1rs wh1lst Mother ate. He had not eaten for two days. He dec1ded to try h1s
luck at qu1etly stealing food. The l1ttle food tn the house was hard to reach but he was starving. He crouched by
the rusty metal table and felt for some b1scuits. He took one and retreated before swallow 1ng the biSCUit 1n one
gulp.
He could not res1st the temptat1on of another one. O nce agam he crouched by the old table father had left
behind. He reached out for the t1n but th1s t1me Mother caught sight of him. She stood up m rage and marched
over: Ryan stood up to confront her. Th1s was a mistake: no one could stand up to Mot her. She curled her thin,
bony fingers around his collar and pulled h1m towards her face. Ryan could smell the poison in her breath. He
felt nauseated. Before he could protect himself, Mother Jabbed h1m in the ribs. It took the w1nd out of him. She
pushed him onto the bare wooden floor and retreated to her sofa l1ke a lizard. Ryan felt dizzy; the little strength
he had had been sapped by Mother's punch. He tried to focus on her red blouse but was unable to. The room
began to sp1n and h1s head dropped to the floor ...
'He should be fine. He only needs some food and water.'
Voices began nnging 1n Ryan's ears.
'How long before he'll be able to mountam-bike aga1n?' another vo1ce rang.
'Shouldn't be long: hopefully a month', was the reply.
Ryan started to come round. He tned to open his eyes but could not summon the strength. Minutes passed
before he managed to force his eyes open. He opened his leh eye a crack and caught a glimpse of his
surroundings. The room was white with no decoration.
'Ryan. are you awake?' a woman's vo1ce inquired.
'What?' he murmured.
He forced open h1s eyes and saw a nurse dressed 1n a wh1te overcoat.
'You must have somethmg to eat and dnnk. You have not eaten a solid for over a week.' she sa1d.
'What am I do1ng here?' He struggled to put together the sentence.
'You were knocked out when you hit a tree mountam-bikmg.'
'What?' he couldn't remember mountain-biking: he d1dn't even have a bike.
'Your mother...' As the nurse spoke softly his m1nd wandered back to t he v1olent ep1sodes m h1s past.
'...told me that you have been on an exped1tion cyclmg. You w ill be d1scharged home in one hour.'
Ryan could not believe it. Her capac1ty for lying aston1shed even him. He could not argue; no one argues with
Mother. He began to think into the future and drifted off...
'Wake up Ryan. Wake up.' a voice coaxed.
He opened his eyes. Mother stood there with her p1erong brown eyes stanng 1nto Ryan's. Beh1nd mother was
the nurse. He was go1ng back home.
Chris Gilbert
Wounds of War
I can see you. bleeding in the dark.
Your wounds are fresh. my teeth are sharp.
Your sword is drawn, but you shed a tear.
Will you attack? I sense your fear.
You clutch your side. does it hurt?
I can hear your vessels burst.
You've made a lunge but I've knocked you down.
I look larger when you're lying on the ground.
You sword is gripped tightly in your fist.
It's just too bad that w hen you had a chance. you missed.
There's just you and me, no one about.
Let me tease your innards out.
Attack again. see if you can.
just as I thought, you tried, but ran.
I've caught you up and pushed you down.
Where were you running? I'm the only one 'round.
My kn1fe 1s held at your neck.
You have become a gibbering wreck .
Now let us see if your blood is red.
You've made a jolt. Your blood is shed.
You move no more. you lie there, still.
A gallon, your pool of blood would fill.
When I look again to see. there is no you, but only me.
Leo De Watts
Fearing nature: the nature of fear
I am here because I have to be: the stench of suffering ubiquitous in a hospital, I ordinanly nee from: l must hope
that. tn a day. I am still able to smell it. The damaged kidney whtch affltcts my health also condemns me to the
agonizmg uncertainty of watting: I have waited for my suffenng to end for two years, whether from kidney-fatlure. or
the news of donor-acceptance. It is tronic that only now I realtze that a successful operation will not cure the
watting, merely change its nature, as I will still have to watt for rejection.
The white of the walls polluted by the aura of death, the v t le green cloth of the tnstttutlon. makes your skin
crawl: fuelled by fear, there is no ltmit to the power of paranot a. The ticks of the clock grow malevolently louder,
consummg the remainder of my ltfe. The four walls close 1n The bedclothes ptn me down Res1stance IS fut1le: l
am trapped by my mmd.
My remnants of sanity cling to the last, fleerng, strand of hope: salvatiOn tn company. Yet those w1th the power
to provide thts, my family. cannot: they glare, rapt, at the flecked headboard behind me, unable to conceal the
feeltng that to look at me is to look at a dead man. We share the depnvatton of choiCe tn betng here, yet tt ts a
barrier between us. All attempts at conversatton are tatnted by the guilt whtch forces them to be here. I feel as if
I have forced them to come and share. not atd, my suffering, for the pain IS etched on thetr transfixed faces.
Urging my family from the room, t he doctor strides in, businesslike, hts compassion suppr·essed by necessity.
Both he and the accompanying nurse wear smiles intended to reassure: neither smile achieves rts purpose, for
the smiles do not extend from their mouths to their eyes. The nurse's eyes are glazed. for she is young. and as
yet unused t o the professron, and the ubiquttous suffenng rs strll a shock to her: The doctor's eyes, hardened by
expenence, are intent wrth concentration. Both smiles are merely token gestures, made in an ignorant belref or
wrshful desire that they help, or perhaps even to help the doctor and nurse deal with what they face. However,
being so clearly a mask to therr true feelings. they cultivate in me a fear for my life whtch grows with every passing
moment. Then. after the smile. comes the doctor's vorce from on high: slow. deliberate, patronrzing, as an adult
would speak to the young and ignorant. If I had any doubt before. I now know myself to be powerless over the
future of my life. The realization of this causes my sense of anger and frustration to grow, temporarily consuming
my fear. Blood rushes to my head, my temples poundrng as the blood courses through by veins, propelled by
rage. I feel my eyes strain as the pupils dilate funously. A taut, clenched knot forms in my stomach as instinct tnes
to suppress my fury. I struggle agarnst my emotrons. concentrating so hard that I can no longer hear the doctor's
words. Seemrngly oblivious of my tnternal struggle, the doctor continues, his features blurred rn my unfocused v t
sron. untrl. suddenly. 1t rs over. Bnskly, coolly. the doctor leaves the room, followed by the nurse. and seems to
take my anger wrth htm. W ith the all-consuming rage departed. my mind ts allowed a moment of calm, of respite. a
moment in whrch it can wander freely.
Alone once more, my mrnd loses 1tself tn the labynnth of the paradoxrcal nature of our need to talk about our
fears: the bigger the fear, the fewer people you can confide rn There is no greater fear than that of death, but to
talk about it often evokes in the listener a sympathy so great that for them to listen becomes torture. However.
preparing for death alone tortures yourself: the prospect of judgement Day, never really consrdered before,
becomes ternfyingly real. Waking and sleeprng dreams, whrch remain viv r d in the memory. are haunted by
rmagrn1ngs of what rs to come. You recount your life, stns hrghlighted by fear, and Judge yourself: you are
condemned.
My chamber IS opened, my room entered by nurses, my world moved. The walls flash past as I am taken,
helpless. to my place of death or resurrectton. The fear swells, throbbtng against the rnsrde of my head. rn rhythm
With my heart: my self and rts terror are one.
Though we try to prepare for death. what we do not and cannot prepare for rs the uncertarnty of not knowrng
whether we will ever wake up. As I lie here. the tmage of what may be the last room I ever see rs burned 1nto
my mtnd. The pure whrte wrndowless walls gleam. reflectrng the glare from the dazzling strrp-lrghts. The doctor,
clad tn hts green plasttc apron. caresses the edges of hts scalpel. Only now do I fully comprehend that this COLIId
be the end, and cling to conscrousness wtth all my power. The masked face of the anaesthetist fills my vtew as
he lowers the transparent piastre mask whtch could be the gateway to the end of my life; in no way am I ready
to die. Fightrng the consumrng nothtngness, one last thought escapes:
'Is thrs the last thought I will ever thrnk? And will I ever know 1f rt was7'
Rrchard Rabone
Port Vila and the First World War
Keith Jarrett Pnze Book Revtew
Port Vila IS the cap1tal city of Vanuatu. It is situated on the island of Efate and IS four hours' flying time from Sydney
into the Pacific. The country used to be known as the New Hebrides and was ruled by a Bntish and French jomt
government (the Condomm1um) unt1l July, 1980, when 1t gained independence.
In Vanuatu there are several old French and English families who settled there during the Condommium and
stayed after Independence. We spoke to a member of an old British family who sa1d that there were no effects
of the F1rst World War here; he just simply answered 'none whatsoever.' We then asked an old French resident
and he sa1d that commumcat1ons were so slow that hardly any people, especially on the outer 1slands of the
nat1on. even heard about 1t so only a handful of people ever left to go and fight. But he also added that no ranch
ever failed as a result of its owners' dying in the war. A local hotelier whose family has been here for generations
backed up this opinion.
I subsequently asked a member of Peacecorp and she told me to check on the war memorial for names.
However, when we went to photograph it there were no names on it and so we had no 1dea how many men
wenl and died in the war.
We tried to look the subject up in the nat1onal archives but they were being moved from the place where
they had been for the past twenty-four years to the place where they should have been for the past twenty-four
years. So 1nstead we asked the curator of the National Museum and Cultural Center, Ralph Regevanu, who is
wtdely respected throughout the pacific for his knowledge. He told us that the First World War had no effects
on Vanuatu but that the arms race and the build up to it did.
He said that there were two early settlements in Vanuatu, both on Efate. The British settlement was in the
north of the island and the French settlement was where Port Vila is today. In 1904 the German Fngate Undine
entered a bay 1n north Efate now called Undine Bay. At the same time the British settlement was being decimated
by an outbreak of cerebral malaria. After this outbreak the British moved down to the French settlement and, as
they believed Germany was interested in the country, the French and Brit1sh agreed under the Entente Cordiole
that they would have JOint rule over the nation and so the Condominium was born.
Alexander Hill
Superstar
I remain with my back in the grass where I have been felled.
Sounds of battle and camaraderie echoing off the moist soil
Slowly fade away; I have not observed the stars for so long:
The minute pomts of light wh1ch remind me of my insignificance,
These celestial bodies float 1n the same space, yet in a different time,
Mortal as I am, yet so invincible.
I focus on a single star and sh1ver - l realize,
To look upon these stars is to look upon my fear of falling;
The plummet to the stars so very far below me.
These very same stars gaze up from underneath me
Wishing for the modest mouse life I live.
Zhang Rui Tan
Persecuted by Paranoia
A shadow of illness has loomed over my family for all the fifteen years of my life: stnce before I was born, my Dad
has suffered from dystonia, a nervous disease w h ich can cause crippling pain and spasms. This has left him unable
to work. which means he is always at home in the holidays, but because of this, my sister and I have more
responsibility to take it upon ourselves to help: he is tndependent. and refuses to let his illness stop him from
gardening and helping around the house. However. much physical exertion often causes him a lot of pain. so we
must help when we can. as it doesn't hurt us. W hilst dystonia not fatal, it has been for years incurable, until an
Oxford professor pioneered the surgtcal technique used to help sufferers of Parkinson's, and adapted tt for dystonia.
For the first ttme, a ray of hope attempted to shine through the darkness of pain. a ray with the medical title of
Deep Brain Sttmulation.
I have never liked hospitals: the smell of disinfectant attempttng and failing to conceal the stench of suffering
wafting around, entenng my nostrils and breeding guilt in my mtnd: guilt for merely being healthy. Everywhere I look
ts the stght of a human. lying helpless on a hospttal bed, tubes protruding from almost all areas of sktn that are
allowed to show: my Dad. tn my eyes a complex, emotional person, reduced to a s1mple survival machine, with no
real influence over his future. I look at htm, barely conscious from the effects of the anaesthetic administered for his
earlt er brain-scan. the unbearable thought t rrevocably lodged in my mind: will this tmage, frail and fragile, be my final
memory of my father1 SurlrlP-nly ilware of questioning eyes upon my face. which must have been showing my inner
turmoil. I gtve a weak smile and turn away.
Whilst we were struggling to find the money needed to pay for the operation. which was far more than we could
afford, simply living out my life while my Dad was away had seemed easy. However. while he was in hospital I lived
much of my life in a dream world, but it was a world in which I was tormented and tortured by my imagination:
time after time, I watched the operation through my mind's eye, yet no matter how many times I saw it, it never
succeeded. Through the medium of my imagination I saw cerebral fluid leak out through the holes drilled by the
doctors to insert the electrodes: your eyes, both your physical eyes and that of your mtnd, stmply see. Your brain
does not know tf they see truth. Unable to banish Lhe possible imminent death of my father from my mtnd, the
question of where he wou ld go next nagged at my mtnd.
W ith a single phone-call, during whtch he dtd not speak, the only evtdence I had of the safety of my father, my
imaginatton was allowed to run riot, seeking out all posstble conditions the words 'as well as can be expected' can
descnbe. W ith adrenaline. the product of my nervous state, heightentng my senses, the feeble cutLain drawn around
the hospital bed became a translucent barrier, providing teasing, but unwelcome, glimpses of the slumped form
behind it as I approached. W ith my hand no steadier than my father's normally was, I looked on. through
apprehensive eyes, as the genially smiling doctor twitched the curtain aside. reveal1ng the post-operative form of my
father. his face pale. his eyes closed: he was sleeping. The doctot- gently pronounced the sleeping man to be well.
and we left. reassured.
As time ticked on. the self-pronounced 'bionic man' began to feel the rehabilitating effects of the operation, and
though he frequently clatmed that he had expected a more dramattc improvement , his recovery was clear for all
others to see. His independence and mobility were heightened, his stamina increased: even his personality became
more affable as he recovered. He had been given a new lease of life: the change was Incredible, but he must have
had to undergo a readjustment of his view of himself which I cannot even imagtne as he began the journey back to
a relat1vely normal life, somethtng he had not experienced for twenty years.
N o matter how great man's advances in technology are, we will always be dogged by the perennial problem of
machtnes: sooner or later, they wtll break. In a cruel twtst of fate, as tf health was a luxury beyond his reach. one of
the crucial wires leading into my Dad's bratn tnexpltcably became detached, instigating a descent back into the pain
from which he was beginning t o recover. However, we only see the symptoms, not the cause, and so for months
the problem was left alone: the obvious conclusion for us was that the operation had given as much benefit as it
was ever going to. for we were told that it may not completely cure him. Fortunately. regular check-ups are insisted
upon by the hospital, and they found the problem on the next of these visits.
Having found the problem. the solution was another operation, identical to the first one. to replace the broken
wire. The cruel cycle of emotions restarted, but this time thetr intensity was lessened: having suffered from an tllness
once, the body often creates anttbodtes to fight the dtsease. so I can only assume that the mtnd has similar capacity
to fight infection. I was cons1derably more relaxed during the period of his hospital stay, though still scared during
the operation itself, as some things even the human brain cannot disregard. and the operation ttself was, as far as
can be obtatned from data readouts, an unqualified success. It was also an tmprovement over the original operatton.
which. although tt was beneficial to my Dad's health, gave dubtous results on the data readout. If he makes a
stgntftcant or full recovery. he may be able to work . and our famtly holidays would be more exciting. as the illness
would no longer constrict our plans. The greatest effect if would have on me would be to ensure freedom: more
time for myself, as Dad could do the jobs he ltkes more often. and freedom from the worry that he was caustng
himself pain. I live tn hope that, with luck and ttme , the shadow of tllness may yet be permeated by the light of
health_
R1chard Rabone
Kung Fu for Dummies
Next t1me someone asks to see some
jack1e Chan, Bruce Lee
or R1cky Tan,
I want to surpnse the oblivious customer.
Tear off my coat to reveal
a full set of angry pyJamas.
Brandish a wooden board
only to smash 1t with my forehead.
01smiss the five nrnJa extras
rn six simple steps.
Then stroke my long wh1te beard,
Before givrng my best 1m1tation of a flying kick.
All the wh ile denyrng their pathetic pleas,
'Me-no-speaky-eng- lish!'
Z hang Rui Tan
Colour inside the lines
The author was awarded o splcndrd bowl by the lntematronal Society of Poets for thrs poem.
W hy IS there shame rn spilt milk?
W hy rs your aspect superior, mine inferior?
W hy must I walk on the pavement?
W hy can't I defy this enslavement?
1mprison my mind,
chast1se my nature,
set rules for my soul,
determine my role.
Force me to
colour inside the hnes.
Zhang Rur Tan
SHIRBURIIAI
Firsc Pnze - lmermedwte Sec(lon
Glass Factory Ottery Lane, Sherborne
Part of the history of Sherborne that rs not
appreoated much rs the effect that the Industrial
RevolutiOn had on the economy of the town. The
butldrng that I have chosen has a lot to do with the
change that happened alongside the Industrial
Revolutron.
The butldrng that I have chosen rs the Glass Factory
at the end of Ottery Lane on the outskrrts of
Sherborne. This burldrng rs modern and is made out
of green corrugated metal.
This site has been used for industrial purposes
since 1570. It was then a mill on the River Yeo,
probably for the production of flour or wool for the
town. The mill was called Oakes Mill and was on the
same site as the glass factory is today.
The next big change to this site was in 1740 when
a silk-thrower settled in Sherborne. Hts name was
john
Sharrer. He
leased the mill,
then
called Westbury Mills. from Lord Digby. The site
was incorporated tnto two buildings opposite each
other at the end of Ottery Lane.
In 1755. john Sharrer was allowed to pull down the
old premises and burld new premises for his silk
throwing. Silk-throwmg is the process where silk is
taken off cocoons and put onto bottles ready for
weaving. john Sharrer dted in 1767 and his wife
became the owner until 1769 when William Willmott
took over the business and his family owned the
business for three generations.
In 1825. as many as six hundred people were
employed rn Dorset at Westbury Mtlls. The company
expanded in 1840 as factory butldrngs were erected
along Ottery Lane for future industrial use. Albert
Willmott (W illiam's grandson) allowed the business
to decline to such an extent that the Sherborne mill
closed in 1885. In the same year rl was reopened by
Rev. joseph Ogle and called J. and R. Wrllmott
Ltmited. In 1887 the company changed from silk
throwing to silk-weavrng.
By 1907 the busrness was very profitable and was
sold to the weavmg firm called A.R.Wright & Co.
Thirty years later the company was sold to a Swrss
called Henrick Spttz He re-equrpped it with the best
type of up-to-date srlk looms but could not pullrt out
of rts financial debts.
Mr Fredenck Marsden bought it rn 1937 and
twelve months later the Sherborne mill was agarn rn
full production. Dunng the Second World War. Mr.
Marsden wove silk parachute-fabrrc for the Ministry
of Aircraft Production He also drscovered that glass
yarn was coming into fashron and Marglass was
formed. They wove glass ribre primanly for industrial
purposes.
After the war the company was expanded and
they bought new buildings. By 1956. silk weaving had
ceased and after a fire the modern building was
constructed. Glass-weaving and productron has
continued here ever- srncc.
Today. after two hundred and sixty-one years of
tradtng, the name has changed to lnterglas
Technologies Lrmtted They now produce glass for
opera houses. high rise office buildings and car
windscreens. The Managtng Director, Mr Davtd
Puckett. told me that hts business is very prosperous
and well-respected. He told me that he employs one
hundred and fifty people.
This site has changed from a small mill in the 1500s
to a large-scale glass-manufacturing company. One of
the original buildings is used today for ltght industry
and owned by West Dorset Council The glass
factory is rn a new building as the old one was burnt
to the ground rn the 1950s Who knows what will
happen to t his site rn the next four hundred years?
Hugo Sutton
SHIRBURIIAI
Photograph taken from a fteld adjacent
to
the A30
First Prize - Senior Sectton
Sherborne Old and New
When I thought of 'Sherborne Old and New' I
Immediately thought of my favourite penod in
Engltsh history. the first Civ1l War 1642-46. It was at
th1s t1me lhat Sherborne Old Castle came Into 1ts
own as an effect1ve fortification, holding out for
s1xteen days against a s1ege by General Faitiax and
the New Model Army. Th1s was also its death knell,
rn this partrcular penod of 1ts hrstory. as it was only
the following October that the castle was d1smantled
to prevent further Royalist support.
In the past the Old Castle was a fort1fied home for
our ancestors. Today the New Castle continues to be
a pnvate residence. with the Old Castle as a
picturesque feature 1n 1ts grounds. Isn't this like the
modern Sherborne Town today? The anstocracy
ruled over the Town in the period of the Old Castle's
supremacy. Today the New Castle estate IS pnvately
owned, adjacent to the town. where the town uses
it as a tourist attraction. The Old Castle stood on its
own, a symbolic defensive position that was then
absorbed by the estates of the New, following the
gift of the land to Sir Walter Rale1gh. The civic
ambrtions of Sherborne have developed. s1gn1fying a
change rn the relationship between the people of
Sherborne, the aristocracy and the town Itself.
My 1dea for this image was to f1nd a suitable way
of bnnging together Sherborne's Old and New
Castles. I wanted to view the two together from a
hrgh v1ewpoint. Havrng located my vantage-po1nt. I
returned many times to seek the best hghting
condrtions. but it was not until the final day of the
Pitman Prize Competition that a new drmensron
occurred to me. The historic site of the anoent
castles was further transformed by a fall of delicate
new snow.
The unusual condrtrons brought about by the
snow also soften the background terrace of trees: the
mauve-brown colour remrnds me of an altogether
more
primeval
period. The
New
Castle
is sandwiched between rts old forbear and the
forests which once would have covered the
landscape - before there was a town. before there
was a School, before Gerald Pitman himself!
Sebastian Ross
SHIRBURNIAI
Second Prize - lntermedrore Sectron
Change in Sherborne
The town of Sherborne in Dorset has often been
described as a town that 'never changes'. If you were
to take a drive through the town, you would find
that most of the buildings are built in the yellow
Sherborne stone, and have been for many hundreds
of years. On first appearances, the town therefore
has not changed much, yet as you go further into the
heart of the town, change has happened more than
you would expect. In this essay, I shall discuss the
major change, which has kepl the town prosperous
for many years.
The name 'Sherborne', originally Scireburne,
means 'clear stream' or 'water'. and an important
change is based around this. When the Industrial
Revolution started rn Brrtain in the Nineteenth
Century, the main source of power for the new
machinery was not coal. but water. Therefore as the
river Yeo runs to the south of the town, this energy
source could be harnessed, and a major change now
started. The accompanying picture is of the
southwest mill, which became the most successful of
the three mills. and of the company lnterglass. which
is a company now advanced beyond the water mill,
yet still using its power.
These mills are rmportanl in the history of Lhe
town as they brought money and many jobs but.
apart from that. they proved that this small town
was still able to lead the way tn new technology at
the start of the Industrial Revolutton, yet fell behind
later on when coal overcame water-power. The
basrs for industrralisatton that these mills had left
was a very strong one, whrch could he built upon
later. Otherwise the view of a town that never
changes would be a correct statement for the
town.
Hugh Knudsen
The season started in late August when the crowds were still on the
beaches in Cornwall. T he pre-season visrt to Perranporth gave us both
excellent weather and a valuable insight into t he boys and what we could
expect over the course of the season. Although trai ning was good, there
was a realisation that a number of positions were not well covered. If
injuries did occur then we would have massive problems. A squad game
was played against Truro Schoo l followed by another squad game on the
upper against Eton College. They were returning from a similar visit to
Cornwall.
With everyone fit and well the v ictory over a very experienced
Canford side was indeed a pleasing result. This unfortunately came at a
cost wrth the loss through injury of Michael Saunders at outside half. W ith
the majority of the side from the Lower Sixth, experie nce was very much
at a premium. Only Adam Reid, the captain, had played last year. A
further victory came on the Upper against Bishop Wordsworth; their
power was overcome by our speed and skill. It had to be said the writing
was on the wall: if any side could hold onto the ball close to set play, we
would have the greatest degree of difficulty in countering it. The lack of
bulk in the forwards was an issue throughout the season. As in the Six
Nations. sides can stay close to England for a certain length of time, then
England's power will tell. We were in a similar position with late scores
dominating results in the vast majority of games. A good win over old
rivals King's Taunton was very pleasing though further long-term injuries
in the backs were coming to haunt us. Seamus Crawford lasted only
twenty minutes and was not seen again that term. This was a big loss, not
only for his skills at thirteen. but also for his size. The game against
Wellington was, to put i t mildly, a fantastic forward effort. Wellington
were driven onto the back foot for much of the match. We had a number
of scoring oppor1unit ies, but failed to be clinical and goal-kicking on the
day was very poor. When you fight to get into t he right areas of the field
and gain a penalty, you have to conver1 these chances. We failed rather
dismally, whereas Wellington had three scoring chances and capitalised
on each one. It was certainly a lesson for all those w ho played. Pressure
is all very well but you have to turn it into points. Credit on the day had
to go to the front row where A lex Simon and jack Milln at prop plus
Archie Mackay-james at hooker gave as good a display as you could wish
to see.
The defeat at Clifton was based on yet another injury when our
hooker left the field late in the first half. Obviously t his disrupted not only
the scrummage but, more so, the line out. Without first phase possess ion
it is very difficult to control areas of the field: you are always in defensive
mode and therefore unable to control field position. Despite another
injury, this time to fullback Giles Maber. the boys did extremely well to be
in the lead until the last few minutes. The loss of the fullback proved
again to be long-lasting. Losing our cutting edge made scoring even more
difficult. Not only were the injuries causing problems. t he speed of the
ball through the halfbacks was also causing problems. If we could get the
ball to David Holborow on the right wing. then we had every chance of
a score. His sidestep at full tilt certa1nly took
opponents by surpnse. I certamly remember
wonderiu l tries against King Edward's, Bath, and
Millfield almost appearing from nothing owing to
wonderfully mesmeric footwork.
King Edward's, Bath, was probably t he most
drsappointing fixture. It was there to be won. but
through sheer lack of rugby nous we managed to
hand them the game on a plate. Cheltenham hit us
with three early tries: as the saying goes, we were still
on the bus. It was not until half-time that we had
worked out exactly what was going on. During that
nrst spell there was a certain lack of commitment.
whrch is not something I have ever associated with
Sherborne sides. If you are going to come second,
make it a close second. This was not applicable to the
forwards where Alec Willrs was turning into a very
good number seven. He has now come under the
wing of Bath Academy, as has Archie Mackay-james:
both will benefit enormously from the experience
and hopefully will be top players in the Upper Sixth.
Millfield came with their normal rash of
internationals and an unbeaten record to be given
the biggest surprise of the season. On the day the
commitment was huge and could not be faulted. The
skill-level had certainly gone up a notch and. as their
coach expressed it at the end. 'that is the most
pressure we have been under all year'. The questron
has to be asked why this performance had not been
seen at an earlier stage. A number of boys returned
from injury, which did give greater stability, and the
experience of the term may finally have borne fruit.
The character and psychology of thrs side was very
difficult to interpret. Hopefully for those returning
and there are nine - it wtll give them sufficient
confidence to move up a level.
Adam Reid as captain certainly sold his soul for the
side: his commitment could never be faulted. If all
others follow at this level then we should look
forward to a promising season. I am a great believer
that whatever you put in, you wr ll get back. If you
work hard at skills and fitness then you are half way
there; add some commitment then you are almost
complete; throw rn some awareness and you have a
very good player. Unfortunately a number of the XV
expected success, both individually and collectrvely,
to arrive on a plate. Attitude is something which 1s an
impossr ble commodity
to coach - possrbly
a psychologist IS required, not a coach! This was
a season whrch. regardless of all the team's efforts,
will not show up well in the record books.
Team: AB Reid (Captain): GA Maber; DSE Holborow;
NJT Howe; TO Hrllard; RHO Yates; K Doherty; ERP
Heath; AMd'A Willis; ACF Simon; JM Milln; MP
Erskine; RJR Blake; GW H Armstrong; DO Nicholls;
EjO Wicks; MH Saunders .
Also Played: AJ Russell; ME Snudden; JF Titley;
OW Gargrave; PJT Houghton; JT Holdaway;
GC Stebbings; SA Crawford; OJ Brown; SJR Dawson;
MS Hutt.
Results: Played 12. Won 3, Lost 9.
Canford
Bishop Wordsworth's
Downside
King's Taunton
Wellington College
Clifton College
Marlborough College
King Edward's, Bath
Bryanston
Cheltenham College
King's Bruton
Blundell's
Millfield
w
w
2 0 - 10
2 0 - 10
Cancelled
hard grounds
w
10- 3
L
0 - 34
10 - 16
6 - 17
13 - 22
3 - 26
II - 29
16 - 20
3 - 12
9 - 17
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
DAS
2nd XV
''Team spmt went from strength to strength. "
The 2nd XV of 2003, with an Upper Sixth contingent
who hadn't had lhe best htstoty of sporting success,
were lucky enough Lo have what can only be
descnbed as a remarkable season. After a slightly
dodgy start on summer-hardened ground against
Canford, only managmg a draw, we began to pull
together to become a close Learn wtlh a very pleastng
season, losing only the Wellington match after the
loss of three players through mjury The power of Lhe
forwards, combined with the agility and pace of the
backs, a sprinkling of skill, and the 'Beefy' coachtng
tactics of an inspirattonal expert, produced firsL-class
rugby whiCh ended the dreams of many an
oppostllon. Team sp1rit was h1gh throughout the
season and went from strength to strength as ever
more-testmg oppos1t1ons were dt spatched. This was
helped by the encouragement of PT. the rantmg and
ravings of 011 Gargrave, and Ed Radcltffe's ability to
amuse in the most desperate of sttuat1ons, ensuring
that morale never drooped. Our pnde tn our
performances almost overcame us on a couple of
occas1ons but we qu1ckly realised that wmning was by
no means guaranteed, and worked hard as a result to
produce wms that surpnsed us, such as a fantastic
VICtory over long-t1me nvals Millfield in the final week
of term. and a convinc1ng win agamst Bryanston.
The loss of Chris Nott wtth a broken arm early on
1n the term was a blow for the pack, but james Titley
stepped in and filled the role superbly for most of the
term before sustaining a nasty knee-mjury h1mself tn
the match against Bryanston, tak1ng h1m out for the
rest of the season. As a result, Reuben A1tken. who
had already made a couple of appearances, JOtned us
from the 3rd XV (much to hts father's
disappointment/joy ) and proved an able lock
forward, putting his he1ght and strength to good use.
The rest of the pack remained much the same for the
whole season, and as a result worked very well
together. frequently outplaying teams which were
phys1cally larger than us. jack Little ( I) is a dependable
prop and. although not the most mobile pack
member. worked hard and used his size and power
effect1vely. Oh 'Pidge' Gargrave (2) is a tenaoous
hooker and tackler with a mcredible turn of speed
and an accurate arm m the line-out, and is a
dangerous opponent for any front row. Matt
Snudden (3). the 'Pocket Rocket', l1kes to see h1mself
as a fullback (and doesn't do too badly at 1t) but IS
more su1ted to getting down and d1rty m the front.
Th1s he does very effectively and h1s scrummagmg
was something to which many a prop asp1res. H1s
team spirit was mdefatigable and always h1gh. james
Titley (4). one half of our second row for most of the
season, is a terrifying opponent. partly because of h1s
size but also because of his reperto1re of faoal
expressions. Hls ability to make ground carrying the
ball and to recycle the ball afterwards gave the team
a huge advantage and set up a good few try-scoring
moves. Ru Howland-jackson (5) was the tallest
person on the team by about three feet and this
stood him in good stead for line-outs (of which he
was a key member, involved in every combination of
lifts and JUmps) and second-row power. He seemed
to pop up in every situation and his reltability was an
asset to the team. Fred Isles (6) knows a thing or two
about playing on the edge of the serum and as a
bl1ndside flanker was faultless . His tackling,
scrummaging and line-out lifting were excellent and
he proved a dependable Vice Captain. The team was
supported throughout by Simon Dawson (7) from
the pos1tion of opens1de flanker. leading by example
w1th h1s quiet but effect1ve captaincy. Along with
other members of the 2nd XV, he was on the edge
of play1ng for the Ist XV. mak1ng one appearance for
them. Never the most vocal member of the team, he
guided nevertheless wtth style and flair. Ollie Brown
(8) prov1ded the dnve from the back and was
Incredibly effect1ve m our N o. 8 moves, surpnsmg.
overpowenng, or outwitting any opponent who
dared to take on the m1ght of the 'Blond Bombshell'.
The backs changed around a b1t more, through
lnJUiy, promotions to the I st XV. and Charlie
Wilyman's ability to play with equal skill at the well
known combination of prop or outside-centre (as
well as taking the odd k1ck...). 'jammy' Jenkms was
another player who made numerous appearances for
the s1de, although his chosen combmat1on was No. 8
or 1ns1de-centre. Again, he was able to play at etther
w1th equal ability. Matt Hutt and Ed WICks both
started the season in the 2nd XV but ended wtth the
Ist XV - deserved promotions tn both cases. Desp1te
these changes. our
un1quely-named moves
(Chocolate Love, anyone?) were executed near
pe,fectly time and time again, a 'Cohen Ball' be1ng.
when 1t worked, the p1nnacle of our achievements.
Our serum-half changed qUite often and, at
d1fferent limes, Guy Stebbings, Dave Nicholls. and
George Armstrong wore the No. 9 shirt. They all
brought panache. deos1on-makmg ability and good
rugby to the posttion and thts was shown by the fact
that they all played for the Ist XV during the season.
They all worked very effectively with Ed Radcliffe
( 10). who at fly-half was the team's 'Golden Boot',
regularly prov1ding perfectly-placed Cohen Balls and
beaut1ful convers1ons. His squirrel-like dartmg and
weavmg managed to get him out of the tightest of
situations and free up plenty of ball for the rest of the
backs to work with. Paddy Houghton ( 12) spent his
second season in the 2nd XV playmg with ruthless
tacklmg efficiency. and attemptmg to sway the
referees' decisions by calling before the ref. had had
a chance. His fast hand and eagle eye ensured that
the ball got out to the fnnges and. when that wasn't
possible, his ability to secure and recycle the ball was
second to none. His 'sacrificial lamb' role at ins1de
centre was both useful and enterta1ning to the rest of
the team. Tom Gabbey ( 13) at outside-centre was
another quiet but very effective player, who always
knew exactly what was going on around him and, as
a result. was valuable in both attack and defence. His
expenence on the flank of the serum meant that he
was a fearsome tack ler. Jamie Holdaway (II). one of
our back three speed-merchants, was our man on
the left and h1s ability somehow to swerve around
players who seemed almost certain to bring him
down meant that he notched up a very respectable
try- tally, while successfu lly defending his channel of
play. Hugo Blatt ( 14), our highest try-scorer. relished
his posit ion on the right wing, and his combinat1on of
speed and power meant that any potential tacklers
would f ind themse lves, w ith a number of the1r team
mates clinging on, a good few yards further back than
they had been originally. Hugo's 'Cohen Ball Special'
against Marlborough w ill not be forgotten for a long
time. Tim Ballingal ( IS) jo ined us from Truro this year
and quickly showed his pace, slicing apart the
opposition. His fullback tackling was reliable, and it
was a relief to know that Tim was waiting ready to
pounce like a puma if someone managed to slip
through our defence.
Having run through our players, there is one
person left to ment1on. PT was the coach who
transformed us 1nto the giant-killing unit we were at
the end of the term from the group whose future in
the early days of September 2003 was not at all sure.
He managed as well as coached the team. and guided
us calmly through frustrations and difficulties. His
wisdom and expertise was soaked up by the boys
and the gratitude and respect felt for him by the
whole team is enormous. He was deserved ly
awarded his 2nd XV colours. along w1th the large
majority of the regular team. This does not. I hope,
detract from the ind1viduals' performances or efforts.
Roll on. 20041 We would also hke to thank Don
Rutherford and DAS for their coaching; also Tom and
Ben Scott who t urned out on a Fnday, adding the
final polish to the backs and passmg on mvaluable
snippets of expertise.
Results: Played 14, Won 12, Lost I. Drawn I.
Simon Dawson and Hugo Blott
4th XV
uUps and downs. "
The start of t he season had some promising signs.
The 3rd >0/ looked like a reasonable side. and we had
an excess of players to choose from, particularly in the
backs. This situation is never a bad thing, particularly
when many of the players display equal promise and
skill. The only disadvantage was that it took a while to
establish a consistent team, and therefore we didn't
seem to work together as successfully as we might
have wished. Any serious concerns, however, were
quelled by the convincing win over Canford in our
first match. We had a choice between Ed Ward, Paddy
Horsington and Piers Collins in the centre, all of
whom were strong players. Ed Ward seemed
particularly creative in the centre and at fly-half and
was vital in many of the tries scored through t he
three-quarter line. Paddy was a very determined
runner in the centre and challenged the opposition
defence on countless occasions.
We also had a very strong and powerful pack. The
strength and weight of lsa AI-Sabea combined w ith
the agility and enthusiasm of Tom Blanthorne and
Nick Thanapoomikul created a very useful trio in
both attack and defence. The difficulty we had in
choosing the right serum-half for t he job only proved
the strength we had among the forwards. Both
Crispin Vollers, who was able to secure the position
for most of the season, and Tristan de Souza were
able to work very well with the back row forwards
to create some very powerful and threatening
attacks. It was a shame that. just as Crispin had
managed to secure his position in the team and
begun to create a formidable link with Ed Ward at fly
half, he suffered a cracked rib early on in the match
against Wellington. Tristan took over the position
very competently, and became renowned for his
sneaky, Matt-Dawson-sty le breaks from the base of
many a ruck or mall.
The Well1ngton match was perhaps both the
h1ghest and, at the same time, the lowest point in the
season! It was by about this time that we had been
able to finalise our team for the season and discover
which players would be taken by the 3rd XV and
which ones would be ours or so we
thought! Therefore. at the start of the Wellington
match (at home), we thought we had produced the
strongest team we could, and we began the match as
confident and enthusiastic as possible considering
the strength always displayed by Well ington
s1des. An early Wellington try did nothing to
dispel the team's enthusiasm, and th1s was proven
by the try quickly scored by t he home s1de. It was
just before half-lime that we lost Crispin to mJury, and
although we ended the second half only a try
behind, it was downhill from here. This rapid
drop in the team's performance was even more
distressing owmg to the fact t hat it was no faul l of
our own! The problem
was. as it had been for much of the season up to this
pomt and would be from thts point forward. the
numerous tnjuries suffered by the higher ranks of the
3rd XV We first lost our fast pace winger: Toby
Ovens. closely followed by his opposite winger. Ollie
Madley. These weren't the only players to be called
from the fteld. and the game ended with a very
disappointing (but unsurprising given the situation)
score-ltne
Perhaps the strangest match of the season was
agamst Clifton College. We weren't really sure what
their stde would be like. but assumed as usual that
they would be of reasonable quality. We started the
match well and scored a fairly easy and very early first
try. From then on. everything seemed to go
backwards and forwards They scored their first try
fairly soon after us. and although we always felt like
the stronger side we could never really perform and
felt as though we were being constantly held back
and were unable to get through thetr defence. We
ended up letting them score a couple of soft tries and
a great drop-kick by Paddy Horsington. whtch sailed
nght through the mtddle of the uprights was,
astoundingly. dtsallowed by the Referee. who tnststed
tt missed the nght-hand post! W e just about
managed to hang on to our lead. and narrowly won
the match
The season overall was pleasing. We won more
matches than we lost and performed well tn some of
those that we were less successful in. The Wellington
match. as stated. was an enjoyable game even if it
was infunating in many ways. We had ups and
downs. victories and losses. but I think the season
was enjoyed by most. particularly those Upper Sixth
who played their last r·ugby as Shirburnians. Colours
were awarded to many of the team who performed
to a high standard. and thanks go to Mr. Burn who
helped in the training and accompanied us to all our
matches.
Michael Pope
5th XV
ul screamed at cheil backs to stand s£ill. 11
If you look immedtately at the stattsttcs followtng this
report. you may well wonder what has happened to
the expansive. runnmg rugby for· whtch the 5th XV IS
famed. The answer is that it ts altve and well. but that
DAS matched us so well wrth our opposttion that tn
most games the teams simply neutralised each other.
We opened our campaign wtth a brursing
encounter against Wellington. Mtd-way through the
first half, we landed a penalty, but failed to fintsh off
other chances before turntng round After the re
start, tt was virtually one-way traffic as they became
ever more desperate to score. On one of our rare
sorttes, we gamed an easy penalty, whtch we
spurned. We tackled herotcally, held our nerve, rode
our luck and were exultant to hear the final whistle.
A home defeat to Marlborough was a downer, but
we had to acknowledge that they played better on
the day, that we were always playing catch-up, and
that they were therefore worth their wtn. An
inaugural fixture agamst King's Bruton 4th XV found
us depleted and outnumbered. That we were due
not to wtn became obvious, so we had to grit our
teeth and accept the mevitable, albetl unwillingly.
Cheltenham proved a tougher nut to crack than
expected, but we never looked tn danger of
conceding. The final fixture was another cliffhanger,
with scores tied 0-0 until the final two minutes. We
were attacking: they turned over possesston vrrtually
on their line, and passed to the fullback. who kicked;
the ball went in-field to one of our players; I
screamed at thetr backs to stand sttll, since they had
all been tn front of the kicker, but one of them
refused. charging our ball-earner; I gave the penalty
3-0 to us; end of game. Qutte understandably,
Warmtnster were upset. They found it dtfftcult to
believe that tn the reverse orcumstances I would gtve
the penalty against us, but I would. You see t he play.
you give the deosion - and then you lhtnk about the
consequences.
As ever, we had a great deal of fun throughout the
term, whether training wtth the Thrrd and Fourth
XVs or on our own, and I am tndebted to my elders,
CW MA . WAMB and RGP for thetr sagaoty. advtce
and attendance.
Team from . CW Habershon (capt); AGH Daubeny; FC
Berihon;
MD
Barber,
CP
Goldman; RM
Symondson:
ERS
Kelly; JP
Torrens-Spence; RAC Vtnmg; ECJ Sweet; CHW
Cheng: MRF Janng; SP McEvoy; GR Maltby; AP
Stone; HJC Blazeby: JME Fitzgerald; TFS Fletcher;
CJ Ball; EA Elgood: JJL Boyd; CES Clifton; TJ Tumer;
TR Patterson.
Results: Played 5, Won 4, Lost I
Wellington College
Marlborough College
King's Bruton 4th XV
Cheltenham College
Warminster 2nd XV
w
w
L
w
w
3 0
3 - 0
17 - 3 2
II - 0
3 - 0
DBC
Colts A XV
uThey play for the love of the game and pnde m the1r School 11
S1nce I had worked w1th these terrific young people
as jun1or Colts, rt was decrded that I should have the
honour of coaching them for the second year and, in
doing so, renew my coachrng partnershrp wrth GDR.
The boys also seemed to be genuinely satisfred wrth
the decrs1on and so we began our campa1gn where
we had left the last one - o n the up'
The first game was aga1nst Canford: last year it was
one of our heaviest defeats and understandably we
were a little bit wary after berng thrashed by more
than fifty points. But we had made a huge amount of
progress since last year's encounter and the coaches
were optimistic. After a spirited performance we
narrowly lost 15-12 but the tie was always 1n the
balance until the final w histle.
Next up was Bishop Wordsworth's , and the boys
paid little notice to their reputation as a high flying
Daily Marl team. They threw everything at us but still
only managed three tries and those came in the last
quarter of the game. Even rn defeat we could see that
we were a much stronger outfit than the previous
year and this gave us heart for the next difficult
matches against Krng's Taunton and Wellington, both
the scenes of heavy defeats prevrously. We lost 22-10
and 32-10 respectively, but we competed in both
games tenaciously and always looked as though our
speedy wingers . Hurst and Moubray. could always
conJure a try by magic rf given the ball.
Clifton College was 'the one that got away' and
should have been our first victory. We lost. after an
alarming number of injuries, to a late dubious
penalty-kick to make the score 13-15. One doesn't
mind losing to a superior team after having given
one's all, but this was a poor performance by any
standards and one which must be improved upon for
next week. The comment after the game was that 'if
we play like that against Marlborough. we are likely to
take a beating'. Unfortunately, the statement proved
to be accurate: we lost 4 1- 3. It was probably the
worst performance during my two-year tenure and
one to forget in a hurry.
But this group of boys wear their hearts on lherr
sleeves: they play for the love of the game and pnde
rn thetr School; they are not the sort who would let
defeat gnaw away at them. We worked hard for the
Bryanston match and we played some of our best
rugby but could only manage a S-5 draw.
As the season neared a disappo1nting end, we
were faced wrth a long JOurney to Cheltenham
where we were beaten 29-12 desp1te threatening
victory for most of the match. An easy w1n over
King's, Bruton, 44-12 restored some sort of balance
but then a disappointing defeat agarnst Blundell's 022. after jos h Edelman was butted early on, was again
a story of what might have been.
The last game of the season was against Millfield.
and thrs followed the same pattern as most of the
games: we would defend solidly for most of the game
and then they would score. It was a pity because this
was not a memorable Mrllfield team and so it would
have been nice to end the season by stealrng a
victory. The frnal outcome was a loss by five tries
after drawrng 0-0 at half-time.
Workrng wrth boys like thrs makes you apprecrate
'the game' more. g1ving it perspective. One ts
reminded that rt rs a game and should be played
prrmanly for enjoyment: wrnning and losing are
lessons whrch need to be learned and addressed in
different ways. but how one plays the game rs also
hugely important. It is a real preparation for lrfe's
rollercoaster and highlights the essential co
operation with others that is necessary rf one is to
find peace. These boys have shown more
determinatio n in the face of adversity than most that
I have known. and have been remarkably good
company along the way. They have trained hard and
learned much which I am sure will stand them in
good stead for Ist X I places next year. Good luck to
them all!
SJC
Colts B XV
uThe sound of battle p1erced the a1r. 11
'lnvrncibility Ires 1n the defence; the possibility of
vrctory rn the attack.' Although Sun-Tzu, 1n the Fourth
Century BC. was never fortunate enough to play rn
the Colts B XV, he was certainly sufficrently presc1ent
to summarise our season.
On the first Saturday of the term. the Colts B
assembled to open the season against Canford. On a
hard prtch and blazrng day. Will Barnard and Ben
Bradish-EIIames played wrth panache and elan to
ensure we were victonous by a 20-8 margin. For the
next two
weeks. nerther Downside
nor
The Gryphon could match our sprrit, such was
the reputation of the mrghty men. When finally
Krng's Taunton arrived to challenge our domrnance.
they were put to the sword m a clinical display of
swift hands and finrshing. A rifty-por n l vrctory was
earned, and the ever impress1ve Ben Brad1shEIIames and Charlie MacCielland were agarn to the
fore. W ith th1s
victory we yet again grew in confidence and felt
ourselves ready to take Lhe field agat nst our most
deadly foe, Wellington. On a scorchingly hot day, our
forwards worked tirelessly and our backs dug deep
but to no avail agatnst the bigger and more direct
Wellington side. Defeated, but not disgraced, we
returned to lick our wounds and plan revenge: the
score was 20-10. Special mention must go to Ball
Chonecadeedumrongkul, who scored a magnificent
try at the end of the game, displaying both pace and
power.
W ho would try to take advantage of the defeat
and attempt to heap more shame on our heads?
Clifton thought they were the men to lay us low
once more. On Saturday, lith November, we made
the long journey to Clifton . Some deft trickery from
John Cain and Oily Bendall soon broke their spirits
and then the forwards moved in for the kill, grinding
the opposing pack to dust with their raw desire for
the ball and commitment. With our confidence
reborn we strode onto the pitch at Marlborough
expecting a bloody and bruising encounter and were
not disappointed. Luke Nitch-Smith, the human
terrier, was houndmg down backs and scrabbling in
the dirt for the ball. while Oily Bendall, the thinking
man's fly half, was making rapier-like incisions into
their terrified backs. Sadly, the gods weren't with us
and we tasted bitter defeat once again by a six-point
margin. Bryanston were our next opponent. Thts
t ime, Edwin Tucker and Campbell Reid strode
forward with power and skill to sweep the field and
allow our backs to run in many well-worked tries.
The day was won 30-17. Cheltenham were made of
sterner stuff, and despite our putting our bodies on
the line many a time, we fell prey to the sucker
punch when a last-minute try handed them victory
17-15.
Blundell's
were
then
dismissed
contemptuously by a team not determined to lose
again, jack Lloyd and Tom Russell covering
themselves in glory this time. On the last Saturday of
term we roused ourselves one last time to meet
Millfield. When the sound of battle pierced the air,
our 'Braveheart' Charlie MacCielland stormed over
for a try. Oily Bendall emulated jonny Wilkinson and
slotted t he winning points.
Finally l would like to thank, on behalf of the team,
our generalissimo Mr Willows who was never short
of Machiavellian schemes to target the fly halves we
encountered.
Team:
JAC
Lloyd;
BJM
Bishop;
P
Chonecadeedumrongkul;
CM
Reid;
CG MacCielland; LAj Nitch-Smith: EC Tucker:
MRJ Oates-Wormer (capt); TAT Russell; JO Bendall;
JD Cain:
BJM Bradish-EIIames; NEC Pope;
JWC Barnard; OJ Lloyd. Reserves: GRF Fry;
WTM Pope; jAF Bell; GPR Densham.
Michael Oates-Wormer
Junior Colts A XV
uPower is a key factor tn modem-day rugby. "
It started out as a season of heavy expectatton, with
a team unbeaten as Mini Colts; the junior Colts
would make the first foray tnto the Daily Mail Cup, a
national competition with a field of three hundred
and fifty-one teams.
The season ended with an appearance at the
home of Rugby Football. Twickenham, in the final of
the Datly Mail Cup. On the day, we finished a close
second to a strong john Cleveland College side. The
most tmportant lesson learned: power is a key factor
tn modern-day rugby.
The team had played some fantastic rugby to get
there, as they did on the day. Sport can be cruel; it is
unfortunate that one of the teams had to lose. The
players can be proud of their performance, and the
dignity displayed tn defeat is a true measure of the
character and maturity of these young men.
The first game of the season, against Canford, was
a free-flowing affair with Sherborne running in eight
tries. Tom Williams, starting the game as hooker, was
unlucky to miss out on a brace of tr ies, a tackle off
the ball allowing Pen Try to go in at the corner. Good
wins followed against Bishop Wordsworth and King's
Taunton. The first highlight of the season was the
emphatic defeat of Wellington College, scoring seven
tries against them on their own first-team pttch -
little wonder we played them on a postage stamp the
second t ime around!
A steady performance was put tn against
Wellington School in the first round of the Da1ly Mail
Cup. Six tries were scored; the piCk of them was
from Chns Holdaway follow ing a sublime chip from
Tom Williams. This game marked the debut of James
Bowker at open side - an inspired choice. He was to
prove htmself to be a thorn in the side of most of the
opposition
to
follow.
A
strong
second
half performance against Clifton College allowed
the Sherborne side to run in five tries to add to the
one scored in the first half.
The second highlight of the season was the
demolition of Marlborough. without the influential
'Super Bunners'. This had been the closest game of
the prevtous season, and excellent defensive
organisation and a little 'dog' kept the opposition
scoreless, whilst running in five tries. This is the game
where George Mackintosh started to emerge as a
true leader.
Tom Williams scored a second-half hat trick
against Poole Grammar in the next round of the cup.
A warm day, a dry pitch, some excellent support play
and a little flair helped Sherborne to score nine
unanswered tries.
Bryanston (good play. Archie) away was always
going to be a tough fixture following a close game the
previous year. Without four A Team regulars, the
players who stepped in demonstrated the depth of
the talent present in what rs an exceptional year
group. Six Sherborne tries followed, although I have
to say the best try on the day was scored by the
Bryanston number thirteen: he is a good player and I
am sure he will be a handful in subsequent years.
This was an excellent
performance
from
the Sherborne pack
to
deprive
the
opposition
of the ball.
Colston's
were
beaten
on
the
Uupper by four tries
to one in the next
round of the cup.
This was a very
physical game, Chris
Holdaway
being unfortunate to
break his wrist as
early
as the first
minute.
A
steady
performance
followed
against
Cheltenham College, with Sherborne adding four
tries to their tally and conceding none.
Then came the pitch to end all pitches. I never
realised that rugby could appear to be so much fun.
playing uphill and into the sleet and wind at West
Buckland. The chaps put in a hard-working
performance. George Berthon and Jamie Payne came
on for the last ten minutes and enjoyed themselves,
looking fully at home with their peers from the year
above. Four tries to nil, and another clean sheet.
A well-organised. dogged Blundell's side were
beaten by six tries to nil. The pick of the tries was
scored as jonti Dampney sprinted clear to go over
from half way. A conversion from junior ( c o lts C to
junior Colts A completed in one step.
And then Millfield (ah. hmm!): if you do not turn
up to play. you wil l not win, enough said. The try of
the season came against Dorset U IS in a warm-up
for the quarterfinal of the Cup. Super Bunners broke
from the serum. beat a couple of defenders. and then
fed jack jenkins who tickled the ball instant ly to
Charlie Esson: coming at pace. he straightened the
line. drawing the fullback. to put Jamie Smibert in
under the post - pure poetry!
Back to the postage stamp at Wellington. A
nervous performance. A couple of try-saving tackles
from Jamie Smibert and the banana skin was
successfully avoided.
A home quarterfinal in a national competition on
the Upper. the stuff that players' dreams are made of.
A hard game. A great deal of excellent defence from
the Sherborne side. The now-mandatory try-sav ing
tackles from Jamie Smibert, and an individual try from
the same chap. KCS Wimbledon can count
themselves very unlucky. They put in an exceptional
performance and lost the game to one moment of
brilliance. It is often a fine line between success and
failure Jn sport.
One of the highlights of the season for me was
after the KCS game. The players had (apparently) all
changed and gone upstairs for tea. Rob and I went
back rnto the changing-room to find Charlie Esson.
still sitting in his rugby-kit, clutching his water-bottle,
just srmply smiling to himself. When asked if he was
okay, he replied, grinning like the Cheshire cat, 'Yeah,
we're
in the
semifinal.'
The
trip
to
Castlecroft
for the semifinal
was in itself a
event.
Top
special
trumps on the
coach
and
a
showrng of the
mandatory
allowed
DVD
a fourhour
coachjourney
to
appear t o be
short. A most
relaxed
threecourse
dinner,
Jasti ng the best
part of two hours followed an early evening Captains'
run led by Ben and George. The team meeting in the
evening consisted mainly of a forwards versus backs
game of 'Who's in the bag'. Ricky stole the show. The
team-meeting in the morning was a more serious
affair. with Rob rallying the troops for the big game
ahead. And the match? Probably the best
performance of the season. The XV who took the
field were about as relaxed as they could be given the
circumstances. A lesson in support-play by Bondy led
to two tries for the winger. after excellent breaks by
Jamie Smibert. with Tom Fleming barrelling over in
between after some excellent work by the forwards.
Northampton scored two excellent tries of their
own and they can count themse lves unlucky to have
lost a match that could have gone either way.
Commiseration too to Jonti Dampney: after breaking
into the team straight from the C XV. he would go
on to break his collarbone in the semifinal and miss
out on his place in the final itself.
And so to the final, an experience that none of the
twenty-four involved is ever likely to forget.
Twickenham is a special place - only a few rugby
players ever get to play there.
The two sides put on a fast, entertaining game of
rugby containing a great deal of skill and pace. W e
came second, just. Any regrets? None from me. I
have never enjoyed coaching a group as much as I
have done this year. The players were always willing
to absorb new ideas, and they demonstrated
phenomenal progression during the year.
There are many people that I wish to thank for
their efforts and support during this momentous
season. Thanks to the hockey coaching-staff for their
patience and understanding. Thanks to Don
Rutherford and to David Scott for their technical
support. Many thanks to the Sen1or Colts A team
who trained and played against us dunng the year:
they helped to 'battle-harden' the players. Special
mention must be made of the players numbering 16
to 26 in the squad. Without them the training would
not have been as competitive. and the improvements
made by the players would not have been as great.
Thank you all. Many thanks must go to the parents
for the Immense support g1ven to the players and
coaches, especially to the Van Geests for their
wonderful hospitality. Special thanks go to Rob Hill:
he JS undoubtedly the best motivator of players that I
have ever had the pleasure of working with.
The captains, Ben Lyons and George Mackintosh.
led with a maturity seldom associat ed with fifteen
year-old young men, and I must congratulate them
for their effort s during the season. Rob and I offered
them responsibility, and they bot h grasped it and
exceeded all expectation w1th t he assured and
conndent manner in which they ran several t raining
sessions. I think that all coaches can learn from t his
and give the players more responsibility. This will
empower them to make better decis1ons on the fteld
of play.
Team and ines scored: JE Smibert 17; TR Williams 13;
PD Anscombe 12: HPA Bond II; CAR Esson 10;
CJ Holdaway 7; OM Cripps 5; TC Fleming;
GJF Mackmtosh 4; BE Lyons 3; AJ Bunnell 2;
JA Bowker. JN Dampney, JHC Jenkins, JRM Stratton
MV
Barnes;
HAS
Rose;
W CA
all I ;
Bulle1d; RAJ Newsome; Rl Mayo; JMJ Payne; NC
Batchelor: JA Nott.
Top points scorer; Charlie Esson 158.
Player Awards:
Players' player of the season:
Coaches' player of the season:
Players' most improved player:
Coaches' most improved player:
Coaches' team man of the year:
AJ Bunnell
JE Smibert
WCA Bulleid
HPA Bond
JA Bowker
Results: Played 20, Won
Pomts against 122.
17, Lost 3. Pomts for 590,
Canford
Bishop Wordsworth's
King's Taunton
Wellington College
*Wellington School
Clifton College
Marlborough College
* Poole Grammar School
Bryanston
Colston's Collegiate
Cheltenham College
*West Buckland
Blundell's
Millfield
Dorset UIS
* Wellington College
* KCS Wimbledon
Bath Club
* Northampton BS
* JCC
w
w
w
w
w
w
* Doily Mot/ Cup
w
4834 5143 34 38-
8
0
10
7
7
0
w
w
w
w
w
w
0
w
L
w
w
w
L
33 - 0
55 - 0
40 - 10
30 - 7
24 - 0
2217 -25
38 - 0
18 - 7
24
7 - 12
0
5- 7
17 - 12
12 - 17
L
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Junior Colts B XV
" 1can't really remember what happened. "
Wrth so much of the focus on the Road to
Twrckenham, one mrght be forgiven for missrng the
tnumphs of the JCBs. By no means the 'Darly Mail
Rejects', they worked trrelessly to gel again and agarn
as a group whilst seeking to develop therr rndrvidual
skills. Times had changed srnce the Minr CoiLs different body-shapes and sizes meant learnrng new
positrons and scores of lots-to-nil were less frequent.
Just take a look at how close the Wellrngton.
Marlborough and three A-team fixtures were.
Captarns Goldman and Saunders led the forwards
and backs respectrvely wrth quret convictron and 'Mr
Versatile' Will Clark, playrng at flanker, number erght
and rnside centre was also Lop krcker with 20 pornts.
Lintott made a fruitful move from serum half to
fullback, from where he was able to make many
dangerous runs, resulting rn his becoming top try
scorer wrth nrne (four in the Cheltenham match).
Bearing in mrnd fifty-seven tries were scored overall
and only five players scored fewer than three, it was
a real team-effort.
Nearly every match was memorable, my particular
favourite moments being the followrng: Wellington, a
game of two prtches: Windle's skill and Clark's krcking
at Clifton; a narl-biting finrsh against the towering
Poole pack; Day-Robinson's
'naked' try at
Cheltenham (having lefl his shrrt and tackler some
ten metres back!); Gilbert's touch-line conversion in
the dyrng seconds at Thomas Hardye's.
And so to Mrllfield on a freezing and foggy day at
the end of a very long term. To be honest, I can't
really remember what happened. Along wrth most of
the boys, rt was the first match I'd ever lost at
Sherborne and, to be honest, 1t hu1i a lot. Thrnkrng
back now, though, glancrng down the list of results
(and sometrmes glancrng over to watch the Senter
CoiLs trarnrng and smrlrng to myself - but don't tell
them that), one narrow loss can't take much away
from a really great season.
Team: AA Aroskin; ER Atkins: SEW Bacon: W N
Capel; W A Clark, MW H Corfreld-Moore; WJ Day
Robinson; JC Erskrne; Cj Gilberi; NJ Goldman
(Capt.); GDV Hayler; HO Hughes; JB Kinnersly; OJG
Lintott: JM Player: GT Pullen: TJ Saunders (Capt.):
AB Tollast; PWH Wrndle; MD Wrnter.
Results. Played II, Won 10, Lost I.
Canford
King's Taunton
Wellington College
Clifton College
Marlborough College
Thomas Hardye's A XV
Bryanston
Cheltenham College
Clayesmore A XV
Poole Grammar School A XV
Millfield
w
w
58-
0
w
w
w
0w
w
w
w
w
L
Junior Colts C XV
48-
0
17- 7
4710 - 3
19- 17
670
29 - 3
1HGCL
5- 12
13 - 12
7 - 12
" 1doubt i{jonny Wllkrnson would hove held down o place m thrs team. n
It was a joy and a privilege to be associated wrth the
Junior Colts C's in the 2003 season. It was a vintage
year in which the rugby was played with an elan and
flourish which gladdened the hearts of spectators
and coaches alike. In most games the team exerted
total control. but what was most gratifying was what
they did with that control: no phase became
excessive, effete or otiose. The a1m was to play
attractive football and since both pack and backs had
a contribution to make. both were called upon. The
tackling was gladiatorial and here the strength of
jeremy Player must be mentioned. The rolling maul
sometimes approached the finesse of the peeling of a
bookie's wad on Derby Day. The standard of
handling in the backs will, unfortunately, never be
seen at Heathrow. The coach was publicly taken to
task when he ran a parallel team which he ran on to
the pitch on a rota basis for some fixtures. but in
mitigation he pleaded that he was doing no more
than some Premiership managers who had strength
in depth at their disposal. We drew away at
Wellington in a tense contest that went nght to the
wrre. We missed an unbeaten season by a final
minute conversion by Radley but the team faced that
defeat with storcism and came back to play even
better rugby m the second half of term. One
achievement must not go unrecorded Wrll Stebbings.
in one
match.
k1cked
all
twelve conversions for all
twelve tries. some from the touchlmes and then
finished the match with a drop kick. I doubt if
Jonny Wilk1nson would have held down a place m
this team.
Team: HCB Balfour: TL Bryars: MSC Bulman,
N M Cooke: MJ Tavender: WJ Day-Robinson;
AR Harking; OJ Hopkins; HGW Lang; AG Le May:
EAC Leader; RG Masterson. JN Dampney: JM Player:
GT Pullen: HOG Rowe: WAJ Stebbings: Aj Vlieland
Boddy: HGM Walker: TA Andrews: EP Dale-Harris:
HRM Dutton.
DPKC
Junior Colts D XV
uAnd run chey did!. n
It says a lot for the Fourth Form that there have been
enough good players to have a JCD team. Sadly thts
was not often the case with other schools , and we
struggled to get fixtures. In the end we had four
games, against Well1ngton, Marlborough, King's
Bruton Bs and Mtllfield Cs. A fifth, against Milton
Abbey Bs. was unfortunately cancelled ow 1ng to a
v irus at Milton Abbey.
For both Nick and myself, coaching rugby was a
new experience, and we were somewhat nervous
before our first practice. However, the enthusiasm
and ability of t he boys not only made the job easier
than expected, but also incredibly enjoyable and
rewardtng. The first match, away at Wellington, was
a bit d1sappointing - and closer than the score-line
suggests. The boys played poorly in the first half,
l o s i n g a lot of ball at the breakdown, and were
lucky to go to the break only 5-0 down. They played
a lot
better tn the second, but conceded an intercept try
and lost 10-0. Agatnst Marlborough, two weeks later,
we were up 7-0 1n the dying minutes when they
scored tn the corner - and the1r kicker salvaged a
draw by converting out wide . Again, a little
disappotnting, but I feel it was a fair result against a
good team. The highlight of the season was against
King's Bruton Bs. The forwards were outstanding,
secunng quality ball go1ng forward. gtvtng the backs a
chance to run. And run they did. with Mtke Bulman
and Tom Andrews putting thetr outstdes 1nto space
ltme and again, the final score 22-0. After this, the
final game, against Millfield Cs. was somewhat
depressing. We started brilliantly. spreading the ball
from right to left and then back to the right for A lex
Milward to open the scoring after only two minutes.
After that, however, the opposition's huge size
advantage told. and we did well to be level at 5-5 at
half- time. I thought we had a chance, turning w1th a
strong w1nd at our backs, but our lack of match
practice and of a really good kiCker told against us even playtng wtth the wtnd we spent the entire half
on defence - and tt was tnevitable that Millfield
would score - the final score be1ng 17-5.
Several players stand out for the1r efforts th1s
season - serum half Harry Brown always caused his
opponent a lot of problems, as did Harry White at
blindside. Tom Royle, generally the smallest player on
the field by a fair margin, made some amazing tackles
at fullback, while Jonathan Hacking, at outs1de centre
or on the wing, constantly forced h1s markers to do
the same. I would like to thank all the boys who
played in the team - from those who played one
game and then got promoted. to those who came
along to practices all season and didn't get the chance
that their commitment deserved. I'd also like to
thank DPKC for all h1s help throughout the season,
and Nick Marshall for his until he had to return early
to Australia for Un1versity Interviews.
Team. ARP Ambler: H D Andrews; TA Andrews;
GS Aplin: GA Beattte; JAC Bolesworth; HC Brown;
MSC Bulman: RC Carter; PH Chung; AJ Dunlop;
HWF Gtbbs: JR Hacking: NWF Hutley; RAW Keane;
HGW Lang; JG Livingstone: RT Morgan;
AGG
Milward: SMMc
Ross: TVR
Royle;
RCA Weterings; HG White; JJ White.
Results: Played 4, Won I, Lost 2, Drew I.
Wellington
Marlborough
King's Bruton. B XV
Millfield C XV
L
D
W
L
010
7- 7
22 -
0
5 - 17
Tim Bond
Mini Colts A XV
uDo the Welsh know something we don't?
11
It was an enormous pleasure coaching thts year's Mint
Colts rugby s1de. As a coach one has three main
objectives to fulfil: To choose the best players 1n each
pos1t10n; to mould these mdtviduals into a cohestve
un1t; and to encourage them to enJOY the1r rugby by
playtng m an attractt ve and excittng manner. By
December, we believe that the Mint Colts had
fulfilled all three objectives - but 1t took ttme!
In September (or was 1t August?) PjW and I looked
at one hundred and fourteen thirteen-year-aids (and
Jamie Payne) w ith a distinct sense of trepidation and
concern. W here was the size we had come to expect
as Under 14 coaches? The speed? The skill? There was
cons1derable unease. We knew that it would take
t 1me and effort to mould these boys mto four teams
to represent the School - we accepted that some
selectorial mtstakes m1ght occur as we s1hed through
the hundred and fiheen players.
Five whole days later and on a botling hot Saturday
1n early September we were off W ith JMOC slipping
back into the referee1ng hot seat, as tf he hadn't been
out of a comfy cha1r all summer, the Mini Colts played
well in patches and scored three excellent tr·ies but
lost 15-20 to Canford. Canford boasted an enormous
pack and as even bigger back l1ne who took control
but we were most hea11ened by the gutsy
performance from Sherborne, even if 1t was the first
defeat for PJW and JMOC s1nce 2001! One week later
on hard. dry pitches over at B1shop Wordsworth's.
Salisbury. Sherborne won in tmpressive style (36-5)
against a well-drilled side, many of whom play for
Salisbury Rugby Club. The character of the team was
beginning to show with Jamie Payne show1ng a
commitme nt
to
the
cause
which
was
hugely impressive.
For the next two games in September the s1de
played 1n a robust and disopltned way but lost out to
a strong K1ng's Taunton (5-10) and a phys1cal
Wellmgton College (0-20). By now, however. some
real talent was starting to rise to the surface, most
notably tn Xander Brinkworth at fly half and George
Berthon at tns1de centre. With a combative back row
tn Jamte Payne at number eight and Alexander
Sumption and Jamte Excel! on the flanks. the sptne of
the team was begmn1ng to take shape.
Through October the side began to play some
wonderfully expans1ve and exciting rugby. Despite
one further loss at Marlborough (22-31 ). the Mini
Colts put together an impressive string of victones
(Clifton 38-12; Thomas Hardye 78-0: Bryanston 38-5;
Cheltenham 36-0; King's Bruton 36-5: Blundell's 2015). By now we had taken the decision to select Jamie
Pearmund at fly half to complement Beanie Isles at
number nine. The purpose of this was to produce
quick ball to the backs with George Berthon's straight
and powerful running opening up holes in opposition
defences and then putting the lightning quick Xander
Brinkworth away in the outside channel: it was
work1ng a treat. espeoally w1th the equally quick NICk
Batchelor coming 1nto the l1ne from Full Back. On the
w1ngs james Pnngle and Alex Koban more than held
thetr own and often threatened. With such a
ped1gree back line all we needed to do was w1n htgh
quality ball and watch the tnes roll 1n.
In the final game of the season, at Millfteld, PJW
and I witnessed one of the best junror games of
rugby seen in recent years, a fact confirmed by our
opposite coach at the end of the game. Although we
lost 19-24, either srde could have won. jamre Payne
and George Berthon were magnificent and had
Xander Brinkworth been ava1lable for selection, we
probably would have won. What was part1cularly
pleasing that day was the performance of the pack.
The forwards trundled along effecttvely all season
but definitely 1mproved towards the end and M1llfield
was a great way to s1gn off. In the front row, Gordon
Wh1tley, Edward Capel and the impressrve James
Stockings more than held their own, ohen against
much b1gger packs. The second row partnership was
not settled unt1l October but from that moment on
the fearless and tndustnous Sam Jenks and the rangy,
qurck Will Solomon made up the smallest lock
comb1natron in recent years, but they were brave and
comm1tted
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The 2003 season was thus hugely en1oyable. We
were very well supported by the parents who
wrtnessed a steady rmprovement in the performance
of the team. PJW and I enjoyed coachrng the srde
because they were prepared to work hard and listen
to our advrce, even if that meant listening to PJW
extolling the way 1n whrch Amencan Football and rts
tactics could benefit the future of Enghsh rugby. Do
the Welsh know somethrng we don't, we wondered
PJW and JMOC
Mini Colts B XV
" Some qu1te literally crocking tackles. JJ
Our first rugby season at Sherborne was enJoyable
and reasonably successful. In spite of all the changes
that were made in order to form the best side,
players selected worked together amazingly qurckly
to make a very posrtive team.
In my opinion every player m the srde improved
srgnificantly over the season. Individuals put m a great
deal of effort and the coaching from MDN was
excellent. He introduced us to many brilliant new
skrlls whrch, after consrderable practice, we were able
to apply effectively in matches. Perhaps the most
important aspect of his role was his consistent
support, even when thrngs were not going so well.
We struggled agamst Poole Grammar '/\ team
(several of their team were giants!) and against
Millfield. A Big Thanks Mr N!
The backs always played an exerting and skilful game
in attack and thrs was achieved through some great
coaching moves whrch I'm afraid cannot be revealed.
The backs were also as solid as a rock m defence and
made some quite literally cracking tackles. The pack
was tremendously strong and always won good ball,
never failing to do the hard work.
Our best success was probably the match agarnsl
Cheltenham when we won 27-7. After a period of
equality, we were able to remarn solid
under pressure and then build on a well-deserved try.
It was a real team-effort.
There were some individual moments of brilliance
like Kit's breakaway try at Marlborough, Chnstian's
kicking at Cheltenham and Louis. George and James'
C-O's tackling rn several of the matches. The most
significant plus for me, however, was the attitude of
determrnation. support and encouragement shown
by every single member of the team.
We are all greatly looking forward to next season.
Team: RBD Dance; TR Jenkins: JO Liddell;
EHJ Levine:
HCW Stoot; RJW Thompson:
JH de Ia Moriniere; GH Franklin: JAC Staib;
CWCC Maclaren: KM Regan: Jl Cochrane-Dyet:
JB Maciver: JE Kipling: TP Atkins: TAW Oxenham:
BM Martelli: ABB Bulman: AR Ferris.
Results: Played 9, Won 4, Lost 4, Drawn I.
jamre Starb
Mini Colts C XV
" The commitment from the players was odm1roble
The season started with the usual mixture of
optimism and chaos; we were optimistic about the
boys but sortrng them out during trials is always a
nrghtmare. It appears that most prep. school teams
consist of back row forwards and serum halves
because this is the preferred position of most players.
We do sometimes get a three-stone prop and
twelve-stone fullback but we did manage to get
teams ready for the first weekend against Canford.
The first fixture is always tough and thrs year was
no exception: we lost to a bigger. faster team and
failed to trouble the scorers. It was an experimental
game in some respects and helped coaches of all
teams to refine their· selections. It was clear. however,
that we would be a small side (like the coach) and
t hat we were likely to be overpowered by the larger
and more physical teams.
With this in mind. playing Wellington College in
your second game is not what you want. They put
over fifty points on us but we did not give up at any
JJ
stage. The commitment from the players was
admirable and it was a shame that Ed Gidney's
perfectly-struc k penalty rebounded off the crossbar
to prevent ours scoring in the match.
A win was required and this came from a good
home victory over Clifton. To win was important but
not to concede was equally necessary. A solid
performance and some excellent running rugby gave
the spectators plenty to cheer about. Our new
weapon had also been unveiled: Sam Kim (the
Korean Express) had not played rugby before coming
to Sherborne. He is a sprinter and made this clear
with his strong running down the wrng. In fact, he
was practically unstoppable and needed more than
one tackler to bring him down. At times. we became
one-dimensiona l - give the ball to Sam and let him
run. However. when your Oying winger is scoring
tries, who wouldn't pass the ball to him?
Our next two games proved to be a physrcal
mismatch. The match against Corfe Hills was a
remarkable performance if you consider that we
were playing the1r A team and only lost by six po1nts.
This was followed by an away fixture at Marlborough
where we k1cked off late after see1ng England beat
South Africa in the World Cup. Unfortunately, we
could not emulate the performance of Martin, Jonny
and Co. and lost heavily.
The penod 1mmedrately after half-term saw us
play our best rugby of the term. W e amassed over
fifty po1nts against Bryanston and forty in our
encounter with Cheltenham. Not only were we
scoring tries, but we had started to play as a un1t. The
forwards we winning good ball and providmg good
opportunities for the backs to run. Ed Gidney was
kickmg goals from all corners of the freld and the try
scoring was being shared around backs and forwards.
Now that we had momentum, we came up
against two teams from higher levels. Blundell"s B XV
put us firmly in our place with some good rugby and
Warmmster gave us a good lesson in brawn beatmg
brain 1n some miserable cond1t1ons.
In all, desp1te results, th1s was a successful season.
The progress made by the players was excellent;
everyone rmproved the1r rugby and. I hope, enjoyed
play1ng. I am sure that they will become a good unrt
as they progress through the School.
Results: Played 9, Won 3. Lost 6
Canford
Wellrngton
Chfton
Corfe Hills
Marlborough
Bryanston
Cheltenham
Blundell's B XV
Warminster A XV
L
L
w
0-20
0-58
22-
0
L
L
w
13- 19
5 -3 6
52-
0
w
L
L
0 - 12
7 - 38
7 MAP
- 42
Hockey
1st XI
excel/em leadership by 'Radders' n
Sherborne School hockey has traditionally played a
'Prem1ersh1p' f1xture list and w1th the new sand
dressed Astroturf so ktndly donated by the members
of the Foundation, chnstened 'The Hughte Holmes'
last summer, we now have 'Prem1ershtp' facilities to
match any school on our play1ng circuit (with the
exceptron of Millr1eld and the1r three water-based
p1tches!).
The season began at the end of the M1chaelmas
Term w1th the tradrllonal Staff Match. Thts always
g1ves me an tdea of what talent we have for the
forthcommg Lent Term. so I was not too concerned
when the Staff managed a 2-1 v1ctory. as the Staff
team was 'loaded w1th expenence"
The pre-season tournament. wh1ch consisted of
games agatnst Wellington College and the Pilgnms.
was d1sappo1nt1ng 1n 1ts results - we lost both games
- but very 1mportant 1n getting match practice for the
first School fixture on the next Saturday.
King's Bruton was the first officral school match on
the Hughie Holmes p1tch. Wtth it came an excellent
crowd. good wea ther and a superb d1splay of
attack1ng hockey resulting 1n a 6-1 win. Two goals
each from Ben Billman and M1ke Saunders and one
ap1ece for jam1e Holdoway and Paddy Houghton
showed that we had the ab1lrty to score from open
play and from set p1eces.
Monkton Combe IS a traditiOnally tough fixture
that we have been edged out of tn recent years Th1s
year was no exceptton. To the boys' cred1t. they
played some of the best hockey I have seen them
play, dom1nat1ng the game and creat1ng chances on
both sides of the p1tch, yet we d1dn't convert the
pressure and chances rnto goals and th1s resulted rn
our go1ng down 1-2, our only goal coming from an
excellent 1nd1v1dual effort from Charlie Wilyman.
Dean Close School, wh1ch we play at a neutral
p1tch 1n Clevedon, rs a very strong hockey school.
boast1ng a clutch of International players, and is the
current Under-16 National Champion. This team ts
now play1ng at F1rst Eleven level. Although we
started very we ll, scoring in the fifth minute to take
the lead wi th Mike Saunders turning in a excellent
move down the r1ght hand s1de, they completely
outplayed us 1n all departments. seemrngly scoring at
w1ll, wh1ch resulted 1n a humtliat1ng 1-9 defeat.
The snow came and, wrth It,
reduced practice ttme before we
played Taunton School. whose
aggress1ve and athletic style of play
overran us. The 1-4 result flattered
Taunton, jam1e Holdoway sconng
from a well-wor ked short corner.
The players now realised the
importance of takrng your chances
and not making mistakes in the
'Prem1ersh 1p fixture list' as you will
be pun1shed for 1t.
The Bryanston School match aga1n illustrated the
importance of tak1ng our chances We overran them
1n m1dfield and set up lots of goal-scoring chances.
The Bryanston goalkeeper was outstandrng. but we
dtdn't score goals. The 1-2 score was equally
d1sappo1ntrng for the players as 1t was for the coach!
Alex W1ll1s and Ed Radcl1ffe were excellent rn
m1df1eld
The County Cup compet1t10n gave us an easy
v1ctory over Mtlton Abbey. wh1ch brought us up
agarnst Bryanston School 1n the sem1final. The game
was played at a pace that the ump1res could not live
With, resulttng rn some nd1culous decrs1ons agamst
both s1des. Reduced to ten men as a result of th1s
1nd1fferent ump1nng. Bryanston scored 1n the dytng
seconds. putting us out of the Cup. It 1s not
profess1onal for me as a coach to compla1n about
umpinng but 1f we are cont1numg to 1mprove the
speed and sk1ll of our players at school-level, the
umpires. for the players' sake, need to get up to
speed too (I am now off my soap box!).
King Edward's School. Southampton. was t he last
game before half term. Th1s was a 'wtn IS all that
matters game'; the boys rose to the occas1on, played
w1th pass1on. fla1r and professionalism, wh1ch
resulted 1n a superb 4-1 v1ctory. A Charlie Wilyma n
hat trick and a W1ll1s goal from h1s new pos1t1on as
centre forward on a lovely sunny day gave the boys a
well-deserved w1n. Thts game and the result further
Illustrated the compet1t1ve nature of the School
fixture lrst as K1ng Edward's had beaten Bryanston 1n
thetr prev1ous game.
After half-term we travelled to Ktng's Taunton. A
good-quality and evenly-contested hockey match
was won by the 1ndiv1dual Influence of one
outstand1ng King's player who created chances and
scored 1n the 1-3 result Charl1e W1lyman also scored
agatn
Millfield at Mlllf1eld was the next fixture; we played
the worst hockey of our season against the strongest
opponents for the first twenty mtnutes. which
resulted 1n our be1ng 0-6 dow n. the Millfield short
corner speCialrst cla1m1ng five After a halftime talk to
sort the players out tact1cally as well as mentally. the
boys came out and played some excellent hockey.
They never gave up and worked very hard at trying
to Implement the game plan. The fmal result was 19, which reflected the d1v1sion between the teams.
Twe-term-hockey schools. and schools l1ke Millf1eld
who can get four to five hours' practice-time on the
Astroturf. will always attract speoalist hockey-players
and
prov1de
the
benchmark for Individual
sk1lls for us to aspire to.
Wells Cathedral School
cla1med t o be very weak
this year and requested an
'A' team fixture wh1ch l
filled w1th all Upper Sixth
players 1n the First and
Second Teams. We ran out
comfo1iable winners 8-1.
Due to a fixture problem
we had lost the Canford
School match as 1t clashed
with the County Cup, but
we managed to rearrange
the game to midweek. Canford by trad1tion place
more emphasis on hockey than rugby and as a result
are usually strong. This game agam highlighted the
compet1t1ve nature of the Sherborne team which
created chances and played with passion in defence,
yet lacked the real 'class' to finish the chances they
created. At the other end, Canford had relat1vely few
chances yet seemed to put them away, resulting in a
frustratmg 3-6 defeat for Sherborne, which, on
another day, with luck. would have been 4-4. Two
short corner goals from Paddy Houghton comb1ned
w1th a superb open-play effort from Mike Saunders.
Kmg Edward's, Bath, was a mirror-1mage of the
Canford game. We played well, created chances at
regular intervals throughout the game. yet didn't
finish them off. We defended well, yet K1ng's scored
two well-worked penalty corners 1n the first half. The
result was always there to be had as the chances
were arriving regularly: we h1t the bar. post and most
b1ts of the goalkeeper. yet d1dn't get on the score
sheet losmg 0-2.
The Pilgnms brought out a talented team. wh1ch
played some excellent attackmg and some equally
spectacular defensive hockey. The result was an
excellent match that finished 4-4 on full t1me, w1th
Mike Saunders and Charlie Wilyman both scoring
two goals each. The deodtng penalty fl1ck
competition was won by the School 8-7.
The final match of the season was against Muir
College, a South African school team over on tour.
We started the game very well, scoring early on w1th
a rare 'Radders' goal to take us into half-time leading
1-0. We extended the lead quickly after half-t1me
through Giles Maber, but under constant pressure
from some extremely quick forwards. Muir got a goal
back and had a goal disallowed 1n the dy1ng seconds
(thank you. Mr Scott!). Congratulations to George
Berthon for mak1ng an excellent debut as a Th1rd
Former, wh1ch enabled us to sneak home 2-1 and
finish the season on a win. I hope he w1ll become a
fixture 1n the I st X I for four more years!
To summanse th1s season. I would po1nt out that
we do play 1n the 'Premiership' where the marg1n
between win and lose IS very small. yet the gulf 1n
ability between the top of the league and the bottom
1s huge. Sherborne are m1d-table: we w1ll always
struggle against the 'big boys' such as Millfield. but
they are the scalp we have to set our s1ghts on
wmnmg 1f we want to
compete
with
the
best. The rest are within
our sights.
We
have
the
facilit1es and the ability as
players and
coaches
throughout the school to
compete and beat the
teams in our 'league' and
this has been ev1dent this
year. The boys have
worked very hard with
excellent leadership by
'Radders', Edward Radcliffe,
who was an excellent
captain
who
led
by
example and even though the results proved
disappointing he was always the first to pick his team
up and focus on the positive.
School colours were awarded to.
Paddy Houghton for his tenaoous defending and hts
excellent support as VICe-captain .
jamte Holdaway who was our most potent forward;
whenever he had the ball he caused the opposition
defence problems: with h1gh-quality skill combmed
w1th electric pace he created many chances for the
other forwards.
Adam Rerd who returned to hockey from football and
was outstanding in goal with some breathtaking
reaction-saves to keep us in the game.
Benedtkt Billman whose quality individual skills gave
all the players around him space and time on the ball.
His role in midfield as prov1der created plenty of
chances for the forwards.
Alex Webb was superb as the last defender. H1s
tacklmg and Simple distribution to m1dfield provided
the team with quality possesston.
My thanks to JJBW who has worked very hard to
ma1nta1n the standard of our fixture-list. and
promote and support the I st X I 1n any way he can
both on and off the p1tch.
I look forward to next year wtth so many players
returning for their final year. I hope we have learnt
from our experiences this year and that we can
improve for the season ahead.
Team from : EM Radcliffe (Capl): PJT Houghton: B
B1llman; PWJ Horsington: AA Mackay-James:
ATB Webb: AB Reid: OJ Madley; AMd'A Willis;
GA Maber: CJWilyman: MH Saunders; JT Holdaway;
ERS Kelly.
Results: Played IS, Won 6, Lost 9.
RH
2nd XI
ult become almost habiCual to be lostng at hal[-ttme and then come bock and wtn. JJ
The 2nd XI enJoyed the season with excellent
performances. and were arguably the most successful
team in the School, with thirteen matches played.
and only losmg three lost. A combmat1on of a highly
motivated and determmed team combmed wrth a
willingness to train hard ensured that we had, for the
most part, a wmning season. We had some excrt1ng
results agarnst Bryanston. Milton Abbey Ist XI and
Taunton. and some d1sappo1ntrng losses, notably
aga1nst Mrllfield, where we lost to a team who were
not much better than us. Our tendency to let the
opponents score first became qurte regular, and 1t
became almost habitual to be losing at half-t1me and
then come back and wrn. Our impressrve goal tally
(both for and agarnst) reflects this.
Our captain. Charlre Habershon, was the centre of
the more-than-able forwards and an insprrat1onal
leader both on and off the prtch. desprte being told
by a member of the coachrng staff that after one
partrcular performance he was tempted to send hrm
to the San for a drugs test (we won anyway)!
Alex Russell displayed dynamr c pace and agility at
central defence. and the accuracy of his hard hitting
was vital rn play-making and creating space. His man
marking was always relrable and he was always
strong rn the tackle
Rob Eglrngton was our most rmproved player of
the year, his ball skills improvrng dramatrcally as the
season went on, whrch proved to unlock the tightest
of defences.
Ash Walford, along w1th Hugh and Alex, was the
pacemaker of the team. Hrs runs down the right side
of the pitch on numerous occasions created goal
scoring opportunities for both hrmself and other
members of the team.
Fred Isles was always strong rn defence alongside
Ed and Alex. and hrs accurate distribution of the ball
was almost always relrable.
Zeddy Seymour showed flare and aggression at all
times. but unfortunately his season never really
reached its full potenllal owing to a knee-InJUry.
Nevertheless, hrs determination shone through, and
his skill often made hrm elusive to opponents.
Ed Wicks' comb1natron of pace and skill was crucral
at left-back. Hrs performances were always solid. and
definitely show promise for next season.
Oily Gargrave was another who showed great
determ1nat1on at all limes, and his ms1stence on our
potent1al to w1n at half t1me was always a great
insprration. His skill led to a flurry of goals.
Ed Selfe, immaculately dressed at all times, was
equally t1dy 1n his defence. He too was solid rn the
tackle and h1s marking of his oppos1te man was
excellent. He was particularly fearless rn hrs defence
of short comers.
Andrew Ostroumoff kept the team laugh1ng
whilst provrding fierce oppos1tion rn midfield. What
Ozzy lacked rn pace, he made up for rn skrll and ball
distributron. leadrng to goal-sconng opportunities.
Hugh Yates' tremendous pace down the right srde
of the prtch was a threat to all our opponents. H1s
playing rn a skirt on a par-ticularly windy day against
the girls' school was certainly memorable!
Lastly,
much
thanks
to
Rob
Hill.
whose encouragement and expertrse were of
rnfinrte value to the team's season.
Results Played 13, Won 8, Lost 3. Drawn 2.
Monkton Combe
Taunton
Bryanston
Canford
King Edwards, Southampton
King's Taunton
Milton Abbey
Millfreld
Clayesmore
Wells Cathedral
Krng Edwards, Bath
w
w
w
L
w
L
w
L
D
w
w
2I
65
42
04
42
0 -
I
75
2
5
3 3
8I
4- 2
3rd XI
uCons1derable natural sk1ll. and no d1scernable mscmct {or self-preservation. n
With a core of last year's 3rd XI and an infusron of
enthusiastiC new blood from the Lower Srxth. this
was a team wrth potentral. The commitment of the
whole 3rd/4th XI squad was outstanding throughout
the term, and RCFG and I very much enJoyed
working with them all.
Of course we had the usual problem at the start of
term - w h o was going to play in goal? M1ke Pope was
coerced 1nto playing two games again and the Colts B
lent us George Smibert for a couple more. However,
in the end we were indebted to a Fifth-Form
volunteer, Hal Pentecost. who demonstrated
consrderable natural skill, and no discernable inst1nct
for self-preservation - what more could one ask for!
We didn't find the frrst half of the season easy. We
probably should have won our first match. against
King's Bruton because when we played as a team in
the last twenty minutes we were all over them throughout the season we seemed to find it most
difficult to score rn the games where we had the
most chances! The match against Taunton was played
on grass, and once we changed our tacttcs to sutt the
surface, we produced an excellent display t o win.
The Bryanston match was without doubt the most
frustrattng of the season, as we must have had at
least twenty-five good chances but. due to a
combination of bad luck and good goalkeeptng, we
only managed to score a single goal, whtch wasn'l
enough. Canford are always a good team, but this
year we had an excellent chance t o wtn as we were
level at 2-2 early on tn the second half, until thetr
supenor sktll and tacttcs told tn the end.
The last four matches were all victories. A good
even match against Kings Taunton agatn played on
grass, resulted in a narrow victory. This was followed
by two routs of 2nd XI opposttton - the first a 6-1
drubbt ng of Milton Abbey and the second a 5 -2
thrashing of Clayesmore. Everything worked - passes
were firm and went to sticks, hits were crisp, shots
went tnto the goal and we played together as a team.
The final match, agatnst Wells Cathedral, was btzarre
- admtttedly we didn't play well, and two of our goals
were dubtous, but several of the opposttton seemed
to have been down to the pub to celebrate before
the match had even started, and tempers were short.
Overall, this was a thoroughly enJoyable season my abiding memories wtll be of Hal Pentecost maktng
saves with some of the more senstttve parts of hts
body, more than 20 players turntng up for voluntary
Friday practtces and Ben Groves lobbtng the
goalkeeper while on the run in a practice game.
Thanks espeoally to Matt Snudden for leading the
team so sktlfully.
Team: ME Snudden (capt.); CES Cltfton; DP Combes;
Jl Cull; MP Ersktne; BP Groves; OJ jennings; BJA Leach;
CG Minter; H N Pentecost; NP Scott-Underdown:
CHJ Wyatt.
Also Played: R Eglington; GEJ jerram; NA Oxley;
MTB Pope; ERA Selfe: GN Smibert.
Results: Played 8, Won 5, Lost 2, Drawn I.
King's Bruton 3rd XI
Taunton 3rd XI
Bryanston 3rd XI
Canford 3rd XI
Kmg's Taunton 3rd XI
Milton Abbey 2nd XI
Clayesmore 2nd XI
Wells Cathedral 3rd XI
D
W
L
L
W
W
W
W
I
3
I
2
3
- I
- 0
2
- 4
- 2
6- I
5 - 2
4- 3
MFW
4th XI
" The htgh level o( sportsmanshtp was tn the best tradtttons o( the 4th XI. "
Thts was an enjoyable season in whtch some very
good results were achteved. The enthusiasm whtch
brought us together several times a week, tn some
tmprobable locations and in spite of ratn, snow and
occasional sunshine, was matched by some
entertaining hockey. The increasing use of Astroturf
encourages rising skill-leve ls and the team took to
heart the adage that 'the best form of defence is
attack.' We were only outplayed in one match by a
very good Canford side and the three victories were
well-deserved.
Will Harder was a popular captain, not least
because he enticed Max Barber to undertake the
unenviable role of goalkeeper behind a generous
defence! The goals were shared around, although
George jerram showed considerable ability as a goal
poacher when chances arose in the D. There were a
number of worthy recipients of their colours, as
indicated by a star on the list below.
The high level of sportsmanship was in the best
traditions of the 4th XI. This was particularly
appreciated by those who umpired and the tolerance
of erroneous decisions made a difficult task much
easier! Gratitude is also due to MFW for his much
needed but frequently-ignored coaching!
Team: WA Harder* (capt); MD Barber*; GEJ jerram;
MTB Pope*; PFJ Hames*; CA Fox-Andrews*;
NA
Oxley*.
JAG-M
Roberts;
TA
Fineman; ASL French; JE Butler*; PT Kennard; TA
Hewitson; CJP Hallam; CE Woollcombe-Adams; CA
Gordon Creed.
Scorers. GEJ Jerram 7; CA Gordon-Creed 2; JE Butler
2; PFJ Hames 2; N A Oxley I; CJP Hallam I.
Results: Played 5, Won 3, Lost I, Drawn I. Goals For
IS; Goals Against 14.
RCFG
Senior Colts A XI
" There ts a great deal of potential here. 11
To play hockey at a h1gh level is not an easy task:
there are numerous hurdles to overcome, perhaps
more than in many other sports. Lack of practice
t1me on the pitch, the lack of act1ve support for the
game from w1th1n the School, and the weather in
january all provide their own challenges, and this is
before considenng the mtncacies of play1ng a game
with an odd-shaped stick that you can only use one
side of. And yet the game has much to offer many
boys, and this year-group, who had not achieved the
greatest of sporting successes in the past, tackled all
this with tremendous energy. commitment and, yes,
success. The difference in their conf1dence and self
belief, and the higher expectations that they set of
themselves between the start and the end of the
term, was tremendous t o see; and all th1s was
achieved wh1lst matntain1ng the true values of
sportsmanshtp that are all too rarely seen these days
111 the era of profess1onaltsm and the 'wtn at all cost'
attitude that dominates much of our sport. This ts
not to say that a more professional attitude was not
taken 111 tra1ntng and preparat1on for match days, but
perspect1ve was mamtained both on and off the
pitch, allowtng the boys to experience a thoroughly
enJoyable and rewarding ttme through their hockey. I
certainly found coachtng this great group of boys to
be one of the most enJoyable for many years and I
hope that they feel likewtse.
The Introduction of a pre-season tratntng day
certainly helped to set the tone for the term ahead.
Those that had played tn the tndoor before
Christmas were clearly at an advantage. but tt dtdn'l
take long before it became apparent that there was
an excellent squad of players all compet1ng for a place
tn the A's. This healthy competttiOn continued
throughout the term and meant that complacency
never set in, especially as the des1re to stay tn a
successful team remained strong. What was
especially pleas1ng was the way many players were
prepared to put astde personal asp1rat1ons for the
better of the team, and yet still rematn as committed
as ever to 1mprovmg thetr own game. The
Introduction of some juntor Colt players. who had
been play1ng tn the Daily Mail rugby side for most of
the term. could have been very disruptive, but it was
felt necessary to gtve these boys some exposure to
hockey rather than m1ss out a year altogether. The
three who stepped up a year all ga1ned much from
the extra pace and 1ntens1ty of Under 16 hockey,
which will hopefully prepare them well for the
challenges of wtnnmg the County Cup and
D1v1sionals next year, 1n order to progress to the
Nationals. Th1s is unquestionably the realistic goal for
next season.
But back to this year group. As I have mentioned
already, they had not tasted significant success on the
sports field before, so to w1n eight school matches
out of ntne IS an excellent ach1evement. Beat1ng
King's Bruton on the first Saturday was always go1ng
to be cnt1cal in establishtng the winning habit, and
the team qu1ckly grasped the tactical game that had
been set out in pre-season and in the team briefings
to steal a march on an opposition that had not been
beaten in prev1ous years. Good wins against
Bryanston and Monkton Combe followed before one
of the highlights of the season, a w1n against the very
strong hockey school of Dean Close. King Edward's
Southampton. King's Taunton and even Millfield were
beaten by an increas1ngly confident side who now
had real belief in themselves and who were playing
attractive, high quality hockey throughout the team.
It was a pity that the last two school matches were
not played, so the last game, aga1nst what turned out
to be a very strong Pilgrim's Ist XI, was perhaps a
good way to finish as it rem1nded the boys that,
whilst they had made great strides 111 the1r tnd1v1dual
and collecttve hockey ability, there IS still some way to
go before they w1ll be competing w1th the very best
at sen1or-team level.
On the negattve s1de. the only loss came after a
much-d1srupted week against an athletic and
poweliul Taunton s1de. who modentally went on to
beat Millfield in the Somerset Cup. The Dorset
County Cup was another disappointment, when
once aga1n the standard was set by Canford. This is
an event wh1ch must take an important place 111 the
a1ms of any team 111 the Lent Term, and again
1llustrates that there IS still much to be worked on.
Overall. though, the pos1t1ves vastly outwe1gh the
negatives and all the boys mvolved can be rightly
proud of what they ach1eved th1s term. Many of the
team had to adapL to new positions, a new
formation. and new tactics, but they can all be proud
of the r record: scoring forty-three goals in twelve
games is an impress1ve tally, espeoally when goal
sconng was one of their weaknesses the prev1ous
year Defensively they still have to learn to position
themselves better in the tackle, be more aggressive.
and to show a little btt more composure on the ball.
especially when leading in a match with not long to
go. However, the manner in which all of them took
responsibility for the1r defens1ve duties, from the
front men to the back, was a feature of this team's
success.
I have deliberately not mentioned anyone
1ndiv1dually as th1s was very much a team-effort.
Success was based on collective responsibility and
not on relymg on one or two stars to win games on
the1r own. There IS a great deal of potential here and,
if the1r enthustasm and commitment to hard training
IS maintained then this particular group of boys (and
I
include the whole
squad of
players
who represented the team this term, a total of
twenty two boys) could find hockey to be a real
area for possible success - but it will not come
cheaply. Thank you for making thts a most enjoyable
term and good luck 111 the future.
Team: RPM Hawksley (Captain): TP Bowker;
Taunton
L
LAJ Nitch-Smith:
TAT Russell: JO Bendall;
GH
Berthon:
NWD
Crew:
DJ
Lloyd;
ACFPL Hamm1ck: FR Pendarves; CAR Esson;
JE Sm1bert; CJ Holdaway.
Bryanston 3rd XI
King Edward's, Southampton
King's. Taunton
Millf1eld
Bradfield College
King Edward's. Bath
Pilgrims I st XI
W
Also played : G N Smibert; BJM Bishop; JD Adams;
RPF Cummmg: HTP Marks; ORW Oxenbridge;
RP Horne; JA Brook-Fox: GSE Corlett.
Results: Played 9, Won 8, Drawn 0, Lost I
King's, Bruton
Bryanston
n
o n
m b e 3
Dean Close
W
W
W
W
42
32
60
4- I
w
w
w
L
County Cup Played 2. Lost 2
Canford
Bryanston
I- 4
L
L
12- 0
53
Cancelled
3Cancelled
2
05
l 4
l 2AMH
Senior Colts B XI 3I uA great season w1th a smashmg bunch of boys. ''
Th1s has been a very successful season for the year
group as a whole and thts team tn parttcular. A
combmatton of gritty determmation, 1mprovmg sttck
skllls and outstandmg goal-scoring proved a lethal
m1x, which most oppos1tion was unable to combat.
That sa1d. all the boys could improve further and that
was well demonstrated when we watched the
Sherborne A XI destroy Bryanston 1n a fifteen
minute purple patch in early February.
Rory Horne captamed the stde w1th qu1et
eff1c1ency leading, as ever, by example with
tenac1ous tack ling t n the m1ddle of the field. Henry
Marks was a pillar of strength at the back, and h1s
improvement in stiCk-ski lls was the most marked of
all. Guy Corlett and Rory Cunning ass1sted htm ably.
Rory really improved when moved mto m1dfteld and
we got the full benefit of hts tweless running. James
Brook-Fox was much 1mproved when moved mto
the midfield. john Cain and Chris Hallam both
worked hard and enJoyed go1ng forward but need to
track back w1th equal determination 1f they are to
play 1n their accustomed positions 1n the Senior
School. Tom Taylor's work-rate pushed these guys
hard for the first-team places. Meanwhile, upfront.
Ben Bradtsh-EIIames rematned unconventtonal till the
last. but is an effecttve nght-wing and goal-scorer His
final goal came, after his shoulder had dislocated,
wtth a one-handed reverse swoop to put a smile on
anyone's face. Gordon Cur1is showed commendable
effort on the tnck1er left flank and Oily Oxenbridge's
fine skills at centre-forward meant goals were always
gotng to come. One or two ended up tn the ngg1ng w h t c h ts always going to faze the coach.
Last but by no means least. George Smibert
performed heroically, not least of all against Canford,
who fielded many of thetr A team tn a natl-biting
contest. Sometimes it is easy to forget how many
goals one doesn't need to score if the goalie plays
we ll.
All in all, it was a great season wtth a smashmg
bunch of boys who remind me why I enjoy coaching
so much. Many thanks to them and also to AMH for
all the techn1cal stuff, of whtch I know so ltttle!
Team: BJM B1shop; BJM Bradish-EIIames; JA Brook
Fox; JD Cam; GSE Corlett; RPF Cumming; GO Curtts;
RP Horne (Captatn); HTP Marks; ORW Oxenbridge;
G N Smtbert: TM Taylor.
Results: Played 6, Won 5. Lost I.
GB-E
Junior Colts A XI
uA typiCal Shtrburntan performance - full of vtgour, spint and skt/1. "
Following the success of the junior Colts in the Daily
Mail Rugby Competition, it was a somewhat
depleted team that started the hockey season 1n
january. ln1tial thoughts were that there was enough
depth 1n the year group and that it was a good
opportunity for other players to shine. Most
Important for the players to realtse was that. when
they played in the first match at Bruton, they were
the Juntor Colts A and that could not be taken away
from them.
This first match was typtcal of many encounters
early in the season: the skills were not yet at full
speed, players were not as fit as they could be and
we should have scored many more goals. However.
we drew the match and left feeling satisfied but a
little disappointed that we had not started the season
with a win. Our next game, against Dean Close at
Clevedon, was played in terrible conditions. We did
not start too badly but were not in the game for
many periods.
We were desperate for a win and managed thts
with a professional performance at Blundell's, but
followed this up wtth a 5-4 thriller at Taunton.
Unfortunately, we were never ahead tn this match so
our four goals were never enough. It was then that
we played two matches in three days against our two
main Dorset rivals, Bryanston and Canford.
Bryanston beat us heavily on the Leweston astro:
they appeared to have some of thetr star players in
their side and we were distracted by the progress of
the rugby team m their latest conquest on The
Upper. Canford also gave us a lesson in hockey and
we needed to put in some hard work during the
coming week.
King Edward's, Southampton, is always a hard
fixture but they appeared to be going through
something of a trough. It was exaclly what we
needed: to win 8-0 is always flattering, but we were
clinical in our finishing and professiona l tn our
approach. Th1s gave some much-needed confidence
to the team. It was disappointing then to return from
half-term and lose to King's Taunton. Everything that
was good at Southampton was bad against Taunton
and we deserved noth1ng more from the game.
The most thrilling game of the season is often the
match agamst Millfield. Thts was no except1on and a
4-4 draw had everything that a game would want. In
the end we were disappointed not to win: we had
played so well and could easily have sneaked victory.
This was a typical Shirburnian performance - full of
v1gour, spirit and skill. I was proud of the team. This
had lifted us to better things and the season finales
against Clayesmore and King Edward's, Bath,
provided us with two w1ns to conclude the term.
These were both good victories and allowed us to
demonstrate the progress that we had made.
It is always d1fficult to name players. particularly
when t here were so many changes but I would ltke
to pick a few who deserve special mention. Mark
Erskine captained the side and always led by
example. He is a good hockey player who will go on
to much better things. Harry Rowe proved that he
could score goals and Ed Atkins proved to be the
pillar (literally) of our defence. However; one player·
deserves special mention. Will Clark is probably the
most uncouth defender I have seen at this level: he
never looks in control of the ball but never mtssed a
tack le and made many breaks up the field. He was
the model of effectiveness and could be relied on to
make a diving, saving tackle anywhere on the field.
He started the season in the C team, so this IS proof
to players of all sports that anything is possible.
My thanks go to many people who have helped
thrs team, particularly DAS, who umpired many of
our matches.
Results: Played II, Won 4, Lost 5, Drawn 2.
King's Bruton
Dean Close
Blundell's
Taunton
Bryanston
Canford
Ktng Edward's, Southampton
King's Taunton
Millfield
Clayesmore
King Edward's, Bath
D
L
w
L
L
L
w
L
D
w
w
2- 2
2- 5
2- 0
4- 5
I - 4
0 - 3
8- 0
2- 5
4- 4
7- 0
2- I
MAP
Junior Colts C XI
uA/1 the boys operated as a team . "
This season was not unusual in some respects, and
yet in others it was atypical. The commitment of
severa l good games-players to the rugby competition
enabled a number of players to fill spaces in teams at
a higher level. What this meant was that boys who
would otherwise have had to content themselves
with a place in this team were lured away by the
bright lights of the A and B teams. It 1s to their credit
that they showed just how good they were, and that
little or nothing was seen of them after the first
match or even practice! Equally, it enabled a number
of boys to represent the School who might not
otherwise have had that opportunity.
This year, and despite the efforts of JJBW. matches
were regrettably rather thin on the ground, but the
boys' commitment to practice-sessions in all
weathers or to the House Leagues competition was
commendab le. Rarely was there any difficulty in
producing at least eleven capable players for each
match. I should mention the D team squad-members
at this point: firstly, because a number of these boys
were always willing to fill gaps at quite short notice
and, secondly, because the opposition (who will
remain nameless) in their only fixture cried off at the
eleventh hour.
What of the playing-record? It is heartening to
report that the team remained unbeaten, as one of
only two sides to achieve this feat. In all matches the
level of industry on and off the ball. the mutual
support, the eagerness to impress and the sheer
enjoyment were evident to even the most neutral of
observers. I feel that it would be invidious to attempt
to pick out any individuals, because all the boys
operated as a team. Therefore, they were
congratulated as a group on their successes, berated
on their missed opportunities to score even more
goals than they did, and asked to calm down in the
face of agricultural opposition or interesting umpiring
decisions (not only from the opposing teams' men!).
They were a pleasure to work with , and I would
encourage as many as possible to stick with this game
- and carry forward their unbeaten record.
Thanks are due to JJBW, RWH and MA r for their
support and assistance.
The followmg made up the C and D teams squad. some
fleetingly : RT Morgan (Captain): TA Andrews:
HCB Balfour; GA Beattie: RC Carter; WA Clark:
NM
Cooke:
MAl
Cosby;
WJ
DayRobinson; Aj Dunlop; HRM Dutton; JPS Fletcher;
Cj Gilbert; AR Harking: GF Herbert; OJ Hopkins: JB
Kinnersley: AG Le May; GT Pullen: TVR Royle: RPA
Sworder:
MJ Tavender: AJVlieland-Boddy.
Results: Played 4, Won I. Drawn 3.
MAW
Mini Colts A XI
uWhen they got everythtng ught. their hockey was spectacular. "
My overall 1mpress1on of the season IS of a young stde
with plenty of potential but one whtch struggled to
realise 1ts potential on a regular basts. When they got
everythtng nghl. thetr hockey was spectacular and a
pleasure to watch. Far too often. however. both in
training and matches. the application and discipline
were lacking. Thts IS somethtng that I am convtnced will
come in the next few years as they become more
mature. They are certainly enthusiastic about the game.
Thanks to the third-form indoor competition
during
the
Michaelmas
Term.
I
had
already
earmarked a number of players for the Leam and was
delighted at the Lent Term trials to dtscover more
talent. Havtng only one full training-sesston before
the first match is far from ideal, so 1t IS to 1ts great
credit that the team stitched together a confident
vtctory. albett against an ordrnary K1ng's Bruton stde.
The defending was parttcularly pleasing, espeCially
the shadow-defendtng of jamte Staib, who refused to
let his wmger past. The followmg game. against Dean
Close, was another story. against one of the top
hockey schools 1n the country. The midfield of jeremy
Maciver, Beanie Isles and Xander Brinkworth
competed well, but there was little firepower up
front and we tnevitably conceded a handful of goals.
It was already becomtng apparent. however, that the
short corner routrne had much potential and was
worth working on.
Monkton Combe was a perfect example of the
inconsistency of the team, all within one game. At 20 up at half-time and cruising, the game was virtually
won. One goalkeeping error and panic ensued
allowing the opposition to steal the game from under
our noses. ConfirmatiOn the following Saturday
robbed us of Xander Bnnkworh and Beante Isles.
two of our most influential players. meantng that the
necessary changes could not be made. Desptte james
Ktpltng's fourth goal 1n three games. the game was
surrendered largely due to poor team-disCipline and
lack of composure.
So i t was with ltttle confidence that we entered
the County Cup evening. and I was expecting a long
patnful ntght. We were lucky to face an average
Clayesmore side first. agarnst which the team was
able to gain confidence and stick to the game-plan.
They earned this forward into the next game. playing
with great intenstty and better discipline to pull off an
unlikely victory against Canford to become county
champions, thanks to another goal from the prolific
James Kipling. The tackltng was terrif ic, especially by
the rapidly improvmg jamte Ltddell. They had now
set the benchmark standard. Certamly the team's
self-belief was much stronger from th1s point
onwards.
The following Thursday, against Bryanston, much
of the shape and disCipline was still evtdent although
they were unable to recapture the intensity. The
short-corner routine was begrnning to fire on a
regular basts, allowtng us to earn a worthy draw. Two
days later. Canford sought thetr revenge. Despite an
early beautiful short-corner strike from Jack Renner
stratght from the training ground, Alex Powe was left
too exposed at sweeper and Canford cruised to an
easy victory. At half-ttme they were made aware of
the free men and the tmportance of markrng. but to
no avail. Lessons were learnt and a close-fought
victory was earned against a King Edward's.
Southampton. side containing one outstanding
player. He was dealt with admirably by our not diving
in and making him go around us. This was followed
up by the most comprehensive performance of the
season against King's Taunton. From the moment
that Kit Regan began the warm-up w1thout being
prompted, to the moment he ran the warm down,
the team looked completely profess1onal. Our first
five short corners were all different rout1nes and any
one of them could have found the back of the net.
Despite berng 0-0 at half time. they had confidence
that the goal would come and, sure enough, Anthony
Titley broke the deadlock soon after half-time. They
could easily have scored more than three in the
second half. One cannot help but wonder what
other v 1ctones could have been achteved with this
level of focus on every match-day and rn every
training-session.
We had been warned that the Millfield side were
pretty specia l this year and. at 0-7 down at half-time.
it was clear that this was no understatement. It was
a commendable performance, therefore, to draw the
second half and an excellent workout for Henry
Stoot in goal, but hardly tdeal preparation for the
div1s1onal tournament. Although this tournament
was useful experience for them, they grossly
underachieved. Thetr only narrow success was
aga1nst The Downs, whtch IS a Prep School. They
seemed to feel the pressure of the situation and,
despite trying thetr hardest, were simply not able to
play to the1r potential, making far too many basic
errors. We were keen to regroup and finish the
season strongly. The score-line against Bradfield was
rather harsh in what was a close-fought encounter.
But the final game of the season. against King
Edward's, Bath. played in torrential rain. was a
morale-boosting and confident victory. Jamie Excell
finally managed to get himself on the score sheet.
much to his relief.
With a number of players with great potent1al and
with the best Mint Colts shor-t-corner routine I have
seen at this school, they must gain better results 1n
future years. It is up to them. They have the
enthusiasm, their basics are good and with more
maturity and more consistent commitment they can
asptre to the standards being set by the year above
them.
Team: KM Regan (capt); AC Bnnkworth; JWW Excell;
PES Isles: JE Kipling; JO Ltddell; JB Maciver; AW Powe;
JEM Renner; JAC Statb; HCW Stoot; AW Tttley.
Also played:
GH
Berthon;
Boughton;
JA
TR jenkins; LFT Nunes de Costa; CWCC Maclaren.
Results: Played 16, Won 7. Lost 8, Drew I.
King's, Bruton
Dean Close
Monkton Combe
Taunton
Clayesmore (County Cup)
w
L
L
L
w
3 - I
I - 5
2 - 3
I- 3
4- 0
Canford (County Cup)
Bryanston
Canford
King Edward's, Southampton
Kings Taunton
M1llfield
Millfield (Reg1onal Champs.)
Dauntsey's (Reg1onal Champs.)
The Downs (Reg1onal Champs.)
Bradf1eld
King Edwards, Bath
w
I -
D
L
0
22
w
w
L
L
L
L
w
w
I -
4
43
30
2- 9
0 - 5
I 3JJBW
2- I
I - 4
4- I
Mini Colts C XI
ul even smiled (a little). "
This season seemed to me to occur 1n the wrong
order - a dull start and a d1sappomting finish with all
the exCitement in the m1ddle. Led by Andrew in the
centre. they became a fiercely close-knit group, even
fiercer with stick 1n hand! The ever-vocal Hooper up
front and 'Super-Speedy' Sk1psey on the left wing
battled 1t out for top goal-scorer (who did come out
top? My records say six all...). Memorable moments
1ncluded: Sk1psey's hat trick against Sherborne Prep.;
the battle on the lawns of Canford; a big win aga1nst
what seemed like Mtlton Abbey's 4th XV rugby team;
the sheer pace at Castle Court (where we all started
to feel a bit old and past it!). The biggest tnumph had
to be Millfield on that gloriously sunny day. Koban
was on usual acrobatic form, Mace was solid at the
back, Sutton impressed on the right, and Madley
created the chances. It was best hockey they played
all term - I even smiled (a little)'
Team. AJ Andrew A (Capt.): Jl Cochrane-Dyet;
W G Hooper; FM Horne; Dj Horwood; TMH Hussey;
SJC Jenks; OW Kesley; AW Koban; TRC Lloyd;
BD Mace; HL Madley; OJ Marks; JW Pringle;
LT Skipsey; HGR Sutton: HW Tomlinson.
Resulcs· Played 9, Won 5, Lost 2, Drawn 2.
n
o n
m
Sherborn
e Prep. Canford
Sandroyd
M1lton Abbey
Millfield
Clayesmore
Castle Court
KES Bath
D
W
W
L
W
W
W
D
L
0 - 0
5 - 0
2 -
I
0 - I
6 - 2
5 - 3
2- I
4 -4
0- I
HGCL
Mini Colts D XI
uThey put up some {nghtenmg oppos1tion. "
As usual, the list of results never tells the full story. In
trainmg, I could not fault this squad for thetr
commitment. They put up some frightening
opposition for the Cs - perhaps they had used up all
their aggression by Saturday! Not wanting to make
excuses. it is often the case that, while the sun IS
disappearing over the horizon and most teams are
getting warm indoors, tucking into tea and cake, the
D-teams are only just starting to play. It's also hard to
keep spirits up when, desp1te pressure and
possession, the chances still seem to go the
opposition's way. As well as applauding the whole
squad for their efforts, I must commend Captatns
Rance and Hannam for leading the team, Martelli and
Franks who displayed growing confidence and Capel
as a strong sweeper.
Team: RGH Blackman; Ej Capel; W T Dain;
jDH Duncan; TJ Franks; TW Hannam (Capt.);
ADR Hill; HStj Hopktns; A] Kerr; W M Leith;
TC MacDonald Watson; BM Martelli; AM Rance
(Capt.); HCB Spencer; JC Turner.
Results: Played 7, W on I, Lost 6. Drawn 0
King's Bruton 'B'
Canford
King's Taunton
Sandroyd
Clayes more
Bradfield
King Edward's, Bath
W
L
L
L
L
L
L
I - 0
0 -
l
0
l
I
0
0
3
3
6
3
-
4
HGCL
Cricket
1st XI
usome 1/·Ve1y m· drvr·dua1s. "
'As the ball came to me rn slo-mo, I suddenly
understood why the Bntish taught boys to play
cricket, taught them to stand and watch as something
comes hurtling towards them - a ball. a torpedo, a
tribe of Zulus - and to stay calm and do something.
pronto. I understood for the first trme about straight
bats, and self-reliance, and grace under pressure, and
why the British Empire was a natural extension of a
national sport'. john Walsh's recent comment on his
first cricket match still has some resonance for cricket
today. The Zulus may be confined to the television
every Christmas, but cricket is still a supreme test of
coping under pressure. A sport where there are no
second chances for the batsman, where patience and
subtlety have just as much a part to play as power
and athleticism and where the refuge of the draw IS
not possible in school matches- all these make for a
great challenge. Cricket is also great fun; the length of
time spent together provides great opportunities for
amusement and banter. In many ways it is a
wonderful counterweight to the 'if it ain't broke. get
a new model anyway nghtaway' approach of today.
Even 20f20 lasts at least three hours!
This was a great season - a side containing only
three Upper Sixth boys secured nine wins. the same
number as the very successful side of the year
before. Best of all. it was the team that achieved
victories: only two individuals received their colours
- Seamus Crawford and Archie Mackay-james. A look
at the results below indicates that no bowler took
five wickets in an innings. partly due to the limrt of
ten overs per bowler in most games, but also due to
the fact that our quartet of seamer·s. Seamus
Crawford. Alex Willis, Piers Foster and Charlie
Clifton. along with our two leggies. Crispin Vollers
and Ed Kelly. would all chip in with wickets. The most
pleasing victories were over the two Taunton
schools: King's. Taunton. were 98-2 chasing 150 and
fell 19 short. while Taunton were 127-4 chasing 163
and finished 151 all oul. The fielding in both these
games was outstandrng, especially one catch by
Mrchael Saunders. Big victones over Canford and
Bryanston were also pleasing, as was our chase of 231
against Hatleybury 1n the festival. In school fixtures
we arc still some way short of M1llfield, who gave us
a masterclass; our other defeats were games we
might have won if we had played to our potential.
Defeat against King's, Bruton, in our first game
actually helped make the season though. as the boys'
response to it was outstanding. The matches against
club sides were very beneficial in teaching us about
some of the finer arts of the game and gave us a
chance to learn from some good adult cricketers.
The team's batting was patchy. partly because of the
rnconsistent nature of the Upper wicket, despite the
best efforts of jeg Francis. Only the captarn averaged
over 30. although Archre Mackay-james scored 400
runs. Michael Saunders learned to apply himself well
and wrll, I hope. score plenty of runs next year. Ned
Kelly has great talent and hrs knocks agarnst King's.
Taunton. and Haileybury won matches that might
otherwrse have been lost. jack jenkins. a junior Colt.
played some splendid knocks despite a mid-season
wobble and with three more years in the XI will be a
force to reckon with. Alex Willis and Charlie Clifton
showed hints of batting promrse and Charlie Esson,
another Junior Colt, played good knocks agarnst
Millfield and the Pilgrims. Alec Russell scored fewer
runs than hoped for but caught some rmportant
catches behind the stumps. Seamus Crawford scored
two centuries against the Town and the Pilgrims, the
latter before lunch. He captained by example and led
the team well. especially considering he was 1n the
Lower Sixth. His selection for England Under-17 was
well-deserved . The three Upper Sixth boys rn the
team. Crispin Vollers, Alec Russell and Piers Foster.
were all great ambassadors for the School; I hope they
continue to play after Sherborne. The team blended
together incredibly well especially considering there
were some lively individuals in the team.
My thanks must primarily go to Alan Willows.
whose enthus1asm IS infectious and whose technical
skills are very cons1derable. The Reynolds/Willows
lap-count around the Upper persuaded me that
runn1ng a marathon would be easy in companson.
My thanks too to Mark Pryor for all h1s years runn1ng
the cncket administratiOn. to ]eg Francis. one of the
best groundsmen on the c1rcu1t. t o all staff and boy
supporters who found The Upper a congenial place
and to all the parents whose good cheer and loyal
support helped make th1s a speoal and very exciting
season. The signs are good for next year w1th
fourteen boys returning who have had Ist XI
experience and a real buzz about Sherborne cncket.
The game suits the character of the School well, and
all that the exam season, term dates and the weather
can throw at us cannot dampen that character.
Sherborne 18S-4 (40 overs)
Ujenkins 51*, S Crawford 50,
A Mackay-james 47)
Canford 94 all out (27 overs)
Won by 91 runs
Sherborne 293-6 (SO overs)
(S Crawford 164*, j jenkms 38, A Will1s 34*)
Sherborne Pilgnms 196-9
(50 overs)
Won by 97 runs
Sherborne 163-9 (SO overs)
(M Saunders 37, A Mackay-James 34)
Won by 12 runs
Taunton 151 all out
Results: Played 16, Won 9, Lost 6. Abandoned I.
Sherborne 228-6 (SO overs)
(A Mackay-james 76,
M Saunders 37, E Kelly 34)
Blundell's 222-9 (50 overs)
(A Willis 4-40)
Won by 6 runs
King's. Bruton, 145 all out (45 overs)
(P Foster 4-19. C Vollers 3-18)
Sherborne 57 all out (30 overs)
Lost by 88 runs
Sherborne 170-8 (50 overs)
(C Clifton 33*. C Esson 33)
Millfield 172-2 (40 overs)
Lost by 8 w1ckets
Sherborne 219-5 (50 overs)
(S Crawford 107, A Mackay-james 54,
G Stebb1ngs 34*)
Sherborne Cncket Club 100 all out (30 overs)
(C Clifton 3-9, C Vollers 3-2S)
Won by 119 runs
MCC 187-8
(S Crawford 3-27. A Willts 3-43)
Sherborne 141 all out
(M Saunders 41, A Mackay-James 3S) Lost by 46 runs
Sherborne 140 all out
(C Vollers 32*)
Free Foresters 141-5
Sherborne 209-8 (50 overs)
(C Esson 48, A Willis 37)
Sherborne Pilgnms 130 all out(43 overs)
(A Willis 3-26)
Won by 79 runs
Lost by 5 w1ckets
Sherborne 220-7 (40 overs)
(S Crawford 55, A Mackay-James 44)
Bryanston 71 all out (29 overs)
(S Crawford 3-21)
Won by lSI runs
Sherborne 150-9 (50 overs)
(E Kelly 41*)
King's Taunton 131 all out
(49 overs)
Sherborne 94 all out (40 overs)
Ujenkins 34*)
Marlborough 95-6 (29 overs)
Sherborne 90 all out (38 overs)
Cheltenham 91-1 (17 overs)
Won by 19 runs
Lost by 9 w1ckets
Haileybury 231-8 (55 overs)
Sherborne 235-6 (51 overs)
(J jenkins 81, E Kelly 40)
Won by 4 w1ckets
Sherborne 162 all out (53 overs)
(E Kelly 35, M Saunders 30)
Marlborough 65-2
Match Abandoned
Lost by 4 wickets
Averages:
Batting (qualification ISO runs and 3 completed mnmgs):
lmtwlslsurname
Inns
Not
Runs
Outs
SA Crawford
JHCjenkins
AA Mackay-james
AMd'A Willis
ERS Kelly
MH Saunders
*not out
13
I
II
16
14
IS
16
2
0
4
4
0
H1ghest
IOOs
Score
493
25S
400
204
219
2SO
164*
81
76
37
41 *
41
2
0
0
0
0
0
Average
(2 deCimal
places)
41.08
28.33
25.00
20.40
19.90
15.62
Bowling (qualification 10 wickets):
lmualslsurnome
SA Crawford
AMdf\ Wilhs
ERS Kelly
CHO Vollers
CES Clifton
PB Foster
Overs
Ma1dens
100
128
35.2
81
103.1
98.4
20
35
5
7
12
14
Runs
285
353
170
311
324
347
Wtckers
19
23
10
16
16
17
Best
Bowlm
g
3-21
4-40
2-9
3- 18
3-9
4-19
Average
(2 dec1mol
places)
15.00
15.34
17.00
19.43
20.25
20.41
GDR
2nd XI
uThen coach commented on our superb enthusmsm m the field "
Th1s season was exceptional for the 2nd XI. w1th only
one loss. The team spirit was fantastic and this
proved to be a tremendous help when w1ckets were
needed at cruCial t1mes. Our support for each other
was unnvalled by the opposition . a prime example of
th1s bemg agamst Marlborough where their coach
commented on our superb enthusiasm in t he field.
john Barber opened up our innings. The Solid JB
had an excellent run of scores - 46, 62# and 72. and
we could always depend on the old boy to keep the
scoreboard t1ckmg over slowly. At the beginning of
the season. we had the pumpkin-head Ben Trepess
support1ng jB. Unfortunately he was stolen from our
grasp after a fine undefeated ton agamst K1ng's.
Taunton; he also added an extra bowling opt1on. We
had ginger for a gmger as Guy Stebbmgs was sent our
way for a bit of batting rehab.. and he qu1ckly helped
us pull out of t he darkest days of the Bryanston
match to help our cause. In his first few games he fell
just short of the half century. Then, against Taunton,
he clubbed an insp1rational attack to get 64 off the
f1rst n1ne overs, whtle JB took up the Atherton role
and was still there on three We also resurrected h1s
bowling career as a medium pacer, p1ckmg up s1x
Wickets 1n those sticky S1tuat1ons when a
breakthrough was needed.
After the openers. there were three batsmen
asked to score the majonty of the runs. Commg 1n at
three we had the Ist X I veteran join us: Paddy
Houghton - Sme - bought us a wealth of expenence
yet not runs. He would ohen spend a lot of t ime at
the crease and take a while to get his eye 1n, but he
would always B a MaJor part 1n the field! Com1ng m
at four we had the sk1pper Charhe Habershon- Habo
- and h1s mullet. who started the season off with
three consecut1ve run-outs. He later h1t a b1t of form
when he scored a very handy 35 agamst Canford tn
the closmg overs to ensure that we posted a decent
score. Next to bat was Paddy Hors1ngton· he took
the reigns as a makeshift keeper and also took a
number of superb catches. but he will never be able
to show h1s true ID as a keeper. Mufty managed to
cling onto seven catches beh1nd the sticks and could
also bat 1f called upon to try to steady the sh1p
Onto the all-rounders - and at s1x was Olhe
Gargrave. The warhorse could steam m all day for
you and was as ch1rpy as a p1geon tn the f1eld. He
bowled his military medium on the spot every t1me.
The veteran had been around a while and knew the
best way to exploit a 2nd XI line up. He p1cked up 5
for 12 agamst Kings Taunton and a particularly
comme ndable 5 for 5 against Blundell's, wh1ch saw
t hem fln1sh all out for 691 He averaged an astonishing
7.94 w1th the ball and was the top wicket-taker with
17. Next to the crease would ohen be Giles Maber.
Gilo was a bowler who could bat. as he proved with
some destructive h1tting aga1nst King's, Bruton, and
Bryanston. He would roar 1n and sling the ball down
the track: although often erratiC. th1s didn't seem to
stop him picking up the odd Wicket here and there.
Ed Radcliffe was the next man to be called upon, and
Radders' highlight of the season was h1s 9 off an over
when 'squirrel head' himself threw off his stodger
image and hit it off the square. He could also bowl
some rather useful right-arm med1um but
unfortunately the groin kicked in and prevented him
from bowl1ng early on 1n the season. He often
cla1med to be a veteran but he was never the real
McCoy. bemg far too bright and al1ve m the Geld
The bowhng department began w1th George
jerram. jezza was a very styl1sh batsman and always
seemed to look as though he would never get out and then he d1d, for example m the Bryanston game.
w1th a baseball-like sw1ng. He could bowl some
useful left-arm Chmamen but his most effective
delivery was ohen a short longhop or daisy-cutter.
He had a knack of bowling the worst balls and p1cking
up the most Important w1ckets. finish1ng with 14for
the season. Once jezza was walk1ng back to the
pav11ion. we really d1d get 1nto the walkmg w1ckets
T h1sstarted w1th Freddie Berthon: a good team man,
Chucker was always w1llmg to g1ve you a few throw
dow ns 1n the nets. The Shoaib-Akhtar-ltke bowler
bow led at a quick pace and was often unlucky not to
pick up more wickets. beat mg the outs1de edge on a
number of occasions. He had a bnef flutter with the
Ist XI. p1ck1ng up a w 1cket w1th h1s first ball. P1ers
Collins was our final man to the wiCket To be faw. h1s
batting is on the up. but number eleven seems to suit
him well. The Goat makes up for this with his
bowling as a bnsk medium-pacer who can get
through the oppos1t1on's batt1ng line up faster than a
chicken curry from the RaJpoot. His peliormances
were of the highest standard with the ball and this
was commended with the Young Player of the Year
award and a framed 'Fradge' photo.
On
to the
extras. Ollie Jennings. who
would always be first to knock the Goal from his
perch at number eleven, could bowl some handy
med1um pace and piCked up four w1ckets very
econom1cally at
3.21 runs an over, but he got the nod from DAW and
had to take the walk of shame. Jammy Jenkins was
the next to catch the eye of Mr Watson when he was
on his rounds: perhaps it was his ground f1eld1ng,
since he was always willing to put h1s body on the
line and take one for the team.
Finally, we must thank our sk1pper, Charl1e
Habershon, for be1ng such a role-model to the other
players and capta1ning the team extremely well. We
musL also thank AMH for look1ng after the team so
well and being a great motivator tn the dressmg
room, and for helptng Fradge to settle into h1s new
role as the undefeated team mascot. Fradge is getting
very excited about the forthcommg tour to Holland.
Paddy Hors1ngton and George Jerram
Team: JRG Barber; BDH Trepess; GC Stebbings;
PJT Houghton;
CW
Habershon
(Captain):
PWJ Horsington; OW
Gargrave: GA. Maber;
EM Radcliffe; GEJ Jerram; FC Berthon: PEH Collins.
Also played: OJ Jenntngs. JHC jenk1ns.
Results: Played 9, Won 8, Lost I, Drawn 0.
King's. Bruton
Bryanston
King's, Taunton
Marlborough
Canford
Milton Abbey Ist XI
Taunton
Blundell's
Winchester
Won by 6 wickets
Lost by 29 runs
Won by 76 runs
Won by 34 runs
Won by 20 runs
Won by 23 1 uns
Won by 52 runs
Won by 10 wickets
Cancelled - rain
AMH
Colts A XI
{{Thoroughly enJoyable and relaxed seasont "
The Colts cricketers proved themselves to be a
delightful and talented group of boys. The batting
was fairly solid and the bowling generally excellent.
Excellent wins against Sherborne Town 2nd X I,
Millfield, King's Taunton and Marlborough were a fatr
reflection of their ability and the progress they have
made over the last couple of years. The following
player-by-player commentary 1s provtded by the
captain, Tom Russell, and George Smibert:
Gordon Curtis - Good season with the bat;
unfortunate to have been run out on high scores by
Captain (qUite a few times): took an amazing catch at
slip; otherwise slept tn the field.
Ollie Bendall - A n awesome opener with bullet
time field1ng: never dropped a catch; must have got
run out by Russell at least once; a calming influence
on the team.
Henry Marks (Marey) - Good th1rd season - not
bad for his age; also unlucky to have been run out by
the Captam again, and again and again: his military
medium was often dispatched, espec1ally by the
twenty-two-stone monstrosity that was Millfield's
team.
Tom Russell (Russ) - Had a good season with the
ball; he took more wickets through his runnmg than
through his bowling; but his prize wicket was
Gordon on 92! He thanks Henry for captaining his
team!
James Davies Uim) - Was more successful with
the ball than with the bat - we'll leave it at that! He
damaged the morals and pavilions of many of our
oppOSition; was I l l sptnner and an amazing team
player, inspiring us all.
Archie Isles - Having played with Isles for three
years, we've discovered that hts main talent is
dtsposing of the team teas! The strike bowler and
anchorman of the middle order (and incidentally the
tug-of-war team), he had a great season and Mrs
Isles' support was much appreciated (as was Mr
Isles'). He was the Joker of the Team.
Angus Radford - His 17 in 6 balls to win us the
match against Marlborough was awesome. Thanks
to hts dad for scoring: wtthout it we wouldn't have
him! Made a b1g Impression after comtng up from
the B's; cla1med position of Pinch-Hitter!
George Sm1bert - An Interesting season with the
gloves: somet1mes difficult to say wh ich side he was
playmg for! A big h1tter. usually out for a duck: the
Bool he hit hardest was the coach!
James Willasey-Wilsey- Had a very long bat (every
game and practice!): became a key bowler and team
member.
Gash Mbizvo- Gash perfected the tacttc of
beguiling the opposition into a false sense of security
by bowling on the wrong wtcket and then taking a
wicket out of the blue: with his batting however.
there was no sense of security!
Michael
Oates-Wormer
Doubled
last
season's average with a huge 1.4 runs per innings!
Once again a key bowler and slip fielder: his sledging
is second to none! Comedian on and off the
pitch. As Wilsey found it too hard to field at 'short
third leg' Russell
sent Oatie there instead! He would be missed by all
but Isles as he was tough competition for the team
teas' Had numerous catches put down by suspect
w1cket-keeping.
Mr Willows - High hands, full-bungers, long hops,
donuts, 'would I do that?' and the most expensive
shop this side of Harrods' Have fun in SA and thanks
for the season.
Boolash - I in 3 is out, unless you are knocked
over by the batsmen; he was threatened with tardy
book as he was sometimes late to practices (the
other time he failed to show up at all). Thanks from
the team for a most enjoyable season and a quality
BBQ.
Ashley- Top scorer: enough said! Enemy of Oat1e
and Arch as he dug in to the team teas with renewed
gusto!
Highlights: Beat Millfield and Marlborough and
watching the Millfield Honey
Monster bat and witnessing Isles and
Oatie dwarfed and dispatched .
Lowlight.s: Lost to Clayesmore and Canford
Overvrew: Thoroughly enjoyable and relaxed
season'
RWB, Tom Russell and George Smibert
Junior Colts A XI
" They conduct themselves superbly both on and off the field . "
There is often a tingle of excitement when the
cricket season is just around the corner. and this year
was no exception. A lot of work had been done
during the winter months both indtvidually and
collectively and we were ready for the start of the
season. The normal early season weather put paid to
outside practice but our first game, at Clayesmore,
was on one of the hottest days of the season. This
meant that an uncovered pitch that was drying gave
boys a demonstration of how cricket used to be
played before covers were continually wheeled on
and off. To play against a full Ist XI as your first match
at Under IS is a difficult task. To win this game by 31
runs was a great achievement and was the pe1iect
match-practice to start the season. A gritty 37 by Ed
Atkins was followed by a rapid 41 by Jamie Smibert
and this helped post a good total. Some good
bowling, particularly from Humphrey Gibbs, helped
us ease to victory.
Our
next match, against Canford, was
a comfortable win; we managed to pass their
low score for the loss of only one wicket. This game
was
memorable for two things: Jack Jenkins scored 76 n.o.
from a total of 117 and Richard Sworder scored from
a shopping trolley (in aid of the Lent Term Project).
This game, like the match against Clayesmore, was
helping us to prepare for our first match in the Lord's
Taverners
Competition. This was away to
Winchester on t heir small 2nd XI pitch. After losing
a wicket in the second over, we managed to pull
things around, with Charlie Esson battling his way to
52 and Jamie Smibert (again) thwacking a quick 19.
However, the star of the innrngs was undoubtedly
jack jenkms, who batted for forty overs accumulating
a score of 105 n.o. This was a feat of both skill and
concentration and it was unbelievable to realise that
this was his first century. To manage to get to 200 on
a damp pitch was fantastic and i t was always gorng to
be difficult for Winchester to chase such a high total.
They tned to get close and. at times, gave us some
nervous moments, but we managed to bowl them
out for 138 and secure our path mto the next round.
Jack's century led to hrs promotion into the XI, and
we faced King's Taunton wrthout him. However, not
to be outdone. Charlie Esson played a captain's
innrngs and scored our second centUiy 1n t hree days.
Thrs was another great innings and Charlie's
determrnation not to be outdone by jack was evrdent
throughout. We won this game by 9 runs having
bowled poorly and really made hard work of whal
should have been an easy wm.
The second round of the Taverners beckoned and
Marlborough came to The Upper. At one stage they
were 10-4 following a hostile spell of bow ling by Ben
Lyons and Henry Bond. They were later 45-7 and
managed to creep to 80 all out. Whilst we were not
complacent, we were confident of getting t hrough to
the next round. We lost our first wicket at 13 and
then a collapse saw us go from 33-l to 43-8. We
were down to the last three batsmen and still
needed 38 to win. The two Humphreys won the
game for us - both Humphrey Grbbs and Humphrey
Rose battled in difficult match-conditions to pull us
around to 79-9. Then, a nervous Henry Bond went
to the crease followmg nearly an hour of Willows
tellrng him what to do! Unfazed by the pressure,
Henry blocked the first three balls and hit the next
through cover for two to win the game. This game
must rate as one of the most gripping to be seen on
The Upper rn qurte some lime.
The following Saturday saw our relurn fixture at
Marlborough and. followmg the previous game. this
ended as an ill-tempered draw, the only highlight
being a battling 50 from Charlie Cooke.
The third round of the Taverners saw us beat
Pate's Grammar- Schoo l by 25 runs. Defending a score
of 195, with 82 from Jack jenkins. we were always
ahead in the game and Pate's did well to get within
25 runs. We were through to t he regional final - in
effect the National quarter-final.
An easy win at Taunton was not ideal preparation
for the Taverners match at Millfield but it did give us
some time in the middle.
The biggest game of many boys' cricketing life was
at Millfield in the quarter-final of the Lord's Taverners.
We started the game badly. losing Jenkins, Lyons and
Esson with only 4 runs on the board. A good 22 from
Ed Atkins and a fantastic contribution by the
continually unfazed Humphrey Gibbs helped us to
creep above 100 and post a score of liS. We knew
that we needed early wickets and we got them.
However, one player, Tom Maynard, remained at the
crease. We managed to take 9 w ickets but Maynard
batted through the game for an unbeaten 80. The
remaining ten Millfield players scored less than 30
between them. The team was devastated and it was
difficult to pick up after this. One player made the
difference between our progressing to the semifinal
and berng knocked out.
After this. 1t was hard to put the season back
together. We had worked so hard towards one goal
and, now that it had gone, players found it hard to get
truly motivated. We beat Blundell's easily and
progressed through to the final of the Dorset Cup. but
we were truly mrssing that bit of spark. The end of the
season could not come soon enough and. to make
matters worse, we lost the final of the Dorset Cup to
Poole Grammar. Again, we were beaten by Lhe skrll of
one player but our rnabrlity to close the game off cost
us dear and we were left without any silverware - a
disappointment for such a talented team. The
penultimate day of term saw us at Millfield in terrible
condrtrons. We bowled well and were out for revenge,
but could not bat our way through to victory.
Undoubtedly, thrs rs a very talented year group.
Not only are there a lot of good cricketers but they
conduct themselves superbly both on and off the
field. They will, I am sure, turn out to be members of
highly successful 1st XIs over the coming two or
three years and I wish them every success.
I must thank Andy Nurton and Ben Scott for all
their help, encouragement and support during the
season. They are both highly-skilled coaches in their
own rights and much of our success is down to them.
I must also thanks Alan Willows for his continual
work with Sherborne Cncket.
Results:
Sherborne
Clayesmore Isl XI
149-4
118
Won by 31 runs
Canford
Sherborne
116
119-1
Won by 9 wickeLs
Sherborne
Wrnchester
Sherborne
King's, Taunton
Marlborough
Sherborne
Sherborne
Marlborough
Sherborne
Pate's Grammar
202-4
138
Won by 64 runs
(Lord's Taverners Round I)
186-3
177-7
80
81-9
Won by I wicket
(Lord's Taverners Round 2)
132-9
117-7
Match drawn
195-6
170
Won by 25 runs
(Lord's Taverners Round 3)
Taunton
Sherbor·ne
102
104-2
Sherborne
115-8
Millfield
Won by 9 runs
Won by 8 wickets
118-9
Lost by I wicket
(Lord's Taverners Round 4)
Blundell's
68
Sherborne
Canford
69-1
65- 1
Sherborne
69-2
Thomas Hardye
51
Sherborne
53-I
Sherborne
169-4
Won by 9 wickets
Poole Grammar
170-8
Won by 8 w1ckets
(Dorset Cup)
Millfield
Sherborne
107-7
94
Lost by 2 wickets
(Dorset Cup)
Lost by 13
runs
MAP
Won by 9 w1ckets
(Dorset Cup)
Junior Colts B XI
{(Considerable potenttol for the future. "
A season of extremes, indeed! We knew at the
outset that we had a very talented side with the
potential to outplay easily most of its opposition. and
some of the performances fully lived up to this
expectation. What we had not suspected was the
extent of the frag11ity 1n the batting. The defeats by
Bryanston and, 1n particular. Marlborough threatened
to cast a shadow over the whole season. We should
not allow them to do so. however, for t his was a year
w1th much that was positive and in which some very
prom1s1ng cricketers gave us at least a glimpse of their
cons1derable potent1al for the future.
Not the least striking feature of this season has
been the depth of talent available at Sherborne.
Although the composition of the JCB s1de remained
largely constant throughout the season. House
cricket showed that this was a year with several
capable and keen cricketers who could not even
find a place in the 'C' team. W ith a side that had
several batsmen capable of play1ng long attacking
mnings, a strong seam attack, a choice of two
capable wicket-keepers and at least one usually
reliable spinner, we had justifiable hopes for an
outstanding season.
We began well w1th a very comfortable v1ctory
over King's Bruton but confidence was shattered
when our battmg collapsed alarmingly agamst
Bryanston; our opponents were an 'A' team and we
were under pressure for the f1rst t1me. but there
were signs of defic1enc1es in technique. A
perfunctory win over Kings's Taunton usually a
worthy adversary. seemed to have set matters right;
but then came the debacle at Marlborough. Over
confident tn the field, we underestimated the value
of the total that Marlborough had amassed under
difficult conditions. When we batted, we lost early
wickets to fast, straight bow ling and subsequently
seemed paralysed by the situat1on. W ith the
exception of W ill Stebbings. who added
a semblance of resistance. our batsmen managed
a total of 5 runs. This was the lowest total scored
by a Sherborne JCB side in at least 25 years, and yet
it was scored by what was potentially one of
the strongest batting sides t hat we have fielded in
that time. This match. to Marlborough's
considerable credit, demonstrated the importance
of a tight,
disciplined approach and of pressure
intelligently applied.
It was. in turn. a great credit to our team that they
came back magnificently in the following match. If the
previous game had seen the lowest total in twenty
five years. this one brought the highest stand in that
time. The Milton Abbey bowling was tight for several
overs. but Moores and Kinnersly gave an object
lesson in how to build a partnership carefully and
accelerate at the right time. Equally powerful batting
aga1nst Clayesmore. though this time after the loss of
two
early wickets, was accompanied by
an outstanding performance in the field. and the
pattern was repeated against Taunton. In an
exhilarating match agamst a very strong Poole
Grammar School s1de. a defeat by one run brought
no disgrace: james Erskine had a fine all-round game.
Then. sadly. came anti-c limax. with the final fixture of
the season lost to rain.
In some respects. the season disappointed. partly
because we had expected so rnuch. It is difficult for a
team, however talented. to show its true worth in so
short a season, with fixtures inevitably concentrated
in the first hectic weeks of the term. If only. we all
agreed, we could have played Marlborough again in
june! This IS, Indeed, a very strong team. Harry
Moores. James Kinnersly and Will Stebbings played a
number of major Innings and were extremely well
backed up by George Pullen. jack Stratton and Patrick
Windle. Tom Saunders was invariably effective with
the new ball and, together with Ed Shackleton, Tom
Andrews. Alex Bunnell, jonty Dampney and james
Erskine. formed one of the best seam attacks that a
JCB team has possessed 1n several years. james
Kinnersly's leg-spin took IS w1ckets to accompany h1s
225 runs scored at an average of 45. W e had the very
unusual luxury of two highly competent wicket
keepers in Harry Moores and Patrick Windle and jack
Stratton was an exceptionally good capta1n. There
are cricketers here who w ill go on to ach1eve much
in years to come.
Team (from): TA Andrews; Aj Bunnell; JN Dampney;
Aj Dunlop: MP Erskine; JB Kmnersly: HJ Moores;
GT Pullen; Tj Saunders: PGA Selfe; EAW Shackleton:
WAJ Stebbings; JRM Stratton (capt.); PWH Windle.
Results: Played 8, Won 5, Lost 3.
Sherborne 205-3 (30 overs)
(Moores 40, Stebbmgs 61, Pullen 42*)
Clayesmore 30
Won by 175 runs
(Shackleton 3-4, Saunders 3-7)
Sherborne 151-6 (35 overs)
(Kinners ly 51*)
King's. Bruton 90
(Andrews 4-17, Kmnersly 4-23)
Won by 61 runs
Bryanston 151-6 (30 overs)
Sherborne 39
Lost by 112runs
King's, Taunton 53
(Saunders 3-9)
Sherborne 54-2
Sherborne 178-5 (30 overs)
(Kinnersly 60)
Taunton 30
(Bunnell 4-0)
Poole G.S. 151
(Erskine 4-8)
Sherborne ISO
(Erskine 39)
Won by 8 wickets
Marlborough 138
(Saunders 3-17. Stebbmgs 3-7)
Sherborne 18
Lost by 120 runs
Sherborne 208-0 (30 overs)
(Moores 89*, Kinnersly 84*)
Milton Abbey 114
(Kinnersly 4-10)
Won by 94 runs
Won by 148 runs
Lost by I run
RCFG and PTS
Mini Colts A XI
((Sherborne. tasung success. barted w1th a calm assurance
The f1rst game of the season was away to King's
Bruton. On a wet wicket Sherborne were put mto
bat. with very little pract1ce-t1me before the game
because of the Inclement weather, and slumped to
63 all-out from just IS overs. George Berthon top
scored with a powerful hit 45. W ith an hour before
tea, the signs of a successful start to the season did
not look good! The boys, under their captain,
Xander Brinkworth , rose to the occasion and
bowled and fielded superbly well, keeping Bruton
under pressure at 35 for 5 at tea. Sherborne kept up
the pressure and wickets fell at regular Intervals,
leaving Bruton with 5 runs needed with their final
pair of batsmen at the wicket. Bruton took a quick
smgle only to be run out with an excellent bit of
fielding from Jamie Excell leaving them one short of
the Sherborne total.
Canford at home was always going to be a tough
fixture and on a wet w1cket Canford elected to bat.
Good bowling from Tom Atkins and James Kipling
taking 3 w1ckets each restncted Canford to 155 for 8
in 35 overs. If the boys applied themselves they had
a very good chance of winning. At 13 for 3 m reply to
Canford, 1t looked like a very steep uphill battle to
get a result out of th1s game. Enter George Berthon
and Tom Hussey. This pair batted pat1ently, hitting
the bad ball for 4 or 6, Tom rotating the strike to let
George take the game to Canford's bowlers. Hussey
was out for 20 and Berthon (60) wh1ch left
Sherborne's 'tail' with some wagging to do! james
Kipling with IS and Nick Batchelor with 10 not out
gave support to the match-winner jam1e Excell who,
with 24 not out. smashed a 6 over midwtcket to win
the match with 8 balls to spare.
JJ
Bryanston away was moved to an all-weather
WICket owing to the continuing bad weather.
Sherborne won the toss and put Bryanston in to bat.
Tight opening bowling from Nick Batchelor kept the
Bryanston batsmen under pressure. Good support
from james Kipling and Xander Brinkworth ensured
that Bryanston were bowled out for 121. Sherborne's
opening partnership of Tom Atkins and Sam jenks
gave the team a good start and a solid platform from
which to launch an attack on Bryanston's total.
Sherborne made steady progress with nobody really
dominating the bow ling, so it was left to james
Kipling ( II not out) to see Sherborne home in the
thirty-fourth over.
King's Taunton. away would prove to be a tough
fixture: their Academy status attracts a lot of very
talented cncketers. In wintry conditions we fielded
first: the w1cket was surpns1ngly qu1ck and, combined
with the short boundanes, any wayward bowltng
was pun1shed. Sherborne's bowling didn't really
threaten the King's batsmen as they soon established
a large total, fin1sh1ng on 215 for 5. To add to
Sherborne's woes. jam1e Staib broke a finger badly in
a run-out attempt, wh1ch left us one batsman short.
The game plan was to remain pos1t1ve and attack
their bowling. Tom Atk1ns played some excellent
shots before he was out for 16. Xander Bnnkworth
wa1ted patiently for the bad ball and batted a long
t ime for his 45. In support of h1m. jamte Payne ( 14)
and Nick Batchelor ( 17) kept the score tiCktng along,
but soon we were behind the run-rate and the game
was lost, Sherborne all out for 163.
The first round or the Dorset Cup was against
Milton Abbey. Sherborne won the toss and put
Milton Abbey rn to bat. accurate bowlmg from Gavin
Maclaren and Ollre Kesley takrng 3 wrckets each and
good fieldrng, including an excellent catch from
George Berthon at square leg. restncted Milton
Abbey to 117 all out. Tom Atkins (41) opened the
battrng and punished the bad ball well. W ith good
support from George Berthon (35 not out)
Sherborne were allowed to move comfortably into
the second round.
Marlborough
proved
too
good
rn
every department when they came t o Sherborne.
They scored 171 for 5 from 30 overs. Gavin Maclaren
was the pick of the Sherborne bowlers with 2
wickets. but the w ides and no balls from the other
bowlers led to 39 extra runs, and Marlborough with
6.5 extra overs to bat. Tom Atkrns and Sam
Jenks got Sherborne off to a good start. but trght
bowling from a partrcularly good left-arm seambowler pushed the run-rate up and the pressure
on. Thrs pressure resulted rn a mrddle-order
collapse, wrth the exceptron of Tom Hussey, who
played very well for hrs 20, and a drsapporntrng 117 all
out.
The next match, agarnst Clayesmore away, proved
to be a total mrsmatch. Clayesmore batted first and
were bowled out for 38, whrch was a good recovery
for them when they were 19 for 9 at one stage. Tom
Atkins and Sam Jenks knocked off the runs in 9 overs
to give a comfortab le 9 wicket win.
The next round of the Dorset Cup saw Sherborne
drawn agarnst Winton School from Bournemouth.
Sherborne lost the toss and were put into bat. Apart
from loosing Tom Atkins in the first over. Sherborne
moved swrftly to 184 for 7 from 30 overs, with both
George Berthon (67) and Xander Brinkworth (45)
playrng good shots all round the wicket. Sherborne
bowled very well and soon dominated Winton who
were bowled out for 57, with both spinners, Beanie
Isles (4) and Ollie Kesley (3) taking the wickets.
Taunton proved to be the most frustrating game
of the season for me as a coach. Havrng put Taunton
rnto bat, Sherborne reduced Taunton to 15 for 5 after
12 overs. Taunton struggled against accurate bowlrng
to a total of 114 for 6. When Sherborne slumped to
13 for 5 after 10 overs. I feared an embarrassing
defeat. but an excellentrnnings of real matunty from
George Berthon (40) and Jamre Starb ( 10) gave us a
real chance of an excelle nt vrctory. Unfortunately
George was run out and the tail collapsed. Sherborne
finished 29 runs short of the targel.
After the disappointment of the Taunton game,
Sherborne faced Blundell's. Havrng lost the toss and
been invited t o bat, Sherborne struggled to 136 for 6
from 30 overs. without anybody really berng able to
dominate the bowling. This total was always going to
be difficult to defend on the short boundary and fast
outfreld on Pitch One. Blundell's made easy work of
reaching our total with nobody being able to restrict
their batsmen from scoring or more importantly take
wickets.
The quarterf inal of the Dorset Cup was against
Sturmrnster Newton School. This was played twiCe
after the rarn washed out the first attempt.
Sturminster batted first and struggled agarnst the
openrng bowling of Gavrn Maclaren and George
Berthon, but the offsprn of Beanre Isles domrnated
the Sturmrnster batsmen and he was rewarded wrth
the only 5 wickets in an innings of the season. as
Sturmrnster were bowled out for 64. Tom Atkins and
jack Renner made comfortab le work of the
Sturmrnster total.
The semifinal of the Dorset Cup took Sherborne
to Canford. Sherborne lost the toss and were put
into the field. Canford posted a good but attainable
target of 176 for 6. with jack Renner. the pick of the
Sherborne bowlers, taking 3 wickets. The Sherborne
innings got off to a bad start with Tom Atkins joining
the Primary Club! Sherborne batted well but always
seemed unable to push the run-rate down and
finrshed on a respectable total of 154 for 8, desp1te
some good hrtting from james Kipling at the end.
The final match of the season look Sherborne
away to Millfield, who had beaten all the opposrtion
Sherborne had played against. On a wet and wrndy
day Sherborne produced the best result of the
season agarnst an obvrously talented Mrllfield team
who drdn't apply themselves. Sherborne d1d apply
themselves and bowled Mrllfield out cheaply for 69.
wrth 3 wrckets for jack Renner and 2 apiece for
Xander Brrnkworth. Nick Batchelor and Gavm
Maclaren. The Sherborne fielding was athletic and
good catches were taken to compliment accurate
bowling. Sherborne, tasting success. batted with a
calm assurance that the small total would not cause
the potential banana-skrn the coach had secretly
feared' It was left to the captain. Xander Brinkworth.
to steady the coaches' and watching parents' nerves
and knock off the Millfield total with 3 wickets lost.
The Minr Colts have had a very successful season,
and I would l1ke to thank DAS for all hrs help with the
coaching and umpiring. I would like, on behalf of
David and myself, to thank all the boys involved in
the Mini Colts 'A: for making the season so rewarding
for us as coaches and for the parents watching. The
boys have made a good start to the1r Sherborne
cricket career, but there rs lots of rmprovement
needed. especrally agamst the better teams, for them
to become truly successful.
Team (rom: AC Bnnkworth; TP Atkrns; SJC jenks;
GH Berthon; TMH Hussey; JAC Starb; ]EM Renner;
PES Isles; NC Batchelor; JWW Excell; OW Kesley;
JE Kipling: CWCC
Maclaren; JMJ Payne;
JED Pearmund.
Results: Played 13, Won 8. Lost 5.
Sherborne 63 all- out
(Berthon 45)
King's. Bruton. 62 all-out
(Berthon 3 for IS)
Won by I run
Canford ISS for 8
(Kipling 3 for 23, Atkins 3 for 34)
Sherborne 156 for 8
(Berthon 60, Hussey 20,
Won by 2 wickets
Excel! 24 not out)
Bryanston 121 all out
(Kipling 3 for 10, Atkins 2 for 31,
Batchelor I for 6)
Sherborne 122 for 7
(Atkins 15, Bnnkworth 10,
Kipling II not out)
King's Taunton, 215 for 5
Sherborne 163 all out
(Brinkworth 45, Batchelor 17)
Taunton 114for 6
(Maclaren 4 for 13, Berthon 2 for 12)
Sherborne 85 all out
(Berthon 40, Starb 10)
Lost by 29 runs
Won by 3 wrckets
Lost by 52 runs
Milton Abbey 117all out
(Kesley 3 for 12. Maclaren 3 for 21)
Sherborne 118 for 3
(Atkins 41, Berthon 35 not out)
Won by 7 wrckets
Marlborough 171 for 5
(Maclaren 2 for 5)
Sherborne 117all oul
Uenks 21, Atkins 21, Hussey 20)
Sherborne 184 for 7
(Berthon 67, Bnnkworth 45)
Winton 57 all out
{Isles 4 for 4. Kesley 3 for 6)
Lost by 54 runs
Won by 127 runs.
Clayesmore 38 all out
(Batchelor 4 for 3, Bnnkworth 3 for 8)
Sherborne 39 for I
(Atk1ns 22. jenks IS)
Won by 9 wrckets
Sherborne 136 for 6
(Staib 34, Breton 24, Atkrns 23)
Blundell's 137 for 3
(Maclaren I for 20.
Batchelor I for 22)
Lost by 7 wrckets
Sturmrnster Newton 64 all out
(Isles 5 for 18. Maclaren 2 for 13)
Sherborne 65 for 4
(Renner 20 not
Won by 7 wrckets
out, Atkins 16 not
out)
Canford 176 for 6
(Renner 3 for 26)
Sherborne 154 for 8
Lost by 22 runs
(Bnnkworth 29, Hussey 20)
Millfield 69 all out
(Renner 3 for 12. Batchelor 2 for 3.
Maclaren 2 for 10)
Sherborne 70 for 3
(Bnnkworth 22 not out)
Won by 7 wrckets
RWH
Mini Colts B XI
((Immense enthusiasm and determtnation . JJ
It is a rare honour to be blessed with both good
weather and good cricket one does
not necessarily follow from the other - but Lhe
two conspired to occur together this summer,
providing us all with plenty of entertainment. Rain
cost us two matches. one at either end of the season,
but dunng the intervening six or seven weeks
of near continuous sun. this Mini Colts 'B' side
produced some excellent. absorbing cricket. even
in
(our singular) defeat. The problem for the
author comes rn tryrng to define the 'highlights'.
Our first match, against King's Bruton gave some
rndrcatron of what was to come for the rest of the
summer. From the first over. Krt Pelham launched at
the batsmen wrth impressive pace and devrous out
swrng, picking up hrs first three wickets of the season
rn two maiden overs, before trring a little and ending
wrth frgures of 4 for 2. Not to be outdone. Jack
Renner, another able Abbey House cncketer. took
another four wickets, three of them rn one over. He
had the grace to concede 10 runs rn total. all of them
in one over, but later in the match, his 23 runs at
number 3 helped the s1de easily reach the score set
by King's of 50 all out. Two weeks later, the bowling
attack was unleashed on Krng's Taunton. This srde
were also easily beaten: their score of 33 was reached
rn JUSt 71 overs.
It was on the back of two assured victories that we
met Marlborough. who were to frustrate us just as
the final hurdle in a tense contest had looked to be
cleared. By this match, midway through May. we had
been depnved of the services of Christran Maclaren.
an excellent, compact bowler who was promoted to
the 'P\ side, for which he performed very well for the
rest of the season with both ball and bat (never
havrng had the chance to bat for us). A revrsed line
up incorporated Freddy Mrlls and Jamie Pearmund,
both of whom took three wrckets with some clever
bowling. Some shrewd field-placement on the part of
captain Will Solomon was also rnstrumental 1n
limiting Marlborough to 124 for 8 off therr allotted 30
overs.
In reply. our mnrngs started shakily- Robin Irving, a
patient opener w1th a penchant for running himself
out, and his partner. Ed Gidney. were dismissed early
on. leaving us at 7 for 2. At this pomt. the Jamie
Liddell wagon rolled into town. Partnering jack
Renner (24). this Bahamian baseballer took the attack
apart with ease, scoring 9 fours on his way to 56.
before being bowled when trying to play defensively.
Wickets then fell quickly but. at 99 for 9, the match
was still evenly po1sed. Will Solomon and Freddie
M1lls made a valiant f1ghtback with some good
stroke-play and it took a superlative catch at mrd-on
to depnve the captam of a certa1n four and perhaps
the team of another v1ctory.
The Liddell show continued at M1lton Abbey the
next week. A close boundary-line was easily and
frequently passed, 10 fours blazmg off his bat. taking
him to 45 off 36 balls. He was denied another half
century in extraordinary orcumstances. A bizarre
local rule meant that the elegant willow tree. which
shuddered v1gorously on reception of a firmly struck
ball, contnbuted five runs to the team score (and not
his) for 'obstruction'. A couple of overs later. whilst
going for an eleventh boundary, he fell and d1slocated
his knee, forong him to ret1re for the rest of the
season hurt. The ball landed JUSt instde the boundary
rope. The match cont inued (my thanks to Mr John
lrvtng for donn1ng the umpire's coat): Charles
Whitcombe was to hit the first six of the season; Kit
Pelham to score a creditable 28* and claim the Milton
Abbey opener for some variety of Jewelled duck on
the first ball of the mn1ngs.
With jamte Liddell restricted to crutches. jack
Renner took on the mantle of chtef run-scorer.
Aga nst Taunton School. Rob1n lrv1ng and Ktt Pelham
provtded the necessary support to help htm reach
61 * off 54 balls, sconng the w1nning runs w 1th hts
eleventh boundaty of the tnnmgs. He was quite
promptly and deservedly snapped up by the M1nt
Colts 'A: team.
The last match we played, agamst Poole Grammar
School. was by far the most nail-bit1ng of the season.
We were set a target of 74 after Will Solomon
bowled extremely well. tak1ng 4 w1ckets for 5 runs.
Poole Grammar then produced a f1rst-class exhtb1tton
of accurate spin-bowling that our batsmen found
extremely dtfficult to cope with. Patience was the key
and a number of w 1ckets fell after careless or hasty
strokes. Sam jenks. newly jotned from the 'A' team.
Kit Pelham and james Pnngle played soltdly to take
the score to 70 for 7. The score then advanced
slowly. reaching a deltcately poised 73 for 9 before
Charles Whitcombe (cheered on from the side by
shouts of 'cucumber', etym WhJtcombe. Wh1tcumber)
scored a bounda1y to w1n the match and slow the
heart-rate of a rather nervous square-leg umptre.
Th1s turned out to be the last match of the season
and was a f1tt1ng end to the term. It h1ghl1ghted the
need for Improved techn1que and cnckettng nous but
also the immense enthustasm and determmat1on the
boys had for the game. It 1s these latter two that will
ensure more good t1mes and good cricket in future
years.
By this potnt tn the art1cle. Tom Oxenham will be
wondenng why I have failed to mention his name. He
need not worry, for he deserves a paragraph of h1s
own. Th1s dtmmutive (yet loquacious) wicket-keeper
could easily star in his own sitcom. Keenly (and
loudly) proud of his Australian and Cornish roots, he
set about winntng every match with his friendly on
field banter. From hts second-ball call of, 'Come on.
thts guy's been in too long,· to his admontshment of
both bowler and ump1re when a ball was not w1de
enough to be called so, but to cost h1m several byes,
he was a source of endless amusement. It might also
be said that hts batting was worthy of that accolade.
Team· RBD Dance; EC Gidney; JRE Irving; JO Liddell;
FG Mills; t TAW Oxenham; JED
Pearmund:
COG Pelham: JW Pringle: JEM Renner; *WJ Solomon;
AJJ Sumption, CR Whitcombe; tJA Boughton:
Jl
Cochrane-Dyet;
SJC
jenks:
Aj
Kerr;
CWCC Maclaren; LFT Nunes da Costa.
Results: Played 6, won 5, lost I.
King's Bruton 50 all out
Sherborne 51 for 2
(Pelham 4 for 2,
Renner 4 for 10)
Won by 8 wickets
King's Taunton 33 all out
Sherborne 35 for 2
(Maclaren 3 for 3)
Won by 8 wickets
Marlborough College 124 for 8 (30 overs)
Sherborne 110all out
(Mills 3 for 20. Pearmund 3 for 8;
Liddell 56)
Lost by 14 runs
Sherborne 153 for 5 (26 overs)
(L1ddell 45*, ret'd hurt)
Milton Abbey School 63 all out
Taunron School 91 all out
Sherborne 94 for 8
(Renner 61*)
Poole Grammar School 73 all out
Sherborne 77 for 9
(Solomon 4 for 5)
Won by 90 runs
Won by 8 wickets
Won by I wicket
ICS
Mini Colts C XI
uThe future (or Sherborne cncket rs safe. "
Alan Willows had gt ven me hts usual pitytng look
before the season's start, but the evidence of the
opentng net-session suggested that things would not
be so bad after all.
Our tnp to Bryanston proved to be a nasty
surpnse. when a Bryanston team far superior to the
prevtous year's offenng achteved a stranglehold
almost from the start. Only Rafe Dance put up
serious reststance wtth the bat, and somewhat
wayward bowling, more enthusiastic than accurate.
allowed their openers to stroll home.
King's Taunton on the other hand, were rather
weaker than usual, and eight of our side took turns
bowling. Dance was the ptck, allowtng only three
scoring strokes tn hts seven overs. Anthony Tilley
opened the batttng and led the way to a comfortable
wtn.
A promtstng star1 agatnsl Marlborough was
bolstered by a powerful batting dtsplay by Louts
Nunes da Costa, but we were disappotnted to frnd
our opponents tnching steadtly but surely past our
score.
The next match produced a most extraordtnary
fintsh. Thtrty-ftve overs were agreed for each side,
but the Millfield stde made their apologies and left
with ten overs of thetr tnnings sttll to be bowled. The
match could have gone etther way and the
Sherborne boys were JUStiftably dtsappomted to be
depnved of the chance of a proper wtn. There had
been a short delay caused by an injury to Hugo
Sutton behtnd the slumps, but we fell that the
desires of Mtllfield's more sentor teams, whose
matches had fintshed earlier, lay behtnd the debacle.
At Clayesmore. Harry Madley at last gained due
reward for hts accurate bowling and stylish batlrng.
His four wickets were followed by an opentng
partnershtp in whtch, although he played the mtnor
role to Tttley. the wtn was never tn doubt.
We hoped that Blundell's would provide us with a
glonous fintsh to the season, but they also surpnsed
us wtth a better-than-usual team. Thetr openers
proved difficult to dtslodge, and the number three
tmposstble. Other wickets fell steadily. but an
om t nous total was accumulated. There was a defintte
end-of-season feel to our batttng, which, wtth the
exception of Freddie jacobsen, succumbed ltmply.
Targets of that stze are stmply more tnttmidating than
they should be.
The mamstays of the side, apart from those
already mentioned, were Charles Whitcombe, who
was soon promoted, Angus Rance, who captained
the srde throughout, jonathan Titchin, whose sptn
wtll take more wickets when he ts allowed to bowl
more than seven overs per match, James Cochrane
Dyet. Tom Franks. Bertie Herrtage and Nat Kerr.
james Hamlyn shared the wtcket-keeptng with
Sutton. Cameos were performed by Edward Gtdney.
and Ktt Regan, both brought into the stde from the D
team. Henry Stoat, and johnnte de Ia Moriniere.
The year group produced five teams against
Marlborough, so the future of Sherborne crrcket ts
safe! I hope that all these boys play a part tn tt.
Team from: jl Cochrane-Dyet; RBD Dance; JH de Ia
Monntere; TJ Franks; EC Gidney: jWJ Hamlyn: Aj
Herrtage: jFL Jacobsen: AJ Kerr: HL Madley: LFT
Nunes da Costa; AM Rance; KM Regan: HGR Sutton:
HCW Stoot: JP Titchin: AW Tttley; CR Whttcombe.
Results: Played 6, Won 3, Lost 3
Sherborne 78
Bryanston 79-0
(Dance 24)
Lost by 10 wtckets
Ktng's Taunton 59
Sherborne 61-3
(Dance 4-10. Tttley 38*)
Won by 7 wtckets
Sherborne 112
Marlborough 114-6
(Nunes da Costa 36. Dance 23)
Sherbor·ne 113
Millfield 89-6
Extras 55
Clayesmore 84
Sherborne 85-0
(Madley 4-20. Titley 41*)
Blundell's 169-6
Sherborne 61
(Madley 3-27, Jacobsen 26)
Lost by 4 wickets
Won by default
Won by 10wtckets
Lost by 108 runs
Fixtures agatnst Canford and Winchester were
ratned off.
jAT
Soccer
1st XI
ff The rest, as they say, IS h1story. "
The I st XI enjoyed a largely positive season. under
the quietly-spoken guidance of Mr. Willows. Guy
Stebbings captained the
side, proving himself a
solid leader and at times
a fantastic footballer.
Goal of the season had
to go to Henry May. who
against
Clayesmore
struck a vicious, dipping •
half-volley from just
outs1de h1s own half and the rest, as they say,
is history. The other
centre-back
didn't,
unfortunately,
enjoy
quite the same success in
the opponents' half of the field, but well done to
Chris Nott for a typically solid season at the back. Ali
Brooks at times resembled a leaping salmon in his
(mostly) successful attempts at keeping the ball out
of the Sherborne goal. and must be commended for
his
commitment,
remarkable agility and
professional
manner.
Ahmed AI-Duhaim had a
lucrative season in front
of goal. smashing the
previous record and
scoring well over one
goal
per
game;
congratulations to him
for this ach1evement and
for his. at times, selfless
loyalty to the tram1ng
sessions. Thanks must go
to Alan Willows
and
DBC for their coaching expert1se, time, effort and
encouragement.
Tim Ballingal
2nd XI - Coaches' Report
" It could be a vintage year on The Lower next Lent. "
We, the coaches, had a very enjoyable and successful
season thanks to a ve1y good group of boys. It was a
particular pleasure to see the Ist Xi's team-sheet
lookmg quite so familiar by the end of the season.
Two matches were lost but the boys would point to
our winning the second half aga1nst Clifton as a big
plus. We did not have a regular XI and Lhe following
boys all contributed greatly over the season:
jonathan Batson - A huge presence in goal who
made some outstanding saves to keep us in games;
sometimes a little too vocal when castigating h1mself
for (infrequent) poor kicks.
james Emmett - Appeared much happier when he
moved sideways to right back; a huge throw and a
sweet right foot launched many attacks.
Reuben Aitken - Very unlucky to lose his place
towards the end of the season; often a substitute and
we never conceded a goal when he was on the pitch.
Robert Bain - Quite rightly ended up in the I st XI
after a season of outstanding displays in matches and
in practices.
Eric Heath - Often a reluctant defender but has
the potential to be one of the school's outstanding
footballers; also represented the Ist XI.
Daniel Lee - Another to get a chance in the Ist XI
towards the end of the season: two goals against
Bristol Grammar (one from 35 yards) were the
highl1ght of a very consistent season; very promising
for next season.
Ed Ward - Grabbed his chance when promoted
from the 3rd X I and never lost his place; strong on
the ball and a fantastic team player.
james Fitzgerald - Spent the season battling for a
place and ended up playing for the Ist XI; somet1mes
brilliant; always entertaining.
Ralph Aiken -Another to end up in the Ist XI; got
stronger as matches and term went on; often the
most likely player to create something; rarely lost the
ball.
Tim Ballingal - Another skilful midfielder who
could produce moments of brilliance; played in
patches and needs to be more consistent next year if
he is to have the influence he should do on the Ist
XI.
Tom Hillard - Two different players; as an attacker,
Tom has so much to offer with his goal against Clifton
a real highlight; as a defender, Tom tends to switch off
at times: this needs to be eliminated if he is to grab a
place in the I st XI.
james Batchel o r - Loves his football and possesses
more skill t han anyone could need; james suffered
from not having a regular position on the pitch; can
be a major player for the Ist XI if he makes a position
his own.
Sam Cooke - Scored a lot of goals; we wondered
whether he wou ld conlinue to net if he got a chance
in the Ist XI: we need not have warned: can now
turn thoughts to next year and how he can 1mprove
his all-round game.
lsa AI Sabea - Our super sub; lots of sk1lls and a
great finish but sometimes struggled to get into
dangerous positions.
George Armstrong - Played a few games on his
way to the Ist XI; lots of pace and great close control;
needs to work on his finishing if he is to become
even more of a threat next year.
Felix Curry - jo1ned us towards then end of the
season and looks a very intelligent player 1n the
second-striker role; should have a major say in the
make-up of the Ist XI next year.
Six of the Lower Sixth boys represented the Ist XI
at some stage of the season. It could be a vintage year
on The Lower next Lent.
RTBH and ADN
Captain's Report
The all-star 2nd XI played consistently well
throughout the season. despite dramatic reshuffles
courtesy of the Ist XI coaches. They repeatedly
embarrassed the Ists in training, showing what true
class existed in the top football squads this season.
The season got off to an exciting start against
Downside, with Tim Ballmgal tak1ng just under a
m1nute to open h1s goal-sconng account in a
Sherborne shirt. Solid performances were put m by
the likes of Tom Hillard on the right and Ralph Aiken
in the middle, and a fine season from Sam Cooke saw
him notch up 17 goals - one to watch next year.
perhaps. james Emmett's composure at the back and
diligent attitude in training was a fine example for the
younger boys in the squad. By the end of the season,
more than half the side had played For the l st XI,
showing the depth of quality m the squad. MDN and
RTBH ensured the season was both successfu l and
entertaining. and thanks must go to them for their
enthus1asm and Inspirational skills, demonstrated all
too rarely on the training pitch.
Tim Ballingal
Cross-Country
uYow attitude has been unfailingly posittve . "
......." " -.......= - = ' - - - - _ . _ . . . ; . . . .
;...='--'-----''-----.::ILl
Those of us involved on the coaching side of the
sport would like to congratulate everyone in this
year's squad on a truly magn1ficent season. The
spirit has been superb, and has been remarked on
by a number of outsiders, including the masters in
charge at Canford and Bryanston. SjC commented
on Saturday on Lhe mutual support in the team.
Numerous
parents
have
made similarly
complimentary observations.
Our victories this season - and we have won
practically everything - are as much a tribute to
dedication and determination as they are to talent.
It has always been the team result that has counted
with us. This spirit is evident in training, where
attendance has been very good, and effort equally
so. It is also evident in the fact that we nevet once
this season had to go rushmg around seek1ng
replacements, or searching for latecomers. We are
the only school on our circuit capable of putt1ng out
full teams, and often two teams. m each age-group.
Individual winners and members of winnmg
teams have had the satisfaction of the1r victories,
and deserve all praise for their outstanding
achievements. Those who have competed w1thout
necessarily winnmg or be1ng part of a wmning team
have served the sport well and made a valuable
contribution. Some have trained regularly and hard,
and have not quite made it into one of the teams:
their chance will come. Their efforts do not go
unnoticed, although it must ohen seem to them
that they are labounng for scant reward.
We would like to thank everybody for their good
humour, courtesy, and willing co-operation in
everything
we
have
attempted
even
where conditions have been less than 1deal. Your
att1tude has been unfailingly posit1ve, and you r
efforts have
been generous and sustained to the very end of the
season. We can look forward to next Lent with every
expectation of another successful season.
BjH. MPO'C and JRS
Fives
uWmners lost yeot {inoltsts th1s year - well done, Sherborne! "
After the success of last year 1n the National Schools'
Colts Doubles Championships expectations were
high for the season as the play1ng personnel were the
same. How would they perform after the1r success
and how would it affect the other players?
The West of England Schools' Championships
were again held at Marlborough - hopefully
in Sherborne 1n 2005 - on the first weekend of
term. Both David Kirk and David Park - now in
senior ranks and with virtually no practice - reached
the last sixteen in the singles and the last eight in the
doubles where they lost to Chnst's Hospital in
a closely contested match. The term proved to be
the most successful for many years with the Ist
IV gaining victories over Blundell's. Clifton.
Marlborough. the Old Tonbridg1ans, King's Bruton
(tw1ce) and the Pilgrims. What is pleasing about
these results IS that adult sides who are able to
play a very different game. are now bemg defeated.
The Ist IV only lost to the except1onal Winchester
s1de. the RFA and Wessex. Lessons have been
learnt from last year. where points were fnttered
away. and now the necessity of competing for
every po1nt has helped produce these excellent
results.
In many ways the success of David K1rk and David
Park has seen a huge upsurge in the popularity of
Fives m the School. Numbers playing in the Junior
School are the highest that they have ever been and
there has been a very successful season for all the
jun1or teams, as well as an internal singles
competition and House matches, where all Houses
took part.
The National Championships were once again
held at St Paul's in the first week of the Easter
holidays. Expectations were not too h1gh as David
Kirk and Dav1d Park were 1n the Sen1or ranks- a year
young. They both reached the last s1xteen m s1ngles,
w1th David K1rk having a real chance of progressing
agamst a strong player from St Paul's. Perhaps
overconfidence after an excellent first game success
was h1s undomg: focus must be retained right the
way to the end of a match. In the doubles they once
again came up against Chnst's Hospital in the last
eight, who again proved the more consistent players.
In the Colts' competition, Michael Oates-Wormer
lost in the first round of the singles to a very strong
St Paul's player but went on to win the Plate
Competit1on. defeating two players from St Olave's
on the way. Edward Leakey, who had only played half
a term's Fives. reached the last eight of the singles a year young! He showed great composure 1n
defeat1ng players from St Paul's and St Olave's in the
group stages and then a seeded player from St Paul's
11 -9, 12-10. Heads were turning 1n the gallery to the
young Sherborne player. Past British champions were
saying that Edward IS a rare talent who should be
nurtured and encouraged. They can't wait to see him
next year.
In the doubles competition. the draw was most
unfavourable. In the second round Sherborne gained
a walk-over to come up against St Paul's I, the first
seeds, who were unceremoniously put out of the
competition 11-4, 11-6. Michael Oates-Wormer's
power and Edward Leakey's consistency on the left
hand wore them down. The semi-final against St
Paul's IV (!) was a long and often tetchy match with St
Paul's using all tactics possible to win. The final score
of 11-4, 8-11, 12-11 shows how close it was and the
victory came because they kept calm and a steely
determination to win became ever more apparent.
And so to a very unexpected final agamst - yes another St Paul's pa1r! This pair was certa1nly the best
of them all, wmning in a very closely contested match
3-11, 11-3, 9-11. Congratulations must go to Michael
and Edward for commg back from a heavy first game
defeat to take the second and recover from 8-3
down in the third to lead 9-8 and then lose a very
keenly contested match. Winners last year. flnal1sts
this year - well done, Sherborne!
DPCK has again been an inspiration to all players
with
his enthusiastic
coach1ng,
fun and
omnipresence. GDR has been a regular player this
year and has shown the boys how useful the volley
can be. It was good to see Rick Brewer playing again
after half term as well. My thanks to them all and to
all the support, both home and away!
Sentor Squad: ON K1rk; OM Park; JRG Barber:
MRJ Oates-Wormer:
PB Foster; TJ Maber.
JR
Barnes;
MD Barber:
junior Squad: MRJ Oates-Wormer; EF
Leakey:
BWT Skinner: LRH De Watts: AE Carrow; PH Chung:
AC
de
Candole;
TL
Bryars;
NW C
Newsom; JR Coreth; JD Leacock; JE Eddlestone.
Abbey
Abbey
House Senior Cup:
House junior Cup:
The Richard Green
David Kirk (A)
Sen10r Smgles Trophy:
Edward
Leakey
jumor Smgles Trophy:
(B)
Results· Played 19, Won 12. Lost 7.
Ist IV
1st IV
2nd II
1st IV
Marlborough
Jun1or Colts IV
Mi n Colts II
Blundell's
Ist II
Colts II
Junior Colts IV
Min1 Colts II
Winchester
1st IV
Colts IV
Jun1or Colts IV
Wessex
1st IV
The Pilgnms
Ist IV
King's Bruton
1st IV
2nd IV
King's Bruton
Ist IV
Old Tonbndg1ans Ist IV
Clifton
RFA
w
L
w
w
L
L
w
L
w
w
L
w
L
L
w
w
w
w
w
103 - 91
110 - 167
5 8 - so
124 - 56
74 - 124
35 - 60
6 6 - 52
22 - 52
118- 92
61 - 24
41 - 164
84 - 83
41 - 133
115 - 131
227 - 190
132- 1
7
132 - 23
147-- 120
132
35
MJC
Polo
Roger Horne writes:
This is the third year that Sherborne has been
part of Schools Polo, and the first year that it has
been recognised within the School as an official
sport. Two teams played regularly throughout the
Trinity term.
'Once again we used Taunton Vale Polo Club as
our home ground. Last year's fixtures were
repeated against Taunton Club, Millfield, and
Marlborough. in most cases also featuring a 'B' team.
New fixtures included Milton Abbey and two adult
tournaments over two days. At this point both teams
had had an unbeaten season.
'On 20th june, the 'B' team took part in the
Intermediate Schools Competition at lnglesham and
did very well to win Division Two. On 27th june, the
'!\ team travelled t o Warwickshire to contest the
National Schools Championship. A total of sixteen
schools had entered their 'A' teams, which were
subdivided into two sections of eight on age and
ability. Sherborne was rightfully placed in the top
d1vision, and finished fourth overall after only losing
the semifinal at the eleventh hour to Cheltenham,
the eventual winners . Harrow came second and
Wellington third. George Mackintosh won the cup
for the most promising player of the tournament.
This was the first year that boys In the F1fth and
Sixth Forms were allowed to attend tra1ning sessions
at Taunton on Wednesday evenings. It really made a
huge difference. There is no substitute for time in the
saddle and practice with stick and ball.
! @ i
_....,_o
'As reported last year, there is enormous
enthusiasm amongst Polo-playing Old Shirburnians
for a match against the boys on the afternoon of
Commem. Only a venue in the Sherborne area is
missing, but no progress has been made to achieving
this.
'Prospects for 2005 look good with no leavers and
at least two promising new players in the Third
Form.
'Once again, the parents would like to take the
opportunity to thank GDR, MFW and Claire Miller in
the Sports Department for all their support, and the
catering staff for the supply of wonderful match teas
for visiting teams.'
I am extremely grateful to Roger Horne for all his
tireless work on behalf of the school to give Polo
such a high priority. For 2005, Miss Julia Skippen will
also be helping with Polo on behalf of the School.
GDR
Riding
ult is such a shame that more boys are not involved "
Riding at Sherborne rs drvided into two categories:
riding for pleasure and representing the school at
national competitions.
September, 2003, saw Harry Fry (L6th, Harper)
represent Sherborne at the Inter-Schools One Day
Event Championships, held annually at Stonar School.
His younger brother, George Fry (5th, Harper) was
also due to compete, but was injured in a rugby
match, fracturing his wnst, so was unable to ride.
Harry, like many boys, only does dressage rn order
to be able to tackle t he more excrtrng phases of
show-jumptng and cross-country withrn the format of
One Day Events. As such. his rather average dressage
test left him well down the scoreboard after· the first
phase. A clear round show-jumping was more
encouraging, but we knew his horse would find it
difficult to complete t he cross-country phase withtn
the allowed time. Although he went clear
cross-country, h1s f1nal score mcluded a large number
of time-penalties wh1ch did not help him improve
upon h1s early position.
Withm the school there are a few boys who ride,
or would like t o learn to ride. In order to sat1sfy the
demand for riding lessons, a new venue was sought
to replace Westbrook Equestrian Centre, which had
recently shut down. Pippm Equestrian Centre in
Gillingham was a newly-opened facility. run by
Helen Barton-Sm1th . P1ppin boasts an 1ndoor
arena, outdoor floodlit arena. cross-country course
and an all-weather gallop. Th1s centre proved to be
ideal for the boys and we all set off for lessons on
a Friday afternoon.
Early lessons were spent us1ng t he centre's horses,
bul then two of the more local boys asked whether
they could arrange to bring their own horses over to
P1pp1n for lessons. Rollo Skinner (3rd, Digby) and
Hector Gibson-Fiem1ng (5th, Abbey) then cajoled
thew mothers 1nto transporti ng their horses over to
Golf
uSherbone Golf I S m very good heart. "
Whatever else one can say about Sherborne Golf
this year. it has been a very enjoyable season with a
large number of new faces appearing for the School
in various matches. The team, once aga1n captained
by Edward Radcliffe. has produced a sel of m1xed
results, mcluding some fine team and Individual
performances. The life of a Shirburnian grows ever
more busy and the t1me for a regular Sunday game
of golf IS now no longer as easy as it was. Even so,
with over fifty boys bemg members of the School
Golf Society 1n both Michaelmas and Trinity Terms.
Sherborne Golf Club has given much enjoyment and
frustration to many boys. My thanks go to the
General Manager of the Club, Phil Gamble. and all
concerned there for their help and guidance over t he
past year. I am delighted to be able to say that the
partnership between Club and Schoo l works very
well.
In the Michaelmas Term, matches were played
against the OSGS, Canford, Milton Abbey.
Monmouth at The Celtic Manor and
Bristol Grammar School in the first round of the
HMC Foursomes. wh ich was lost 2-1.
The Lent Term does not allow much golf to be
played, with a warm -up match against Blundell's
before the West of England Competition at Burnham
and Ben-ow Golf Club. In the first round Canford
defeated the School S-0, but three of the matches
were finished on the seventeenth. In the plate
Sherborne lost narrowly to Blundell's 3-2.
P1ppin t o meet us on Fnday afternoons. Th1s
arrangement proved very satisfactory, and I am
encouraged to see how much the boys improved.
Lessons for this advanced group focused on show
jumping, and I would hope to be able to encourage
Rollo and Hector to represent the School at t his
event in the future.
Daniel Jones (3rd, Harper) was the only complete
beg1nner hav1ng lessons at Pippin, but the centre
found him an IndiVIdual Instructor who spent most
of her Fridays tearing her hair out trying to get Daniel
to stop laugh1ng and make him become a more
effective rider!
All the boys have enJoyed their riding experiences.
but it is such a shame that more boys are not
mvolved. Many boys are put off because they fear
gettmg a bit of 'st1ck' from their colleagues - what a
shame!
KLM
The Tnnlty Term brought excellent weather in
May. where matches were played against King's
Bruton, Canford. Bristol Grammar School. Milton
Abbey, the OSGS, the Staff and the Parents. Some
excellent golf was played by Edward Kelly, Gordon
Curt1s. Charlie Cooke and John Barber. It is
nterestmg to note that all those four. as well as
Edward Radcltffe. are all members of the top cncket
teams in their age groups. My thanks go to all coaches
who allowed them t o play golf in the early part of
term.
Sherborne Golf is in very good heart with many
boys playing and many continuing with the game
after they leave Sherborne. Sherborne will never be
able to compete with some other schools as all our
players are involved in other sports and are not just
golfing specialists. I find this an extremely healthy
outlook and know that many boys will continue with
golf throughout their lives.
Team EM Radcltffe; GO Curtts; JRG Barber;
ERS Kelly; CSG Cooke; FC Berthon; Aj Brooks;
B Btllmann; WTM Pope; MTB Pope; CjA Macon1e.
Mtchaelmas Term Results: Played 5, Won I, Halved I,
Lost 3.
H
OSGS
3- 3
L
Monmouth
2- I
L
Bnstol Grammar School
2- I
( I st round of HMC Foursomes)
Milton Abbey
W
2- I
Canford
L
4- 2
Lent Term Results: Played 3, Won I. Lost 2
W
Blundell's
West of England Schools:
L
Canford
L
Blundell's
3.
Tnnity Term Results: Played 6. Won
4- I
5- 0
3- 2
Halved I.
Lost 2
King's Bruton
Canford
Bnstol Grammar School
Milton Abbey
Staff
Parents
w
3-0
L
5- I
L
W
5 /, - 1/ ,
2- I
w
4-3
H
3 1:- 3 I.
MJC
Sailing
uSome dtaboltcal weather "
The team d1d not suffer many changes. We lost only
one sailor and our professional coach. David
Thompson. The team. once again captamed by
Mtchael Hutton-Ashkenny. obtained some great
results during the yea1
Under the supervision of Simon Skinne1. Andrew
Mtllington. Andrew Yorke and Jonathan Salisbury the
team managed to kick off the academic year by
w nning all four matches including the much-feared
team from Canford.
The Lent Te1·m brought us some dtabolical
weather on Thursdays allowing us to get a very
limited number of pradtces ln. Thts made l1fe even
harder for the team. who were short of practiCe at
the begmn1ng of the Tnn1ty Term. However. w1th the
help of Tom and james Bowker we managed to
secure a w1n aga1nst all the other schools at least
once.
In May. the BSDRA (Bntish Schools Dinghy Raong
Assooation) took place at Spmnaker Lake It turned
out to be a very tense day. Our ma1n threat was the
Canford A team. We were determ1ned to get our
own back after losmg to them away (at Sptnnaker
Lake) a few weeks earlier. Unfortunately they
somehow managed to scrape a w1n 1n the semi-finals
wh1ch meant that we f1nished in thwd place. equal
w1th St. Helens.
The House Sa1lmg Compet1t1on was good fun as
always although sadly th1s year two houses d1d not
manage to ra1se a team. Four members of the
Sherborne Ist VI came from The D1gby so there was
more than a little b1t of pressure on the Digby sailors
to retain the cup for another year There was very
little breeze and. as usual, there was much skill
required to
cope with the fluky winds
which frequently prevail at Sutton Bingham. The
D1gby team triumphed and was delighted to hold on
to the cup for another year and. needless to say.
thoroughly enjoyed the celebratory glass of
champagne afterwards'
Towards the end of the sa1ling season the Sallmg
Club deoded to splash out and buy a brand new
Lenam raong spec. 420 to replace the old Rondar.
The boat thankfully arrived about 10 days before the
ltchenor Schools' Championships. The Capta1n. Mike
Hutton-Ashkenny and N1ck Arden were glad to get
about forty-ftve m1nutes on the water at Sutton
B1ngham before they took part m this important
event Thts year we were able to enter two boats to
represent the school. Sadly the ftrst day was too
windy to race, but thereafter we had some excellent
raong with a decent amount of w1nd. After some
mcredtble rac1ng from the Bowker brothers, they
managed to secure an mdiVIdual fourth place out of
forty-e1ght boats. The other boat got twenty-thwd
place. both of wh1ch put the School m a decent
pOSitiOn.
With our newly appomted capta1n, Tom Excel!. we
hope that during the coming year we wtll have many
more successes on the water
Nicholas Arden
Basketball
uThis truly excellent game. "
Basketball rn the Srxth Form continues to be a
popular opt1on dunng the Lent Term and 1s played to
a high level. It has always been a sport that appeals
particularly to overseas students but there has always
been a smattering of home-grown talent alongsrde
those s1mply intent on improving their handlrng-sk1lls
for rugby. say. They now play on a tough crrcu1t
1nclud1ng Winchester. Marlborough. Dauntsey's,
Sexey's. Downside, Wellrngton, King's Bruton, KE
Southampton, and Clayesmore. The boys lost
narrowly against the first four schools and then beat
the rest reasonably comfortably.
Numbers of takers in the Lower School, however.
dropped cons1derably this year and it was sometimes
drfficult t o put out competent teams to play on th1s
tough CirCUit. The U 16's won half of the1r f1xtures but
the U IS and U 14 srdes faded to get even a srngle wrn
under therr belts. Thrs would obv1ously have ra1sed
moral w r thr n the team and mrght also have tempted
others to sample this tru ly excellent game. There
were other factors to blame for low numbers: the
success of the Da1ly Mail rugby team changed the
culture of the School somewhat. and one of the
waves created was that a d1fferent group of boys
represented the school at hockey. Basketball certa1nly
felt the knock-on effect of thrs wave and numbers
and talent suffered accordrngly.
I have been master-In-charge of BaskeLball at
Sherborne for over fifteen years and dunng that time
I feel that I have taken the sport a long way- perhaps
as far as it can go. For a number of reasons, rnclud1ng
a shrfl 1n interests in thrs country generally. mrrrored
by the lack of television-coverage to insprre the boys
to emulate the feats portrayed rn the NBA, rt does
not seem appropnate to organ1se fixtures next
season for the Lower School. The last thrng we want
1s, come match day. to find that we are scratch1ng
around for a team and have to cancel frxtures.
Chns Griffiths who has JOrned us th1s year as a
Graduate Teacher has expressed an interest rn takrng
some Basketball next term and I have decided. with
the Headmaster's permiSSIOn, to hand over the reins
of the First Team to h1m while I monitor the
situation. Let us hope that he can generate the
necessary enthusrasm to get more boys on board in
the future.
PJW has been on board for a number of years and
desp1te the pressures of being a Housemaster had
given excellent servrce to the club: my sincere thanks
to hrm and a number of others who have been
rnvolved through the years.
SJC
Squash
uStaggermg dedtcotton . "
Desptte losmg close games to Marlborough and
Exeter School, the squash teams made considerable
progress this year. The Ist V ts really qUite strong and
IS likely only ever to get beaten by strong schools
such as Exeter. William Pope has tmproved steadily
over hts three years and was able to run the
Marlborough number one, who has never lost a
school game. qutte close. Ed Leakey, despite being
deeply frustrated by long-term mjunes that refuse to
clear up. has the talent and the techmque to beat
most schoolboy players comfortably. If he ts to carry
on competing with those who play representative
squash however. he is gomg to have to both resolve
his Injury-problems and spend more ttme on the
court. R ehard Round-Turner has become a much
stronger and more conststent player and it was a
shame both for h1m and the team that he d1slocated
h1s shoulder early on tn the season. Edward Sweet
and john Barber, the numbers four and five, also
became much more cons1stent. and better at both
hitting the ball to a length and keepmg 1t close to the
wall. Edward dug particularly deep agamst Clifton,
where he came back from 0-2 to win.
Of the JUntor players, Toby Murray made the most
progress. Toby practically lived on the court last term
and applied htmself with staggenng ded1cat1on to the
task of improving h1s squash. Not only did his
technique Improve considerably but he became
much more mob1le around the court.
Phi
l
Anscombe's progress was slightly hindered by his
involvement in rugby but on the other hand the
strength and fitness that he developed from betng a
member of the Daily Mail side was tnvaluable on the
squash court. Timon Woodward continued to look a
talented player wtth a ntce touch but he ts not really
competitive enough to beat an opponent who is
prepared to run everythmg down. Simon Gold, a
Fifth Former. played squash senously for the first
ttme and won almost all of his games. The other
member of the Colts team was Humphrey Gibbs.
who t s perhaps the most able techntcally and mtght
end up beating all of the others if he can get fitter.
There were only two Thtrd Formers who played
m matches: Jamie Payne and Ntck Batchelor. Both are
very talented games-players and Nick. tn particular.
could be very good at squash. It is a shame that these
were the only two who looked as tf they could play
team squash as, desptte our proficiency at the
moment, the sport ex1sts on somethtng of a knife
edge and, 1f I lose a handful of players to mJunes or
other sports, will find It hard to put out teams. Very
few boys seem to be play1ng much at either prep
schools or clubs.
In the short-term, however, the future 1s bnght.
No one is leaving thts year and next year's Ist V looks
like being parttcularly strong.
RWB
Athletics
uSpare a thought for the chief coach!. "
It was another satisfying season for the Sherborne
athletes as they notched up a record number of
representative
places.
Twenty-three
boys
represented the Region. of whom seven went on to
represent the County
at the South-West
Championships. and two were selected t o compete
at the National Championships at Gateshead.
Neither Jamie Payne nor Philip Anscombe managed
a medal (although Philip came sixth in the Triple
Jump and Jamie
broke a twenty-one-year-old
record for javelin. throwing 57.4 metres), but both
were competing a year young and will benefit from
this experience next year. It was perhaps a
little disappointing that these boys. and indeed a
number of others. decided. quite understandably,
that the faolit1es at School were insufficient for
their needs and so had to train at Yeovil twice a
week. This puts a burden on the Athletics staff to
take the boys and ptck them up after School. but
even more of a concern is that 1t disrupts teamtraining and team sptrit which IS so important tn
the first half of the term.
The followmg boys represenred North Dorset at the
Counry Championships: ATB Webb; JW Dutton;
DO
Nichols;
SJR Dawson; TE
P1tt-Ford;
GW H Armstrong; RDH Yates; RJR Blake; PFJ Hames;
CM Re1d; RA Will1ams; JAJ Moubray; EP Knudsen;
ACFPL Hamm1ck; BJH Hurst TF Woodward; JD Cam;
JMJ Payne; H N Pentecost; TH Dawkins; AJ Andrew;
JC Turner; PO Anscombe .
Lutro Sh1eld U20:
Millfield
Sherborne
Blundell's
Taunton
Bryanston
KSB
Canford
Sherborne (tntsh 2nd fot the 13th year runnmg.
Seven boys were selected to represent Dorset at the
South West Champwnsh1ps (Six Count1es):
3rd place High Jump 1.85
Armstrong
2nd place High jump 1.84
Hurst
3rd place Triple jump 13.20
Yates
3rd place Tnple Jump 12 25
Anscombe
5th place Hurdles 14.6
Hammick
5th place javelin 52.54
Payne
5th in heat 200m 25.8
Dawkins
Bryanston Meeting
U20
Sherborne 300
Dauntsey's 296.5
Bryanston 257
KSB 252
Blundell's 251
Kingswood 249.5
Milton Abbey 165
In the first half of the term the boys competed
agamst Millfield, Blundell's, Bryanston. Canford, KSB,
Taunton, Dauntsey's, Kingswood, M1lton Abbey and
Clayesmore and beat all except M1llfield. The Lutra
Sh1eld competition. which 1s the largest of 1ts kmd m
the South West, saw Sherborne finish second again,
th1s t1me by over 47 pomts. Being beaten two or
three years runn1ng IS bad for the morale of the boys.
but spare a thought for the chief coach who has been
beaten mto second place for the thirteenth year
runnmg!
We also attended the 1naugural competition at
Studland, which mcluded 'field events' such as
Fnsbee-Throwing and Long Jump, and 'track events'
such as the 400m Dune Run and the lOOm Sea Sprint.
Needless to say, much fun was had by all at the end
of what was a busy term.
House Sports Day was again a h1ghly enjoyable
occasion supported by many parents even though
the rain threatened to ruin the party and dilute the
champagne. The Overall Winners' Trophy deservedly
went to Abbeylands.
Results:
MJI/fteld Open Meermg: Individual entries. No team
scores.
Canford Meeting
U20
Canford 181
Sherborne 177
KSB 168
Kingswood 158
Milton Abbey 101
Clayesmorc 74
Stud/and Olympics
U20
Bryanston 49
Sherborne 43
Canford 32
Clayesmore 12
Sports Day:
U20
U l7
UIS
Overall
533
486
441
411
410
399
393
U l7
Sherborne 295
Dauntsey's 288
Btshops W. 287
Blundell's 272
Kingswood 228
Bryanston 211
KSB 205
MilLon Abbey 151
Ul7
Sherborne 184
Kmgswood 167
Canford 164
Clayesmore 142
Milton Abbey 135
KSB 132
Ul7
Bryanston 47
Canford 33
Milton Abbey 32
Sherborne 22
Clayesmore 20
Digby
Abbeylands
Abbeylands
Abbeylands
My thanks as always to the coaching team - BJH,
RG, MFW - who have worked enthusiastical ly to
ensure that the boys are able to produce thelf very
best come match day.
SjC
Tennis
1st VI
uSubUe tactics and communication. "
After
several seasons devotd of sparkling
performances. 1t fell to the new blood to match the
successes of old and put Sherborne's VI back on the
map.
Th1s was not going to be an easy task as the team
lacked the btg servers and net domtnance needed to
score rounds quickly. They would have to rely on
more subtle tact1cs and commun1catton between the
pairings to pull through.
The first game, against Downsrde, tested
provisronal partnershtps. Whilst the manager retrred
hurt due to ch1ckenpox, his team battled on rustily.
What should have been an easy w1n for the team.
agatnst weak oppostt1on, mrrrored one of England
football's most unglamorous penalty shoot-outs.
Techn1cal errors were frequent, and hesitance to
come forward and take charge at the net left the
team fighttng for wtnn1ng shots at the baseline: a
tact1c only to be favoured by the experienced on clay.
At Millf1eld, things were always gomg to be t ough.
Thts year Sherborne faced a very young squad of
talented players, most of whom w1ll one day be
amongst the el1te of the school. It was going to be
even more d1fficult s1nce the strongest Ist VI pairings
had to be markedly altered from what
was cons1dered the best. It was all too evrdent that
the team were playing opposition
of a very
d1fferent league. The power and accuracy of the
Millfield serve, together
with
the
beautifully
cnsp volleys left Sherborne tn a losmg position
before the end of round two. It was a clear
rem1nder of the
real commitment needed to
succeed in thrs sport at a very h1gh level.
After the game at Millfield, the return
of experienced
players
should
have pa1d
dtv1dends agatnst the more equally
ranked
Canford. Disappo1nt1ngly, the team could not make
thetr mark here. The f1rst sets were lost through
unforced errors and three pomts down at this stage
meant that 1t was always going to be a losmg
battle. Battle they did though, and the overall result
does not do justice to the tenaCity shown in the
later rounds. The bounce on hard courts caused
addttional problems, but once again cons1stency let
the side down. It was suggested that success might
come from sporting Alice bands. worn by all of the
Canford side bar their one female player, but it was
po1nted out that 1t was better to lose the match
than to lose all credibility.
The team approached the next match, against
Bournemouth, with the usual fear and trep1dat1on.
The team is always h1ghly prof1cient. On grass,
Sherborne did have an advantage. The ball plays low
and fast. something that hard-court speCialist cannot
cope w1th. Th1s time, it was not left to the facilities to
impress. and the VI played some really good tenn1s tn
a t1ghtly fought game. Serve and volley was st1ll
tnfrequent but on home ground shots were played
with more confidence and skill.
The match agamst Bryanston mtrrored the
d1sappomtments of the early part of the term. It was
left until the fixture against Clifton for the squad to
make headway. The format of the game was altered
with only four players alternattng painngs between
sets. Sam Cooke and R1chard Round-Turner put tn
excellent performances. Serves were powerful and
the coach's advice to get to the net was heeded. For
the most part the gdrne WdS ldken away from the
oppositron and Sherborne were unlucky not to come
away w1th a w1n.
As
exam1nat1on-season
k1cked
tn,
the
tmprovements tn play expenenced in Bristol could
not qutte be matched. Nevertheless the stde d1d play
w1th greater heart and determmatton to do
themselves JUstice.
The strength of the team w ill continue to be put
to the test over the next few years, but t he care,
advtee and attentton grven to the boys by the coach,
Kester jackson. rs Integral to any lasting improvement
and all hands are thankful for hts input.
Team: GW C Murray; SO Cooke; HTA Gabbey;
HJO May; RN Round-Turner, EF Leakey; ECJ Sweet;
RES Bain.
Results: Played 8, Won I, Lost 6, Drawn I.
W
Downside
L
Millfield
L
Canford
L
Bournemouth
L
Bryanston
D
Cl1fton College
L
King's, Taunton
5-4
0-9
I - 8 I.
3- 6
2 I.- 6 I
4-4
I I. - 3 I
DJR
2nd VI
uRarely has my heart bemen so fast whilst sitting on a park bench "
It was always gomg to be a tall order to maintam the
standards set by last year's 2nd VI; who were
unbeaten. But I was quietly confident that tt would at
least be a successful season. with a number of the
squad returntng. Indeed. promottng last year's second
patr to first- a patr who only dropped one set in 2003
- tmmedtately gave the team a solid base.
As always. trials were well-attended and I was able
to be ruthless m my selection of a squad. The
emphasis was on conststent and reliable players. who
would tram hard and be competittve tn matches. The
policy seemed to have worked, as Downside was
swept aside wtthout the loss of a smgle set. We were
aware that Millfield would be a different story, but
what a match tt was. Certatnly the most competitive
and exciting match m my seven years m charge of this
team. Rarely has my heart beaten so fast wht lst sttting
on a park bench. The first and second pairs played
superbly to wtn two pomts each and the whole
match ptvoted on a few points played by the thtrd
pair of Louts de Ia Moriniere and Tim Ballingal. How
cruel it was that they drd not secure a single point
that afternoon, as on another day they could have
won all three. As they walked off court despondently.
all
I
could
do
was
to
congratulate
them enthusiastically on a fine dtsplay.
A healthy competittve edge was gradually butldmg
as I contrnued to play Charlie Mrnter and Rob
Eglington as first pair. The second parr. james Foster
and Nick Howe, were always trytng to outdo them tn
matches. It was these two parrs that deoded the
fortunes of the team all season. Thts was never more
evident than in the match agatnst Bryanston, where
they scored 5 points out of the 6 we secured. In the
third pair, Louis de Ia Morintere was provtng to be a
fantastic shot-maker but somewhat fragile when
under pressure. His partner. James Batchelor, had a
rather slow start and communicattons between the
two players was not always terribly polite.
For a number of reasons, we travelled to Clifton
with a weakened team and unable to field either of
our top two patrs Losmg all three matches in the first
round 1s never ideal, but I did not feel that any of our
patrs were totally outclassed. I was very disappointed,
therefore. that we capitulated without wtnnrng a
stngle set. Tennrs, as tn all sports, ts so much about
state of mtnd. Thts match should have taught the
players how thts can work agatnst you, just as it had
worked for them tn previous matches.
Back to full strength agatnst Ktng's, Taunton, and at
6-0 up after the rirst two rounds. I was expecting
another whitewash. Unfortunately, thts was not to
be, as both the second and third paws had sympathy
for their opposition, managing to lose sets that they
should have won. On a hot afternoon with the match
already won, I suspect that they allowed thetr mmds
to wonder.
Many thanks to Charlie Mmter for captamrng lhe
side for a second year runnrng. and to all the players
for maktng 1t such an enJoyable season, despite james
Foster takrng a sel off me dunng one afternoon
practtce. We are agatn tndebted to Kester jackson for
hts excellent handltng and understanding of the
players during weekly training sessions. Finally, my
thanks to DjF\ for his smooth organisation
throughout t he season.
Team C.G. Mtnter (captatn). R. Eglrngton.
N.j T Howe, j.E .H. Foster, N
Thanapoomrkul,
L.j.V. de Ia Moriniere. Tj. Ballingal. j.R. Batchelor.
T.H. Speller. G.D.T. Findlay
Results: Played 6. Won 4, Lost 2.
Downside
Millfield
Canford
Bryanston
Clifton
Ktng's Taunton
w
L
w
w
L
w
9- 0
4- 5
6 3
6 - 3
09
7 jJBW
- 2
Junior Colts VI
((Presence and sptnt. "
After a conclusive victory over Downside at the start
of the season and an equally heartentng win over
Millfield and (rather more narrowly) over Canford,
the team was strengthened by the arnval of two new
players, Toby Murray and james Nott. Everyone 1n
the large squad now had to compete for a place tn
the team. as these two forced thetr way up from
third pair to second patr. As a result we did not
experience the usual mid-season slump: we defeated
Bryanston - a notable tnumph after the reverses of
recent years- and Clifton College.
The Master-rn-Charge of tennts clearly felt tt
would now be good for us to play a team a year our
sentors. After the no-doubt salutary expenence of
defeat at the hands of King's. Taunton, Colts, we
defeated a strengthened Mrllfield agatn, thts ttme on
their own patch, to complete what thts coach hopes
he may regard as an undefeated season.
Max Cooke and Alex Le May were a strong ftrst
pair, capable of aggressive play. Michael Bulman and
Tom Foster were more dogged in therr approach. but
made life difficult for some good oppositiOn patrs.
Mark Corfield-Moore and jeremy Player were
unfortunate to be edged out of the team by the
arnval of Toby and james. and it was good to see that
they contmued to practise hard. Thew presence and
spint should strengthen next year's Colts.
Team: MSC Bulman; NM Cooke; MW H Corf,eld
Moore; CMC Foot; TWB Foster; GWJ Gunn;
HO Hughes; AG Le May; TBJ Murray; JA Nott;
JM Player.
RGP
Mini Colts VI
uThe courage of Alexande1 Stuart-Grumbar. "
From the vaned talents available at the tr ials at t he
begrnning of term, a team with not much depth of
experience but w ith some potential took on
Bournemouth School in early May. We lost narrowly.
A lexander Koban and jeremy Maciver were talented,
and later became more effective m matches. Andrew
Bulman and Alexander St uart-Grumbar played lots of
good shots. and showed great determination. Ben
Mace and Adam Sm1th were less orthodox, but
unflaggrng rn therr retneval skills.
It was encourag1ng for the team to taste v1ctory
away to Clifton College. a match notable for the
courage of Alexander Stuart-Grumbar. who ms1sted
on playmg on unt1l victory was secured. despite the
hand1cap of hav1ng to hop and limp for much of the
afternoon w 1th what was later drscovered to be a
broken toe - an injury he had 1nflrcted on himself
that morning in Sherborne. Though we lost narrow ly
at King's Taunton, the season ended wrth a further
vrctory at Millfield.
Though I shall be hearing of therr progress in 2005
from the confines of the Examinatron Offrce, I expect
that these players (and the ones 1n t he squad who
did not qu1te manage to get rnto the team), led ably
by thew cap tarn Jeremy Maciver, wrll perform
creditably as Junior Colts.
Team· ABB Bulman; TR jenkrns; AW Koban;
Smith;
EHJ Levrne; BD Mace, JB Maciver; Aj
ACR Stuart-Grumbar.
RGP
Swimming
uThe atmosphere at a swrmming match has to be experienced first hand. "
I am usually very nervous at the start of
the swimming season in the Trinity Term. Very
few sw immers t rain during the Lent term, so I am
always wor ried about w hether we w ill have
enoug swrmmers to make up a Senior and an
Under 16 team. All the swimmers that are rdentified
as hav1ng potential when I see them sw 1m in the
Inter-House compet1tron rn january usually also have
potentral in cncket. tenn1s or athletics. and are rarely
seen 1n the pool agarnt However. my fears were
cast asrde th1s year when the sw1mmers began to
crawl out of the woodwork at the start of the
summer term.
Joost Wetenngs (Abbey) was selected as the team
captain At 6'4". Joost had the perfect physique for a
swrmmer. but on occasrons lacked the bra1n - he was
the swimmer who was d1squalrfied the most m the
team for forgettrng to touch wrth two hands rn the
breaststroke! He turned out to be an extremely
competent captarn. Joost could always be relied upon
to orgamse the teams and rally everyone together on
the poolsrde. After two unbeaten seasons. he had a
hard task ahead of hrm. but as the weeks went past,
l l was clear that this team had a very good chance of
success.
join r ng h1m rn the Senror Squad was jonathan
Batson (Abbeylands). always keen to look cool and
Impress the grrls! Whilst hrs Freestyle technique was
a little unorthodox, he was extremely quick through
t he w ater. Owen Skinner (Digby) retains his unusual
Butterfly stroke, but also learned to swim Backstroke
to fill the gap in the team - I think we have a good
all-rounder in t he mak1ng. Ben Leach proved t o be a
tower of strength 1n the Breaststroke and Individual
Medley
and
will
surely
improve
upon
this performance next year. New to the team thrs
year was Edward Wicks (Abbeylands). Ed is an
extremely able Butterfly swimmer. and I was hugely
encouraged to se h1m turn out for the team (albeit
crrcket lost one of 1ts top players!)
The Under 16 squad saw several changes during
the season. but notable performances were by Mark
Wrnter. an excellent all rounder (School). Davrd
Chnstensen. a ventable tower of strength
(Abbeylands). and A lex Vlieland-Boddy (Lyon). The
strong newcomers rncluded Nick Newsom (Wallace),
Harry Wh1te (Drgby). Quintin Farley (Abbey) and
Freddie Horne (Green).
Our frrst v1ctones at bot h levels were against
Canford and Taunton School, swihly followed by an
rmpressive v 1ctory against Krng's Bruton. The annual
fixture at King's. Taunton, has grown rn srze and we
swam there agarnst Krng's, Taunton. Blundell's,
Clifton College and Plymouth College. T he Senrors
were narrowly beaten by Krng's, and t he Under 16's
were beaten by Blundell's and by an outstanding
young team from Plymouth College. A new fixture
against Clayesmore rounded off the season w1th a
final flurry. with wms at both levels.
We were disappointed to have lost a fixture
agamst Kingswood School, Bath. Whether Kingswood
could not face another year of defeat. or whether
they had problems with arranging dates we do not
know. but we will attempt to resurrect the match
next year. We also have interest from Queen's.
Taunton, in arranging a new fixture.
The cont1nued fo1-mat of arranging matches w1th
SSG has rema1ned popular. We are the only school
sport with this arrangement. It saves time and money
1n terms of coach-hire and transport-cost. and the
spirit of co-operalion is excellent. The atmosphere at
a swimming match has to be expenenced first hand
- double the supporters and ten limes the noise of
cheering at the pool! Long may it continue.
KLM
I
t is usual to start the house report with a sentence like 'School House
has had a wonderful year. and maintained a full trophy cabinet (to t he
delight of our Housemaster)'. However, I feel that much more
rmportant was the contribution the house as a whole made to the lives
of others. The School raised roughly £50.000 for Parkinson's Drsease
sufferers over the Lent Term ProJect. and those 1n School House collected
about L25,000 of this money. jack Sutclrffe, George Densham and Toby
Edwards undertook a bicycle nde from Land's End to John o' Groats in
three days. raising £20,000 between them. Yanous other events such as
the Curry Evening organized by Toby Ovens helped reach thrs staggering
House total.
Musically we produced an extremely diverse House Concert, ranging
from the usual Pope family strings sectron to an excellent Lower Sixth
rendition of I Am A C1der Dnnker by the Wurzels. We also enthusiastically
chose Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen for the House Song competitio n,
and proceeded to thoroughly murder it. Yet it wasn't because, unlike
many other houses, we ALL sang (even Wei Hseng with his inaudible
bass frequencies). Unfortunately. a nameless member of t he band. who
we all know is a guitar virtuoso. suffered an unfortunate amplification
failure. Needless to say. I am informed that he would much rather do Bob
the Butlder next time.
Sport-w ise we had our usual small but elite group of professionals such
as George Berthon. and plenty of less coordinated enthusiasts. We did
well to come second in the House Swrmming competition. House
Athletics. junior Tennis. junior Cross Country. junior Fives and Sports Day.
Perhaps next year· we might actually be able to win some of those!
Academical ly we did very well as a house with 80% NB grades at AS
and A level: at GCSE 57% of the grades were either A* or A Special
mention goes to Kenta Minamr. who scored 100% in all hrs A-level physics
modules and won a national prize for his coursework. whilst only
dropping 10 out of 1200 points 1n Maths! Unsurpristngly. he achieved his
desired place at Oxford studyrng Psychology. We wrsh luck also to the rest
of the Upper Sixth, who were quite the eclectic bunch of rndividuals.
In events such as the House Singing and Lent Term Project every boy
was involved in some way. There were many other prizes won and
competitions participated in that I do not have time or space to mention.
and it seems unfair only to single out these few boys. Unfortunately. Mr.
Watts wr ites three sides a term and this is the whole year in one!
We look forward to next year: as W illiam and Emily get older. we can
be safe in the knowledge that Mr. Watts will be a less temperame ntal
Housemaster!
Sean McEvoy
T
he Anc1ent Greeks thought that purple was the colour of the gods.
In Abbey House. some bel1eve that th1s could still be the case!
Another year has raced by. but not Without countless achievements
from so many. as Mr Murphy O'Connor likes to put 1t. 'Abbey Men'. Not
only have those 1n Abbey ach1eved some outstand1ng exam results, but
we have also pe1iormed well on the games pitches and in the BSR and
the Powell Theatre.
As usual, a vast number of Abbey boys were fight1ng hard on the rugby
p1tch 1n the Michaelmas term. w1th many 1n A teams and another
excellent show 1n the Ist XV. We were also thnlled to have five members
of the Jun1or Colts Daily Mail Cup squad. who d1d not only the House, but
the whole School proud.
Abbey continued the1r sport throughout the year. with a number 1n
the Ist XI for hockey. cncket (most notably Jack Jenkms, later followed by
Charlie Esson. both of whom were only 1n the Fourth Form), fives, squash
and tenn1s. and others 1n the top teams nght down through the years.
With the admwable lead of Fredd1e Pendarves, Abbey has kept the U 16
Hockey Cup 1n the house trophy cabinet. and we also secured the sen1or t
nd JUniOr FM s house cups. Aga1n, Abbey swam away under the lead of
Joost Wetenngs. to cla1m the Jun1or House Sw1mm1ng Cup, and only
narrowly m1ssed the sen1or one. W1th a strong tenms side. 1t was no
su1·pnse we won the JUnior tennis. and Angus Radford also captamed the
House jun1or cncket team, who defended the cup.
To get a place 1n Abbey, you normally have to put your name down
five or more years in advance. However, th1s 1sn't always the case, and we
were all delighted to hear the news that Mr and Mrs Murphy O'Connor
were expecting a baby, who was born on Fnday, 4th June. Benjamm James
was welcomed 1nto the House 1n the second half of term .
The Lent term is an opportumty for those 1n Abbey who are involved
w1th music to show their talent 1n the conststently excellent House
Concert, orgamsed this year by Ed Lyon. However, the music ability of the
House doesn't stop there, w1th many of us bemg members of the
orchestras, cho1rs, bands, and groups. Abbey likes to be different, and
everyone heard th1s w1th our rend1t1on of Ave Morra in the House Singmg
Competition. wh1ch the dedicated work of Matthew Snudden brought us
so close to wmn1ng.
Although th1s year there was a break from pe1forming a House Play,
there were many 1n the House who just couldn't keep away from the
stage. This included the Third Form right up to the Upper S1xth, all
working together, particularly the vast number involved in The Royal Hunt
of the Sun.
The great thmg about Abbey IS, there's always a boy who has done
someth1ng that benefits the House. whether 1t's sport, academic, music
and so on, for which they deserve a ment1on. However, one often forgets
the dedicated team 1ncluding tutors. domestic staff, Matron and Assistant
Matron, and of course our very own Mr Hedison and the Murphy
O'Connor family. both of whom will be leavmg us at the end of 2004.
This news came as a b1t of shock to us all, as they have only been in
Abbey for erght out of the usual twelve years. However, we all w1sh Mr
Murphy O'Connor the best of luck when he moves to become
Headmaster at Sherfield School. and I'm sure we'll still be seeing a great
deal of 'Heddy' around the place. And who is to take over? Mr Pryor will
we welcomed 1nto the House by everyone. as we all look forward to
2005.
Tom Fineman
F
or once, The Green's biggest achtevement was not on the sports freld but at
the desk. Out of last year's Upper Sixth. james Dutton. Nick Francis. Oliver
Gargrave, Paddy Houghton. Edward Selfe and Lt Zhun all achreved 3 A's. In
the htghly unpopular AS levels. both Ru Howland-jackson and Tyll Naber attarned
4 A's. At GCSE's Richard Rabone recorded an astonrshing II A*'s w1th Guy
Corlett following up closely behind w1th an acceptable 10A *'s.
Every House is bUilt on house spirit and The Green showed th1s m abundance,
as a large proportion of the House volunteered to head down the m1nes 1n our
production of Brossed Off james Dutton led an all-star cast wtth Henry Butt and
Tom Oxenham provtding insp1nng performances. Our thanks must go t o Mrs
Llewellyn for puttrng on an excellent show and also to Mr Carling for keepmg
everyone fresh and motivated throughout the product1on. But theatrical talent
did not just show itself in the Green House Play. as john joe Regan and Nick
Franc1s both had parts m the School Play Blood Weddmg. wrth Nick takrng a lead
role. john Joe's av1d commitment to the Drama Department was rewarded that
same term when
he received his dr-ama
colours
Last year the School ra1sed money for the Parkrnson's Disease Socrety through
the Lent Term ProJect and the Green had no mtention of lettmg other houses
steal the limelight. Its biggest event was a five-day run/walk. participated in by
everyone in the House (includmg Matron). The marathon took place around the
penmeter of the courts and became fondly known w1th1n the House as the flame
of hope (although for the majority of the event the flame was not actually ht
owing to the suspect weather In which the event took place). The Green
succeeded rn Its task and ran over the distance needed to travel from Land's End
to John o· Groats. In add1t1on, we set up an 01ganised serum in a mmibus, where
everyone paid SOp to guess how many people 1lcould f1t. On the last day of term,
a celebnty memorabilia auction was organ1sed by Patnck Horsington and Ben
Leach. whiCh took the Green's sum total to over £3.000.
Once again, The Green's singing talents were overlooked at the annual House
Singing event. as The Green ploughed all available manpower 1nto producing a
h1ghly complex and choreographed versron of Elton's John's Are yotJ Ready {01
Love, only to be rewarded for our efforts w1th fourth place - a great mjust1ce!
On the sporttng front, The Green had a qu1et year, w1nning the U 16 rugby
aga1nst Abbeylands and U 18 Cncket against Harper But. wherever there is
success. there IS unfo11unately defeat and The Green seemed to be on the end
of this rather a lot last year. losing narrowly m all three hockey fmals. A speetal
mention must be g1ven to Hal Pentecost 111 goal, a fifth-former who, unlike
greater men before h1m, was never fazed by the dauntmg f1gure of Ed Radcliffe,
and many of h1s acrobatic saves kept us 1n that f1nal until the end against Harper.
On the mdividual front, Alex Simon won his Ist XV colours and the Tim Dicken
Memonal Cup. while Dave Holborow and Mark Erskme also played regularly for
the Ist XV, with Charles Wilyman, Paddy Houghton, Oliver Gargrave and Mike
'Sick Note' Saunders also making appearances. In hockey. Patnck Horsington,
Paddy Houghton, Charles Wilyman and Mike Saunders all played a full season for
the Ist XI. Th1s year's I st XI cncket squad was ably coached by our very own Mr
Reynolds. who was surprismgly unbiased 111 picking only Mike Saunders and
Paddy Houghton for h1s team. On the mmor sports front. Sam Cooke
represented the Ist XI for football and tenn1s, the latter w1th George Murray.
Success was found m the pool th1s year w1th Ben Leach mvolved 1n the freestyle
relay team, which beat the School record. In other sport, the Green Gash got full
use with an 1naugural tournament. the East v. West football match afte1 a hard
fought battle 1n whJCh 'Bubble' secured the overall w1n for the West w1th a half
way volley. The Green had three members 1n the mfamous unbeaten School
cross country team 1n james Dutton, Dav1d Holborow and Ed Tuckett. Ben Lyons
(captam), Tom W1lliams and Alex Bunnell all represented the Jun1or Colts A at
Twickenham m the final of the Dady Ma1l Cup.
Edward Selfe was a leading figure throughout the year w1thin the House and
was awarded the Bow Prize for all h1s efforts. Oliver Gargrave was chairman of
TOSS for a year and h1s comedy w1ll be sorely missed. Paddy Houghton was also
treasurer of Lhe society. In the House Conce1i. the most sterling performances
were put m not once but three times by both Nick Oxley and Dave
Holborow, whose drum solos w1ll be sorely m1ssed s1nce we will have to ftnd a
new way to extend the House Concert. Finally. special thanks must be
given to Rupert Howland-jackson and Niall Scott-Underdown for secunng the
S1xth Form a time slot 1n wh1ch to watch Hollyoaks desp1te Mr Reynolds'
cla1ms that 1t was like 'chewing gum for the eyes'. As Ed Tuckett so rightly put
it, 'our eyes aren't stuck together'. Amen.
George Jerram, Ben Leach and Niall Scott-Underdown
D
espite a mixed bag of personalities and attrtudes within Harper
last year. we managed to produce a fantastically impressive list of
achievements. which underline the feeling that , as a House, we
never conform to any particular stereotype of spor1iness, musrcal ability
or artistic talent, but instead strive for excellence across the board.
Academically. our strength is undeniable. Four members of t he Upper
Sixth - Anton Moiseev, Jack Milln, Jamie Holdaway and lsa AI Sabea achieved places at Oxbridge. and A level and GCSE results were
impressive across the board, with several members of the house being
congrat ulated by the Headmaster at start of term Lists for therr
achievements.
The House agarn contributed a great deal to the Lent Term Project,
with events ranging from a North to South crossrng of Dartmoor through
the night and a 24 hour football match to a chanty auctron of promises,
and three boys, james Moubray, Jack Adams and Josh Bell, cycling from
John o' Groats to Lands' End. The auction alone raised over 0,400. The
determination and spirit of the house was evident throughout these
events, with the grit and willpower required to walk across Dartmoor rn
appalling conditions dunng the night exemplifyrng the adventurous and
resolute character of Harper.
The Harper Day, held on 16th May, was a fantastr c success and included
a movrng House Service m the chapel, a picnrc lunch and barbecue. the
incredible house auctron (whrch rncluded such lots as a holiday in Spain,
2 nights' bed and breakfast rn London and a supper at The Green
Restaurant). and culminated in the House concert. whrch combined an
impressive dr splay of musical talent wrth a number of readings of poetry
and prose.
In School lrfe, Harpoons contnbuted to a huge number of different
activ1ties. from CCF and the Dorset Cadet Challenge to Drama wrth The
Royal Hunt of the Sun and Blood Wedd1ng. both of wh r ch had members of
Harper rn lead roles. Sport flourished as well, with Edward Radcliffe and
Guy Stebbrngs being elected captarns of hockey and football respectively.
Having already won the Junior House Cross Country and the Junror
Rugby Plate Competrtion, the House went on to win the prestigious
Senior Hockey Cup and to see Humphrey Rose. Chris Holdaway and
Richard Newsome go to Twickenam with the Junror Colts for the nail
bitrng final of the Daily Mail Cup Final. Speical mention also goes to Harry
Fry for his continuing achievements rn the world of point-to-point rac1ng.
The Harper Bees have produced their first batch of honey. and jars are
headrng home in t1me for Christmas: just one of the many qurrks of
Harper that make 1t such a fantastically diverse community to be a part
of. Life in Harper continues to be full of achrevement and success. Thrs
year promrses to be one of the best yet.
Hugo Soul
N
ot for very much longer will Wallace be able to hide behind the
excuse of being the smallest House tn School for any poor
performance , as the regular rude awakenings at half past seven in
the morning by the builders digging up the croquet lawn, and rendering
the patch unusable, have proven. The new wing began to take shape
during the Lent and Trinity Terms and will provide, among other smart
new additions to be incorporated, a resident tutor This is a position
which has been redundant in Wallace for many years (since Doc. Hamon
in 1993), and the first lucky inhabitant will be Mr. lain Smith, who joined
the prestigious ranks of the Wallace tutol"s (and the less prestigious
Chemistry Department) at the beginning of the year.
As all those who write House reports are wont to do, we have spent
some time perusing backdated copies of The Shtrbumion, and the year's
end of term House letters from Mr Haigh. We w1ll try not to sound too
monotonous in our pilfering of paragraphs and anecdotes from the latter
of these two sources, as well as the inevitable round of congratulations
to various people for their achievements. but please forgive us in
advance. and especially if we have missed anyone out.
The leaving Upper Sixth must be mentioned on account of their
acceptance into all their first choice universities. and (especially Alistair
Hardie) on achieving A's at A level: we wish them well in their future
endeavours. The House Play this year was Thejuly Plot. kindly directed by
Mr. Paul Carling. Although a rather macabre affaw. and a different take on
the events of the Second World War to The Digby's production of Allo'
Allo', it was well led by Tristan De Souza as Claus von Stauffenberg. and
proved a success. Again, the House Concert was brimming with the
talent that we display as a House for music. As proof that we are not
fabricating this, Tristan De Souza. Alex Morley-Smith, Nicholas Newsom,
Keith Tse and Hugh Worskett must be congratulated on gaining
distinctions in grades seven or eight in the following instruments: 'Cello.
Oboe, Piano, Violin and Voice (with Keith achieving two distinctions in
Piano and Violin). Edmund Latham is also to be congratulated on his
position in the National Youth Choir.
In the sporting arena. Wallace has had its usual assortment of successes
and less brilliant performances. Although the seniors prefer to opt more
for the minor sports. in the Lower School we have had several regular
stalwarts in the higher teams: in Rugby, Charlie MacCielland in the Colts
B's, George Mackintosh in the jun ior Colts A's and Daily Mail Cup Team,
and Gordon Whitley in the Mini Colts A's. Special mention must be made
of Jamie Excell. who has played in the Mini Colts A team for all three
major sports this year. George Mackintosh has also found time to be in
the School Polo Team. Nick Newsom has swum in the School Swimming
Team. and Edward Shackleton and Alex Latham have run for the School
Cross Country Team. johnn y Chae. Peach Chongcharoentaweesuk.
Zhuang Rui Tan, jordan Chung and Sam Kim have all played for School
Basketball Teams. whilst Charlie MacCielland and Sam Kim have also been
part of the School Athletics Squad. In the Senior School, we have had
some notable players in the I st XI Football team (A listair Brooks (in goal),
Tristan De Souza. Daniel Lee and Nick Thanapoomi kul). Piers Foster for
the Ist XI Cricket. Tom Stanford and Edward Ward in the 3rd X I Football
and Tom Excell in the Ist Sailing Team. Tom Minns and Tom Stanford
were part of the School Athletics Squad. from where the former went on
to captain the House Athletics Squad. as well as the House Swimming
Team. This list shows the cornucopia of sports that those in Wallace
participate in, and it could go on further. For the rest of the House, 'Our
greatest glory is not in never falling, but m risrng every time we fall'
(Yasser Arafat).
Wallace has had a notable year and, as we move mto the final year of
Mr Haigh's stewardship over the House. we welcome Mr Robinson and
his family. Wallace is a House that is a very well-rounded and pleasant
one, showing the signs of the many successes still to be achieved in the
years to come.
Alex Morley-Sm1th and Ashley Hermitage (et ol)
T
wo days before the start of the Michaelmas Term, 2003. I walked by the
entrance to the newly-renovated Abbeylands . The doors were open,
and the view down the corndor was tndescr ibable. Suffice to say that
our House looked like a bu1lder's yard. w ith wwes and pipes dangling from the
ceiling. and ladders and planks and paint-pots hiding the view. The makeover
was accomplished. though. because two days later the House looked like
home for the arrivtng new boys wtth. centrestage. a fast-grey ing Mr. Bool, a
Geography teacher with a lot to live up to. Stepptng into Mr. Weston's shoes
was never gotng to be easy. but Mr. Bool achteved tt w1th panache. The House
spirit was good throughout the year, and wtth an overly-energetic Third Form
ready and able to annoy the upper years, nothmg was new.
Now this is a House report. the page tn the Shirburnian where I get the
chance to blow Abbeylands ' trumpet as the best academic, sporting. musical
and dramattc House tn the School. But I won't. It's not as 1f there were A*s
galore in the GCSEs (Michael Oates-Wormer and Matthew Hardcastle, a new
recruit. ach1eved 9 A* grades each. and Rory Cummtng. Alex Murray and
George Smibert gathered over 20 A*s between them). MIChael also starred
in what has become a rather commonplace ach•evement because we've done
it so many times- the wmning of the House Quiz, aided by Reuben Attken.
james Emmett and Alex Harking. I'm not going to brag about the straight As
achieved at A Level by Reuben A1tken, Netl Batson, Adam Gallimore and
Hugh Yates, or even how Reuben Atlken, Head of School, achieved a place
at Gonvtlle and Ca1us College, Cambndge to read Modern Languages and
how Hugo Sutton won first pnze tn the Gerald P1tman Memonal Prize
competition, a local History pnze run by Sherborne Town Museum. Nor w1ll
I boast about Netl Batson. who achieved dtstinction in the Nuffield
Foundation Chemistry Competition. or Andrew MacDonald. w ho received a
commendation 1n the International Chemistry Olym piad, and who
completed the fearsome Ten Tors expedition on Dartmoor; nor about the
Army Scholarship won by Edward Wicks .
I shan't be goaded by cnticism of Abbeylands' sporting prowess into telling
you about the performances of Hugh Yates , Ed W tcks and George Armstrong
in the Ist XV on the rugby field, nor those of Ben Hurst and George Sm1bert
in the Colts As. nor George's appearances for the U 16 county side. I won't
mention Oli Cripps. Philip Anscombe , james Nott, Nick Batchelor and Jamie
Payne, our five members of the junior Colts side which reached the final of
the Daily Mail U IS Cup, Jamie Payne also betng the captatn of the U 14 As,
wh1ch tncluded N1ck Batchelor. Nor shall I recount how we were only beaten
in the final of the Juntor House League. It would also be boasttng to mention
Neil Batson's captaincy of the U 19 basketball team, and our victor ies tn the
jun ior and Senior squash competitions . the Senior Swimming Cup, the Third
Form Six-a-Side Football Competition and the junior Football Competition .
Or how. in the Tnntty Term. we won the overall House Cup on Sports Day
for the fourth successive year. and Seamus Crawford, as well as captaming the
Ist XI cncket team and sconng two centuries 1n the process, played for the
U 17 England cncket team. Oh, and how Jonathan Batson captamed the
School swimming team.
I won't say much about music. e1ther. I won't dwell on the six Abbeylands
boys (Ben Trepess. Alastair Lax. Peter Dillon. Gordon Curtis, A lex Tollast and
W ill Day-Robinson) who played rn the joint Schools Orchestral and Choral
Concert, or the six more who, with them, performed in the Friday lunchtime
concerts, nor the fun of the excellent House Concert organised by Ben
Trepess. And I really ought not to ment1on Ben's d1stinction in the Associated
Board Grade 8 oboe exam, or the •nternal stxth-form mus1c exhtbitton
awarded to Peter Dillon. I have no space to mention the hard work done on
the Lent Term Project by Reuben Aitken and many of the younger boys. or
the boys who acted in the Commemoration Day plays, and many other plays
during the year.
None of these glttter ing pe1iormances could be ach1eved without the
support. ktndness. tender lovmg care and pract1cal help gtven to all of us by
Mr and Mrs Bool, our super new Matron. Mrs jill T1frtn (whose efficiency
reaches Homeric proportions), our new Mini-Matron, Sharon 'Mini' Shaw. our
tutors. some old, some new, and our house-staff, for which many thanks.
Oops! I've just realised: I've let my pen run away and done it again, though
I didn't intend to! I've told you what a vibrant, great House Abbey lands ts! But
then, it's so good. I had to, really, dtdn't I ?
john Barber
W
hat is 1l about Lyon and second places? W e seem to go together like
bread and butter. In this, another eventful year for Lyon, we managed
to reach the finals of both the senior rugby and cncket
competitions.
In the rugby. we exhausted all our efforts in reach1ng the final,
house
play1ng some superb 1ugby. However. m the final, our team. 1ncluding Ist XV
players Adam Re1d, Kol1 Doherty. Tom Hillard and Dave N1cholls, was outshone
by, dare I say 1t, a slightly superior Digby team. While on the subject of rugby.
a special mention must go to the Lyon members of the junior Colts team,
Henry Bond, Tom Fleming and Rati Mayo. who elimmated opposition wrth ease
in the Daily Mad Cup all the way to TwiCkenham, where they narrowly went
down to a very strong side, despite Henry's excellent try on the hallowed turf.
The cricket went the same way as the rugby. Despite play1ng our hearts out
to reach the final. beating Wallace and Harper along the way, we were narrowly
beaten by a strong Green Learn. and Ist XI player Charlie Often's 49 was not
quite enough to bring home the glory N o one w1ll deny that our hockey team
was not the strongest around, but some courageous and strong sp1rited play
got us to the semifinals. where we just lost out to Harper after a win against
The Digby and a draw against Abbey. Desp1te all these near misses. we were
able to periorm to our best1n the compet1t1on 1n wh1ch we have had the most
success rn recent years: the House Football Competition . Even w1th the half
hearted resistance from the other houses. no one had a chance of taking our
crown away from us and a brace by Ist XI player Felix Curry ensured a 4-2 win
over Abbey in the final. We also managed to marntain our strong reputat•on on
the cross-country front where we managed a unique double of having
the winners of both the senior and the JUnior event Dave Nicholls ran
superbly and proved what a quality runner he rs rn winnrng the senror event
while Ed Knudsen won the JUnior event for the second time. Dave
should also be congratulated for rais1ng L206 for the Lent Project by running
a half marathon, With the money gorng to the Parkinson's Disease Socrety. In
other Lent Project events, Lyon were crowned the official Hard Man House.
after w1nnrng the Hard Man Competitron organrsed by the gym. and Adam
Reid was crowned the Hard Man of the school.
I personally believe that one of the greatest successes in Lyon in the past
year was our house play, Nude Wrth Violin by Noel Coward. Lyon has a
reputation for puttrng on outstandmg House Plays and th1s year was no
exceptron. james Fitzgerald masterfully overcame about ten different forergn
languages to produce a performance as Sebastien that rivalled some of the best
seen 1n The Powell Theatre. There were also notable performances from Kit
Dorey, as the energet1c Clinton Premmger jr, Sebastian Bacon. as the pompous
Colin Sorod1n and honorary Lyon House member Lucy Simson. 1n her second
Lyon House play, as the animated Amencan Cherry-May Waterton
On the musrc front, W1lson Cheng once aga1n excelled rn everyth•ng musiCal.
which ultrmately resulted in his being awarded a Gurldhall School of Music
Drploma He also contributed to a fantastiC House Concert and 1t was
partrcularly encouragmg to see so many Th1rd Formers perform. It certainly
seems that Lyon's music will be in good hands for the next few years.
In another musical event. justice was finally done as, after years of being
robbed unfairly of the trtle. we frnally won the House Singing Compeut.Jon
w1th our
renditron of River of Dreams by Billy joel. I thank the person who rnvited a
competent judge for once. who reaJised that the 1dea of the House Srngrng
Competitron rs more than just choral srngrng, and rightfully awarded first place
to the most entertarnrng performance on the nrght
A Lyon House report wouldn't be complete wrthout a mention of the Ten
Tors team - and once agarn Lyon's team returned home victonous after
conquenng the Tors r na very good lime. The Learn was capta1ned by Sebastran
Bacon and 1ncluded Ollie Cooper. Alex Vlieland-Boddy. Tom Fleming. Robe1i
Masterson and Will Clark. I should also mention that Dave N1cholls also
mastered the Tors, walk•ng forty-five miles w1th the CCF team, the first Lyon
member to do so for some years.
just when you were begrnning to wonder whether Lyon boys even went to
lessons, I can tell you that Lyon agarn produced some fantastic results in the
recent publ1c exams. Robert Bain. Mrchael Hutton-Ashkenny and Wilson Cheng
all gained three As in their A Levels and as a result Robert has taken up a place
studying Engineenng at Grrton College, Cambridge W e aJso had great success in
the GCSE's with Gash Mbrzvo ga1nrng nine A*s and Krt Dorey gammg eight A*s.
As you can see. rt has been a very successful year in Lyon and we certamly
hope this success can contrnue. I must take th1s opportunrty to thank all the
house staff who prevent Lyon from fallrng apart and Charlie M1nter and Fred
Isles, our two Heads of House. who both led strongly from the front and were
great assets to the House.
Edward Elgood
W
e thought we'd cope so well with th1s year. It had happened to
the other Houses and it's not like we didn't see it commg. But
when it actually got here we JUSt didn't know what to do w1th
ourselves.
Yes, The Digby turned forty th1s year.
We marked the occas1on With a number of celebratory events,
reumting every Housemaster of The Digby smce the House opened and
many old boys, who agreed to return on condition that they were free to
drink and smoke openly without fear of being reprimanded. A marquee
was set up on the lawn to house the festivities, which took the form of
lwo dinners, one for old boys and tutors and one for the current crop of
Digbeans. The location of the marquee was the source of extreme stress
for Mr Morgan, who is cunously fond of h1s lawn. and his worst fears
came true when the marquee was removed, leaving in 1ts place a large
patch of dead, yellow grass. A network of sprinklers was immediately
deployed and you will no doubt be relieved to know that
the resurrection was successful and the lawn is back to 1ts usual, lustrous
self.
In spite of our age, we have been busy this year and have stamped our
mark on the School, keeping lhose young upstarts in their place. Despite
disappointment in the House Singing, where our brawn over brams
rendition of Swtng low, sweet chanot fa1led to bring the trophy back to The
Digby, we won the House Rugby, beattng off all opposition thanks to the
twin peaks of Giles Maber and Bobby Blake, Matt Hutt's msp1ralional
playmaking and the effortless water-d1spensing ability of Harry Blazeby,
the touchline tactician.
The House Play, 'AIIo 'AIIo, was a mostly indecent affair. with a number
of boys pulling off disturbmgly convmcing Impressions of girls: the
discovery that Francis can also be a boy's name produced record queues
outside the office of the school counsellor and many have been left with
deep emotional scarring, not least Mr Burn, who thought he was onto a
winner by bagging a seat on the front r o w - that is, until Henry Howard
(stealing the show as Edith) decided to lap dance for him. It w ill come as
no surprise to those of you who know him that this whole bawdy affair
was directed w1th great aplomb by Dr Chris Hamon.
Those of you expecting this final paragraph to be a eulogy for Mr
Morgan's career as Housemaster of The Digby, and to be wishing htm luck
for the future. w i ll be sadly disappointed, but probably not as
disappointed as Mr Robinson, who has had to settle for Wallace instead.
As I am sure XPU already know, Mr Morgan has decided to keep flogging
the dead horse which we affectionately know as The Digby, and we wish
him luck in this task. He's going to need it!
jonathan Horner